1928 - Annual Convention

              F O U R T E E N T H A N N U A L C O N V E N T I ON 35
was due doubtless to their being B r i t i s h and perhaps associated with the
Institute in the old land. On the other hand, another Institute reports
that they have held out a welcoming hand to the foreign women in vain,
but ( and this is a salient point) it was the daughter of one of these foreign
women who won the Institute prize for a patriotic essay! In this incident
there is a great source of encouragement, for if we can not influence these
women ourselves, we can get at them through the children; and even if
they never lose their racial characteristics and customs their children will
soon be wide- awake young Canadians.
I should like to make a few suggestions for the improvement of the
working of this committee:
( 1) Would the district directors see to it that the outlines of work are
distributed at the fall conferences and would the constituency conveners make
a point of enlightening the chairmen of Canadianization as to their duties?
I have had requests for outlines as late as A p r i l when already a valuable
part of the year is gone.
( 2) When the reports that have been read at the fall conferences are
forwarded to the provincial chairman, be sure that the name of the chair­man
making the report, also the name of the constituency and district, are
clearly indicated. Sometimes I have had to depend for my information on
the post- mark, and even that was not plain.
( 3) It would be advisable to retain if possible the same constituency
chairman for a two- year period. Her best work is l i k e l y to be done in her
second year when she has got her subject in hand.
REPORT OF T H E STANDING COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
(. Mrs. M. A . Murphy, Cowley, Convener)
La* t year, after the report had been typed, 28 of the constituencies sent
very intenstinL' anil encouraging reports of work accomplished, but un­fortunately
these reports came too late to be included i n the annual report
of your convener. This year a circular letter urging early replies brought
60 reports brimming full of the activities of this committee. During the
year a great many letters have been received from all over the province, and
155 letters have been written in connection with the work as convener of
this committee.
Some of the outstanding work has been beautifying of homes, cemeteries,
school grounds and streets; planting of trees and ornamental shrubs; making
parks; community improvement; helping with school fairs, horticultural fairs,
flower shows and agricultural fairs.
Your Committee on Agriculture has taken for its slogan, " Beautiful
A l b e r t a , a Land of Plenty." and our members are working for " Home and
C o u n t r y " in a practical way in an effort to make Alberta the very best
province in the great Dominion in which we live.
Since the work of making A l b e r t a a land of homes, where trees, orchards
end gardens bespeak contentment, has been undertaken, the sales of the
nurserymen have been more than doubled, so that they find difficulty in
supplying the demand. More sales have been matle among our Institute
members than to the remaining population of the province.
The subjects taken up and discussed by the branches have been many
and varied. From lectures, papers, debates and demonstrations a great many
a g r i c u l t u r a l facts are being learned. There is evidence of an interest from
which splendid results are being obtained. At the district conference in
Southern Alberta photographs were shown of beautiful homes around which
trees and ornamental shrubs and flowers make a bower of beauty. One
picture showed a plantation of trees consisting of forty varieties.
F r om the outline of work sent out, some of the subjects taken up during
the year are as follows: Advantages of the P o u l t r y and Egg Pool, advantages
of the Swine Club for boys and girls, how to keep the young folk on the
farm, care and culture of bulbs, how to make a nice lawn, hardy flowers and
shrubs suitable to our climatic conditions, storing vegetables for winter use,
what vegetables should be eaten mostly for health, window gardens, how
to eradicate weeds and harmful pests ( such as the gopher, crow, magpie,
cutworm, sawfly, etc.), culture of small fruits, value of selecting good seed,