Mr. D. W. C. Ruff, of St. Paul, had a wonderful showing of peonies of named varieties, most of them very expensive from a money standpoint, they having cost him prices varying from $5.00 to $40.00 a root, and judging by the character of the flowers which he held up for the audience while he talked about them they were well worth the money.  I regret that we are unable to give a verbatim report of his talk, with the names of the varieties, but this information must be secured from him at some later time.  In part he said: 

“I have spent the last fifteen years in making a good collection of peonies.  I have gone all over the world for peonies and have brought together some of the finest peonies from all the noted growers and horticulturists.  In my collection I have over 400 hundred varieties, that is, what I am growing at my home.  I have brought here today of course a great many peonies of the later varieties.  I have brought these here from an educational standpoint so that the people might see some of the rare ones that they might have heard about or read about and see them and know of these varieties.  Last year I made an exhibit and showed hundreds of them.  This year I have brought just a few choice things.”

Rev. C. S. Harrison spoke in his usual inspiring way, but with such force and speed that our stenographer was unable to pick him up, which we sincerely regret.  We all know Mr. Harrison as an enthusiast in flowers.  He has met with us year after year at both annual gatherings.  While he is eighty-three years old yet what he has to say and the way he says it still have the ring and inspiration of youth.  He proposed the organization of a peony society for the Northwest, and a show of hands indicating there was material present to perfect such an organization the plans were laid therefor.  Our reporter got this far: 

“I have attended the national peony shows of Boston and New York, and they cannot hold a candle to your peonies, mark that!  There is something in your soil and in your climate which brings them to the front.”

Prof.  F. L. Washburn was to tell us something about the white pine blister rust, but he failed to inflict upon us a long technical talk, and from what he said all the reporter got was this, from which however one could well judge what was in his thought.  “We have found in Minnesota a disease on the white pine called the ’white pine blister rust.’  One stage of this disease is on the gooseberry or currant, that is, we find it now on the white pine and going to the gooseberry or currant.  We went to the governor, state treasurer and state auditor and obtained $1,000 for use in fighting this besides our regular appropriation.”