At one of the meetings of the ladies, held in St. Paul, the question of
the selection of an official flower for the state was presented, and the
sentiment generally prevailed that it should at once be decided by the
assemblage; but Mrs. L. P. Hunt, the delegate from Mankato, in the
second congressional district, wisely suggested that the selection
should be made by all the ladies of the state, and they should be given
an opportunity to vote upon the proposition. This suggestion was
approved, and the following plan was adopted: Mrs. Hunt was authorized
to appoint a committee, of which she was to be chairman, to select a
list of flowers to be voted on. Accordingly she appointed a
subcommittee, who were to consult the state botanist, Mr. Conway
MacMillan, who was to name a number of Minnesota flowers from which the
ladies were to choose. He presented the following:

Lady Slipper (Moccasin Flower--_Cypripedium Spectabile_).
Silky Aster.
Indian Pink.
Cone Flower (Brown-eyed Susan).
Wild Rose.

The plan was to send out printed tickets, to all the women's
organizations in the state, with these names on them, to be voted upon,
which was done, with the result that the moccasin flower received an
overwhelming majority, and has ever since been accepted as the official
flower of the state. That the contest was a very spirited one can be
judged from the fact that Mrs. Hunt sent out in her district at least
ten thousand tickets, with indications of her choice of the moccasin
flower. She also maintained lengthy newspaper controversies with parties
in Manitoba, who claimed the prior right of that province to the
moccasin flower, all of whom she vanquished.

The choice was a very wise and appropriate one. The flower itself is
very beautiful, and peculiarly adapted to the purposes of artistic
decoration. It has already been utilized in three instances of an
official character, with success and approval. The Minnesota state
building at the Columbian Exposition was beautifully decorated with it.
It is prominently incorporated into the state flag, and adorns the medal
conferred by the state upon the defenders of Fort Ridgely.

The botanical name of the flower is _Cypripedium_, taken from Greek
words meaning the shoe of Venus. It is popularly called "Lady's
Slipper," "Moccasin Flower" and "Indian Shoe."

About twenty-five species of _cypripedium_ are known, belonging to the
north temperate zone and reaching sout