I feel as though I
had got home. I have attended every meeting of this society except two
since this society held its annual meeting at Lake City the last time.
That is when I joined the society, and since that time a great many
things have taken place. Think it is seventeen or eighteen years ago, in
that neighborhood. I was absent two years. I went to New Mexico, I went
there to die, but luckily I escaped and came back home. I want to say
this, that when I got back to this part of the country, if there was
anything I thanked God for it was that I was spared to get back. I think
there is no necessity of emigrating either from Minnesota or Iowa, and
people that have traveled over the west and made a tour extending along
the Pacific coast and finally get back into this country, this latitude,
are generally pretty well satisfied and stay here. That is, providing
they didn't spend all their money and can not get back here. Some of our
citizens are now stranded out there and will come home whenever they
can.

In regard to the progress of horticulture in this length of time, I know
you are very much interested in the work of Mr. Patten and a good many
of you have trees that he originated. I want to say that the people of
our state of Iowa have not really gotten their eyes open yet in
horticultural ways. They only appropriated for our use $4,000. We have
five societies, the state society--and then the state is divided into
four sections. In the last few years our state society has appropriated
to carry on, to help Mr. Patten carry on his work, we have appropriated
and used $4,600.

Before that time our society allowed $50.00 a year for station fees for
quite a little while, then before that $25.00 a year. Last year we
appeared before the legislature and tried to get some help to keep up
that work and informed them that our money was getting short and that
unless it was done we could not carry on that work. The legislature
hardly winked an eye at our request. No money was appropriated, and of
all the things that I ever hated to help do last week was to discontinue
the Charles City station. For fear that some one might think we had gone
back on Mr. Patten and that the work he has done will be lost to the
world, I will say there is nothing of that kind. There is not a member
of our society but would do anything in the world for Mr. Patten, to
help him. It is just simply a fact that the money of our society is so
nearly exhauste