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TRANSACTIONS 


assacljusdis  horticultural  ^odetg, 


FOR  THE  YEAR  1890. 


PART   I. 


BOSTON : 
PRINTED    FOR    THE    SOCIETY. 

189  0. 


CHAPEL    ,^^0-11 


The  following  papers  and  discussions  have  been  circulated  to 
some  extent  in  the  form  of  slips  reprinted  from  the  reports  made 
by  the  Secretary'  of  the  Societj^  in  the  Boston  Transcript.  As  here 
presented,  the  papers  are  printed  in  full,  and  the  discussions  are 
not  only  much  fuller  than  in  the  weekl}'  reports,  but,  where  it 
appeared  necessary,  have  been  carefully  revised  by  the  speakers. 

The  Committee  on  Publication  and  Discussion  take  this  oppor- 
tunity to  repeat  what  they  have  before  stated,  that  the  Society 
is  not  to  be  held  responsible  for  the  certainty  of  the  statements, 
the  correctness  of  the  opinions,  or  the  accuracy  of  the  nomencla- 
ture in  the  papers  and  discussions  now  or  heretofore  published,  all 
of  which  must  rest  on  the  credit  or  judgment  of  the  respective 
writers  or  speakers,  the  Society  undertaking  only  to  present  these 
papers  and  discussions,  or  the  substance  of  them,  correctly. 

O.  B.  Hadwen,  "j       Committee  on 

William  H.  Hunt,  >   Publication  and 

Francis  H.  Appleton,  J        Discussion. 


TRANSACTIONS 


OF   THE 


assacbus^ttsi  pottifttltutal  ^amt^. 


BUSINESS  MEETING. 

Saturday  January  4,  1890. 

A  duly  notified  stated  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at 
half  past  eleven  o'clock.  The  chair  was  taken  by  the  President, 
Dk.  Henry  P.  Walcott. 

President  Walcott,  after  thanking  the  Society  for  the  kindness 
always  shown  him  and  the  hearty  support  given  him  during  the 
four  years  in  which  he  had  presided  over  the  Society,  introduced 
the  President  elect,  William  H.  Spooner,  who  delivered  the  fol- 
lowing inaugural  address. 

Address  of  President  Spooner. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen: — As  we  meet  together  today  at  the 
commencement  of  a  new  year,  united  in  our  interest  in  all  that 
this  Society  exists  to  promote,  shall  we  consider  briefly  at  first 
what  the  condition  of  our  aflTairs  is,  and  in  what  measures  lie  our 
best  possibilities  of  advancement  ?  I>om  the  excellent  reports  of 
our  Standing  Committees,  so  far  as  presented,  it  appears  that  the 
exhibitions  of  the  past  year  have  been,  with  a  few  exceptions,  up 
to  the  usual  standard,  but  it  also  appears  that  they  have  not 
proved  so  attractive  to  the  public  as  could  be  desired.  As  this 
age  demands  novelty  in  every  department  of  life,  it  has  occurred 
to  me  that  the  cause  of  the  apparent  lack  of  interest  may  be  in 
the  exhibitions  themselves  ;  there  is  too  much  sameness  in  them, 
and  if  some  special  novelties  could  be  introduced  into  the  four 
principal  shows,   particularly  the  Annual  one,  renewed  interest 


6  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

might  be  aroused.  Ex-President  Parkman  wisely  cautioned  us 
against  "getting  into  ruts  and  staying  there,"  and  we  shall  do 
well  to  keep  pushing  that  we  may  avoid  this  error.  In  corrobo- 
ration of  this  idea,  we  recall  the  financial  success  of  that  exhibition 
in  which  Mr.  Sturtevant's  beautiful  collection  of  Nymphaeas  was 
introduced,  and  the  Rose  Exhibitions  at  which  Mr.  Hayes  or  Mr. 
Moore  presented  unusually  beautiful  specimens,  eliciting  substan- 
tial marks  of  public  favor ;  or  again,  the  last  Chrysanthemum 
Show,  to  which  Mr.  Simpkins,  from  the  sandy  soil  of  Cape  Cod, 
contributed,  through  his  skilful  gardener,  blooms  that  far  exceeded 
any  of  the  kind  ever  seen  in  our  Hall,  raising  the  standard  for 
future  emulation,  and  leaving  our  receipts  perceptibly  enlarged. 
Do  not  these  facts  prove  that  the  lack  of  interest  must  arise  from 
lack  of  attraction  in  the  exhibitions,  and  will  not  the  intelligence 
of  our  committees  be  able  to  devise  a  remedy  ?  While  the  work 
of  the  Society  in  the  future  is  undoubtedly  largely  to  encourage 
the  improvement  of  standard  collections,  there  is  perhaps  a  still 
broader  field  for  progress  in  stimulating  the  production  of  seed- 
lings of  hardy  flowering  plants  and  fruits,  in  which  latter  depart- 
ment we  have  the  example  of  Mr.  Dana,  who  has  left  us  the  well- 
known  pear,  which  received  the  Societj^'s  commendation,  and  holds 
its  place  among  the  most  desirable  varieties. 

Messrs.  Hovey,  Wilder,  and  Heustis  have  displayed  their  skill 
by  giving  us  new  and  improved  kinds  of  strawberries,  receiving 
the  Society's  approval ;  and  in  seedling  grapes,  Mr.  Bull,  in  his 
famous  Concord,  has  made  it  possible  for  every  citizen  to  sit 
under  his  own  vine  and  eat  of  its  fruit.  Among  plants,  from  the 
experiments  of  the  Messrs.  Hovey  and  Mr.  Parkman,  we  have 
had  rare  improvements  in  the  Lily  family ;  in  pinks  and  carna- 
tions by  Messrs.  Hyde,  Tailby,  and  Fisher;  and  in  chrysanthe- 
mums. Dr.  Walcott  has  shown  his  skill  by  productions  of  great 
merit.  I  cite  these  instances  of  what  has  been  accomplished  by 
effort  in  the  past ;  and  they  can  probably  be  exceeded  in  the 
future,  as  inventive  genius  is  continuall}'  surprising  us  on  every 
side  with  its  marvellous  developments,  and  whosoever  shall  be  the 
scribe  of  the  Societ}^  at  the  end  of  its  next  half-century  will  hare 
wonders  to  record  far  be3'ond  our  fairest  imaginings. 

Who  is  to  be  the  pioneer  of  seedlings  in  the  Rose  department? 
The  opportunity  is  wide  for  the  production  of  seedlings  of  free- 
blooming  varieties  which  shall  be  hardy  enough  to  withstand  the 


ADDRESS    OF    PRESIDENT    SPOONER,  7 

difficulties  of  our  changeable  climate.  We  hear  that  experiments 
have  been  made  in  New  York  by  crossings  with  JRosa  rugosa, 
which  is  undoubtedly  a  true  basis  to  work  from.  Judging  from 
experience,  it  would  seem  wise  to  promote  interest  in  this  depart- 
ment by  offering  liberal  prizes. 

As  another  measure  conducive  to  interest  in  our  work,  I  would 
suggest  that  members  should  be  furnished  by  mail  with  copies  of 
the  programmes  for  the  discussions  of  the  season,  and  with  the 
Schedule  of  Prizes,  and  should  be  informed  that  the  published 
Transactions  of  the  Society  can  be  obtained  by  application  to  the 
Secretary.  Members  should  also  be  notified  of  the  quarterly  meet- 
ings. The  Treasurer  should  give  due  notice  to  annual  members 
of  their  assessment  dues,  and  new  members  should  be  furnished 
with  a  copy  of  the  Constitution  and  By-Laws.  With  the  modern 
facilities  for  supplying  wrappers  and  superscriptions,  the  extra 
expense  would  not  be  very  large,  and  the  labor  need  not  fall 
upon  the  Secretar}-,  to  add  to  his  duties.  It  seems  to  me  that 
this  might  prove  helpful  as  a  reminder  to  members  of  what  is  going 
on  here. 

I  regret  that  the  special  Committee  on  Window  Gardening  has 
not  3'et  reported,  but  from  the  preliminary  statement  of  its 
Secretary,  we  can  judge  that  the  work  has  made  rapid  progress 
during  the  past  year,  and  would  seem  to  be  worthy  of  continued 
support. 

During  the  past  year  the  Society  has  lost  by  death  several 
prominent  members,  one  of  whom,  Aaron  D.  Weld,  of  West  Rox- 
bury,  joined  this  organization  in  1829,  the  year  of  its  formation. 
Other  valuable  members  were  Henry  Weld  Fuller,  of  Roxbury, 
so  long  identified  with  our  affairs  as  Vice  President,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee  ;  Charles 
L.  Flint,  of  Boston,  for  many  years  Secretary  of  the  State  Board 
of  Agriculture  ;  Henry  Shaw  of  St.  Louis,  a  Corresponding  Mem- 
ber, well  known  as  the  distinguished  philanthropist  who  gave  so 
large  a  sum  to  further  the  cause  of  botanical  education  in  St. 
Louis;  and  William  C.  Harding,  of  Stamford,  Conn.,  formerly  a 
large  contributor  to  our  exhibitions,  for  each  of  whom  suitable 
memorials  have  been  offered.  Two  other  valuable  members  have 
passed  from  us,  James  Cartwright  of  Wellesley,  for  several  years 
a  very  efficient  member  of  the  Committee  on  Plants  and  Flowers, 
an  honest  man  of  most  reliable  judgment ;    and  James  O'Brien  of 


8  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

Jamaica  Plain,  also  a  member  of  the  same  Committee,  well 
informed  in  his  profession,  a  good  cultivator,  and  one  who  would 
have  been  of  service  to  the  Society  had  his  health  permitted. 

The  finances  of  the  Society  are  in  as  prosperous  condition  as 
can  reasonably  be  expected  after  the  unusual  expenditure  forced 
upon  us  by  the  fire  in  our  building  about  a  year  ago,  which 
reduced  our  income  from  the  halls,  during  the  time  occupied  in 
repairs.  The  opportunity  was,  however,  improved  for  making 
various  needful  changes  and  additions  in  the  Halls  and  Library 
Room,  which  are  greatly  to  our  advantage,  but  which  necessitated 
larger  expenditures  than  was  covered  by  the  insurance  received. 
The  Halls  are  much  improved,  and  will  undoubtedly  be  more  in 
demand.  The  Library  Room  is  especially  benefited  by  the 
changes  made,  giving  additional  space  for  books,  which  was  one 
of  its  needs  ;  the  Library  Committee  now  consider  it  sufficiently 
commodious  for  present  purposes. 

These  drafts  upon  our  income  have  prevented  any  addition  to 
the  Sinking  Fund,  but  we  can  reasonably  hope  to  add  something 
to  this  Fund,  (which  now  amounts  to  about  $5,000)  during  the 
coming  year.     The  mortgage  debt  of  the  Society  is  $25,000. 

The  Treasurer's  report  will  show  gross  receipts  for  the  year  of 
$51,098.31,  including  a  balance  on  hand  January  1,  1889.  The 
total  expenditures  have  been  $40,477.75,  leaving  a  balance  of 
$10,620.56  ;  of  this  $1,000  should  be  reserved  for  the  John  Lewis 
Russell  Fund,  making  the  net  balance  on  hand  January  1st,  1890, 
$9,620.56.  There  has  been  received  from  Mount  Auburn  Ceme- 
tery $4,322,  included  in  the  above. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen  :  In  assuming  the  duties  of  the  oflSce 
with  which  you  have  honored  me,  I  realize  fully  its  large  responsi- 
bilities, and  my  own  shortcomings  ;  but,  recalling  in  retrospect 
the  many  distinguished  men,  whose  wise  counsels  have  heretofore 
directed  us  and  aided  the  growth  of  our  Society,  I  can  only  strive 
in  some  degree  to  emulate  their  zeal,  and  earnestly  hope  for  your 
suggestions  and  support  to  strengthen  my  efforts. 

John  G.  Barker,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Gardens,  made 
a  report  of  the  awards  by  that  Committee  for  the  year  1889, 
which  was  accepted.  Mr.  Barker  asked  to  be  allowed  until  the 
first  Saturday  in  February,  to  prepare  the  remainder  of  his  report, 
which  was  granted. 


APPROPRIATIONS   FOR    1890.  » 

Mrs.  H.  L.  T.  Walcott,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Window 
Gardening,  read  the  Annual  Report  of  that  Committee,  which 
was  accepted  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Publication. 

The  President,  as  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee, 
reported  a  recommendation  that  the  Society  make  the  following 
appropriations  for  the  year  1890  : 

For  Prizes  for  Plants  and  Flowers,     .         .         $3,000 


'         "    Fruits, 
'         "    Vegetables, 
'         "    Gardens, 
Total  for  Prizes, 


1,700 
1,000 
300 
$6,000 


For  the  Library  Committee,  for  the  purchase  of  maga- 
zines and  newspapers,  binding  of  books  and  incidental 
expenses  of  the  Committee,    .....  $300 

For  the  Committee  on  Publication  and  Discussion,     .  250 

For  the  Library  Committee,  to  continue  the  Card  Cata- 
logue of  Plates, 100 

For  the  Committee  of  Arrangements,  this  sum  to  cover 

all  extraordinary  expenses  of  said  Committee,         .  300 

For  the  compensation  of  the  Secretary  and  Librarian  and 

Assistant, 1,700 

For  Prizes  for  the  Promotion  of  Window  Gardening,  150 

These  appropriations  were  unanimously  voted  by  the  Society. 

The  President  also  reported  from  the  Executive  Committee  the 
appointment  of  Robert  Manning  to  be  Secretary  and  Librarian, 
and  W.  Wyllys  Gannett  to  be  Treasurer  and  Superintendent  of 
the  Building  for  the  year  1890. 

On  motion  of  E.  H.  Hitchings  it  was  voted  that,  agreeably  to 
the  rules  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture  three  prizes  of  $10,  $8, 
and  $6,  be  given  for  the  best  reports  of  awarding  committees,  and 
that  the  Committee  on  Publication  and  Discussion  be  requested  to 
award  these  prizes. 

On  motion  of  Benjamin  G.  Smith  it  was  voted  that  a  committee 
of  three  be  appointed  to  procure  a  portrait  of  the  retiring  Presi- 
dent, Dr.  Henry  P.  Walcott,  and  Mr.  Smith,  Francis  H.  Appleton 
and  Leverett  M.  Chase,  were  appointed  as  that  Committee. 


10  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Mr.  Smith  also,  as  Treasurer  of  the  American  Pomological 
Society,  presented  to  the  Librar\'  a  copy  of  the  Proceedings  of 
that  Society  at  its  Twenty-second  Session,  in  Ocala,  Florida, 
February,  1889,  for  which  the  thanks  of  the  Society  were  voted. 

A  letter  from  F.  Lyford,  in  regard  to  a  claim  on  the  Society, 
was  read  and  referred  to  the  Finance  Committee. 

Ex-President,  James  F.  C.  Hyde  stated  that  much  dissatisfac- 
tion existed  among  the  members  of  the  Society  in  regard  to  the 
appointment  of  Treasurer  made  b}-  the  Executive  Committee,  and 
moved  that  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed  by  the  Chair  to 
confer  with  the  Executive  Committee  on  the  subject.  The  motion 
was  unanimousl}'  carried,  and  the  Chair  appointed  as  that  Com- 
mittee, Mr.  Hyde,  Leverett  M.  Chase,  E.  W.  Wood,  Patrick 
Norton,  and  John  G.  Barker. 

Hon.  Eugene  H.  Clapp,  of  Roxbury, 

having  been  recommended  by  the  Executive  Committee  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Society,  was  on  ballot  duly  elected. 

O.  B.  Hadwen,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Publication  and 
Discussion,  announced  that  the  first  of  the  meetings  for  discussion 
the  present  season  would  be  held  on  the  next  Saturday,  at  half 
past  eleven  o'clock,  when  Professor  G.  H.  Whitcher,  director  of 
the  New  Hampshire  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Hanover, 
N.  H.,  would  read  a  paper  on  the  "Growth  and  Nutrition  of 
Plants." 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  Januarj-  11,  at  half  past  eleven  o'clock. 


BUSINESS  MEETING. 


Saturday,  January  11,  1890. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at  half  past 
eleven  o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spooner,  in  the  chair. 

The  Secretary  read  a  letter  from  W.  W.  Dunlop,  Secretary  of 
the  Montreal  Horticultural  Society,  containing  the  information 
that  a  Convention  of  Fruit  Growers  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada 


HORTICULTURE    OF   CALIFORNIA.  H 

would  be  held  in  the  City  of  Ottawa,  on  the  19th,  20th,  and  21st 
of  February,  and  extending  a  cordial  invitation  to  this  Society  to 
send  one  or  more  delegates  to  the  meeting.  Also  that  in  connec- 
tion with  this  Convention,  an  exhibition  of  winter  fruits  would  be 
held,  and  asking  this  Society  to  appoint  a  competent  judge  to  act 
with  another,  to  be  appointed  by  the  Western  New  York  Horticul- 
tural Society,  in  awarding  the  prizes.  It  was  voted  to  accept  the 
invitation  of  the  Montreal  Horticultural  Society,  and  O.  B. 
Hadwen  was  appointed  Delegate  and  Judge. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  January  18,  1890,  at  half  past  eleven 
o'clock. 

MEETING  FOR  DISCUSSION. 

A  lecture  was  expected  from  Professor  G.  H.  Whitcher,  of  the 
New  Hampshire  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  on  the  "  Growth 
and  Nutrition  of  Plants."  Professor  "Whitcher  was,  however, 
owing  to  the  delay  of  a  railroad  train,  not  present.  In  place  of 
that  paper  there  was  given  an  impromptu  talk,  from  recent 
observations  in  the  Golden  State,  upon  the 

Horticulture  of  California. 
By  Bexjamin  p.  Ware,  -Clifton,  Mass. 

Mr.  "Ware  said  that,  being  entirely  unprepared  to  speak,  his 
remarks  might  be  somewhat  rambling.  The  subject  is  so  vast 
that  it  would  require  some  time  to  give  a  full  account  of  it. 
Everything  connected  with  California  is  on  a  vast  scale,  and  the 
people  express  themselves  largely,  and  he  did  not  wonder  at  it. 
He  began  by  giving  a  description  of  a  ranch,  as  they  call  a  farm 
in  that  State.  He  selected  the  estate  of  General  John  Bid  well, 
who  went  to  California  in  1847,  and  soon  acquired  possession  of 
one  of  the  great  Spanish  grants  —  probably  forty  thousand  acres. 
Here  he  began  a  town,  called  Chico,  which  now  has  six  thousand 
inhabitants.  It  is  beautifully  located  and  can  be  thoroughly 
irrigated.  As  you  enter  the  estate  by  a  long  avenue  lined  with 
beautiful  trees,  you  first  come  to  a  cherry  orchard,  where  there  is 
one  tree  five  feet  through  at  the  base.  Next  there  is  an  apricot 
orchard  of  hundreds  of  acres,  the  rows  of  trees  extending  as  far 
as  one  can  see.     To  utilize  these  fruits.  General  Bidwell  has  a 


12  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

canning  factory  of  his  own.  There  is  also  a  large  olive  orchard  ; 
the  cultivation  of  this  fruit  and  the  manufacture  of  oil  is  destined 
to  be  one  of  the  leading  interests  of  California.  A  superior 
varietj'  of  prune,  known  as  the  French  prune,  has  been  introduced, 
and  from  the  fruit  dried  prunes  of  superior  quality  are  manufac- 
tured. In  the  summer  the  climate  is  warm  and  there  is  no  rain  or 
dew,  so  that  prunes  and  raisins  can  be  dried  by  the  sun  alone. 
There  is  a  large  peach  orchard,  containing  the  varieties  of  best 
quality  for  canning  and  transportation.  Gen.  Bidwell  had  a 
large  vineyard  for  wine,  but  being  a  prohibitionist  he  pulled  up 
the  vines,  and  now  grows  grapes  only  for  raisins.  He  makes  five 
hundred  barrels  of  cider  annually,  all  of  which  is  made  into 
vinegar. 

Mr.  Ware  saw  acres  and  acres  of  squashes,  or,  as  they  are 
called  there,  pumpkins,  producing  at  the  rate  of  twenty  tons  per 
acre;  they  are  valued  at  $2  per  ton.  There  is  no  frost  there, 
and  the}'  are  piled  up  in  the  fields  until  wanted  for  use.  He  saw 
a  photograph  of  a  field  which  was  said  to  have  produced  eighty  tons 
to  the  acre.  The  peach,  apricot,  prune,  and  fig  require  only  four 
years  to  make  good,  thrifty  bearing  trees.  Almonds  and  English 
walnuts  thrive  there  ;  indeed,  all  the  fruits  now  imported  from 
Europe  find  a  congenial  home  in  California,  and  our  whole  coun- 
try will  undoubtedly  before  long  be  supplied  from  thence  with  all 
the  fruits  and  nuts  now  imported.  It  is  only  about  twelve  3'ears 
since  it  was  known  that  the  various  fruits  could  be  grown  in  Cali- 
fornia to  advantage.  Soon  after  the  discovery  of  gold,  in  1849, 
oats  were  found  growing  there,  having  stalks  six  feet  high,  and  it 
was  argued  that  if  oats  would  grow  there  wheat  would  also.  Last 
year  a  surplus  of  fifteen  millions  of  bushels  of  superior  wheat  was 
exported.     Wheat  and  barle}'  are  grown  without  irrigation. 

Oak  trees  are  found  growing  naturally  in  various  parts  of  the 
State  and  forming  park-like  scenery.  The  principal  species  are 
the  live  oak,  water  oak  and  a  variety  resembling  our  white  oak, 
but  producing  timber  much  inferior  to  that.  The  atmosphere  is 
very  peculiar  ;  standing  thirty  miles  away  from  the  Sierra  Nevada, 
it  looks  as  if  there  were  a  descent  to  the  foot-hills  instead  of  a 
rise.  The  lumber  interest  is  a  very  important  one  at  Chico  ;  a 
flume  thirty-eight  miles  long  has  been  built  to  float  down  the 
lumber,  which  travels  that  distance  in  four  hours  and  a  half,  and 
the  same  water  is  afterwards  used  for  irrigation. 


HORTICULTURE    OF    CALIFORNIA.  13 

Fruit  and  alfalfa  require  more  or  less  irrigation  in  the  larger 
portion  of  California,  but  the  idea  that  irrigation  must  be  contin- 
uous has  been  found  erroneous ;  continuous  irrigation  may  be 
required  for  alfalfa,  but  it  is  not  for  fruit.  The  fruit  in  California 
is  of  poor  flavor  compared  with  that  grown  here.  The  cherry 
orchards  are  irrigated  when  the  fruit  is  about  ready  to  swell  off. 
It  has  been  learned  that  stirring  the  surface  soil  forms  a  mulch 
which  prevents  rapid  evaporation  and  is  much  better  than  constant 
irrigation.  After  irrigation  if  the  surface  is  stirred  with  a  cultiva- 
tor it  will  be  dry  for  two  or  three  inches  and  keep  moist  below 
that ;  if  it  is  not  stirred  a  crust  forms  on  the  surface  and  the 
ground  is  dry  for  a  foot  or  more  in  depth. 

General  Bidwell  has  on  his  ranch  a  colony  of  Digger  Indians, 
supposed  to  be  the  lowest  and  meanest  of  all,  but  the  men  are 
among  his  best  workmen,  especially  as  ploughmen.  The  women 
and  children  he  employs  in  picking  fruit,  etc.,  and  they  look  tidy 
and  respectable.  Mrs.  Bidwell  has  a  Sunday  school  and  a  day 
school  among  them.  But  Indians  in  general  who  have  been  sent 
to  schools  in  various  parts  of  the  country  are  apt  to  return  to 
savage  life,  and  the  better  educated  die  of  consumption,  caused 
by  confinement  which  is  so  contrary  to  their  nature. 

General  Bidwell's  farm  comprises  2,200  acres ;  the  dairy  prod- 
ucts amount  to  $1,200  per  month,  and  there  are  six  thousand 
sheep  and  thousands  of  cattle  and  horses.  But  although  all  the 
products  are  carefully  put  on  the  market,  the  farm  is  not  profit- 
able ;  it  is  too  large.  Such  farms  must  be  divided  into  small 
holdings  and  managed  by  the  owners ;  no  one  man  can  conduct 
such  an  estate  to  advantage. 

Henry  Miller,  known  as  the  great  cattle  king,  began  in  San 
Francisco  as  a  butcher.  He  bought  Spanish  grants  and  owns 
about  one  million  acres,  which  he  has  divided  into  ranches  of 
20,000  acres  each  ;  he  drives  around  day  and  night  to  look  after 
them,  and  has  no  rest.  He  is  estimated  to  be  worth  $40,000,000. 
He  has  no  children,  and  his  partner,  who  died,  had  none,  and  the 
case  is  the  same  with  General  Bidwell  and  other  large  land- 
owners. The  holding  of  such  great  estates  is  against  the  spirit  of 
republican  institutions,  and  it  seems  as  if  Providence  were  step- 
ping in  to  insure  that  they  should  be  sold  and  divided.  It  is 
certainly  for  the  interest  of  California  that  they  should  be,  and 
the    same  may  be   said   of  the  great  estates  purchased  in  this 


14  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

country,  by  English  syndicates,  and  Congress  should  take  action 
to  prevent  such  concentration  of  ownership  in  land. 

John  Cragin  of  New  York  has  an  immense  estate  nearly  in  the 
centre  of  the  Sacramento  valley,  with  the  Sierra  Nevada  mount- 
ains on  the  east  and  the  Coast  Range  on  the  west.  He  takes  a 
different  course  in  the  management  of  his  estate.  It  is  divided 
into  ranches  of  about  20,000  acres,  each  in  charge  of  a  foreman 
to  whom  he  paj's  a  salary  of  about  Si, 500.  He  has  provided  a 
complete  system  of  irrigation,  and  is  bringing  his  estate  into 
condition  to  put  on  the  market.  He  cultivates  alfalfa  largel}' ; 
with  irrigation  it  will  yield  ten  tons  of  dry  hay  per  acre.  This  is 
stored  in  stacks  of  about  three  hundred  tons  each,  and  he  has 
about  60,000  tons  on  hand.  Cattle  will  fatten  on  it.  Mr.  Cragin 
has  about  ten  thousand  horses  ;  you  cannot  buy  a  single  horse, 
but  the  surplus  is  sent  to  San  Francisco  and  sold  at  auction ;  the 
proceeds  of  a  recent  sale  of  fat  steers  amounted  to  838,000.  At 
Riverside  a  man  fed  three  horses  from  one  acre  of  alfalfa. 

The  people  of  California  are  happy,  contented  and  self-satisfied  ; 
every  one  thinks  his  location  the  best  of  all,  and  where  every  one 
has  the  best,  of  course  there  can  be  no  jealousy ;  but  every  one 
wants  to  sell  out.  They  want  from  S200  to  8350  per  acre,  which 
Mr.  Ware  thought  too  high  ;  it  is  rather  a  prospective  value.  At 
Bakersfield,  there  is  the  best  system  of  irrigation  and  all  kinds  of 
fruit  may  be  successfull}^  grown  there.  The  speaker  saw  fine 
specimens  on  exhibition  ;  including  raisins  and  nuts  of  all  kinds. 
The  peaches  were  of  enormous  size ;  the}'  are  put  in  a  strong 
pickle  to  preserve  them  for  show. 

Jack  rabbits,  larger  than  our  rabbits  and  having  long  ears, 
abound  to  such  an  extent  as  to  be  a  perfect  nuisance.  Parties  of 
two  hundred  or  more,  are  formed  to  destroy  them  ;  a  corral  is 
first  built  by  the  hunters,  who  then  surround  a  circuit  of  four 
miles  or  more,  and  gradually  coming  nearer  together  drive  the 
rabbits  into  the  corral.  Ten  thousand  have  been  killed  in  one 
hunt,  and  two  ladies  riding  out  in  a  buggj'  killed  two  hundred 
with  a  rifle. 

Riverside  is  the  grand  centre  of  the  orange  industry.  Twelve 
years  ago  it  was  a  prairie  covered  with  grass  and  not  a  tree  was  to 
be  seen  anywhere.  Now  Magnolia  avenue  extends  for  miles  in  a 
straight  line,  bordered  with  palms,  magnolias,  and  pepper  trees,  and 
the  orange  groves  are  enclosed  with  trimmed  hedges  of  Monterey 


HORTICULTURE    OF   CALIFORNIA.  15 

cypress.  The  orange  trees  c©me  into  bearing  in  about  four  years  ; 
twenty  acres  have  been  sold  for  840,000.  A  crop  has  been  sold 
on  the  trees  for  $1,250  per  acre,  but  four  hundred  to  five  hundred 
dollars  per  acre,  is  not  an  unusual  price  for  the  fruit.  Land  and 
water  companies  have  been  formed,  and  the  land  sold  in  lots  with 
water  privileges,  costing  from  sixty  cents  to  five  dollars  per  acre. 
The  town  is  a  perfect  paradise,  filled  with  beautiful  homes ;  the 
houses  were  set  back  from  the  streets,  and  now  they  can  hardly 
be  seen.  But  oranges  cannot  be  grown  without  any  trouble  ;  the 
most  destructive  pest  is  the  cotton-scale  ;  a  species  of  lady-bird, 
from  Australia,  was  found  to  be  its  deadly  enemy,  and  it  was 
imported  and  propagated,  and  in  two  years  it  destroyed  the 
cotton-scale.  There  is  another  scale  insect  for  which  another 
parasite  will  have  to  be  found,  though  a  kerosene  emulsion  will 
destroy  it.  The  gopher,  an  animal  about  as  large  as  a  rat, 
destroys  orange  trees  by  girdling,  but  good  cultivation  will  keep 
them  out.  The  speaker  saw  orange  trees  looking  yellow,  and  was 
told  that  the  owner  gathered  a  large  crop,  but  did  not  put  any- 
thing back.  He  saw  a  young  man  from  Amherst  who  went  to 
Pomona  with  some  capital,  and  had  worked  hard,  and  was  healthy, 
happy,  and  prosperous.  Five  acres  of  orange  grove  is  enough  for 
one  man  to  attend  to ;  one  can  care  for  such  a  place  better  than 
for  a  great  estate.  Mr.  Ware  concluded  by  saying  that  for  lack 
of  time  and  preparation,  he  had  been  able  to  speak  of  only  a  very 
few  of  the  many  prominent  features  of  the  horticultural  resources 
of  California,  and  that  briefly.  But  though  he  found  California  so 
attractive,  he  loves  his  friends  and  the  old  associations,  and  could 
not  afford  to  leave  them.  He  thanked  God  that  his  home  is  just 
where  it  is,  but  said  that  unless  we  go  away  and  return  we  cannot 
rightly  and  full}'  appreciate  our  homes. 

Discussion. 

O.  B.  Had  wen  spoke  of  the  exhibition  a  few  years  ago  by  the 
Kimball  Brothers,  of  National  City,  Cal.,  in  the  Old  South  Church, 
of  products  of  that  State,  and  said  that  he  visited  these  gentle- 
men, who  are  engaged  in  cultivating  olives,  guavas,  etc.,  and  was 
most  hospitably  treated  by  them. 

James  Fisher  said  that  he  had  lived  in  San  Diego  two  or  three 
years,  and  that  the  climate  there  is  in  great  contrast  to  that  of 
Oakland.  In  San  Diego  there  is  a  breeze  from  the  Pacific  every 
day  in  the  hot  season,  and  the  climate  is  very  healthful.     Persons 


16       MASSACHUSETTS  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 

arriving  there  with  bad  colds,  or  even  suffering  from  the  sequelae 
of  pneumonia,  have  been  cured  by  the  climate  without  taking  any 
remedy.  There  is  no  frost  and  the  place  is  famous  for  semi- 
tropical  fruits.  A  variety  of  lemon  with  no  seeds  and  very  thin 
skin  is  cultivated  there,  and  preparations  are  making  to  extend  its 
culture  very  largely.  The  Messrs.  Kimball  have  an  olive-oil 
factory  and  there  is  also  one  at  San  Bernardino. 

Rev.  C.  S.  Harrison,  director  of  the  South-west  Division  of  the 
Nebraska  Horticultural  Society,  who  was  present,  was  called  on, 
and  said  that  he  was  happy  to  meet  this  brotherhood  and  sister- 
hood of  horticulturists.  This  was  his  first  visit  to  New  England, 
and  he  thought  it  the  grandest  place  to  live  in  that  he  had  ever 
seen.  He  would  like  to  exchange  some  of  the  rich  western  soil 
for  the  climate  of  New  England.  He  had  lived  among  the  mag- 
nificent conifers  of  the  Rock}'  Mountains,  and  been  engaged  in 
collecting  them  and  was  pleased  to  recognize  them  at  the  Arnold 
Arboretum  and  at  Mr.  Hunnewell's  Pinetum  at  Wellesley.  He 
spoke  of  the  beauty  of  Abies  concolor^  with  blossom  buds  of  the 
deepest  purple  and  purple  cones  standing  erect,  while  next  to 
them  would  be  trees  with  cones  of  green.  On  the  great  plains 
Norway  spruce  trees  lose  their  heads,  but  trees  brought  from  the 
mountains  do  very  well. 

The  announcement  for  the  next  Saturday  was  a  paper  on  "  The 
Huckleberry,"  by  Dr.  E.  L.  Sturtevant  of  South  Framingham. 


BUSINESS  MEETING. 

Saturday,  January  18,  1890. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at  half  past 
eleven  o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spooner,  in  the  chair. 

The  Annual  Report  of  the  Treasurer  was  read  by  the  Secretary, 
accepted,  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Publication. 

The  Secretary  read  a  letter  from  W.  W.  Dunlop,  Secretary  of 
the  Montreal  Horticultural  Society,  thanking  this  Society  for  the 
prompt  action  taken  in  regard  to  the  appointment  of  a  Delegate 
and  Judge  for  the  Convention  of  Fruit  Growers  of  the  Dominion 
of  Canada. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  January  25. 


HUCKLEBERRIES  AND  BLUEBERRIES.  17 

MEETING   FOR  DISCUSSION. 

Huckleberries    and    Blueberries  —  Gatlussacia   and 

Vaccinium  sp. 

By  E.  Lewis  Sturtevant,  M.  D.,  South  Framingham,  Mass. 

In  New  England  the  only  vernacular  names  that  I  have  heard 
applied  to  this  class  of  fruits  have  been  Huckleberries  for  Gaylus- 
sacia  resinosa,  T.  and  G.  ;  Blueberries  for  Vaccinium  Pennsylvani- 
cum,  Lam.,  V.  Canadense,  Kalm,  and  V.  vacillans,  Solander,  which 
are  not  distinguished  apart  when  collected  for  market  pur- 
poses, and  Dangleberries  for  the  fruit  of  Gaylussacia  frondosa, 
T.  and  G.  The  fruit  of  Gaylussacia  dumosa,  T.  and  G.,  occasion- 
ally appears  in  the  New  Bedford  markets  under  the  name  of  the 
Hairy  Huckleberry  ;  and  the  unexcelled  fruit  of  Vaccinium  corym- 
bosum,  L.,  under  the  name  of  Bush  Blueberries.  Gray  in  his 
Synoptical  Flora  applies  in  a  generic  sense  the  word  Huckleberry 
to  the  Gaylussacias ;  and  Blueberry,  Bilberry,  or  sometimes  Huc- 
kleberry and  Cranberry  to  the  Vacciniuins.  Authors  have  not, 
however,  made  a  very  clear  discrimination  in  the  vernacular  no- 
menclature, and  there  is  much  confusion.  I  have  never  yet  heard 
the  words  "Whortleberry  and  Bilberry  used  by  uneducated  country 
people,  and  j^et  these  words  are  given  prominence  in  American 
Cyclopedias  and  American  authors.  The  popular  method,  in  New 
England  at  least,  seems  to  be  to  apply  the  name  of  Huckleberries 
to  those  kinds  in  which  the  seeds  are  prominent  in  the  chewing, 
and  Blueberries  to  those  other  kinds  in  which  the  seeds  are  not 
noticeable,  regardless  of  the  real  color. 

The  word  Whortleberrj',  among  American  botanists,  was  used 
by  Bigelow,  1824  and  1840;  Eaton,  1840;  Provancher,  1862; 
Emerson,  1875,  and  Gray,  1886,  as  also  by  Roger  Williams  in 
colonial  times.  The  same  authors  use  the  word  Bilberry,  as  also 
Josselyn  in  1663,  who  says  "  two  kinds  ; —  black  and  sky-colored, 
which  is  more  frequent;"  Elliott  in  1821,  and  Torrey  in  1843. 
The  most  modern  local  New  England  Floras  use  only  the  words 
Huckleberry  and  Blueberry  with  the  necessary  additions  as  Bush, 
Swamp,  or  Low,  etc.^ 

1  Under  date  of  December  7, 1889,  Mr.  W.  R.  Gerard,  of  New  York,  an  authority  on 
plant  names,  writes  me : — 

"  Huckleberry  is  merely  a  corruption  by  the  American  colonists  of  Hurtleberry. 
The  first  example  of  the  word  that  I  have  met  with  is  in  '  The  Historical  Description 

2 


X8  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Plants  of  the  genus  Vaccinium  {V.  myrtillus,  L.)  seem  to  have 
been  called  Myrtillus  by  the  Latin  writers  of  the  middle  ages,  and 
the  fruit  Myrtle-berry  by  the  apothecaries.  Prior,  in  his  "  Popular 
names  of  British  Plants,"  1870,  p.  121,  derives  Whortleberry  as 
a  corruption  from  M^Ttleberry,  and  Hurtleberry  and  Huckleberry 
in  turn  as  corruptions  of  Whortleberry.  Others  derive  the  name 
Whortleberry  from  the  Anglo-Saxon  heort-berg,  hart-berry,  or  as 
we  should  now  say  deer-berry.  Tusser  mentions  hurtil-berries 
amongst  the  fruits  of  his  time  Later,  in  1586,  Lyte's  Dodoens 
says  the  true  English  name  for  Vaccinium  myrtillus,  L.,  and  F". 
Vitis-Idcea,  L.,  are  "  whorts,  of  some  whortel  berries."  Gerarde, 
in  his  editions  of  1597  and  1636,  gives  the  English  names  for  V. 
myrtillus,  L.,  as  "  Whortes,  Whortle-berries,  Blacke  Berries,  Bill 
Berries  and  Bull  Berries,  and  in  some  places  Winberries."  Park- 
inson, in  1640,  says  :  "  and  we  Whorts  or  Whortle  berrys,  and  Bill 
berries  with  us  about  London."  The  word  Bill-berry  also  takes 
on  the  frequent  form  of  Blae-berr^-,  and  the  occasional  form  of 
Bull-berry. 

A  satisfactory  explanation  of  the  word  liucMeherry  and  a  record 
of  an  early  use  of  the  word  blueberry  I  have  yet  to  find.  The 
word  huckleberry  does  not  occur  in  an3'  English  author  I  have 
consulted  except  in  those  of  very  recent  date.  Both  words  occur 
in  Bigelow's  "  Flora  ef  Boston,"  1814,  and  the  first  in  the  index  to 
Pursh's  Flora  of  the  same  date.  Neither  occurs  in  Eaton's  Botany 
of  1840. 

The  species  of  North  American  representatives  of  our  two 
genera,  which  are  recorded  as  bearing  edible  fruits,  are : 

Gaylussacia  dumosa,  T.  and  G. 
"  frondoaa,  T.  and  G. 

"  resinosa,  T.  and  G. 

"  ursina,  T.  and  G. 

of  the  Province  and  County  of  VTest  New  Jersey,'  by  Gabriel  Thomas  (London,  1698). 
In  another  essay  by  the  same  author '  of  the  Province  and  County  of  Pensilvania'  (sic) 
of  the  same  date,  we  find  Hartleberries.  Hartleberry  is  simply  a  changed  pronuncia- 
tion of  Whortleberry,  which  again  is  a  corruption  of  Myrtleberry.  The  early  use  of 
the  word  Huckleberry  may  be  found  in  Beverly's  Virginia  (1705)  where  we  also  find 
Hurts ;  and  in  a  '  Description  of  South  Carolina'  (1710).  Wood  in  his  '  New  England's 
Prospect '  (1629)  has  Hurtleberry;  so  in  a  '  Narrative  of  the  Colonies  of  Carolina  and 
Georgia,'  by  Tailpe  and  others  (1741.) 

"  'Common  folks '  when  they  hear  a  plant  name  which  they  do  not  understand,  are 
apt  to  twist  it  into  all  manner  of  shapes,  and  pay  no  attention  to  the  laws  of  letter 
changes  formulated  by  Grimm.  Huckleberry  is  an  American  name.  The  corruption 
from  Hurtleberry  is  very  easy  by  dropping  the  first  r,  i.  e.  Hutleberry." 


HUCKLEBERRIES    AND    BLUEBERRIES.  19 

Vaccinium   ccesjntosum,  Michx. 

"  Canadeyise,  Kalm. 

"  corymhosum,  L. 

"  myrtilloides,  Hook. 

"  myrtillus^  L. 

"  ovalifoliuvi,  Smith. 

"  ovatuvi,  Pursh. 

"  parvifoUum,  Smith. 

"  Pennsylvanicum^  Lam. 

"  saUciiium,  Chamisso. 

"  stammeum,  L. 

"  uliginosiim,  L. 

"  vacillans,  Soland. 

"  Vitis-Idcea,  L. 

To  be  classed  with  cranberries,  however,  to  which  the  last 
named  may  be  considered,  from  a  horticultural  view,  as  a  connect- 
ing link,  we  have 

Vaccinium  erythrocarpon,  Michx. 
"  oxy coccus,  L. 

"  macrocarpon,  Ait. 

We  will  now  review  the  species  in  alphabetical  order : 

A.     Gaylussacia,  H.  B.  K. 
1.     Gaylussacia  dumosa,  T.  and  G.  Gray,  Syn.  FL,  2,  1,  19. 
Synonyme,  "         hirtella,  Torr.,  Fl.  N.  Y.,  i,  448. 

"  Vaccinium  dumosum,  Andr.,   Bot.  Rep.,  t.  112; 

Curt.   Bot.  Mag.,  t.  1106; 
Pursh,  FL,  285;   Ell.,  Sk., 
1,497;  Torr.,  Fl.,  i,  414. 
"  Decamerium  dumosum,  Nutt. 

Sandy  swamps,  Newfoundland  and  along  the  coast  to  Florida 
and  Louisiana ;  southward  especially  passing  freely  into 
var.  hirtella,  Gray. 
G.  hirtella,  Klotz,  in  Lin.,  XIV,  48. 
Vaccinium  hirtellum,  Ait.,  Kew.,  ed.  2,  ii,  357. 

The  berry  is  described  by  Bigelow  as  hairy,  black,  watery,  and 
insipid.  Elliot  says  simply  that  they  are  eaten ;  Chapman,  that 
the  diameter  of  the  berry  is  from  one-third  to  one-half  an  inch. 


20  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

On  the  Massachusetts  coast  the  berry  is  of  medium  size,  little 
hairy  or  hair}^,  far  from  insipid,  and  while  not  equalling  the  fruit 
of  the  other  species  is  yet  considered  of  suflScient  value  to  be 
occasionally  sold  in  the  New  Bedford  markets,  as  I  am  credibly 
informed  by  a  botanist  friend,  E.  W.  Hervey. 

This  species  was  called  the  Hairy  Whortleberry  by  Bigelow  in 
1824;  Bush  Whortleberry  by  Eaton  in  1840;  Dwarf  Swamp 
Huckleberry  by  Torrey  in  1843  ;  Dwarf  Huckleberry  by  Gray  in 
1867  and  Dame  and  Collins  in  1888 ;  Bush  Huckleberry  by 
Emerson  in  1875. 

2.     Gaylussacia  frondosa,  T.  and  G.    Gray,  Syn.  Fl.,  2,  1,  19. 
Synonyme,   Vaccinium   frondosum,    L.,  sp.,  499  ;    Andr.,  Bot. 

Rep.,  t.    140  ;    Bigel.,  Fl. 

Bost.,    152;      Pursh,   Fl., 

1285;    Ell.,   Sk.,  i,   497; 

Torr.,  Fl.,  i,  415. 
*'  "  venustum,  Ait.,  Kew.,  2,  11. 

"  "  glaucum,  Michx.,  FL,  i,  231. 

"  "  decamerocarpon,  Dunal  in  D.  C.  Prod. 

"  Decamerium  frondosum,  Nutt. 

Low  and  shaded  grounds,  coast  of  New  Hampshire  and  south- 
ward ;  mountains  of  Pennsylvania  to  Kentuckj' ,  Lousiana,  and 
Florida. 

Pursh  says  the  berries  are  large,  blue,  globular,  eatable  ;  Bige- 
low that  the}'  are  sweet,  few  in  number,  ripening  late  ;  Elliot  that 
this  species  yields  the  best  flavored  fruit.  About  New  Bedford 
the  berries  are  of  fair  but  not  high  quality,  the  shrubs  yielding 
most  profusely  in  some  seasons  and  the  fruit  is  picked  under  the 
name  of  Dangleberries,  for  local  consumption  and  sale.  Had  we 
not  the  superior  Vaccinium  corymbosum,  we  might  well  urge 
attempts  at  culture  for  this  species,  on  account  of  its  habits  of 
growth,  its  occasional  extreme  prolificacy,  and  the  ease  of  pick- 
ing, together  with  the  fair  quality  of  the  fruit. 

The  vernacular  names  given  are  Blue  Tangles  by  Pursh,  in 
1814,  Torrey  in  1843,  Gray  in  1867,  and  Wood  in  1875  ;  Late 
Whortleberry  by  Bigelow  in  1824  and  1840  ;  Blue  Whortleberry 
by  Eaton  in  1840  ;  Dangleberry  by  Torrey  in  1843  ;  Gray,  1867  ; 
Emerson,  1875  ;  Robinson,  1880  ;  Dame  and  Collins,  1888,  and 
this  is  the  most  appropriate  name,  and  the  only  one  I  have  heard 


HUCKLEBERRIES  AND  BLUEBERRIES.  21 

used  ;  Blue  Dangleberry  by  Fuller  in  the  Small  Fruit  Guitarist, 
1867  ;  High  Blueberry  by  Wood  in  1875. 

3.  Oaylussacia  resinosa,  T.  and  G.     Gray,   Syn.  FL,  2,  1,  20. 
Synonyme,  Vaccinium  resinosum,  Ait.,  Kew.,  2,12;  Michx.,  Fl., 

1,  232;    Bot.  Mag.,  t.  1288; 

Ell.,  Sk.,  i,  498;    Pursh,  Fl., 

1286;  Bigel.,  Fl.  Best.,  150; 

Torr.,  Fl.,  i,  415;  Hook.,Fl. 

Bor.  Am.,  2,  31. 
"  "•  parviflorum,  Andr.,  Bot.  Rep.,  t.  125. 

"  Andromeda  baccata,  Wang.  Amer.,  iii,  t.  30,  p.  69. 

"  Decamerium  resinosum,  Nutt. 

This  species  occasionally  has  varieties  with  white  fruit.  Her- 
xey^  mentions  them  about  New  Bedford,  and  Westbrook^  records 
them  in  New  Jersey'.  "  They  are  only  white  when  grown  and 
ripened  in  the  shade.  If  partially  exposed  to  the  sun,  they  will 
have  a  pink  cheek.  When  exposed  to  the  full  rays  of  the  sun,  as 
in  a  field,  they  will  be  either  pink  or  of  a  bright  scarlet  color." 

Rocky  woodlands  and  swamps,  Newfoundland  to  Saskatche- 
wan and  South  to  Upper  Georgia.  The  only  species  in  the  North- 
em  Mississippi  States,  where  it  is  rare. 

Pursh  says  the  berries  are  black,  eatable ;  Bigelow,  that  the 
fruit  is  globular,  black,  sweet ;  Gray,  that  the  fruit  is  black, 
rarely  varying  to  white,  without  bloom,  pleasant.  This  species 
furnishes  the  Huckleberry  or  Black  Huckleberry  of  our  markets. 
I  am  hardly  of  those  who  recommend  this  sort  for  cultivation,  as 
the  fruit  is  not  of  the  best,  although  the  best  of  the  Huckleberries, 
being  excelled  in  quality  by  the  Blueberries,  and  the  habits  of 
the  plant  are  not  such  as  to  commend  it. 

The  vernacular  names  are  given  as  Black  Huckleberry  by  Bige- 
low, 1814,  1824,  1840;  Torrey,  1843;  Fuller,  1867;  Gray,  1867; 
Wood,  1875 ;  Emerson,  1875 ;  Robinson,  1880.  As  Black 
Whortleberry  by  Bigelow,  1814,  1824,  1840  ;  Eaton,  1840  ;  Emer- 
son, 1875.     As  Huckleberry-  by  Gray,  1886. 

4.  Gaylussacia  ursina,  T.  and  G.    Gray,  Syn.  Fl.,  2,  1,  20. 
Synonyme,    Vaccinium   ursinum,    M.  A.  Curtis  in  Am.  Jour. 

Sc,  XLIV,  82. 

2  Flora  of  New  Bedford,  1860.  3  Garden  and  Forest.,  Jan.  2, 1889,  p.  10. 


22  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

Moist  woods,  confined  to  the  mountains  of  the  southern  part  of 
North  Carolina  and  adjacent  parts  of  South  Carolina. 

Gray  in  his  "  Chloris  Americana,"  1846,  says  the  fruit,  though 
edible,  and  indeed  not  unpleasant  when  fully  ripe,  has  not  the  fine 
flavor  of  the  other  species,  and  is  seldom  eaten ;  in  his  ' '  Synopti- 
cal Flora,"  he  says,  "  fruit,  reddish,  turning  black,  insipid." 

The  vernacular  names  are  Bear-berry  and  Bear  Huckleberry. 

B.     Vaccinium,  L. 

1.  Vaccinium  ccespitosum,  Michx.    Gray,  Syn.  Fl.,  2,   1,  24; 

Hook.,  Fl.  Bor.  Am.,  2,  33,  t.  126, 
and  Bot.  Mag.,  t.  3429. 

Hudson's  Bay  and  Labrador,  alpine  summits  of  the  White 
Mountains  of  New  Hampshire,  and  Colorado  Rocky  Mountains 
to  Alaska. 

Var.  arbuscula,  Gray  I.  c,  in  Oregon  passes  into  the  ordinary 
form  and  into  var.  cuneifoUum,  Nutt.,  Mem.  Am.  Phil.  Soc,  n. 
ser.,  Vni,  262.  Mountains  of  Colorado  and  Utah  to  California, 
British  Columbia,  and  east  to  Lake  Superior. 

Gray  says  the  berry  is  quite  large,  blue  with  a  bloom,  sweet ; 
Wood  that  the  berries  are  large,  globous,  blue,  eatable. 

Wood  gives  Bilberry  as  the  vernacular  name. 

2.  Vaccinium  Canadense,  Kalm.      Richards,  in  Franklin,  ed. 

2,  12;   Hook.,  Fl.  2,  32,  and  Bot. 
Mag.,  t.  3446;    Gray,  Syn.  Fl.,  2, 
1,  22. 
Synonyme,  Vaccinium  album.  Lam.  Diet.,  i,  73,  not  L. 

Swamps  or  low  woods,  Hudson's  Bay  to  Bear  Lake  and  the 
northern  Rocky  Mountains  ;  south  to  north  New  England  ;  mount- 
ains of  Pennsylvania  and  Illinois. 

This  species  is  abundant  in  certain  swamps  in  Maine,  and  the 
berries  are  largely  collected  and  sent  to  market  under  the  name 
of  Blueberries.     The  quality  is  excellent. 

It  is  called  Black  Bilberry  by  Torrey  1843  ;  Canada  Blueberry 
by  Provancher,  1862  ;  Gray,  1867  ;  Fuller,  1867  ;  Dame  and  Col- 
lins, 1888. 

3.  Vaccinium  corymbosum,  L,     Smithin  Rees's  Cyc,  No.  13  ; 

Gray,    Syn.    Fl  ,    2,    1,    22; 
Ell.,  Sk.,  i,  498. 


HUCKLEBERRIES    AND    BLUEBERRIES.  23 

Sj'Donyme,  Vaccinium  disomorphum,  Michx.,  FL,  i,  23. 

(1)  var.  amcenum,  Gra}',  Man.,  ed.  5,  292. 
V.  amoenum,  Ait.,  Kew.,  2, 12  ;  Andr.,  Bot.  Rep.,  t. 

135;  Bot.  Reg.,t.  400. 
V.  corymbosum,  var.  fuscatum.  Hook.,  Bot.  Mag., 

t.  3433? 

(2)  war.  pallidum,  Gray,  Man.,  ed.  5,  292. 
V.  pallidum.  Ait.,  I.  c.  ;  Gray,  Man.,  ed.  1,  262. 
V.  albiflorum,  Hook.,  Bot.  Mag.,  t.  3428. 
V.    eonstablaei.    Gray   in    Am.    Jour.    Sc,  XLII, 

42;  Chapm.,  Fl.,  260. 

(3)  var.  fuscatum,  Gray,  Syn.  FL,  2,  1,  23. 
V.  fuscatum,  Ait.,  I.  c. 

(4)  var.  atrococcum.  Gray,  Man.,  ed.  5,  292. 
v.  fuscatum,  Gray,  Man.,  ed.  1,  262. 
V.  disomorphum,  Bigel.,  Fl.  Bost.,  ed.  2,  151. 

Swamps  and  low  woods,  from  Newfoundland  and  Canada 
through  the  Atlantic  States  to  Louisiana,  but  rare  in  the  Missis- 
sippi region.  Variety  1  is  found  mainl}'^  in  the  Middle  Atlantic 
States ;  variety  2  is  common  through  the  AUeghanies  southward, 
mostly  on  the  tops  of  the  higher  mountains  ;  variety  3  occurs  in 
Alabama  and  Florida  to  Arkansas  and  Louisiana ;  variety  4  is 
common  from  north  New  England  to  Pennsj'lvania. 

This  species  is  very  variable  not  only  in  the  habit  of  growth, 
but  in  its  blooming  characters  and  fruit.  It  furnishes  the  best  of 
our  fruits  of  the  huckleberry  or  blueberry  class.  Large,  covered  with 
a  blue  powder,  acid  and  sweet,  and  of  a  peculiar,  delicate,  attract- 
ive flavor.  I  have  measured  berries  in  number  from  single  plants 
that  covered  five-eighths  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  In  the  Carolinas, 
Elliott  in  his  sketch  of  the  Botany  saj's,  the  fruit  is  indifferent 
to  eat ;  Bigelow,  in  Massachusetts,  that  they  are  large,  acid  and 
sweet,  and  that  the  variety  atrococcum  has  small,  polished,  black 
berries,  and  I  can  add  of  excellent  savor.  The  plant  grows  in  all 
kinds  of  soil,  attains  often  a  considerable  size,  is,  in  individual 
plants,  especially  fruitful,  and  bears  its  berries  often  in  dense 
clusters.  These  berries  are  gathered  b}'  the  country  people,  and 
are  preferred  in  the  markets.  It  offers  as  a  species  especial 
advantages  for  removal  into  culture,  and  it  is  only  necessary  to 
search  the  places  where  it  grows  in  order  to  discover  varieties  of 


24  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

exceptional  merit.  I  have  noticed  that  plants  of  similar  quality, 
whether  as  appertaining  to  a  prolific  habit  or  size  of  fruit,  are 
usually  to  be  found  together,  and  this  indicates  that  such  charac- 
teristics are  transmissible  b}'  seed.  The  most  prolific  plant  I  ever 
found  was  growing  on  a  dry  rock ;  the  largest  fruited  clump  of 
plants  extended  from  a  dry  upland  to  and  within  the  borders  of  a 
swamp,  thus  indicating  the  variety  of  soil  that  accommodates  this 
species.     It  also  flourishes  in  the  sunlight  and  in  partial  shade. 

It  was  called  Blueberry  by  Bigelow  in  1814  ;  Bilberry  likewise, 
and  by  Torrey  in  1843  ;  Bilberry  or  Bullberry  by  Elliott  in  1821 ; 
Blue  Bilberry  by  Bigelow  in  1824  and  1840,  Eaton  in  1840, 
Torrey  in  1843,  and  Provancher  in  1862  ;  Giant  Whortleberry  by 
Eaton  in  1840  ;  Tall  Swamp  Huckleberry  by  Torrey  in  1843  ; 
High  Blueberry  by  Provancher  in  1862,  as  also  High  Whortle- 
berry and  Blue  Huckleberry  ;  Common  Blueberry  by  Gray,  1867  ; 
Swamp  Blueberry  by  Gray  and  Fuller  in  1867,  Robinson  in  1880, 
and  Dame  and  Collins  in  1888  ;  High  Bush  Huckleberry  by  Fuller 
in  1867  and  Emerson,  1875  ;  Swamp  Huckleberry  by  Emerson, 
1875  ;  Common  High  Blueberry  by  Wood,  1875,  and  High  Bush 
Blueberry  by  Robinson,  1880,  the  preferable  name. 

The  variety  atrococcum  is  called  Black  Bilberry  by  Bigelow  in 
1824  and  1840 ;  and  Black  High  Bush  Huckleberry  by  Fuller  in 
1867. 

4.      Vaccinium  myrtilloides,   Hook.      Gray,   Man.,  ed.  5,    291, 

Syn.  Fl.,  2,  1,  24. 
Synonyme,  Vaccinium   myrtilloides,   partly,  Hook.,  Fl.,  2,  32, 

and    Bot.    Mag.,  t.    3447 

(excl.  Syn.  Ait.,  etc.  and 

Tar.  rigidum) ,  not  Michx. 

"  "  membranaceum,  Dougl.  ined.Torr.,Bot. 

Wilkes's  Exp.,  377. 
Damp  woods.  Lake  Superior  to  the  coast  of  Oregon  and  British 
Columbia. 

Hooker  says  the  fruit  is  much  relished  by  the  natives  of  the 
North-west  Rocky  Mountains.  T.  J.  Howell,  of  Oregon,*  says  the 
berries  are  large,  one-half  or  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  diameter, 
flat,  with  a  broad  calyx,  of  good  flavor  and  in  every  way  a  good 
berry.     He  calls  the  shrub  Large  Blue  Huckleberry. 

*  Case's  Bot.  Index,  1881,  38. 


HUCKLEBERRIES    AND    BLUEBERRIES.  25 

5.   Vaccinium  Myrtillus,!,.  Schk.,  Handb.,  1. 107  ;  Reichenb.,  Ic. 

Germ.,  t.  1169;  Hook.,  Fl.,  2,  33; 

Gray,  Syn.  Fl.,  2,  1,  24. 
Synonyme,  Vaccinium  myrtilloides,  Watson,  Bot.  King's  Ex., 

209,  not  of  others. 

Europe,  Asia,  Rocky  Mountains  of  North  America,  extending 
as  far  south  as  Colorado  and  north-east  Utah,  and  north-west 
to  Alaska. 

Lyte's  Dodoens,  1586,  mentions  "  som  that  beare  white  berries 
when  they  be  ripe  ;  howbeit  the)'  are  but  seldome  scene."  White 
fruits  are  catalogued  by  Ruppius  in  his  "  Flora  Jenensis,"  in 
1726,  and  were  also  found  by  Gmelin  in  Siberia,  1768.  This 
variety  with  white  berries  has  also  been  found  in  Scotland,  accord- 
ing to  Phillips. 

In  the  Orkneys  the  fruit  is  of  large  size  and  a  wine  of  line 
flavor  has  been  made  from  it.^  The  Highlanders  of  Scotland  eat 
the  berries  in  milk,  and  make  them  into  tarts  and  jellies,  which 
last  they  mix  with  their  whiskey  to  give  it  a  relish  to  strangers.* 
Bryant '  mentions  that  in  England  they  are  taken  to  market  to  be 
eaten  raw  or  made  into  tarts,  etc.,  and  their  present  use  for  these 
purposes  in  England  is  frequent.^  In  Lapland  they  are  esteemed 
a  delicacy,  prepared  in  various  ways,**  and  are  eaten  fresh  or  dried 
in  Sweden.'"  In  France  they  are  esteemed  as  a  fruit,''  and  are 
used  for  coloring  wine.  In  Poland  the  ripe  berries  mixed  with 
wood  strawberries  are  esteemed  as  a  great  delicacy.''  They  are 
eaten  als©  in  Germany,  and  Caesalpinus  mentions  their  use  in  the 
Alpine  region,  where  they  are  called  Bagolae.  In  Siberia  Gmelin 
says  the}'  occupy  no  mean  place  at  dessert,  and  in  the  Rocky 
Mountain  region  of  America  the}^  are  a  favorite  food  for  the 
Indians.'^ 

The  various  English  names  are  Whortleberry,  Black  Whorts  or 
Whorts,  Bilberry,  and  Blaeberry.  In  Sweden  thej  are  called  in 
Upland,  Blabar  ;  in  Smoland,  Slynnon  ;  in  West-Gothia,  Slinner  ; 
in  Scania,  Bollion  ;  in  Lapland,  Zirre  and  Zerre  ;  in  France,  Airelle, 
Aurelle,  Myrtilles,  Myrtille  desbois,  Bluete,  or  in  Brittany,  Lucets, 

6  Dickson,  Pr.  Essays  H.  Soc,  2d  ser.,  VU,  132. 

«  Lightfoot,  Fl.  Scot.,  i,  201.  '  Bryant,  Fl.  Diaet.,  1783, 132. 

8  Masters,  Treas.  of  Bot  ,  2,  1103.  ^  Linnaeus,  Fl.  Lap.,  n.  143. 

If  Aspelin,  Fl.  Oecon.,  1748,  520.  "  Noisette,  Man.,  1829,  448. 

12  Don.,  Gard.  Diet.,  3.  852.  "U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Kept.,  1870,  415. 


26  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

and  in  Normand}'  Mawrets  ;  in  Brabant,  Crakebesien,  Haverbe- 
sien,  Postelbesien  ;  in  Germany,  Heydelbeeren,  Bickbeeren,  Blaw- 
beeren,  Schwartzbeeren,  Koltzbeeren,  Pickelbeeren,  Besnigen ;  in 
Bohemia,  Czerne  iahody  ;  in  Italy,  Mj-rtillo  :  in  Russia,  Ticherniza. 

6.  Vaccinium  ovalifolium,  Smith  in  Rees's  Cyc,  No.  2  ;  Hook., 

Fl.,2,  33;  Gray,  Man.,  ed.  5,  291, 
Syn.  Fl.,  2,  1,  24. 
Synonyme,  Vaccinium  Chamissonis,  Bong.,  Sitk.,  525. 

Woods,  south  shore  of  Lake  Superior  and  Oregon  to  Unalaschka, 
and  Japan. 

This  is  the  le  brou  plant  of  the  north-west,  being  used  to  make 
a  dainty  of  that  name.  The  berries  are  gathered  before  quite 
ripe,  are  pressed  into  a  cake,  then  dried  and  laid  by.  When 
used  a  quantity  is  put  into  a  vessel  of  cold  water  and  stirred  rapidly 
with  the  hand  until  it  assumes  a  form  not  unlike  soap-suds.  It  is 
pleasant  to  the  taste,  with  a  slightly  bitter  flavor.'* 

7.  Vacci7iium  ovaticm,  FuTsh,  Fl.,  290;    Lindl.,  Bot.    Reg.,  t. 

1354;  Gray,  Syn.  FL,  2,  1,  25. 
Synonyme,  Vaccinium  lanceolatum,  Dunal  in  D.  C.  Prod.,  VII, 

570. 
"  Metagonia  ovata,  Nutt. 

Vancouver's  Island  to  Monterey,  etc.  California,  on  hills  near 
the  coast. 

Douglas  says  the  fruit  is  black  and  pleasant ;  Torrey  that  the 
berries  are  edible,  but  small ;  Gra^'  that  the  berries  are  reddish, 
turning  black,  small,  sweetish. 

8.  Vaccinium  parvifolium,  Smith  in  Rees's  Cyc,  No.  3  ;  Hook., 

Fl.,  t.  128  ;  Gray,  Syn.  Fl.,  2,  1,  24. 

Shady  and  low  woods.  Northern  part  of  California,  near  the 
coast,  to  Alaska  and  the  Aleutian  Islands. 

Don  says  the  berries  are  red  and  make  excellent  tarts.  T.  J. 
Howell,'*    Oregon,    calls    it   the   Red  Huckleberry    and  says  the 

"  R.  Brown,  Jr.,  Bot.  Soc.  of  Edinb.,  IX,  384.        is  Case's  Bot.  Index,  1881,  38. 


HUCKLEBERRIES    AND    BLUEBERRIES.  27 

berries  are  good  size,  sour,  but  of  good  flavor.     Gray  that  the 
bright  red  berries  are  rather  dry  and  hardly  edible. 

9.      Vaccinium  Pennsylvanicum,  Lam.,  Diet.,  1,  72  ;  Michx.,  Fl., 

i,  223;  Hook.,  Bot.  Mag.,  t. 
3434;  Gray,  Man.,  ed.  1,  261, 
Syn.  Fl.,  2,  1,  22. 

Synonyme,  Vaccinium  myrtilloides,  Michx.,  I.  c. 

"  "  tenellum,  Pursh,  Fl.,  1,  288,  not  Ait. ; 

Bigel.,  Fl.  Host.,  150. 
var.  angustifolium,  Gray,  I.  c. 
"  V.  angustifolium.  Ait.,  Kew.,  ed.  2,  ii,  356. 

"  V.  salicinum,  Aschers.    in  Flora,   1860,   319,    not 

Cham. 

Dry  hills  and  woods.  Newfoundland  to  Saskatchewan  and 
southward  to  New  Jersey  and  Illinois ;  commoner  northward ; 
the  variety,  Labrador  and  Hudson's  Bay,  Newfoundland  and 
Alpine  regions  of  the  White  Mountains  of  New  Hampshire. 

This  furnishes  the  larger  part  of  the  blueberries  of  our  markets. 
The  berries  are  described  by  Pursh  as  large,  bluish  black, 
■extremely  sweet  and  agreeable  to  eat.  He  says  the  mountains  of 
Pennsylvania  produce  an  immense  variety  of  this  species  in  size 
and  shape  of  the  fruit,  leaves,  and  flowers.  This  is  the  early  Blue- 
berry of  New  England,  and  immense  quantities  are  gathered  for 
market.  In  my  estimation  the  fruit  ranks  second  only  to  V. 
corymbosum.  The  plant  is  low  growing,  extremely  prolific,  and 
flourishes  best  on  dry  hills  and  pastures.  When  mown  down  the 
shoots  spring  up  very  straight  and  without  side  branches,  the 
upper  third  one  mass  of  bloom,  and  the  berries  can  thus  be 
stripped  off  by  handfuls.  This  is  one  of  the  species  that  are 
deserving  attempts  at  culture  or  protected  culture. 

It  was  called  Low  Blueberry  by  Bigelow  in  1824  and  1840,  and 
Emerson,  1875  ;  Dwarf  Blue  Huckleberry  and  Sugar  Huckleberry 
by  Torrey  in  1843  ;  Black-blue  Whortleberry  by  Eaton  in  1840  ; 
Dwarf  Blueberry  by  Gray  in  1867,  Fuller,  1867,  Robinson,  1880, 
Dame  and  Collins,  1888  ;  Common  Low  Blueberry  b}'  Provancher, 
1862,  and  Wood,  1875. 

Pursh  gives  the  name  of  Bluets  for  the  variet}'  angustifolium. 


28  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETT. 

10.  Vaccinium  salicinum,   Cham.    Spreng.,  Syst.    Cur.  Post., 

147,  and  Linnaea,  i,  525  (not 
Aschers.,  I.  c.)  ;  Gray,  Syn.  Fl.,  2, 
1,  23. 

Found  by  Chamisso  at  Unalaschka,  in  moss. 
Pickering  gives  this  species  among  the  edible  berries  collected 
and  dried  by  the  natives  of  north-west  America. 

11.  Vaccinium  stamineum,  L.  Andr.,  Bot.  Rep.,t.  263  ;  Gray,. 

Syn.  FL,  2,  1,  21. 
Synonyme,  Vaccinium  elevatum,  Soland.  Dunal  in  D.  C.  Prod., 

VII,  567  (excl.  var.). 
"  "  album,  Pursh,  Fl.  1,  284,  not  L. 

Dry  woods,  Maine  to  Michigan  and  south  to  Florida  and  Louis- 
isiana  ;  rare  west  of  the  Alleghanies. 

The  berries  are  described  by  Pursh  as  green,  or  white  when 
perfectly  ripe.  Gray  says  they  are  large,  pear-shaped  or  globu- 
lar, mawkish.  Elliot  that  they  are  eaten.  Another  authoritj''® 
says  they  are  an  agreeable  fruit,  growing  in  Wisconsin  and  Michi- 
gan, of  which  the  Indians  make  extensive  use. 

Pursh  and  Gray  give  the  vernacular  name  Deerberry ;  Clay- 
ton" calls  them  Goose-berrys ;  in  Michigan  and  Wisconsin'*  they 
are  known  as  Squaw  Huckleberries. 

12.  Vaccinium  uliginosum,  Jj.     Fl.    Dan.,t.    581;  Reichenb., 

Ic.    Germ.,    XVII,    t.  1168; 
Gray,  Syn.  Fl.,  2,  1,  23. 
Synonyme,  Vaccinium  pubescens,  Hornem.,  Fl.  Dan.,  t.   1516. 
"  "  gaultherioides,  Bigel. 

Europe,  Asia,  Arctic  America  to  the  alpine  regions  of  the 
mountains  of  New  England,  New  York,  and  shore  of  Lake  Supe- 
rior, westward  to  Oregon  and  Alaska. 

Don  describes  the  berries  as  large,  juicy,  black,  covered  with  a 
mealy  bloom,  eatable  but  not  either  very  grateful  or  wholesome. 
Aspelin  says  they  are  eaten  in  Sweden  by  children  and  Guinea 
hens,  but  that  they  often  induce  trembling.  Lamarck  says  they 
are  of  agreeable  savor.     Some  of  the  Siberian  tribes,  as  Gmelin 

le  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Rept.,  1870,  415.  "  Gron.,  Virg.,  1762,  60. 


HUCKLEBERRIES  AND  BLUEBERRIES.  29 

reports,  hold  them  in  esteem,  yet  they  are  believed  there,  as  among 
the  mountaineers  of  Switzerland,  the  Jura,  and  Thuringia,  to 
promote  intoxication.  Pursh  says  the  blueish  black  berries  are 
eatable  ;  Richardson  that  beyond  the  Arctic  circle  the  fruit  in 
good  seasons  is  plentiful  to  an  extraordinarj'  degree,  and  is  of 
finer  quality  than  in  more  southern  localities.  The  western 
Eskimos,  according  to  Seemann,  collect  the  berries  and  freeze  for 
winter  use. 

This  fruit  is  called  Bog  Bilberry  by  Richardson  ;  Bog  or  Great 
Bilberry  by  Miller,  Mawe  and  Don.  Greater  Bill-berr}'  by  Du 
Roi.  In  Germany  Drunkelbeeren,  Dunkelbeeren,  Drumpelbeeren, 
Rauschbeeren,  Grosse  Heidelbeeren,  Rosbeeren,  Bruchbeeren, 
Krackbeeren,  Jugelbeeren,  Moosheidelbeeren,  Ruhthecker,  accord- 
ing to  Du  Roi.  Gmelin  gives  the  Russian  names  as  Pjaniza, 
Oolubiza,  Golubel,  and  Gonobobel. 

IS,      Vaccinium  vacillans,  Solander.     Gray,  Man.,  ed.  1,  261 ; 

Syn.  Fl.,  2,  1,22;  Torn, 
Fl.  N.  Y.,  i,  445. 
Synonyme,  Vaccinium  virgatum,  Bigel.,  Fl.  Bost.,  152,  not  Ait. 
"  "  Pennsylvanicum,  Torr.,  Fl.,  i,  416,  not 

Lam. 

Dry  and  sandy  woodlands  and  rocky  places,  New  England  to 
North  Carolina  and  Missouri. 

Bigelow  describes  the  berries  as  large,  covered  with  a  blue 
powder,  ver}'  sweet.  The  quality  is  excellent,  and  they  ripen 
somewhat  later  than  some  of  the  other  species.  This  seems  to  be 
one  of  the  species  which  are  deserving  of  cultural  attempts,  ag 
the  plant  is  somewhat  taller  growing  than  V.  Pennsylvanicum ^ 
Lam. 

Torrey  in  1843  uses  for  names  the  Low  Blue  Huckleberry  and 
the  Sugar  Huckleberry.  Emerson  in  1875  calls  it  the  Blue  Huc- 
kleberry, while  Low  Blueberry  is  used  by  Gray  in  1867,  Robinson 
in  1880,  and  Dame  and  Collins,  1888. 

14.      Vaccinium  Vitis- Idcea,  Jj.    Fl.   Dan.,  t.  40;    Lodd.,  Bot. 

Cab.,  t.  616  ;  Gray,  Syn.  Fl.,  2, 

1,  25. 
Synonyme,  Vaccinium  punctatum.  Lam. 

Round  the  Arctic  Circle,  Europe,  Asia,  Greenland  to  Japan ; 


30  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

in  this  country  south  to  the  coast  and  mountains  of  north  New- 
England  and  Lake  Winnipeg ;  on  the  western  coast  south  to 
British  Columbia. 

In  England,  according  to  Brj'ant,  the  berries  are  collected  for 
use  in  making  tarts,  jellies,  etc.  Miller  sa3'8  they  are  scarcely  to 
be  eaten  raw,  but  are  made  into  pies  in  Derbyshire,  but  their 
flavor  is  far  inferior  to  that  of  cranberries.  In  Sweden,  accord- 
ing to  Linnaeus,  they  are  sent  in  large  quantities  to  Stockholm  for 
pickling,  and  Aspelin  saj's  jellies  are  made  from  them,  and  in 
Lapland  an  esteemed  preserve.  In  Siberia,  Gmelin  reports  their 
use  as  a  winter  preserve,  and  says  they  are  greedily  eaten  in  a 
raw  state.  Gray  says  the  dark  red,  acid  and  bitterish  berries 
are  a  fair  substitute  for  cranberries  when  cooked,  and  Thoreau 
speaks  of  using  the  berries  stewed  and  sweetened,  in  Maine. 
Richardson  reports  them  as  plentiful  and  much  used  throughout 
Rupert's  land,  called  by  the  Crees  wi-ea-gu-mina,  and  says  this 
berry  is  excellent  for  every  purpose  to  which  a  cranberry  can  be 
applied.  The  Western  Eskimo,  on  the  authority  of  Seemann, 
collect  the  berries  in  autumn  and  freeze  for  winter  use. 

In  England  called  Red  Whorts,  according  to  Miller,  Bryant 
and  Du  Roi,  or  Red  Whortleberry ;  in  America,  Cowberry  and 
Mountain  Cranberry,  according  to  Gray ;  in  Germany,  Krons- 
beeren,  Preusselbeeren,  Krausbeeren,  Rothe  Heidelbeeren,  Stein- 
beeren,  Krenbeeren,  Kranbeeren,  Crandenbeeren,  Holperbeeren, 
according  to  Du  Roi.  In  France,  Airelles  Rouge ;  in  Russia, 
Brussniza  according  to  Gmelin,  and  in  Japan  Koke-momo  and 
Iwa-momo,  according  to  Rein. 

We  now  make  a  brief  review  of  the  cranberry  species : 

15.      Vaccinium  erythrocarpon,  Michx.,  Fl.,  i,  227;  Gray,  Syn. 

Fl.,  2,  1,  25. 
Synonyme,  Oxycoccus  erectus,  Pursh.,  Fl.,  264. 

"  "  erythrocarpus.  Ell.,  Sk.,  i,  447. 

Damp  woods,  in  the  higher  Alleghanies,  Virginia  to  Georgia. 

The  transparent  scarlet  berries,  according  to  Pursh,  are  of  an 
exquisite  taste.  Gray  says  the  berry  is  light  red,  turning  nearly 
black  at  full  maturity,  watery,  slightly  acid.  The  plant  is  a  shrub 
one  to  four  feet  high. 


HUCKLEBERRIES    AND    BLUEBERRIES.  31 

16.  Vaccinium  macrocarpon,  Ait.,  Kew.,  ii,  13,  t.  7  ;  Bot.  Mag., 

t.  2806  ;  Gray,  Syn.  FL,  2,  1,  26. 

Synonyme,  Vaccinium  oxycoccus,    var.    oblongifolius,   Michx., 

FL,  i,  227. 
**  Oxycoccus  macrocarpus,  Pursh,  Fl.,  264  ;  Bart.,  FL, 

i,  t.  17. 

Bogs,  etc.,  Newfoundland  to  North  Carolina,  through  Northern 
States  and  Canada  to  Saskatchewan,  and  the  Cokimbia  River. 

The  American  cranberry  is  described  by  Josselyn  in  his  rarities 
(^fidi  Rail),  and  Ray,  1704,  gives  the  American  names  as  Cran- 
berries and  Bear  Berries.  Roger  Williams  gives  the  Indian  name 
as  Sasemineash.  In  1686,  Ray  describes  the  berry,  sent  him  from 
New  England.  Douglas  says  the  fruit  is  boiled  and  eaten  by  the 
natives  of  the  Columbia  River  region  under  the  name  of  Soolabich. 
In  1814,  the  culture  first  commenced  in  England,''  although  the 
plant  was  introduced  in  1760.'^  In  this  country  the  culture,  which 
has  now  attained  great  success,  was  first  commenced  on  a  very 
small  scale  about  1840."° 

The  use  now  with  us  is  very  large,  and  the  berries  are  shipped 
abroad  in  large  quantities,  being  preferred  in  England  to  the  fruit 
of  their  native  cranberry. 

17.  Vaccinium  Oxycoccus,  L.    Fl.  Dan.,  t.  80  ;  Eng.  Bot..  319  ; 

Schk.,  t.  107 ;  Gray,  Syn.  FL,  2, 
1,  25. 
Synonyme,  Oxj'coccus  palustris,  Pers.,  Syn.,  1,  419. 

Sphagnous  swamps,  through  Europe,  North  and  Middle  Asia, 
North  America,  Greenland  to  Japan,  around  the  subarctic  zone 
from  Newfoundland  and  Labrador  south  to  the  mountains  of 
Pennsylvania,  to  the  Saskatchewan  district  and  to  Alaska. 

In  Britain  called  Cranberry  or  Fen-berry  or  Marsh-worts 
(Prior)  ;  Russian,  Klinokwa  (Gmelin)  ;  Japanese,  Aka-momo  and 
Iwa-haze  (Rein)  ;  in  German}',  Moss-beer  (Eyst.). 

We  thus  find  four  edible  Huckleberries  (Gaylussacia),  fourteen 
edible  Blueberries  (Vaccinium),  and  three  edible  Cranberries 
(Vaccinium,  section  Oxycoccus). 

We  have  given  the  vernacular  names  ad  nauseam  to  give  prom- 
inence to  the  confusion  that  exists,  and  to  call  attention  to  the 

18 Phillips,  Comp.  to  the  Orchard,  116.  "  Ait.,  Kew.,  1789,  13. 

20  Eastwood,  Man.  of  the  Cranb.,  1856. 


32  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

deplorable  habit  among  authors  of  often  giving  words  of  their  own 
coining  rather  than  those  in  habitual  use. 

Huckleberries  and  Blueberries  have  been  strangely  overlooked 
both  by  horticulturists  and  annalists.  Notwithstanding  the  great 
use  that  must  have  been  made  of  the  berries  by  the  Indians  and 
early  colonists  on  the  New  England  coast,  yet  I  find  but  few 
records  referring  to  it.  Roger  Williams  speaks  of  "  divers  sorts" 
used  by  the  Indians  under  the  name  of  Attitaash.  Parkinson 
refers  to  Champlain  in  1615,  who  found  the  Indians  near  Lake 
Huron  gathering  blueberries  for  their  winter  store.  Kalm  speaks 
of  the  Indians  drying  the  berries  in  the  sunshine  or  by  the  fireside 
for  winter  use.     These  are  the  only  references  I  have  noted. 

The  blueberrj'  must  have  been  an  esteemed  fruit  since  the 
colonization  of  northern  America,  and  is  now  collected  for  the 
markets  in  vast  quantities,  j'et  its  culture  seems  to  have  been 
almost  entirely  omitted.  I  find  but  few  recorded  attempts,  and 
these  only  within  the  last  few  years.  In  1886,  Frank  Ford  &  Sons, 
Ravenna,  O.,  included  them  in  their  nursery  catalogue,  as  follows  : 

High-Bush  Huckleberry  or  Blueberry.  (Presumably  V.  corym- 
bosum.)  This  grows  six  to  eight  feet  high,  fruit  large  size  and 
brings  the  highest  price  in  market.  Although  a  seedling  of  the 
swamp  variety,  it  can  be  grown  on  au}'^  soil. 

Dwarf  Huckleberry.  (Presumably  V.  Pennsylvanicum.)  Very 
early,  fruit  large,  often  one-half  inch  in  diameter.  Bush  grows 
from  six  to  ten  inches  in  height.  This  is  the  earliest  variety 
oflfered,  and  yields  immensely. 

Low  Bush  Blueberry.  (Presumably  V.  vacillans.')  Fruit  very 
sweet,  and  of  superior  quality  ;  grows  from  one  to  two  feet  high. 

Black  Huckleberry.  (Presumabl}'  G.  resinosa.)  Fruit  large  ; 
bush  two  to  three  feet  high,  productive ;  in  flavor  distinct  from 
other  varieties,  and  preferred  by  many. 

Common  Swamp  Huckleberry.  (Presumably  V.  Canadense.) 
This  variety  grows  in  abundance  in  this  vicinity  in  swamps,  and 
large  quantities  of  fruit  are  marketed  every  3'ear.  And  while  we 
would  not  recommend  this  as  being  as  good  as  the  High-Bush 
described  above,  for  upland  culture,  as  that  has  been  grown  for 
years  on  upland,  it  will  adapt  itself  to  most  soils. 

In  their  introductory  this  firm  say  : 

"This  much  neglected  fruit,  which  is  of  such  great  value,  and 
so  eas}'  of  cultivation,  ought  to  be  found  in  every  fruit  garden. 


HUCKLEBERRIES   AND   BLUEBERRIES.  33 

Its  perfect  hardiness  and  adaptation  to  all  kinds  of  soil,  render  it 
as  easy  of  cultivation  as  any  of  the  small  fruits,  and  it  can  be 
grown  anywhere  that  corn  will  grow. 

Plant  the  large  varieties  four  by  five  feet  apart,  and  they  will 
form  large  bushes.  The  small  varieties,  plant  in  rows  five  feet 
apart  and  from  one  to  two  feet  in  the  row.  Cultivate  to  keep 
down  all  weeds,  and  prune  by  shortening  in  the  long  growths,  to 
induce  the  growth  of  short,  fruit  bearing  laterals,  and  trim  out  the 
old  wood  when  it  has  ceased  to  be  productive ;  when  they  begin 
to  bear,  mulch  heavily  with  straw,  leaves,  wild  grass,  or  any 
material  that  will  keep  the  ground  moist  and  cool,  and  the  culti- 
vator will  be  rewarded  by  a  bountiful  crop  of  delicious  fruit." 

In  the  Report  of  the  New  York  Agricultural  Experiment  Sta- 
tion for  1883,  p.  227,  will  be  found  notice  of  a  successful  attempt 
at  cultivation  about  1868,  bj'  W.  J.  Scott,  of  Bridgewater,  Oneida 
Co.,  N.  Y.  He  removed  the  bushes  from  a  cold,  wet  swamp  to 
dry  and  gravelly  upland.  The  plants  were  of  both  the  High  Bush 
and  the  Low  kind.  In  1883,  he  reported  that  the  plants  had 
borne  abundantly.  The  bushes  grew  taller  and  better  than  those 
in  the  swamp,  and  the  berries  increased  in  size. 

Discussion. 

Jackson  Dawson,  gardener  at  the  Arnold  Arboretum,  said  he 
began  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  ago  to  grow  these  plants  from 
seeds,  and  now  has  plants  of  almost  every  variety  that  will  endure 
our  climate.  Mr.  Dawson  then  read  a  letter,  which  was  received 
at  the  Arnold  Arboretum  in  1885,  from  E.  S.  Gofl,  of  the  New 
York  Experiment  Station,  at  Geneva,  N.  Y.  It  contained 
an  inquiry  what  to  do  with  his  huckleberry  plants  to  make  them 
grow.  He  had  had  no  difficulty  in  securing  germination,  but  after 
the  young  seedlings  attained  about  five  leaves  they  stopped  grow- 
ing for  a  few  months,  and  then  died  gradually.  He  had  used  sand, 
muck,  and  loam,  and  various  mixtures  of  these  soils,  but  the  re- 
sult had  been  the  same  in  all.  The  soil  had  been  kept  pretty 
wet.  Mr.  Dawson's  reply  was  published  in  the  "  Country  Gentle- 
man," for  1885,  page  660.  Therein  he  recommended  using  seed 
pans  four  inches  deep,  half  filled  with  broken  crocks,  thinly 
covered  with  sphagnum.  The  soil  preferred  was  a  compost  of 
one  part  good  fibrous  peat  (upland  preferred),  one  part  well 
rotted  pasture  sod,  and  one  (larger)  part  of  clean,  fine  sand,  free 
3 


34  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

from  iron  rust,  all  mixed  thoroughly.  The  pans  should  be  filled 
to  the  brim  with  this  soil,  which  should  then  be  pressed  down 
evenl}-  until  firm  as  possible.  The  seed,  washed  free  from  the 
pulp,  is  then  to  be  sown  thickly  but  evenly  over  the  surface,  and 
pressed  down  with  a  board  and  covered  with  about  their  own 
thickness  of  the  same  compost.  Over  this  a  thin  layer  of  fresh 
sphagnum  is  put,  and  a  gentle  watering  with  a  fine  rose  completes 
the  work.  The  pans  should  be  placed  in  a  cold  frame  and  allowed 
to  get  one  or  two  hard  frosts.  Keep  them  in  the  frames  until 
about  New  Year's,  when  they  may  be  brought  into  a  night  tem- 
perature of  from  55°  to  60°,  and  da}'  range  of  10°  higher.  They 
must  be  watched  carefully,  watering  to  keep  the  soil  moist  but 
not  saturated.  As  soon  as  the  seedlings  begin  to  appear  the 
sphagnum  should  be  graduall}'  removed  and  a  little  fresh  compost, 
like  the  soil,  sifted  in  among  the  seedlings. 

When  the  second  rough  leaf  has  expanded,  the  young  plants 
should  be  pricked  out  in  fresh  pans  prepared  like  the  first,  S3T- 
inged  slightly  and  placed  in  a  temperature  of  65°  at  night  and  1 0° 
higher  during  the  day,  with  slight  shade  on  the  glass  during  bright 
weather,  keeping  the  air  moist  by  wetting  down  the  floors  when 
necessary,  and  but  slightly  syringing  the  plants.  The  shade  must 
be  removed  and  the  syringing  omitted  in  cloud}'  and  stormy 
weather,  and  it  is  necessary-  to  close  the  house  when  the  sun 
begins  to  leave  it  after  noon. 

About  mid-summer,  carefully  attended  plants  will  have  become 
crowded  and  need  to  be  transplanted  into  fresh  pans,  the  same 
treatment  as  before  being  continued  to  the  end  of  August.  Then 
more  air  and  less  water  should  be  given,  that  the  plants  may  be 
gradually  hardened  off,  after  which  they  may  be  placed  in  cold 
frames  with  a  southern  exposure,  where  the  sash  may  be  removed 
by  day  and  replaced  at  night.  When  frost  approaches,  protect 
the  frames  with  mats,  that  the  foliage  may  be  kept  on  the  plants 
to  perfect  the  ripening  of  the  wood.  After  the  leaves  drop, 
cover  the  frames  with  four  or  five  inches  of  meadow  ha}',  which 
will  protect  them  through  the  winter.  But  on  fine  days,  once  or 
twice  each  month,  the  frames  should  be  opened,  to  dry  out  any 
damp  or  fungus.  Early  in  April  make  a  bed  eighteen  inches 
deep,  of  peat,  loam,  and  sand,  well  mixed.  In  this  the  young 
plants  should  be  set  three  or  four  inches  apart,  in  rows  six  inches 
apart.     They   should  be   syringed   morning  and  evening  during 


HUCKLEBERRIES  AND  BLUEBERRIES.  35 

dry  weather,  and  shaded  by  lath  screens  during  the  brightest 
sunshine,  but  these  must  be  removed  at  night  and  in  cloudy 
weather,  and  when  the  plants  are  well  established  the  screening 
may  be  gradually  discontinued. 

Toward  the  end  of  August  watering  must  be  reduced  and  finally 
withheld,  that  the  wood  may  become  ripened.  As  winter 
approaches  the  addition  of  a  few  inches  of  fresh  soil,  between  the 
rows,  will  afford  all  needed  protection,  and  in  the  following  spring 
they  can  be  planted  out  permanently. 

Mr.  Dawson  has  sown  seed  from  September  to  January,  and 
while  most  of  it  grew  the  first  season,  some  delayed  until  the 
second  year  and  then  came  up  well.  Seed  washed  as  soon  as 
gathered,  sown  at  once,  and  exposed  to  a  slight  frost,  germinated 
the  first  season,  while  seed  kept  until  dry  and  then  sown,  even  in 
autumn,  and  kept  in  heat  all  winter,  did  not  start  until  the  second 
year.  The  low  blueberry  and  the  huckleberry  will  fruit  in  from 
three  to  four  years  from  the  seed,  but  the  high-bush  blueberry 
requires  from  four  to  six  3-ears. 

He  had  known  several  who  had  made  plantations  in  low  moist 
ground  with  success,  but  the  High  Bush  Blueberry  although 
naturally  growing  in  swampy  low  grounds,  grows  well  in  any 
ordinary  soil ;  in  fact  he  had  seen  plants  well  fruited  although 
growing  in  pure  sand. 

Vacdniian  corymhosxim  and  its  varieties  seem  to  be  the  best  for 
experiments.  They  are  much  easier  to  transplant  either  from  the 
swamp  or  upland  than  other  species.  Thej'  are  more  prolific  and 
the  varieties  are  numerous,  and  by  selection  many  fine  berries  can 
be  had.  Vaccinium,  corymhosum  var.  amcenum  is  a  fine  dwarf 
form  of  the  species,  with  very  large  fruit,  and  does  well  on  upland. 
After  V.  corymhosum,  he  thinks  that  V.  vacillans  is  the  next 
best.  Where  the  woods  or  pastures  containing  the  blueberry 
have  been  burnt  over,  the  bushes  produce  immense  crops  the 
second  year  following.  This  being  noticed  repeatedly  has  led 
several  parties  to  buy  old  berry  pastures  and  systematically  burn 
over  a  portion  each  year,  thus  securing  a  large  crop  of  fruit  from 
some  portion  of  this  land  every  year.  There  are  many  acres  in 
this  State  that  might  be  treated  in  this  manner,  and  be  more 
profitable  than  many  other  farm  crops. 

Mr.  Dawson  said  that  the  varieties  in  the  pastures  that  are 
burnt  over,  and  produce  such  immense  crops,  are  not  the  common 


36  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETr. 

swamp  blueberry.  The  pasture  usually  contains  Vacdnium  Penn- 
sylvanicum  and  varieties,  V.  vacillans,  and  Vcif^cinium  corymhosum 
var.  amoenum.  The  High  Bush  Blueberry  does  not  come  into 
bearing  so  soon  after  the  fire  as  the  others  mentioned.  Further 
north  Vacdnium  Canadense  takes  the  place  of  s^me  of  the  others. 

Of  the  Ga^'lussacias,  the  common  Huckleberry,  G.  resinosa,  ia 
hai'der  to  establish  than  the  Dangleberry,  but  when  once  estab- 
lished grows  well.  But  under  cultivation  it  dees  not  come  up  to 
the  blueberry  as  a  fruiting  plant. 

The  speaker  had  never  tried  any  special  fertilizers,  but  thought 
a  mulch  of  leaves  would  be  better  than  stable  manure  unless  well 
decomposed.  He  believes  the  time  will  come  when  these  fruits 
will  be  found  in  every  garden,  the  same  as  the  strawberry,  rasp- 
berry, and  other  small  fruits,  and  in  as  many  varieties. 

In  Northern  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  a  white  form  of  the 
Huckleberry  is  plenty.  Sixty-five  bushels  of  these  were  once 
sent  to  the  New  York  market,  and,  it  is  said,  sold  at  eight  dollars 
per  bushel,  while  the  common  blueberries  were  sold  at  three 
dollars.  A  small  patch  of  this  White  Huckleberry  has  been 
known  for  a  long  time  at  Concord,  Mass.,  and  a  white  form  of 
Vacdnium  vacillans  was  found  in  Plymouth,  Mass.,  several 
years  ago. 

Edmund  Hersey  had  experimented  in  a  small  way  many  years, 
aiming  to  discover  the  best  method  of  treatment,  and  has  found 
that  the  Low-Bush  Upland  Huckleberry  takes  kindly  to  cultiva- 
tion, which  greatly  improves  the  fruit  in  size  and  number.  It 
bears  fertilizing  well.  He  found  that  a  portion  of  muck  in  the 
soil,  and  mulching  were  good  for  the  plants.  The  High  Bush 
Blueberry  can  be  cultivated,  but  it  takes  less  kindly  to  it  than 
does  the  first  mentioned.  The  bushes  can  be  transplanted  from 
low  lands  to  high  sandy  ground,  but  need  shade,  as  the  fruit,  if 
exposed  to  the  sun,  is  quickly  scorched  and  dried  up. 

By  grafting,  better  results  maj^  be  secured.  It  is  easily  done, 
and  by  marking  wild  plants  which  bear  the  finest  fruit,  and  taking 
scions  from  them,  superior  fruit  will  soon  be  had  in  abundance. 
Mr.  Herse3^  practices  cleft-grafting,  in  stocks  not  as  large  as  one's 
thumb,  which  are  then  set  out.  In  this  way  fine  varieties  may  be 
propagated.  The  great  drawback  is  the  ravages  of  birds.  The 
bushes  must  be  covered  with  netting  from  the  time  the  fruit 
begins  to  turn  or  the  birds  will  take  them.     Thus  protected,  it  is 


HUCKLEBERRIES  AND  BLUEBERRIES.  37 

astonishing  what  enormous  quantities  of  fruit  can  be  had.  A 
square  rod  of  bushes  will  furnish  all  that  a  family  would  care  for. 
He  knew  of  one  bush  which  yielded  a  bushel  of  berries.  Some 
years,  however,  there  is  a  promise  of  a  good  crop,  but  from  some 
cause  few  ripen. 

Mr.  Dawson  confirmed  Mr.  Hersey's  statements  that  the  blue- 
berry can  be  grafted.  The  method  which  he  prefers  is  side- 
grafting  near  the  crown  of  the  root,  thereby  getting  plants  free 
from  suckers.  The  grafting  is  done  under  glass  from  January  to 
April,  on  young  plants  that  were  potted  the  summer  before.  The 
second  year  after  grafting  his  plants  begin  to  fruit. 

Alfred  W.  Paul  said  that  while  huckleberries  and  blueberries 
grow  so  abundantly  in  the  wild  state,  he  doubted  the  probability 
of  their  cultivation  proving  a  financial  success. 

Mr.  Hersey  suggested  that  we  should  not  always  consult 
the  financial  aspects  of  experiments.  Whatever  we  can  do  that 
will  make  life  happier,  and  our  homes  more  pleasant  will  pa}". 
There  are  many  gardens  in  places  where  the  owners  cannot  find 
wild  fruit  easily,  and  a  few  of  these  bushes  under  cultivation 
would  be  a  convenience  and  also  add  much  to  the  attractiveness 
of  the  home. 

Mr.  Paul  said  that  Black  Huckleberries  and  Swamp  Blueberries 
grow  more  abundantly  in  his  vicinity'  than  he  had  seen  anywhere 
else.  Low  Blueberries  are  brought  from  New  Hampshire,  in  large 
quantities.  When  visiting  a  brother-in-law  near  Plymouth,  in 
that  State,  a  year  or  two  ago,  after  the  berry  season  was  over,  he 
was  told  that  a  neighbor  had  marketed  S2300  worth  of  blueberries 
in  one  season.  Mr.  Paul  saw  that  a  large  quantity  of  this  fruit, 
estimated  to  be  at  least  fifty  bushels  per  acre,  had  been  left 
unpicked.  With  this  showing  of  wild  productiveness,  would  any 
one  think  of  cultivating  the  bushes,  looking  at  the  matter  from  a 
financial  point  of  view? 

John  C.  Hovej-  held  that  the  idea  that  the  fruits  under  consider- 
ation may  be  cultivated  as  easil}'  as  anything  else,  is  a  mistake. 
Success  may  be  won,  but  we  should  try  to  adopt  natural  methods. 
That  appears  to  have  been  the  case  where  Mr.  Dawson  and  Mr. 
Hersey  have  succeeded  in  their  experiments. 

Joseph  H.  Woodford  said  that  Hon.  William  Freeman  of 
Cherryfield,  Maine,  controls  a  large  district  there,  comprising 
from  thirty  to   forty  thousand  or  more   acres  of  land.     On   this 


38,  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

territory  he  has  mauy  natural  plantations  of  berry  bushes,  and 
employs  a  forester  all  the  j'ear  round  to  assist  in  the  care  of  these 
areas.  They  burn  over  some  of  these  plantations  every  year,  and 
two  years  later  gather  from  such  portions  an  immense  crop  of 
superior  fruit.  By  this  system  a  great  yield  is  secured  every  year 
from  some  parts  of  this  land.  The  berries  are  almost  as  large  as 
cherries.  The}'  will  burn  over,  this  j'ear,  about  one  thousand 
acres  of  berry  bush  lands. 

William  E.  Endicott  was  ready  to  say  that  blueberries  can  be 
grown  as  easily  as  currants,  and  more  easily  than  many  varieties 
of  the  raspberry.  He  has  had  no  experience  with  Black  Huckle- 
berries. Dangleberr}'  seed  has  always  failed  to  grow  with  him, 
but  he  had  been  successful  in  transplanting  that  species  from  the 
woods.  He  had  cultivated  the  Low  Black  Huckleberry  and 
thought  more  highly  of  it  than  of  the  High  Bush  Blueberry. 
White  Huckleberries  are  not  uncommon  in  his  neighborhood  ;  he 
had  repeatedly  found  them,  but  they  are  generally  deficient  in 
flavor. 

Mr.  Hove}'  said  that  it  takes  a  great  deal  to  kill  blueberry 
bushes,  especially  the  high  bush  blueberry. 

Mr.  Dawson  believed  that  most  people,  in  taking  up  plants 
from  the  woods  or  pastures,  are  so  eager  to  have  their  berry 
bushes  bear  that  they  select  the  largest  plants.  Unless  they  are 
taken  up  with  the  greatest  care,  these  large  plants  invariably  die, 
whereas  if  plants  of  one  or  two  feet  in  height  were  selected  and 
carefully  planted  they  would  take  hold  at  once,  and  in  a  j'ear  or 
two  would  be  far  ahead  of  the  larger  plant  even  if  that  should 
struggle  through. 

Mr.  Hersey  said  that  when  he  transplants  large  bushes  he  cuts 
off  the  tops. 

Notice  was  given  that  Professor  G.  H.  Whitcher,  Director  of 
the  New  Hampshire  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Hanover, 
N.  H.,  would  read  his  paper  on  the  "  Growth  and  Nutrition  of 
Plants,"  on  Saturday,  February  22. 

The  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Publication  and  Discussion 
announced  for  the  nest  Saturday,  a  paper  on  the  "  Fruits  and 
Flowers  of  Japan,"  by  William  P.  Brooks,  Professor  of  Agricul- 
ture, in  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College,  Amherst. 


FRUITS    AND    FLOWERS    OF    NORTHERN    JAPAN.  39 

BUSINESS  MEETING. 

Saturday,  January  25,  1890. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Societ}'  was  holden  at  half-past 
eleven  o'clock,  President  Spooner  in  the  chair. 

On  motion  of  Leverett  M.  Chase,  it  was 

Voted,  That  hereafter  the  Secretar}'  send  to  each  member  the 
Schedule  of  Exhibitions,  enlarged  by  a  notice  of  the  Meetings  for 
Discussion  and  a  notice  that  the  printed  Proceedings  of  the 
Society  can  be  obtained  from  the  Secretary. 

2d.  That  the  Treasurer  send  notice  of  assessment  to  the 
Annual  Members  who  have  not  paid  by  February  1st. 

3d.  That  a  copy  of  the  Constitution  and  By-Laws  be  pre- 
sented to  each  incoming  member. 

Voted,  That  the  Programme  of  Meetings  for  Discussion  for  the 
present  year  be  mailed  to  each  member. 

On  motion  of  William  E.  Endicott,  Chairman  of  the  Library 
Committee,  it  was  Voted,  That  the  Library  Committee  be  empow- 
ered to  employ  such  additional  assistance  as  is  necessary  to 
arrange  the  books  in  the  Library. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  February  1st,  at  eleven  o'clock. 

MEETING   FOR  DISCUSSION. 

Fruits  and  Flowers  of  Northern  Japan. 

By  William  P.  Brooks,  Professor  of  Agriculture,  Massachusetts  Agricultural 
College,  Amherst. 

In  what  I  shall  say  upon  the  subject  which  I  have  chosen  I 
shall  restrict  myself  to  a  consideration  of  fruits  and  flowers  which 
have  come  more  or  less  under  my  personal  observation  in  Yesso, 
the  northernmost  of  the  large  islands  of  the  Japanese  empire, 
although  I  am  aware  that  the  term  "  Northern  Japan  "may  be 
held  to  include  much  more  territory  than  is  comprised  in  that 
island.  Indeed,  I  have  been  surprised,  and  in  some  degree 
appalled,  on  looking  over  my  collection  and  calling  upon  the 
resources  of  my  memory,  at  the  wealth  of  material  which,  even 
with  this  restriction,  lies  at  my  disposal.     I  have  feared  that  my 


40       MASSACHUSETTS  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 

paper  might  turn  out  little  more  than  a  bare  catalogue,  and  thus 
only  wear}'  your  patience  without  exciting  the  interest  which  from 
the  nature  of  the  subject  I  have  felt  that  some  at  least  among  you 
would  take  in  it. 

I  propose  noticing  some  of  the  most  interesting  among  both  the 
wild  and  cultivated  fruits  and  flowers  of  Yesso.  Not  by  any 
means  all  of  those  of  which  I  shall  speak  are  peculiar  to  this 
island.  Very  many,  probably  nearly  all,  of  the  wild  species  of 
which  I  shall  speak  are  found  also  in  some  parts  of  the  more 
southern  islands,  in  many  instances  on  the  mountains.  How 
many  are  the  cases  I  can  recall  when  my  hopes  of  having  found 
something  new  have  been  shattered  by  the  discover}-  that  it  had 
been  previously  collected  in  some  mountain  region  of  the  South. 
Nikko,  the  celebrated  site  of  the  most  famous  mausoleums  and 
temples  of  Japan  has  proved  the  grave  of  many  hopes  of  this  sort. 
On  reflection,  however,  it  must  be  perceived  that  in  view  of  the 
very  mountainous  character  of  the  country  this  is  only  what  should 
be  expected.  When  it  is  further  remembered  that  the  bodies  of 
water  separating  the  islands  of  the  empire  of  Japan  are  nowhere 
wide  enough  to  offer  any  great  obstruction  to  plant  distribution, 
and  that  ocean  currents  indeed  lend  themselves  to  the  work,  it 
will  not  be  wondered  that  there  should  exist  a  gi'eat  degree  of 
similarity  in  the  flora  throughout  the  country  wherever  suitable 
differences  in  altitude  counterbalance  differences  in  latitude. 

I  am  particular  to  bring  out  this  point  because  I  must  offer  this 
peculiarity  of  the  Japanese  flora  as  an  excuse  for  alluding,  as  I 
doubtless  shall,  to  plants  with  which  many  among  3'ou  are  already 
familiar.  Little  has  been  written  in  English  on  the  flora  of  Yesso — 
almost  nothing  if  we  except  what  our  lamented  Dr.  Gray  wrote 
after  examination  of  the  collection  of  the  Perry  Expedition,  a  con- 
siderable part  of  which  came  from  the  vicinity  of  Hakodate,  in 
Southern  Yesso ;  but  I  am  sensible  that  what  I  shall  say  will 
probably  in  many  cases  lack  the  charm  of  novelty  because  of  the 
peculiarity  to  which  I  have  alluded.  This  however  has  seemed  to 
me  unavoidable,  for  I  am  no  specialist  in  either  botany  or  horti- 
culture. In  common  with  most  of  mankind,  I  love  fruits  and 
flowers ;  I  have  known  those  of  which  I  shall  speak  in  their  native 
haunts  ;  I  have  loved  them,  and  this  must  be  my  excuse  for  speak- 
ing of  them.  You  will,  I  feel  sure,  under  the  circumstances 
pardon  the  fact  that  some  of  my  "  coals  are  brought  to  New- 
castle." 


FRUITS    AND    FLOWERS    OF    NORTHERN    JAPAN.  41 

A  brief  glance  at  the  position,  size,  and  physical  peculiarities  of 
Yesso  ;  together  with  a  few  remarks  upon  the  nature  of  its  soil  and 
climate  and  some  of  the  most  striking  peculiarities  of  its  flora, 
must  precede  the  mention  of  any  of  its  special  features. 

Yesso  lies  off  the  coast  of  Siberia,  from  which  it  is  separated  by 
the  Japan  sea,  which  at  the  narrowest  point  between  the  island 
and  the  continent  is  about  two  hundred  miles  broad.  The  island 
of  Sachalen,  which  is  separated  from  the  continent  by  a  narrow 
strait,  approaches  to  within  about  thirty  miles  of  Yesso.  The 
Kuriles  on  the  north  also  afford  a  means  of  connection  with  Kam- 
chatka ;  and  the  larger  Japanese  islands,  with  smaller  subsidiary 
chains,  make  plant  immigration  from  Corea  and  China  a  possi- 
bility. Thus  Yesso  is  so  situated  that  the  way  was  open  for  the 
immigration  of  Asiatic  plants  from  north,  west,  and  south,  and 
this  fact,  in  connection  with  climatic  and  other  peculiarities  to  be 
mentioned,  accounts  for  the  extraordinary  richness  of  its  flora. 

Yesso  lies  between  about  41^  and  45^  degrees  north  latitude  ; 
and,  exclusive  of  narrow  capes,  extends  from  about  140  to  145 
degrees  east  longitude.  Its  area  is  about  27,000  square  miles, — 
a  little  less  than  the  area  of  Ireland.  According  to  Benjamin 
Smith  Lyman,  former  Chief  of  the  Geological  Survey,  the  island 
has  7,000  square  miles  of  land  suitable  for  farming,  6,000  square 
miles  of  pasturage,  5,000  square  miles  of  forest,  and  9,000  square 
miles  of  mountains.  He  estimates  that  only  about  twenty-five 
per  cent  of  the  total  area  is  fitted  for  cultivation,  and  from  per- 
sonal observation  I  judge  that  even  this  estimate  is  too  high. 
The  face  of  the  country  is  very  mountainous  and  rugged,  although 
there  are  a  few  broad  plains  and  river  valleys.  The  highest 
mountains  attain  an  elevation  of  about  8,000  feet,  but  the  great 
majority  range  from  1,000  to  4,000  feet  in  height;  and,  except 
near  the  sea-shore  where  the  trees  have  been  cut  off  to  supply  fuel 
to  the  fishermen,  they  are  wooded  to  their  summits.  The  lower 
slopes,  up  to  an  elevation  of  about  five  hundred  to  one  thousand 
feet,  according  to  locality,  are  covered  with  a  rich  growth  of 
deciduous  trees, —  maples,  oaks,  magnolias,  Cercidiphyllums, 
elms,  lindens,  cherries,  and  birches  predominating.  Above  these 
altitudes  conifers,  chiefly  two  species  of  spruce,  predominate. 
All  these  trees  usually  reach  a  large  size.  The  growth  is,  however, 
rather  open  and  scattered  as  a  rule,  and  the  undergrowth  is  char- 
acterized by  extraordinary  luxuriance  and  density.     By  far  the 


42  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

most  abundant  and  important  plant  here  found  is  a  kind  of  bam- 
boo grass  (Arundinaria)  which  in  places  forms  almost  impenetra- 
ble thickets,  varying  in  height  from  two  or  three  up  to  ten  or 
more  feet  according  to  the  soil  and  altitude.  The  leaves  of  this 
plant  are  evergreen,  and  it  constitutes  a  most  valuable  and 
nutritious  winter  pasturage  for  deer,  and  also  for  cattle  and 
horses  which  in  most  parts  of  the  islands  keep  in  good  condition 
on  it  throughout  the  winter  months.  Horses  are  especially  fond 
of  it  and  will  eat  it  in  summer  in  preference  to  English  grasses. 
Prudent  managers,  therefore,  during  the  summer  months  exclude 
them  from  the  forests  which  are  to  be  used  for  winter  pasturage. 
At  times  the  deep  snows  of  winter  quite  bury  this  plant,  but 
horses  learn  to  dig  for  it,  pawing  away  the  snow  to  reach  it.  In 
this  wa}'  the)'  manage  to  keep  in  fair  condition  through  the  season. 
"Where  this  Arundinaria  grows  it  crowds  out  all  other  under- 
growth. Only  trees  and  climbers  can  contend  with  it.  One  is 
struck  by  the  enormous  number  and  variety  of  climbers,  woody 
and  herbaceous,  both  in  mountain  and  plain-land  forests.  These 
contribute  much  to  the  appearance  of  tropical  luxuriance  and 
richness  which  every  travelled  visitor  remarks. 

Within  the  limits  of  an  island  of  the  size  of  Yesso  is  to  be 
found,  as  might  be  expected,  a  great  variet}'  of  soils.  It  is 
unnecessar}'^  to  enter  into  detailed  descriptions.  Suffice  it  to  say 
that  the  greater  portion  of  these  soils  are  still  virgin.  Until 
within  the  last  fifteen  or  twenty  years  the  Japanese  people  had 
made  no  effort  to  occup}'  this  territory.  To  them  it  was  a  terra 
incognita  ;  to  the  minds  of  a  race  of  tropical  origin  it  was  a  dread- 
ful, frigid  wilderness,  peopled  with  ferocious  wild  ])easts  and  hairy 
men  scarcel)*  less  wild.  The  Japanese  fished  upon  its  shores  in 
summer,  and  a  few  dwelt  there ;  but  no  attempt  was  made  to 
settle  in  the  interior.  The  virgin  soil  is  in  many  places  of  consid- 
erable fertilit}'  notwithstanding  the  Japanese  proverb  :  "  Shin  den 
wadzuka  ko  ho-nen"  which  means,  "  The  crops  on  new  land  are 
small."  The  best  will  produce  at  first  without  manures  about 
fifty  bushels  of  corn,  two  and  a  half  tons  of  hay,  or  four  hundred 
bushels  of  potatoes  per  acre  ;  but  the  soil  is  not  strong,  and  soon 
needs  manure.  According  to  analyses,  even  the  best  is  usually 
deficient  in  both  phosphoric  acid  and  potash,  and  there  is  a  wide 
extent  of  territory,  the  soil  of  which,  composed  largely  of  volcanic 
scoriae  and  ash,  is  very  light  and  poor. 


FRUITS  AND  FLOWERS  OF  NORTHERN  JAPAN.      43 

The  climate  of  Yesso  is  in  many  respects  not  unlike  that  of 
New  England ;  but  it  is  more  equable — a  little  cooler  in  summer 
and  warmer  in  winter  ;  and  the  air  is  more  humid  ;  the  percentage 
of  sunshine  somewhat  less.  The  yearly  means  of  temperature  at 
Sapporo,  the  capital  of  Yesso,  in  degrees  Fahrenheit,  from  the 
year  1877  to  1886,  inclusive,  were  as  follows  :  47.53,  44.79,  45.13, 
45.51,  44.82,  45.19,  44.27,  42.69,  44.14,  and  46.63.  On  two  or 
three  nights  every  winter  the  mercuiy  registers  from  four  to 
twelve  degrees  below  zero ;  the  really  hot  weather  of  the  summer 
is  limited  to  one  month,  setting  in  about  the  middle  of  July.  The 
autumn  frosts  are  late  in  coming,  seldom  destroying  even  the 
most  tender  plants  before  the  middle  of  October.  The  yearly 
precipitation  —  a  large  part  in  the  form  of  snow  —  varied  during 
the  years  of  my  residence  between  about  thirty-three  and  fifty- 
five  inches.  The  springs  and  early  summers  are  dry ;  the  late 
summers  and  autumns  are  rainy.  The  snow  fall  is  large ;  the 
smallest  in  any  winter  of  the  twelve  I  spent  there  was  nine  feet ; 
the  largest  eighteen  feet ;  the  average  being  about  twelve  feet. 
An  important  point,  doubtless  as  affecting  both  the  indigenous 
and  introduced  plants  is  this  :  the  snow  usually  falls  upon  unfrozen 
ground,  or  at  least  the  amount  of  frost  is  so  slight  that  by  the 
middle  of  January'  the  ground,  even  in  open  fields,  is  free  from  it. 
Carrots,  turnips,  and  potatoes  are  often  left  in  the  ground  over 
winter  and  come  out  in  the  spring  uninjured.  The  soil  in  the 
forests  can  scarcel}'  at  any  time  feel  the  effects  of  frost. 

Another  important  climatic  peculiarity  as  affecting  vegetation 
is  the  comparatively  warm  and  wet  autumn,  succeeded  at  last 
rather  suddenly  by  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  and  colder  weather. 
8uch  a  change  usually  finds  the  leaves  still  green  on  introduced 
apple,  peach,  and  cherry  trees  as  well  as  on  raspberry  and  black- 
berry bushes. 

Those  among  you  who  are  fruit  culturists  are  familiar  with  the 
fact  that  such  a  state  of  affairs  indicates  wood  still  comparatively 
soft  and  immature  and  unfitted  to  withstand  the  rigors  of  winter. 
You  will  not  be  surprised  then  to  learn  that  certain  fruit  trees, 
usually'  hardy  here,  are  there  in  most  cases  winter-killed.  This 
fact,  viewed  in  connection  with  certain  peculiarities  of  the  native 
flora,  at  first  thought  appears  exceedingly  puzzling.  In  the 
vicinity  of  Sapporo  were  large  numbers  of  two  species  of  magno- 
lia ;    the  one  Magnolia  Kobus,  chiefly  in  the  low  moist  lands  ;    the 


44  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

other  Magnolia  hypoleuca,  chiefly  on  the  dry  elevated  plains  or 
lower  mountain  slopes.  On  trees  of  both  plain  and  mountain 
forests  of  the  more  open  sort  —  chiefly  on  elms,  alders,  and  oaks 
—  two  species  of  mistletoe  grew  in  the  greatest  profusion.  On 
the  mountains  and  in  the  swamps  grew  in  abundance  several 
species  of  tender  annuals  belonging  to  the  gourd  family  ;  and  in 
similar  localities  were  to  be  found  several  other  sub-tropical  or 
warm  temperate  species  not  usually  found  in  so  high  latitudes. 
And  3'et  where  these  plants  and  the  species  of  bamboo  grass 
already  mentioned  flourished,  the  peach,  the  quince,  and  our 
hardy  raspberries  and  blackberries  were  usually  sadl}'  winter- 
killed. Many  times  have  I  seen  every  inch  of  such  trees  and 
shrubs  which  protruded  above  the  snow  utterly  destro^'ed  ;  and 
often  the  roots  only  survived  the  winter.  Why  this  apparent 
anomal}-?  Some  of  you  are  prepared  for  the  assertion  that  the 
deep  snows  afford  protection  to  the  sub-tropical  indigenous  plants 
mentioned  ;  and  in  so  far  as  the  tender  herbs  and  bamboo  grass 
are  concerned  this  is  doubtless  the  true  explanation  ;  but  how 
with  the  magnolias  and  the  mistletoe?  Surely  the  snow  cannot 
protect  these,  for  the  branches  of  other  trees  bearing  the  latter 
are  far  above  its  surface. 

The  explanation  is  doubtless  this  ;  the  indigenous  species  have 
become  inured  to  the  climate :  the}'  are  not  deceived,  if  I  may  be 
allowed  the  expression,  b}'  the  favoring  warmth  and  moisture  of 
the  autumn.  Winter's  cold  finds  their  buds  and  wood  prepared 
to  resist  its  destructive  action.  Not  so  the  peach,  the  quince,  and 
the  berry  bushes  from  America.  The  comparatively  rich  soil  and 
the  warm  and  humid  air  promote  too  rapid  and  long-continued 
growth  which  is  readily  destroyed  by  the  too  quickly  succeeding 
cold.  That  this  is  the  case  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  these 
fruits  are  cultivated  with  a  fair  degree  of  success  on  the  soils  of 
the  lightest  and  poorest  description  to  be  found  in  the  vicinity. 
On  the  average  soils  of  the  island  a  requisite  to  the  successful 
culture  of  these  fruits  is  winter  protection,  which  I  found  could  be 
best  given  by  simply  bending  to  the  ground  and  holding  there  in 
such  a  manner  that  the  snows,  which  usuallj-  accumulated  to  the 
depth  of  three  or  four  feet,  would  cover  and  protect. 

Yesso  is  not  particularly  rich  in  indigenous  fruits ;  compara- 
tively few  species  are  collected  and  used  by  the  inhabitants  to  any 
great  extent.     Those  most  extensively'   used  are  the  following  i 


FRUITS  AND  FLOWERS  OF  NORTHERN  JAPAN.      45 

a,  wild  strawbeny,  two  species  of  raspberries,  a  chestnut,  a  wal- 
nut, a  grape,  and  the  kokuwa.  Huckleberries,  checkerberries, 
cranberries,  and  blackberries  although  found  are,  I  think,  nowhere 
abundant  and  practically  never  made  use  of.  Some  two  or  three 
species  of  strawberries  are  found  ;  but  the  only  one  of  an}'  impor- 
tance is  Fragaria  vesca,  which  in  some  districts  is  so  abundant 
that  the  manufacture  of  jam  from  the  fruit  was  at  one  time  an 
important  industrj'.  This  jam  by  the  way  was  particularly  high 
flavored  and  delicious.  I  have  cultivated  this  strawberry  in  my 
garden,  and  have  found  it  unusually  vigorous  and  fairly  produc- 
tive, the  fruit  being  small  to  medium  in  size,  whitish  red  when 
ripe,  and  very  sweet  and  high  flavored,  with  a  taste  altogether 
different  from  that  of  our  varieties.  The  chief  reason,  however, 
for  m}'  mentioning  the  cultivation  of  this  berry,  is  to  call  attention 
to  a  peculiarity  which  I  do  not  recollect  to  have  heard  of  in  any 
other  variety.  We  have  our  so-called  pistillate  sorts  in  great 
number.  This  species,  as  I  cultivated  it,  was  functionally  dioe- 
cious. A  certain  proportion  of  the  plants, —  in  my  patch  about 
one-third, — produced  large  flowers  which  contained  large  and  perfect 
stamens  but  very  small  and  imperfect  pistils.  These  plants  never 
produced  any  fruit ;  the  flowers  simply-  dried  up.  These  plants 
were  then  practically'  staminate,  although  the  pistils  were  not 
entirely  aborted.  The  other  plants  produced  smaller  flowers  with 
perfect  pistils,  and  stamens  which  were  -much  shorter  and  smaller 
than  in  the  flowers  on  the  first  kind  of  plants  ;  but  even  these 
stamens  produced  apparently  perfect  pollen.  There  was  a  little 
diflerence  in  the  habit  of  growth  and  the  general  appearance  of 
the  two  kinds  of  plants  which,  with  practice,  I  judged  would 
suffice  to  enable  one  to  select  either  sort  at  pleasure.  My  depart- 
ure from  Japan  interrupted  the  observatious  upon  this  most 
interesting  plant  that  I  had  in  view  for  determining  numerous 
points  which  will  occur  to  many  of  you,  and  my  first  attempt  at 
importation  made  last  year  proved  a  complete  failure.  American 
varieties  of  strawberries,  of  which  a  number  have  been  tried,  do 
remarkably  well  in  all  respects.  Of  one  importation  I  succeeded 
in  making  one  plant  only  of  the  Sharpless  and  two  only  of  the 
Charles  Downing  live  ;  and  j^et,  before  winter  set  in,  without  any 
unusual  care,  these  had  increased  to  fifty  and  two  hundred  and 
fifty  plants  respectively.  This,  from  plants  which  on  May  1st 
were  hanging  between  life  and  death,  I  considered  a  remarkable 


46  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

rate  of  increase.  No  artificial  winter  protection  is  needed  for  the 
vines  in  Sapporo ;  the  deep  snow  proves  all  sufficient.  Other 
covering  I  found  even  injurious,  tending  to  cause  the  rotting  of 
the  vines.  The  period  of  fruiting  was  unusuall}'  long?  commonly 
covering  with  a  single  variety  like  Wilson's  Albany,  one  entire 
month,  —  the  mouth  of  July. 

Of  the  raspberries,  there  were  some  three  or  four  species  com- 
monly found  :  but  only  two  were  of  practical  importance.  One  of 
these,  Mubvs  parvifoUus,  is  of  a  low  half  running  habit  of  growth  ; 
the  fruit  is  red  but  very  loosely  constructed  and  soft  in  texture. 
The  flavor  is  good,  but  the  impossibility  of  handling  without 
reducing  to  a  mush  makes  this  fruit  nearly  valueless  except  to  eat 
from  the  bushes.  I  have  cultivated  two  other  species  in  my 
garden.  One  of  these,  of  the  same  habit  of  growth  as  our  common 
red  raspberry  but  with  unusually  stout  canes  and  not  suckering 
over-freely,  produced  small,  seedy,  black  fruit  of  no  value.  The 
other,  Ruhus  phceriicolasius,  has  the  Black  Cap  habit  of  growth,  the 
canes,  in  good  soil  stout  and  tall,  not  requiring  artificial  support 
but  with  unusually  soft  and  harmless  prickles.  The  fruit  is  pro- 
duced in  large  clusters,  is  of  fair  size,  and  being  of  a  beautiful 
translucent  scarlet  color,  it  presents  an  exceedingly  attractive 
appearance.  It  is  fairly  firm.  In  flavor  it  is  quite  different  from 
anything  we  have.  There  is  leas  of  the  distinctive  raspberry 
flavor  and  slightly  more  acid  than  in  our  varieties  and  it  is  very 
juicy.  Upon  telling  friends  who  visited  my  garden  when  the  fruit 
was  ripe  that  I  had  brought  it  there  to  see  if  I  could  improve  it,  I 
was  several  times  met  with  the  remark  "I  don't  see  why  you 
should  wish  to  improve  this,"  which  perhaps  sufficiently  indicates 
its  quality.  I  would  not,  however,  overpraise  this  fruit.  It  is 
distinctly  less  rich  than  our  common  varieties  and  would  not  suit 
those  especially  fond  of  the  raspberr}'  flavor.  It  is,  however,  a 
hardy,  productive,  and  beautiful  species,  which  may  prove  valuable 
in  its  present  or  some  derivative  form.  A  peculiarity  in  its  habit 
of  growth  should  be  mentioned ;  the  growing  fruit  is  entirely 
covered  and  protected  by  the  reddish  pubescent  calyx  until  just 
as  it  begins  to  ripen.  Whether  from  this  peculiarity  or  because  it 
is  not  so  sweet,  it  is  certain  that  this  fruit  was  always  remarkably 
free  from  worms,  while  American  varieties  in  my  garden  were 
sadly  infested.  I  successfully  imported  plants  of  this  species  last 
year ;  and  I  may  remark  that  I  have  been  informed  that  at  least 
one  nurseryman  advertised  it  for  sale  last  season. 


FRUITS    AND    FLOWERS    OF    NORTHERN    JAPAN.  47 

American  varieties  of  both  raspberries  and  blackberries  do  well 
here.  The  vines  of  all  varieties,  however,  need  winter  protection. 
This  I  fonnd  co'ild  be  best  given  by  bending  down  over  a  mound 
of  earth  and  holding  in  place  with  small  stakes.  Neither  earth 
nor  straw  covering  was  necessary,  the  snow  serving  every  pur- 
pose.    The  season  of  fruiting  is  late  but  long. 

The  Yesso  chestnut,  verj'^  abundant  in  many  sections  and  much 
used  by  the  aborigines  of  the  island  as  well  as  by  the  Japanese,  is 
in  size  and  quality  almost  identical  with  the  American.  It  is 
altogether  difterent  from  the  large  chestnut  of  old  Japan,  but  like 
that  produces  fruit  very  3-oung.  The  Japanese  have  a  proverb 
which  sa3's,  translating  literally,  "  The  chestnut  in  three  years, 
the  persimmon  in  seven,"  indicating  that  trees  of  these  fruits  will 
become  productive  respectively  in  three  and  seven  years.  When 
planted  in  Yesso,  however,  the  southern  chestnut  fails  to  justify 
its  claims  to  such  precocity,  requiring  usually  fully  twice  the 
number  of  years  just  mentioned. 

The  Yesso  walnut  resembles  closely  the  English  walnut,  but  is 
inferior  in  both  size  and  quality  to  the  best  specimens  of  that  nut 
found  in  our  markets.     Neither  is  it  anywhere  very  abundant. 

The  native  grape  is  Vitis  Lahrusca,  the  same  species,  you  will 
recognize,  as  our  own  most  common  wild  and  cultivated  varieties. 
In  Yesso,  however,  the  wild  species  does  not  vary  as  does  our 
own.  I  have  never  seen  more  than  one  form,  a  medium  to  large 
bunch  of  small,  hard,  seedy  and  very  sour  berries,  of  a  purple  or 
almost  black  color  with  comparatively  little  bloom.  The  vine  is, 
however,  remarkably  rank  and  vigorous  in  habit.  A  specimen 
with  stem  fourteen  inches  in  diameter  was  found  near  Sapporo, 
and  I  have  many  times  noticed  leaves  nearly  two  feet  across.  If 
anything  shall  be  discovered  able  to  withstand  the  phylloxera  or 
calculated  to  infuse  new  disease-resisting  vigor  into  our  failing 
vines,  it  would  seem  that  we  have  it  here  in  Yesso.  Already 
French  and  Swiss  wine  growers  have  had  their  agents  on  the  spot 
and  have  taken  measures  to  test  this  vine. 

The  cultivated  grape  of  Old  Japan  is  Vitis  vinijera,  and  all 
varieties  there  grown  require  more  heat  than  the  Yesso  summer 
affords  ;  but  in  Yesso  both  American  and  German  varieties  have 
been  for  a  number  of  3^ears  under  trial.  All  sorts  common  here 
ten  years  ago  have  been  extensively  tried  ;  but  with  very  indiffer- 
ent success.     With  the  single  exception  of  the  Delaware  most  fail 


48  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

to  ripen  thoroughly  at  least  three  years  out  of  four.  That  variet}', 
somewhat  to  my  surprise,  is  in  the  vicinity  of  Sapporo  the  freest 
from  disease  and  altogether  the  most  certain  and  delicious  of  all 
American  sorts.  German  varieties  of  man}'  kinds  are  now  under 
trial ;  but  these,  like  the  American,  often  fail  to  ripen,  and  I  am 
confident  that  the  ill-advised  attempts  at  wine-making  which  have 
now  been  in  progress  some  eight  or  nine  years  are  doomed  to 
disastrous  failure.  The  autumns  are  too  wet  and  cloudy  to  per- 
fect the  grape,  although,  as  was  usually  the  case,  frosts  severe 
enough  to  injure  it  hold  off  until  about  the  20th  of  October. 

Of  that  fruit,  the  Kokuwa  {Actinidia  arguta) ,  which  is  peculiar  to 
Japan,  and  which  finds  its  most  perfect  and  abundant  develop- 
ment in  the  primeval  forests  of  Yesso,  I  presume  you  have  all 
heard.  Much  has  been  written  and  said  about  it  within  the  last 
few  years ;  though,  strangely  enough  from  my  point  of  view,  it 
has  been  urged  upon  the  public  attention  as  an  ornamental 
climber.  Now  far  is  it  from  ray  wish  to  detract  from  its  merits 
as  such.  It  is  certainly  a  vigorous,  not  to  say  a  rampant,  grower 
and  its  luxuriant  dark  green  leaves  and  waving  stems  have  a 
beauty  of  their  own.  F«r  the  purpose  of  covering  arbors  or 
"forming  wild  entanglements,"  as  one  writer  has  expressed  it, 
from  tree  to  tree  it  is  certainly  suited.  Its  effects  upon  the  trees, 
however,  I  will  not  answer  for ;  its  coils  I  fancy  will  be  found  to 
hug  "  closer  than  a  brother."  Still  it  is  a  beautiful  climber, 
though  I  believe  that  Yesso  can  furnish  several  more  beautiful 
and  far  more  manageable ;  but  I  would  caution  not  to  plant  it 
against  verandahs  or  buildings.  Unless  looked  after  far  more 
closely  than  most  will  find  time  for,  it  will  be  found  to  overgrow 
all  desired  bounds,  to  displace  eaves  spouts  and  to  make  itself  a 
nuisance  generally  by  its  omnipresence. 

It  is  for  its  fruit,  however,  that  the  plant  is  mostly  prized  in 
Yesso,  where  in  many  localities  it  is  abundant  and  very  largely 
collected.  The  fruit,  which  is  a  berry,  runs  in  size  a  little  larger 
than  the  Green  Gage  plum  ;  the  skin  is  green  ;  the  pulp  when  ripe 
soft,  and  the  seeds,  which  are  numerous,  very  fine.  The  flavor  I 
cannot  liken  to  that  of  any  other  fruit ;  it  is  ver}'  agreeable  to 
most ;  but  it  is  sui  generis.  There  is  an  astringent  principle  in 
the  skin,  which  must  not  be  sucked  too  much  or  it  will  make  the 
lips,  tongue,  and  throat  sore.  It  is  not  difficult,  however,  to  suck 
out  the  pulp  without  encountering  this  trouble.     The  effect  of  the 


FRUITS    AND   FLOWERS    OF   NORTHERN    JAPAN.  49 

fruit  is  decidedl}'  but  pleasantly  laxative  to  most, —  much  more  so 
than  that  of  an}-  of  our  fruits,  not  excepting  the  imported  fig.  It 
must  prove  a  valuable  acquisition  even  for  this  single  quality, 
were  it  not  moreover  sufficiently  delicious  to  repay  eating.  One 
attempt  only  has  been  made  in  Yesso  to  my  knowledge  to  cultivate 
the  fruit;  but  the  plants  for  this  experiment,  collected  before 
sufficient  acquaintance  with  the  botanical  peculiarities  of  the  spe- 
cies had  been  acquired,  all  proved  barren.  The  species  is  poly- 
gamo-dioecious,  and  for  fruit  it  must  be  propagated  by  cuttings 
from  fertile  plants.  A  second  obstacle  to  its  culture  is  the  fact 
that  a  number  of  years  must  elapse  ere  the  plant  begins  to  be 
productive.  Just  how  manj-  would,  however,  be  required  from 
cuttings  I  am  not  prepared  to  say.  Should  the  fruit  under  culti- 
vation prove  as  good  as  when  wild  it  would  be  well  worth  a  place 
in  our  gardens  ;  and  of  course  there  exists  a  possibility  that  it 
may  be  improved.     It  flourishes  best  in  rich  moist  soils. 

A  fruit  which,  from  the  extent  to  which  it  is  collected  and  used 
in  Yesso,  perhaps  deserves  mention  next,  is  that  of  the  rose 
(Rosa  rugosa)  called  by  the  Japanese  "beach  pear."  It  is  so 
called,  doubtless,  from  the  fact  that  it  is  especially  abundant  on 
the  upper  reaches  of  sandy  beaches.  The  hip  of  this  species  of 
rose,  as  many  of  3'ou  may  know,  is  unusuallj'  large  and  handsome. 
In  size,  it  averages  larger  than  the  common  crab-apple,  and  the 
color  is  a  deep  scarlet.  It  is  chiefly  eaten  by  the  children ; 
though  halved,  seeded,  and  slightl}'  salted,  it  is  esteemed  a  delicacy 
by  many  adults.  I  have  tasted  it  and  found  it  really  not  so  bad 
as  I  had  expected.  Its  ornamental  qualities  are  not  lost  sight  of 
by  the  Japanese,  who  have  fixed  upon  a  special  holiday  in  July 
when  it  is  considered  eminently  the  thing  both  to  display  this 
fruit  and  to  partake  of  it. 

A  species  of  apple  (Pyrus  Toringo)  is  common  all  over  Yesso. 
In  rich  lands  the  trees  average  about  as  large  as  crab-apple  trees 
here ;  in  poor  sandy  soils  it  is  reduced  to  a  shrub.  The  fruit  is 
small ;  it  will  hardly  average  as  large  as  the  cranberr3\  The  stem 
is  long  and  slender,  the  shape  that  of  our  apple,  and  it  is  puckery 
and  very  sour.  This  species  has  been  commonly  used  as  a  stock 
for  grafting  our  American  varieties  and  answers  the  purpose 
excellently.  The  trees  begin  bearing  at  the  age  of  about  four 
years,  and  trees  which  began  to  produce  fruit  abundantly  about 
1879,  were  still  producing  large  crops  of  fine  fruit  annually,  where 
4 


50  MASSACHUSETTS    HOKTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

well  cared  for,  ten  years  later.  At  that  time,  where  trees  were 
planted  twent\'  bj'  twenty-five  feet  apart,  the  branches  were  begin- 
ning to  meet,  and  the  trees  were  still  very  thrifty.  It  is  yet  too 
early  to  sa}-  how  long  lived  such  trees  will  prove. 

Most  American  varieties  of  apple  succeeded  well  in  Yesso  ;  but 
all  are  considerably  later  than  here.  Fall  varieties  keep  into 
Februar}-  and  our  common  winter  sorts  till  August.  Our  very 
best  keepers,  like  the  Roxbury  Russet,  are  worthless  there.  They 
do  not  become  suflSciently  mature  to  ripen,  but,  put  into  the 
cellar,  simply  shrivel  up  and  soon  rot.  The  splendid  Greenings 
which  I  have  eaten  there  in  July  would,  however,  surprise  you. 
The  apple  fruit  is  mostly  free  from  insect  enemies  in  Yesso, 
though  a  species  of  curculio  has  in  some  places  proved  injurious, 
and  a  small  worm  does  occasional  damage.  The  worms  which 
attack  the  leaves  are,  however,  legion,  and  among  them  is  our  own 
latest  acquisition  in  that  line, —  the  Gypsy  Moth  (Ocneria  disjjar). 

You  may  be  surprised  to  learn  that  our  apples  and  pears  both 
having  been  introduced  and  having  begun  to  bear  at  about  the 
same  time,  the  Japanese  almost  to  a  man  esteemed  the  apple  the 
more  delicious.  For  many  years  the  prices  were,  for  apples  ten 
to  twelve  cents  and  for  pears  three  to  five  cents  per  pound  ;  and 
after  the  lapse  of  about  ten  years,  in  1888,  the  prices  were  in 
about  the  same  proportion,  viz.  : — apples  from  six  to  eight  cents 
and  pears  from  two  to  three  cents  per  pouud. 

American  pears  succeed  well  in  Yesso  with  the  exception  of  the 
late  sorts,  like  the  Vicar,  which  is  worthless.  All  are  later  and 
keep  better  than  here  ;  I  usualh-  kept  the  Anjou  without  trouble 
until  well  into  March.  For  the  pear  the  native  Pyrus  Toringo 
already  spoken  of  was  commonly  used  as  a  stock  ;  the  Japan 
Quince  {Pyrus  Cydonia),  is  also  somewhat  employed.  There  is  no 
pear  native  to  Yesso,  but  the  earlier  varieties  of  the  pear  com- 
monly cultivated  in  Southern  Japan  {Pyrus  comiyumis)  are  raised 
to  a  limited  extent.  This  is  a  fruit  of  magnificent  appear- 
ance, large,  obtuse,  russet  in  color.  In  texture  it  is  hard  or 
breaking  and  coarse  ;  in  flavor  sweet  and  insipid.  A  friend  of 
mine  said  that  once,  in  compan}-,  he  likened  these  pears  to  "  tur- 
nips in  disguise  ;"  but  the  company  unanimously  disapproved  the 
comparison.  Thej-  thought  it  was  unfair  to  the  turnip.  Still  as 
a  Japanese  friend  of  mine  once  expressed  it,  ''  There  is  plenty  of 
teething  in  these  pears ;"    and  this,  doubtless  is  the  great  reason 


FRUITS    AND    FLOWERS    OF    NORTHERN    JAPAN.  51 

for  the  universal  taste  for  them  among  the  people.  If  you  will 
believe  me  even  educated  Japanese  persisted  that  they  liked  our 
pears  best  while  they  were  yet  of  flint}'  hardness, —  before,  to  my 
taste,  the  flavor  was  at  all  developed.  You  will  not  longer  wonder 
that  the  apple  was  generally  preferred  to  such  fruit ;  but  for  the 
sake  of  the  reputation  of  our  pears  you  will  be  glad  to  know  that 
the  Japanese  are  slowly  learning  better  when  to  eat  them. 

An  indigenous  plum  — probably  Prumis  tomentosa  —  is  of  some 
value.  The  fruit  is  small  and  purple,  and  hardly  suited  for  eat- 
ing, but  it  makes  excellent  preserves.  The  stones  are  collected  in 
large  quantities  and  the  j'oung  trees  used  for  budding  with  Ameri- 
can sorts,  which  do  well  in  Yesso. 

The  wild  mulberry  — Morus  alba,  I  think,  but  of  the  species 
I  do  not  feel  entirely  sure, — is  nearly  everywhere  abundant  in 
Yesso.  The  leaf  is  much  collected  and  used  for  feeding  silk, 
worms ;  and  this  species,  which  is  perfectly  hardy  (while  the 
Chinese  variety  is  not) ,  is  extensivel}'  propagated  and  planted  for 
the  same  purpose.  The  fruit  is  rather  small,  black,  and  ver}' 
delicious  in  flavor ;  but  it  is  not  much  used  by  the  natives. 

In  some  parts  of  Yesso  there  is  found  a  wild  currant  (Ribes 
Japonica)  the  fruit  of  which  I  have  never  seen.  It  is  said  to  be 
red ;  but  is  not  used  so  far  as  I  know.  The  racemes  of  flowers 
which  I  have  seen  are  of  remarkable  length  ;  in  the  dried  speci- 
mens which  I  have  here,  the  longest  is  full}'  seven  inches  in  length. 
Should  it  be  found  possible  to  cross  this  species  with  our  own,  it 
would  seem  not  unlikely  that  considerable  improvement  in  this 
direction  might  be  the  result.  In  Yesso,  unfortunately,  a  very 
large  proportion  of  the  fruit  of  this  currant  always  blasted  while 
very  small.  I  have  successfully  imported  this  species  and  now 
have  it  alive  in  Amherst. 

Although  not  fruits  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  word,  I  want 
to  allude  to  the  Yesso  hop  and  asparagus  (Humulus  Japonicus 
and  Asparagus  officinalis),  both  exceedingly  abundant  in  many 
places ;  and  both,  I  should  think,  promising,  as  a  result  of  varia- 
tion which  usually  follows  the  cultivation  of  wild  species,  to 
produce  varieties  of  value.  In  connection  with  asparagus  should 
be  mentioned  also  the  Japanese  Udo  {Aralia  cordata),  the 
spring  shoots  of  which  are  used  as  we  use  those  of  that  plant. 
This  is  also  everywhere  common  in  the  rich  woods  of  Yesso  ;  it  is 
also  cultivated  to  some  extent  and  is  said  to  be  really  delicious. 


52  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

The  cultivation  of  both  the  American  and  the  old  Japanese 
varieties  of  the  peach  has  been  attempted  in  Yesso ;  but,  as 
already  indicated,  with  very  poor  success  on  account  of  the  winter- 
killing, not  of  the  fruit  buds  merely,  but  of  the  tree  itself.  The 
Japanese  are  not  familiar  with  budding  and,  in  Yesso  at  least, 
propagate  wholl}'  from  the  stones.  The  old  native  sorts  produce 
a  very  inferior  fruit. 

A  kind  of  apricot  is  somewhat  cultivated  in  Yesso.  The  tree 
seems  to  be  perfectly  hardy  and  enormously  productive  ;  but  the 
fruit  is  small  and  inferior.  There,  at  least,  it  is  propagated 
wholly  from  the  stones,  and  so  far  as  I  am  aware  there  is  but  one 
variety. 

Our  varieties  of  cherries  have  been  tried  ;  but  though  the  Japa- 
nese esteem  the  fruit  as  very  delicious,  and  now,  after  the  lapse 
of  fifteen  years  since  its  introduction,  it  still  never  retails  for  less 
than  twenty  cents  per  pound,  it  is  certainly  very  inferior  to  the 
fruit  as  commonly  produced  here. 

"With  brief  mention  of  one  other  Yesso  fruit,  I  will  leave  this 
branch  of  my  subject  and  pass  on  to  consider  some  of  the  flowers 
of  Yesso.  This  is  the  peculiar  fruit  of  a  species  of  conifer  {Ceph- 
alotaxics  drupacea)  which  grows  as  an  uudershrub  in  ir.any  of  the 
mountain  forests.  This  shrub  is  sometimes  as  much  as  eight  or 
nine  feet  in  height  but  usually  rather  less  ;  and  the  female  plants 
bear  a  stone  fruit  precisely  like  a  plum  in  structure.  It  is  of 
about  the  size  of  the  common  pecau  nut ;  the  flesh  is  proportion- 
all}'  about  as  thick  as  that  of  the  plum  and  is  very  juicy  and 
remarkably  sweet  with  a  faint  suggestion  of  the  pine  in  its  flavor. 
Really  at  present  of  no  practical  importance,  it  has  actually 
seemed  to  me,  as  I  have  often  jokingly  said,  that  this  fruit  affords 
a  rare  field  for  the  quack-medicine  man.  A  rich  natural  S3'rup, 
with  the  flavor  of  the  pine  —  what  a  chance  for  the  production  of 
a  specific  for  throat  troubles,  coughs,  and  consumption  !  And 
then  it  comes  from  Japan  —  that  magic  land  whence  come  —  of 
all  things — soap,  which  the  Japanese  never  use,  and  sovereign 
remedies  for  corns,  with  which  their  feet  are  never  troubled. 

Of  the  flowers  of  Yesso  I  hardly  know  how  to  speak.  In  prep- 
aration for  writing  this  paper  I  looked  through  my  collection  of 
dried  specimens,  with  the  intention  of  picking  out  a  few  of  the 
most  attractive,  and  I  find  I  have  selected  no  less  than  sixty-four 
as  worthy  at  least  of  mention.    Now  do  not  be  alarmed — I  am  not 


FRUITS    AND    FLOWERS    OF    NORTHERN    JAPAN.  53 

going  to  detain  you  so  long  as  this  number  would  imph*.  I  have 
decided  that  I  must  have  looked  with  prejudiced  eyes  ;  and,  while 
I  have  brought  them  all  and  sliall  be  pleased  to  show  and  talk 
about  them  if  any  are  interested,  and  shall  even  append  a  list,  I 
have  decided  to  speak  formally  of  as  few  as  possible  and  of  those 
as  briefly  as  I  can. 

In  speaking  of  them  I  shall  follow  no  definite  rule  of  order. 
From  meraor\'  simply,  I  have  thrown  those  of  similar  characteris- 
tics together  ;  and  shall  not,  therefore,  follow  any  exact  systematic 
arrangement. 

One  of  the  most  attractive  of  the  very  earl}'  wild  flowers  of 
Yesso  is  the  Adonis  Amurensis,  a  bright  yellow  flower  which 
might  appropriately,  in  that  country,  be  called  the  "  eye  of 
spring,"  for  it  peeps  up  sometimes  even  in  February  on  sunny 
banks  where  the  snow  has  melted  away.  Often  hav3  I  seen  it 
looking  bravel}^  up  in  the  midst  of  a  sharp  snow-storm,  and  so 
hardy  is  it  that  such  exposure  scarcely  seems  to  hurt  it.  It  is  a 
special  favorite  with  the  Japanese,  who,  however,  seldom  plant  it 
in  gardens  ;  but  are  satisfied  with  seeking  out  the  earliest  plants 
and  digging  them  while  in  bud  for  forwarding  in  old  tin  cans, 
broken  teapots,  and  the  like.  Regular  markets  as  well  as  special 
booths  usually  offer  such  roots  for  sale  in  large  quantities,  and 
everyone  who  cannot  dig  for  himself  buys  this  which  is  the  earliest 
harbinger  of  spring  for  the  masses. 

More  delicately  beautiful  is  the  Glaucidium  palmatum,  a  mid- 
spring  flower,  with  large  and  particularly  beautiful  almost  trans- 
lucent leaves  and  large  delicate  single  pink  flowers.  This  is  the 
favorite  of  cool,  shady  dells  and  rich,  moist  soil.  A  horticultural 
friend  of  mine,  writing  a  few  ^-ears  since,  said  that  this  very 
beautiful  flower  had  not  then  been  introduced  into  Europe  and 
America.  It  would  richly  repay  care,  but  would  undoubtedly  be 
fastidious  as  to  soil  and  surroundings. 

The  gorgeous  beauty  of  the  autumn  woods,  the  monkshood 
{Aconitum  Fisheri)^  standing  often  fully  six  feet  high,  with  enorm- 
ous masses  of  brilliant  blue  flowers,  is  another  of  the  Ranunculaceae 
which  must  not  be  forgotten.  It  is  of  peculiar  interest,  both  from 
its  beauty  and  from  the  fact  that  the  aborigines  of  Yesso  extract 
a  poisonous  principle,  aconite,  from  its  root,  using  it  to  poison 
the  tips  of  arrows  which  they  employ  in  setting  traps  for  bears. 


54  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Two  other  species  of  aconite  are  found  in  the  Yesso  forests  ;  but 
both  are  less  beautiful  and  less  common  than  the  one  of  which  I 
have  spoken. 

B}'  far  the  most  delicately  beautiful  of  spring  flowers  in  the 
vicinity  of  Sapporo  is  the  Corydalis  ambigua,  with  its  fragile  stems 
and  leaves,  and  its  lovel}'  racemes  of  flowers,  shading  into  the  most 
exquisite  tints  and  hues  of  blue  and  ultramarine  and  pink,  and 
sometimes  becoming  almost  white.  The  fragrance  too  of  the 
flowers  is  wonderfully  delicate  and  sweet.  I  should  think  this 
species  and  its  rarer  form  with  the  lobes  of  the  leaves  linear  might 
be  cultivated  quite  easily,  and  if  so  they  would  amply  repay  the 
care  bestowed  upon  them.  The  far  more  sturdy  and  quite  differ- 
ent Corydalis  aurea  has  also  great  beauty  of  its  own.  Both  thrive 
in  moderately  light  soils. 

The  Japanese  primrose  (^Primula  Japonica),  is  everywhere 
common  along  the  banks  of  streams  and  must  not  be  forgotten. 
It  is,  however,  I  believe,  well  known  to  European  and  American 
gardeners,  and  is  justly  esteemed  for  its  elegant  habit  and  great 
beauty  of  flower. 

I  wish  next  to  call  your  attention  to  the  Yesso  Spiraeas,  of  which 
there  are  a  large  number  of  species,  several  of  which  are  of 
unusual  beauty.  I  would  mention  as  especially  worthy  of  atten- 
tion the  species  aruncus,  callosa,  and  sorbifoUa — widely  different 
each  from  the  other,  but  any  one  of  which  would  form  beautiful 
clumps  in  a  garden  or  add  grace  and  beauty  to  a  bouquet. 

I  must  not  forget  here  the  flower  known  to  the  Japanese  as  hagi 
—  a  species  of  Lespedeza,  with  pinkish  flowers  —  which  is  celebrated 
in  Japanese  storj'  and  song,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  eight 
beautiful  wild  flowers  of  autumn.  Two  others  which  are  included 
b}'  the  Japanese  in  the  same  class  stand  next  in  my  list, —  Patri- 
nia  scabioscefolia  and  Platycodon  grandijlorum.  These  are  almost 
invariably  found  together  in  open  sandy  localities  ;  and  a  beautiful 
combination  they  make  either  in  field  or  bouquet  —  the  Patrinia 
with  its  broad  cymes  of  pale  gold  and  the  Platycodon  with  its  large 
bells  of  heaven's  own  deep  blue.  You  are  wondering  what  are  the 
other  flowers  which  make  up  the  magic  number,  and  as  these,  with 
one  exception,  are  also  found  wild  in  Yesso  I  may  mention  them. 
They  are  the  grass  pink,  the  morning  glory,  a  grass  which  has 
beautiful  autumn  plumes  (Eulalia  Ja])07iica) ,  the  aster ,  and  the 
wistaria.     The  latter  I  have  never  seen  wild  in  Yesso. 


FRUITS    AND   FLOWERS    OF   NORTHERN   JAPAN.  55 

The  dog-tooth  violet  (Erythronmm  Dens-caiiis) ,  with  unusu- 
ally large  and  finel}'  mottled  leaves  and  large  pink  flowers,  is  a 
woodland  beaut}'  which  grows  in  many  places  in  extraordinary 
profusion  ;  and  excelling  even  this  in  abundance  is  the  sweet  lily- 
of-the-valley  (Convallaria  majalis),  of  which  I  have  seen  dozens 
of  acres  in  one  lot.  This  attains  to  great  size  and  beauty  here  ; 
and  so  well  do  soil  and  climate  seem  to  suit  it  that  in  places  it 
takes  possession  of  the  ground  to  the  almost  entire  exclusion  of 
other  plants.  It  makes  itself  a  great  nuisance  in  pastures  ;  and 
during  my  stay  in  Japan  I  was  more  than  once  consulted  as  to 
means  of  exterminating  it,  or  asked  whether  some  practical  use 
could  not  be  made  of  it.  The  beaut}'  and  the  fragrance  of  such 
pastures,  however,  you  can  imagine. 

A  beautiful  dark  purple  (the  Japanese  say  black)  lily  (Fritil- 
laria  Kamchatensis)  is  rather  rarely  found,  and  it  never  fails  to 
excite  the  liveliest  feelings  of  admiration.  I  have  known  a  Japa- 
nese to  carry  a  bulb  in  bud  or  flower  more  than  one  hundred  miles 
on  horseback  to  plant  it  in  his  garden.  I  have  myself  also  tried 
to  transplant  it ;  but  without  success.  It  thrives  in  cool  and 
shady  localities  ;  and  would  certainly  be  highlj'  appreciated  should 
it  do  well  under  cultivation. 

One  other  wild  Yesso  lily  I  must  mention  for  it  is  of  surpassing 
grace  and  beauty.  I  christened  it  the  "  fairy-lily."  It  is  the 
Lilium  medeoloides  of  Gray.  It  produces  a  very  large  whorl  of 
leaves  a  short  distance  below  the  flower,  which  peculiarity  causes 
the  Japanese -to  call  it  the  "wheel-lily."  Good  specimens  pro- 
duce as  many  as  a  dozen  of  the  most  dainty  lilies  I  have  ever 
seen.  The  general  color  of  the  perianth  is  orange,  and  its  divisions 
are  very  much  reflexed. 

Of  one  other  herbaceous  species  only  will  I  speak,  and  from 
that  will  pass  on  to  notice  a  ver}^  few  of  the  ornamental  woody 
species.  This  is  the  striking  LysicItUon  Kamchatense  of  the 
Yesso  marshes,  producing  in  earliest  spring  a  white  flower  like  a 
large  calla,  and,  later,  enormous  leaves  of  great  beauty.  In 
grounds  of  sufficient  extent  to  afford  it  a  suitable  habitat,  this 
must  prove  a  decided  acquisition  both  for  its  flowers  and  foliage, 
which  last  has  a  decidedly  tropical  appearance. 

Among  woody  plants  the  magnolias  have  been  mentioned. 
Both  form  handsome  trees  of  medium  size.  The  points  which 
would,  perhaps,  make  them  desirable  here  are  hardiness  and  the 
great  fragrance  of  the  flowers.     The  species   hypoleuca  is  also 


56  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

particularly  handsome  in  leaf,  flower,  and  fruit.  The  flowers 
frequently  measure  more  than  a  foot  across,  and  the  odor  is  such 
that  I  often  recognized  the  vicinity  of  trees  in  bloom  while  yet  as 
much  as  a  furlong  distant. 

Cornus  brachypoda,  a  small  tree,  is  particularly  brilliant  in  fruit, 
with  its  wealth  of  scarlet  drupes  which  persist  well  into  the  winter. 
There  are  several  beautiful  Viburnums ;  but  these,  perhaps,  do 
not  surpass  ours.  Among  the  Hydrangeas,  however,  are  found  a 
number  of  noticeable  species.  The  one  which  will  prove  the  most 
decided  acquisition  is  H.  petiolaris,  also  called  Schizophragma 
hydrangeoides.  This  is  a  climber  which  in  Yesso  goes  to  the  top 
of  the  tallest  trees,  to  which  it  clings  b}'^  root-like  bodies.  When 
in  bloom  it  converts  the  tree  trunks  into  pillars  of  snow ;  and  a 
ride  in  June  through  miles  of  primeval  forest  where  almost  every 
other  tree  trunk  and  every  old,  gray  stump  is  converted  into  a 
mass  of  beautiful  white  bloom  is  an  experience  to  be  remembered. 
The  Japanese  know  this  plant  as  "  snow  vine  "  and  the  name  is 
well  given.  The  neutral  flowers  are  abundant  and  persist  all 
winter,  so  that  this  hydrangea  is  practically  always  beautiful. 

Hyd7-angea  paniculata,  a  large  shrub,  produces  white  flower 
clusters  of  enormous  size ;  and  very  delicately  beautiful  in  its 
native  glens  is  H.  hortensis  or  acuminata  with  its  pale  blue  C3'mes  ; 
but  the  former  is  not  strikingly  different  from  the  original  of  our 
cultivated  forms  and  the  latter  probably  will  not  flourish  in  open 
gardens  or  lawns. 

Syringa  vulgaris  is  a  small  tree  or  shrub,  common  in  Yesso,  for 
the  seeds  and  plants  of  which  there  has  recently  been  a  large 
demand  both  in  America  and  Europe.  The  tree  is  not  in  itself 
particularly  beautiful ;  and  though  it  produces  in  profusion  large 
clusters  of  small  white  flowers,  I  do  not  believe  its  popularity  will 
be  long-lived.  It  is  reported  to  be  fragrant ;  but,  though  quite 
strong,  I  do  not  find  its  odor  pleasant. 

Nothing  in  regard  to  the  flowers  of  Japan  would  be  complete 
without  mention  of  the  cherry ;  and  no  land  could  be  home  to  a 
Japanese  which  did  not  produce  that  much  loved  and  storied 
flower.  And,  indeed,  it  is  exquisitely  beautiful  in  spring-time. 
The  wild  cherry  of  Yesso,  single  and  comparatively  small  as  the 
flower  is,  yet  lingers  a  very  pleasant  picture  in  memory's  eye.  Its 
beautiful  bark,  its  dainty  unfolding  leaves  deeply  tinged  with  red, 
and  its  flowers  of  delicate  pink  make  up  a  whole  upon  which  the 
eye  loves  to  linger.     I  cannot  wonder  that  it  has  appealed  strongly 


FRUITS    AND    FLOWERS    OF    NORTHERN    JAPAN.  57 

to  the  native  imagination  and  still  constitutes,  as  it  has  for  ages^ 
a  favorite  subject  for  the  poet's  pen  and  the  painter's  brush. 

"  No  man  so  callous  but  he  heaves  a  sigh 

"  "When  o'er  his  head  the  withered  cherry-flowers, 

"  Come  fluttering  down. —  Who  knows?  the  spring's  soft  showers 

"  May  be  but  tears  shed  by  the  sorrowing  sky." 

The  native  Yesso  cherrj'  {Prunus  Pseudo-cerasus)  produces  a 
fruit  which  is  not  of  the  slightest  edible  value.  The  tree  is  of 
medium  size. 

Another  beautiful  tree,  rather  sparinglv  found  in  Yesso  forests, 
is  Styrax  obassia.  This  is  handsome  in  foliage  and  produces 
clusters  of  exquisite  white  flowers  in  midsummer.  It  would  well 
repay  cultivation.  Clerodendron  trichotomum  is  a  beautiful 
shrub,  especially  when  in  fruit,  with  its  handsome  contrast  of 
brilliant  purple  and  red.  Eleagnus  Japonicus  is  another  favorite 
of  mine,  with  its  silver  foliage  in  summer  and  its  wealth  of  scarlet 
berries  in  autumn  and  winter.  It  is  perfecth'  hard}'  and  easily 
cultiyated.  The  Japanese  eat  its  fruit  freely.  It  is  seedy,  but 
has  a  rather  pleasant  acid  flavor.  A  yellow  Daphne  I  always 
sought  out  in  earliest  spring.  Its  leaves  are  evergreen,  its  flowers 
yellow  and  ver}-  sweet.  Diervilla  versicolor,  wild  there,  I  consider 
even  handsomer  than  the  Diervilla  common  in  our  gardens.  I 
transplanted  this  species  to  my  Sapporo  garden  and  found  it  bore 
the  change  well  and  amply  repaid  the  little  care  it  required. 

The  Actijiidia  polygama,  common  everywhere  in  Yesso,  deserves 
more  extended  mention.  I  must  first  call  3-our  attention  to  the 
fact,  however,  that  the  Kokuwa  {Actinidia  arguta),  of  which  I 
have  already  spoken,  has  been  sometimes  mistakenly  called  by  this 
name.  The  two  species  are  wholly  distinct;  and  the  i^olygama, 
in  m}'  opinion,  for  ornamental  purposes  is  worth  far  more  than 
the  other.  Its  habit  of  growth  is  considerably  less  vigorous, 
though  it  is  by  no  means  a  slow  grower.  It  will  be  found  far  less 
obtrusive  and  more  manageable  ;  but  the  chief  point  in  which  it 
excels  arguta  is  in  the  beauty  of  its  foliage.  Mature  plants  have 
the  habit  of  producing  at  the  ends  of  the  growing  shoots  some 
four  to  six  leaves  which  are  tipped  with  a  lustrous  silvery  white» 
usually  spreading  over  more  than  half  the  leaf.  This  peculiarity 
gives  it  at  a  little  distance,  as  it  clambers  over  thickets,  the  appear- 
ance of  a  plant  in  full  and  abundant  bloom.  Then,  too,  the 
uncolored  foliage  is  exceedingly  beautiful,  and  the  flowers,  though 
partly  hidden  by  the  leaves,   are  very  pretty  and  have    all  the 


58  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

fragrance  of  those  of  the  orange.  I  moved  a  number  of  these 
climbers  to  my  lawn  but  the  plants  were  young  and  after  three 
years  the  foliage  had  failed  to  show  any  white.  Living  plants  in 
Amherst  last  season  failed  to  show  it ;  and  I  await  with  interest 
the  determination  of  the  question  whether  the  change  in  soil, 
climate  and  surroundings  will  cause  this  species  to  lose  this  most 
valuable  peculiarity.  The  fruit  is  similar  in  size  and  structure  to 
that  of  the  kokuwa,  but  it  is  far  less  abundantly  produced  and  less 
delicious. 

A  word  about  the  mistletoe  and  I  am  done  with  the  wild  flowers 
of  Yesso.  This,  as  I  have  already  pointed  out,  is  abundant. 
There  are  two  species,  one  producing  red,  the  other  yellowish 
berries.  Both  add  greatly  to  the  winter  beauty  of  the  forests. 
It  is  an  interesting  question  to  my  mind  whether  these  plants 
would  prove  hardy  here,  but  from  what  I  know  of  the  climate  of 
the  two  places  I  incline  to  believe  they  would.  Their  introduction 
could  not  fail  to  give  satisfaction  to  the  owners  of  parks  or  orna- 
mental forests. 

Of  the  cultivated  flowers  of  Yesso  I  need  say  but  little.  Much 
has  already  been  said  and  written  on  this  subject  and  better  than 
I  could  hope  to  do  it.  That  the  Japanese  love  flowers  you  are 
probably  all  aware.  All  either  collect  them  from  the  fields  or 
woods  or  cultivate  them  in  gardens.  Most  do  both,  and  select 
for  both  with  a  taste  that  never  fails  to  charm.  Poor  indeed  is 
the  family  —  nay  more,  low  down  in  the  social  scale  —  that  cannot 
and  does  not  find  at  least  an  old  jug  for  a  branch  of  the  pussy- 
willow, the  plum,  the  cherry,  the  magnolia,  or  the  brilliant  maple — 
each  in  its  season.  And  this  universal  taste  and  love  for  flowers 
is  manifested  alike  in  snowy  Yesso  and  in  the  more  sunny  south. 
Yet  should  one  look  for  the  lily,  the  paeony,  the  chrysanthemum, 
the  lotus,  and  the  many  other  flowers  for  which  Japan  is  famous, 
each  in  highest  perfection,  one  must  naturally  turn  to  the  older 
parts  of  the  country.  These  and  many  other  flowers  are  culti- 
vated in  Yesso,  but  with  perhaps  a  single  exception  the  new 
countr}'  must  yield  the  palm  to  the  old.  That  exception  is  the 
Iris  Kcempferi^  which  in  Sapporo  reaches  a  wonderful  development. 
Now  for  several  years,  every  season  has  witnessed  in  Sapporo  a 
display  of  these  marvellous  flowers,  by  a  local  horticulturist,  which 
in  Boston  would  be  the  wonder  of  the  town.  He  numbers  his 
varieties  by  hundreds,  and  has  perhaps  an  acre  of  sunken  beds 
separated  only  b}'^  the  narrowest  of  raised  paths.     Most  of  the 


FRUITS    AND   FLOWERS    OF   NORTHERN   JAPAN.  59 

plants  stand  five  or  six  feet  in  height  and  bear  enormous  flowers,  a 
foot  and  more  across  and  seemingly  in  every  hue  and  in  every 
possible  mixture  of  all  hues.  Trul}'  as  I  have  sat  and  gazed 
upon  the  wondrous  display  I  have  felt  ready  to  exclaim,  "This 
is  the  queen  of  flowers." 

With  this  exception  I  saw  no  noteworthy  attempts  at  cultiva- 
tion of  flowers  in  Yesso.  Many  were  the  charming  little  gardens, 
usually  at  the  rear  of  the  house,  but  always  commanded  by  the 
best  rooms.  But  Japanese  gardens  would  require  a  lecture  by 
themselves.  Believe  me,  they  have  a  charm  all  their  own.  They 
comprehend  much  within  a  limited  area.  Mountains,  waterfall, 
river,  bridges,  knotted  and  gnarled  heroes  of  a  thousand  storms, 
with  shrubs  and  flowers,  rockwork  and  appropriate  animal  life,  all 
within  the  limits  of  a  few  square  yards  if  need  be ;  but  all  pre- 
sented in  a  manner  to  inspire  respect,  admiration,  and  wonder, — 
such  are  some  of  their  most  striking  peculiarities. 

I  have  detained  you  already  over  long ;  if  I  have  succeeded  in 
giving  you  some  faint  idea  of  the  floral  wealth  of  the  region  I  have 
treated  of,  I  am  more  than  satisfied  ;  and  appending  the  list  of 
selected  specimens  not  mentioned  I  will  close : 

Adenophora  verticillata. 

Artemisia  {sp.  ?) . 

Caltha  palustris,  var.  Japonicus. 

Clematis  fusca. 

Crawfurdia  Japonica. 

Punkia  {sp.  ?). 

Gentiana  {sp.  ?). 

Hydrangea  hortensis,  var.  Japonicus. 

Lilium  cordifolium, 

Nyraphaea  pygmaja. 

Paeonia  obovata. 

Potentilla  palustris. 

Pueraria  Thunbergiana. 

Spiraea  Kamchatica. 

Taraxacum  officinalis. 

Trillium  erectum,  var.  Japonicum. 

Trillium  {sp.  ?). 

Veratrum  album. 

Viburnum  dilatatum. 
"         Opulus. 
"         Wrightii. 


60  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Professor  Brooks'  essay  commanded  the  closest  attention  of  the 
largest  audience  ever  assembled  at  one  of  these  meetings,  and  at 
the  close  a  vote  of  thanks  for  his  very  able  and  interesting  paper 
was  unanimously  passed. 

The  announcement  for  the  next  Saturday  was  a  paper  upon 
"  Galls  found  near  Boston,"  by  Miss  Cora  H.  Clarke,  of  Jamaica 
Plain. 


BUSINESS  MEETING. 


Saturday,  February  1,  1890. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at  eleven 
o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spooner,  in  the  chair. 

The  Annual  Report  of  the  Committee  on  Gardens  was  presented 
by  the  Chairman,  John  G.  Barker,  and  it  was  Voted,  That  it  be 
referred  to  the  Committee  on  Publication  without  reading. 

On  motion  of  Mrs.  H.  L.  T.  Wolcott,  it  was  Voted,  That  the 
appropriation  of  $150  for  the  Window  Gardening  Committee  be 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Committee  without  restriction. 

The  President  read  a  letter  from  the  Worcester  County  Horti- 
cultural Society,  communicating  the  action  of  that  Society  in 
regard  to  petitioning  the  General  Court  for  such  further  legislation 
as  will  more  effectually  protect  fruit  growers  from  the  depreda- 
tions of  juvenile  trespassers  and  thieves,  and  asking  the  coopera- 
tion of  this  Society  in  the  movement.  On  motion  of  E.  W.  Wood, 
it  was 

Voted,  That  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  to  act  in 
conjunction  with  the  Worcester  County  Horticultural  Society  in 
the  matter.  The  Chair  appointed  as  that  Committee,  Mr.  Wood, 
O.  B.  Hadwen,  and  Samuel  Hartwell. 

Edward  F.  Atkins,  of  Belmont, 

having  been  recommended  by  the  Executive  Committee  for  mem- 
bership in  the  Society,  was  upon  ballot  duly  elected. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  February  8,  1890,  at  half  past  eleven 
o'clock. 


GALLS   FOUND    NEAR   BOSTON.  61 

MEETING   FOR  DISCUSSION. 
Galls  Found  Near  Boston. 

By  Miss  Cora  H.  Clarke,  of  Jamaica  Plain. 

In  the  "Encyclopaedia  Britannica"  we  find  this  definition: — 
*' "What  are  commonly  known  as  Galls  are  vegetable  deformities 
or  excrescences,  and,  according  to  Lacaze-Duthiers,  comprise  all 
abnormal  vegetable  productions  developed  on  plants  by  the 
action  of  animals,  more  particularly  by  insects,  whatever  ma}'  be 
their  form,  bulk,  or  situation."  Professor  Rile}',  in  his  interesting 
article  on  the  subject  in  Johnson's  Encyclopaedia,  says  that  the 
name  should  not  be  applied,  as  it  sometimes  is,  to  those  plant 
swellings  and  nodosities  caused  by  the  punctures  of  insects  which 
always  dwell  exposed  thereon,  the  difference  between  a  gall  and 
a  mere  swelling  being  that  the  architect  of  the  former  is  hidden 
from  view,  and  that  of  the  latter  always  exposed. 

Fungous  growths  in  plants  often  produce  swellings  and  mon- 
strosities which  might  be  mistaken  for  true  galls  and  in  some 
cases  are  called  galls,  and  some  galls  much  resemble  fruits,  and 
those  unfamiliar  with  botany  might  take  them  for  the  fruit  of  the 
plant  upon  which  they  grow. 

The  first  question  that  occurs  to  us  on  looking  at  a  gall,  is 
•"How  can  the  insect  make  the  gall?"  The  statement  was 
formerly  made  that  the  gall  was  caused  by  a  poison  which  the 
mother  insect  injected  into  the  wound  when  she  laid  the  egg,  and 
this  Dr.  Adler  has  found  to  be  true  in  regard  to  the  galls  produced 
by  saw-flies.  He  has  carefully  watched  the  gall  growth  of  one 
species,  and  thus  describes  it : — 

"  The  Saw-fly  (Nematus)  with  its  delicate  saw-shaped  sting, 
makes  an  incision  in  the  tender  little  leaf  of  the  terminal  shoot  of 
JSalix  amygdalina,  and  shoves  its  egg  into  the  wound  ;  at  the 
same  time,  something  flows  into  the  wound  from  a  glandular 
secretion  of  the  saw-fly.  A  few  hours  after  the  egg  is  laid,  the 
surface  of  the  leaf  takes  on  another  appearance,  and  there  begins 
a  new  formation  of  cells,  which  leads  to  a  limited  thickening  of 
the  leaf  surface  ;  in  about  two  weeks  the  bean-shaped,  greenish 
red  gall  is  fully  grown  ;  if  one  opens  it  at  this  time,  the  egg  still 
lies  in  the  small  central  cavity,  the  development  of  the  embryo 


62  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

being  not  yet  concluded.  After  three  weeks  the  larva  creeps 
forth,  and  finds  the  nutritious  gall  material  all  ready  prepared  for 
its  food." 

A  saw-fly  larva  may  be  recognized  by  its  large  head,  and  many 
legs  (twenty  in  all,  six  true  and  fourteen  false)  ;  in  some  species 
the  larvae  go  underground  to  transform,  and  others  pupate  withia 
the  gall. 

The  saw-fly  galls  which  I  hare  found  here,  are  willow  eggs,  on 
the  twigs  of  willow  trees,  and  willow  peas,  willow  apples,  and 
willow  beans  on  the  leaves.  These  latter  occur  in  considerable 
numbers,  all  through  the  season,  on  the  leaves  of  large  willow 
trees,  at  Manchester,  Mass.,  and  I  have  also  found  them  at 
Jamaica  Plain. 

But  Dr.  Adler  found  that  in  the  family  Cj^nipidae,  which  he  calls 
"gall-wasps,"  and  we,  usually,  "gall-flies  proper,"  the  gall  is 
produced  in  quite  a  diflTerent  way ;  his  observations  showed  him 
that  the  mere  puncture  of  the  plant  by  the  gall-fly,  and  act  of 
laying  the  egg  gave  no  occasion  for  gall  formation,  and  that  it 
was  not  until  the  tiny  larva  had  crept  out  of  the  egg  shell,  and 
wounded  with  its  delicate  jaws  the  soft  plaut  tissue  surrounding  it, 
that  a  rapid  cell-growth  began, —  so  rapid  that  while  the  tail  end 
of  the  larva  was  still  in  the  egg  shell,  in  front  of  his  head  a  wall- 
like growth  of  cells  arose. 

For  the  formation  of  the  gall,  it  is  essential  that  the  larva,  in 
hatching,  should  find  itself  in  a  layer  of  fresh  young  cells,  capable 
of  rapid  growth  and  multiplication.  Should  the  mother  in  any 
way  fail  of  placing  her  egg  in  exactly  the  right  position,  the  larva 
must  die. 

If  the  egg  is  laid  in  a  leaf,  the  gall  formation  begins  in  the 
layer  of  cells  in  the  under  side  of  the  leaf,  as  the  upper  surface 
consists  of  firm  cells  which  cannot  further  change.  But  if  the  egg 
is  laid  in  a  bud,  and  the  larva  in  hatching  finds  one  of  the  unde- 
veloped leaves,  this  as  yet  consists  of  similar  cells,  which,  whether 
they  correspond  with  the  upper  or  the  under  surface  of  the  leaf 
are  all  capable  of  development  in  a  similar  way,  and  the  gall  may 
appear  on  both  surfaces  of  the  leaf,  or  cause  a  deformation  of  the 
whole  leaf. 

But  how,  from  similar  cells,  galls  so  different  from  each  other 
in  shape,  size,  and  external  appearance  can  be  produced,  is  a 
point  not  understood.     The  hairs  which  cover  many  galls  are  a 


GALLS  FOUND  NEAR  BOSTON.  63 

development  of  the  down  usuall}-  to  be  found  on  young  oak  leaves. 
Mr.  Bassett,  of  Waterbury,  Conn.,  has  discovered  that  in  the 
woolly  gall  of  Cynips  seminator  on  the  white  oak,  the  hard  kernel 
answers  to  the  leaf-stalk,  and  the  long  wool  is  an  enormous  devel- 
opment of  the  down  of  the  leaf. 

These  hairs  are  supposed  to  be  of  service  to  the  gall  in  prevent- 
ing the  attacks  of  parasites.  The  liabilit}'  of  galls  to  the  attacks 
of  these  parasites  often  renders  it  difficult  to  rear  the  true  gall 
maker,  and  the  parasites  sometimes  so  closely  resembles  the  true 
gall  makers  that  one  not  an  entomologist  cannot  distinguish  them. 

If,  before  an  oak  gall  is  fully  grown,  its  larva  is  attacked  by  a 
parasite,  the  gall  never  assumes  its  perfect  shape,  the  life  of  the 
larva  being  a  necessar}'  factor  in  its  development.  But  many 
perfectly  formed  galls  also  produce  parasites,  which  I  suppose 
did  not  attack  them  till  the  larva  had  completed  its  gi'owth. 

Besides  being  subject  to  the  attacks  of  these  enemies,  some 
galls  harbor  what  are  called  "guest  insects,"  which  live  vnthin 
the  gall  substance  but  in  no  way  disturb  or  incommode  the  true 
gall  maker. 

The  larvae  of  these  oak  gall  insects,  are  white,  or  whitish,  with 
an  inconspicuous  head  and  no  legs.  The  body  is  more  or  less 
cylindrical,  tapering  at  each  end,  and  lies  in  a  curved  position 
within  the  cell.  The  larvae  change  to  perfect  insects  within  the 
cells,  and  the  gall-flies  finally  emerge,  leaving  the  gall  pierced 
■with  one  or  many  holes,  according  as  it  contained  one  or  many 
cells. 

The  perfect  gall-flies  are  usually  quite  small.  But,  small  as 
they  are,  entomologists  have  put  them  under  their  microscopes, 
and  studied  their  minutest  details  of  structure,  and  found  them 
to  be  so  different  from  each  other  that  they  have  divided  them 
into  different  genera,  and  whereas  they  used  to  be  all  called 
Cynips,  now  some  of  them  are  named  Callirhytis,  some  Neuroterus, 
others  Andricus,  Biorhiza,  etc. 

The  ovipositor,  or  apparatus  which  the  little  creature  has  for 
piercing  the  plant  tissues  and  laying  its  eggs,  is  quite  complicated, 
and  consists  of  two  plates  which  form  a  kind  of  sheath,  and  a 
piercer,  composed  of  three  pieces,  one  stout  and  deeply  grooved 
longitudinally,  and  two  others,  which  are  hair-like,  and  work 
within  this  channel,  beyond  which  they  can  be  protruded  when  in 
use. 


64  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

When  the  insect  wishes  to  deposit  her  eggs,  she,  if  it  be  a  bud 
Tvhieh  she  selects,  settles  upon  it,  and  having  carefully  examined 
it  with  her  antennae,  passes  her  ovipositor  under  one  of  the 
scales,  and  thrusts  it,  working  the  hair-like  organs  up  and  down 
like  saws,  into  the  bud,  until  the  position  is  reached  which  she 
wishes  her  eggs  to  occupy.  This  operation  seems  to  require  great 
exertion  on  the  part  of  the  insect.  She  then  withdraws  her 
ovipositor,  deposits  an  egg  at  the  entrance,  and  pushes  it  to  the 
bottom. 

The  insects  which  produce  the  Bedeguar  galls  were  watched 
while  egg  laying,  and  some  of  them  spent  more  than  twenty-four 
hours  iu  oviposition,  yet  in  spite  of  all  this  care  some  of  the  galls 
failed  to  develop. 

In  some  species  it  takes  the  egg  a  long  time  to  hatch.  Dr. 
Adler  found  that  in  one  species  the  eggs  were  laid  the  end  of 
May,  and  not  until  September  did  the  larvae  emerge  from  the  egg, 
and  begin  gall  formation.  With  another  species,  the  eggs  are 
laid  in  October,  and  the  galls  first  form  in  May. 

Mr.  Bassett  tells  us  that  iu  this  country'  at  least  two  hundred 
diflferent  kinds  of  hymenopterous  gall  makers  have  been  found, 
and  he  thinks  that  probably  as  many  more  remain  to  be  discovered. 
He  has  himself  described  eight}-  or  more  species,  and  has  fifty 
kinds  of  galls  from  which  no  flies  have  been  reared.  I  have  found 
forty  kinds  upon  oaks,  of  which  six  are  not  named,  and  eighteen 
upon  other  plants,  mostly'  Rosacea,  of  which  four  or  five  are  not 
named. 

Dr.  Adler  thinks  that  the  gnat  galls  must  be  produced  b}-  the 
action  of  the  larvae,  because  the  parent  has  no  sting,  and  can  only 
shove  the  egg  into  an  opening  bud  with  its  extended  ovipositor. 

These  gall-gnats  are  cousins  to  mosquitoes,  and  somewhat 
resemble  them  ;  they  belong  to  the  order  of  Diptera,  family  Cecido- 
m3'iad8e.  The}'  do  not  confine  their  attentions  to  two  or  three 
families  of  plants,  as  do  the  Cynipidse,  but  produce  galls  upon  mem- 
bers of  almost  all  the  families  of  flowering  plants ;  each  species, 
however,  confines  itself  to  one,  or  to  a  few  allied  species  of  plants. 

I  have  fouud  their  galls  upon  St.  John's-wort,  clover,  rose, 
spii'sea,  various  composites,  shad-bushes,  linden,  aspen,  willows, 
hickories,  oaks,  and  in  the  fruit  of  a  sedge, —  about  fort}-  kinds  in 
all.  They  are  especially  fond  of  willows,  hickories,  composites, 
and  rosaceous  plants  ;  one  kind  may  be  found  living  in  lumps  of 
pitch  on  the  twigs  of  pines,  though  these  can  hardlj'  be  called  galls. 


GALLS   FOUND   NEAR  BOSTON.  65 

The  gnat  larvae,  when  first  hatched,  are  colorless,  but  later  they 
become  yellow,  orange,  or  red.  They  are  usually  flattened,  with 
an  inconspicuous  head,  and  no  legs  ;  some  of  them  go  under- 
ground to  transform,  and  some  change  within  the  gall ;  in  the 
latter  case,  one  can  often  see  the  white  pupa  skin  protruding 
from  the  gall,  after  the  perfect  insect  has  flown  away.  Some- 
times several  larvae  inhabit  one  gall. 

The  deformations  which  they  produce  on  plants  are  numerous 
and  varied, —  sometimes  being  little  more  than  a  spot  on  a  leaf, 
like  those  which  have  so  injured  the  foliage  of  our  tulip  trees  this 
summer  ;  sometimes  a  lenticular  thickening  around  the  larva, — a 
swelling  in  a  twig,  leaf-stalk,  or  midrib, —  a  folding  over  of  the 
edge  of  a  leaf, —  a  plaiting  up  into  a  crested  ridge, —  or  a  regular 
gall,  attached  to  the  leaf  only  by  a  small  portion  of  its  surface. 

Plant  lice,  like  the  green  flies  of  our  greenhouses,  form  galls 
on  elms,  witch-hazel,  and  other  plants.  Sixteen  different  kinds 
have  been  found  on  the  hickory,  made  by  Phylloxera. 

The  formation  of  the  cock's-comb  elm  gall  is  thus  described  by 
Professor  Riley : 

"  The  eggs  are  found  on  the  bark  of  the  tree,  and  the  young 
hatch  about  the  time  that  the  leaves  unfold,  and  crawl  nimbly 
over  the  tree  till  they  come  to  a  young  leaf,  when  they  settle  on 
the  under  side,  and  begin  to  fret  the  leaf -surface  with  their  long 
beaks.  The  galls  show  at  first  as  slight  elongated  ridges  on  the 
upper  surface,  with  corresponding  closed  depressions  on  the 
lower ;  upon  drawing  apart  the  lips  of  the  wrinkle  beneath,  the 
louse  is  seen  constantly  running  back  and  forth  in  the  cavity,  and 
inflicting  rapid  punctures  with  her  beak,  the  inner  surface  of  her 
dwelling  being  smooth  and  glossy,  with  a  slight  blistered  appear- 
ance, in  contrast  with  the  normal  more  rough  and  pubescent 
texture  of  the  under  surface  of  the  leaf.  In  about  two  weeks  the 
gall  is  fully  developed  and  young  lice  begin  to  appear  in  it,  and 
in  two  or  three  weeks  more  it  becomes  crowded  with  them  ;  they 
are  quite  active  within  the  gall,  exploring  its  cavities  and  obtain- 
ing their  nourishment  through  its  walls  ;  they  finally  issue  from  a 
slit  on  the  lower  surface  of  the  leaf,  which  opens  for  their  exit 
about  the  time  they  become  fledged."  This  brood  has  not  been 
found  to  produce  galls. 

At  Magnolia,  I  have  found  the  "  bead-like  poplar  gall"  quite 
abundant  on  leaves  of  the  Balm-of-Gilead  poplar.  They  form  a 
5 


66  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

series  of  swellings  as  large  as  small  beans,  along  the  edges  of  the 
leaf.  A  large  hemispherical  gall  at  the  base  of  each  leaf,  is  some- 
times quite  abundant ;  I  have  often  found  them  torn  open,  and 
empt}'.  Probably  this  may'  have  been  done  by  birds  to  get  at  the 
lice,  or  by  squirrels,  as  the  red  squirrel  has  been  seen  to  feed  upon 
lice  in  a  leaf-stalk  gall  of  the  poplar. 

Our  Norway  spruces  suffer  from  the  attacks  of  an  aphis,  the 
fresh  galls  of  which,  green  or  rosy,  and  not  unlike  small  cones, 
appear  towards  the  end  of  May.  They  open  with  little  mouths, 
to  let  the  green  flies  escape,  and  in  winter  the  woody,  dead  galls 
may  be  found.  In  all,  I  have  found  about  twelve  species  of  aphis 
galls,  five  or  six  of  which,  made  b}-  Phylloxera,  were  upon  the 
hickory. 

A  few  galls  are  niade  by  little  moths,  which  resemble  the 
destructive  little  creatures  that  injure  our  clothing.  One  of  the 
commonest  of  these  moth  galls  is  to  be  found  upon  the  stalks  of 
golden-rod,  but  at  this  season  they  are  emptj',  the  moths  having 
come  out  in  the  fall. 

I  have  also  found  a  gall,  said  to  be  made  by  a  moth  larva, 
upon  the  leaf  stalks  of  Populus  grandidentata  near  the  Mount 
Hope  railroad  station.  This  gall,  which  is  the  size  and  shape  of 
a  small  pea,  is  very  common  on  aspens  at  Magnolia,  and  the  larvae 
go  underground  about  the  first  of  October  to  transform.  I  have 
not  yet  succeeded  in  rearing  them. 

A  few  galls  are  made  hy  beetles.  One  species  causes  the 
grape  vine  wound  gall,  and  another  the  raspberry  gouty  gall. 
This  latter  has  been  found  in  Dedham. 

Small  galls  are  produced  on  the  leaves  of  many  plants  by  mites 
(Phytopi) , —  microscopic  creatures  allied  to  spiders.  Their  galls 
diflTer  from  insect  galls  in  having  an  opening  below,  which  is  fre- 
quently lined  with  hairs.  The  irritation  caused  by  the  gall  mites 
in  feeding  upon  one  spot  on  the  leaf,  causes  there  an  abnormal 
multiplication  of  the  leaf-cells,  and  an  arching  up  of  the  leaf 
surface,  which  in  some  species  is  produced  into  a  roundish,  and  in 
others  into  a  spindle-shaped  gall. 

Some  of  these  mites  never  produce  galls,  but  their  pasturing 
upon  the  leaves  causes  an  abnormal  growth  of  hairs,  called 
Erineum.  The  insects  live  and  breed  in  this  growth,  as  they  da 
in  the  galls.  I  have  found  about  seven  species  of  galls  produced 
by  mites,  and  many  kinds  of  Erineum. 


GALLS    FOUND    NEAK    BOSTON.  67 

I  wish  particularly  to  call  attention  to  a  certain  point  in  the 
history  of  our  oak  gall  insects  which  offers  a  wide  field  for  inves- 
tigation and  discovery. 

"When  Dr.  Adler  was  pursuing  his  investigations  with  regard  to 
the  growth  of  galls  of  Cynipidte,  he  made  the  startling  discovery 
that  the  insect  which  came  from  a  gall  did  not  resemble  the  one 
that  made  the  gall,  and  the  gall  that  it  made  did  not  resemble  the 
gall  that  it  came  from.  That  is,  each  gall  insect  resembled  it& 
grandparents  and  not  its  parents,  and  the  gall  that  it  produced 
resembled  those  produced  by  its  grandparents.  So  unlike  was 
the  gall-fly  to  its  parent,  that  they  had  been  described  as  belong- 
ing to  different  genera.  He  thus  reduced  thirty-eight  species  to 
nineteen,  and  found  only  four  species  where  this  alternation  of 
forms  did  not  occur.  Male  and  female  gall-flies  will  occur  in  one 
brood,  while  in  the  succeeding  brood  females  only  are  to  be  found. 

There  is  no  reason  wh}-  the  oak  galls  of  this  country  should  not 
show  similar  phenomena,  and  indeed  this  has  been  found  the  case 
with  certain  species  observed  by  Mr.  Bassett.  One  afternoon  in 
1864,  visiting  a  thicket  of  shrub-oaks  {Querciis  ilicifolia),  Mr. 
Bassett  found  hundreds  of  the  gall  flies  which  come  from  the 
wooU}' "  operator "  galls  of  the  same  plant,  ovipositing  between 
the  cups  of  the  young  acorn  and  the  little  acorns  themselves,  and 
later  in  the  season,  he  found  that  the  galls  which  were  produced 
resembled  seeds  or  kernels  of  corn,  projecting  somewhat  from  the 
cup.  Mr.  Bassett  has  also  discovered  an  alternation  of  forms  in 
the  galls  of  Cynvps  noxiosa,  on  Quercus  bicolor,  which  form  large, 
woody,  terminal  or  sub-terminal  swellings  on  the  twigs  of  this  oak. 
These  galls  develop  in  summer,  and  the  insects,  which  are  all 
females,  live  in  the  galls  over  winter,  coming  out  before  the  leaves 
appear  in  the  spring  ;  when  the  leaves  appear  a  gall  grows  oa 
them,  which  is  an  enormous  development  of  the  midrib  of  the  leaf, 
often  to  the  extent  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  an  inch  and  a  half 
in  length.  The  gall-flies  come  out  about  the  20th  of  June ;  long 
observation  has  convinced  Mr.  Bassett  that  the  insects  which 
come  from  one  of  these  galls  produce  the  other  gall. 

In  the  last  number  of  "  Psyche,"  Mr.  Bassett  describes  a  recent 
discovery  which  he  has  made  : 

"One  of  our  most  common  gall  insects  here  in  Connecticut  i» 
Callirhytis  futilis,  O.-S.  The  galls  appear  in  early  summer  in 
great  numbers  on  the  leaves  of  Quercus  alba;   they  are  in   the 


68  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

form  of  conical  blotches,  projecting  from  both  surfaces  of  the  leaf, 
but  are  more  prominent  on  the  upper  surface,  and  are  about  one- 
fourth  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  Each  gall  produces  three  or  four 
small  gall-flies  which  emerge  about  the  first  of  July,  and  soon 
disappear ;  where  they  went  to,  nobody  knew  or  seemed  to  know, 
till  I  found  out  their  secret  last  spring.  Before  the  leaves 
appeared,  I  visited  a  thicket  of  young  oaks,  where  I  had  found 
these  galls  very  abundant  in  past  years,  hoping  to  find  their 
progenitor,  whoever  she  might  be,  ovipositing  in  the  buds  of  these 
oaks, —  but  I  was  too  early  ;  she  had  not  begun  her  work.  But 
where  was  she  napping  at  the  time?  The  question  was  not  by 
any  means  a  new  one  to  me.  The  soft,  sandy  loam  at  the  roots 
of  a  clump  of  oak  bushes  yielded  to  my  fingers,  and  I  soon  had 
one  of  the  main  roots  laid  bare.  Judge  of  the  joyful  surprise  it 
gave  me  to  find  the  bark  of  this  root  a  solid  mass  of  blister-like 
swellings." 

In  these  swellings  Mr.  Bassett  found  minute  larvae,  and  others 
evidently  a  year  older  than  the  first  ones,  but  not  old  enough  to 
produce  the  gall-flies,  and  yet  on  putting  the  roots  in  sand  under 
glass,  in  a  few  days  he  reared  perfect  gall-flies,  identical  with 
those  he  saw  ovipositing  on  the  low,  white  oak  bushes,  and,  mark- 
ing the  trees  and  twigs,  he  found  that  when  the  leaves  were  fully 
grown,  they  bore  futilis  galls  in  abundance,  but  no  other  species. 
So  the  connection  between  the  root  galls  and  the  futilis  leaf  galls 
was  proved. 

Mr.  Bassett's  discoveries  are  the  result  of  observations  made 
in  the  field,  but  those  of  Dr.  Adler  were  from  experiments  on 
young  oak  trees  grown  in  pots.  Each  pot  bore  its  number,  and 
each  pot  served  for  the  researches  on  a  single  species.  After 
gall-flies  had  been  brought  to  the  trees,  they  were  guarded  until 
they  began  to  sting  the  buds ;  in  order  that  they  should  not 
escape,  or  another  gall-fly  lay  on  the  same  tree,  a  cover  was 
placed  over  them ;  at  first  Dr.  Adler  used  glass  receptacles,  but 
he  was  incommoded  by  the  moisture  which  gathered  on  the  glass, 
and  hindered  observation  of  the  gall-fly,  and  then  he  used  covers 
that  were  partly  glass  and  partly  gauze.  The  four  to  six  year  old 
trees  suited  him  best,  and  only  those  which  had  well-developed 
buds  were  available.  But  of  course  these  little  oaks  cannot  serve 
for  experiments  on  species  which  only  la}-  their  eggs  in  blossom 
buds ;   these  must  be  observed  with  all  possible  care  in  the  open 


GALLS   FOUND   NEAR    BOSTON.  69 

air.  It  was  in  1877  that  Dr.  Adler  published  the  results  of  his 
experiments. 

I  have  myself  endeavored  to  experiment  on  little  trees  of 
Quercus  alba,  Quercus  bicolor,  and  Quercus  rubra,  given  me  by 
Mr.  Dawson.  I  placed  galls,  whose  flies  were  just  ready  to 
escape,  about  the  trees,  and  covered  each  tree  with  muslin,  and 
put  them  by  an  open  window,  where  they  could  have  fresh  air, 
and  where  I  could  watch  them  easily  ;  but  the  little  flies  sat 
quietly  upon  the  muslin,  and  did  not  appear  to  take  the  slightest 
interest  in  the  oak  trees.  Finally  they  all  died  or  disappeared, 
and  no  galls  were  ever  produced  upon  the  little  trees.  This  may 
have  been  because  the  leaf  buds  were  not  in  exactly  the  right 
condition,  because  they  wanted  blossom  buds,  or  for  some  other 
mysterious  reason. 

Mr.  Bassett  says  that  where  an  oak  tree  or  shrub  abounds  with 
any  given  species,  we  may  be  sure  that  the  other  form  also  breeds 
there,  either  on  root,  trunk,  limb,  or  in  bud,  leaf,  flower,  or  fruit, 
and  with  this  certainty  established  we  ought  to  be  able  to  find 
them  in  ever}'  case. 

These  discoveries  have  a  practical  bearing.  Should  any  galls 
occur  in  such  numbers  as  to  be  injurious  to  our  oak  trees,  we  can 
fight  them  much  better  if  we  are  acquainted  with  them  in  both 
their  forms  than  if  we  can  only  attack  them  in  one. 

To  those  who  wish  to  pursue  the  subject,  Miss  Clarke  recom- 
mended the  account  of  Dr.  Adler's  discoveries  from  which  she  had 
quoted.  Its  title  is  "  Ueber  die  Generationswechsel  der  Elchen- 
gal-Wespen."  It  appeared  in  the  "  Zeichschrift  ftir  wissenschaft- 
liche  Zoologie,"  Feb.  7,  1881.  Also  the  article  by  Charles  V. 
Riley,  in  "Johnson's  Encyclopaedia,"  on  "Galls  and  Gall 
Insects;"  "Galls  and  their  Architects,"  by  Benjamin  D.  Walsh 
in  the  "American  Entomologist,"  Vols.  1  and  2,  1868,  1870,  and 
various  other  articles  by  Walsh,  Riley,  Osten-Sacken,  Fitch,  and 
Bassett. 

The  lecture  was  illustrated  by  specimens  and  photographs  of 
many  varieties  of  galls,  and  the  large  audience  paid  most  inter- 
ested attention  to  all.  At  the  close  of  the  reading,  a  vote  of 
thanks  to  the  essayist  was  unanimously  passed. 


70  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Discussion. 

Mrs.  H.  L.  T.  Wolcott  expressed  a  strong  interest  in  the 
subject  of  the  essa}'  and  added  that  she  was  so  fortunate  as  to 
have  seen  the  raspberry  gall  which,  as  yet,  Miss  Clarke  had  not 
seen.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  her  little  granddaughter  was  much 
frightened  upon  her  first  acquaintance  with  insects,  Mrs.  Wolcott 
strove  to  overcome  that  fear  by  interesting  the  child  in  the  curious 
nature  and  habits  of  that  class  of  animals,  telling  her  little  stories 
about  them.  She  taught  the  little  one  that  galls  were  the  homes 
of  insects.  The  young  eyes  were  quick  to  discover  them  and  then 
would  be  heard  the  cry,  "There's  a  bug's  house."  In  her  efforts 
to  instruct  this  child,  Mrs.  Wolcott  found  a  livel}'  interest  in  insect 
life  developed  in  herself.  She  spoke  of  the  seeming  trustfulness 
manifested,  when  the  insect  has  laid  its  eggs,  by  leaving  them 
to  fate,  as  if  imbued  with  faith  that  the  Power  which  made  it, 
would  take  care  of  its  progeny.  She  thought  the  next  step  in 
the  study  of  galls  must  be  to  find  out  whether  the  work  of  these 
insects  is  injurious  to  the  farmer  or  gardener,  and,  if  so,  to  learn 
how  to  prevent  their  depredations.  It  is  the  province  of  scholars 
to  discover  the  habits  of  the  insects  causing  the  galls,  but  it  is  left 
for  the  scientific  farmer  —  the  intelligent  tiller  of  the  soil  —  to 
prevent  or  counteract  the  mischief  they  may  cause. 

Mrs.  Edna  D.  Cheney  said  that  she  attended  the  school  of  the 
late  William  B.  Fowle,  until  she  was  thirteen  years  old.  She 
remembered  with  much  interest  the  object-lessons  in  natural 
history,  which,  anticipating  so-called  modern  methods,  he  was 
accustomed  to  give  to  his  pupils.  On  one  occasion  he  exhibited 
some  oak-apples,  as  the  swellings  on  the  leaves  were  called,  and 
hazarded  the  suggestion  that  the}'  were  caused  by  insects.  The 
great  progress  made  since  that  time  in  the  knowledge  of  insect 
life  and  habits,  through  systematic  study  of  this  science,  is  shown 
by  the  paper  read  here  today.  It  shows  how  much  can  be  done 
by  steadily  pursuing  the  stud}'  of  one  special  subject.  The  fasci- 
nating interest  inspired  by  the  pursuit,  is  one  of  the  delights  of 
the  study  of  any  branch  of  natural  history. 

O.  B.  Hadwen,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Publication  and 
Discussion,  announced  for  the  next  Saturday,  a  paper  on  "  Chrj's- 
anthemums,"  b}'  W.  A.  Manda,  Short  Hills,  N.  J. 


CHRYSANTHEMUMS.  71 

BUSINESS   MEETING. 

Saturday,  February  8,  1890. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at  half  past 
eleven  o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spooner  in  the  Chair. 

E.  W.  Wood  presented  the  following  vote : — 

Voted,  That  the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society,  recogniz- 
ing the  danger  threatening  the  agricultural  interests  of  the  State 
by  the  sudden  appearance,  in  the  town  of  Medford,  of  a  danger- 
ous insect  pest,  petition  the  Legislature,  in  support  of  the  citizens 
of  Medford  and  adjacent  towns,  for  State  aid  in  stamping  it  out. 

The  vote  was  unanimously  adopted  and  signed  by  many 
members  of  the  Society  to  be  presented  to  the  Legislature  as  a 
petition. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  February  15,  1890,  at  half  past  eleven 
•o'clock. 

MEETING   FOR  DISCUSSION. 

ChRTS  ANTHEMUMS . 

By  W,  A.  Manda,  Short  Hills,  N.  J. 

[Mr.  3Ianda  being  unable  to  be  present,  his  essay  was  read  by  the  Secretary,  as 
follows :] 

These  deservedly  popular  plants  have  been  brought  to  such  a 
state  of  perfection  that  in  their  season  they  command  the  sole 
attention  of  the  flower-loving  public,  when  grand  exhibitions  are 
given  where  these  plants  are  the  chief  or,  indeed,  the  only  attrac- 
tion. 

Many  prominent  horticulturists  have  devoted  their  whole  lives 
to  the  improvement  of  this  Queen  of  Autumn  in  this  country  as 
well  as  in  Europe,  without  speaking  of  its  native  home,  Japan, 
where  it  is  most  carefully  cultivated  and  esteemed  as  a  national 
flower  and  Japanese  emblem. 

The  history  of  Chrysanthemums  dates  back  many  years,  the 
centennial  anniversary  of  its  introduction  to  Europe,  having  been 
celebrated  there  last  year ;  but  long  before  that  time  it  was 
cultivated  in  Japan. 


72       MASSACHUSETTS  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETr. 

The  genus  Chrysanthemum  comprises  nearly  one  hundred 
species.  The  one  from  which  all  the  present  varieties  have  been 
derived  is  supposed  to  be  the  Chrysanthemum  Indicum^  a  rather 
inconspicuous,  single,  yellow  flower.  Through  the  zeal  of  indefat- 
igable horticulturists,  this  flower  has  by  degrees  attained  almost 
the  zenith  of  perfection. 

The  Chrysanthemums  at  present  in  cultivation  are  divided  into 
several  classes,  namely,  the  Chinese,  Japanese,  Anemone  and 
Pompons.  Each  class  is  again  subdivided  into  several  others ; 
thus  we  have  the  Chinese  Incurved,  Chinese  Reflexed,  the  Japa- 
nese Incurved  and  Reflexed,  Japanese  Anemone,  Pompon 
Anemone,  and  so  on.  Lately  the  hybrid  varieties  produced  by 
intercrossing  different  tj'pes  have  brought  forms  that  are  hard  to 
class  in  any  particular  group.  The  aim  of  the  raiser  nowadays  is 
to  produce  large  flowering  varieties ;  the  substance,  color,  stem, 
and  habit  of  the  plant  seem  to  be  secondary  considerations.  It  is 
especially  noticeable  that  while  hundreds  upon  hundreds  of  new 
Japanese  varieties  have  been  raised  every  year,  very  few  of  the 
Chinese  class  have  been  added,  while  the  Pompons  are  discarded 
and  rarely  seen. 

When  hybridizing,  the  principal  object  should  be  to  improve 
upon  the  vigor  and  color  of  present  varieties  rather  than  the  mere 
size.  A  first  class  chrysanthemum  should  be  of  free  growth  with 
stiff  stems ;  the  foliage  clean  and  furnishing  the  stems  up  to  the 
flower,  while  the  flowe^  itself  should  be  of  a  good  substance,  *well 
formed  and  of  a  pleasing  color.  The  colors  that  are  yet  to  be 
obtained, —  aside  from  the  impossible  blue,  which  I  never  expect  to 
see, —  are  a  fine,  clear  orange  and  a  clear,  bright  red,  two  colors 
that  are  needed  to  brighten  up  our  collections. 

A  great  number  of  the  leading  varieties  of  chrysanthemums 
have  been  from  time  to  time  imported  from  Japan,  and  when  the 
hairy  variety,  Mrs.  Alpheus  Hardy,  made  its  appearance,  it  raised 
a  sensation  amongst  chrysanthemum  lovers ;  and  we  hope  that 
this  variety  may  be  a  parent  of  quite  a  distinct  class,  although  the 
seedlings  raised  from  it  have  not  yet  produced  any  that  were 
furnished  with  the  glandular  hairs  which  give  to  it  its  peculiar 
beauty.  The  majority  of  the  chrysanthemums  at  present  in  culti- 
vation have  been  raised  in  Europe  and,  of  late  years,  in  America. 
Our  country  has  begun  late,  but  it  has  made  up  for  the  time  lost, 
and  at  present  the  most  valuable  and  esteemed  varieties  grown 


CHRYSANTHEMUMS.  73 

are  American  raised  kinds.  The  pioneers  in  this  field  were  Dr. 
Walcott,  John  Thorpe,  W.  K.  Harris,  and  Arthur  H.  Fewkes, 
and  lately  there  are  quite  a  number  of  amateurs  and  florists  who 
are  raising  new  varieties  erery  year. 

A  new  variety  should  never  be  judged  with  any  definiteness 
the  first  year,  and  should  be  generally  grown  two  seasons  before 
it  can  be  considered  well  tested.  Thus  some  of  the  most  promis- 
ing varieties  have  proved  total  failures  the  second  year,  while  on 
the  other  hand,  many  that  have  been  condemned  the  first  year 
have  proved  valuable  acquisitions  when  tried  another  season. 

The  hybridizing  or  cross  fertilizing  of  chrysanthemums  is  a 
very  uncertain  work  as  regards  results,  owing  to  the  mass  of 
florets  which  are  gathered  in  one  single  head.  It  is  very  hard  to 
tell  whether  a  floret  has  been  fertilized  with  its  own  pollen,  or 
cross  fertilized  with  the  pollen  of  another  variet}^  of  the  same 
class  but  different  color  through  the  agency  of  insects,  especially 
bees,  before  the  hand  of  the  horticulturist  has  tried  his  own  work 
on  it ;  and  it  is  for  that  reason  that  no  raiser  of  chrysanthemums 
can  say  with  any  degree  of  certainty  that  any  variety  is  a  cross 
between  such  and  such  varieties,  except  when  kept  separate  from 
all  other  varieties  of  the  collection . 

In  regard  to  the  results  it  is  also  very  misleading  ;  the  colors  of 
the  supposed  parents  are  sometimes  never  reproduced  and  if  you 
raise  as  many  as  Mty  seedlings  from  the  same  head  of  flower,  3'ou 
may  get  all  other  colors,  but  none  like  the  two  parents. 

In  point  of  vigor  of  growth,  chrysanthemums  vary  considerably 
in  the  various  sections  of  the  country  as  well  as  in  different  sea- 
sons. Thus  many  of  the  varieties  cultivated  in  England  for 
exhibition  cannot  be  grown  here  with  any  success,  and  vice  versa ; 
while  last  year  being  exceptionally  wet  none  of  the  chrysanthe- 
mums planted  out  of  doors  did  as  well  as  usual.  As  to  the 
various  sections  of  this  country,  we  find  that  the  finest  chrysan- 
themums in  America  are  grown  in  and  around  Philadelphia. 

Some  varieties  also  require  different  treatment  from  others ; 
Mrs.  Alpheus  Hardy,  Crimson  King,  Belle  Paule,  and  others,  are 
very  partial  to  excessive  moisture.  The  same  applies  to  pinching  ; 
some  varieties,  such  as  Grandiflora  and  others,  if  pinched  late  will 
not  produce  an}'  flowers  at  all. 

The  culture  of  chrysanthemums  is  very  simple  when  the  cardinal 
points  are  well  observed,  namely,  selecting  strong,  soft  shoots  for 
cuttings,  and,  as  soon  as  thej'  are  rooted,  never  allowing  them  to 


74  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

suffer  from  want  of  either  root  room  or  water,  and  after  the  buds 
are  set  to  encourage  with  liquid  manure.  After  the  plants  have 
done  flowering  they  should  be  cut  down  to  about  a  foot  from  the 
ground  and  put  in  the  cool  house  or  a  well-Tentilated  frame. 

In  January  the  offshoots  from  below  the  ground,  and  also  from 
the  stems  or  branches,  will  be  from  four  to  six  inches  long,  when 
they  should  be  cut  and  planted  in  sand,  either  in  pots,  boxes,  or 
the  propagating  bench  ;  a  south  aspect,  and  temperature  not  above 
55°  by  artificial  heat,  are  very  essential.  As  soon  as  the  cuttings 
have  rooted,  they  should  be  potted  into  two  inch  pots ;  from  these 
they  should  be  repotted  in  three  weeks  into  three  or  four  inch  pots, 
and  again,  when  well  rooted,  into  five  or  six  inch  pots,  by  which 
time  the  first  pinching  takes  place.  "When  the  plants  are  well 
established  in  the  five  or  six  inch  pots,  they  should  be  planted  in 
their  final  quarters  ;  if  in  pots,  those  of  from  ten  to  twelve  inches 
are  large  enough  to  grow  the  best  plants ;  if  in  benches  or  boxes, 
four  inches  of  depth  will  suffice  for  the  roots.  Then  comes  the 
fixing  of  the  plant  to  a  neat  stake,  and  tying  it  firml}- ;  meanwhile, 
pinching  and  pruning  should  not  be  neglected.  The  last  pinching 
is  done  at  the  end  of  July,  and  the  ground  shoots  are  not  allowed 
to  grow,  in  order  that  the  whole  strength  should  go  into  the  main 
stem.  When  the  buds  are  well  set,  liquid  manure  should  be 
freely  given,  and  attention  should  be  paid  to  the  disbudding,  as 
by  leaving  one  bud  to  each  twig  you  will  have  finer  flowers  than  if 
all  were  allowed  to  remain,  and  the  plants  will  also  look  better 
with  fifty  perfect  blooms  than  with  a  hundred  imperfect  ones. 
"Where  large  specimen  flowers  are  desired,  not  more  than  from 
four  to  six  flowers  should  be  left  on  each  plant,  that  this  very 
limited  number  may  have  the  benefit  of  the  whole  vigor  of  the 
plant.  "When  standard  plants  are  desired  the  best  way  is  to 
secure  a  strong  shoot  early  in  January-,  and  leave  it  growing, 
without  stopping,  until  it  reaches  the  required  height,  when  it 
should  be  pinched  and  treated  in  the  same  way  as  a  bush  plant. 
Planting  out,  and  potting  in  August,  may  be  practical,  yet  plants 
will  suffer  more  or  less  by  being  lifted. 

The  place  where  chrysanthemums  are  grown  should  have  all  the 
light,  air,  and  sun  from  the  time  the  cuttings  are  rooted  until  the 
cuttings  are  again  ready  to  be  taken.  The  soil  that  these  plants 
seem  to  prefer  is  good  turfy  loam,  well  mixed  with  cla}-,  and 
enriched  by  ground  bone,  sheep  manure,  or  other  manure  or 
fertilizer. 


CHRTSANTHEMUMS.  75 

Looking  over  the  thousands  of  varieties  named  in  catalogues, 
"we  find  that  a  great  many  are  not  grown  at  all,  while  others  could 
be  dispensed  with,  and  only  those  possessing  the  best  qualities 
and  distinctness  of  character  should  be  kept.  Among  the  best 
old  sorts  we  may  count : 

Alfred  Salter,  lilac  pink. 

Brazen  Shield,  bronze  color. 

Bronze  Queen  of  England,  bronzy  yellow. 

Frank  Wilcox,  golden  amber. 

Golden  Queen  of  England,  yellow. 

Helen  of  Troy,  deep  rose. 

Hero  of  Stoke  Newington,  pink. 

J'ardin  des  Plantes,  golden  yellow. 

Jeanne  d'Arc,  blush  white. 

Lord  Wolseley,  bronze  red. 

Miss  Mary  Morgan,  pink. 

Prince  Alfred,  rose  carmine. 

"Venus,  pink. 

Virginalis,  white. 

All  the  above  are  incurved. 

Among  the  multitude  of  Japanese  varieties,  those  found  to  give 
the  best  results  are  : 

Admiration,  lilac. 

Bend  d'or,  golden  yellow. 

Bras  Rouge,  dark  crimson. 

Ceres,  white. 

Comte  de  Germiny,  nankeen  yellow. 

Duchess,  deep  red. 

Edward  Audiguier,  crimson  maroon. 

Edwin  Molyneux,  rich  chestnut  crimson,  golden  reverse. 

Elaine,  white. 

Fantaska,  coppery  maroon. 

Gloriosum,  yellow. 

Grandiflorum,  ^-ellow. 

Joseph  Collins,  coppery  bronze. 

John  Thorpe,  deep  lake. 

Marvel,  white,  shaded. 

Mr.  Henry  Cannell,  deep  yellow. 

JMrs.  H.  Waterer,  white. 


76  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY* 

Mrs.  F.  Thompson,  white  purple. 

Mrs.  George  Bullock,  white. 

Newport,  rose. 

Pelican,  white. 

Peter  the  Great,  lemon  yellow. 

Robert  Bottomly,  white. 

Robert  Craig,  pink. 

Sadie  Martinet,  yellow. 

Stars  and  Stripes,  carmine. 

Superbe  Flore,  carmine  rose. 

Thomas  S.  TTare,  rose. 

Val  d'Andorre,  coppery  bronze. 

"Wick  Fils,  deep  red. 

The  reflesed  chrysanthemums  are  not  so  numerous  but  contain 
such  varieties  as : 

Cullingfordii,  brilliant  crimson. 
Golden  Christine,  light  yellow. 
Phcebus,  yellow. 
President  Hyde,  rich  yellow. 
Sam  Sloan,  pale  blush. 

As  the  best  Anemones,  we  may  class  : 

Bessie  Pitcher,  deep  rose. 
Madame  Cabrol,  white. 
Princess,  delicate  lilac. 
Thorpe,  Jr.,  rich  pure  yellow. 

Those  of  late  years'  introduction,  that  have  proved  superior  to 
the  already  long  list  are  : 

Adirondack,  white. 
Advance,  pink. 
Alaska,  pearly  white. 
Avalanche,  white. 
Belle  Hickey,  white. 
Belle  Poitevine,  white. 
Capucine,  vermilion. 
Colossal,  pearly  white. 
Edwin  H.  Fitler,  yellow. 
Excellent,  rose. 


CHRrSANTHEMUMS.  77 

Kioto,  yellow. 
La  Fortune,  yellow. 
L.  B.  Dana,  red. 
L.  Canning,  white. 
Lillian  B.  Bird,  shrimp  pink. 
Mme.  Louise  LeRoy,  white. 
Magicienne,  chamois  color. 
Miss  Mary  Wheeler,  pearly  white. 
Miss  W.  K.  Harris,  yellow. 
Monadnock,  yellow. 
Mrs.  Alpheus  Hardy,  white. 
Mrs.  DeWitt  Smith,  white. 
Mrs.  Fottler,  soft  rose. 
Mrs.  Irving  Clark,  pearly  white. 
Mrs.  Sam  Houston,  white. 
Narragansett,  white. 
Neesima,  yellow. 
Philippe  Lacroix,  rose. 
Ramona,  yellow- 
Snowball,  white. 
Sunnyside,  flesh  color. 
Violet  Rose,  rose. 
William  H.  Lincoln,  yellow. 

Of  the  new  ones  which  are  to  be  sent  out  this  spring,  those 
which  are  the  most  promising  are  : 

Ada  Spaulding,  light  pink. 

Bohemia,  Venetian  red. 

Cortez,  red. 

Crown  Prince,  red. 

Cyclone,  creamy  white. 

Harry  E.  Widener,  lemon  yellow. 

Huron,  mauve. 

Iroquois,  magenta  red. 

Kearsarge,  light  mauve. 

Mrs.  Hicks  Arnold,  soft  rose  pink. 

Mrs.  Thomas  A.  Edison,  delicate  rose  pink. 

President  Harrison,  bright  red. 

Shasta,  white. 

Tacoma,  creamy  white. 


78  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

As  for  new  Japanese  rarieties,  of  last  year's  importation,  they 
are  not  numerous.     Some  of  the  best  are  : 
Arizona,  3'ellow. 

Elliot  F.  Shepard,  broad,  clear  yellow  petals. 
Ithaca,  rose. 
Ealeigh,  buff  color. 
Rohallion,  stiff  chrome  yellow. 

From  a  commercial  point  of  view,  chrysanthemums  play  quite 
an  important  part  in  the  nursery  and  florist's  business.  Millions- 
of  plants  are  sold  every  spring  from  the  numerous  nurseries 
through  the  country,  while  in  the  flowering  season  chrysanthemums- 
are  the  principal  flowers  used  by  the  florists.  Some  maintain  that 
chrysanthemums  injure  the  florist's  trade  or  that  they  are  not 
profitable  to  grow  for  cut  flowers.  Yet  I  have  always  seen  good 
flowers  bring  good  prices,  and  nowadays  in  this  as  in  everything^ 
else  only  the  best  are  wanted,  and  bring  good  prices,  while  the 
poor  stuff  cannot  be  given  away. 

In  naming  chrysanthemums  the  reform  begun  by  Dr.  Walcott 
should  be  followed ;  that  is,  the  names  should  be  as  short  as 
possible,  and  certainly  such  names  as  Alaska,  Shasta,  and  Cortez^ 
are  far  preferable  to  such  as  our  English  or  French  competitors 
affix  to  their  novelties.  For  example.  Bronze  Queen  of  England, 
Hero  of  Stoke  Newington,  Monsieur  Le  Compte  de  Foucher  de 
Cariel.  By  all  means  give  us  names  that  can  be  written  on  one 
label. 

As  to  Chrysanthemum  Exhibitions,  while  the  various  societies 
and  clubs  oflfer  fair  prizes  for  either  plants  or  cut  flowers,  there  is  yet 
but  very  small  inducement  for  the  raising  of  new  varieties,  which 
branch  should  be  encouraged  more  than  anything  else,  so  that 
before  long  we  may  see  our  ideal  chrysanthemum,  combining  all 
good  qualities  necessary  to  make  a  perfect  plant  and  flower. 

Discussion. 

In  the  discussion  which  followed  the  reading  of  Mr.  Manda's 
paper,  E.  W.  Wood  was  first  called  on  as  one  of  the  largest 
chrysanthemum  growers.  He  said  that  the  paper  was  a  practical 
one,  and  that  little  had  been  learned  on  the  subject  since  our  last 
discussion.  Growing  chrysanthemums  is  a  very  easy  matter.  If 
large  plants  are  wanted  for  exhibition,  the  grower  should  begin  ear- 
lier than  if  he  intends  to  raise  smaller  plants  for  house  decoration. 


CHRYSANTHEMUMS.  7^ 

For  the  former  be  should  begin  planting  his  cuttings  in  December, 
and  he  lua}-  continue  until  April.  It  is  difficult  to  keep  foliage  on 
the  lower  part  of  early  plants,  and  they  do  not  come  up  to  the 
ideals  of  the  awarding  committees.  Plants  raised  from  cuttings 
taken  off  and  planted  in  March,  and  at  the  proper  time  transferred 
to  the  open  ground,  make  vigorous  plants.  It  is  not  a  difficult 
matter  to  take  up  the  plants  ;  the  speaker  likes  to  have  the  ground 
dry,  so  that  all  the  earth  can  be  shaken  from  the  roots,  and  the 
suckers  among  them  can  be  removed,  which  should  be  done  care- 
fully and  thoroughly.  Pinching  is  generally  desirable,  but  some 
varieties  make  perfect  plants  without ;  Mr.  Astie  is  one  of  these  ; 
the  speaker  had  never  nipped  one.  It  is  a  free-flowering  variety. 
He  stops  pinching  about  the  25th  of  July. 

The  market  is  flooded  with  new  varieties,  which  are  very  easily 
raised,  though  formerly  it  was  thought  impossible  to  do  it  here. 
Mv.  "Wood  ^^had  a  plant  of  Citronella,  one  of  the  pompon  class, 
which  was  placed  in  the  store  of  a  druggist,  who  watered  it  for 
two  weeks,  until  the  flowers  dried  up,  when  he  ceased  watering. 
Watering  was  afterwards  resumed,  but  the  roots  of  the  plant  were 
dead.  The  seed  ripened  and  fell  to  the  surface  of  the  earth  in  the 
pot  and  grew  there,  so  that  one  hundred  seedlings  were  potted 
from  it,  and  this  was  only  a  quarter  part  of  the  whole  number. 
If  plants  are  hybridized  while  in  bloom  and  then  put  in  a  dry 
place  they  will  ripen  plenty  of  seed.-  If  the  seed  is  sown  in 
January  the  seedling  plants  will  afford  good  cuttings  in  March, 
from  which  plants  can  be  grown  to  flower  well  in  November. 
You  must  grow  a  hundred  seedlings  to  get  one  that  you  would 
want  to  grow  a  second  year.  Mrs.  Wheeler  forms  a  handsome 
plant  and  has  fine  flowers,  but  is  very  difficult  to  grow.  Mrs. 
Alpheus  Hardy  is  also  difficult  to  grow. 

Joseph  H.  Woodford  spoke  of  a  gardener  who  took  cuttings 
the  last  of  May,  which  he  stuck  six  inches  apart  all  over  the  sur- 
face of  a  spent  hot-bed.  The  cuttings  all  rooted,  and  at  the 
approach  of  frost  boards  were  added  to  the  frame  of  the  bed  and 
sash  placed  thereon.  The  plants  were  quite  vigorous,  and  each 
produced  one  or  two  blooms  of  splendid  size  and  quality  —  in  fact, 
the  best  flowers  of  all  his  plants. 

Joseph  Clark  agreed  with  Mr.  Wood  that  it  is  important  to 
have  the  soil  dry  when  the  plants  are  taken  up,  so  that  the  soil 
can  be  shaken  out  and  the  white  suckers  removed. 


80  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

The  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Publication  and  Discussion 
announced  for  the  next  Saturday,  a  paper  on  "Cemeteries  and 
Parks,"  by  John  G.  Barker,  Superintendent  of  Forest  Hills  Ceme- 
tery, Jamaica  Plain.  . 


BUSINESS   MEETING. 


Saturday,  February  15,  1890. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at  half  past 
eleven  o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spooner,  in  the  chair. 

The  following  vote  was  presented  by  Francis  H.  Appleton  : 
Voted,  That  this  Society  extend  to  each  incorporated  Agricul- 
tural, and  Horticultural  Society  of  Massachusetts,  having  a 
delegate  in  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  an  invitation  to 
appoint  one  of  its  members,  who  shall  have  the  free  use  of  this 
Library  and  Room  (no  book  to  be  taken  from  the  room)  during 
the  year  1890,  for  the  purpose  of  preparing  Essays  for  delivery  at 
Institutes  of  their  own  or  other  societies.  The  said  members  to 
be  appointed  by  the  President  and  Secretary  of  their  respective 
societies. 

The  vote  was  unanimously  adopted. 

Joseph  H.  Woodford  moved  that  a  committee  of  three  be 
appointed  by  the  Chair  to  nominate  candidates  for  a  Committee 
on  Window  Gardening  for  the  year  1890.  The  motion  was 
carried,  and  the  Chair  appointed  as  that  Committee,  Mr.  Wood- 
ford, John  G.  Barker,  and  Robert  T.  Jackson. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  February  22,  1890,  at  half  past  eleven 
o'clock. 


CEMETERIES    AND    PARKS.  81 

MEETING  FOR  DISCUSSION. 
Cemeteries  and  Parks. 

By  John  G.  Barkeb,  Superintendent  of  Forest  Hills  Cemetery,  Jamaica  Plain. 

Either  one  of  these  topics  would  suggest  more  than  enough  to 
take  up  the  allotted  time  for  one  of  these  discussions.  I  hardly 
know  what  is  expected  of  me  ;  perhaps  this  wide  range  was  giren 
me  so  that  I  could  go  where  I  please  for  information,  and  bring 
you  such  facts  as  my  own  experience  and  correspondence  might 
suggest,  so  I  will  make  some  observations  noted  during  mj'  vaca- 
tion the  basis  of  what  I  have  to  say.  I  cannot  resist  the  tempta- 
tion to  give  you  a  little  account  of  my  first  visit  on  this  excursion, 
although  it  was  not  to  a  cemetery  or  a  park. 

After  several  weeks  of  careful  planning  that  everything  should 
go  on  uninterruptedly  and  successfullj',  and  with  anticipations  of 
a  pleasant  and  profitable  rest  from  accustomed  labors  for  a  brief 
period,  on  the  afternoon  of  September  10  I  met  a  genial  friend  at 
the  Boston  and  Albany  Railroad  station,  in  whose  companj'  the  trip 
was  made.  In  a  few  brief  hours  we  were  two  hundred  miles  from 
home,  and  the  next  morning  in  good  season  we  called  at  the 
nursery  of  an  old  and  much  respected  frrend  —  an  enthusiast  in  the 
strongest  sense  of  the  term,  from  his  boyhood  to  the  present  day, 
in  regard  to  everything  that  is  beautiful  in  nature  and  art — one 
who  can  tell  you  more  than  any  other  man  of  whom  I  know,  about 
all  that  is  good  in  both  old  and  new  foliage  and  flowering  plants, 
and  who  has  kept  the  run  of  all  the  changes  in  taste  and  style  of 
planting  and  bedding  out  and  landscape  art.  Indeed,  nothing  in 
horticulture  has  escaped  his  scrutiny  and  criticism,  and  he  never 
was  carried  away  with  any  new  thing  that  came  along  merely 
because  it  was  new,  although  always  recognizing  the  good  in  the 
new.  His  standard  has  always  been  high,  and  he  has  felt  a  com- 
mendable pride  in  trying  to  elevate  his  profession.  Today  his 
collection  of  plants  is  a  very  choice  one,  and  many  fine  specimens 
of  rare  and  choice  species  and  varieties  are  to  be  seen  as  evidences 
of  his  skill  and  ability.  His  catalogues  are  most  carefully  com- 
piled, and  I  believe  that  not  a  tree,  shrub,  or  plant  is  named  in 
them  but  has  some  merit  or  value. 
6 


82  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL,    SOCIETY. 

At  the  age  of  seven  3'ears  he  had  a  little  money,  which  he  spent 
for  a  few  Cacti,  his  acquaintance  with  them  thus  covenng  a 
period  of  seventy-four  years,  and  now  his  collection  of  these 
plants  is  one  of  the  best  to  be  found.  In  answer  to  the  question  : 
Out  of  all  that  you  have  which  are  called  for  the  most?  he  replied, 
Cereus  glaucus  (a  plant  of  which  he  has  owned  forty  years), 
Opuntia  pulvina  or  microdasys,  and  Opuntia  tunicata  var.  ferox 
variegata.  Strolling  through  the  grounds,  we  find  man}'  of  the 
new  and  rare  Japan  evergreens,  the  choicest  of  herbaceous  plants, 
as  well  as  trees  and  shrubs,  among  which  is  one  of  the  best  trained 
specimens  of  Salishuria  adiantifolia  we  have  ever  seen.  This  ele- 
gant tree  is  at  least  twenty  feet  high  and  eight  feet  in  diameter. 
Do  you  wonder  that  we  were  charmed  b}'  the  enthusiasm  of  this 
truly  wonderful  gentleman,  whom,  if  you  have  not  already  made 
up  your  mind  who  he  is,  I  will  introduce  to  you  as  Louis  Menand 
of  Albany,  eighty-two  j^ears  old,  but  old  in  years  only  —  young  in 
mind,  and  his  activity  unabated.  Many  will  doubtless  remember 
the  fine  collection  of  rare  plants  which  he  brought  two  hundred 
miles  to  our  Annual  Exhibition  in  1874.  Ma}'  his  manly  quali- 
ties and  true  love  for  one  of  the  noblest  arts  be  imitated  by  us  all  I 

Albany  Rural  Cemetery.  A  short  walk  from  Mr.  Menand's 
brought  us  to  this  cemetery,  which  was  incorporated  in  1841  and 
consecrated  in  1844.  It  now  comprises  three  hundred  acres,  about 
two  hundred  of  which  is  laid  out  in  drives,  and  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  is  either  occupied  or  laid  out  in  lots. 

The  varied  surface  of  hill  and  dale  is  very  striking.  The  beau- 
tiful natural  ravines  are  so  charming  that  it  would  seem  as  if 
nature  had  here  done  her  very  best  to  provide  a  fitting  place  for 
this  rural  cemetery.  The  long  winding  drives,  showing  a  vista 
here  and  a  more  extended  view  there,  make  the  whole  area  truly 
delightful.  In  passing  around  the  cemetery  we  were  shown  the 
last  resting  places  of  President  Arthur,  Erastus  Corning,  Daniel 
Manning,  and  many  other  persons  prominent  in  i^olitical  and 
mercantile  life. 

This  corporation  does  not  insist  on  the  perpetual  care  of  lots, 
but  leaves  it  optional  with  the  lot  owners  to  provide  for  such  care 
by  the  deposit  of  such  amounts  of  money  as  may  be  agreed  upon 
■with  the  association.  These  amounts  are  determined  by  the  size 
and  character  of  the  lots.  The  system  adopted  provides  that  the 
income  of  the  sum  agreed  upon  shall  be  used  in  keeping  the  lot  in 


CEMETERIES    AND    PARKS.  83 

good  order  by  cutting  the  grass,  making  or  keeping  up  mounds, 
filling  up  depressions,  fertilizing  the  soil  as  often  as  is  necessary, 
and  cleaning  monuments. 

Oakwood  Cemetery,  Troy,  N.  Y.  We  give  you  as  the  most 
accurate  and  best  description  of  this  superbly  located  cemeter}' 
the  following  account  taken  from  the  "Troy  Daily  Times"  of 
November  7,  1889  : 

"The  cemetery  stands  at  the  summit  of  an  abrupt  line  of  hills 
overlooking  the  Hudson,  and  the  view  takes  in  a  range  of  distant 
hills  and  mountains  of  nearly  one  hundred  miles  in  extent.  With 
the  purchases  of  recent  years  there  is  a  length  of  the  home-hills 
of  a  mile  and  a  half  which  the  cemetery  now  covers.  At  all  the 
bends  in  the  course  of  its  western  hilly  outline  there  are  stretches 
either  of  new  landscape  or  of  different  views  of  spots  that  are 
enchanting. 

The  territory  of  Oakwood  cemetery  is  partly  in  Troy  and  partly 
in  Lansingburgh.  The  Earl  chapel  stands  in  Lansingburgh,  but 
the  dividing  line  is  just  south  of  the  building.  Although  lying 
within  the  limits  of  two  corporations,  Oakwood  is  a  corporation  of 
itself  and  independent  of  the  others.  It  is  truly  a  city  of  the 
dead,  respectable  for  the  number  of  its  inhabitants,  which  has 
reached  nearly  ten  thousand. 

It  is  no  easy  task  to  la}'  out  a  cemetery  so  that  while  it  shall 
have  a  park-like  effect  it  shall  also  conform  to  the  purposes  of 
burial,  but  it  is  generally  conceded  that  Superintendent  Boetcher 
has  been  eminently  successful  in  this  direction.  About  five  years 
ago  the  trustees  decided  to  make  the  western  entrance  not  only 
useful  by  locating  its  offices  there,  but  attractive  as  well  to  the 
many  to  whom  that  ingress  is  most  convenient.  With  this  end  in 
view  property  west  of  the  Fitchburg  railroad  bridge  was  purchased 
and  enclosed,  and  will  always  be  reserved  for  ornamental  purposes. 
The  shrubs  and  trees  planted  on  this  section  have  made  progress, 
and  in  a  few  years  will,  with  the  beautiful  lawns,  add  much  to  the 
attractiveness  of  the  surrounding  property.  The  ground  enclosed 
at  the  western  entrance  is  two  hundred  and  fifty-six  feet  wide  by 
more  than  seven  hundred  feet  in  length. 

The  offices  of  the  company  are  in  a  fine  brick  building  with 
stone  trimmings,  at  the  western  or  Cemetery  avenue  entrance. 
The  gates  to  this  entrance  are  handsome  granite  monuments,  so 
designed  that  they  will  some  day  serve  the  purpose  of  pedestals, 


84  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

for  two  ideal  statues,  suitable  for  such  a  place.  Their  fitness  is 
beyond  question,  and  it  seems  a  pit}"  that  some  one  or  two  worthy 
citizens  who  have  love  for  the  cemetery  as  well  as  for  some 
departed  friend  have  not  been  impressed  with  the  suitability  of 
these  gates  for  memorials. 

The  grounds  in  recent  years  have  been  rendered  interesting  to 
horticulturists  by  the  introduction  of  rare  shrubs  and  plants, 
which,  scattered  over  the  extended  territory,  meet  the  eye  at  ever}' 
turn  and  serve  to  educate  the  visitors  in  the  advances  made  in  the 
production  of  new  hybrids  as  well  as  in  the  introduction  of  new 
plants  from  all  temperate  parts  of  the  globe.  The  umbrella  tree 
from  Japan,  the  blue  spruce  from  Colorado,  and  many  other  ever- 
greens quite  new  and  rare,  deciduous  trees  and  shrubs  of  curiously 
cut  foliage,  with  varied  colors  even  during  their  period  of  growth, 
and  herbaceous  plants  with  a  luxuriance  of  bloom  that  would  keep 
pace  with  even  the  tropical  regions,  attract  many  people  educated 
in  such  matters. 

The  roads,  which  in  the  newer  portion  have  been  laid  out  of 
ample  width,  are  macadamized,  as  well  as  the  more  restricted 
thoroughfares  in  the  older  part,  the  presence  of  rock  in  abundance 
enabling  the  work  to  be  done  at  a  comparatively  small  cost.  The 
large  amount  of  pleasure  driving  in  the  grounds  attests  the  excdi- 
lence  of  the  roads. 

Oakwood  has  a  reputation  for  being  well  kept,  second  lo  none. 
As  to  the  neglected  condition  of  many  lots  in  prominent  positions, 
the  fact  should  be  stated  that  nearly  all  of  these  lots  are  owned  by 
persons  abundantly  able  to  pay  for  their  care,  but  they  have  neg- 
lected to  do  so.  September  1,  1873,  a  system  of  perpetual  care 
for  lots  was  inaugurated,  and  since  that  time  no  lots  have  been  sold 
without  this  provision.  This  system  is  being  generally  copied 
throughout  the  country,  and  frequent  applications  are  made  at  the 
Oakwood  cemetery  office  for  duplicates  of  the  certificates  and 
books  of  entry  used  b}'  the  association. 

The  original  purchase  for  Oakwood  cemetery  included  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres.  The  grounds  have  been  enlarged  bj'  more 
recent  purchases  to  double  the  original  size.  Should  the  sale  of 
lots  continue  at  the  ratio  of  the  past  twenty  years,  the  next  two 
decades  will  see  the  available  land  within  the  bounds  of  the  ceme- 
tery occupied.  Thousands  of  memorial  stones  attest  Death's 
industry,  and   elaborate    and  stately  monuments  on  every  hand 


CEMETERIES   AND    PARRS.  85 

indicate  the  lavish  use  of  means  to  decorate  the  beautiful  city  of 
the  dead.  It  has  been  remarked  b}-  visiting  superintendents  of 
other  cemeteries  that  the  number  of  important  memorial  erections 
in  Oakwood  exceeds  that  of  any  other  cemetery  in  the  country  in 
proportion  to  its  size.  Nature  has  been  so  lavish  in  its  adornment 
and  so  much  skill  has  been  employed  in  landscape  gardening  that 
praise  cannot  fail  to  be  sincere  along  these  lines." 

This  account  of  Oakwood  is  by  no  means  too  strongly  drawn. 
There  are  several  lakes  in  different  parts  of  the  grounds,  adding 
to  the  attractiveness  and  interest  of  the  place,  while  the  planting 
of  the  shrubs  and  herbaceous  plants  is  in  excellent  taste.  The 
rearrangement  of  the  old  or  early  occupied  part  of  the  cemetery, 
by  the  removal  of  iron  fences  and  hedges ;  sodding  up  useless 
walks  ;  removal  of  overgrown  trees  and  shrubs  and  planting  anew, 
has  made  it  nearly  as  attractive  as  the  newer  part.  Superintendent 
Boetcher,  who  has  charge  of  Oakwood,  was  formerly  with  Adolph 
Strauch,  at  Cincinnati. 

Forest  Hill  Cemetery,  Utica,  N.  Y.  We  were  very  much 
interested  in  visiting  this  cemetery,  for  here  we  received  our  first 
instruction  in  cemeterj'  duties.  Our  particular  interest  naturally 
centred  in  that  part  of  the  grounds  where  many,  well  known  to 
us  in  the  walks  of  life,  now  repose,  their  monuments  and  tablets 
informing  us  that  they  have  passed  from  earthly  scenes.  The 
extent  of  the  grounds  owned  by  the  association  is  two  hundred 
and  fifty  acres,  of  which  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  are  improved 
and  occupied.  The  situation  cannot  be  excelled  ;  one  of  the  best 
outlooks  for  pleasing  views  is  here  obtained,  commanding  the  city 
and  surrounding  country,  with  its  great  wealth  of  natural  beauty. 
From  many  elevated  points  the  distant  views  are  very  fine,  show- 
ing the  magnificent  valleys  and  the  hills  beyond.  The  outlook  in 
every  direction  is  very  interesting,  and  on  a  clear  day  nothing  more 
beautiful  than  the  views  from  Forest  Hill  can  be  conceived. 

Many  people  visiting  the  cemetery  have  noticed  a  peculiar 
granite  boulder,  on  a  little  mound,  near  the  entrance,  and  have 
wondered  what  it  was  and  wh}'  it  was  there.  This  is  the  famous 
Oneida  Stone  which  was  held  in  great  reverence  by  the  Oneida 
Indians.  It  was  fabled  to  have  fallen  from  heaven  as  a  special 
gift  of  the  Manitou  to  their  tribe.  Their  councils  of  war  were 
held  around  it,  as  it  was  supposed  to  bring  them  success  against 
their  enemies.     When  the  tribe  fell  under  the  rule  of  the  white 


86  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

man  the  stone  mysteriousl}'  disappeared  and  all  trace  of  it  was 
lost.  It  was  afterward  found  on  the  top  of  a  hill  at  Stockbridge, 
N.  Y.,  and  placed  in  Forest  Hill  Cemetery.  Among  the  many 
rich  and  beautiful  memorials  that  fill  the  cemeterj'  there  is  none 
more  appropriate  than  this  monument  to  the  ancient  people  of 
Central  New  York,  the  Oneida  Indians.  The  sacred  character  of 
the  stone  was  doubtless  attributed  to  it  on  account  of  its  peculiar 
shape  as  well  as  the  fact  that  it  is  a  kind  of  granite  not  generally 
found  in  this  part  of  the  State. 

The  new  part  of  the  grounds  is  laid  out  on  the  landscape-lawn 
plan,  with  broad  avenftes  and  liberal  sized  sections  of  lots,  which 
are  adorned  by  an  unusually  large  number  of  fine  granite  monu- 
ments of  superior  design  and  workmanship.  The  Childs  Memorial 
Chapel,  situated  near  the  entrance,  is  church-like  in  form  and 
appearance.  The  nave  only  of  the  chapel  is  used  for  burial  ser- 
vices ;  the  aisles  contain  the  tombs,  one  hundred  and  forty  in 
number.  They  are  built  in  tiers,  are  of  stone,  and  open  from  each 
side  of  the  chapel,  but  are  screened  from  view  by  wooden  parti- 
tions and  doors.  The  building  thus  answers  the  double  purpose 
of  chapel  and  receiving  tomb. 

Besides  the  chapel  just  mentioned,  there  is,  through  the  munifi- 
cence of  Thomas  Hopper,  a  combined  chapel  and  conservatory. 
The  main  body  of  this  building  is  eighty  by  thirty-six  feet,  and  its 
greatest  height  is  twenty-five  feet ;  in  addition  there  is  on  each 
side  a  "lean-to"  or  wing,  ten  feet  wide,  and  thirteen  feet  high, 
running  the  length  of  the  main  structure  ;  also  a  covered  porch  or 
carriage- wa}'.  The  main  portion  of  the  building  is  arranged  for 
holding  services,  movable  seats  and  other  conveniences  being 
provided.  In  the  wings  on  each  side,  the  tropical  plants  are 
arranged.  There  are  no  partitions  between  the  wings  and  the 
auditorium.  I  can  imagine  that  to  pa}'  the  last  tribute  of  respect 
to  our  dead  amid  such  surroundings  is  much  more  comforting 
than  to  perform  this  service  in  a  poorly  warmed  chapel,  or  in  the 
dangerous  out-door  exposure  of  a  cold  climate  like  that  usual  in 
Central  New  York. 

Under  the  superintendence  of  Roderick  Campbell  the  grounds 
have  been  improved  and  extended,  and  many  flower  beds  and 
other  decorative  features  were  noticeable.  An  important  improve- 
ment, which  has  been  recently  made,  is  the  building  of  a  reservoir, 
holding  five  million  gallons  of  water.     Connected  with  it  are  a 


CEMETERIES    AND    PARKS.  87 

series  of  lakes,  one  below  another,  their  surfaces  dotted  with  many 
beautiful  lilies.  Trees  and  shrubs  have  beeu  liberally  planted  to 
beautify  the  grounds.  To  supply  the  demands  foF  plants,  etc., 
for  decorative  purposes,  there  are  three  span-roofed  greenhouses, 
€ach  twenty  by  eighty  feet,  and  three  lean-tos,  eight  by  eighty  feet. 

"We  regret  that  a  large  cemetery  like  this  should  leave  it  optional 
with  the  purchasers  of  lots  whether  they  shall  be  under  perpetual 
care  or  not.  The  wisdom  of  connecting  that  provision  with  all 
sales  needs  no  discussion.  The  last  resting  places  of  Ex-Gov. 
Sej'raour  and  Hon.  Roscoe  Conkling  were  pointed  out  to  us.  They 
are  buried  in  the  same  lot,  located  on  a  slope  commanding  a 
beautiful  view  of  the  Saquoit  and  Oriskauy  valleys. 

Garwood  Cemetery,  Syracuse,  is  delightfully  situated  in  a 
beautiful  oak  grove,  only  a  short  distance  from  the  center  of  the 
city,  and  is  easily  reached  by  the  street  cars.  Nature  has  done  a 
great  deal  here — indeed  she  seems  to  have  been  anxious  to  bestow 
all  that  she  could  on  this  one  spot.  The  almost  natural  places  for 
the  drives  or  avenues  are  so  varied  that  a  charm  is  before  3'ou  at 
■ever}'  turn,  and  at  some  points  the  lovely  views  are  so  impressive 
that  we  should  have  enjoyed  stopping  for  an  indefinite  time  to  take 
them  fully  in.  At  the  dedication  of  Gakwood,  on  the  third  of 
November,  1859,  Hon.  -E,  W.  Leavenworth,  the  President,  in  his 
address  said  :  "  Within  its  one  hundred  acres  is  embraced  a  com- 
bination of  attractions  which,  if  anywhere  equalled,  are  nowhere 
surpassed.  Placed  most  fortunately,  not  too  near  the  city  nor  too 
remote  from  it ;  mostly  covered  with  young  and  thrifty  woods  of 
the  second  growth,  so  abundant  as  to  allow  great  opportunity  for 
selections  ;  its  surface  diversified  by  the  most  beautiful  and  varied 
elevations  and  depressions,  presenting  views  unparalleled  in  their 
extent  and  magnificence ;  rendered  already  attractive  by  natural 
lawns,  and  the  most  picturesque  scenery — it  is  all  that  the  highest 
judgment  and  taste  can  demand,  or  the  liveliest  fancy  paint,  and 
the  careful  hand  of  improvement  will,  each  successive  year,  develop 
and  heighten  the  charms  with  which  nature  has  so  liberally  adorned 
it."     This  is  no  overdrawn  picture,  and  it  is  as  true  now  as  then. 

Since  that  time  of  course  many  improvements  have  been  made, 
and  others  are  now  in  progress.  Many  elegant  monuments  and 
one  costly  mausoleum  have  been  erected,  and  these  adornments 
are  not  so  crowded  as  to  mar  the  natural  beauty  of  the  grounds, 
as  in  many  of  our  cemeteries.     A  convenient  chapel  and  receiving 


88  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

tomb,  located  near  the  main  entrance,  was  built  in  1880.  It  is  a 
very  desirable  acquisition  ;  some  such  arrangement  should  be  found 
in  ever}'  large  and  well  ordered  cemetery.  We  noticed  that  some 
thinning  out  was  being  done,  where  the  crowded  condition  of  the 
natural  growth  demanded  it,  and  where  necessary  the  ground  was 
regraded  at  the  same  time.  We  were  pleased  to  meet  Mr.  Chaffee, 
the  superintendent,  who  unfolded  to  us  his  plans  for  the  future,^ 
and  manifested  a  laudable  ambition  to  keep  pace  with  the  times  by 
carrying  them  into  effect.  The  contemplated  improvements  give 
promise  that  in  the  near  future  Oakwood  will  become  a  delightful 
resort  for  strangers  as  well  as  proprietors. 

Forest  Lawn  Cemetery,  Buffalo,  contains  about  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres,  access  to  it  being  furnished  by  the  Main 
street  railroad,  which  terminates  opposite  the  cemetery.  The 
cemetery  is  decidedly  park-like  in  its  appearance,  being  laid  out 
on  the  most  liberal  scale,  with  broad  avenues  and  large  sections  of 
lots.  The  following  extract  from  the  history  of  Forest  Lawn  will 
give  a  good  idea  of  the  plan  in  the  minds  of  the  projectors.  These 
remarks  had  special  reference  to  the  improvement  of  the  grounds, 
but  they  are  as  suggestive  of  right  methods  now  as  when  thej'  were 
first  uttered : 

"  It  will  not  be  denied  that  in  many  particulars,  such  as  the 
style,  kind,  and  relative  position  of  monuments  ;  the  laying  out, 
adornment  and  character  of  the  boundary  lines  of  lots,  and  their 
floral  and  arboreal  decoration,  individual  fancies  should  be  subor- 
dinate to  a  general  plan,  and  subject  to  certain  rules  designed  to 
secure  harmony  and  uniformity,  and  to  exclude  all  such  manifest 
violations  of  good  taste  as  often  mar  our  places  of  sepulture. 
The  trustees  feel  that  it  will  only  be  necessary  to  state  this  gen- 
eral plan,  and  to  mention  a  few  of  the  arguments  in  support  of  the 
rules  which  have  been  established,  to  secure  the  assent  and  hearty 
co-operation  of  all  who  feel  an  interest  or  ambition  in  the  success 
and  prosperity  of  the  enterprise.  It  was  considered  of  the  first 
importance  to  locate  this  cemetery  where  it  would  enjoy  a  perma- 
nent seclusion  ;  where  the  expenditure  of  taste  and  money  would 
become  a  heritage  for  all  coming  time ;  where  the  desecrating  ten- 
dencies of  modern  commercial  growth  should  never  violate  its 
sanctity,  nor  the  encroaching  waves  of  a  noisy,  restless,  city  life, 
disturb  its  repose." 


CEMETERIES    AND    PARKS.  89 

More  than  twenty  years  have  passed  since  these  views  were 
expressed,  and  certainly  there  is  today  abundant  evidence  that  th& 
spot  selected  fulfils,  in  a  remarkable  degree,  the  conditions  named. 
Nature  was  by  no  means  sparing  here  in  her  bestowal  of  diversi- 
fied beauty.  Many  a  fine  native  tree  is  seen,  which,  having  been 
carefully  guarded  and  protected,  adds  grace  and  beauty  to  the 
scenery,  and  these,  with  the  hills  and  dales,  lakes  and  streams,  give 
to  the  whole  grounds  more  of  a  park-like  appearance  than  we  have 
observed  in  any  other  cemetery.  The  avenues  were  so  excellent 
that  we  took  pains  to  ascertain  the  mode  of  construction.  We 
soon  learned  that  an  abundance  of  the  necessary  material  was 
easily  obtained  for  this  purpose  ;  this,  with  the  superior  knowledge 
of  the  superintendent  in  its  use,  accounted  for  the  excellence  of 
the  avenues,  as  was  shown  by  a  piece  of  new  avenue  in  process  of 
construction.  To  facilitate  this  work  a  Gates  stone  crusher  is 
used,  which,  set  up  ready  for  operation,  cost  about  $2,500,  and 
turns  out  from  fifty-five  to  sixty  cubic  yards  a  day,  at  a  cost  of 
about  fifty  cents  a  yard,  delivered  in  an}'  part  of  the  grounds.  In 
my  visits  to  cemeteries  I  almost  always  find  some  one  feature  that 
is  especially  commendable,  and  in  Forest  Lawn  it  is  the  avenues. 

While  riding  through  the  grounds  we  could  not  help  noticing 
what  seemed  to  us  a  deficiency  of  shrubs  and  flowers — not  the 
perishable  ones  that  must  be  renewed  each  year — bat  in  grounds 
where  the  plots  are  laid  out  on  the  liberal  scale  here  adopted,  the 
attractiveness  of  the  whole  is  greatly  increased  by  judiciously 
planting  groups  of  hardy  flowers  and  choice  evergreens  and  other 
shrubs.  But,  under  the  eflScient  management  of  the  present 
superintendent,  we  have  no  doubt  that  all  deficiencies  will  be  made 
good  and  Forest  Lawn  will  continue  to  advance  toward  the  front 
rank  among  the  cemeteries  of  America. 

We  passed  Sunday  at  Hamilton,  Canada.  Taking  a  drive  over 
the  city  we  were  pleased  to  see  so  many  neat  and  cosy  cottages, 
with  well  kept  grounds  and  a  garden  attached  to  each.  We  looked 
through  the  cemetery,  which,  although  clean,  was  extremely 
crowded  with  monuments  and  iron  fences,  and  showed  no  signs 
of  modern  improvements.  The  next  morning  we  proceeded  to 
Detroit,  to  attend  the  third  annual  convention  of  the  Association 
of  American  Cemeterj'  Superintendents.  This  association  was 
organized  to  meet  a  long  felt  want.  We  needed  to  know  more  of 
each  other  ;  of  the  work  that  we  are  doing  at  our  respective  places. 


90  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTUEAL    SOCIETY. 

with  the  various  methods  adopted  in  doing  it,  and  we  have  already 
received  great  benefit  from  these  meetings.  At  Detroit  we  had  a 
large  representation.  Eighteen  practical  papers  on  different  sub- 
jects pertaining  to  our  work  were  read  and  discussed,  with  much 
profit  to  all,  and  especially'  to  such  as  cannot  have  the  advantages 
enjoyed  by  those  who  are  located  near  large  cities.  This  year  we 
meet  at  Boston,  at  the  same  time  as  the  Society  of  American 
Florists,  and  we  expect  that  much  greater  advantages  will  be 
gained  from  these  meetings.  At  the  close  ©f  the  convention  we 
were  taken  on  a  ride  through  the  city,  and  the  different  cemeteries. 

WooDMERE  Cemetery  is  located  in  the  township  of  Springwells, 
about  four  and  three-quarters  miles  from  the  City  Hall.  It  com- 
prises two  hundred  acres,  and  it  is  claimed  that  nowhere  else 
within  as  many  miles  of  Detroit  could  an  equal  area  be  found  so 
admirabl}-  adapted  for  a  rural  cemetery.  Portions  of  the  grounds 
consist  of  hills,  valleys,  and  gentle  undulations.  A  broad  expanse 
of  water  on  the  westerly'  side  is  known  as  Baby  Creek,  and  Deer 
Creek  crosses  the  centre  from  east  to  west.  When  these  streams 
are  cleared  and  improved,  lakes  over  two  miles  in  length  will  be 
formed,  constituting  a  charming  feature  of  the  place.  The 
grounds  are  laid  out  on  the  landscape-lawn  plan,  with  liberal  ave- 
nues and  broad  sections  of  lots.  The  extreme  drought  last  sum- 
mer in  the  West  was  very  detrimental  to  the  appearance  of  most 
places  there,  and  the  dryness  of  the  grass  showed  that  this  ceme- 
tery was  not  excepted.  Many  fine  trees  as  well  as  shrubs  were 
noticed ;  the  latter  in  groups  and  as  single  specimens.  The 
Tupelo  tree,  known  there  as  the  Pepperidge,  was  strikingly  beau- 
tiful. I  have  seen  many  of  them  in  their  fall  foliage,  which  is 
always  rich  and  handsome,  but  the  intense  scarlet,  or  perhaps 
crimson,  color  of  these  was  the  richest  I  have  ever  seen.  The 
dry  weather  raa^'  have  had  the  effect  to  produce  this  unusual  color. 
The  Tupelo  tree  deserves  to  be  cultivated  much  more  than  it  is  at 
present.  With  its  capabilities  for  improvement  Woodmere  may 
be  made  a  most  attractive  and  beautiful  place. 

Elmwood  is  the  oldest  cemetery  at  Detroit,  and  is  nearly  filled 
up.  The  gi'ouuds  were  laid  out  in  the  old  style  of  avenue  and 
path,  but  we  were  pleased  to  see  that  wherever  an}'  improvement 
could  be  made  advantage  had  been  taken  of  the  opportunity^  and 
every  effort  was  being  made  to  keep  the  grounds  clean  and  attrac- 
tive.    Near  the  entrance  some  floral  designs  in  good  taste  and  not 


CEMETERIES    AND    PARKS.  91 

overdone  were  noticeable.  One  consisted  of  a  cross  with  an 
anchor  and  heart  on  either  side,  and  a  scroll  at  the  foot  of  the 
cross  with  the  word  PEACE  ;  this  design,  lying  on  a  slight  slope, 
showed  to  good  advantage.  A  new  and  substantial  gateway  with 
au  office  and  waiting-room  connected,  built  of  stone,  is  one  of  the 
recent  improvements. 

Mount  Elliott  Cemetery  is  also  one  of  Detroit's  principal 
burial  grounds,  and  while  it  contains  n©  costly  monument,  or  other 
prominent  feature  that  commands  especial  notice,  it  is  only  just  to 
say  that  these  are  the  best  kept  grounds  we  have  seen  in  a  Catholic 
cemetery,  and  we  therefore  think  we  ought  to  make  special  men- 
tion of  this  happy  departure.  "We  learn  that  in  the  new  grounds, 
recently  purchased,  modern  plans  and  principles  of  cemetery  im- 
provement will  be  adopted  and  carried  out. 

WooDLAWN  Cemetery,  Toledo,  Ohio,  is  delightfully  situated. 
It  is  but  three  miles  from  the  heart  of  the  cit}',  and  seems  to  be 
well  adapted  to  the  purpose  to  which  it  is  devoted.  The  grounds 
were  cut  by  a  deep  natural  ravine,  which  has  been  converted  into 
a  lake,  forming  a  very  agreeable  feature  of  the  grounds.  The 
trees  and  shrubs  are  appropriately  planted,  as  single  specimens 
and  in  groups,  and  have  now  attained  a  size  that  makes  them  very 
effective.  The  remaining  portions  of  the  grounds  are  of  a  gently 
undulating  character,  sufficient  to  produce  a  good  landscape  effect, 
without  too  striking  a  contrast  between  adjoining  lots.  The  plant- 
ing all  through  the  grounds  has  been  done  judiciously  and  in  good 
taste.  The  evergreens  were  especially  conspicuous,  being  large 
enough  to  give  life  and  character  to  the  place,  especially  in  the 
winter  season.  The  lawn-plan  was  originally  adopted  and  has 
been  very  successfully  carried  out.  It  has  many  advantages  over 
the  old  style  where  gravel  walks  give  access  to  all  the  lots,  as  is 
nowhere  better  demonstrated  than  here,  and  it  is  doubtless  fully 
appreciated.  Like  some  other  places  we  have  mentioned,  the 
grounds  are  laid  out  into  sections  in  which  we  were  pleased  to  see 
that  the  lots  vary  greatly  in  size  and  shape.  Too  often  the 
uniformity  in  this  respect  is  distressing,  but  that  has  been  avoided 
here,  and  it  seems  impossible  that  all  the  varied  tastes  of  its  patrons 
should  not  be  fully  satisfied. 

The  chapel  is  a  beautiful  building  on  the  bank  of  the  lake.  A 
porte-cochere  protects  the  entrance.  The  interior  is  twenty-eight 
feet  square,  with  a  high  vaulted  roof,  and  is  lighted  by  three  stained 


92       MASSACHUSETTS  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 

glass  windows.  The  ceiling  is  finished  in  a  tasteful  stj'le,  and' 
altogether  the  building  is  a  model  of  neatness  and  beauty.  Thfr 
area  of  the  cemetery  is  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  we  think 
the  patrons  of  Woodlawn  may  be  congratulated  that,  these 
grounds  having  been  begun  at  a  later  date  than  the  other  ceme- 
teries we  have  named,  the  trustees  have  been  able,  in  making  their 
plans,  to  profit  b}-  the  experience  of  others,  and  we  venture  to  pre- 
dict that  a  few  years  hence  Toledo  can  boast  of  having  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  cemeteries  in  the  West.  A  small  nursery  of  choice 
trees  and  shrubs  gives  promise  that  there  will  be  no  lack  of  suitable 
material  for  the  ornamentation  of  the  grounds  as  the  improvements 
advance.  The  avenues  are  broad  and  well  kept,  neatness  and 
good  order  are  the  rule,  and  it  is  well  carried  out.  Mr.  Frank 
Eurich,  the  present  superintendent,  has  held  that  office  since  the 
commencement  of  the  grounds.  Our  thanks  are  due  to  him  and 
to  Mr.  Walbridge,  the  secretary,  for  their  kindness  in  showing  us 
not  only  the  cemetery  grounds  but  the  beautiful  city  of  Toledo, 
the  home  of  F.  J.  Scott,  the  author  of  "  Suburban  Home  Grounds." 

Spring  Grove  Cemetery,  Cikcinnati,  Ohio.  This,  more  than 
any  of  the  cemeteries  of  which  I  have  spoken,  had  attracted  us 
from  the  fact  that  it  has  always,  as  you  are  undoubtedly  aware, 
>>een  reputed  the  finest  cemetery  on  this  continent.  I  cannot  give 
you  a  detailed  description  of  it,  as  my  time  is  too  limited  to  do  it 
justice,  but  I  will  briefly  call  your  attention  to  its  principal 
features. 

We  will  suppose  ourselves  at  the  entrance  on  Spring  Grove 
Avenue.  The  gateway  is  a  large  stone  structure  in  the  Norman 
Gothic  style  of  architecture ;  the  total  length  being  one  hundred 
and  thirty  feet.  It  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  fifty  thousand 
dollars.  The  larger  portion  is  at  the  right  side,  the  building  here 
containing  a  room  for  visitors,  the  Directors'  room,  and  Superin- 
tendent's oflSce.  At  the  left  side  is  the  ladies'  reception  room. 
A  little  further  to  the  left  is  the  Chapel,  built  in  1881,  at  a  cost 
of  sixt}'  thousand  dollars.  This  also  is  in  the  Norman  style,  and 
is  a  very  handsome  edifice,  one  hundred  and  eight  feet  long  by 
sixty-three  feet  wide.  The  ground  plan  is  cruciform,  the  vestibule 
and  chapel  occupying  the  nave,  with  a  receiving  tomb  thirteen  by 
twenty  feet  in  each  of  the  transepts.  The  heav}'  bronze  doors  to 
the  receiving  tombs  are  of  very  elegant  design.  The  subject  or 
one  is :   The  Widow's  Son  —  the  Saviour  touching  the  bier,  with. 


CEMETERIES    AND    PARKS.  93 

the  words,  "Young  mau,  I  say  unto  thee,  arise."  The  subject 
of  the  second  is :  Jairus's  Daughter  —  the  Saviour  touching  the 
maiden's  hand,  with  the  words,  "  Be  not  afraid,  only  believe." 
The  subject  of  the  third  is  :  Martha  and  the  Saviour  at  the  grave 
•of  Lazarus,  with  the  words,  "  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again"  ;  and 
of  the  fourth,  the  Saviour  arising  from  the  tomb,  with  the  words, 
*'Iam  the  resurrection  and  the  life."  The  great  window  in  the 
chancel  is  of  elegant  design  and  workmanship,  being  fourteen 
feet  and  six  inches  wide  by  twenty  feet  high.  The  design  repre- 
sents the  Ascension  of  Christ,  accompanied  by  two  angels,  while 
the  eleven  disciples  stand  below,  gazing  in  awe  and  wonder  upon 
the  heavenl}'  scene. 

Passing  from  the  building  into  the  grounds,  we  find  ourselves  on 
the  main  avenue,  in  the  centre  of  a  beautiful  lawn  stretching  right 
and  left  and  adorned  by  trees,  as  specimens,  and  artistic  groups 
of  evergreens,  which  are  charmingly  arranged,  and  in  themselves 
a  study  for  all  who  have  a  love  for  landscape  art.  This  part  of  the 
grounds  has  a  level  surface,  and  it  is  truly  wonderful  what  art  has 
produced  on  what  must  have  been  a  barren  plain.  It  will  interest 
you  to  know  that  on  this  lawn  there  has  been  planted  a  group  of 
trees  as  a  memorial  of  the  late  Dr.  Warder,  presented  for  this 
purpose  by  his  son,  Reuben  Warder.  In  the  centre  of  the  group 
is  an  Abies  concolor  surrounded  by  Piniis  pungens.  This  is  to  be 
known  as  the  "  Dr.  Warder  memorial  group  of  evergreens."  We 
next  pass  under  the  railroad  bridge  and  come  in  sight  of  a  chain 
of  beautiful  lakes,  containing  several  small  islands,  the  largest  of 
which  was  donated  some  time  ago,  by  the  corporation,  to  Mr. 
Strauch,  the  Superintendent,  as  a  family  burial  ground,  and  his 
remains  now  rest  in  the  quietude  of  this  lovely  spot.  Near  by  is 
a  beautiful  statue  of  Egeria,  in  close  proximity  to  a  grove  of 
Louisiana  cypress,  which  are  very  fine.  Our  attention  was  fre- 
quently called  to  the  trees  and  shrubs,  which  are  a  special  feature 
of  the  place.  To  enumerate  them  all  would  be  impossible,  but  we 
noticed  particularly  the  following  superb  specimens :  Abies 
excelsa,  some  very  large  ;  A.  polita  (the  Corean  Spruce),  A.  com- 
pacta  nayia,  A.  Alcocquiana,  A.  concolor,  Magnolia  stellata,  M. 
glauca,  M.  tripetala;  elegant  specimens  of  Liquidambar ;  Laurel 
leafed  oak, — most  beautiful  specimens  ;  Quercus  alba  (the  Ameri- 
can White  Oak),  grand  trees;  Q.  p)ctlustris  (Pin  Oak),  tall  and 
elegant  trees  ;   Q.  castanea  (Chestnut  Oak) ,  one  of  the  most  grace- 


94  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

ful  of  the  oaks ;  Pinus  mugho  (Dwarf  Mugho  Pine),  P.  Cembra 
(Swiss  Stoue  Pine),  a  handsome  and  distinct  species,  particularly 
well  adapted  for  cemetery  purposes ;  and  of  native  Beeches,  some 
of  the  largest  and  finest  trees  we  have  seen  ;  Liriodendron  tulipi- 
fera, — this  magnificent  tree  has  attained  great  size  and  beauty  ; 
Vitex  Agnus-Castus,  very  useful ;  Platanus  occidentalism  a  very  large 
tree  on  the  lawn,  at  least  one  hundred  feet  high.  Also  an  elegant 
tree  of  the  Osage  Orange,  full  of  bright  orange  colored  fruit.  The 
fine  proportions  of  this  tree,  which  was  low,  spreading,  and 
round-headed,  so  different  from  the  form  in  which  we  see  it  here 
in  Massachusetts  (only  in  the  hedge),  were  trul}-  fascinating. 
These  are  only  a  few  that,  by  their  size  as  specimens  or  standing 
in  some  prominent  place,  attracted  our  attention.  The  oaks, 
maples,  evergreens  of  many  varieties  ;  the  new  and  rare  ever- 
greens from  Japan  ;  and  all  the  old  and  new  species  and  varieties 
of  shrubs,  are  found  in  great  abundance,  and  the  unusually  select 
collection  that  are  growing  in  the  nurseries  in  large  quantities,  is 
an  evidence  that  the  ornamental  department  of  Spring  Grove 
will  be  kept  up  to  the  high  standard  it  has  already  attained. 
In  this  connection  our  attention  was  called  to  the  fact  that  the 
only  monument  to  Dr.  Warder  was  a  Scarlet  oak  which,  I  believe, 
was  planted  with  his  own  hands.  Robert  Buchanan,  the  first  pres- 
ident of  the  association,  also  has  an  oak  of  the  same  species 
planted  at  the  head  of  his  grave.  The  grave  of  Judge  John  Mc- 
Lean, who  delivered  the  consecration  address  in  1854,  is  marked 
by  a  Chestnut  oak,  and  I  think  Judge  Storer's  grave  is  marked  by 
a  Hop  Hornbeam.  In  this  there  is  a  suggestion  to  us  :  the  glaring 
white  marble  and  polished  granite  are  very  monotonous  in  many 
of  our  cemeteries ;  is  not  this  change  a  step  in  the  direction  of 
reform  ?  Are  not  these  trees  far  more  appropriate  memorials  than 
many  meaningless  stones  that  are  erected? 

The  original  plan  for  improving  the  grounds  was  furnished  hj 
John  Notman,  of  Philadelphia,  and  was  executed  partially  by 
Howard  Daniels,  the  first  Superintendent.  Since  1855,  improve- 
ments have  been  made  according  to  plans  designed  by  the  late- 
Superintendent,  Adolph  Strauch,  who  was  so  very  successful 
in  blending  the  old  and  the  new  work  that,  to  a  casual  observer, 
the  point  of  meeting  of  the  two  designs  is  hardly  noticeable.  In 
all  his  work  he  was  eminentl}'  successful ;  and  as  a  landscape  gar- 
dener he  stood  at  the  head  of  his  profession,  and  no  man  could 


CEMETERIES    AND    PARKS.  95 

have  a  better  monument  to  his  memory  than  the  work  that  he 
accomplished  at  Spring  Grove.  The  influence  of  the  reform  he  so 
well  commenced  has  spread  over  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land,  so  that  no  new  cemetery  is  now  laid  out  in  any  other  way 
than  on  the  lawn  plan. 

The  lots  and  avenues  are  projected  on  the  most  liberal  scale. 
"When  I  inform  you  that  the  grass  cutting  is  mosth'  done  with 
horse  mowers,  you  will  at  once  see  that  the  lots  are  large  and  the 
spaces  between  of  liberal  breadth.  All  the  surroundings  are  in 
the  same  proportion.  Hand  mowers  are  used  where  the  larger 
ones  cannot  go,  and  by  this  combination  a  great  deal  of  grass 
cutting  is  done  in  a  short  time.  This  arrangement  also  allows  the 
planting  of  trees  in  the  large  spaces  between  the  lots,  to  better 
advantage  than  would  be  possible  were  the  land  more  closely  occu- 
pied for  burial  purposes.  This  is  one  of  the  beautiful  features  of 
the  place.  There  is  no  fear  of  a  request  to  remove  a  tree  every 
time  a  monument  is  erected,  and  the  ability  to  retain  so  many  fine 
and  rare  trees  attests  the  wisdom  as  well  as  the  good  taste 
displayed  in  laying  out  these  grounds,  in  such  a  way  as  to  leave 
sufficient  room  outside  the  lots  for  ornamental  purposes.  The 
grounds  are  rolling,  hills  and  valleys  abounding.  The  avenues, 
laid  out  in  the  valleys,  their  proper  places,  are  about  thirty  feet 
wide,  with  broad  sections  of  lots  between.  There  is  no  stiffness 
about  them  ;  graceful  curves  are  formed  instead  of  the  straight 
monotonous  lines  too  often  seen  where  they  might  be  avoided. 
Where  the  avenues  meet,  the  arrangement  is  such  that  in  driving 
you  see,  at  a  distance  before  you,  a  prominent  corner  lot  orna- 
mented by  shrubs  in  groups  with  trees.  Turning  to  the  right  or 
left  the  scene  may  be  similar,  or  you  may  be  interested  by  a  view 
through  a  charming  vista,  or  some  valley,  naturally  beautiful  but 
made  more  so  by  the  hand  of  art. 

There  are  many  beautiful  monuments  erected,  and  we  noticed 
some  bearing  names  familiar  to  some  of  us.  The  Drexel  Chapel 
is  very  prominently  located,  near  one  of  the  lakes.  The  monu- 
ments of  Governor  Bishop,  Nicholas  Longworth,  Bishop  Mc- 
Ilvaine,  the  elegant  Scotch  granite  sarcophagus  of  General  Joe 
Hooker,  the  family  monument  of  General  McCook,  having  twelve 
columns  representing  his  twelve  children,  and  two  urns  which 
represent  the  parents  of  General  McCook,  are  among  the  most 
prominent.     Here   also  are  the  resting  places  of  the  late  Chief 


S6  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

Justice  Chase,  the  parents  of  the  late  President  U.  S.  Grant, 
and  the  family  of  Ex-President  Hayes.  Upon  the  lot  of  the  late 
Chief  Justice  Stanley  Matthews  is  an  unpretentious  marble  monu- 
ment. Gen.  A.  T.  Goshorn,  Director  General  of  the  Centennial 
Exhibition  of  1876,  has  a  lot  in  which  his  father  and  mother  are 
buried,  and  Henry  Probasco,  the  President  of  the  cemetery  cor- 
poration, has  a  fine  sarcophagus  of  Scotch  granite.  On  a  very 
sightly  eminence  is  placed  a  monumental  canop}'  sarcophagus  of 
Scotch  granite,  which  Mr.  Schonberger,  the  owner,  can  see  from 
his  residence  in  Clifton,  a  distance  of  two  miles.  The  elevation  on 
which  the  monument  stands,  and  that  on  which  Mr.  Schonberger's 
residence  is  located,  are  both  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two 
hundred  feet  above  the  valley  between  them. 

Spring  Grove  contains  about  six  hundred  acres,  of  which  three 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  have  been  laid  out  and  improved.  There 
are  fourteen  miles  of  avenues,  covering  an  area  of  thirtj'-three 
acres.  There  are  seven  miles  of  fencing,  with  about  two  and  one- 
half  miles  of  hedge  inside  a  portion  of  the  fence.  There  is  a 
complete  water  system  belonging  to  the  cemetery,  and  fine  build- 
ings for  all  purposes,  and  every  facility  for  carrying  on  the  work 
to  the  best  advantage  possible. 

I  cannot  close  this  imperfect  account  of  Spring  Grove  without 
expressing  my  appreciation  of  the  kindness  of  Mr.  William  Salway, 
who  succeeded  Mr.  Strauch  as  Superintendent,  and  who  is  fully 
qualified  to  carry  on  the  work  so  well  commenced  by  his  prede- 
cessor. 

Cedar  Hill  Cemetery,  Hartford,  Conn.,  is  situated  about 
three  miles  from  the  centre  of  the  city,  and  contains  nearly  three 
hundred  acres.  The  surface  is  charmingly  diversified  with  hill  and 
vale,  lawn  and  stately  trees,  and  is  unusually  well  adapted  for  a 
lawn  cemetery.  The  improvements  since  the  consecration  have 
been  on  the  most  liberal  basis,  as  the  following  quotation  from  the 
Superintendent's  report  in  1886  will  show.  He  says :  "  The  sec- 
tions now  opened  for  burial  purposes  are  located  on  the  second 
plateau,  and  on  the  second  rise  of  hills,  and  are  from  one-half  an 
acre  to  four  acres  in  size.  Each  section  is  surrounded  by  a  broad, 
well  constructed  avenue,  and  contains  from  thirty-two  to  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  lots." 

The  whole  front  of  the  cemetery  extends  along  New  Haven 
Avenue  two  thousand  nine  hundred  and  four  feet.  The  grounds 
contain  about  seventy-three  acres,  ornamented  with  lakes,  lawns, 


CEMETERIES    AND    PARKS.  97 

trees,  and  shrubs.  The  largest  lake  is  over  eight  acres  in  extent. 
The  planting  of  trees  and  shrubs  was  an  important  part  of  the 
plan,  and  has  been  admirably  carried  out. 

The  avenues  are  a  conspicuous  feature  of  this  cemetery,  being 
forty,  thirty-five,  twenty-eight,  and  twent^'-two  feet  wide,  accord- 
ing to  location  and  requirements. 

The  landscape  lawn  plan  has  been  strictly  adhered  to,  and  no 
unsightly  curbings  or  iron  fences  are  seen  to  mar  the  harmon}'  and 
beaut}'  of  the  plan  which  has  been  so  successfully  carried  out. 
The  landscape  gardener  and  first  Superintendent  was  Mr.  J. 
"Weidenmann,  who,  I  believe,  was  a  pupil  of  or  associated  with 
Adolph  Strauch,  at  Cincinnati,  and  in  looking  over  the  grounds  it 
is  quite  easy  to  see  that  the  same  principles  which  govern  the  plan 
at  Spring  Grove,  Cincinnati,  prevail  here  also. 

The  proprietors  have  been  fortunate  in  receiving  some  noble 
gifts.  One  is  a  very  neat  and  substantial  chapel  of  beautiful  and 
picturesque  appearance,  in  the  English  Gothic  style.  It  is  built 
of  gray,  rough-faced  Westerly  granite,  relieved  by  the  lighter 
color  of  the  hammered  granite  dressings,  and  the  dark  slate  of  the 
roof,  which  make  an  agreeable  contrast.  The  interior  is  rich  and 
beautiful.  It  was  built  in  accordance  with  the  will  of  the  late 
Charles  H.  Northam,  and  is  known  as  the  Northam  Memorial 
Chapel. 

Later  on,  Mrs.  Julia  A.  Gallup,  wife  of  the  late  Judge  Gallup, 
made  provision  in  her  will,  b}-  a  bequest  of  S2o,000,  for  a  gateway 
at  Cedar  Hill.  This  also  has  been  erected,  in  a  style  and  mate- 
rial harmonizing  with  that  of  the  chapel.  It  consists  of  two  build- 
ings, forty-five  feet  apart,  each  measuring  eighteen  by  thirty-one 
feet.  One  serves  as  a  waiting  room  ;  the  other  is  the  office  of  the 
Superintendent ;  and  between  these  two  buildings  is  the  entrance. 
The  inside  finish  of  the  buildings  is  very  elaborate,  and  the  arrange- 
ments are  in  excellent  taste. 

The  monumental  structures  are  very  elegant,  and  being  conspic- 
uously located  on  the  highest  elevation  in  the  grounds,  are  seen 
from  a  long  distance.  In  all  of  our  visits  to  the  various  ceme- 
teries we  have  seen  no  other  where  so  many  costly  monuments 
stand  on  the  same  extent  of  ground. 

Mr.  Robert  Scrivener,  the   present  Superintendent,  succeeded 
Mr.  Salway,  now  of  fSpring  Grove,  Cincinnati.     We  are  glad  to 
meet  such   practical  men  as  he,  and  we  hope  that  his  cherished 
7 


98  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

plans  for  the  future  may  receive  the  encouragement  due  to  one  so 
heartily  interested  in  his  work.  Cedar  Hill  is  a  lovelj"  spot,  and 
if  the  means  which  the  proprietors  are  abundantly  able  to  supply 
are  onh*  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  trustees,  a  bright  and  pros- 
perous future  is  before  it.  The  examples  of  Charles  H.  Northam 
and  Mrs.  Gallup  are  worth}'  of  emulation. 

I  have  already  taken  up  more  time  than  I  intended  to  occupy. 
If  I  have  succeeded  in  interesting  3'ou  in  the  work  of  this  important 
subject ;  have  convinced  you  that  the  work  of  planning  Rural 
Cemeteries  is  only  just  commenced,  you  begin  to  see,  as  I  do,^ 
that  all  new  grounds  can  have  the  advantage  of  profiting  by  the 
mistakes  made  in  the  older  cemeteries,  which  are  many.  I  should 
like  to  have  made  my  descriptions  so  vivid  that  you  could  have 
seen  all  these  places  as  I  did  ;  how  far  I  have  succeeded  in  this 
you  know.  I  confess  I  am  sorr^^  to  stop  here.  I  should  like  to 
have  gone  into  criticisms  and  practical  points  gained  by  observa- 
tion, but  I  cannot.  I  should  like  to  have  shown  you  how  some  of 
the  old  grounds  could  be  improved  and  beautified,  but  mj-  time  is 
not  sufficient.  I  should  like  to  have  taken  up  the  subject  of  orna-. 
mentation,  but  if  I  did  I  should  perhaps  have  said  too  much — in 
what  way  or  how  you  must  for  the  present  only  conjecture  ;  and 
perhaps  it  is  well  that  I  have  no  more  time  for  this  subject,  for 
the  reason  that  a  short  time  ago  I  was  invited  to  criticise  a  very 
radical  article  bearing  on  it ;  at  first  I  felt  like  doing  so,  but 
when  I  visited  the  writer  of  the  article,  I  received  such  kind  atten- 
tions, and  our  views  were  so  thoroughly  harmonious  on  the  prin- 
cipal rules  which  should  govern  our  work,  that  I  could  not  say  a 
word,  although  I  believe  in  kindly  criticism,  for  it  is  helpful.  I 
hope  I  have  given  you  good  reasons  why  I  should  forbear  at  this 
time. 

I  have  another  part  now  to  take  up  —  that  of  Parks.  I  shall 
attempt  but  little,  as  my  time  for  preparation  was  too  limited  to 
do  it  justice.  The  subject  of  establishing  parks  in  our  cities  and 
larger  towns  is  absorbing  a  good  deal  of  attention,  much  time,  and 
large  sums  of  money.  Our  own  city  of  Boston  is  coming  in  for 
its  full  share  of  all.  The  magnificent  system  planned  for  us  can- 
not be  excelled.  The  Back  Bay  Park  has  its  place  ;  its  success 
and  utility  are  well  known  to  you.  The  Public  Garden — not  a  park 
at  all — has  received  all  the  criticism,  kind  and  unkind,  that  is  good 


CEMETERIES    AND    PARKS.  99 

for  it.  I  am  glad  it  is  there.  Were  I  asked  whether  I  would  approve 
all  that  is  done  there,  perhaps  I  should  answer  no,  and  I  am  glad 
that  I  do  differ  from  others,  for  if  all  thought  alike  what  a  same- 
ness and  monotouN-  there  would  be.  The  Public  Garden  also  fills 
its  place,  as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  from  the  blooming  of  the 
first  hyacinth  to  the  time  when  frost  destroys  the  last  hydrangea, 
many  who  cannot  get  beyond  the  borders  of  the  city  are  always 
to  be  found  there  enjoying  it.  Situated  as  it  is,  where  nei- 
ther near  nor  distant  views  can  be  obtained,  it  is  better  to  make 
it  attractive  to  the  masses,  even  if  it  does  not  in  all  points  fulfil 
the  ideal  requirements  of  good  taste,  or  is  so  judged  by  those  com- 
petent to  criticise.  I  am  sure  the  popular  vote  would  be  for  the 
Public  Garden,  and  I  venture  to  say  that  no  expenditure  made  by 
the  city  for  the  people  is  more  heartih-  appreciated  by  them. 
There  is  now  more  reason  than  ever  that  the  Public  Garden  should 
be  maintained  as  such,  especially  when  the  park  sj'stem  is  being 
so  finely  developed. 

Living  near  Franklin  Park,  I  have  been  glad,  as  opportunity 
offered,  to  go  over  it  and  watch  the  development  of  the  work. 
Last  year  a  portion  known  as  the  Playstead  was  opened  to  the 
public.  Approaching  from  "Walnut  Avenue,  you  drive  around  this 
area  of  some  thirty  acres  or  more,  bj'  the  Pierpont  and  Playstead 
roads,  and  the  Overlook,  connecting  with  the  old  Trail  road  to 
Humboldt  Avenue.  The  Glen  road,  from  Sigourney  street  to  the 
Pierpont  road,  is  finished,  forming  a  direct  route  to  Jamaica  Plain, 
and  the  circuit  drive,  from  Pierpont  road  to  Williams  street,  which 
will  eventualh'  connect  with  Forest  Hills  Avenue.  These  are 
splendid  drives,  and  no  one  can  doubt  the  wisdom  of  the  sj-stem 
that  has  been  adopted.  Everything  is  done  thoroughly  and  in 
the  best  possible  manner.  The  drives  are  already  delightful  and 
enjoyed  by  thousands  every  fine  day.  The  trees  and  shrubs,  with 
the  growth  of  a  few  short  years,  will  add  greatly  to  the  beauty  of 
the  Park,  and  as  the  time  goes  on  and  the  plans  are  carried  out,  the 
citizens  of  Boston  will  have  in  their  parks  a  system  of  developed 
beaut}'  in  nature  and  art,  unequalled  in  this  country. 

Then  there  are  the  Bussej-  Park,  and  Arnold  Arboretum, 
already  suflSciently  advanced  to  be  of  untold  interest,  especially 
the  Arboretum,  which  contains  the  largest  collection  of  named 
trees  and  shrubs  in  America,  if  not  in  the  world,  and  is  visited 
every  year   by  hundreds   seeking  information  on  the  subject  of 


100  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Arboriculture.  I  feel  that  I  cannot  say  too  much  of  the  Arbore- 
tum and  its  immense  value  ;  I  wish  I  could  be  heard  all  over  the 
land,  and  I  would  speak  of  its  value  and  benefits  more  loudly 
every  time.  I  do  not  believe  one-tenth  part  of  those  interested  in 
horticulture  begin  to  appreciate  the  value  of  the  Arboretum.  Go 
there  more  if  you  would  know  the  wealth  of  beauty  awaiting  you 
there.  We  have  in  Boston,  in  our  Park  S3'stem,  much  to  be  proud 
of;  and  with  such  men  as  Frederick  Law  Olmstead,  who  as  a 
landscape  artist  has  no  equal ;  Charles  S.  Sargent,  well  known  to 
you  all ;  and  our  friend  Jackson  Dawson,  I  am  sure  that  time  only 
is  needed  to  perfect  the  system  so  admirabh'  planned,  and  to  be 
executed  by  them,  and  when  the  plan  is  perfected  they  will 
become  the  best  known  parks  in  America. 

"Washington  Park,  Albany.  In  our  visits  this  year  at  differ- 
ent places,  finding  a  little  time  at  our  disposal,  at  the  close  of  one 
day,  we  drove  to  "Washington  Park,  in  Albany,  and  though  there 
onl}'  a  short  time,  we  were  so  favorably  impressed  with  what  we 
saw  that  I  immediately  opened  a  correspondence  with  the  Super- 
intendent, "William  S.  Egerton,  for  information  in  regard  to  it. 
Since  the  reading  of  the  paper  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  Society 
of  American  Florists,  in  Buffalo,  by  Mr.  McMillan,  Superintend- 
ent of  the  parks  there,  j'ou  have  perhaps  read  the  criticisms  on 
that  paper.  Mr.  McMillan  took  strong  ground  in  advocacy  of  a 
system  adopted  in  Buffalo,  which  admits  of  comparatively  no 
flowers  for  ornamentation  in  their  park,  and,  if  my  memory  serves 
me  rightly,  in  September  there  were  none  of  any  sort  to  be  seen, 
in  driving  through  the  park.  I  must  confess  to  great  disappoint- 
ment in  this  respect.  I  think  that,  in  a  proper  way  and  in  suita- 
ble places,  they  could  be  introduced  to  good  advantage,  and  that 
the  attractiveness  of  the  large  park  would  thus  be  greatly 
enhanced.  But  be  that  as  it  may,  we  must  give  Mr.  McMillan 
the  credit  of  being  able  to  present  his  honest  convictions  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  command  respect  for  them. 

But  we  must  return  to  Washington  Park,  which  is  situated  a 
short  distance  back  of  the  Capitol,  and  contains  ninety  acres  of 
land  with  three  miles  of  avenues,  six  miles  of  walks,  and  a  lake  of 
six  acres.  It  is  approached  from  State  Street  and  Madison  Avenue 
on  the  east,  and  from  Lexington  Street  on  the  south.  The  park 
and  garden  appeared  so  well  combined  that  I  have  obtained  from 
the  Superintendent  his  reasons  for  laying  it  out  in  this  way.  He 
(writes  as  follows : 


CEMETEKIES    AND    PAHKS.  101 

Office  of  the 

Board  of  Commissioners  of  the  Washington  Park, 

Albany,  Oct.  21,  1889. 

Mr.  John  G.  Barker,  Superintendent, 

Forest  Hills  Cemetery,  Jamaica  Plain. 

Dear  Sir  : — Your  request  for  Park  report  is  received.  This 
Board  does  not  issue  a  descriptive  report,  but  simpl}'  a  detailed 
statement  of  expenses,  which  is  sent  in  to  the  Common  Council 
soon  after  January  1  of  each  year.  The  annual  budget  is  made 
out  by  March  1  of  each  year,  is  approved  by  the  Board  and  sent 
in  to  the  Finance  Committee  of  the  Common  Council  for  insertion 
in  the  cit}'  tax  budget.  The  Board  has  under  its  supervision 
Washington  Park,  seven  small  city  parks,  and  two  miles  of  street 
or  boulevard  improvement.     The  annual  budget  is  about  $21,000. 

Washington  Park 814,000 

City  Parks 1,600 

Street  Maintenance      .         .         .         .         .  2,000 

Office  Expenses           .         .         .         .         .  150 
Salaries,  (Superintendent's  bills,  Gardener, 

Treasurer's  Clerk)    .....  3,250 


$21,000 


The  maintenance  of  Washington  Park  and  the  city  parks  will, 
I  think,  compare  favorably  with  any  of  the  parks  in  the  country, 
and  this  result  is  reached  by  a  comparatively  small  outlay.  The 
labor  is  entirely  under  the  supervision  of  the  superintendent,  and 
the  men  are  selected  and  placed  by  him  without  dictation  or  re- 
striction. The  park  management  is  outside  of  politics.  A  proper 
criticism  might  be  made  as  to  the  monotony  of  the  planting,  but 
a  large  proportion  of  the  trees  (elms)  were  established  on  the 
greater  portion  of  the  area  now  devoted  to  the  park,  before  the 
grounds  were  laid  out,  and  a  gradual  introduction  of  a  more  orna- 
mental character  of  planting  is  being  perfected  as  protection  is 
offered  by  structural  windbreaks  surrounding  the  site  on  the  north 
and  west,  and  as  the  undesirable  original  growth  disappears  with 
age,  etc.  Our  shrubbery  borders  are  extensive  and  of  great 
variety,  affording  a  succession  of  bloom  from  early  spring  until 
late  in  the  fall. 


102  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

The  article  I  enclose,  written  for  the  Sunday  Press,  June  30, 
1889,  will  give  some  idea  of  the  floral  effects. 

Washington  Park  is  of  too  small  an  area  to  secure  very  extended 
lawn  and  meadow  effects,  or  to  indulge  in  masses  of  deciduous  or 
evergreen  planting  for  distant  sky  line  perspective.  The  roads, 
walks,  etc.,  have  all  been  adjusted  to  the  existing  topographical 
features,  and  considering  the  piece  by  piece  manner  of  purchase 
of  the  park  area  and  the  resultant  changes  of  portions  of  the 
original  design  to  accommodate  these  intermittent  purchases,  the 
general  effect  of  the  park,  as  a  whole,  is  very  pleasing  and  the 
area  largel}'  exaggerated  to  the  casual  visitor. 

The  views  of  landscape  architects  or  gardeners  have  been  re- 
peatedly expressed  as  antagonistic  to  floral  eflfects,  or  the  general 
introduction  of  such  effects  in  park  ornamentation,  and  I  should 
myself  criticise  adversely  the  introduction  of  such  planting  in  a 
park  where  natural  effects  of  lawn  and  planting  are  to  be  desired 
as  the  most  pleasing 'and  lasting. 

Washington  Park  is  cen trail}'  located,  and  is  being  surrounded 
by  dwellings.  It  is  a  nursery  ground  for  children,  and  the  desire 
of  this  Board  is  to  make  it  attractive  to  all  classes  of  the  citizens. 
We  find  that  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  is  afforded  by  the  floral 
effects,  and  many  persons  owning  small  estates  in  the  suburbs  or 
countr\'  endeavor  to  introduce  similar  ornamentation  at  their  homes. 
The  "King  Fountain"  site,  where  you  probabl}'  saw  the  cannas, 
pampas  grasses,  etc.,  etc.,  is  shown  on  the  plan  enclosed.  The 
intention  is  ultimatel}'  to  have  a  fine  fountain  basin  there,  and  the 
surroundings  have  been  laid  out  somewhat  in  anticipation  of  this 
central  effect  in  the  design  ;  otherwise  the  plan  would  have  been 
very  different  at  this  point.  It  now  looks  stiff,  and  the  general 
effect  is  not  altogether  pleasing.  With  the  fountain  completed 
and  other  architectural  features  appropriately  introduced,  the  gar- 
den site  will  be  more  in  keeping  with  the  general  design.  This 
portion  of  the  park  is  overlooked  from  the  pedestrian  concourse 
above  the  terraces,  and  the  plan  of  the  garden  is  outlined  with 
great  distinctness.  The  lake  is  1750  feet  long  with  an  average 
width  of  150  feet,  and  contains  about  six  acres.  It  is  artificially 
supplied  from  the  city  mains  and  is  provided  with  an  outlet  valve 
and  proper  overflow.  In  summer,  boats  are  used,  and  in  winter, 
skating  and  curling  are  indulged  in.  The  Board  maintain  a  swing 
tender,  croquet  tender,  and  tennis  keeper,  at  their  own  expense. 


CEMETERIES    AND    TARKS.  103 

no  charge  being  made,  and  the  same  privilege  is  extended  in  the 
winter  to  skaters  ;  the  lake  being  cleaned  at  the  expense  of  the 
Board,  The  lake  house  and  refectorj'  are  rented  with  the  privi- 
lege of  restaurant  and  boat-letting. 

I   am  sorry  I  have  no  photographic  views  assimilated  in  our 
illustrated  report  to  send  you,  but  although  proud  of  the  park,  the 
Board  has  not  gone  to  that  expense  as  yet. 
Yours  sincerely, 

Wm.  S.  Egerton, 
Superintendent  and  Secretary  of  Washington  Park. 

This  exceedingly  interesting  letter  sets  forth  in  a  plain  and  clear 
manner  the  reasons  that  prompted  the  Board  of  Park  Commission- 
ers to  plan  so  liberally  and  successfully  for  the  pleasure  of  the 
citizens  of  Albany.  "When  we  saw  the  flower  beds  in  September 
they  were  in  the  height  of  perfection,  and  so  well  designed  and 
properh'  located  that  even  the  hurried  glance,  which  was  all  that 
our  time  allowed  us,  called  forth  our  admiration.  Not  only  the 
•flowers,  but  the  shrubs  were  such  fine  specimens  that  it  was  a  great 
pleasure  to  us  to  see  them.  In  the  grouping  they  were  not  the 
huddled  mass  usually  found  in  such  places,  but  planted  far  enough 
apart  to  allow  each  one  to  become  a  perfect  specimen  of  itself, 
yet  not  so  far  distant  from  each  other  that  the  intended  effect  was 
lost.  Of  course,  if  one  wishes  to  criticise  he  can  find  the  oppor- 
tunity, but  having  learned  the  object  desired  and  seen  that  it  had 
been  accomplished,  I  think  criticism  is  not  in  order.  If  we  see  a 
good  thing  we  should  say  so,  and  encourage  the  producer.  If  we 
do  not  approve  we  should  be  equally  frank  in  saying  so,  but  let  us 
be  sure  to  have  a  good  reason  for  what  we  say.  We  thought  we 
saw  a  good  thing  in  the  Albany  Park,  and  it  is  a  pleasure  to  report 
so  to  you.  The  Albany  Press  of  June  30th,  contained  the  follow- 
ing very  interesting  account  of  this  park  : 

"  The  pleasure  derived  from  viewing  foliage  and  flowering  plants, 
well  arranged  and  properly  placed,  seems  almost  universal.  There 
are  a  few  persons  whose  distaste  for  a  blaze  of  color,  and  dislike  of 
any  formal  arrangement  would  lead  them  back  to  the  days  of  the 
old  perennial  garden  of  our  forefathers,  where  everything  seemed 
to  grow  in  profusion,  in  great  variety  of  tints  and  diversity  of 
form,  and  without  any  apparent  care-taking  supervision.  This 
old-fa^ioned  garden  is  becoming  again  the  fashion,  from  the 
fact  that  formal  ribbon  borders,  Persian  or  geometrical  designs. 


104  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

and  glaring  arrangements  of  color,  have  been  so  extensive!}' 
introduced  by  some  gardeners,  at  the  fashionable  resorts,  and  to 
a  large  extent  on  pretentious  summer  estates,  that  people  natur- 
ally go  back  for  relief  from  such  arrangements  to  the  old-fash- 
ioned garden.  Apart  from  the  set  arrangement  and  blaze  of  color, 
there  is  always  a  suggestion  of  labor  and  expense  connected  with 
the  development  of  such  effects.  The  growth  of  the  floral  dis- 
play in  Washington  Park  has  been  gradual,  as  the  facilities  for 
the  propagation  of  plants,  and  the  funds  of  the  park  commission 
have  warranted.  Some  3'ears,  the  effects  have  excelled  those 
of  previous  ones,  and  then  again  there  has  been  an  apparent 
retrograde  movement,  and  the  display  has  not  been  especially 
attractive.  The  yearly  maintenance  has  given  impetus  to,  or 
retarded,  the  floral  display  in  a  ratio  proportionate  with  its 
magnitude. 

The  first  effort  made  in  floral  planting  in  Washington  Park  was 
soon  after  the  appointment  of  the  late  Robert  L.  Johnson  as 
park  commissioner  and  chairman  of  the  planting  committee. 
Not  having  at  that  time  a  propagating  house  of  sufficient  size, 
a  small  one  was  constructed  on  the  Taylor  mansion  grounds,  and 
for  two  or  three  years  with  this  little  house  and  the  assistance 
of  adjacent  hot-bed  frames,  the  gardener  was  enabled  to  propa- 
gate sufficient  plants  to  make  a  creditable  displa}'.  It  was  not, 
however,  possible  to  propagate  other  than  soft-wooded  plants  for 
bedding  purposes,  and  not  until  the  purchase,  by  the  board  of 
park  commissioners,  of  the  Taylor  mansion  grounds,  and  the 
necessary  removal  and  construction  of  the  outbuildings  and 
propagating  houses  to  the  present  site  on  the  New  Scotland  plank 
road,  was  it  possible  to  propagate  and  maintain  the  more  desira- 
ble class  of  plants  now  exhibited  at  the  Willett  street  entrance 
of  the  park.  The  effort  has  been  made  this  season  to  place 
all  the  desirable  greenhouse  plants  that  will  stand  the  exposure, 
in  the  open  grounds  and  to  secure  effects  somewhat  tropical  in 
character,  the  palms  being  placed  along  the  shady  walk  at 
Willett  street,  and  such  color  and  leaf  effects,  by  the  introduction 
of  several  varieties  of  alternautheras  in  masses  of  color,  relieved 
by  other  beds  of  agaves,  echeverias,  achyrauthes,  centaureas, 
and  geraniums. 

The  two  large  palms,  placed  in  circular  beds,  surrounded  at 
the   base  by  a  variety  of  ornamental  plants,  and  terminating  at 


CEMETERIES    AND    PARKS.  105- 

the  sod-line  with  a  border  of  hydrangeas,  were  given  to  the  park 
by  Mr.  Robert  L.  Johnson  during  his  term  as  park  commissioner, 
and  an  extra  effort  was  made  this  season  to  place  them  in  the 
open  ground,  to  relieve  the  low  effects  of  the  surrounding 
planting. 

The  arrangement  of  the  beds,  on  and  adjacent  to  the  site  of 
that  long  dela3-ed  King  Fountain,  owing  to  the  exposure  to  sun 
and  wind,  is  entirely  different  from  that  of  the  Willett  street  side- 
of  the  park.  To  relieve  the  open,  flat  character  of  the  surface, 
varied  beds  of  caunas,  and  proper  edgings  of  plants  for  contrast 
of  color  are  introduced,  with  circular  beds  of  pampas  grasses  at 
the  walk  intersections.  The  walks  are  bordered  with  varieties  of 
geraniums,  relieved  by  circular  beds  of  achyranthes.  In  the 
large  center  bed,  are  fine  specimens  of  agaves  and  rare  echeve- 
rias,  and  masses  of  heliotrope  perfume  the  surroundings.  The 
full  and  final  effect  of  this  arrangement  will  not  be  secured  before 
the  latter  part  of  August  when  the  cannas  are  fully  developed  and 
the  pampas  grasses  are  in  bloom.  The  many  varieties  of  coleus, 
formerly  used  in  the  ribbon  borders,  have  been  discarded  and 
geraniums  substituted,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  low  temperature 
in  early  June  and  the  cold  nights  of  August,  often  blights  these 
plants,  and  thus  mars  the  effect  of  color  much  sooner  than  the 
varieties  of  geraniums  selected. 

"What  seems  to  be  especially  desired  to  prolong  and  concen- 
trate not  onl}'  the  floral  but  the  foliage  effects  in  Washington 
Park,  is  the  construction  of  a  commodious  range  of  ornamental 
greenhouses,  to  be  located  on  the  plateau,  between  the  ravine 
drive  and  Englewood  Place — a  central  structure  sufficiently  large 
to  accommodate  large  palms,  tree  ferns,  bananas,  and  tropical 
growths,  flanked  by  houses  for  the  protection  of  rare  and 
interesting  specimens  of  foreign  plants ;  a  structure  accessible  at 
all  seasons,  particularly  the  winter  season,  to  the  public.  This 
would  make  the  park  more  attractive  during  the  winter  months, 
and  afford  a  generous  provision  for  the  summer  decoration  of  the 
lawns  without  resorting  to  the  soft-wooded  species  of  plants. 
There  is  a  fine  opportunity  for  some  one,  a  lover  of  foliage  and 
flowers,  and  of  plethoric  purse,  to  donate  a  suitable  structure  of 
this  kind  to  the  park. 

A  comparison  being  made  of  the  effects  secured  in  "Washington 
Park,  at   a   comparatively  small   outlay,  with   those   to  be  seen 


106  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETT. 

in  the  more  extensive  and  pretentious  parks  of  the  eastern  and 
western  cities,  is  very  favorable  to  us. 

This  fall,  subsequently  to  the  removal  of  the  present  border 
plants  by  frost,  several  thousand  hyacinth,  tulip,  and  kindred 
bulbs  will  be  placed  in  the  borders  to  give  an  early  spring  effect, 
during  the  months  of  April  and  May,  in  order  that  the  beds 
ma}-  not  present  such  a  bare  character  at  this  season.  These 
plants  will  be  removed  and  followed  by  the  usual  decorations 
for  the  subsequent  summer  months.  A  large  number  of  aquatic 
plants  were  placed  in  prepared  beds  along  the  lake  margins 
last  spring.  These  will  bloom  in  the  season  of  1890.  The 
Egyptian  and  American  lotus,  the  pink  and  common  white  water 
lilies,  and  several  indigenous  water  plants  have  taken  root,  and, 
if  not  disturbed,  will  flower  next  season. 

If  the  King  Fountain  is  constructed,  there  will  be  an  oppor- 
tunity for  a  generous  displaj'  of  rare  aquatic  plants  around  the 
rim  of  the  basin,  and  we  may  arrive  at  that  progressive  stage 
when  the  Victoria  regia  may  bloom  in  a  properly  arranged  and 
protected  pond.  There  are  possibilities  and  opportunities  for 
a  fine  arboretum  on  the  Almshouse  grounds,  where  the  botanical 
students  of  the  Normal,  High,  and  public  schools  could  find 
specimens  for  stud}-  and  comparison. 

A  small  beginning  has  been  made  in  the  introduction  of  hardy 
perennials  along  the  Willett  street  walk,  but  the  location  is 
too  much  shaded,  and  these  plants  will  probably  be  removed  to 
a  more  congenial  and  sunny  exposure,  and  planted  with  some 
discrimination  as  to  size,  foliage,  and  time  of  blooming. 

There  has  been  too  much  rain  and  too  little  sunshine  for  the 
proper  growth  of  almost  all  the  varieties  of  bedding  plants  this 
season,  and  some  of  the  echeverias,  if  a  timeh'  forethought  in 
the  admixture  of  plenty  of  sand  in  the  beds  had  not  prevented, 
would  have  rotted  because  of  too  much  moisture. 

The  gardener  is  now  struggling  with  the  hay  and  grass,  to 
get  the  lawns  readv  for  the  glorious  Fourth,  when  hundreds  of 
the  orphan  children  will  be  entertained  in  the  afternoon  at  the 
children's  playground  near  the  refectory ;  and  the  aldermanie 
display  of  fireworks  (value  $600)  will  take  place  at  the  site  of 
the  ice  fort  of  two  winters  ago. 

The  lawns  will  be  open  to  the  public  on  the  Fourth  of  July, 
except  where  the  shrubber}-  is  dense  and  the  flowers  are  planted, 


CEMETERIES    AND    PARKS.  107 

and  it  is  expected  that  the  public  will  appreciate  and  respect 
this  privilege. 

Lawn  tennis  is  the  rage  in  Washington  Park  this  season. 
Thirteen  conrts  are  in  full  blast  and  more  are  asked  for.  Madi- 
son avenue  is  well  represented  by  the  3'outh  of  that  locality. 
The  only  trouble  the  attendant  in  charge  has,  is  to  restrict  some 
enthusiasts  to  reasonable  limits  of  time,  giving  an  occasional 
opportunit}'  for  others  to  play.  Some  definite  rules  will  be 
shortly  posted  as  to  the  time  allotted  for  the  use  of  each  court, 
and  a  restriction  will  be  made  as  to  the  use  of  lawn  tennis  shoes 
when  playing,  in  order  to  preserve  the  turf." 

A  continued  correspondence  with  Mr.  Egerton  brought  from 
him  an  expression  of  his  ideas  on  the  much  discussed  park  sys- 
tem, and  the  use  of  flowers  as  an  ornamental  feature  ;  he  says  : 

"  In  answer  to  an  inquiry  from  Buffalo  with  reference  to  the  use 
■of  flowers  as  an  ornamental  feature  in  the  public  parks  of  Albany, 
I  wrote  some  weeks  since  as  follows  :  '  Three  of  the  smaller  city 
parks  have  some  floral  embellishment.  In  TVashington  Park  the 
floral  planting  is  confined  to  two  localities,  especiall}-  designed  for 
architectural  features  to  be  utilized  in  connection  with  the  use  of 
flowers  :  first,  the  King  Fountain  site,  which  is  formal  in  outline, 
something  like  the  immediate  surroundings  of  the  Washington 
Monument  in  the  Boston  Public  Garden  ;  and  second,  the  Willett 
Street  side  of  the  park,  where  the  disjDlay  is  not  obtrusive  and 
does  not  interfere  with  lines  of  sight  across  the  park,  or  project 
prominently  into  the  lawn  effects,  more  centrally  located.  The 
planting  is  formal.  The  promiscuous  introduction  of  flower  beds 
over  a  park  area  is  not  in  good  taste,  and  should  not  be  encour- 
aged. It  is  more  economical,  and  better  in  every  way,  if  floral 
planting  is  used  as  a  relief  to  some  formal  design  in  architecture 
or  planting  to  concentrate  the  effects  in  contiguous  localities  or  the 
immediate  surroundings,  than  to  spoil  the  harmony  of  a  long  sweep 
of  turf  b}'  the  introduction  of  patches  of  brilliant  coloring,  as  is 
frequently  done  in  some  of  the  public  parks  and  gardens. 

Flowers  and  foliage  plants  have  their  place  in  park  embellish- 
ments, and  I  think  the  great  majority'  of  people  frequenting  the 
public  parks  enjoy  flowers  and  floral  effects,  when  properly  and 
tastefully  arranged  and  appropriately  placed.  A  blaze  of  color, 
set  patterns  in  foliage  plants,  and  bizarre  effects,  are  unnatural, 
not  pleasing,  and  tiresome,  and  I  know  of  no  feature  in  park  era- 


108  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETr. 

bellishments,  that  requires  more  taste,  careful  stud}',  and  unre- 
mitting attention,  than  a  well  arranged  flower  garden. 

It  is  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  for  a  florist  or  gardener  ta 
spoil  the  entire  harmony  and  pleasing  efl["eets  of  an  otherwise 
beautiful  landscape  by  the  introduction  of  senseless  patches  of 
color  and  set  patterns  in  foliage  plants. 

The  taste  for  ribbon  and  carpet  gardening  is  fast  disappearing, 
from  the  simple  fact  that  it  has  been  overdone.  The  summer  re- 
sorts b}'  the  sea  and  inland,  pretentious  estates  and  parks,  —  all 
have  contributed  to  the  nausea,  if  I  may  so  term  it,  for  the  labored, 
stiff  formality  of  carpet  gardening. 

From  this  extreme  on  the  one  side,  a  great  manj-  have  found 
relief  in  the  simple  effects  to  be  obtained  from  the  herbaceous 
border  and  the  perennial  plants  of  our  forefathers. 

Then  there  is  a  medium  line,  I  think  more  pleasing  and  in  good 
taste,  where  the  introduction  of  Palms,  Bananas,  Grasses,  Cannas,. 
Agaves  and  similar  semi-tropical  plants,  supplemented  by  a 
judicious  use  of  flowering  shrubs  and  perennial  plants,  afl'ords 
opportunities  for  graceful  effects  in  foliage  and  color.  These,  with 
the  more  subdued  ef[ects  of  beds  of  foliage  plants  less  glaring  in 
color,  are  in  greater  harmony,  more  effective  and  more  satisfjing. 

It  is  sometimes  desirable  to  obtain  a  succession  of  effects,  and 
in  the  early  spring  months,  when  the  beds  are  usuall}'  bare,  and 
present  a  cold  appearance,  with  the  surrounding  green  of  the 
lawns,  a  blaze  of  color  in  tulips  and  early  spring  bulbs  is  welcomed 
by  all  as  a  harbinger  of  coming  summer  glories,  and  is  gratefully 
appreciated. 

The  early  annuals  tide  over  the  otherwise  vacant  weeks,  until 
it  is  time  to  put  out  the  less  hardy  material,  stored  during  the 
winter  months  in  greenhouses  and  cold  frames. 

The  gardener's  cottage,  storage  houses,  propagating  houses  and 
nursery,  are  what  might  be  termed  the  ultimate  requirements 
of  the  park,  and  have  been  placed  without  the  park  limits,  but 
contiguous  thereto. 

We  have  as  yet  no  ornamental  house,  or  winter  garden,  but 
I  think  where  a  park  is  much  frequented  in  winter,  for  skating,, 
driving,  etc.,  such  a  feature  is  a  desirable  acquisition,  if  the  city 
can  afford  the  expense. 

A  large  ornamental  greenhouse  or  palm  house,  or  range  of 
ornamental  houses,  capable  of  storing  tropical  plants,  arranged  as- 


CEMETERIES    AND    PARKS.  109 

a  tropical  garden,  for  the  winter  months,  and  open  to  the  public 
at  all  seasons,  is  a  very  desirable  and  attractive  feature.  In 
summer  also,  when  flanked  b}'  flower  beds  in  more  or  less  formal 
arrangement,  it  presents  a  picture  entirely  in  harmony  with  the 
general  design  of  a  park,  if  it  is  so  placed  as  not  to  be  central  and 
too  conspicious  a  feature.  Back  of  these  can  be  economically 
grouped  and  properly  screened  the  propagating  houses,  gardener's 
cottage,  etc. 

About  twelve  thousand  tulips,  fifty  thousand  bedding  plants,  and 
one  hundred  palms,  etc.,  are  utilized  during  the  season  for  the 
Albany  parks.  The  effects  obtained  seem  to  be  gratifying  to  our 
citizens,  and  particularly  so  to  strangers  from  the  larger  cities 
sojourning  temporarily  in  our  midst  or  passing  through  Albany.'  " 

Mr.  President.,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  If  I  have  not  succeeded 
in  interesting  you,  I  have  in  detaining  you.  Rather  than  to  thrust 
upon  you  my  own  views  of  Cemeteries  and  Parks,  I  have  brought 
jou  the  thoughts  and  suggestions  of  others,  a  free  and  open  ex- 
change of  which  is  always  helpful,  and  I  have  found  exceedingly 
beneficial.  While  much  can  and  I  hope  will  be  said,  written,  and 
published  on  both  subjects,  we  must  never  lose  sight  of  one  very 
important  fact — that  adaptation  in  what  we  do  should  be  our  guid- 
ing rule,  whether  it  is  a  cemetery  to  be  laid  out,  or  one  to  be  en- 
larged and  improved,  either  in  a  citj',  a  suburban  town,  or  a  country 
village,  or  if  a  park,  whether  it  is  in  and  for  a  city,  or  in  the 
suburbs, — all  these  considerations  must  be  known  before  we  can 
plan  successfully.  What  will  be  right  in  one  place,  will  not  serve 
in  another.  In  all  be  sure  that  3'ou  plan  your  work  well  and  can 
have  the  plans  successfully  carried  out.  Maj-  we  not  sincerely' 
hope  that  as  a  Society,  our  influence  will  be  felt  wherever  we  are 
known,  not  only  in  the  line  of  thought  to  which  you  have  so 
kindly  given  your  attention  today,  but  in  every  line  that  will  help 
to  elevate  the  noble  art  in  which  we  are  all  so  heartily  and 
earnestly  engaged. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  paper,  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Barker 
for  his  very  full  and  interesting  description  of  the  manj'  cemeteries 
and  parks  he  had  recently  visited,  was  unanimously  passed. 


110  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 


Discussion. 

John  C.  Hovey  said  that  it  was  largel}'  through  the  genius  and 
energy  of  the  first  President  of  this  Society,  General  Henry  A.  S. 
Dearborn,  that  the  first  rural  cemetery,  Mount  Auburn,  was 
established.  This  was  in  1831,  and  in  1848  Forest  Hills  Cemetery 
in  Roxbury  was  consecrated  and  for  this  also  we  are  mainly 
indebted  to  General  Dearborn.  The  paper  just  read  shows  what 
has  been  the  influence  of  these  cemeteries,  not  only  in  this  vicin- 
ity, but  through  the  whole  country. 

Henry  Ross,  said  that  he  has  charge  of  one  of  those  country 
cemeteries  (at  Newton)  referred  to  as  being,  in  its  design  and 
development,  inspired  b}'  Mount  Auburn  and  Forest  Hills.  How 
cemeteries  shall  be  planned  at  the  outset  is  one  of  the  most 
important  points  for  their  projectors  to  decide.  The  landscape- 
lawn  plan  is  generally  the  most  practicable.  In  grading,  we 
should,  as  a  rule,  follow  the  natural  lay  of  the  land,  keeping  all 
the  undulations,  and  varying  from  nature  only  to  make  the  scene 
more  beautiful.  In  cases  where  there  is  too  little  undulation,  it 
is  eas}'  to  raise  up  hills  to  break  the  monotony.  He  would  first 
lay  out  avenues.  These  should  have  an  easy  grade,  which  can  be 
secured  by  winding  round  the  graceful  curves  of  higher  grounds, 
or  the  sides  of  depressions,  avoiding  all  cuts  and  fillings  as  much 
as  possible.  In  selecting  material  for  roadway  construction,  one 
must  be  governed  b}"^  the  circumstances  of  location.  In  loose 
gravel,  as  at  Newton,  he  would  grade  with  the  natural  gravel, 
then  lay  on  four  or  five  inches  of  blue  gravel  if  it  can  be  obtained  ; 
if  not,  then  gravel  mixed  with  a  little  cla}-.  In  a  stiff  clay  soil, 
the  roadway  should  be  dug  out  two  feet  deep,  and  from  one  foot 
to  fifteen  inches  of  broken  stone  put  in  ;  then  two  inches  of  sand, 
and  from  four  to  six  inches  of  binding  gravel  to  finish.  Avenues 
forty  feet  wide,  of  which  we  sometimes  hear,  are  inconsistent  with 
the  landscape-lawn  plan.  The}'  should  never  be  over  eighteen  or 
twenty  feet,  except  within  from  two  hundred  to  four  hundred  feet 
of  the  entrance  gate.  He  would  not  have  gravel  walks.  All 
pathways  should  be  sodded,  and  the  grass  kept  short  b}"^  frequent 
use  of  the  lawn  mower.  By  this  method,  while  securing  greater 
symmetry  in  the  plan,  a  large  saving  of  expense  is  effected,  both 
in  making  of  walks,  and  in  keeping  them  clean  and  in  good  repair. 


CEMETERIES    AND    PARKS.  Ill 

When  it  is  necessary  to  use  these  grassy  paths  in  wet  weather,  it 
is  the  practice  of  some  to  cover  them,  and,  if  needful,  a  part  of  a 
lot  also,  with  straw  matting,  upon  which  the  people  can  walk,  or 
stand  with  less  discomfort.  There  should  be  as  much  lawn  as 
possible.  He  would  have  flowers  also,  but  would  do  away  with 
geometrical  flower  beds  except  near  the  entrance  gateways,  and 
connected  buildings,  where  they  blend  more  harmoniously  with 
the  surroundings.  Mr.  Ross  confessed  that  his  taste  for  ever- 
greens was  growing.  He  would  have  ornamental  grounds  filled 
with  a  variety  of  dwarf  evergreens,  including  dark  green,  bright 
green,  and  golden,  planted  with  artistic  taste  and  skill.  He  had 
taken  out  deciduous  shrubs  standing  in  improper  places,  and 
substituted  evergreens.  He  declared  himself  a  much  less  stronsr 
advocate  of  deciduous  shrubs,  in  lawn  or  park,  than  formerly. 
The  varieties  of  evergreens  we  now  have  are  available  to  form 
winter  gardens.  A  mass  of  assorted  evergreens,  artistically 
arranged,  makes  a  pleasing  contrast  with  the  general  sombreness 
of  early  winter  scenerj^,  and  forms  one  of  the  kinds  of  ornamenta- 
tion which  we  need.  He  would  not  recommend  great  rows  of  tall 
evergreens.  Speaking  of  ornamental  water,  he  quoted  the  remark 
made  by  a  playmate  of  his  in  boyhood  days  :  "I  like  that  pond, 
it  does  not  look  like  a  washbowl,"  as  showing  the  necessity  of 
giving  to  artificially  formed  bodies  of  water  that  diversity  of 
outline  which  is  so  charming  a  feature  of  natural  lakes.  Another 
point,  upon  which  Mr.  Ross  laid  some  emphasis,  was,  that  no  lots 
should  be  sold  until  they  have  been  graded. 

William  J.  Hargraves,  objected  to  having  sand  next  above  the 
broken  stones  in  the  road-bed  of  cemetery  avenues.  Instead  of 
that  he  would  use  material  of  a  binding  nature. 

Mr.  Ross  replied  that  sand  in  Newton  will  always  let  water 
through,  and  keep  everything  in  place. 

Mr.  Barker  said  that  Forest  Hills  Cemetery  is  not  one  of  the 
landscape-lawn  class,  because  it  was  not  started  as  such.  It  is  a 
garden  cemetery.  His  purpose  in  the  paper  read  was  to  describe 
what  he  saw  in  the  several  places  he  visited.  But  he  did  not 
mean  to  be  understood  as  commending  all  that  he  described,  and 
wished  for  kindly  criticism  from  all  his  hearers. 

O.  B.  Hadwen  thought  there  might  be  considerable  dust  in  Mr. 
Ross's  avenues.  That  could  be  prevented  by  having  them 
concreted.     A  cemetery  should  be  quiet,  and  free  from  the  noise 


112  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETT. 

of  carriages  over  gravel  roads.  The  whole  subject  is  oue  of 
great  interest  to  the  people,  not  onl}'  of  this  State  but  of  other 
States  also. 

Mr.  Ross  would  have  a  cemetery  made  as  natural  as  possible. 
He  considered  concrete  too  artificial  for  such  grounds.  As  for 
noise,  he  thought  a  carriage  would  make  no  more  noise  passing 
over  a  good,  hard,  well-made  gravel  road  than  on  a  concreted 
avenue. 

Mr.  Hovey  doubted  whether  anj-  one  system,  plan,  or  method 
could  be  devised  for  use  in  cemeteries,  that  would  be  acceptable  to 
people  generally.  Tastes  differ  greatlj' ;  some  like  one  thing,  some 
another.  Some  may  not  like  what  is  termed  landscape  gardening, 
but  prefer  what  is  more  after  Nature. 

Announcement  was  made  that  Professor  G.  H.  Whitcher, 
Director  of  the  New  Hampshire  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
Hanover,  N.  H.,  would  read  a  paper  on  the  "  Growth  and  Nutri- 
tion of  Plants,"  at  the  meeting  on  the  next  Saturday. 


BUSINESS   MEETING. 

Saturday,  February  22,  1890. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at  half-past 
■eleven  o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spoouer  in  the  Chair. 

The  Committee  to  nominate  a  Window  Gardening  Committee 
for  the  )'ear  1890,  reported  the  following  names  : 

Mrs.  Henrietta  L.  T.  Wolcott,         Henry  L,  Clapp, 

Miss  Sarah  W.  Story,  E.  H.  Hitchings, 

Marshall  B.  Faxon. 

The  report  was  accepted  and  adopted,  and  the  persons  named 
therein  were  elected  members  of  the  Committee  on  Window 
Gardening. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  March  1,  at  half-past  eleven  o'clock. 


THE    GROWTH   AND    NUTRITION    OF   PLANTS.  113 

MEETING   FOR   DISCUSSION. 
The  Growth   and  Nutrition  of  Plants. 

By  Professor  G.  H.  Whitcher,  Director  of  the  New  Hampshire  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment Station,  Hanover,  N.  H. 

Mr.  President^  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : 

The  following  general  heads  will  indicate  the  line  of  my  talk 
today : 

1st.     The  Chemical  Composition  of  Plants. 

2nd.  "Whence  the  elements,  from  which  these  parts  are  made 
Dp,  are  derived. 

3rd.     Are  all  of  these  parts  of  equal  importance? 

4th.     Definition  of  terms,  fertilizer,  plant  food,  etc. 

oth.     How  do  we  feed  plants  and  where  get  the  material  ? 

6th.  How  shall  we  decide  upon  the  right  food  and  the  best 
combination,  under  any  given  conditions? 

7th.     Farm-yard  manure  compared  with  chemicals. 

8th.  Chemicals  compared  with  prepared  or  commercial  fertili- 
zers. 

Each  of  these  heads  would  easily  occupy  an  hour,  but  by  con- 
densation, I  hope  to  touch  upon  all  of  them  in  one  hour. 

(1.)  Chemical  Composition  of  Plants. —  Chemical  analysis 
shows  us  that  all  growing  plants,  or  air  dried  fodders,  contain  a 
variety  of  substances  having  unlike  properties.  Thus,  water,  starch, 
sugar,  oil,  fibre,  albuminoids,  and  ash  are  found.  Now  if  we  are 
to  form  an  acquaintance  with  plants,  we  ought  clearly  to  see  and 
know  these  facts. 

A  green  plant  is  cut,  taken  to  the  laboratory,  and  a  fair  sample 
of  the  whole  is  weighed,  and  then  dried  in  an  oven  at  212°  until 
it  ceases  to  lose  weight.     The  loss  is  loater. 

A  field  of  standing  grass  is  cut  on  a  bright  day,  and  in  twelve 
hours  it  has  lost  from  one-half  to  two-thirds  of  its  weight,  and 
this  loss  is  icater. 

A  potato  is  grated  in  water  and  the  fine  parts  sink  to  the 
bottom.  By  washing  and  settling  several  times,  almost  pure 
starch  is  obtained. 

The  seeds  of  the  cotton  plant,  if  subjected  to  pressure,  yield  a 
considerable  amount  of  oil. 
8 


114 


MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 


Kernels  of  wheat,  if  ground  and  mixed  into  dough,  and  this 
dough  washed  for  a  long  time  in  water,  give  a  tough,  gluey  sub- 
stance known  as  gluten. 

A  piece  of  sugar  beet  if  boiled  in  alcohol  yields,  on  drying 
away  the  alcohol,  sugar. 

Any  plant  if  subjected  to  the  consuming  flame,  leaves  behind 
an  indestructible  part  called  ash.  Now  all  plants  have  most  of 
these  substances ;  in  some,  one  predominates ;  in  others,  other 
parts  are  prominent,  e.  g.  sugar  in  the  beet,  starch  in  the  potato, 
oil  in  cotton  seed,  etc.  For  the  purpose  of  bringing  out  more 
clearly  the  facts  thus  far  stated,  I  have  given  below  the  composi- 
tion, in  pounds  per  acre,  of  two  crops — one  Ensilage,  yielding 
twenty  tons  per  acre  ;  the  other  Hay,  yielding  two  tons  as  cured 
and  put  in  the  barn. 


Ensilage 

,     Hay,  12,000 

40,000  lbs 

.     lbs 

.,  as  cut. 

"Water,  when  cut,        .... 

32,580 

8,291 

Starch,         

1,394 

1,425 

Sugar, 

2,800 

220 

Fibre,           

1,825 

1,240 

Gum, 

— 

125 

Fat,               

237 

160 

Coloring  matter,          .... 

— 

19 

Albuminoids  |  ^''^"^  ««°^^"S  from  air, 

l  Nitrogen  coming  from  soil, 

643 

285 

113 

55 

Ash,             

408 

180 

Total  from  soil,    .... 
Total  from  air,      .... 

521 

235 

39,479 

11,765 

Ash  Contains 

Phosphoric  acid,           .... 

.       44 

17 

Potash, 

120 

77 

Soda, 

17 

H 

Lime,           

60 

20 

Silica, 

150 

531 

Magnesia, 

17 

lOi 

408 


180 


(2.)  Source  of  these  Substances. —  Plants  do  not  find  sugar, 
starch,  etc.,  in  the  soil,  nor  in  the  air,  but  the}'  do  find,  either  in 
the  soil  or  air  or  both,  the  elements  from  which  to  make  these 
materials.  Water  comes  from  the  air  as  rain  or  snow,  is  stored 
in  the  soil  and  taken  up  by  the  roots  of  the  plant,  and,  as  this 


THE    GROWTH    AND    NUTRITIOX    OF    PLANTS.  115 

forms  a  very  large  per  cent  of  all  growing  plants,  it  is  seen  that 
the  larger  part  of  the  plant  comes  from  the  air.  But  is  the  water 
all  that  comes  from  the  air? 

Starch,  sugar,  fibre,  gum,  and  oil  are  made  up  of  three  elements, 
namely:  Carbon,  Hydrogen,  and  Oxygen.  The  carbon  in  all  of 
these  comes  from  the  carbonic  acid  gas  which  exists  in  the  air. 
The  hydrogen  and  oxygen  come  from  water,  which  is  made  up  of 
these  two  elements.  Again  about  eighty-four  per  cent  of  the 
albuminoids  are  composed  of  the  same  three  elements.  That 
such  is  the  source  of  the  plant  substance,  has  been  thoroughly 
proved  by  numerous  experiments.  Thus  it  appears  that  39,479 
pounds  out  of  40,000  pounds  in  the  ensilage  crop  came  from  the 
air,  and  that  11,765  pounds  out  of  12,000  of  the  grass  crop  as 
cut,  came  from  the  same  source  (12,000  lbs.  of  grass,  in  drying 
in  the  field,  must  lose  8,000  lbs.  of  water,  leaving  4,000  lbs.  of 
dry  hay). 

We  are  left  in  doubt  as  to  the  origin  of  the  nitrogen  of  the  crop. 
Experimenters  differ  in  their  conclusions  as  to  this  element,  but 
we  will  place  it  in  the  list  of  substances  that  come  from  the  soil. 
Doing  this,  we  find  that  521  lbs.  of  the  40  tons  of  ensilage,  is  all 
that  comes  from  the  soil,  while  in  the  grass  crop  only  235  lbs. 
can,  by  any  means,  be  regarded  as  originating  in  the  soil.  Hence 
we  may  well  abandon  the  too  common  idea  that  the  bulk  of  the 
growing  plant  is  made  up  of  elements  which  come  from  and 
therefore  exhaust  the  soil. 

(3.)  Are  all  of  the  Parts  that  Come  from  the  Soil  of  Equal 
Importance?  The  answer  must  be  that  they  are  not.  In  the 
foregoing  tabular  statement,  are  given  the  substances  which  make 
up  the  ash  of  the  crops  we  are  considering  ;  now  by  experiments 
of  various  kinds  it  has  been  found  that  magnesia  is  necessary  for 
the  perfect  growth  of  the  plant,  but  it  is  also  true  that  in  most 
soils  the  supply  is  abundant,  so  that  for  all  practical  purposes 
magnesia  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  an  essential  element. 

Silica  has  been  shown  to  be  an  unimportant  substance,  since 
plants  may  be  grown  and  matured  in  solutions  where  there  is  no 
silica  present.  Lime  is  absolutely  essential  to  the  plants. 
Plants  having  every  other  element  within  their  reach  fail  to  grow, 
but  the  addition  of  lime  immediately  causes  the  building  up 
processes  of  the  plant  to  become  active. 

But  lime  is  a  very  common  and  abundant  constituent  of  most 


116 


MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 


soils.  It  seldom  becomes  exhausted,  and  while  it  is  possible,  and 
doubtless  true  of  some  lands,  that  they  are  deficient  in  lime,  yet 
it  is  probably  also  true  that  the  greater  part  of  New  England  is 
well  supplied  with  this  form  of  plant  food.  Lime  maj',  however, 
act  as  a  fertilizer  on  soils  which,  in  themselves,  are  well  charged, 
and  it  seems  certain  that  a  part  of  the  beneficial  effects  of  liming 
land  are  due  to  its  indirect  action  on  the  soil,  b}-  which  some  of 
the  unavailable  parts  of  the  soil  are  rendered  available. 

Soda  is  not  regarded  as  a  necessary  constituent  of  plants 
though  it  is  usuallj^  present. 

Potash  is  not  only  essential,  but  is  lacking  in  many  soils  that 
have  been  cropped  for  a  long  time.  Phosphoric  acid,  too,  is 
equally  important  and  probably  about  equally  deficient  in  soils, — 
that  is,  in  an  available  form. 

"Deficient  Plant  Food"  Removed  bt  Various  Crops. 


N. 

P2  QS. 

K2  O. 

Total. 

Ratio  of 

P2  06  to 

K2  O. 

Corn,  Ears  and  Fodder,  97  bu.. 

761 

B5h 

82h 

1941 

1:  2.3 

Oats,  Grain  and  Straw,  47  bu.,    . 

431 

J5i 

51i 

llOi 

1:3.3 

Hay,  3  tons,        .... 

60 

21 

95i 

176i 

1:  4.5 

Potatoes,  200  bu.,       . 

38i 

21i 

67 

127 

1:  3.1 

Clover,  li  tons, 

64 

17 

58i 

139i 

1:  3.5 

Wheat,  15  bu.,    . 

25  i 

12i 

15 

52i 

1:  1.2 

Beans,  20  bu.,     . 

75 

20i 

531 

149i 

1:  2.6 

Ensilage,  20  tons, 

113 

44 

120 

277 

1:  2.7 

Average,       .... 

62 

23.4 

67.97 

1:2.9 

The  above  table  shows  what  various  common  crops  remove 
from  the  soil, —  that  is,  the  parts  which  we  have  to  consider, 
when  fertilizing  to  prevent  exhaustion  or  to  restore  fertility, 
namely  ;  Nitrogen,  Phosphoric  Acid,  and  Potash.  The  experience 
of  farmers  and  the  experiments  of  scientists  lead  us  to  the  same  gen- 
eral conclusion,  namely:  that  these  three  substances  are  the  ones 
that  become  exhausted  when  soils  once  profitable  become  so  far 
reduced  in  producing  capacity  that  they  no  longer  pay. 


THE  GROWTH  AND  NUTRITION  OF  PLANTS.      117 

(4.)  Definitions. —  Plant  food  is  any  substance,  which  con- 
tributes towards  the  nourishment  of  the  plant  —  e.  g.  carbonic 
acid,  water,  nitric  acid,  potash,  etc.  But  a  considerable  part  of 
this  food,  nature  provides  in  abundant  quantities,  free  of  cost. 

Deficient  plant  food  is  that  part  which  becomes  so  diminished, 
in  an  available  form  at  least,  that  the  crop  producing  power  of 
the  soil  is  materiallj'  reduced,  e.  g.  nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid, 
potash. 

A  Fertilize^'  is  any  substance  which  contains  available  deficient 
plant  food. 

A  Commercial,  or  "prepared,"  fertilizer  refers  to  any  of  the 
goods  mixed  and  put  up  in  bags  or  barrels,  and  sold  under  a 
guarantee  of  composition. 

Chemical  fertilizers  are  those  which  are  compounded  from  such 
crude  fertilizing  chemicals,  as  bone  black.  South  Carolina  rock, 
muriate  of  potash,  kainit,  nitrate  of  soda,  sulphate  of  ammonia, 
etc. 

Manures  are  the  natural  excrement  of  animals  of  all  kinds,  and 
are  as  truly  fertilizers  as  is  any  sacked  or  barrelled  material, 
though  in  common  acceptance,  manures  are  looked  upon  as  being 
unlike  commercial  goods  in  their  action  on  crops.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  they  feed  the  plant  on  those  things  which  it  needs  most,  just 
as  the  prepared  fertilizers  or  chemicals  do.  Hence  there  is  no 
valid  distinction  between  natural  and  artificial  fertilizers. 

Farm-yard  manure  is,  and  always  will  be,  a  standard  fertilizer 
in  all  agricultural  communities  where  live  stock  husbandry  is 
practised.  Hence  an  intelligent  and  economical  plan  of  storage 
and  use  is  imperative.  But  today  I  propose  to  consider  more 
especially  the  conditions  that  have  led  to  an  universal  use,  in  all 
old  agricultural  regions,  of  waste  products  as  aids  to  manures. 

There  are  some  who  hold  that  there  is  no  more  need  today  of 
commercial  or  chemical  fertilizers  than  there  was  a  half  century 
ago,  if  only  the  manures  of  tlie  farm  are  saved  and  used  rightly. 
This  cannot  be  well  maintained.  In  any  system  of  farming,  there 
must  be  some  product  sold,  else  there  is  no  cash  coming  in,  and  if 
crops  or  animals  are  sold,  then  to  some  extent  nitrogen,  phos- 
phoric acid,  and  potash  are  sold,  and  the  vast  quantities  of  these 
substances,  which  the  sewers  of  Boston,  New  York,  and  the 
multitude  of  cities  and  villages  throughout  our  land  daily  pour 
out  into  the   ocean,    represent  just    so  much   soil-fertility   gone 


118  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

from  the  cultivated  fields.  There  is  no  method  of  even  approxi- 
mating this  loss,  so  far  as  I  know,  but  that  it  is  enormous  no  one 
can  deny. 

The  eminent  French  scientist,  Grandeau,  estimates  that  one 
3-ear's  crops  in  France  represent  298,200  tons  of  phosphoric  acid. 
Of  this  only  151,000  tons  were  received,  leaving  a  deficiency  of 
147,000  tons  of  this  one  form  of  plant  food  which  must  be  made 
up  from  outside  sources,  and  right  here  is  where  the  use  of  com- 
mercial and  chemical  fertilizers  comes  in. 

Some  say,  "buy  grain,"  thus  adding  to  j'our  farm  some  elements 
brought  from  another  farm.  Very  good,  as  far  as  it  goes.  We 
can  and  we  do  replenish  our  soils,  at  the  expense  of  the  West 
and  South.  When  we  bu}'  a  ton  of  shorts,  or  of  cotton  seed,  or 
of  corn  meal,  we  are  transferring  plant  food  from  the  land  where 
these  grew,  to  the  soil  where  the  manure  from  the  animals  to 
which  they  are  fed,  is  used.  From  the  narrow  local  horizon  this 
is  right,  and  so  long  as  the  West  and  South  do  not  object,  we 
should  continue  this.  But,  from  the  broad  view  of  the  whole 
country,  this  is  poor  policy,  and  that  system  of  agriculture  which 
shall  be  permanently  successful  must  feed  its  crops,  so  far  as 
possible,  where  the}'  grew,  concentrating  bulk}'  crops  into  compact 
animal  products,  and  leaving  as  much  as  possible  of  the  deficient 
plaut  food  on  the  land.  But  under  the  best  management,  the 
elements  of  soil- fertility  which  our  rivers  carry  into  the  sea  must, 
or  should,  be  made  good  by  utilizing  all  waste  products  from 
slaughter  houses,  gas  works,  iron  furnaces,  and  various  other 
manufactories,  as  well  as  the  stored-up  mineral  wealth  which 
is  found  in  many  countries. 

(o.)  The  feeding  of  plants  is  not  essentially  different  from  the 
feeding  of  animals,  except  that  the  soil,  in  itself,  contains  most  of 
the  food  required  for  them,  only  a  few  substances  being  needed 
from  outside  ;  while  with  the  animal  everything  must  be  supplied. 
The  materials  containing  the  deficient  plant  food, — that  is,  fertili- 
zers,—  are  numerous,  and  their  number  is  increasing.  As  manu- 
facturers turn  their  attention  towards  the  utilization  of  waste 
products,  they  find  new  substances  which  by  proper  treatment 
may  be  made  to  supply  some  one  needed  form  of  plant  food,  and 
in  the  following  table  I  have  classed  those  materials  which  are 
most  common,  giving  not  only  the  kind  and  amount  of  plant  food 
which  they  contain,  but  also  the  cost  per  hundred  pounds,  with 


THE    GROWTH    AND    NUTRITION    OF    PLANTS. 


119 


freight  included,  to  points  say,  a  hundred  miles  distant  from  such 
centres  as  Boston,  New  York  City,  Baltimore,  etc.,  and  in  the 
last  column  is  given  the  weight  per  measured  half-bushel.  This 
last  is  given  to  enable  any  who  may  wish  to  mix  these  materials 
themselves,  but  who  do  not  have  facilities  for  weighing. 


Kind  of  plant  food 
furnished. 

:H  ^  f  Raw  bone, 

^  3  j  Bone  black, 

_o  /p  I  1  South  Carolina  Rock, 

o  p  5  [  Bone  ash, 

■^^  s  r  Dissolved  S.  C.  Rock, 

§ """  3  J          "        bone  black, 

M  [         "         bone, 


Part  reverted. 


(15  per  ct.) 


Per  cwt.  of 

Cost  per  100 

Weight  per 

plant  food. 

pounds,  $. 

V2 

bu.,  lbs. 

24* 

1.75 

28 

1.30 

38 

28 

1.25 

52 

35 

16 

1.25 

30 

16 

1.50 

30 

16 

1.75 

Thomas-Gilchrist  slag, 


21 


1.25 


Oh  CI 


°^ 


*  And  two  and  one-half  per  cent  of  nitrogen. 

Wood  ashes,                                  6  0.50 

Muriate  of  potash,  50  2.40 

Sulphate  of  potash,  22 

Sulph.  potash  (high  grade),     50  3.50 

Kainit,  12  .75 

Krugit,                                           8  .75 

Dried  blood,  12  2.00 
Fish  waste,                                    7 

Bone,                                              2.5*  1.75 

Nitrate  of  soda,  15  3.00 

Nitrate  of  potash,  13  5.00 

Sulphate  of  ammonia,  20  4.00 

*  And  twenty-four  per  cent  phosphoric  acid. 


23 
34 

40 
39 
39 
19 


44 
31 


(6.)  To  decide  upon  the  right  fertilizer  under  any  given  con- 
ditions is  a  matter  of  some  difficulty,  but  not  one  beyond  solution. 
A  glance  at  the  table,  showing  what  constituents  various  crops 
removed  from  the  soil,  will  give  us  some  information.  For 
example,  we  see  that  the  average  amount  of  deficient  plant  food 
removed  per  acre,  by  eight  of  our  most  common  crops  is  : 

Nitrogen,  62  lbs..  Phosphoric  acid,  23.4  lbs..  Potash,  67.97 lbs. 
or  2.9  times  as  much  potash  as  phosphoric  acid.  "We  also  see 
that  various  crops  use  these  materials  in  different  proportions  ; 
thus  wheat  uses  phosphoric  acid  and  potash  in  almost  equal 
quantities,  1  :  1.2,  while  hay  uses  4.5  times  as  much  of  the  latter 
as  of  the  former. 

But  in  spite  of  these  figures  it  might  be  and  is  doubtless  true, 
that  man}'  soils  by   the   application  of  a  single  constituent, —  say 


120  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

phosphoric  acid,  will  produce  good  crops.  This  result  is  due  to 
the  fact  that  soils  vary  in  their  natural  supply  of  plant  food,  and 
one  may  be  well  stocked  with  potash,  but  lacking  in  phosphoric 
acid.  On  such,  dissolved  bone  alone  will  enable  the  plant  to 
make  a  full  growth.  Another  soil  may  be  abundantly  supplied 
with  phosphoric  acid  but  deficient  in  potash ;  under  these  condi- 
tions the  use  of  bone  would  be  wasteful,  but  potash  fertilizers 
would  work  great  benefit.  Thus  it  happens  that  we  must  consult 
the  soil  before  we  can  decide  upon  the  kind  of  fertilizer  needed. 

To  test  the  soil  is  not  a  difficult  task.  A  few  rows  fertilized 
with  ashes,  will  often  tell  us  whether  potash  is  the  principal  thing 
needed.  A  few  other  rows,  on  which  dissolved  bone-black  alone 
is  used,  may  give  valuable  indications.  But  the  most  valuable 
method  of  testing  is,  to  select  some  three  of  the  crude  materials 
above  tabulated, —  say  sulphate  of  ammonia,  muriate  of  potash 
and  dissolved  bone-black  in  various  proportions,  thus  giving  mixed 
fertilizers  which  shall  contain  varying  percentages  of  nitrogen, 
phosphoric  acid,  and  potash,  and  by  using  equal  values  per  acre, 
and  leaving  certain  parts  with  no  fertilizer,  we  ma}'  form  very 
accurate  estimates  of  the  relative  value  of  each  combination.  This, 
it  seems  to  me,  is  the  true  test.  The  following  table  shows  the 
combinations  which  were  used  in  the  cooperative  experiments  in 
New  Hampshire  in  1889.  The  top  row  of  figures  gives  the  num- 
bers of  the  plots  ;  the  amounts  under  these,  in  the  vertical  columns 
represent  the  amount  of  each  chemical  (the  name  of  which  is 
given  in  the  left  hand  column)  used  per  ^  of  an  acre.  The  cost 
is  fifty  cents  per  plot,  or  $10  per  acre,  except  one,  the  manured 
plot,  where  $20  per  acre  was  invested.  The  lower  part  of  the 
table  shows  what  the  chemical  composition  of  the  mixture  was, 
e.  g.,  plot  1  had  a  mixture  of  18J  lbs.  of  dissolved  bone-black, 
3f  lbs.  of  muriate  of  potash,  3f  lbs.  of  sulphate  of  ammonia ; 
the  analysis  of  this  was,  phosphoric  acid  11.4%,  potash  7%, 
nitrogen  2.8%.  To  any  who  might  like  to  test  this  method,  but 
do  not  care  to  undertake  so  large  an  experiment,  plots  1,  3,  5,  9, 
13,  and  16  might  be  selected  and  enough  rows  taken  to  give  200 
hills  of  corn  for  each  mixture,  the  fertilizer  to  be  sown  broadcast 
on  the  rows  after  planting. 


THE    GROWTH    AND    KUTRITION    OF    PLANTS. 


121 


o 
a 


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O 


m 


■* 


w 


(M 


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122  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

(7.)  Can  Chemicals  Take  the  Place  of  Farm  Yard 
Manure? — An  experiment  was  started  on  the  Agricultural  Col- 
lege farm,  at  Hanover,  N.  H.,  in  1885,  which  was  designed  to 
throw  light  on  this  question. 

Two  acres  of  land,  from  a  field  of  six  acres,  were  selected  for 
this  experiment.  The  land  had  produced  hay  for  three  j-ears 
previous  to  1885  ;  oats  and  sugar  beets  had  preceded  the  hay. 

The  third  acre  had  thirteen  loads  of  manure  plowed  in  and  nine 
loads  harrowed  in,  or  in  cords  this  would  be 

5.6  cords  plowed  in 
and  3.8  cords  on  the  surface, 

or  9.4  cords  in  all, 

which  would  sell,  as  it  laid  under  the  stables,  for  $33.00.  This 
manure  was  from  fattening  steers,  well  fed  with  hay,  straw, 
cotton  seed,  and  corn  meal.  The  fourth  acre  had  yearly  applica- 
tions of  chemical  fertilizers,  mixed  as  follows  : 

Dissolved  bone-black,  346  lbs. 

Muriate  of  potash,  150  lbs. 

Sulphate  of  ammonia,  56  lbs. 

The  average  cost  of  this  mixture  has  been  Si  1.00,  and  as  there 
have  been  three  applications  since  1885,  it  follows  that  each  acre 
has  received  $33.00  worth  of  fertilizer;  the  third  having  $33.00 
worth  of  manure,  and  the  fourth  $33.00  worth  of  chemicals. 

The  first  year  the  crop  was  corn,  the  second  year  corn,  the 
third  oats,  and  the  fourth  grass. 

The  following  table  shows  the  yield  of  each  acre  for  each  year, 
and  also  the  value  of  the  crop,  assuming  eighty  pounds  of  corn  as 
harvested  to  be  worth  sixt}'  cents,  thirty-four  pounds  of  soft  corn 
ten  cents,  and  fodder  thirty  cents  per  hundred  ;  oats  fift}'  cents 
per  bushel,  straw  thirty  cents  per  hundred,  and  hay  ten  dollars 
per  ton  : 


THE  GROWTH  AND  NUTRITION  OF  PLANTS. 


123 


CORN. 

Third  acre.                Fourth  acre. 
Manure.                  Chemicals, 

Sound  corn. 

Soft  corn 

Fodder 

Value  of  crop,  . 

1885. 
112   bu. 

16^  bu. 
4835  lbs. 

$49.75 

1886. 
83|  bu. 
27    bu. 
4435  lbs. 
$41.12 

1885.            1886. 
97  bu.        82f  bu. 
15  bu.        24   bu. 
5352  lbs.  1  4927  lbs. 
$46.65    1     $42.00 

195|  bu. 

43i  bu. 

9270  lbs. 

$90.87 

$35.10 
$29.40 
$21.00 

179J  bu. 

39  bu. 
10279  lbs. 

$88.65 

OATS,  1887. 

Grain 

Straw,         .... 
Value  of  crop,  . 

43  bu. 

4535  lbs. 

$35.10 

47i  bu. 
6267  lbs. 
$39.55 

$39.56 

HAY,  1888. 

Yield 

Value,         .... 

5880  lbs.                        6202  lbs. 
$29.40                             $31.01 

$31.01 

HAY,  1889. 

Yield,          .... 
Value 

4200  lbs.              1          4710  lbs. 
$21.00                 1            $23.55 

$23.55 

Total  value  for  five  years 

$176.37 

$182.76 

Excess  in  favor  of  C 

hemicals 

•        • 

$6.39 

It  will  be  seen  that  not  only  have  the  chemicals  exceeded  the 
manure  in  the  total  of  five  years  but  also  that  the  chemicals  hold 
out  better, —  a  point  always  assumed  to  be  otherwise.  It  is  pro- 
posed to  continue  this  experiment. 

(8.)  Chemicals  Compared  with  Prepared  Fertilizers. —  In 
a  series  of  experiments  covering  three  years,  we  have  arrived  at 
the  following  conclusion  : 

Three  crops, —  corn,  oats,  and  hay,  gave  us  a  total  value  : 
With  no  fertilizer^  .....         $70.07 

With  Potash  alone, 

"    Phosphoric  Acid  alone, 

"  "  "     and  Potash, 

"  "  "       "    Nitrogen, 

"    Chemical  fertilizers  (complete), 

"    Prepared         "      . 

"    Ashes,  .... 


94.74 

73.66 

111.43 

56.99 
108.56 

95.67 
107.94 


In  our  Cooperative  series  in  1889  : 
The  best  three  combinations  of  chemicals,  gave  yields  of  corn 
averaging,     .         .         .         .         .  .         .         $90.62 

Prepared  fertilizer,         .....  63.58 

No  fertilizer, 41.00 


124  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

If  we  ask  for  an  explanation  of  the  superiority  of  Chemicala^ 
over  Prepared  or  Commercial  goods,  it  must  be  answered  by 
comparing  the  composition, — that  is,  the  relative  amount  of  nitro- 
gen, phosphoric  acid,  and  potash.  The  average  of  the  prepared 
fertilizers  sold  in  New  Hampshire,  in  1889,  was  as  given  in  the 
following  table,  and  beside  it  is  given  the  average  of  the  three 
best  combinations  of  chemicals  in  the  cooperative  series,  as  well 
as  the  average  of  the  best  six  combinations  used  on  the  Agricul- 
tural College  Farm. 


Composition  of: 

Prepared  fertilizer, 

1889. 

Best  three  combi- 
nations of  chem- 
icals 1888. 

Best  six  chei 
1886-7-8-9. 

Phosphoric  acid, 
Potash, 

11.08% 
2.57 

9.25% 

11.3 

6.4% 

15.5 

Nitrogen, 

2.45 

3.5 

2.5 

Other  results  are  equally  pronounced,  and  we  must  conclude 
that  our  soils  require  more  potash  than  is  provided  in  the  commer- 
cial goods.  To  get  this,  farmers  are  recommended  to  bu}'  chemi- 
cals, and  mix  according  to  the  follow  formulae : 

I. 

Chemicals  for  Corn  and  Wheat. 
Dissolved  bone-black,  325 

Muriate  of  potash,  100- 

Sulphate  of  ammonia,  75 

500 
II. 

Corn  (same  as  plot  26  in  Experiments). 

Dissolved  bone-black,  182" 

Muriate  of  potash,  252' 

Sulphate  of  ammonia,  66 

500 
III. 

Corn  (average  of  four  best  yields  in  plots). 

,     Dissolved  bone-black,  175 

Muriate  of  Potash,  260 

Sulphate  of  ammonia,  75- 

500/ 


THE    GROWTH    AND   NUTRITION    OF   PLANTS.  125 

IV. 

Ensilage. 

Dissolved  bone-black,  250 

Muriate  of  potash,  200 

"Sulphate  of  ammonia,  50 

500 
V. 

Oats  (average  of  best  four  plots  in  Experiments) . 

Dissolved  bone-black,  330 

Muriate  of  potash,  105 

Sulphate  of  ammonia,  65 

500 
VI. 

Oats  (like  the  best  plot  in  experiments  No.  8) . 

Dissolved  bone-black,  300 

Muriate  of  potash,  200 

600 
VII. 

Hay  (average  of  best  four  crops). 

Dissolved  bone-black,  225 

Muriate  of  Potash,  254 

Sulphate  of  ammonia,  21 

500 
VIII. 

Hat. 

Dissolved  bone-black,  700 

Muriate  of  Potash,  200 

Sulphate  of  ammonia,  50 

950 

rx. 

Potatoes. 
Dissolved  bone-black,  340 

Muriate  of  potash,  160 

500 


126  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

X. 

Potatoes. 

Dissolved  bone-black,  300 

Muriate  of  potash,  150 

Sulphate  of  ammonia,  50 


500 

It  will  be  observed  that  these  combinations  contain  a  consider- 
able quantity  of  muriate  of  potash,  and  it  must  be  borne  in  mind 
that  if  seed  comes  in  direct  contact  with  them  there  is  great 
danger  of  the  root  being  injured  if  not  wholly  destroyed.  For 
this  reason  I  would  especiall^^  recommend  that  a  large  part  of  the 
fertilizer  be  used  broadcast.  The  amounts  above  given  are  for 
one  acre  when  no  manure  is  to  be  used.  For  corn  and  potatoes  I 
would  never  put  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  in  or  on 
the  hills  or  drills,  and  I  would  first  plant  and  cover  the  seed  as 
though  no  fertilizer  was  to  be  used,  and  immediately  after  would 
apply  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  on  the  top  of  the  hill  or 
drill,  leaving  it  there  to  be  washed  down  into  the  soil  by  the  rains. 
There  is  little  if  any  loss  in  this  method  and  I  believe  the  results 
will  be  better  than  from  putting  the  fertilizer  in  the  hill. 

Combination  No.  I,  I  would  especiall}-  recommend  for  corn, 
IV  for  ensilage,  and  V  for  oats  ;  or  as  will  be  seen,  it  is  so  much 
like  I,  that  the  same  mixture  may  be  used  for  either  corn  or  oats. 
However,  if  oats  follow  corn  that  has  been  manured  with  farm- 
yard manure,  it  is  not  necessary  to  use  nitrogen,  and  in  such  a 
case  I  would  recommend  No.  VI,  or  the  potato  mixture.  No.  IX, 
ma}'  be  used. 

For  ha}'  two  combinations  are  given ;  the  second  is  to  be 
recommended  if  four  or  five  crops  are  wanted. 

For  potatoes  the  same  remarks  as  have  been  made  concerning 
oats  will  apply ;  if  the  potatoes  follow  some  crop  that  has  been 
manured  with  stable  manure  there  is  no  need  of  nitrogen,  and 
therefore  No.  IX  would  be  best ;  in  soils  deficient  in  nitrogen  No. 
X  might  be  best. 

It  will  be  seen  from  what  has  been  said  that  the  corn  combina- 
tion I,  may  be  used  for  corn,  wheat,  oats,  and  on  some  soils  for 
potatoes.  The  potato  mixture,  IX,  may  be  used  for  potatoes  and 
oats  on  soils  that  have  previously  been  manured,  or  are  not  defi- 
cient in  nitrogen.     For  ensilage  No.  JV  is  to  be  recommended. 


THE  GROWTH  AND  NUTRITION  OF  PLANTS.      127 

And  now  in  conclusion,  let  me  urge  upon  you  the  importance  of 
trying  this  plan  of  feeding  your  crops.  You  cannot  lose  anything 
by  it,  you  may  gain  much.  Test  the  matter  and  know  of  your 
own  knowledge  whether  j'our  soil  is  like  that  on  which  we  are 
working  in  New  Hampshire. 

The  essay  excited  a  deep  interest,  and  held  to  the  end  the  clese 
attention  of  the  large  company  present,  and  a  vote  of  thanks  to 
Professor  Whitcher,  for  his  interesting  and  valuable  paper,  was 
unanimously  passed. 

Discussion. 

Joseph  H.  Woodford,  spoke  of  the  nitrate  of  soda  as  easily 
converted  into  nitrate  of  potash,  a  useful  fertilizer.  He  added 
that  any  substance  used  as  a  fertilizer  must  be  made  soluble  in 
water,  else  it  could  not  be  available. 

Henry  L.  Clapp  said  that  there  are  in  different  places  in  Can- 
ada, large  deposits  of  apatite,  or  phosphate  of  lime,  containing 
over  forty  per  cent  of  phosphoric  acid,  and  that  apatite  had 
been  mined  for  fifteen  or  twenty  years,  and  carried  to  Eng- 
land. He  asked  why  it  was  not  brought  this  way.  It  seems  a 
pity  that  the  New  Hampshire  farmer,  perhaps  living  near  the 
Canada  line,  should  be  obliged  to  procure  his  phosphate  from 
South  Carolina,  when  a  dozen  phosphate  beds  are  within  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  of  Montreal,  whence  it  is  shipped 
to  England.  In  Nova  Scotia  large  quantities  of  gypsum  are 
found,  and  very  fine  potatoes  are  raised  there.  Gypsum,  under 
the  name  of  plaster,  has  been  used  in  the  culture  of  potatoes  by 
New  England  farmers,  especially  in  the  past.  It  is  sulphate  of 
lime  and  contains  forty-five  per  cent  of  sulphuric  acid.  Nova 
Scotia  soil  seems  to  have  enough  gypsum  in  it  by  nature  for  the 
successful  culture  of  potatoes,  while  our  soil  seems  to  need  it. 

Professor  Whitcher  said  that  he  could  only  account  for  the 
fact  that  Canadian  apatite  is  not  brought  to  this  country,  by  the 
protective  duty  laid  on  it.  The  only  effect  of  sulphuric  acid  on 
apatite  or  South  Cai'olina  phosphatic  rock  is  to  render  them 
soluble.  He  thought  the  fine  quality  of  the  Nova  Scotia  potatoes 
could  not  be  due  to  the  gypsum,  for  just  as  good  ones  are  raised 
in  the  Aroostook  region  in  Maine,  where  no  plaster  is  used.  In 
New  Hampshire  not  so  much  plaster  is  used  as  fifteen  years  ago ; 
it  is  used  as  an  absorbent  in  stables. 


128  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETT. 

Edmund  Hersey  spoke  of  the  feeding  of  plants  in  connection 
with  the  soil.  He  had  found  that  what  proved  beneficial  to  the 
soil  in  New  Hampshire  and  western  Massachusetts,  was  very 
unsatisfactory  on  his  soil.  He  had  thought  potash  to  be  the  one 
thing  necessary  until  by  experiments  he  found  it  an  injury.  He 
went  into  some  nice  experiments  on  this  point,  and  for  the  present 
his  soil  gets  along  without  any  additional  potash.  All  farmers 
should  know  that  potash  causes  great  damage  when  applied  too 
freely.  Probably  there  are  others  who,  like  him,  have  a  supply 
of  potash  in  the  soil.  Potash  on  his  soil  caused  reduced  crops, 
while  phosphoric  acid  produced  increased  crops.  He  had  never 
applied  too  much  of  the  latter,  though  he  had  used  at  the  rate  of 
8120  worth  to  the  acre.  More  than  $30  worth  of  nitrogen  is  an 
injury.  He  has  been  trying  to  fix  the  colors  which  are  produced 
by  an  under  or  over  supply  of  nitrogen,  etc.  The  effect  of  an 
over  supply  of  nitrogen  on  corn  is  precisely  the  same  as  that  of  a 
cold  storm  in  May  ;  a  blue  streak  will  be  seen  running  down  the 
centre  of  the  leaves.  The  effect  of  potash  is  exactly  opposite. 
He  thought  he  could  tell  by  the  color  of  the  leaves,  whether  corn 
was  injured  by  an  over  supply  of  potash.  He  asked  wh}'  his  soil 
should  differ  from  the  soils  in  New  Hampshire.  It  is  because 
soils  are  made  up  differently ;  there  may  be  potash  in  the  stones 
on  some  farms,  and  none  in  the  stones  on  others.  Then  again, 
the  stones  in  a  soil  may  be  rich  in  potash,  but  not  be  in  such  a 
state  of  decomposition  as  to  be  available  for  plant  food.  We 
cannot  learn  from  the  lecture  platform  or  from  books  how  to  treat 
our  soils,  but  farmers  must  learn  from  experience  not  to  apply  what 
is  not  needed.  The  idea  has  been  prevalent  that  we  only  lose  the' 
interest  on  the  cost  of  useless  substances  applied  to  our  soils,  but 
potash  may  be  taken  up  b}'  plants  in  sufficient  quantit}'  to  reduce 
crops.  Manufacturers  of  fertilizers  cannot  tell  what  any  soil 
needs  ;  only  the  cultivator  can  tell. 

Mr.  Clapp  said  that  some  soils  are  largely  composed  of  feldspar, 
which  contain  a  good  deal  of  potash.  In  Topsham,  Me.,  there 
are  large  quarries  of  feldspar,  and  the  soils  in  that  vicinity  need 
little  potash,  but  near  Boston,  where  the  soils  are  largely  formed 
of  diabase  or  trap-rock,  potash  is  needed,  and  also  in  limestone 
soils.  We  should  not  only  know  our  soils,  but  also  the  character 
of  the  rocks  from  which  they  are  made.  It  is  just  as  vital  a  point 
to  find  out  the  cost  as  the  combinations  of  fertilizers ;    a  dollar's 


THE    GROWTH    AND    NUTRITION    OF    PLANTS.  129 

worth  of  one  fertilizer  should  be  put  against  a  dollar's  worth  of 
another.  The  granite  drift  soils  of  New  Hampshire  seem  to  need 
potash  because  potash  feldspar  is  not  abundant  enough  in  them. 

O.  B.  Hadweu  said  that  in  making  maple  sugar  a  sediment, 
supposed  to  be  lime,  is  found  in  the  bottom  of  the  pans  in  greater 
or  less  quantities,  and  asked  how  it  gets  there. 

Professor  Whitcher  said  that  the  lime  in  maple  sap  is  combined 
with  malic  acid,  forming  malate  of  lime.  More  or  less  of  this 
substance  is  always  presenii  in  maple  sap. 

William  D.  Philbrick  spoke  of  the  work  done  at  the  Connecticut 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station  in  regard  to  settling  the  wants  of 
soils.  Not  only  different  farms,  but  different  fields  on  the  same 
farm,  require  different  applications. 

Mr.  Hadwen,  as  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Discussion, 
announced  that  at  the  meeting  next  Saturday,  Joseph  T.  Rothrock, 
Professor  of  Botany  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  would 
speak  on  "Forestry." 


BUSINESS    MEETING. 

Saturday,  March  1,  1890. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at  half  past 
eleven  o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spooner,  in  the  chair. 

The  Secretary  read  letters  from  the  Housatonic  Agricultural 
Society  and  the  Worcester  North  Agricultural  Society,  conveying 
the  thanks  of  those  Societies  for  the  invitation  to  appoint  a 
member  who  should  have  the  free  use  of  the  Library  and  Library 
Room  of  the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  preparing  papers  to  be  read  before  the  Institutes  of  those 
Societies,  and  announcing  that  they  had  respectively  appointed 
James  H.  Rowley,  of  Egremont,  and  George  Cruickshanks,  of 
Fitchburg. 

Joseph  Goddard,  of  Roxbury, 

having  been  recommended  by  the  Executive  Committee,  was  on 
ballot  duly  elected  a  member  of  the  Society. 
9 


130  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

J.  D.  W.  French  read  the  following  resolutions,  adopted  by 
the  American  Forestry  Association  at  their  eighth  annual  meeting, 
held  at  Philadelphia,  October  15  t®  18,  1889  : 

Resolved,  That  we  respectfully  petition  the  Senate  and  House 
of  Representatives  of  the  United  States  to  pass  an  act  withdraw- 
ing temporarily  from  sale  all  distinctively  forest  lands  belonging 
to  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  as  recommended  by  the 
Secretaries  of  the  Interior  during  the  past  three  administrations, 
and  providing  for  their  protection,  and  authorizing  the  employ- 
ment of  the  army,  if  necessary  for  this  purpose,  until  a  Commis- 
sion, to  be  appointed  by  the  President,  shall  have  made  such 
examination  of  the  forests  on  the  public  domain  as  shall  be 
necessary  for  determining  what  regions  should  be  kept  permanently 
in  forest,  and  shall  have  presented  a  plan  for  a  national  forest 
administration. 

Resolved,  That  we  also  petition  the  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives  to  authorize  the  President  of  the  United  States  to 
appoint  a  Commission  for  the  purpose  of  examining  the  forests 
on  the  public  domain  and  reporting  to  Congress  a  plan  for  their 
permanent  management,  and  that  Congress  make  the  necessary 
appropriations  for  such  Commission. 

Mr.  French  moved  that  the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Societ}'^ 
endorse  these  resolutions,  and  that  copies  be  sent  to  the  Massa- 
chusetts Senators  and  Representatives  in  Congress,  expressing 
the  approval  of  this  Society,  and  urging  that  action  be  taken  to 
carry  out  the  measures  asked  for  in  said  resolutions. 

The  motion  was  unanimously  carried. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  March  8,  1890,  at  half  past  eleven 
o'clock. 

MEETING    FOR  DISCUSSION. 

Some  Aspects  of  the  Present  Forestry  Agitation. 

By  Joseph  T.  Rotheock,  Professor  of  Botany,  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
Philadelphia,  Penn. 

The  present  forestry  agitation  represents  one  of  two  things : — 
either  a  great  cause,  or  no  cause.  We  shall  first  of  all  in  this 
paper  endeavor  to  show  that  it  is  the  former  one  of  these  alterna- 
tives ;  and  then  to  suggest  some  measures,  which,  if  our  case  is 
made  a  clear  one,  would  appear  to  be  both  proper  and  pressing. 


ASPECTS    OF    THE    PRESENT    FORESTRY    AGITATION.       131 

A  rapid  glance  backward  would  possibly  be  at  once  the  easiest 
and  the  surest  method  of  reaching  a  conclusion.  Two  hundred 
and  eighty  years  ago  all  that  region,  with  which  we  are  now  so 
familiar,  between  the  Atlantic  seaboard  and  the  crest  of  the 
Alleghany  Mountains,  and  from  Nova  Scotia  to  Georgia,  to  say 
nothing  of  Florida,  was  practically  an  unbroken  forest.  Only 
here  and  there,  two  centuries  ago,  did  a  community  or  an  individ- 
ual for  a  moment  dream  that  a  scarcity  of  timber  could  occur  in  a 
country  where  the  forests  were  so  dense  and  so  vast.  It  is 
singular  too  that  all  of  those  who  were  far  seeing  enough  to 
anticipate  a  possible  future  scarcity  of  wood  were  born  in  Europe. 
The  next  generation,  the  native  born  Americans,  were,  probably 
without  exception,  or  certainly  with  ver}'  rare  exceptions, 
impressed  with  the  view  that  their  woodland  heritage  could  never 
or  would  never  be  exhausted.  What  was  west  of  the  Alleghany 
Mountains  was  hardly  more  than  conjecture  with  the  people  at 
large. 

Each  colony  was  then  practically  self-supporting  in  timber. 
This  is  probabh'  all  the  histor}'  we  need  refer  to.  But  after  onl}' 
a  little  more  than  two  and  a  half  centuries,  with  a  comparatively 
small  population  operating  on  the  timbered  half  of  our  continent, 
how  many  of  the  northern  States,  in  the  region  indicated,  are  now 
absolutely  self-supporting  in  timber?  Few,  if  any.  Or,  to  put 
the  problem  in  another  form  :  How  does  the  timber  brought  to 
your  markets  today  compare  in  quality  with  that  furnished  a 
quarter  of  a  century  ago  ?  Does  not  the  smaller  size,  and  the  lower 
grade  at  once  indicate  that  the  best  is  gone  ?  Or,  more  directly 
still,  take  the  most  recent  and  apparently  reliable  utterance  of 
Professor  Prentiss,  who  has  made  our  Hemlock  Spruce  a  subject 
of  special  study  : 

''  It  may  therefore,  be  estimated  that  the  full  value  of  the 
products  of  the  hemlock  is,  in  round  numbers,  thirty  millions  of 
dollars  per  annum."  Yet  almost  in  the  same  breath  he  adds, 
*'The  length  of  time  during  which  our  remaining  hemlock  forests 
will  sustain  this  annual  drain  is,  of  course,  uncertain  ;  but  the 
the  most  careful  and  conservative  observers  consider  that  the 
present  supply  could  not  be  maintained  for  a  period  exceeding 
twenty  or  twenty-five  years.  It  becomes,  therefore,  a  question  of 
great  practical  importance  as  to  the  way  in  which  the  existing 
demands  upon  the  hemlock  shall  be  hereafter  supplied." 


132  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

The  present  demands  upon  the  forests  of  the  Long-leaved  Pine 
{Pinus  palustris)  in  the  South,  point  to  a  rapid  destruction  of 
these  most  valuable  trees  there,  when  we  remember  that  the 
region  on  which  we  have  alread}'  practically  destroyed  the  White 
Pine  is  larger  than  the  whole  region  over  which  this  Long-leaved 
pine  originally  grew.  This  is  especially  probable  since  the  tree 
destroying  agencies  have  only  recently  been  concentrated  in  the 
South. 

So  heavy  are  the  calls  made  upon  the  Shell-bark  hickory  and 
Pig-nut  hickor}'  that  the  wheel  makers  of  the  Atlantic  seaboard 
who  once  used  the  trees  from  their  own  hill-sides,  now  bring  their 
supplies  from  Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  Another  illustration  of 
the  diminished  suppl}'  of  valuable  timber  remaining  in  the  East  is 
found  in  the  fact,  that  the  centre  of  production  of  White  Oak 
staves,  has  moved  from  Virginia  west  to  St.  Louis.  Of  course 
we  need  barely  allude  to  the  removal  of  the  Black  Walnut.  As 
things  now  are,  its  fate  is  sealed. 

As  we  have  said,  all  this  is  in  the  infancy  of  our  civilization. 
In  the  East,  these  demands  upon  our  forests  must  increase  with 
increasing  population.  Still  worse,  we  have  alread}'  nearly 
exhausted  some  of  the  heaviest  forests  of  the  West,  long  before  it 
has  received  even  a  portion  of  its  population,  to  sa}'  nothing  of 
its  maximum.  In  other  words,  not  content  with  ruining  our  own 
heritage,  we  have  actually'  despoiled  the  West  in  advance  of  the 
time  when  the  centre  of  population  would  be  located  there.  It  is 
indeed  hard  to  say  whether  this  is  worse  for  the  East  or  for  the 
West. 

It  is  useless  to  urge  that  substitutes  for  timber  will  be  found. 
New  uses  for  it  are  also  found.  I  think  that  statistics  show  that 
these  promised  substitutes  do  not  come  as  fast  as  the  new  uses 
for  the  wood. 

Each  year  of  delay  in  suggesting  and  applying  remedies  for  this 
malady  in  the  body  politic,  makes  the  problem  a  much  more 
serious  one,  because  to  produce  an  average  forest  requires  at  the 
very  least,  half  a  century.  So  much  then  for  the  statement  that 
this  forestry'  agitation  is  the  expression  of  a  great  cause  !  But  it 
is  not  great  simply  in  any  local  sense.  Just  as  the  production  of 
large  crops  in  the  West  was  an  important  factor  in  leading  to  the 
interstate  commerce  law,  so  will  the  demand  of  one  State  upon 
the  forests  of  another,  lead,  eventually,  to  other  interstate  laws, 


ASPECTS    OF    THE    PRESENT    FORESTRY    AGITATION.        133 

or,  to  what  will  priietically  come  to  the  same  thing,  a  prohibition 
against  the  removal  of  timber  from  the  States  where  it  grows  to  the 
States  where  it  does  not  grow.  And  this,  as  any  one  may  see, 
opens  avenues  to  many  serious  national  troubles.  The  great 
West  poured  its  blood  and  its  treasure  into  the  war  for  the  open- 
ing of  the  Mississippi  Valley  in  1861,  because  its  prosperity 
demanded  an  open  channel  to  the  Gulf.  So  Kansas,  Nebraska, 
and  Utah  will  demand  of  Colorado,  one  of  these  days,  that  they 
shall  receive  their  share  of  the  life-giving  flood  of  the  Platte  and 
Grand  Rivers  to  irrigate  their  otherwise  worthless  plains,  and  to 
support  their  increasing  population  in  comfort.  But  back  of  all 
this  water  supply,  even  in  Colorado,  we  find  the  forests  of  the 
Rock^'  Mountains,  which  help  to  collect  and  moderate  the  flow  of 
water  into  the  fertile  valleys  below,  and  all  plans  for  irrigation,  to 
be  of  permanent  benefit,  must  be  based  on  the  care  of  these 
forests.  Among  the  problems  of  the  future,  growing  out  of  the 
dependence  for  water  suppl}'  for  purposes  of  irrigation  on 
timbered  mountain  area,  will  be  the  one  of  State  boundaries.  To 
say  the  least,  it  is  a  mistake  that  any  State  should  have  such  a 
natural  boundary'  as  the  crest  of  the  Reeky  Mountains  extending 
through  its  centre.  Such  natural  lines,  it  has  become  a  political 
axiom,  should  be  state  limits.  This  becomes  more  than  ever 
clear  when  we  consider  its  bearing  in  the  light  of  irrigation  and 
water  suppl}-.  We  might  approximate  natural  boundaries  by  a 
line,  for  instance,  extending  from  longitude  117°  west  in  Idaho, 
southeast  to  Laramie  in  Wyoming,  and  thence  about  due  south 
toward  El  Paso.  This,  while  it  would  not  entirely  obviate  the 
trouble,  would  at  least  diminish  the  extent  to  which  several 
States  could  be  held  at  the  mercy  of  one.  Of  course,  I  only 
allude  to  this  as  a  matter  for  Congress  and  the  States  interested, 
to  settle  among  themselves.  It  does  not  directh'  concern  us, 
though  it  maj-  yet  be  a  pressing  problem  for  that  region. 

Look  at  it  from  whatever  stand-point  we  may,  the  forest  problem 
must,  sooner  or  later,  enter  into  the  policy  of  the  nation. 

It  is,  of  course,  easy  to  find  fault  with  our  law-makers,  but  the 
fact  remains  that  they  never,  in  this  republican  government,  dare 
run  far  in  advance  of  the  people.  So  soon  as  we  can  convince 
them  that  this  question  must  be  faced,  and  can  indicate  with 
reasonable  clearness  what  the  national  desire  is,  our  State  and 
national  legislators  will  act  as  we  wish.     It  has  ever  been  so,  and 


134  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

it  can  never  be  otherwise.  Hence,  then,  this  cause  is  in  our  own 
hands.  If  we  believe  in  forest  protection  and  forest  restoration, 
the  only  thing  for  us  to  do  is  to  agitate,  and  agitate  until  we  are 
beard,  and  to  organize  into  town,  county,  state,  and  national 
forestry  associations  that  our  agitations  may  be  efifectual.  There 
never  was  a  time  when  such  organization  was  more  hopeful  than 
now.  Politically  we  are  almost  without  leading  issues.  It  is  hard 
for  the  dominant  parties  to  tell  upon  what  they  differ,  except  that 
one  has  the  offices  and  the  other  desires  them.  The  irrigation 
question,  so  intimately  associated  with  the  forestry  movement,  is 
fairly  before  the  people  of  the  West.  And  if  by  concert  of  action 
we  can  now  determine  upon  certain  desirable  points  and  move 
solidl}"  over  any  considerable  portion  of  the  country  towards 
these  points,  we  shall  either  gain  them,  or  at  least  gain  such  a 
vantage  ground  that  those  who  are  to  come  after  us  will  accom- 
plish all  that  we  failed  in  doing. 

The  first  preliminary  then,  appears  to  be  knowledge : —  an 
exact  statement  of  what  land  we  have  in  timber  in  the  whole 
country.  When  Maine,  Massachusetts,  and  New  York  go  to 
Washington,  and  on  the  shores  of  Puget  Sound  obtain  their  ship 
spars,  it  is  clear  that  this  report  must  come  from  both  the  east  and 
west.  When  Florida  gives  Michigan  her  hard  pine  in  exchange 
for  white  pine,  it  is  equally  certain  that  we  need  statistics  from 
both  north  and  south.  How  fast  is  this  timber  being  destroyed? 
How  much  do  we  need  for  the  future  to  keep  the  springs  of  com- 
merce in  full  flow,  and  how  soon  can  we  produce  it?  Only  a 
National  Forestry  Commission  can  answer  these  questions.  It 
should  have  means  and  time  allowed  to  do  it  well.  The  question 
is  too  important  for  any  subterfuges  or  make-believe  examinations- 
Let  us  have  the  truth  carefully  and  honestl}-  stated.  Then,  and 
not  until  then,  can  legislation  be  intelligent,  permanent,  and  pro- 
ductive. I  believe  that  this  Society  might,  without  going  beyond 
its  legitimate  function,  examine  carefully  the  forestry  bill  prepared 
by  the  American  Forestry  Congress  at  its  last  meeting,  and,  if 
approved,  join  its  voice  to  ours  in  petition  to  our  National  Congress 
for  its  passage.     The  bill  is  as  follows  : 


ASPECTS    OF    THE    PRESENT    FORESTRY    AGITATION.       135 

House  Bill,  7026.      Introduced  b}'  Hon.  Mark  H.  Dunnell,  of 
Minnesota,  February  17,  1890. 

A  bill  for  the  reservation  and  protection  of  forest  lands  on  the 
public  domain,  and  to  establish  a  commission  to  examine  into  the 
condition  of  the  said  lands  and  to  report  a  plan  for  their  perma- 
nent management. 

Whereas,  the  permanent  preservation  and  proper  administration 
of  a  sufficient  forest  area,  especially  upon  mountain  slopes  and 
about  the  head-waters  of  streams,  are  absolutely  necessary  to 
preserve  and  regulate  the  water  supply,  and  to  protect  the 
agricultural  interests  of  a  large  and  rapidl}'  increasing  part  of  the 
population,  as  well  as  to  provide  an  adequate  timber  supply  for 
the  same  for  all  future  time,  and  to  prevent  destructive  recur- 
rences of  drought  and  flood  ;  and 

Wliereas,  the  forests  upon  the  public  lands  of  the  United 
States  are  being  rapidly  destroyed  by  the  ravages  of  fire,  and  by 
reckless  cutting  of  timber  both  with  and  without  authority, 

Therefore,  be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Represen- 
tatives of  the  United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled, 
That  the  unsurveyed  public  lands  of  the  United  States  embracing 
natural  forests,  or  which  are  less  valuable  for  agriculture  than  for 
forest  purposes,  and  all  public  lands  returned  by  the  public 
surveyors  as  timber  lands,  shall  be  and  the  same  hereby  are 
withdrawn  from  survey,  sale,  entry,  or  disposal  under  existing 
laws,  except  as  hereinafter  provided,  nor  shall  any  timber  be  cut 
or  removed  fiom  the  said  lands  except  for  the  actual  needs  of 
persons  upon  the  said  lands,  engaged  in  carrying  out  the  purposes 
of  this  act. 

Sect.  2.  That  during  such  period  as  this  act  shall  remain  in 
force,  the  President  of  the  United  States  shall,  on  request  of  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior  and  the  Commission  to  be  appointed 
under  this  act,  designate  a  portion  or  portions  of  the  military 
forces  of  the  United  States  to  guard  all  or  any  part  of  the  lands 
reserved  as  aforesaid,  and  the  timber  growing  thereon,  from  fire, 
theft,  and  use  b}'  unauthorized  persons. 

Sect.  8.  That  the  President  shall  within  a  reasonable  time 
after  the  passage  of  this  act,  appoint,  by  and  with  the  advice  and 
consent  of  the  Senate,  three  persons  possessed  of  a  knowledge  of 
the  needs  and  uses  of  forests,  who  shall  constitute  the  United 
States  Forest  Commission,  and  shall  hold  office  until  this  act  is 


136  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

superseded  by  an  act  providing  for  the  permanent  administration 
of  the  forests  upon  the  public  lands,  or  is  repealed.  The  President 
ma}'  remove  any  commissioner,  and  any  vacanc}'  in  the  commis- 
sion shall  be  filled  by  him  as  is  provided  in  the  case  of  the  original 
appointment. 

Sect.  4.  That  the  duties  of  the  said  commissioners  shall  be  to 
personally  examine  the  lands  reserved  as  aforesaid,  so  as  to 
determine  what  part  or  parts  of  the  said  lands  ought  to  be  perma- 
nently kept  in  forest,  and  to  keep  themselves  constantl}'  informed 
as  to  the  condition  of  the  same,  and  on  or  before  the  opening  of 
the  second  session  of  this  Congress,  to  present  their  report  to  the 
President  for  transmission  to  Congress,  stating  in  full  a  plan  for 
the  proper  management  of  the  forests  upon  the  said  lands,  and 
the  said  commissioners  shall  make  such  further  reports  from  time 
to  time  as  they  may  deem  necessar}'  until  this  act  shall  be  repealed 
or  superseded  as  aforesaid. 

Sect.  5.  That  the  said  commissioners  shall  be  authorized  to 
contract  on  behalf  of  the  United  States,  for  the  sale  to  responsible 
parties,  at  a  reasonable  price,  of  such  wood  and  timber  as  may  be 
needed  for  immediate  use  in  the  localities  adjoining  the  said  lands, 
subject  in  every  case  to  proper  regulations,  to  be  made  by  the 
said  commissioners,  with  regard  to  the  size  and  character  of  trees 
to  be  cut,  the  places  where  they  are  to  be  cut,  and  the  means 
employed  in  cutting  them. 

Sect.  6.  That  the  said  commissioners  shall  each  receive  a 
salary  of  three  thousand  dollars  per  annum,  and  shall  be  paid 
their  necessary  travelling  expenses  incurred  in  the  discharge  of 
their  duties  as  commissioners.  The  commission  shall  be  provided 
with  an  office  in  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  and  shall  be 
authorized  to  emplo}-  a  suitable  clerical  force. 

Sect.  7.  That  all  acts  and  pai-ts  of  acts  inconsistent  herewith 
be  and  the  same  hereby  are  repealed  ;  provided,  however,  that 
nothing  in  this  act  shall  in  any  wa}'  interfere  with  any  reservation 
of  the  public  lauds  heretofore  made,  or  which  shall  hereafter  be 
made,  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  for  the  purpose  of  irriga-- 
tion,  or  with  any  use  made  of  the  same  for  that  purpose. 


ASPECTS    OF    THE    PRESENT    FORESTRY    AGITATION.       137 

Memorial  of  thk  American  Forestry  Association. 

To  the  Senate  and  House  of  Reprei'entatives  of  the  United  States  of 
America  : 

At  the  eighth  annual  meeting  of  this  Association,  held  in  Phil- 
adelphia, October  15  to  18,  1889,  the  following  resolutions  were 
adopted  : 

Resolved,  That  we  respectfully  petition  the  Senate  and  House 
of  Representatives  of  the  United  States  to  pass  an  act  withdraw- 
ing temporarily  from  sale  all  distinctively  forest  lands  belonging 
to  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  as  recommended  by  the 
Secretaries  of  the  Interior  during  the  past  three  administrations, 
and  providing  for  their  protection,  and  authorizing  the  employment 
of  the  army,  if  necessary,  for  this  purpose,  until  a  Commission,  to 
be  appointed  by  the  President,  shall  have  made  such  examination 
of  the  forests  on  the  public  domain  as  shall  be  necessary  for 
determining  what  regions  should  be  kept  permanently  in  forest, 
and  shall  have  presented  a  plan  for  a  national  forest  administra- 
tion. 

Resolved,  That  we  also  petition  the  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives  to  authorize  the  President  of  the  United  States  to 
appoint  a  Commission  for  the  purpose  of  examining  the  forests  on 
the  public  domain  and  reporting  to  Congress  a  plan  for  their 
permanent  management,  and  that  Congress  make  the  necessary 
appropriations  for  such  Commission. 

The  reasons  for  our  urgent  petition  for  the  passage  of  these 
measures  is  briefly  this,  that,  in  the  opinion  of  all  those  who  have 
investigated  and  considered  the  matter,  these  measures,  or  others 
equally  radical,  can  alone  secure  the  magnificent  forests  upon 
these  lands  from  destruction  by  axe  and  flame  within  a  compara-" 
tivel}'  short  period. 

What  the  result  of  such  destruction  would  be,  may  in  some 
measure  be  realized  by  considering  these  forests  from  three  points 
of  view. 

First.  They  are  valuable  parts  of  the  property  of  the  nation. 
Though  far  less  extensive  than  formerly,  they  still  cover  from 
50,000,000  to  70,000,000  acres.  They  are  too  valuable,  merely 
as  present  property,  to  be  neglected,  left  to  the  timber  thief  to 
carry  off  or  the  chance  fire  to  burn  down. 


138      MASSACHUSETTS  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 

Second.  The}-  will  be  needed  as  an  important  source  of  timber 
supply  for  the  Western  States  for  all  time  to  come.  If  the  popu- 
lation of  this  country  is  to  continue  what  it  is  now,  to  say  nothing 
of  its  probable  great  increase,  these  forests  must  always  be  looked 
to  to  supply  the  people  of  a  vast  region  with  timber  for  buildings, 
railroads,  mining,  and  many  manufacturing  industries.  Any 
serious  diminution  of  this  supply,  owing  to  deforestation  on  a 
large  scale,  would  prove  a  serious  check  to  the  prosperity  of  the 
Western  States. 

TJiird.  The  greatest  value  of  these  forests  to  the  present  and 
future  inhabitants  of  the  Western  States  is  in  the  assistance  they 
render  to  agi-iculture  through  their  influences  on  the  water  supply 
and  the  climate.  The  mere  loss  of  national  property,  though 
measured  by  millions,  can  be  endured.  The  absence  of  a  timber 
supply  at  home  can  in  a  measure  be  made  up  for  by  purchases 
from  more  prudent  foreigners,  and  by  the  substitution  of  other 
materials  in  the  place  of  wood  products.  But  there  is  absolutely 
nothing,  natural  or  artificial,  that  will  take  the  place  of  the  moun- 
tain forest  as  a  regulator  of  rainfall  and  water  supply.  Every 
inland  region  without  forests  is  a  region  of  long  droughts,  varied 
by  destructive  storms.  Every  mountain  region  without  forests  is 
a  region  whose  streams,  instead  of  watering  the  valleys  below 
with  a  constant  adequate  flow,  alternatel}'  dwindle  into  insignifi- 
cance and  swell  into  raging  torrents,  not  only  flooding  the  country, 
but  covering  it  with  rocks  and  sand  from  the  mountain  sides. 
Great  as  is  the  damage  caused  by  the  loss  of  mountain  forests, 
to  a  region  naturall}'  well  watered,  it  would  render  agriculture 
impossible  in  that  extensive  district  which  has  so  recently  begun 
to  be  rendered  fertile  by  the  use  of  irrigation.  No  S3'stem  of 
-reservoirs,  even  the  most  costly  and  ingenious,  can  take  the  place 
of  the  forests  on  any  large  scale.  The  most  that  it  can  do  is  to 
co-operate  with  them. 

It  is  respectfully  suggested  that  the  true  value  and  use  of  these 
mountain  forests  has  never  been  properly  considered  by  this 
Government.  It  has  apparently  never  realized  that  mountain 
forest  land  differs  from  all  other  land  in  this  important  respect,  that 
its  condition  cannot  substantially  be  changed  without  disastrous 
results  ;  that  it  must,  for  the  sake  of  the  properly  agricultural 
land,  always  remain  in  forest.  On  the  contrary,  it  has  been  sold 
and  given  away  like  other  land  without  any  restrictions  whatever 


ASPECTS    OF    THE    PRESENT    FORESTRY    AGITATION.       139 

upon  its  use  in  private  bands,  although  the  experience  of  every 
nation  shows  that  the  national  government  alone  has  the  power 
and  the  means  for  the  best  forest  management,  and  that  its  power 
must  be  exerted  even  over  private  forest  property  in  order  to 
prevent  disaster  to  the  community  from  the  action  of  individuals. 

Timber  cutting  has  been  permitted  on  the  lands  yet  unsold,  but 
under  impractical  restrictions  as  to  use,  without  any  regard  to 
proper  methods,  and  with  no  compensation  to  the  Government. 
The  necessity  of  timber  as  an  article  of  merchandise,  and  the 
impossibility  of  obtaining  it  legally  from  the  public  lands  for  that 
purpose,  have  inevitably  led  to  enormous  thefts  of  timber  and 
fraudulent  acquisition  by  a  few  individuals  and  corporations  of 
large  tracts  of  land  to  which  actual  settlers  only  were  legally 
entitled.  While  millions  upon  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  timber 
have  been  stolen,  both  for  home  and  export  trade,  the  pitiful  sum 
recovered  barely  covers  the  cost  of  prosecution.  Lastly,  the  utter 
absence  of  protection  from  fire  has  led  to  the  destruction  of 
enormous  tracts  which  will  very  slowly,  if  ever,  be  covered  again 
by  a  forest  growth  of  any  value. 

The  time  has  come  when  a  change  in  these  methods  is  absolutely 
necessary,  and  it  is  urgently  called  for  by  thousands  of  people 
whose  future  depends  on  a  regular  water  supply. 

While  the  immediate  withdrawing  of  the  public  forest  lands 
from  sale  and  entry  is  absolutely  essential  as  a  first  step  to  their 
preservation  as  forests,  it  will  not  of  itself  secure  this  end. 
The  destructive  fires  and  extensive  thefts  will  go  on  as  before. 
Still  less  will  the  mere  reservation  of  the  land  enable  the  timber 
to  be  properly  utilized.  These  lands  must  be  administered  — 
protected  from  fire,  and  the  timber  cut  only  when  ripe  and  with  a 
view  to  a  constant  new  growth.  Temporarily  some  portion  of  the 
army  can  be  emploj'ed  to  guard  these  lands,  until  a  practical 
system  of  administration,  a  common-sense  application  of  scientific 
knowledge  and  the  experience  of  other  progressive  nations  to  the 
needs  of  the  place  and  the  time,  can  be  successfully  inaugurated. 
The  organization  of  such  an  administration  can  best  and  soonest 
be  eflfected  by  a  commission  of  competent  men,  appointed  for  the 
purpose. 

That  the  evils  above  referred  to  are  not  imaginary  but  real, 
present,  and  constantly  increasing,  the  memorials  from  the  Pacific 
slope  and  the  investigation  of  the  Senate  Committee  on  Irrigation 


140  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

abundantly  prove.  It  is  impossible  to  over-estimate  the  impor- 
tance of  right  action,  and  prompt  action,  in  this  matter,  and  that 
the  Congress  of  the  United  States  will  permanently  close  its  ears 
to  the  ever  louder  and  louder  cry  of  the  people  for  forest  preser- 
vation, this  Association  refuses  to  believe.  With  all  hope,  as  well 
as  earnestness,  it  prays  your  honorable  body  to  enact  such  laws 
as  the  practical  needs  of  the  hour  and  a  wise  foresight  of  the 
future  may  dictate. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

James  A.  Beaver,  President  oj  the  Association. 

William  Alford,  of  California, 

Abbot  Kinney,  of  California, 

Edgar  T.  Ensign,  of  Colorado, 

James  15.  Hobbs,  of  Maine, 

J.  Sterling  Morton,  of  Nebraska, 

Warren  Higlet,  of  New  York, 

Charles  C.  Binney,  of  Pennsylvania, 

Herbert  Welsh,  of  Pennsylvania, 

Committee. 
Philadelphia,  January,  1890. 

Will  you  pardon  me  if  I  merely  outline  what  we  are  trying  to 
do  in  Pennsylvania,  and  indicate  our  methods,  and  state  what  our 
success  has  been?  Four  years  ago  some  energetic,  public-spirited 
ladies  in  Philadelphia  undertook  the  organization  of  a  State 
Forestry  Association.  There  was  almost  no  enthusiasm  where 
they  hoped  to  find  it.  In  most  places  the  project  was  met  with 
coolness,  if  not  with  hostility,  and  even  with  sneers.  But  they 
persevered.  A  very  modest  little  journal  was  started  and  freely 
distributed.  The  adjacent  counties  took  up  the  work,  and  organ- 
ized societies  (which  contributed  toward  the  support  of  the 
journal),  held  meetings,  and  brought  the  subject  before  the  people. 
Today  we  have  an  active  membership  of  about  one  thousand. 
Other  counties  are  organizing  and  the  chances  are  that  in  a  short 
time  we  shall  be  able  to  reach  the  active,  broad-minded  men  and 
women  in  each  county  of  the  State.  Thus,  too,  we  are  gaining  a 
foothold  in  the  public  schools.  Arbor  Day  ceremonies,  even  if 
they  lead  to  the  planting  of  but  few  trees,  at  least  serve  to  enlist 
the  teachers  in  our  cause,  and  to  impress  the  children  with  the 
idea  that  it  is  better  to  plant  and  care  for  a  tree,  than  to  destroy 


ASPECTS    OF    THK    PRESENT    FORESTRY    AGITATION.       141 

it.  There  existed  once  a  necessity  for  destroying  forests  that 
crops  might  be  planted.  This  necessity  has  matured  into  an 
instinct  so  that  the  first  natural  tendency  of  the  American  lad  is 
to  cut  or  strike  a  tree.  The  tendency  of  Arbor  Day  then,  is  to 
lead  to  a  change  of  sentiment  among  the  young  concerning  our 
trees.  This  is  one  of  the  most  hopeful  signs.  All  that  we  have 
accomplished  is  not  much,  but  if  each  State  in  the  Union  had  a 
forestry  association  of  a  thousand  members,  and  each  such  society 
were  to  join  with  the  others  upon  a  single  point  in  forestry  legisla- 
tion to  place  it  before  our  national  Congress,  the  petitions  would 
aggregate  forty  thousand  names  at  least.  It  would  be  probably 
the  first  tangible  si^n  to  our  representatives  that  we  are  in 
earnest,  and  would  give  them  the  desired  reasen  for  action  on 
their  part.  There  is  no  doubt  of  our  ability  to  do  all  this  by 
organized  effort.  It  is  further  worth}'  of  remembrance,  that  the 
hardest  work  is  to  start  the  movement ;  but  this  once  done  it 
must  grow,  because  organizations  increase  more  rapidly  in  propor- 
tion as  they  become  larger  and  more  numerous.  A  cause  once 
made  popular  takes  care  of  itself.  An  isolated  National  Forestry 
Association  must  attenuate  its  lines  in  the  effort  to  cover  so  large 
an  area  as  our  national  domain.  Except  here  and  there,  ivhere  it 
meets,  it  carries  almost  no  weight  in  an  attack.  But  let  a  National 
Association  grow  out  of  State  Associations  and  the  case  is  different. 
It  means  united  forces,  solid  line?,  and  weight  in  concerted 
action. 

It  remains  to  be  stated,  that  the  forces  in  favor  of  forestry  are 
moving  in  the  direction  of  State  organization.  New  Hampshire 
and  New  York  have  already-  organized.  Each  State,  too,  is 
represented  in  its  society  by  some  of  the  most  influential  citizens 
and  public  men.  Texas  has  just  organized  an  Arbor  Da}'  and 
Forestry  Association. 

Dakota  placed  in  her  constitution  a  clause  providing  for  a 
Forestry  School.  But  there  still  remains  much  to  be  done.  Even 
where  state  and  county  organizations  already  exist,  the  weight  of 
increasing  numbers  is  desired.  No  issue  of  the  day  is  more 
directly  for  the  people  than  this.  It  has  not  even  a  tinge  of 
political  coloring  ;  it  is  simph'  and  wholly  a  cause  based  upon 
right  and  expediency  and  in  the  interest  of  the  future  prosperity 
of  the  whole  State  and  whole  country.  No  people  can  more  fully 
realize  all  this  than  the  citizens  of  Massachusetts,  where  so  many 


142  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETT. 

great  movements  have  originated  and  whence  they  have  spread  as 
blessings  to  the  whole  countr}'. 

Quite  aside  from  the  general  problems  to  be  placed  before  our 
National  Congress,  are  the  minor  ones  which  grow  out  of  the 
condition  of  each  State. 

For  Pennsylvania  there  would  at  once  arise  the  question :  Shall 
the  Commonwealth  own  the  waste  ground, — the  timbered  areas  on 
the  chief  water  shed  of  these  States  ?  If  so,  what  steps  shall  it 
take  to  secure  them,  without  excessive  cost  on  the  one  hand,  and 
without  injustice  to  the  owner  on  the  other?  The  general  ten- 
dency of  American  thought  is  toward  the  belief  that  the  individual 
will  in  future  tolerate  less  and  less  meddling  by  the  State  with 
his  affairs.  It  is  because  of  this  fact  then,  that  I  think  the  only 
way  the  State  can  protect  itself  is  by  owning  the  needed  water- 
sheds, obtaining  them  by  purchase  if  need  be ;  or,  if  this  be  not 
possible,  b}'  taking  them  as  a  cit}'  takes  ground  for  a  park,  or  as 
a  railway  company  takes  the  land  needed  for  its  road-bed.  I  can 
see  no  new  principle  involved  here.  If  a  State  can  grant  to  a 
private  corporation  the  right  to  take  and  use  private  property  for 
public  benefit,  it  is  strange  indeed  that  it  cannot  claim  the  same 
right  for  itself.  How  csn  it  give  a  right  which  it  does  not  itself 
possess?  New  York  has  alread}'  decided  this  affirmatively.  I  am 
convinced  that,  for  us  in  Pennsylvania,  the  most  pressing  demand 
in  the  interest  of  our  forests  is  removal  of  taxes  on  land  so  long 
as  it  remains  in  timber,  or,  if  the  owner  is  to  be  taxed,  it  should 
only  be  on  the  timber  which  he  removes,  and  from  which  he 
derives  a  revenue,  or  an  actual  benefit. 

Consider  the  case  for  a  moment !  We  are  told,  the  owner  holds 
these  lands  in  timber  because  of  a  prospective  higher  value,  and 
that  he  is  simply  paying  for  the  protection  the  State  renders  while 
he  waits.  Now  if  this  were  true, — and  it  is  not,  for  the  State  fails 
to  protect  him, —  the  fact  remains  that  the  State  is  year  by  year 
reaping  from  these  forests  a  benefit  vastly  in  excess  of  what 
comes  from  taxes,  but  the  owner  receives  nothing.  In  places 
where  his  timber  is  remote  from  market  the  only  exclusive  privi- 
lege remaining  for  him  is  to  despoil  the  commonwealth  of  trees  that 
were  more  needful  to  it  than  they  could  be  to  him.  But  the  prin- 
ciple is  wrong.  Such  taxation  is  neither  equal  n©r  proportionately 
equal.  It  is,  when  reduced  to  its  simplest  expression,  a  tax  upon 
the  owner  for  being  a  public  benefactor.     His  trees  purify  the  air 


ASPECTS    OF    THE    PRESENT    FORESTRY    AGITATION.        143 

—  for  the  lungs  of  the  citizens  in  an  adjacent  county  it  may  be  — 
and  the  water  collected  and  stored  turns  the  factory  wheels  or 
enters  reservoirs  a  hundred  miles  away.  But  the  owner,  receiving 
at  most  only  his  share  of  these  blessings,  must  pay  the  whole  tax. 
I  object  then  to  that  woodland  tax,  on  the  very  ground  of  its 
inequality.  But  the  principle  is  wrong  in  another  way.  Thus  the 
idea  of  taxation  is,  I  think,  based  not  on  property  as  such,  but  on 
the  benefits  derived  from  it.  An  authority  says,  "  all  tax  must 
ultimately  come  from  rent,  profit,  or  wages."  But  the  owner  of 
the  unused  timber  land  is  receiving  neither  rent,  profit,  nor  wages. 
How  then  can  he  be  justly  taxed  ?  Lastly,  1  object  to  a  tax  on 
timber  land  because  it  not  only  puts  a  premium  on  removal  of  the 
trees,  but,  in  some  instances,  as  for  example  that  given  by 
Senator  Sawyer,  actually  necessitates  clearing  away  the  timber 
and  leads  to  subsequent  abandonment  of  the  ground.  I  cannot 
give  an  exact  estimate,  but  think  I  am  safe  in  the  assertion  that 
in  Pennsylvania  there  are  about  two  thousand  square  miles  of 
land  absolutely  worthless  for  all  agricultural  purposes,  and  where 
our  most  important  streams  head.  For  all  that  vast  area  there  is 
but  one  natural  destiny,  the  production  of  timber  and  the  conser- 
vation of  water.  Now  the  State  should  either  own  it  all,  or 
remove  the  taxes  from  it.  I  do  not  think  that  Pennsylvania 
stands  alone.  From  a  paragraph  written  as  early  as  1846,  by 
Mr.  George  B.  Emerson,  when  treating  of  the  Rock  Chestnut 
oak,  I  think,  Massachusetts  has  also  some  similar  areas.  I 
quote  the  passage:  ''But  the  chief  recommendation  of  the  rock 
chestnut  oak,  is  the  situation  in  which  it  grows.  It  grows 
naturally  and  flourishes  on  the  steep  sides  of  rocky  hills  where 
few  other  trees  can  thrive,  and  where  the  other  kinds  of  oak  can 
hardly  get  a  foothold.  There  are,  probabl}-,  thousands  of  acres 
of  hill}',  rocky  land,  in  almost  every  county  in  Massachusetts, 
where  various  kinds  of  evergreens  have  grown,  unmixed  with 
deciduous  trees,  until  they  have  exhausted  all  the  nutriment 
suited  to  their  support,  and  where  now,  consequently,  nothing 
thrives,  which  ground  would  furnish  abundant  support  for  this 
kind  of  oak."  This  was  written  forty-four  years  ago.  You  can 
say  better  than  I  whether  the  condition  of  affairs  has  improved  in 
the  meanwhile,  and  what  is  the  proper  legislation,  if  any  be 
needed,  for  such  areas.  Only  allow  me  to  suggest  that  you  do  not, 
in  any  way,  encourage  the  owner  to  despoil  the  commonwealth. 


144  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

There  is,  it  appears  to  me,  a  point  to  be  brought  out  here  in 
this  particular  locality.  Do  3'ou  do  enough  of  tree  planting?  I 
ride  along  the  great  railroad  thoroughfares  of  the  State,  and  find 
too  frequently,  in  towns  and  town  surroundings,  that  the  aspect  is 
rather  that  of  scarcity'  of  trees,  when  I  regard  the  country  from 
the  stand-point  of  landscape  gardening.  It  appears  clear  to  my 
mind  that  the  tendency  should  be  rather  toward  superabundance 
of  trees.  I  do  not  suggest  that  your  roads  be  literally  lined  by 
trees,  or  your  many  beautiful  vistas  be  closed  by  masses  of 
foliage.  This  would  be  a  mistake.  It  would  give  you  a  country 
quite  as  monotonous  as  the  other  extreme.  My  suggestion  is  that 
you  should  consider  this  whole  region  adjacent  to  the  city,  as  one 
vast  suburban  park,  to  be  laid  out  as  a  park,  where  the  whole,  so 
far  as  may  be,  should  be  under  one  leading  plan  or  idea  of  land- 
scape gardening.  A  clump  of  oaks  here,  of  elms  there,  of  pines 
or  spruces  yonder,  but  each  on  the  soil  and  location  best  suited 
for  an  enduring,  vigorous  life,  so  that  you  may  have  the  fences 
and  unsightly  diseased  trees  removed.  Above  all,  plant  almost 
exclusively  our  native  trees,  for,  as  Professor  Sargent  has  clearly 
shown,  they  are  by  all  odds  the  longer  lived. 

It  would  appear  clear  that  if  the  State  is  justified  in  over  step- 
ping the  rights  of  private  property  to  ensure  an  actual  benefit,  so 
too,  it  might  be  equally  justified  in  according  special  privileges  or 
special  rewards  to  guard  against  public  calamit3^  I  make  this 
statement  as  preliminar}'^  to  the  suggestion  that  it  might  be  well  if 
more  general  bounties  than  have  yet  been  offered  for  tree  planting 
were  allowed  bj*  the  State  to  such  regions  as  that  of  Cape  Cod. 
The  question  has  risen  more  than  once  with  me,  as  to  whether 
the  removal  of  trees  from  that  sandy  projection  has  not  been 
followed  by  a  fiercer  and  more  disastrous  sweep  of  the  winds  than 
once  existed  there.  It  would  appear  as  though  this  idea  could 
find  some  support  from  your  local  history  and  tradition.  Near 
Cape  Henlopen,  the  moving  of  an  immense  sand  dune  threatens 
to  be  a  very  serious  matter  for  the  future,  unless  measures  are 
taken  to  arrest  it.  Within  the.  brief  period  since  the  settlement 
of  the  country  such  changes  have  taken  place  in  this  moving  mass 
as  to  indicate  with  some  certaintj",  that  it  may  prove  a  formidable 
foe  in  the  future.  How  many  other  such  illustrations  the  coast 
would  furnish,  it  is  hard  to  say,  but  probably  enough  to  merit 
attention  from  our  legislators,  and  appropriations  from  the  States 
interested. 


ASPECTS    OF   THE    PRESENT   FORESTRY    AGITATION.       145 

At  the  present  juncture  there  is  quite  another  aspect  to  this  tree 
phinting.  Disguise  it  as  we  may,  the  unpleasant  fact  remains  for 
our  contemplation,  that  there  has  been  a  marked  fall  in  the  value 
of  farm  lauds.  We  need  not  inquire  how  this  has  come  about. 
It  were  better  and  more  appropriate  to  our  subject  to  inquire 
what  shall  we  do  under  the  circumstances.  Probably  nowhere  in 
this  country,  unless  we  except  some  small  areas  where  market 
gardening  is  carried  on,  do  we  make  the  most  out  of  our  acres. 
Compare  Massachusetts  or  Pennsylvania  with  Belgium,  and  I 
think  the  case  will  be  a  clear  one.  This  leads  to  the  inquiry : 
Have  we  not  been  dissipating  our  energies  over  too  large  an  area 
in  all  agricultural  work?  Should  we  not  have  gained  more  by 
careful  culture  of  ten  acres,  than  by  slovenly  treatment  of  twenty  ? 
Indeed,  would  not  the  smaller  area,  so  treated,  have  been  both 
more  productive  and  more  cheaply  managed?  If  the  question 
should  receive,  as  I  am  inclined  to  think  probable,  an  affirmative 
answer,  then  the  conclusion  follows,  that  there  would  remain  an 
equal  area  for  some  other  use.  Land  in  cultivation  tends,  on  the 
whole,  toward  impoverishment.  It  requires  constant  use  of 
fertilizers.  But  land  in  forest  tends  toward  increase  of  fertility. 
The  annual  fall  and  decay  of  foliage  returns  to  the  soil  not  only 
as  much  nutriment  as  the  growth  of  the  trees  removed  from  it, 
but  more.  My  suggestion  then  is,  unless  some  better  plan  be 
offered,  that  on  those  unused  acres  trees  should  be  planted.  Sup- 
pose you  are  to  use  the  land  iu  ten  years.  If  you  plant  judiciously, 
in  that  time  your  young  shoots  will  be  large  enough  to  pay  for 
removal,  and  the  soil  will  have  been  enriched  by  the  leaves  they 
have  furnished.  It  cannot  be  that  this  depreciation  of  farm  land 
is  to  be  permanent.  In  the  not  distant  future  the  available 
desirable  locations  of  the  West  and  South  will  have  been  taken 
up,  and  the  wave  of  home-seeking  humanity,  which  has  so  long 
been  moving  westward  with  a  force  as  resistless  as  the  waves  of 
the  Atlantic,  will,  like  those  same  waves,  flow  back  toward  the 
East,  and  mingle  again  with  the  masses  from  which  they  originally 
came.     Happy  he  who  then  has  a  surplus  holding  here  ! 

At  the  close  of  Professor  Rothrock's  lecture,  a  vote  of  thanks 
for  his  interesting  and  instructive  paper  was  unanimously  passed. 


10 


146  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 


Discussion. 

0.  B,  Hadweu  expressed  the  exceeding  gratification  afforded 
him  b}^  listening  to  Professor  Rothrock's  lecture.  He  believed 
the  present  forestry  agitation  might  prove  of  great  benefit  to  New 
England.  There  used  to  be  dry  times  when  the  country  was,  so 
to  speak,  completely  covered  with  forests,  but  there  was  compara- 
tively little  barren  land. 

There  is  more  forest  in  Massachusetts  today  than  there  was 
fifty  years  ago.  This  is  partly  due  to  the  desertion  of  farms, 
which  have  naturally  become  wooded  again,  but  in  part  also 
to  this  forestry  agitation,  which  was  begun  move  than  half  a 
century  ago,  and  has  been  persistentl}'  urged  by  wise,  far-seeing 
men. 

No  doubt  other  material  for  buildings  has  been  used  in  conse- 
quence of  the  exhaustion  of  native  pine.  So  also  in  the  matter  of 
fuel ;  farmers,  as  well  as  residents  of  cities,  now  use  the  coal  of 
Pennsylvania,  instead  of  the  products  of  their  own  woodlands,  for 
home  comfort. 

He  believed  that  as  a  result  of  the  spread  of  knowledge  of  the 
principles  of  scientific  forest  culture,  we  shall  3'et  grow  timber, 
largel}'  increased  in  size,  and,  through  early  pruning  and  thinning, 
now  little  thought  of  and  rarely  practised,  the  amount  of  clear 
lumber  in  the  forest  product  will  be  greatly  increased. 

Because  of  ignorance  of  the  science  involved,  there  is  no  enthu- 
siasm among  our  farmers,  in  this  branch  of  their  business.  They 
are  too  eager  to  turn  into  money  everything  available  in  that 
direction,  and  will  sell  their  pine  trees  as  soon  as  they  are  suffi- 
ciently large  for  box  boards.  A  wooden  house  is  the  best  in  this 
State,  because  it  can  be  kept  dryest  and  therefore  most  healthful. 
He  hoped  the  time  would  come  when  the  Commonwealth  and  the 
towns  would  relieve  owners  of  woodland  from  excessive  taxation. 

John  M.  Woods  said  that  he  was  much  interested  in  the  subject 
before  the  meeting.  For  twenty-five  years  he  had  been  a  dealer 
in  hard  wood  lumber  and  he  had  learned  considerable  about  it.  He 
thought  the  policy  upon  which  the  saw-mill  business  had  been 
permitted  to  go  on  in  this  country  illustrated  the  point  about 
locking  the  stable  doors  after  the  horse  was  stolen. 

Prior  to  twenty-five  years  ago  Albauy  was  a  centre  ©f  the 
lumber  trade,  but  about  that  time,  Cleveland,  Ohio,  came  to  the 


ASPECTS    OF    THE    PRESENT    FORESTRY    AGITATION.        147 

front,  and  as  time  rolled  on  Indianapolis,  Tnd.,  and  Nashville  and 
Memphis.  Tenn.,  became  prominent  markets  for  Inmber.  There 
never  was  a  time  when  the  beautiful  woods  of  our  land  were  in 
greater  demand  than  now,  nor  a  time  when  they  commanded 
higher  prices.  They  are  largelj'^  used  in  the  finer  finishing  of 
house  interiors,  and  in  furniture.  They  include  chiefly  black 
walnut,  oak,  ash,  butternut,  cherrj-,  sycamore,  etc.  Certain 
kinds,  particularly  curly  grained  woods,  are  in  special  demand, 
and  to  meet  these  calls  the  oldest  and  largest  trees,  which  were 
considered  best,  were  cut  first  and  put  into  market.  All  parts  of 
the  country  have  been  thus  denuded  of  the  best.  The  white- 
wood  comes  from  the  vSouth.  The  Cumberland  and  Smoky 
Mountain  ranges,  and  the  elevated  lands  of  Arkansas  are  rich  in 
choice  varieties  of  woods.  They  have  been  scoured  for  their  best, 
to  meet  the  demands  of  our  markets.  There  was  a  time  when  the 
best  black  walnut  boards,  two  feet  wide,  went  begging  at  forty- 
five  dollars  per  thousand  feet.  Now,  the  price  of  such  lumber  is 
one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  thousand,  and  it  is  almost  unpro- 
curable at  that.  Others  of  these  choice  varieties  are  also  chiefly 
found  only  in  narrow  widths.  Probabl)'  the  appreciation  of  these 
woods  in  European  markets  helped  to  increase  the  demand  for 
them  here.  The  destruction  of  forests  began  with  the  settlement 
of  this  country,  therefore  our  own  State  was  an  early  sufferer. 
Mr,  "Wood  stated  that  within  a  radius  of  eighteen  miles  from  our 
State  House,  there  is  not  now  standing,  a  tree  which  would  make 
a  saw-log,  except  some  growing  on  private  grounds  as  ornaments. 
The  destruction  has  been  extended  bj'  saw-mill  men  all  over  the 
country.  Lumbermen,  i.  e  dealers  in  lumber,  are  becoming 
anxious  to  have  measures  adopted  to  check  the  wanton  waste  of 
our  forest  wealth.  Arbor  Day  was  suggested  as  a  method  of 
cultivating  the  public  taste  for  tree  culture,  and  the  speaker 
urged  that  every  one  should  make  it  an  act  of  dut}',  if  not  of 
pleasure,  to  plant  one  valuable  tree, — a  black  walnut,  cherry,  ash, 
white  oak,  or  any  that  is  used  in  manufactures.  It  will  constantly 
be  a  thing  of  beauty  and  pleasure,  and  eventually  of  profit  if  need 
be.  Although  he  has  only  a  small  city  lot,  he  set  out  a  black 
walnut  tree  a  few  years  ago.  It  makes  an  annual  growth  of  four 
feet  and  has  become  the  admiration  of  the  whole  neighborhood. 
In  Somerville,  where  he  resides,  many  streets  pass  over  hills. 
Where  there  are  no  trees,  the  rains  wash  the  streets  badly,  and 


148  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETT. 

they  are  quickly  dried  to  dustiness  afterward.  Those  streets 
shaded  by  trees  suffer  far  less  by  rains,  and  are  not  so  dusty  as 
the  others.  On  this  ground  he  claimed  that  trees  are  a  protection 
to  the  road-bed,  and  that  it  is  economical  to  plant  trees  on  the 
streets,  because  it  costs  less  to  take  care  of  streets  so  adorned. 

John  D.  W.  French  spoke  of  the  subject  as  being  broader  than 
usually  came  before  the  Society  for  discussion, —  it  is  as  broad  as 
the  land  itself.  It  is  a  question  ef  the  most  vital  importance.  If 
the  forests  in  one  section  of  the  country  are  devastated  by  fires, 
or  unnecessarily  destroyed  by  the  axe,  all  sections  suffer  in  more 
or  less  degree. 

Figures  are  suggestive  and  carry  weight,  but  are  often  not  as 
impressive  as  the  words  of  a  living  witness.  At  the  last  Forestry 
Congress,  in  Philadelphia,  Richard  J.  Hinton,  who  had  accom- 
panied the  Irrigation  Commission  the  previous  summer,  stated 
that  they  travelled  thousands  of  miles  through  burning  and  burnt 
forests,  where  the  smoke  was  so  dense  as  to  fairly  obscure  the 
sun.  And  then,  in  one  of  the  most  eloquent  addresses  that  Mr. 
French  had  ever  heard,  he  set  forth  in  glowing  words,  the  iniquity 
and  wickedness  of  our  present  system  of  forestry  administration, 
with  its  wholesale  destruction  of  timber  by  fires  and  lumber 
thieves. 

Something  can  be  done  to  stem  this  tide  of  destruction  before  it 
overwhelms  all  our  forests,  by  agitation  at  home,  in  the  news- 
papers, and  by  bringing  to  bear,  all  influences  possible,  on  our 
members  of  Congress,  to  persuade  them  to  pass  suitable  forest  laws. 
Professor  Rothrock  had  suggested  the  formation  of  a  State  Forestry 
Association  here,  similar  to  the  one  in  Pennsylvania.  It  may  be 
well,  sometime  in  the  future,  to  form  one.  It  is  possible  that  the 
objects  in  view  can  be  accomplished  by  existing  societies,  like 
the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society,  the  Massachusetts 
Society  for  Promoting  Agriculture,  the  State  Board  of  Agricul- 
ture, and  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College. 

There  are  at  present  in  our  State,  various  laws  bearing  on  the 
forestry  question,  such  as  exempting  from  taxation  plantations  of 
trees  on  land  of  low  value  ;  to  prevent  fires,  and  for  the  punish- 
ment of  offenders ;  to  allow  towns  to  assess  on  polls  a  certain 
sum,  not  exceeding  fifty  cents  each,  for  the  planting  of  trees  on 
public  squares  and  highways,  and  also  to  protect  trees  from 
\wanton  and  malicious  mutilation. 


ASPECTS    OF    THE    PRESENT    FORESTRY    AGITATION.       149 

Mrs.  Henrietta  L.  T.  Wolcott  said  she  knew  ver}'  little  about 
this  subject  except  from  experience  in  her  own  grounds.  In  1877 
her  husband  bought  a  farm  of  four  hundred  acres.  "  There  was  a 
sandy,  gravelh'  hill-side  directly  opposite  the  house.  It  was  found 
unprofitable  to  cultivate  that  land,  and  she  decided  to  devote  it  to 
trees.  Ten  thousand  little  trees  were  ordered ;  they  were  so 
small  as  to  come  packed  in  one  champagne  basket.  She  asked  to 
have  furrows  ploughed  for  the  proposed  rows  of  trees,  but  the 
whole  ground  was  ploughed.  This  was  a  useless  operation,  and 
in  a  sense  was  discouraging  However,  she  planted  all  those 
little  trees,  but  the  first  rain  that  fell  washed  many  of  them  out 
of  the  rows.  Among  these  trees  were  two  hundred  seedling  pines, 
about  two  and  a  half  inches  high.  When  the  ash  and  larch  trees 
were  four  feet  high,  they  were  thinned  out,  some  of  them  being 
transplanted  to  afford  future  shade  to  the  dairy  building.  In  a 
few  years  the  trees  had  grown  so  large  they  could  not  be  dug  up. 
Some  of  the  larches  are  now  fully  thirty  feet  high.  The  hill-side 
is  covered  and  is  an  agreeable  sight.  The  soil  has  been  greatl}' 
improved,  being  now  about  twelve  inches  in  depth  instead  of 
three  inches  as  before  the  tree  planting.  Mrs.  Wolcott  said  that 
in  man}'  places  the  work  of  the  Village  or  Town  Improvement 
Society  was  largely  left  to  the  women  members.  She  recom- 
mended the  planting  of  trees  as  a  most  appropriate  work  for  such 
societies,  but  she  thought  it  better  to  use  larger  trees  than  those 
with  which  she  began.  One  foot  high  at  least  would  be  small 
enough.  Still,  she  would  suggest  that  some  members  raise  stocks 
of  trees  from  seed  ;  this  would  give  them  a  choice  in  the  selection 
of  varieties,  and  they  could  be  used  when  grown  to  any  desired 
size.  She  would  also  recommend  that  individuals  plant  trees, 
either  seedlings  of  their  own  raising  or  purchased  from  nursery- 
men. In  this  way,  a  great  deal  could  be  done  to  beautify  the 
country,  and  make  it  more  attractive  and  pleasant  for  generations 
to  come. 

Leverett  M.  Chase  regretted  that  the  time  did  not  permit  a 
fuller  discussion  upon  this  matter.  Professor  Rothrock's  valu- 
able paper  had  covered  but  a  few  of  the  elements  in  this  theme. 
One  is  the  relation  of  freshets  and  floods  to  the  destruction  of 
forests,  to  which  we  are  compelled  to  give  attention  b}'  the 
most  disastrous  experiences  throughout  the  country.  For  exam- 
ple :  in  Ohio  forests  occupied  13,991,228  acres  in  1853  ;  9,749,333 


150  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

in  1870,  and  4,732,092  in  1880.  From  1870  to  1881  the  clearing 
was  5,041,086  acres,  or  799,192  acres  more  than  the  total  forest  in 
1881.  At  this  rate  a  single  decade  would  deforest  the  State  and 
leave  a  large  deficiency  to  be  supplied  from  other  States  and 
Canada.  In  1883  the  damage  by  floods  in  the  Ohio  basin  alone 
was  more  than  $61,000,000.  Has  the  removal  of  forests  from  the 
vicinity  of  many  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Ohio  River  had  any 
influence  in  precipitating  all  this  excess  of  water  from  those 
districts  into  the  streams?.  Would  not  the  restoration  of  forest 
growths  tend  to  retain  more  or  less  of  that  moisture  where  it  fell, 
or  at  least  to  cause  it  to  pass  awa^'  more  slowl}',  and,  to  a  greater 
extent,  discharge  its  natural  functions,  to  the  advantage  of  the 
annual  crops,  the  live  stock,  and  local  navigation,  and  render  it  a 
benefit  in  every  way  to  the  people,  instead  of  the  terrible  scourge 
it  has  been  in  later  years  ? 


BUSINESS   MEETING. 

Saturday,  March  8,  1890. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at  half-past 
eleven  o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spooner  in  the  Chair. 

Charles  N.  Brackett  announced  the  decease  of  George  Hill, 
and  moved  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  prepare  a  suitable 
testimonial.  The  motion  was  carried  and  the  Chair  appointed  as 
that  Committee,  Mr.  Brackett,  Henry  W.  Wilson,  and  Warren 
Heustis. 

The  Secretary  read  letters  from  the  Bay  State  Agricultural 
Society  and  the  Worcester  South  Agricultural  Society,  expressing 
the  thanks  of  those  Societies  for  the  invitation  to  appoint  a 
member  who  should  have  the  free  use  of  the  Library  and  Library 
Room  during  the  year  1890,  for  the  purpose  of  preparing  papers 
to  be  read  at  Institutes  of  those  Societies,  and  announcing  that 
they  had  respectively  appointed  George  M.  Whitaker,  of  South- 
bridge,  and  George  L.  Clemence,  of  Globe  Village. 


HEATING    COLD    FRAMES    BY    HOT    WATER,    ETC.  151 

A  letter  was  also  read  from  the  Ilingham  Agricultural  and 
Horticultural  Society,  conveying  the  thanks  of  that  Society'  for  a 
similar  invitation,  and  stating  that  an  appointment  would  be 
made  at  an  early  day,  of  which,  the  Society  would  be  notified  as 
soon  as  made. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  March  15,  at  half-past  eleven  o'clock. 


MEETING   FOR  DISCUSSION. 

Heating   Cold   Frames  by   Hot   Water  or   Steam  Pipes,  and 

Growing   Black   Hamburg   Grapes  Under  Glass 

that  is  Otherwise  Used  in  Winter. 

By  William  D.  Philbrick,  Editor  of  the  Massachusetts  Ploughman,  Boston. 

Five  years  ago  I  made  my  first  experiments  in  growing  dande- 
lions in  a  frame  heated  by  a  circulation  of  hot  water. 

The  bed  was  one  hundred  and  ninety-five  feet  long  and  twelve 
feet  wide,  covered  by  one  hundred  and  thirty  sashes,  and  was 
heated  by  one  and  a  quarter  inch  water  pipe,  supported  on 
the  inside  of  the  plank  frame  four  inches  below  the  glass,  which 
was  covered  at  night  by  straw  mats  in  cold  weather.  This  season 
has  been  so  mild  that  no  mats  have  been  required. 

The  dandelion  roots  were  transplanted  from  the  field  in  Septem- 
ber ;  the  glass  was  placed  on  the  frame  about  the  middle  of 
December,  and  the  firing  of  the  boiler  was  begun  about  Christmas. 

The  dandelions  were  marketed  in  February,  producing  an 
average  of  just  a  bushel  to  each  sash,  and  were  cleared  off  before 
the  crop  from  the  cold  frames  came  in. 

As  fast  as  the  dandelions  were  cleared  off,  the  bed  was  sown 
with  radishes,  with  every  third  row  Short  Horn  carrots ;  the 
radishes  were  sold  in  April ;  the  glass  was  then  taken  oflT  to 
another  frame  heated  by  manure  for  cucumbers,  and  the  carrots 
were  marketed  in  June.     The  result  was  highly  satisfactory. 

The  next  year  I  repeated  the  experiment,  using,  however,  a 
single  one  and  a  quarter  inch  steam  pipe  on  the  south  side  of  the 
bed  twelve  feet  wide.  The  dandelions  near  the  steam  pipe  were 
somewhat  drawn  by  the  excessive  heat  of  the  pipe,  but  were  not 
much  injured.  Instead  of  carrots,  I  sowed  parsley  with  the 
radishes   this    time ;    and  it  came   to   market  in    May  and   sold 


152  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

remarkabl}'^  well.  I  have  continued  to  use  these  warm  frames 
every  year  since,  with  uniformly  successful  results,  as  regards 
growing  the  crops,  though  of  course  the  market  is  not  always 
equally  good  for  the  products. 

For  the  best  and  most  easily  managed  frame  I  prefer  one  only 
six  feet  wide,  with  a  fence  to  lean  the  mats  against  when  not  on 
the  frame,  having  a  one  and  a  quarter  inch  pipe  carried  around 
the  frame,  on  both  sides,  four  inches  below  the  glass,  and  heated 
b3'  a  small  hot  water  boiler,  under  pressure  of  about  ten  pounds  to 
the  inch.  The  reason  for  preferring  hot  water  circulation  to  steam 
is  that  in  moderate  weather  the  temperature  can  be  more  easily 
regulated  by  regulating  the  fire,  than  by  steam  pipes.  The  same 
results  could  probably  be  attained  bj'  having  two  or  three  steam 
pipes  of  less  diameter,  and  shutting  off  the  steam  from  part  of 
them  in  mild  weather. 

These  frames  are  very  convenient  in  growing  the  crops  I  have 
mentioned,  which  need  to  be  grown  in  the  open  air  in  spring  and 
fall  without  glass,  the  frame  and  glass  being  placed  over  the  bed 
as  cold  weather  comes  on,  thus  avoiding  transplanting,  and  they 
would  answer  equally  well,  I  should  judge,  for  man\'  flowering 
plants  of  low  growth,  which  need  but  little  artificial  heat,  such  as 
violets,  pansies,  primulas,  and  many  of  the  Dutch  bulbs. 

It  is  astonishing  how  little  coal  is  required  to  keep  out  frost, 
which  is  about  all  that  is  Heeded  with  such  hardy  plants  as  I  have 
mentioned.  When  mats  are  used  on  the  bed,  it  will  require  for  a 
bed  two  hundred  feet  long  and  six  feet  wide  only  about  three  or 
four  tons  of  coal  for  the  winter,  to  keep  the  plants  in  growing 
condition,  and  make  the  frame  produce  fully  double  what  it  would 
do  without  the  heat.  Every  one  who  has  attempted  to  run  a  cold 
frame  in  a  severe  winter,  knows  how  hard  it  is  to  keep  out  frost, 
even  with  double  mats  and  shutters.  By  the  aid  of  hot  water  or 
steam,  no  shutters  at  all  are  required,  and  much  of  the  time  not 
even  mats.  Such  an  arrangement,  however,  will  not  grow  good 
lettuce,  without  a  little  bottom  heat  in  cold  weather. 

Growing  Black  Hamburg  Grapes  Under  Glass  that  is 
Used  for  Other  Purposes  in  Winter. —  Ever}'  market  gardener 
knows  that  there  is  usually  a  considerable  number  of  hot-bed 
sashes  in  every  market  garden  which  are  not  used,  unless  for 
growing  cucumbers  and  melons,  after  the  middle  of  April,  till  the 
next  winter.  The  early  cucumber  crop  has  of  late  years  been  far 
less  profitable  than  formerly,  and  it  occurred   to  me  a  few  years 


BLACK    HAMBURG   GRAPES   UNDER   GLASS.  153 

ago  that,  possibly,  this  glass  might  be  put  to  better  use  in  grow- 
ing grapes.  To  do  this,  I  started  some  cuttings  of  the  Black 
Hamburg  grape,  and  grew  the  vines  for  the  first  year  in  pots  in 
my  cucumber  house.  The  next  year  they  were  set  out  in  the 
border  where  they  were  to  grow  and  were  grown  in  a  frame, 
raised  three  feet  high  and  covered  by  a  single  string  of  hot-bed 
glass  the  vines  being  trained  inside  the  frame.  The  vines  were 
cut  back  in  the  fall  to  two  eyes,  and  covered.  The  next  spring 
the  rafters  of  the  house  were  built  and  the  glass  was  put  on  about 
the  last  of  April. 

The  vines  made  a  fair  growth  last  year,  and  were  allowed  to 
ripen  only  a  few  bunches  of  grapes.  But  next  summer  I  hope  to 
be  able  to  grow  a  fair  crop.  The  glass  with  which  this  house  is 
covered  is  ordinarj-  hot-bed  sashes,  which  are  fastened  to  the 
rafters  by  'means  of  screw-eyes  in  the  rafters,  through  which 
common  wood  screws  pass  into  the  under  side  of  the  sashes  to 
hold  them  in  place.  The  glass  is  taken  off  in  the  fall,  after  the 
vines  have  been  pruned  and  laid  down  and  covered  with  earth. 
The  glass  is  used  on  hot-beds  or  cold  frames  till  April  20,  when  it 
is  replaced  upon  the  rafters  of  the  grapery,  just  as  the  grapes  are 
breaking  into  growth.  The  grapes  treated  thus  will  ripen  in 
September.  I  see  no  difficulty  in  growing  grapes  in  this  way  very 
cheaply.  When  I  made  my  plans  for  this  operation  the  price  of 
Black  Hamburg  grapes  was  from  seventy-five  cents  to  one  dollar 
and  a  quarter  per  pound,  but  the  recent  large  importation  of 
California  grapes  in  the  fall,  together  with  the  improved  excellence 
of  our  out-door  grapes,  has  reduced  the  price,  so  that  Black 
Hamburgs  sold  last  fall  at  about  thirty  cents  per  pound.  This 
low  price  was  partly  due  to  the  wet  season,  which  made  it  impos- 
sible to  hold  the  grapes  for  later  marketing. 

I  do  not,  therefore,  regard  this  experiment  as  likely  to  prove  a 
financial  success,  but  any  one  who  wishes  to  grow  these  delicious 
grapes  cheaply,  can  do  so  by  using  his  spare  glass,  and  will  be 
rewarded  for  the  care  they  require,  with  a  crop  of  choice  fruit 
for  his  table  or  for  his  friends.  There  is,  however,  little  induce- 
ment to  grow  them  for  market,  unless  they  are  forced  early,  or 
held  till  cold  weather,  which  involves  the  use  of  heat  and  different 
arrangements. 

The  span  of  the  house  is  about  twenty-four  feet.  The  rafters 
are  eighteen  feet  long,  inclined  at  an  angle  of  45°,  and   are  pre- 


154  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

vented  from  spreading  by  horizontal  ties  fastened  about  midway 
of  their  length.  This  length  of  rafter  requires  three  lengths  of 
sashes,  each  one  slightly  overlapping  the  one  below  it.  Ever}' 
third  upper  sash  on  both  sides  is  hinged  at  the  top  so  as  to  be 
opened  for  ventilation,  and  there  are  also  ventilators  in  the  sides, 
which,  however,  are  opened  onl}'  when  the  grapes  are  coloring. 
The  perpendicular  sides  are  about  two  and  a  half  feet  high.  The 
ground  in  the  liouse  is  a  foot  or  a  foot  and  a  half  below  the 
border,  the  soil  having  been  thrown  on  the  border.  Telegraph 
wires  are  stretched,  about  fifteen  inches  from  the  glass,  to  bolts 
at  top  and  bottom,  by  means  of  which  they  are  tightened,  and 
they  have  also  a  support  in  the  middle  ;  on  these  wires  the  vines 
are  trained.  Perhaps  a  better  plan  would  be,  to  carry  the  roof 
only  about  half  as  high,  on  the  curb-roof  plan,  having  the  upper 
portion  pitch  just  enough  to  shed  water  freely.  This  would  make 
the  working  of  the  upper  portion  of  the  house  less  difficult. 

A  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Philbrick  for  his  able  and  interesting 
paper  was  unanimously  passed. 

Discussion. 

E.  W.  Wood  was  first  called  on,  and  said  that  he  had  been 
much  interested  in  the  account  of  the  use  of  heat  in  frames. 
Within  the  last  few  years  a  good  deal  has  been  done  by  procuring 
the  old  heating  apparatus  used  in  railroad  cars.  This  has,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  change  in  the  methods  of  heating,  been  sold  for 
eight  or  ten  dollars  cash,  and  has  been  purchased  to  a  considerable 
extent  by  the  users  of  cold  frames.  Lettuce  has,  as  the  essayist 
said,  failed  without  bottom  heat.  The  heated  frames  are  most 
useful  for  retarding  plants. 

As  to  using  the  hot-bed  sashes  for  grapes,  Mr.  Wood  thought 
it  a  question  whether  it  would  be  more  profitable  than  continuing 
to  use  them  for  cucumbers  or  other  vegetables.  There  is  no  fruit 
which  will  flourish  under  maltreatment  as  well  as  the  grape. 
When  the  tops  of  Black  Hamburg  vines  are  destroyed  the  roots 
are  never  killed.  The  vines  under  Mr.  Philbrick's  plan  must  be 
bent  down  and  covered  with  earth  to  protect  them  during  the 
winter ;  this  can  easily  be  done  for  the  first  four  years,  but  after 
that  it  will  be  more  difficult.     The  speaker  has  vines   planted  in 


HEATING    COLD    FRAMES,    ETC.  155 

1871,  some  of  which  are  four  inches  in  diameter  at  the  surface  of 
the  ground  and  they  cannot  be  bent  down  without  injury. 

Mr.  Philbrick  said  that  the  necessity  for  warming  the  earth  in 
frames  depends  on  what  plants  are  to  be  grown.  Lettuce  and 
cucumbers  must  have  bottom  heat ;  dandelions,  parsley,  and 
radishes  are  more  hardy  and  do  not  require  it :  in  fact  they  do 
better  without  it. 

William  H.  Badlam  thought  that  warming  frames,  as  proposed 
by  the  essaj'ist,  would  be  liable  to  make  plants  more  delicate. 
He  thought  steam  would  not  give  heat  so  quickly  as  hot  water 
nor  retain  it  as  long.  The  water  begins  to  warm  the  house  as  soon 
as  it  gets  into  circulation  and  does  not  lose  its  heat  until  the  fire 
goes  out.     He  also  thought  steam  less  economical  than  hot  water. 

Mr.  Philbrick's  experience  did  not  agree  with  Mr.  Badlam's. 
He  built  a  large  house  which  he  heated  at  first  with  hot  water  and 
afterwards  with  steam,  and  since  then  another,  and  he  had  found 
it  decidedly  more  economical  of  labor  than  hot  water.  You  can 
get  up  heat  with  steam  more  quickh',  because  the  quantity  of 
water  to  be  heated  is  much  less.  At  this  time  of  the  year  you  do 
not  want  heat  during  the  day,  and  the  pipes  are  much  more 
quickly  cooled  when  steam  is  used  than  with  hot  water.  As  to 
the  danger  of  the  fire  going  out,  it  does  not  amount  to  anj-thing  ; 
he  leaves  his  fire  for  ten  hours.  In  a  small  house  he  would  prefer 
hot  water. 

Mr.  Wood  gave  an  account  of  an  experiment,  made  at  the 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station  at  Amherst,  to  determine  the 
comparative  advantages  of  steam  and  hot  water.  A  house  eighty 
feet  long  and  forty  feet  wide  was  built  with  a  partition  in  the 
centre,  one-half  being  heated  with  steam  and  the  other  with  hot 
water,  and  two  boilers  exactly  alike  were  put  in.  The  only 
diflference  was  that  the  side  heated  by  steam  was  protected  by  a 
bank  from  the  east  winds,  while  the  other  side  was  exposed  to  the 
west.  The  coal  was  weighed  every  day,  and  it  was  found  at  the 
end  of  the  season  that,  notwithstanding  its  exposure,  a  ton  of  coal 
had  been  saved  in  the  part  warmed  by  hot  water,  and  the  heat 
kept  higher.  This  experiment  was  made  by  persons  who  were 
impartial  and  unbiassed.  There  may  be  conditions  and  circum- 
stances where  steam  can  be  used  advantageouslj'.  The  Messrs. 
Hittinger  Brothers,  at  Belmont,  have  a  house  600  feet  long,  one- 
half  25  feet  wide,  and  the  other  half  30  feet,  and  four  houses  150 


156  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

by  30  feet,  in  all  which  they  use  hot  water.  For  small  houses  hot 
water  is  safer.  Steam  must  be  constantly  watched.  He  thought 
the  essayist  would  not  sa}'  he  could  heat  by  means  of  steam  with 
as  little  coal  as  with  hot  water 

Mr.  Philbrick  thought  that  if  Mr.  Wood  got  used  to  steam  he 
would  feel  as  much  confidence  in  it  as  in  hot  water.  He  had  not 
kept  an  exact  account  of  the  cost,  but  he  keeps  his  houses  warmer 
by  the  use  of  three  or  four  tons  more  of  coal  than  was  used  when 
he  heated  the  same  houses  preyiously  with  hot  water. 

William  E,  Endicott  thought  it  would  not  be  safe  to  draw  final 
conclusions  from  the  experiment  at  Amherst.  That  experiment, 
of  itself,  is  of  trifling  importance.  It  merely  shows  that  one  st3'le 
of  steam-boiler  cost  more  to  run  than  one  kind  of  hot  water 
apparatus  in  one  trial. 

Mr.  Wood  said  that  it  was  intended  to  test  the  whole  matter  as 
impartially  as  possible.  The  boilers  were  alike  and  were  put  in 
by  the  same  dealer,  and  there  was  no  difference  between  the  two 
houses  except  the  location. 

Mr.  Endicott  said  that  the  question  is  too  large  to  be  settled  by 
a  single  experiment. 

Joseph  H.  Woodford  said  that  the  method  of  raising  Black 
Hamburg  grapes,  recommended  by  the  essayist,  had  been  practiced 
in  England  man}'  years  ago  and  illustrated  in  the  English  horti- 
cultural magazines.  The  houses  were  called  "curates'  vineries." 
Plans  of  the  construction  of  these  vineries  are  given  in  Thomas 
Rivers's  "  Miniature  Fruit  Garden."  The  late  Stiles  Frost,  of 
West  Newton,  used  sashes  about  three  feet  wide,  resting  on  bricks 
at  the  base,  and  fastened  together  at  the  apex  with  hooks  and 
staples.  The  vines  were  planted  at  the  south  end,  and  as  the\' 
grew  were  suspended  from  the  ridge  of  the  sash.  They  produced 
large  crops  of  grapes.  In  the  fall  the  sashes  were  removed,  and 
the  vines  buried  until  warm  weather  came  in  the  spring. 

Mr.  Wood  said  that  such  houses  as  the  last  speaker  had 
described  were  used  and  recommended  b}'  Thomas  Rivers.  The 
houses  were  twenty-six  inches  high,  two  feet  and  a  half  wide,  and 
seven  feet  long,  without  ends,  so  that  they  could  be  extended  by 
placing  in  line.  This  had  been  done  to  the  extent  of  seven 
houses.  One  vine  produced  sixty-three  bunches  of  grapes. 
Those  used  by  Mr.  Frost  cost  seven  dollars  each.  It  is  difficult 
to  keep  the  vines  within  the  bounds  necessary  for  so  small  a  space,, 
but  crops  can  be  grown  with  little  care  and  expense. 


MEMORIAL    OF    GEORGE    HILL.  157 

The  announcement  for  the  next  Saturday  was  a  paper  on 
-"  Horticultural  Education  for  Children,"  by  Henry  L.  Clapp, 
principal  of  the  George  Putnam  School,  Roxbury. 


BUSINESS    MEETING. 

Saturday,  March  15,  1890. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at  half-past 
eleven  o'clock,  President  William  H.  Spooner  in  the  Chair, 

Charles  N.  Brackett,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  appointed  at 
the  last  meeting  to  prepare  a  memorial  of  George  Hill,  reported 
as  follows  : 

The  committee  appointed  to  prepare  resolutions  on  the  death  of 
George  Hill,  report  the  following  : 

It  is  with  feelings  of  sincere  sorrow  that  we  record  the  death  of 
our  esteemed  associate  and  friend,  George  Hill,  which  occurred 
suddenly  on  Saturday  morning,  March  1st,  at  his  residence  in 
Arlington.  The  suddenness  of  the  event  has  not  onl}'  thrown 
around  it  a  more  than  ordinary  solemnity,  but  has  made  it  diflBcult 
to  realize  that  he,  who  but  a  few  daj's  ago  was  in  our  midst 
actively  engaged  in  the  duties  of  a  busy  life,  should  now  be 
numbered  with  the  dead. 

Mr.  Hill  commanded  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  who  knew 
him,  and  in  saying  that  his  death  is  a  public  loss  we  are  onl}' 
expressing  what  hundreds  of  hearts  have  already  declared.  He 
was  possessed  of  a  noble,  generous  character  and  personal  traits 
which  made  him  very  popular,  and  he  will  be  missed  by  a  large 
circle  of  friends  who  were  warmly  attached  to  him. 

For  a  period  of  more  than  twenty-five  years  he  tvas  a  constant 
and  valued  contributor  to  the  Society's  exhibitions.  As  an 
exhibitor  of  choice  fruits  and  vegetables  his  contributions  attested 
his  enthusiasm  and  skill  as  a  cultivator.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Vegetable  Committee  thirteen  years,  and  on  various  other  Com- 
mittees rendered  the  Society  valuable  services,  neglecting  no 
duty. 


158  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

We  cannot,  therefore,  permit  this  occasion  to  pass  without 
placing  on  record  some  expression  of  our  appreciation  of  his 
virtues  and  our  high  respect  for  his  character  and  memory. 
Therefore 

Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  Mr.  Hill  this  Society  has  lost 
one  of  its  best  cultivators  and  most  respected  members  ;  one  who 
always  felt  a  deep  and  abiding  interest  in  its  welfare  and  pros- 
perity. 

Resolved,  That,  remembering  his  sterling  worth  as  a  man,  his 
rare  integrity  and  puritj^  of  character,  his  fidelity  and  generous 
hearted  devotion  to  the  interests  and  welfare  of  our  association, 
our  hearts  are  made  sad  by  his  removal  from  the  scenes  of  his 
earthly  labors.     Though  dead  he  still  lives  in  the  hearts  of  not  a 

few,  for  he  lived 

"  Scattering  seeds  of  kindness 
For  the  reaping  by-and-by." 

Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  entered  on  our  records, 
and  that  a  copy  be  transmitted  to  the  family  of  the  deceased  with 
the  assurance  of  our  warmest  sympathy  in  their  sad  bereavement. 

Charles  N.  Brackett,  ^ 

Henrt  W.  Wilson,         >  Committee. 

Warren  Heustis.  ) 

The  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted. 

Edmund  Hersey,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  appointed  some 
years  ago  to  collect  information  in  regard  to  Large  or  Interesting 
Trees  in  New  England,  stated  that  the  Committee  had  collected 
considerable  material,  but  they  desired  to  make  the  work  credit- 
able to  the  Society,  and  therefore  had  had  a  circular  printed 
asking  for  information  on  the  subject  committed  to  them,  copies 
of  which  were  upon  the  table  for  distribution  to  the  members  and 
others. 

The  Secretary  presented  a  letter  from  the  Spencer  Farmers'  and 
Mechanics'  Association  accepting  the  invitation  to  appoint  one  of 
their  members  who  should  have  the  free  use  of  the  Library  and 
Library  Room  during  the  3'ear  1890,  for  the  purpose  of  preparing 
essays  to  be  read  at  Farmers'  Institutes,  and  announcing  that  Mr. 
J.  G.  Avery,  of  Spencer,  had  been  so  appointed. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  March  22,  1890,  at  half-past  eleven 
o'clock. 


HORTICULTURAL  EDUCATION  FOR  CHILDREN.      159 

MEETING   FOR   DISCUSSION. 
Horticultural  Education  for  Children. 

By  Hexry  L.  Clapp,  Principal  of  the  George  Putnam  School,  Roxbury. 

In  the  paper  which  I  am  about  to  read  I  shall  touch  upon  the 
following  points  : 

1.  Children's  natural  love  for  digging  in  the  earth. 

2.  Why  they  lose  that  love. 

3.  The  abandonment  of  farms. 

4.  The  unfortunate  results  of  our  unbalanced  system  of  educa- 
tion, in  creating  an  overwhelming  surplus  of  middlemen. 

5.  Studies  that  alienate  scholars  from  Nature. 

6.  The  influence  of  our  text-books. 

7.  The  need  of  scientific  farming  in  the  United  States. 

8.  Some  results  of  scientific  farming. 

9.  School-gardens  in  Europe. 

10.  Results  of  instruction  in  school-gardens. 

11.  The  introduction  of  school-gardens  into  our  system  of 
education. 

12.  What  they  should  contain. 

13.  Their  effect  on  the  health  of  city  children. 

14.  What  horticultural  socities  can  -do  to  aid  children  in  getting 
horticultural  instruction. 

15.  The  best  educational  impulses  in  this  country  come  from 
private  individuals  and  private  institutions. 

The  child  that  does  not  like  to  dig  in  the  ground  is  an  excep- 
tional one.  We  see  the  children  of  the  rich  spending  their 
vacations  in  digging  in  the  sands  of  the  sea-shore ;  we  see  the 
children  of  the  poor  in  the  country  digging  caves  in  sand  banks, 
making  mud  huts  over  their  naked  feet,  and  building  dams  for 
miniature  mill-ponds. 

Not  unfrequently  we  come  across  a  child's  flower  garden, 
carelessh'  cultivated,  but  strongly  characteristic  of  childhood. 
Children  take  to  earth  as  naturally  as  goslings  take  to  water,  and 
their  liking  for  flowers  is  hardly  less  marked. 

Why  is  it  that  so  large  a  proportion  of  them  grow  away  from 
such  amusements  soon  after  the}*  begin  school  life?  Why  are 
most  of  our  pupils  so  intent  on  getting  into  an  office  or  a  store,  as 


160  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

if  either  were  a  veritable  El  Dorado?  Why  is  every  avenue  of 
business  life  crowded  with  middle  men,  commercial  travellers,  and 
non-producers  of  every  description,  while  in  every  State  farms 
are  abandoned  or  worked  under  protest  ?  I  have  cut  the  following 
paragraph  from  a  newspaper  of  last  December  : 

"  In  the  rural  districts  in  Wayne  Count}^  New  York,  there  are 
no  less  than  four  hundred  empty  houses.  It  is  a  lamentable  fact 
that  the  rural  population  of  Wa^-ne  County  is  slowly  drifting  into 
the  larger  towns  and  cities,  while  many  are  going  West  in  search 
of  cheaper  homes  or  fortunes.  The  town  of  Sodus  alone  has  over 
fift3'  deserted  houses,  and  Huron  has  thirty  or  more." 

Without  attempting  to  give  all  the  causes  for  such  a  state  of 
affairs,  to  a  certain  extent  we  may  fix  the  responsibility  upon  our 
common  schools,  since  they  are  organized,  or  have  been  until 
recently,  for  turning  out  scholars  who  are  bound  to  be  non- 
producers  until  they  are  educated  differently.  Our  pupils  apply 
for  such  positions  as  our  schools  fit  pupils  for.  If  nine-tenths  of 
them  aim  to  be  traders,  or  actually  become  such,  it  is  because  our 
schools  have  fitted  them  better  to  be  traders  than  anything  else. 
If  a  farmer's  boy  becomes  proficient  in  arithmetic,  no  one  of  all 
concerned  considers  such  proficiency  as  an  important  factor  in 
making  the  boy  a  superior  farmer,  but  rather  as  evidence  that  he 
is  destined  by  nature  and  education  to  a  higher  sphere  of  action 
than  farming.  His  education,  all  the  way  through  school,  is  of 
such  a  nature  that  its  connection  with  farming  is  obscure,  while 
its  connection  with  the  store,  the  oflSce,  or  the  agency  is  clear, 
and  his  aspiration  to  be  a  business  man,  a  genteel  trader,  a  book- 
keeper, or  something  above  a  farmer  (as  he  thinks),  is  exactly  in 
line  with  his  education.  In  fact,  with  the  farmer's  boy,  getting  an 
education  has  come  to  be  almost  synonymous  with  getting  away 
from  the  farm,  since  that  is  what  really  comes  to  pass.  We 
estimate  the  influence  of  our  schools  bj'  what  the  pupils  have  been 
and  have  done  during  a  long  term  of  ^ears.  Some  studies  alienate 
scholars  from  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  and  from  nature  gener- 
ally, more  than  others.  Where  is  the  scholar  who,  once  having 
entered  upon  the  study  of  Latin,  so  full  of  halos,  mirages,  and 
expectations  to  the  tyro,  ever  thought  for  a  moment  of  earning 
his  living  by  horticulture  or  any  kind  of  farm  work  ?  Though  the 
Georgics  and  Bucolics  of  Virgil  describe  the  felicities  of  farming 
in  the  choicest  Latin,  they  never  influenced  one  student  in  ten 


HORTICULTURAL    EDUCATION    FOR   CHILDREN.  IGl 

thousand  to  try  to  realize  those  felicities.  So  it  is  with  the  study 
of  modern  languages,  mathematics,  music,  psychology,  and 
literary  work  generally.  They  have  no  natural  connection  with 
the  cultivation  of  the  soil ;  they  do  not  suggest  it,  and  they  too 
often  preoccupy  the  mind  to  the  complete  exclusion  of  nature- 
studies. 

The  farther  the}'  are  pursued,  unless  balanced  by  studies  of  a 
different  character,  the  worse  it  is  for  the  best  interests  of  educa- 
tion,—  the  worse  it  is  for  our  agricultural  interests.  If  children 
pore  over  books  ail  through  the  most  impressionable  years  of  their 
lives,  even  into  the  twenties,  when  students  graduate  from  college, 
their  faculties  of  observation  and  skilful  manipulation  become 
well-nigh  atrophied,  and  the  time  when  Nature  can  interest  them 
has  passed  b}^ 

That  any  of  the  graduates  of  our  schools  and  colleges  cultivate 
the  soil,  either  for  pleasure  or  profit,  may  be  considered  a  piece  of 
good  luck,  rather  than  the  result  of  proper  education.  If  even  a 
living  chance,  or  an  open  field,  were  given  in  ©ur  schools,  for 
the  consideration  of  topics  which  pertain  to  agriculture,  such  as 
plant  life,  insect  life,  rocks,  and  soils,  there  would  be  less  injus- 
tice done  to  our  great  agricultural  interests,  and  less  injustice 
done  to  the  rising  generation  of  children  throughout  the  land. 

For  years  past  we  have  been  reaping  the  natural  results  of  a 
system  of  education  that,  intentionally  or  unintentionally,  turns 
all  our  young  people  for  a  livelihood  toward  the  occupations  of 
teachers,  college  professors,  lawyers,  physicians,  clergymen,  book- 
keepers, salesmen,  musicians,  artists,  agents,  and  business  men, 
under  which  head  multifarious  and  heterogeneous  legions  of  mid- 
dlemen are  pleased  to  class  themselves.  These  men  have  had  the 
control  of  educational  affairs,  and  they  have  kept  the  schools  turning 
out  their  kind  so  long  that  there  is  unquestionabl}'  in  this  country 
an  overwhelming  surplus  of  middlemen,  non-producers,  and  men 
living  by  their  wits.  Such  a  surplus  is  certain  to  make  trouble. 
All  are  determined  to  live  in  affluence  if  possible, —  genteelly  at 
all  events. 

Cities  are  crowded  with  middlemen.  Thousands  of  men  and 
women  are  constantly  crowding  into  the  cities  only  to  get  starva- 
tion wages,  if  they  get  any,  and  many  spend  all  their  hard-earned 
money  seeking  employment,  and  fail  at  last.  Hoist  a  safe  to  an 
upper  window  and  a  hundred  idlers  will  gather  immediately.  A 
11 


162  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

horse  falls  or  a  street  becomes  blocked,  and  a  crowd  of  uuem- 
ployed  persons  increases  the  blockade.  Advertise  for  a  competent 
person, —  man,  woman,  boy,  or  girl,  on  a  meagre  salar}',  and  the 
numerous  applicants  will  show  how  overwhelmingl}-  the  occupa- 
tions of  middlemen  are  overstocked.  There  are  various  grades  of 
the  great  arm}'  of  the  unemployed  in  any  city,  but  most  of  them 
are  a  standing  menace  to  the  general  welfare,  and  many,  if  not 
actuall}'  criminal,  are  always  on  the  verge  of  crime,  often  by  real 
or  fancied  necessity.  These  people  have  been  educated  in  our 
schools, —  educated  to  do  what  they  can  find  no  opportunity  to  do. 
Deals,  trusts,  syndicates,  stock-gambling,  colossal  monopolies, 
lotteries,  confidence  games,  and  other  so-called  business  opera- 
tions, are  the  natural  products  of  middlemen,  using  every  artifice 
to  beat  each  other,  and  make  sales,  and  taking  every  possible 
advantage  of  those  who  reall}'  develop  the  resources  of  the 
country-, — farmers,  miners,  mechanics,  and  producers  of  various 
kinds.  Competition  among  middlemen  may  be  the  life  of  trade, 
but  it  has  been  death  to  many  a  farmer. 

One  of  the  principal  causes  of  the  present  defensive  movement 
on  the  part  of  farmers  is  middlemen.  A  million  farmers,  at  least, 
in  the  United  States,  are  now  organized  against  middlemen  and 
money-lenders.  They  say,  "  We  must  dispense  with  a  surplus  of 
middlemen, —  not  that  we  are  unfriendly  to  them,  but  we  do  not 
need  them.  Their  surplus  numbers  and  their  exactions  diminish 
our  profits." 

Xot  only  is  this  surplus  of  middlemeu  a  damage  to  farmers,  but 
to  the  financial  standing  and  business  reputation  of  the  nation. 
The  "  Boston  Herald,"  of  January  1,  1890,  contains  a  detailed 
account  of  the  eight  million  dollars  known  to  have  been  stolen  by 
about  two  hundred  middlemen,  in  positions  of  trust  in  this  countr}' 
during  the  j-ear  1889.  If  those  two  hundred  men  had  been 
influenced  b}-  our  system  of  education  to  be  good  farmers,  they 
would  have  added  much  to  the  happiness  and  prosperity  of  the 
country,  and  the  disturbance  to  business  enterprises  and  the 
distress  to  familie,s,  resulting  from  the  stealing  of  eight  million 
dollars,  would  have  been  prevented.  We  never  associate  these 
gigantic  frauds  with  farmers,  but  always  with  traders.  By  the 
prevalence  of  such  frauds  we  have  earned  the  reputation  of  being 
the  most  fraudulent  nation  on  earth.  Our  system  of  education, 
to  begin  with,  and  our  hazardous  tolerance  of  practically  unre- 


HORTICULTURAL    EDUCATION    FOR    CHILDREN.  163 

stricted  and  gigantic  monopolies,  furnish  the  conditions,  if  not  the 
inducements,  to  frauds  such  as  are  seen  nowhere  else. 

Unquestionably  our  system  of  education  has  been,  primarily,  a 
scheme  for  making  money  without  much  work  with  the  hands. 
Hard-working  parents  make  every  effort  to  establish  their  children 
in  a  pett}'  gentility,  such  as  they  themselves  have  never  enjoyed. 
On  all  sides  the  demand  has  been  for  an  education  that  will  pay 
in  dollars  and  cents,  whether  it  pays  in  body  and  soul  or  not ;  good 
pay  and  little  work,  and  that  of  a  genteel  kind,  is  the  leading 
hope  of  such  of  our  pupils  as  feel  obliged  to  work  ;  making  a  good 
trade,  and  getting  something  for  nothing,  animates  the  generality 
of  people  ;  and  no  talk  about  practical  studies  in  our  schools,  has 
been  untinged  with  the  sordid  spirit  inherent  in  this  nation,  and 
inherent  in  its  institutions;  "Civilization  is  what  education 
makes  it,"  and  we  may  expect  to  see  our  civilization  taking  low 
ground,  when  our  education  fosters,  rather  than  seeks  to  obliter- 
ate, the  love  of  money,  or  getting  money  without  earning  it.  All 
over  the  land  labor  has  been  fighting  against  capital ;  the  rich  are 
growing  richer  on  what  they  have  not  earned ;  many  work  in 
poverty  that  one  may  live  in  affluence  ;  our  graduates  are  gam- 
bling in  stocks  and  bonds,  and  calling  it  business ;  men  and 
women  of  excellent  social  standing  are  systematically  investing 
in  State  lotteries ;  and  all  are  imbued  with  that  spirit  which  will  be 
its  own  avenger, —  that  spirit  which,  in  charity,  is  called  practical. 
Even  the  text-books  used  in  the  common  schools  have  a  powerful 
influence  mainly  in  the  direction  of  those  unfortunate  conditions 
to  which  reference  has  been  made.  The  gist  of  arithmetic  is 
profit  and  loss,  incomes,  and  stocks,  and  bonds,  which  are  on  the 
borders  of  margin  and  bucket  shops,  stock  exchanges,  and  less 
respectable  exchanges.  Geography  is  taking  on  the  commercial 
form  more  and  more.  Writing  is  extensively  worked  into  commer- 
cial forms,  business  letters,  book-keeping,  answering  advertisements 
for  help,  and  applications  for  positions.  All  this  swells  the  sur- 
plus of  middle'men,  a  large  proportion  of  whom  have  no  natural 
aptitude  for  trade,  but  might  become  skilful  producers,  if  properly 
taught. 

Why  have  our  educational  authorities  been  so  unmindful  of  this 
trend  of  our  narrow  system  of  education?  If  the}"  have  lately 
been  aroused  to  their  responsibilities,  so  far  as  to  establish 
schools  in  which  the  principles  of  mechanics  may  be  learned,  what 
reason  have  they  for  stopping  there? 


164  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETr. 

Business  men  have  complained  through  the  newspapers  and  in 
many  other  ways,  that  the  graduates  of  our  schools  are  not  pre- 
pared to  take  up  the  elementarj*  stages  of  then-  business,  nor  to 
put  on  at  once  the  habits  of  business  men.  Why  should  they  be 
especiall}'  so  prepared?  Why  have  no  similar  complaints  come 
from  agriculturists,  or  manufacturers?  Our  schools  should  not  be 
run  in  the  interests  of  trade,  any  more  than  in  the  interests  of 
agriculture  or  manufactures.  The  fact  that  they  have  been  so 
run,  makes  them  largely  responsible  for  the  unfortunate  condition 
of  affairs,  to  which  reference  has  been  made.  In  Europe,  the 
schools  are  managed  better.  The  principles  of  trade,  mechanics, 
and  agriculture,  all  come  in  for  a  fair  share  of  school  time  ;  conse- 
quently the  children  are  skilful  workers  as  well  as  intelligent 
scholars.  "-Faith  without  works  is  dead."  Books  without  works 
are  no  better.  In  view  of  what  has  been  said  it  appears  that  a 
change  in  our  system  of  education  is  of  vital  importance  to  agri- 
culture, at  least,  if  not  to  the  best  education  of  our  children,  and 
the  highest  prosperity  and  happiness  of  the  nation.  It  is  time  to 
inculcate  the  dignity  of  manual  laljor,  in  the  common  schools,  to 
teach  children  the  value  of  propertj'  by  making  them  work  for  it, 
to  establish  schools  for  manual  training,  and  to  give  school  child- 
ren a  piece  of  ground  for  observation,  experiment,  and  work. 

The  introduction  of  horticulture  into  the  common  schools  will 
do  much  to  counteract  those  baneful  influences  that  have  been 
mentioned ;  it  will  create  that  respect  for,  and  intelligent  appre- 
ciation of,  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  that  is  desirable ;  it  will 
check  the  tendency  to  abandon  the  farm  as  soon  as  possible,  if 
any  educational  means  can ;  it  will  create  a  first  love,  to  return  to 
at  a  later  period  of  life ;  and  it  will  lead  to  a  real  demand  for 
agricultural  schools  of  a  high  grade.  To  expect  agricultural 
colleges  to  flourish  without  feeders,  is  chimerical.  Agricultural 
colleges  and  scientiflc  farming  on  a  large  scale  must  start  from 
plenty  of  seeds,  planted  in  good  soil  and  in  the  spring-time  of 
life.  The  common  schools,  in  an  eminent  degree,  have  the  points 
of  vantage  for  the  prosecution  of  this  work  and  there  is  need 
enough  of  scientific  farming. 

The  "Boston  Evening  Transcript,"  of  November  16,  1889,  has 
the  following  comments  on  agriculture  in  America : 

"There  is  no  use  in  denying  that  our  American  agriculture  is 
in  a  very  primitive  condition  in  all  except  the  item  of  machinery. 


HORTICULTURAL    EDUCATION    FOR    CHILDREN.  165 

Americans  abroad  sometimes  laugh  at  what  the}'  are  pleased  to 
call  the  primitive  methods  of  agriculture  in  Switzerland,  Sweden, 
France,  or  Holland.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  our  methods  are  primi- 
tive in  comparison  with  theirs.  *  *  *  The  Swiss,  Dutch,  or  Swed- 
ish farmer  recognizes  the  fact  that  the  soil  is  the  basis  of  all  wealth, 
and  is  more  important  than  an}-  implements  used  in  its  cultivation. 
His  methods  of  maintaining  its  fertility  are  as  highly  developed 
and  perfect  as  the  average  American  farmer's  are  primitive.  In 
breeding  profitable  varieties  of  stock,  too  —  varieties  well  suited 
to  his  purpose  —  he  is  far  ahead  of  the  American  agriculturist. 
Our  farmers,  who  are  complaining  almost  everywhere  of  the 
decadence  of  American  agriculture,  could  not  do  better  than  adopt 
some  of  these  '  primitive'  foreign  methods." 

Farmers  who  would  be  successful  in  these  days,  must  know 
"  how  to  feed  the  land  while  the  land  feeds  them."  Owners  of 
land  are  increasing  with  astonishing  rapidity,  and  the  size  of 
farms  is  diminishing ;  consequently  land  in  the  future  must  be 
made  to  yield  more  and  more.  It  will  yield  more  with  better 
farming,  and  better  farming  will  result  from  adequate  facilities 
for  teaching  agriculture  in  the  schools.  How  to  produce  much 
upon  a  small  area  requires  study,  and,  other  things  being  equal, 
children  who  receive  proper  elementary  instruction  in  agriculture 
in  school  will  be  likely  to  acquire  such  abilit}'  at  the  most  oppor- 
tune season. 

If  such  instruction  were  general  in  our  common  schools,  the 
whole  status  of  agriculture  would  be  raised  to  a  higher  plane, 
better  and  more  abundant  products  would  result,  and  more  lines 
of  work  allied  to  agriculture  would  be  opened, —  manufacturing 
fertilizers,  landscape  gardening,  seed-testing,  and  cultivating 
flowers  for  perfumes  and  essences. 

"The  increase  of  a  single  bushel  per  acre  in  the  yield  of  the 
wheat,  corn,  and  oats  of  the  country,  would  make  an  increase  in 
the  value  of  those  crops  alone,  of  over  one  hundred  and  sixty-four 
million  dollars  per  year,  which  would  be  more  than  doubled  by  a 
similar  increase  in  other  crops.  This  can  all  be  accomplished  by 
good  seed." 

"The  average  yield  of  wheat  in  the  United  States  is  about 
twelve  bushels  per  acre,"  with  one  and  a  half  busliels  of  seed. 
Professor  Blount,  of  the  Colorado  Agricultural  College,  planted 
seventy-six  kernels  of  wheat,  upon  seventy-six  square  feet  of  land, 


166  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

"  and  the  product  was  ten  and  a  half  pounds,  or  nearly  at  the  rate 
of  one  hundred  bushels  per  acre."  The  conclusion  is,  that  we 
bury  too  much  seed  by  unscientific  farming. 

Mr.  E.  P.  Roe  made  two  acres  of  land  yield  a  gross  return  of 
more  than  two  thousand  dollars.  Members  of  the  New  Jersey 
Horticultural  Societ}'  have  made  early  cabbages  produce  8435 
per  acre,  and  early  tomatoes  $585  per  acre. 

Mr.  J.  S.  Potter,  consul  at  Crefeld,  Germany,  gives  suggestive 
facts  in  regard  to  two  farms,  situated  side  by  side,  the  one  con- 
taining ten  acres,  and  the  other  twent}'.  The  owner  of  the  ten- 
acre  farm  had  been  a  teacher  in  an  agricultural  school  in  Germany, 
and  worked  his  farm  scientifically,  and  thus  secured  from  it  a 
comfortable  living  for  himself  and  family.  The  owner  of  the 
other  farm  had  a  picked-up  knowledge  of  farming,  and  "while 
working  much  harder,  with  double  the  investment  in  land,  accom- 
plished with  less  tidy  and  genteel  accompaniments  the  same 
results." 

A  farm  in  France,  that  had  been  planted  with  olive  trees,  and 
yielded  a  rental  of  $115  a  year,  was  planted  with  roses,  geraniums, 
tuberoses,  and  jonquils,  for  the  manufacture  of  perfumes.  The 
fourth  year  it  yielded  perfumes  valued  at  S43,154,  giving  a  net 
profit  of  $7,767. 

In  the  wheat  contest  of  1889,  William  Gibbey,  of  Utah,  raised 
eighty  bushels  on  a  single  acre.  In  the  corn  contest,  Z.  J.  Drake 
took  two  hundred  and  fiftN'-five  bushels  of  shelled  corn  from  an 
acre  In  the  potato  contest,  Alfred  Rose  raised  one  thousand  and 
thirty-one  bushels  of  potatoes  on  an  acre.  These  results  were 
due  to  the  careful  preparation  and  adequate  fertilization  of  the 
soil,  and  good  care  of  the  growing  crops.  A  neighbor  of  mine 
last  year  realized  over  $140  from  his  pear  trees  occupying  hardly 
a  quarter  of  an  acre  of  ground. 

The  education  of  children  in  horticulture  is  no  new  thing. 
Sweden,  France,  Bavaria,  and  Austria  have  had  school  gardens 
man}'  years.  The  normal  schools  of  Austria  give  instruction  in 
the  care  of  the  mulberry'  tree,  bees,  grape  vines,  and  orchards. 
The  Austrian  public  school  law  reads,  "  In  ever}'  school  a  gym- 
nastic ground,  a  garden  for  the  teacher,  according  to  the  circum- 
stances of  the  communit}',  and  a  place  for  the  purposes  of 
agricultural  experiment,  are  to  be  created."  School  inspectors 
are  "To  see  to  it  that,  in  the  country'  schools,  school  gardens 


HORTICULTURAL    EDUCATION    FOR    CHILDREN.  167 

shall  be  provided,  for  corresponding  agricultural  instruction  in  all 
that  relates  to  the  soil,  and  that  the  teacher  shall  make  himself 
skilful  in  such  instruction."  As  regards  teachers,  the  law  reads, 
'^  Instruction  in  natural  history  is  indispensable  to  suitably 
established  school  gardens.  The  teachers,  then,  must  be  in  a 
condition  to  conduct  them." 

Twenty-five  years  ago  there  were,  in  Austria,  2,777  schools  in 
which  instruction  in  fruit  culture  was  given.  A  recent  issue  of 
the  "  Boston  Herald  "  contained  this  item  : 

"School  gardens, —  i.e.,  gardens  for  practical  instruction  in 
rearing  trees,  vegetables,  and  fruits, —  are  being  added  to  nearly 
all  the  public  and  private  schools  of  Austria.  There  are  now 
already  7,769  such  in  existence  in  the  Austrian  monarchy  alone, 
Hungary  not  included.  They  also  comprise  botanical  museums 
and  appliances  for  bee-keeping." 

In  France,  in  1867,  there  were  20,000  schools  in  which  teachers 
and  pupils  found  recreation  and  profit  in  garden  and  fruit  culture. 
The  teachers  in  such  schools  receive  medals  for  excellence  in 
farming. 

The  "  Horticultural  Times"  for  January,  1890,  contains  the  fol- 
lowing: "Throughout  France,  gardening  is  practically  taught  in 
the  primary  and  elementary  schools.  There  are  28,000  of  these 
schools,  each  of  which  has  a  garden  attached  to  it,  and  is  under 
the  care  of  a  master  capable  of  impai'ting  a  knowledge  of  the  first 
principles  of  horticulture.  The  Minister  of  Public  Instruction 
has  resolved  that  the  number  of  school  gardens  shall  be  largely 
increased,  and  that  no  one  shall  be  appointed  master  of  an  ele- 
mentary school,  unless  he  can  prove  himself  capable  of  giving 
practical  instruction  in  the  culture  of  mother  earth." 

It  appears,  then,  that  school  gardens  in  France  and  Austria 
have  long  since  passed  the  experimental  stage,  and  are  now 
successfully  established  as  an  essential  means  to  the  education  of 
children.  In  France,  in  1867,  there  were  20,000,  in  1890,  28,000 
and  many  more  are  to  come.  In  Austria  there  were  2,700,  and 
now  there  are  7,700, —  nearh*  three  times  as  many. 

In  some  parts  of  Europe,  grants  of  money  are  made  to  schools 
that  reach  a  given  standard  of  excellence  in  agriculture.  About 
eighty  per  cent  of  the  children  of  Sweden  attend  the  Folk 
School,  corresponding  to  our  common  schools,  and  in  them  there 
were  in  1871,  22,000  children,  who  were  instructed  in  horticulture 


168  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

and  tree  planting.  Each  of  2,016  schools  had,  for  cultivation,  a 
piece  of  land  varj-ing  from  one  to  twelve  acres. 

In  regard  to  appropriations  for  agriculture,  our  country  com- 
pares very  unfavorably  with  some  European  countries. 

The  Secretary  of  Agriculture  of  the  United  States,  hopes  to  get 
an  appropriation  of  $1,359,000  from  our  government,  for  the 
expenses  of  his  department  for  the  current  j-ear.  Germany 
appropriates  annually  for  agricultural  purposes  S2, 850, 000  ;  Aus- 
tria more  than  $4,000,000  ;  and  France  S8, 000,000.  In  propor- 
tion to  her  population,  France  appropriates  more  than  forty  times 
as  much  as  the  United  States ;  and  in  pi'oportion  to  her  area, 
more  than  one  hundred  times  as  much.  If  Secretary  Rusk  gets 
the  appropriation  he  desires,  in  no  sense  will  it  be  commensurate 
with  our  position  as  the  greatest  agricultural  nation  on  the  earth. 

The  beneficent  results  of  teaching  European  children  agriculture 
may  be  seen  even  in  our  own  country.  In  1880  the  Kentucky 
Bureau  of  Immigration  induced  colonies  of  Swiss,  Germans, 
Austrians,  and  Swedes  to  settle  poor  lands  in  Laurel  and  Lincoln 
counties,  Kentucky.  Charles  Dudley  Warner  writes  that  it  is  a 
sight  worth  a  long  journey,  to  see  the  beautiful  farms  made  out  of 
land  that  the  average  Kentuckian  thought  not  worth  cultivating. 
It  should  be  noted  that  the  settlers  named  came  from  the  very 
countries  where  school  gardens  are  so  common  and  governmental 
appropriations  so  liberal. 

During  the  year  1889,  more  than  200,000  immigrants,  from 
Germany,  Austria,  Sweden,  and  Norway,  came  to  the  United 
States.  Having  learned  to  work  farms  scientifically,  they  are 
rapidly  displacing  our  farmers. 

A  Swedish  citizen  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  has  bought  22,000 
acres  of  land  in  Vermont,  which  he  will  colonize  by  immigrants 
brought  directly  from  Sweden.  Thrifty  foreigners  are  rapidly 
becoming  the  landholders,  and  our  young  countrymen  are  flocking 
to  the  cities  to  work  on  cars,  in  stores,  or  to  live  by  their  wits. 
The  applications  for  positions  on  the  cars  of  the  West  End  Rail- 
way Company,  number  from  seventy-five  to  one  liundred  a  day. 
Most  of  these  applicants  have  what  is  called  "  a  good  common 
school  education,"  and  man}-  have  a  college  education. 

We  have  much  to  learn  from  the  Swedish  school  S3-stem  in 
particular.  The  Sloyd  system  of  manual  training  is  highly  com- 
mended b}'  educational  experts.  The  Swedish  system  of  physical 
culture  has  been  recommended  for  introduction  into  the  Boston 


HOUTICULTURAL    EDUCATION    FOR    CHILDREN.  169 

public  schools,  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  and  now,  one  thing 
more  should  be  advocated  by  educationists  and  agriculturists^ 
combined,  the  Swedish  school  garden. 

The  Swedes  realize  that,  for  the  purposes  of  observation, 
nature  is  better  than  pictures  ;  and  plants,  growing  under  natural 
conditions,  and  visited  bj'  the  birds  and  insects  peculiar  to  them, 
are  better  than  descriptions  in  books  ;  and,  if  we  would  have  our 
schools  as  excellent  as  theirs,  and  do  something  to  brighten  the 
prospect  for  agriculture,  we  should  introduce  the  school  garden 
into  our  system  of  education. 

"When  we  compare  our  sj^stem  of  education  with  the  system 
commonly  found  in  European  countries,  we  cannot  fail  to  see  how 
much  better  balanced  the  European  systems  are  than  ours.  Sa 
in  the  great  jubilees  of  twenty  years  ago,  we  found  every  foreign 
band  better  balanced  than  any  band  we  could  produce.  Every 
educational  expert  who  examiues  the  systems  of  education  in 
Europe  confesses  that  we  are  far  behind  European  schools  ia 
science,  art,  music,  and  physical,  industrial,  and  agricultural 
education. 

The  school  garden  should  be  not  only  a  place  for  observation, 
but  a  field  for  experimentation.  Budding,  grafting,  propagation 
b}'  layers,  cuttings,  and  slips,  cross-fertilization,  aud  the  condi- 
tions favorable  to  plant  growth  could  be  taught  experimentally, 
not  to  one  class  necessarily,  but  to  every  pupil  somewhere  in  the 
course  of  study.  Seeing  and  doing  such  things  and  recording  the 
results,  would  give  pupils  a  training  peculiarly  valuable.  Here  is 
a  large  field  for  the  consideration  of  those  who  would  send  the 
whole  boy  to  school.  Here  is  an  efficient  means  of  interesting 
him.  A  lively  personal  interest  is  the  mainspring  of  all  proper 
mental  development.  Unless  the  boy  is  interested  in  the  work  of 
the  school  room,  his  mind  will  be  on  things  outside  of  it ;  he  will 
be  present  in  body  but  absent  in  mind.  How  is  it  that  the  varied,, 
instructive,  and  interesting  work  of  the  school  garden  has  escaped 
the  attention  and  appreciation  of  educators  so  long, — much  more 
the  appreciation  and  attention  of  agriculturists  ? 

In  the  public  schools  of  Boston,  two  hours  a  week  are  set  apart 
for  elementary  science  work,  in  all  the  primary  classes  and  in  the 
fifth  and  sixth  grammar  classes.  Out-door  work  at  all  seasonable 
times  should  be  substituted  for  the  present  in-door  work.  Work 
in  the  school  garden  would  be  as  much  better  than  work  on  the 
same  material  in  the  school  room,  as  a  visit  to  Paris  is  better  than 


170  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

a  description  of  it.  The  school  garden  would  furnish  most  of  the 
material  necessary  for  the  winter's  work, —  seeds,  buds,  bulbs, 
tubers,  corms,  fleshy  roots,  pressed  leaves  and  flowers,  and  other 
material. 

Already  much  of  such  material  has  been  used  for  a  number  of 
years  by  the  pupils  of  the  George  Putnam  School.  Pupils  of  the 
fourth  class  make  beautiful  designs  of  pressed  leaves,  which  they 
are  accustomed  to  collect.  Each  pupil  draws  from  five  to  twenty 
or  more  designs,  according  to  his  skill  and  interest,  during  the 
school  year.  The  work  goes  on  almost  of  itself,  and  the  children 
are  delighted  to  handle  and  adapt  plant  material  to  purposes  of 
ornamentation. 

Here  are  fifty-seven  sheets  of  designs,  representing  fifty-seven 
pupils  of  the  fourth  class.  These  designs  have  been  drawn 
recently  from  natural  leaves.  The  pupils  of  the  first  class  have 
made  many  pen-and-ink  drawings  of  various  kinds  of  grasses, 
such  as  timoth}',  red-top,  Bermuda  grass,  knot-grass,  wild  oats, 
wild  rye,  wheat  grass,  panic  grass,  etc.  Under  the  skilful  direc- 
tion of  their  teacher,  who  is  a  member  of  this  Society,  these 
pupils  are  learning  to  see  as  never  before ;  are  acquiring  facility 
and  power  in  representing  objects  that  will  add  much  to  their 
usefulness  and  happiness  in  life,  and  at  the  same  time  are  working 
toward  horticulture, —  not  away  from  it. 

Here  are  four  hundred  and  eighty-one  drawings  of  grasses, 
recently  made  from  natural  specimens,  by  the  pupils  of  the  first 
class.  In  addition  they  collect,  press,  and  mount  wild  flowers, 
to  serve  as  material  in  drawing  and  language  work.  Their 
written  descriptions  of  man}^  varieties  of  wild  asters,  and  charac- 
teristic drawings  of  the  mode  of  growth  of  each  variety,  serve  the 
legitimate  purposes  of  school  work  and  continually  suggest 
Nature.  The  derivation  of  specific  names  and  other  words  from  the 
same  roots  is  made  a  valuable  study.  Such  work  connects 
Nature  with  the  school ;  it  directs  the  attention  toioards  plant  life 
rather  than  away  from  it. 

The  school  garden  is  a  place  for  children  to  be  liappy  in." 
Many  a  child  will  remember  it  with  affection,  when  he  reaches  the 
adult  age,  and  we  may  naturally  expect  that  when  he  acquires 
wealth  he  will  remember  it  in  a  substantial  way.  At  all  events  it 
is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  many  men  and  women  will  return  to 
the  pleasures  of  horticulture  when  tliey  have  earned  a  competence 


HORTICULTURAL    EDUCATION    FOR    CHILDREN.  171 

iu  business,  if  they  have  received  a  part  of  their  school  education 
in  a  school  garden.  We  know  that  the  late  Hon.  Marshall  P. 
Wilder  returned  to  his  early  interest  in  horticulture,  when  he  had 
become  what  has  been  called  "  forehanded." 

In  an  essay  entitled  "  Horticultural  Reminiscences"  published 
in  the  Transactions  of  this  Societj',  is  an  account  of  a  school 
garden,  established  more  than  half  a  century  ago,  in  connection 
"with  a  boarding  school  in  the  city  of  Providence,  R.  I.  At  least 
four  pupils  of  that  school  became  eminent  in  agriculture,  Joseph 
Brown  and  Obadiah  Brown,  of  Rhode  Island,  and  O.  B.  Hadwen 
and  Hon.  Daniel  Needham,  the  latter  two  being  distinguished 
members  of  this  Society.  In  a  letter  to  me,  Mr.  Needham  wrote, 
"I  have  always  believed  that  the  training  which  I  received  in 
that  school,  did  more  for  me  than  it  would  be  easy  to  write.  It 
gave  me  habits  of  punctuality  and  industry  which  in  mj^  life  of 
today,  are  as  apparent  to  me  as  they  were  forty  or  more  years 
ago.  I  consider  an}-  boy  poorly  educated,  who  has  not  enjoyed 
the  privileges  of  a  technical  or  agricultural  school."  We  can 
imagine  what  an  influence  for  horticulture  might  be  felt,  if  the 
common  schools  throughout  the  country  should  make  good  use  of 
school  gardens.  Then  children  would  get  that  general  knowledge 
of  horticulture  that  would  lead  to  a  demand  for  agricultural 
colleges,  such  as  we  have  never  known,  and  to  the  horticultural 
education  of  women. 

Plants  and  flowers  enter  constantly  and  intimately  into  girls' 
and  women's  lives.  Women  have  been  interested  in  flowers  since 
human  beings  came  upon  the  earth.  Some  fill  their  windows  with 
flowering  plants  the  3'ear  round.  Others  cultivate  them  in  their 
rough  little  gardens  before  the  log  cabins  and  shanties  on  the 
frontiers  and  in  the  wilderness.  Some  suggestion  from  plant  life 
is  always  present  in  women's  lives  —  embroidered  flower  decora- 
tions, flower  painting,  floral  decorations,  bouquets,  and  myriads 
of  designs  for  needlework,  wall  papers,  carpets,  and  prints, —  and 
they  should  have  some  regular  instruction  in  what  they  will 
always  see  and  use  ;  and  the  school  garden  would  be  the  most 
efficient  means  of  giving  them  instruction  suited  to  the  lives  they 
are  destined  to  lead. 

Probably  two-thirds  of  the  public  schools  of  Boston  at  the 
present  time,  have  adopted  the  no-recess  plan,  and  the  number  is 
increasing,  not  only  in  Boston,  but  throughout  the  country  ;  in 
short,  the  recess  is  no  longer  considered  necessary. 


172  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Some  of  the  school  yards  in  Boston  have  an  area  of  three- 
quarters  of  an  acre.  What  magnificent  possibilities  lie  in  those 
yards !  With  the  abolition  of  the  recess  what  is  their  reason  for 
being  as  playgrounds?  How  much  more  useful  for  instruction^ 
for  manners,  and  for  morals,  would  they  be  as  school  gardens, 
than  they  have  ever  been  as  play  grounds !  Suppose  the  hard, 
monotonous-looking  bricks  to  be  taken  up,  except  where  they  are 
needed  for  walks  —  wide  ones  for  passages  to  and  from  the  build- 
ing, and  narrow  ones  in  the  garden  —  what  might  we  reasonably 
expect  to  see  in  the  school  garden  ?  Certainly  enough  to  make  it 
seem  like  a  paradise  to  look  out  upon  in  comparison  with  the 
ordinary  Sahara-like  school  yard.  As  representatives  of  commer- 
cial and  mouocotyledonous  plants,  we  could  have  wheat,  rye, 
oats,  barley,  millet,  corn,  rice,  timothy,  red-top,  etc.,  each  having 
a  square  yard  of  ground  to  itself.  Of  dicotyledonous  plants,  a  hill 
of  scarlet  runners,  a  ring  of  sweet  peas,  a  square  planted  with 
acorns,  or  peach  or  cherry  stones,  etc.  ;  plantlets  in  various 
stages  of  development ;  a  row  each  of  varieties  of  crowfoots^ 
mints,  lilies,  pinks,  roses,  etc.  ;  fleshy  roots,  as  beets,  turnips,  and 
parsnips, —  some,  in  their  second  year's  growth,  to  show  the 
nature  of  biennials.  Many  city  children  have  never  noticed  such 
plants  growing. 

The  flora  of  the  vicinit}'  could  be  obtained  without  much  diffi- 
culty, even  by  city  scholars,  and  with  little  trouble  by  country 
scholars.  Almost  any  region  within  a  radius  of  a  few  miles  has 
plants  that  would  serve  as  well  for  ornamentation  as  for  observa- 
tion work,  among  which  may  be  mentioned  a  dozen  varieties  of 
asters,  shrubb}'  ciuquefoil,  blazing-star,  wild  lupine,  Joe-Pye 
weed,  Canada  hawkweed,  jewel-weed,  cone-flower,  hardback, 
sweet  pepperbush,  golden-rod,  wild  columbine,  cranesbill,  hare- 
bell, Solomon's-seal,  bellwort,  wild  bean,  evening  primrose, 
purple  flowering-raspberry,  Philadelphia  lily,  Canada  lily, 
meadow  rue,  Jack-in-the-pulpit,  clematis,  and  ferns.  For  every 
purpose  of  the  school,  such  plants  would  serve  better  than 
cultivated  flowers ;  and  their  variation  under  cultivation  would 
interest  and  instruct  every  observer,  and  lead  to  a  better  appre- 
ciation of  wild  flowers,  and  a  more  rational  and  profitable  way  of 
spending  summer  vacations  than  obtains  now. 

Annual  garden  flowers  and  fleshy  roots  can  be  raised  from 
seeds.      The    city    forester,    floriculturists,     and    horticulturists 


HORTICULTURAL   EDUCATION    FOR    CHILDREN.  173 

generall}',  throw  awa}-  thousands  of  plants  every  year,  in  changing 
■crops  and  ornamental  flower  beds.  To  get  rid  of  such  plants 
advertising  is  often  resorted  to.  How  much  better  it  would  be 
to  send  them  to  school  gardens,  where  they  would  be  used  to  good 
advantage.  The  raising  of  plants  for  school  gardens,  by  authority 
of  a  city  or  town,  would  give  better  returns  than  raising  them 
simply  for  public  gardens  and  squares ;  and  the  latter  would  be 
be  better  appreciated  than  they  are  now  in  proportion  to  the 
general  increase  of  a  knowledge  of  plants.  Moreover,  many 
pupils,  favorably  situated,  would  be  pleased  to  contribute  plants 
for  the  school  garden,  and  in  consequence  would  have  a  livelier 
interest  in  it. 

How  will  the  exercise  required  in  the  cultivation  of  plants  in 
the  fresh  air  and  sunshine  affect  the  health  of  children,  especially 
those  living  in  cities  ?  The  advocates  of  hygiene  and  school  gym- 
nastics, might  do  well  to  consider  that  question  in  all  its  bearings. 
Those  who  are  so  zealous  concerning  the  ventilation  of  school- 
rooms, might  find  it  worth  while  to  determine  the  benefits  arising 
from  ventilation  in  school  gardens  in  favorable  seasons.  Why 
not  convert  gymnastic  wands  into  garden  hoes?  Then  the 
attention  would  not  be  concentrated  simply  upon  the  movements 
of  those  instruments,  but  upon  the  results  of  those  movements. 
Boys  do  not  whittle  in  marked  time  for  exercise  :  they  whittle  to 
work  out  the  embodiment  of  an  absorbing  idea.  Walking  for 
exercise  is  of  little  importance  compared  with  walking  for  speci- 
mens of  rare  minerals,  plants,  or  game.  Hold  a  boy  down  to 
your  commands,  and,  for  the  time  being,  he  is  a  slave ;  give  him 
an  idea  to  work  out  by  himself,  and  he  becomes  a  free  man.  Not 
that  the  former  is  useless,  but  the  latter  is  superior,  and  in  it  lies 
one  of  the  cardinal  virtues  of  the  manual  training  school. 

"  The  Maine  Board  of  Agriculture  is  agitating  the  question,  of 
introducing  agricultural  books  into  the  public  schools,  as  text- 
books." That  would  be  beginning  at  the  wrong  end  to  aid 
agriculture.  There  are  now  too  many  books  used  in  teaching,  as 
compared  with  other  means  of  instruction.  "  The  American 
Garden,"  of  1887,  says:  "We  are  thankful  indeed  for  what  our 
instructors  have  taught  us  in  text-books,  even  though  we  had  to 
unlearn  part  of  it ;  but,  would  it  not  be  a  wise  move,  to  have  a 
trifle  more  of  the  real  thing  to  work  on,  in  the  field  and  garden? 
Let   us   labor  with   our    sleeves   rolled   up,  and  under   the   blue 


174  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

heavens  seek  and  impart  instruction.  With  the  assistance,  which 
dame  Nature  never  refuses,  what  may  we  not  expect  from  the 
coming  generation  of  horticulturists  ?" 

Modern  educators  have  risen  above  the  traditional  theoretical 
and  authoritative  education,  resulting  from  the  study  of  books 
alone,  and  now  demand  a  symmetrical  education  for  children. 
That  is  an  admirable  purpose ;  but  even  the  most  advanced  of 
those  educators  in  this  country  have  gone  no  farther  than  to 
provide  for  such  an  education  as  can  be  given  under  a  roof,  in  a 
school  building  or  in  a  shop  for  industrial  training.  I  submit 
this  question  to  the  great  body  of  agriculturists,  out-door  workers 
generall}^  and  all  other  competent  authorities  :  Can  a  symmetri- 
cal, or  wholly  healthful,  education  be  given  entirely  under  cover, 
and  away  from  the  light,  the  fresh  air,  the  invigorating  sunshine^ 
and  the  smell  of  earth,  and  her  exquisite  productions? 

The  "  Journal  of  Health"  contains  this  remarkable  statement : 
"Patients  strolling  on  the  sea-shore,  in  sunny  weather,  are  in  a 
light,  not  two  or  three  times,  but  eighteen  thousand  times, 
stronger  than  that  in  the  ordinarj'  shaded  and  curtained  rooms  of 
a  city  house ;  and  the  same  patients  walking  along  the  sunny  side 
of  a  street  are  receiving  more  than  five  thousand  times  as  much  of 
the  health-giving  influence  of  light,  as  they  would  receive  in-doors, 
in  the  usually  heavily-curtained  rooms."  As  regards  health- 
giving  light  and  air,  the  school  garden  is  a  thousand  times  better 
than  the  school  room. 

What  can  horticultural  societies  do  to  enable  children  to  receive 
instruction  in  horticulture?  They  have  not  the  point  of  vantage, 
to  give  direct  instruction  as  the  common  schools  have,  but  they 
can  influence  instruction,  if  they  choose.  Among  the  members 
are  persons  excellently  fitted  by  education  and  experience  in 
agriculture,  to  set  forth  clearly  the  commercial  value  of  a  knowl- 
edge of  it,  and  the  training  of  the  powers  of  observation  and 
other  mental  faculties,  in  the  process  of  acquiring  that  knowledge. 
They  ought  to  be  represented  in  school  committees  everywhere, 
as  well  as  the  lawyers,  the  doctors,  and  the  ministers,  who  always 
influence  education  in  the  direction  of  the  learned  professions, — 
never  in  the  interests  of  agriculture. 

Consider  what  studies  have  been  introduced  into  the  common 
school  curriculum  within  a  comparatively  few  years, —  sewing, 
cooking,  manual   training   for   boys,  kindergartens,  and   various 


HORTICULTURAL    EDUCATION    FOR   CHILDREN.  175 

modifications  and  better  adaptations  of  every  branch  of  study. 
Kindness  to  animals  has  been  advocated  in  all  the  schools  of  the 
commonwealth  ;  the  temperance  people  have  had  a  compulsory 
school  law  passed  ;  in  Boston  an  instructor  in  hygiene  has  been 
employed  for  some  years  ;  the  entering  wedge  of  the  Sloyd  system 
of  manual  training  has  been  admitted  ;  a  mighty  conference  of 
the  leading  spirits  in  physical  training  has  been  held  in  Hunting- 
ton Hall,  and  the  representatives  of  various  religious  denomina- 
tions have  waged  a  war  of  words  concerning  the  teaching  of 
historj'  and  religion  in  the  schools.  Among  all  these  things 
advocated  there  has  been  no  suggestion  of  agriculture,  but  during 
their  advocacy  much  has  been  said  about  sending  the  whole  hoy  to 
school,  when  apparently  what  the  whole  boy  is  has  not  been 
determined.  His  earthly  part,  or  rather  his  relation  to  the  earth, 
has  been  entirely  left  out. 

Even  among  educators  and  school  committees,  the  prevailing 
idea  of  a  proper  education  is  shaped  from  consideration  of  trade. 
In  the  Report  of  the  School  Committee  of  Boston,  for  1889,  we 
read  :  "  Those  who  are  compelled  to  end  their  school  life  with  the 
High  Schools,  are  furnished  with  a  sound,  practical  education, 
which  enables  them  to  enter  mercantile  and  commercial  occupa- 
tions." This  new  method  fails  to  recognize  the  great  relative 
importance  of  our  agricultural  interests. 

The  Secretary  of  Agriculture  in  his  report  for  1889,  says  :  "It 
may  be  broadly  stated  that  upon  the  productiveness  of  our  agri- 
culture, and  the  prosperity  of  our  farmers,  the  entire  wealth  and 
prosperity  of  the  whole  nation  depend."  Nevertheless,  this  great 
industry,  that  enters  so  largely  and  intimately  into  the  life  of  the 
nation,  has  been  an  unknown  quantity  in  our  schools,  as  if  the 
mainspring  of  all  our  national  prosperitj',  would  in  some  way 
take  care  of  itself,  in  spite  of  the  untoward  influences  of  our 
schools.  Is  every  line  of  work,  except  that  connected  with  the 
earth,  to  be  considered  as  holding  the  indispensable  principles  of 
education,  while  the  study  of  the  natural  products  of  the  earth, 
the  source  of  all  practical  ideas  and  all  material  wealth,  is  to  be 
considered  of  no  special  importance,  in  training  a  child  for  life? 

A  large  majority  of  our  public  schools  have  done  little  or  noth- 
ing in  the  study  of  plants,  insects,  minerals,  and  soils,  although 
expected  to  do  so,  alleging  that  such  study  is  not  practical ;  but 
the  conning  of  books,  and  the  figuring  on  slates,  they  claim  to  be 


176  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

practical.  What  is  the  opinion  of  agriculturists  on  that  matter? 
Are  not  potatoes  and  wheat  practical  things?  Is  there  anj^thing 
theoretical  about  the  potato  bug  and  the  currant  worm?  Any- 
thing psychological  about  loam  and  phosphate?  Anything 
allegorical  about  the  codling  moth  and  the  peach  tree  borer? 

The  remedy  for  this  state  of  affairs  lies  in  placing  the  right 
kind  of  men  upon  school  committees,  who  influence  legislation  and 
education,  and  agriculturists  should  be  represented  on  school 
boards  as  well  as  the  law^'er,  the  doctor,  the  clergyman,  and  the 
tradesman. 

This  Society  should  secure  as  members  teachers  who  are  known 
to  have  an  interest  in  subjects  closely  related  to  horticulture.  If 
a  teacher  can  graft  trees,  or  raise  fruit  or  vegetables  successfully, 
or  makes  a  speciality  of  bulbs,  orchids,  ferns,  or  wild  flowers,  or  is 
a  good  botanist,  he  may  be  especially  valuable  to  the  Society, 
which,  with  its  learned  members  and  exceptionally  fine  librar}', 
may  be  as  valuable  to  him.  He  would  be  likely  to  appreciate  the 
value  of  school  gardens  in  the  education  of  children ;  he  could 
choose  and  adapt  material  wisely  ;  and,  above  all,  he  would  have 
the  point  of  vantage  to  influence  members  of  the  school  commit- 
tee towards  the  legislation  desired  for  the  establishment  of  school 
gardens. 

Closely  connected  with  the  subject  of  school  gardens,  is  a  line 
of  work  that  has  been  carried  on  very  successfully  for  man}'  j'ears, 
b}'  a  few  members  of  this  Societ}',  but  has  not  received  that  full 
recognition  as  a  valuable  means  of  instruction  to  which  it  is 
entitled.  I  refer  to  the  work  done  by  Mrs.  Richards,  Mr.  Hitch- 
ings,  and  others,  in  bringing  collections  of  native  plants  to  the 
exhibitions  of  this  Society.  If  we  are  to  estimate  this  work  at  its 
real  value,  in  promoting  the  highest  interests  of  education,  we 
must  come  to  the  conclusion  that  these  people  who  do  it,  do  not 
receive  a  reward  commensurate  with  the  usefulness  of  their 
labors. 

The  collections  of  native  plants  are  especially'  interesting  and 
instructive  to  teachers.  They  influenced  me  more  than  anything 
else  here  to  become  a  member  of  this  Society,  and  they  ought  to 
be  studied  by  a  hundred  teachers,  where  they  are  now  studied  by 
one.     Let  us  establish  school  gardens,  and  they  will  be  so  studied. 

Mr.  W.  W.  Rawson  in  his  seed  catalogue  says :  "  The  Massa- 
chusetts  Horticultural  Society  of  Boston  —  the  most  flourishing 


HORTICULTURAL   EDUCATION    FOR    CHILDREN.  177 

institution  of  its  kind  in  tliis  country  —  by  offering  liberal  prizes, 
has  done  so  much  to  stimulate  growers,  and  improve  the  quality 
of  the  most  popular  vegetables  and  flowers,  that  varieties  may  be 
considered  absolutely  perfect." 

Wh}'  limit  the  offer  of  prizes  to  the  present  field?  In  Europe, 
agricultural  societies  give  prizes  for  the  best  school  gardens.  In 
the  present  condition  of  horticulture  and  agriculture,  such  prizes 
offered  in  this  country  would  be  more  productive  of  good  than 
prizes  for  the  best  displays  of  flowers,  fruits,  and  vegetables 
from  the  home  garden.  As  such  prizes  would  concern  a  school  as 
a  whole  and  not  individual  pupils,  no  ungenerous  rivalry  need 
arise. 

The  American  Agriculturist  has  recently  awarded  four  prizes 
for  a  wheat  contest,  the  first  prize  being  $500  in  gold.  It  has 
awarded  $500  in  gold  as  a  first  prize  in  a  recent  potato  contest. 
It  offers  S5,000  in  prizes  for  the  new  potato  contest  for  1890. 
Mr.  Z.  J.  Drake,  of  South  Carolina,  has  received  $500  from  the 
American  Agriculturist,  and  $500  from  the  Department  of  Agri- 
culture in  South  Carolina,  as  fii'st  prizes  in  a  corn  contest.  The 
trustees  of  the  Missouri  Botanical  Garden  at  St.  Louis  have 
established  six  scholarships,  ranging  from  $200  to  $300  a  year, 
with  free  lodgings,  and  continuing  six  j'ears.  All  such  enterprises 
are  worthy,  but  the  enterprise  that  aims  at  raising  the  whole 
status  of  agriculture,  and  at  the  same  time  rounding  out  the 
education  of  all  the  children  in  the  land,  is  more  worthy. 

This  Society  has  the  well-earned  reputation  of  being  very 
liberal  in  offering  prizes,  but  not  unfrequently  members  question 
whether  the  sum  of  six  thousand  dollars,  which  is  paid  out  in 
prizes  ever}'  3'ear  b}'  the  Society,  is  expended  to  the  best  advan- 
tage. If  the  Society  feels  disposed  to  try  a  ver}'  promising  field, 
now  is  the  time,  and  Boston  is  the  place  for  the  trial,  and  this 
Society  has  everything  in  its  favor  for  making  the  trial.  Here  is 
an  opportunity  to  set  an  example  for  every  city  and  town  in  the 
Union  to  follow,  and  that  association  or  city  that  begins  the 
movement  will  become  famous  for  a  magnificent  enterprise. 

Some  one  may  ask :  "If  there  is  so  great  an  advantage  in  the 
establishment  and  use  of  school  gardens,  why  has  the  matter  not 
been  attended  to  by  the  school  authorities?"  It  is  well  known 
that  the  best  educational  impulses  come  from  without, —  from 
philanthropic  individuals  or  institutions.  We  need  not  go  outside 
12 


178  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

of  Boston  for  proof  of  this.  The  sewing  schools,  cooking  schools, 
kindergartens,  and  manual  training  schools,  now  corporate  parts 
of  our  school  system,  were  started  and  carried  beyond  the  experi- 
mental stage  by  private  individuals.  Mrs.  Shaw  and  Mrs. 
Hemenway  looked  farther  into  the  future  than  the  Boston  School 
Committee.  These  philanthropic  women  are  now  paying  for  the 
instruction  of  public  school  teachers  in  physical  training  and 
industrial  training.  For  years  the  Teachers'  School  of  Science  in 
Boston  has  been  supported  by  private  munificence.  "The 
Chicago  Manual  Training  School,  owes  its  existence  to  the  Com- 
mercial Club,  a  social  organization  consisting  of  sixty  Chicago 
business  men,"  who  in  1882  guaranteed  the  sura  of  $100,000  for 
the  support  of  the  enterprise.  It  should  be  noticed  that  these 
movements,  and  many  other  similar  ones  that  might  be  named, 
have  had  in  view  what  must  enter  into  the  life  of  the  nation.  We 
should  also  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  educational  authorities 
in  this  country  seldom  or  never  start  such  beneficent  enterprises, 
but  in  Europe  the  case  is  the  reverse. 

An  appropriation  of  $30,000  has  been  asked  of  the  city  govern- 
ment of  Boston  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  one  manual  train- 
ing school,  and  running  it  one  year.  Why,  half  of  that  sum  would 
suffice  to  establish  a  good  school  garden  in  connection  with  every 
one  of  the  fifty-five  grammar  schools  in  Boston,  and  keep  it  run- 
ning a  year,  allowing  $275  to  each  school.  The  benefits  of  these 
gardens  would  not  be  confined  to  a  comparatively  few  pupils,  but 
full  forty  thousand  pupils  would  have  a  share  in  them.  The  erec- 
tion of  costly  buildings,  and  the  collection  of  costly  plants,  have 
no  bearing  upon  the  question.  We  already  have  the  grounds  nec- 
essary ;  we  have  the  time  specified  for  such  work,  in  the  "  Course 
of  Study,"  from  two  to  three  hours  a  week,  for  each  of  the  five 
lowest  grades ;  and  every  plant  necessary  will  cost  nothing,  or 
next  to  nothing,  comparatively  speaking. 

Permission  of  the  School  Committee  should  be  obtained  to  con- 
vert the  most  available  part  of  some  school  yard  into  a  garden, 
for  observation  and  experimentation,  to  begin  with.  Then  the 
money  to  pay  the  expenses  of  getting  it  ready  in  spring,  and 
keeping  it  in  order  during  the  long  vacation  in  summer,  should  be 
guaranteed.  With  half  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars,  I 
am  sure  I  could  establish  a  good  school  garden  in  connection 
with  my  school,  and  keep  it  in  good  order  during  the  first  season, 


HORTICULTURAL   EDUCATION    FOR   CHILDREN.  179 

with  the  certain  prospect  of  largely  reducing  the  current  expenses 
for  the  second  season.  If  it  can  be  shown  in  connection  with 
one  school,  that  the  school  garden  is  entirely  practicable  and 
comparatively  inexpensive,  it  will  not  be  long  before  other  schools, 
in  the  suburbs  at  least  if  not  in  the  city,  will  wish  to  establish 
school  gardens.  If  their  success  has  been  complete  in  thousands 
of  cases  in  Europe,  they  will  succeed  here. 

I  trust  you  will  think  with  me,  that  the  length  of  this  paper  is 
by  no  means  commensurate  with  the  importance  of  the  subject  of 
it, — Horticultural  Education  for  Children. 

The  exhibition  of  work  done  by  the  pupils  of  the  George  Put- 
nam School,  included  many  drawings  from  life  of  a  great  variety 
of  plants,  and  ornamental  designs  in  which  the  leaves  and  flowers 
of  gathered  specimens  were  used  as  models  for  the  parts.  The 
whole  showed  much  skill  and  taste,  and  evidence  of  a  strong 
interest  in  the  work  on  the  part  of  the  young  artists. 

The  essay  was  applauded  at  the  close,  and  a  vote  of  thanks  to 
Mr.  Clapp  for  his  valuable  paper,  which  would  benefit  not  only 
the  present  generation  but  the  generations  to  come,  was  unani- 
mously passed. 

Discussion. 

E.  H.  Hitchings  said  that  the  essay  just  read  recalled  a  para- 
graph in  Higginson's  "Out-Door  Papers,"  a  book  which  every 
lover  of  Nature  should  read.  On  page  243  he  sa^'s :  "It  is  no 
wonder  that  there  is  so  little  enjoyment  of  Nature  in  the  commu- 
nity when  we  feed  our  children  on  grammars  and  dictionaries  only, 
and  take  no  pains  to  train  them  to  see  that  which  is  before  theiT 
eyes.  The  mass  of  the  community  have  '  summered  and  wintered ' 
the  universe  pretty  regularly,  one  would  think,  for  a  good  many 
years ;  and  ^et  nine  out  of  ten  in  the  town  or  city,  and  two  out 
of  three  even  in  the  country,  seriously  suppose,  for  instance,  that 
the  buds  upon  trees  are  formed  in  the  spring  ;  they  have  had  them 
within  sight  all  winter,  and  never  seen  them.  So  people  suppose, 
in  good  faith,  that  a  plant  grows  at  the  base  of  the  stem,  instead 
of  at  the  top ;  that  is,  if  they  see  a  young  sapling  in  which  there 
is  a  crotch  at  five  feet  from  the  ground,  they  expect  to  see  it  ten 
feet  from  the  ground  by  and  by, — confounding  the  growth  of  a 
tree  with  that  of  a  man  or  animal."     Mr.  Hitchings  cited  as  an 


180  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

illustration,  the  erroneous  statement  in  an  article  in  the  "  Century  " 
magazine  for  March,  1883,  by  John  Burroughs,  who  wrote  :  "  The 
limbs  of  the  White  Pine  tend  to  recur  at  regular  intervals,  like  the 
rounds  of  a  ladder.  As  it  shoots  upward  in  the  forest  it  pulls  this 
ladder  up  after  it,  so  that  the  tallest  trees  are  limbless  for  eighty 
or  ninet\' feet."  Again,  the  last  quoted  writer  says  in  "  Scrib- 
ner's"  magazine  for  Februarj',  1881  :  "  It  is  a  curious  and  note- 
worthy fact,  that,  for  the  glow-worm  of  the  Old  World,  Nature 
should  have  given  us  the  fire-fly  of  the  New.  It  strikes  one  as  a 
typical  fact.  Our  fire-fly  is  the  glow-worm  Americanized."  The 
truth  is  that  we  have  both  fire-flies  and  glow-worms  here ;  the 
speaker  had  collected  them  within  ten  miles  of  Boston.  The  pub- 
lication of  such  mis-statements  shows  how  defective  is  the  edu- 
cation which  permits  their  being  made,  and  the  necessity  of  such 
a  reformation  in  school  training  as  the  essayist  had  so  well  pre- 
sented. 

Edmund  Hersey  said  he  had  been  much  gratified  and  instructed 
by  the  lecture  today.  Children  ought  to  be  educated  to  read  the 
great  book  of  Nature.  Too  many  of  our  people  are  in  this  re- 
spect uneducated.  Parents  are  to  blame  if  they  do  not  make 
their  children  realize  something  about  Nature.  He  would  not 
have  them  instructed  solely  for  the  purpose  of  making  them  gar- 
deners, but  that  they  might  be  fitted  by  their  education  to  enjoy 
life  better,  whatever  vocation  they  followed.  He  would  educate 
children  to  recognize  the  Power  which  laid  out  the  plan  of  growth 
in  all  things,  and  executed  that  plan. 

Leverett  M.  Chase  wished  to  express  one  thought.  A  German 
proverb  teaches  that  "  whatever  we  would  introduce  into  our 
national  life  we  must  first  introduce  into  our  schools."  Our 
country  has  unequalled  resources  ;  we  have  every  variety  of  soil, 
temperature  and  humidity.  Let  our  people  but  learn  to  utilize  our 
resources  and  America  will  be  the  most  productive  and  beautiful 
country  in  the  world.  But  the  most  important  result  will  be  the 
tendency  to  check  urban  growth, — one  of  the  most  striking  and 
alarming  features  of  our  civilization,  whose  crop  is  the  destruction 
of  what  is  best  in  men, — and  to  increase  the  production  of  the  best 
and  most  profitable  crop  that  can  be  raised  and  that  is,  strong, 
virtuous,  intelligent  men  and  women. 

Rev.  A.  B.  Muzzey  said  there  had  been  no  paper  presented 
here  which  goes  down  deeper  than  the  one  of  today.      Our  public 


HORTICULTURAL    EDUCATION    FOR    CHILDREN.  181 

schools  are  of  transcendent  importance.  But  there  is  a  great 
power  behind  them ;  the  home,  the  parents.  He  would  have 
fathers  and  mothers  brought  to  think  on  this  subject.  The  first 
thing  for  us  to  consider  is  the  proper  development  of  the  powers 
of  mind  which  in  the  children  are  latent.  We  should  begin  with 
the  home  as  the  source  of  the  greatest  influence.  Mothers  come 
here  to  see  the  flowers  and  plants  that  are  brought  in  for  exhibi- 
tion. They  receive  the  divine  influence  which  flows  from  the 
beaut}'  and  fragrance  of  these  choice  productions,  and  that  influ- 
ence is  more  or  less  reflected  in  their  homes.  He  remembered  the 
feelings  with  which  he  contemplated  the  first  flowers  he  saw  at  his 
early  home.  It  is  an  irreparable  loss  to  a  child  not  to  have  a 
true  home-life  to  look  back  upon  in  after  years.  He  wished  our 
people  of  New  England  to  consider  this  matter,  and  to  devise  the 
best  possible  methods  of  teaching  their  children,  by  which  they 
shall  become  attached  to  the  soil.  Where  practicable,  every  child 
should  have  a  spot  of  ground  to  till  with  his  own  hands.  He  was 
desirous  that  this  Societj'  should  use  its  influence  to  propagate  the 
idea  he  had  tried  to  express.  If  by  any  means  parents  could  be 
brought  to  co-operate  with  teachers  in  the  education  of  their  chil- 
dren in  this  work,  it  would  3'ear  by  year  be  steadily  and  surely 
accomplished. 

Rev.  Calvin  Terry  spoke  of  the  gratification  the  essay  had 
afforded  him  ;  of  the  great  importance  of  the  subject ;  of  the  prin- 
ciples which  lie  at  the  foundation  of  all  good  education,  which  de- 
velops the  tendencies  to  make  good  citizens  of  the  children  trained 
in  our  schools.  He  spoke  of  the  contrast  between  the  school  facil- 
ities or  machinery  of  education  of  half  a  centur}^  or  more  ago,  and 
those  of  today ;  quoting  Beecher's  description  of  the  district 
school  house  of  the  early  days,  which  was  built  wherever  it  could 
be  placed  without  much  expense,  and,  on  the  same  principle,  fin- 
ished and  furnished  in  the  plainest  manner.  It  was  destitute  of 
any  hint  of  ornament  and  of  all  illustrative  apparatus.  Now,  we 
must  have  the  most  costly  edifices  and  all  needful  appliances  to 
make  school  life  a  joui'ne}'  of  delight.  He  did  not  object  to  the 
present  appliances.  Perhaps  we  have  gone  to  the  other  extreme. 
Children  go  into  the  primary  hopper  and  are  ground  out  as  gram- 
mar or  high-school  graduates.  Our  schools  are  now  run  on  the 
high-pressure  system,  which  is  proriaoted  by  the  rivalry  between 
the  schools  of  each  town,  and  also  between  those  of  one  town  and 


182  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

those  of  other  towns  arouud.  Some  children  can  learn  four  times 
as  fast  as  others,  but  by  the  present  sj^stem  they  all  have  to  be 
laid  on  the  same  iron  bedsteads.  Mr.  Terry  rather  liked  the  idea 
of  school  gardens,  but  felt  some  fear  that  if  that  plan  were  intro- 
duced the  children  would  not  be  allowed  generally  to  take  re- 
sponsibility in  the  cultivation  therein — that  the  janitor  would  cul- 
tivate and  the  children  look  on.  To  make  the  school  garden  a 
success  the  children  must  have  a  place  where  they  can  put  into 
practice  what  they  are  taught  about  cultivation,  and  thus  get  prac- 
tical knowledge  as  the  essayist  had  indicated.  The  speaker 
remembered  that  he  had  a  taste  for  plant  culture,  when  a  boy  ;  that 
an  idea  of  utility  was  connected  with  his  cultivation  of  his  crop  and 
that  the  latter  was  a  fine  bed  of  saffron.  He  remembered  also,  that 
when  he  marketed  the  flowers  the  apothecary  cheated  him.  But 
there  is  beauty  and  utilitj'  in  cultivating  the  plants  that  grow  nat- 
urall}-  around  us.  There  is  beauty  in  a  field  of  potatoes — in  a  bed 
of  sage — beauty  and  music  in  a  field  of  growing  corn.  Multi- 
tudes went  to  see  that  prize  field  of  corn  in  South  Carolina.  That 
was  a  grand  illustration  of  beaut}'  and  utility'  combined,  and  it  is 
clear  that  we  must  have  this  combination  taught  even  in  the  school 
garden  instruction. 

"  A  thing  of  beauty  is  a  joy  forever ; 
Its  loveliness  increases ;  it  will  never 
Pass  into  nothingness ;  but  still  will  keep 
A  bower  quiet  for  us,  and  a  sleep 
Full  of  sweet  dreams,  and  health,  and  quiet  breathing." 

The  culture  of  beauty  in  the  vegetable  kingdom  secures  a  crop 
of  joy  to  the  thoughtful  culturist,  and  not  that  alone — it  is  a  great 
promoter  of  health.  There  is  with  it  no  dyspepsia,  no  insomnia 
when  one  has  been  thus  busied  in  the  open  air.  Think  of  the 
wholesome  effect  on  discontented  mechanics  if  the}'  could  go  home 
and  work  an  hour  in  the  garden,  instead  of  passing  their  leisure 
hours  in  fretting  and  grumbling. 

Dr.  C.  C.  Rounds,  Principal  of  the  State  Normal  School  at 
Plymouth,  N.  H.,  being  present,  was  called  upon,  and  responded 
by  giving  a  synoptical  account  of  the  present  school  S3'Stem  of 
France.  Under  commission  from  the  Governor  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, he  attended  the  International  Exposition  at  Paris,  France, 
and  while  there,  in  connection  with  his  official  duties  he  made  a 
study  of  the  French  system  of  education.      At  the  Exposition, 


HORTICULTURAL    EDUCATION    FOR    CHILDREN.  183 

France  made  far  the  best  showing  in  this  department.  Paris  was 
far  ahead  of  any  other  part  of  France.  No  city  or  town  prob- 
ably ever  made  any  such  exhibit  before.  The  present  order  of 
things  has  been  developed  during  the  last  ten  years,  and  what 
France  has  done  in  that  period  is  simply  marvellous.  They  have 
done  the  things  we  have  only  talked  about.  Education  is  compul- 
sorj'  for  all  children  from  seven  to  fourteen  years  of  age,  and 
parents  are  held  to  strict  account,  even  to  imprisonment,  if  their 
children  are  not  regular  in  attendance.  The  course  of  study  dur- 
ing that  period  gives  a  better  preparation  for  the  duties  of  life 
than  is  given  bv  the  course  extending  through  many  of  our  high 
schools.  We  have  long  discussed  the  possible  connection  between 
the  kindergarten  and  our  public  schools.  In  France  the  essentials 
of  the  kindergarten  have  been  made  a  part  of  the  lowest  grade  of 
schools,  and  the  name,  kindergarten,  has  disappeared.  It  should 
be  remembered  that  the  mass  of  those  who  are  in  the  schools  are 
to  become  workers,  yet  the  problem  of  manual  training  in  the 
public  schools  has  not  secured  much  favor  in  this  country.  But 
in  France,  it  is,  by  decree,  made  a  branch  of  school  work,  and  two 
or  three  hours  each  week,  according  to  the  grade  of  schools,  must 
be  given  to  manual  education,  beginning  in  the  primary  schools. 
In  this  connection  the  principles  of  agriculture  and  horticulture 
are  also  taught.  France  agrees  with  us  that  teachers  should  be 
trained  ;  accordingly  she  now  has  in  each  of  her  eighty-six  depart- 
ments two  normal  schools,  one  for  men  and  one  for  women,  and 
to  ensure  competent  teachers  for  these  she  establishes  two  higher 
normal  schools  to  prepare  them.  The  public  schools  are  entirely 
free — tuition,  text-books,  everything.  A  law  was  passed  favoring 
the  establishment  of  girl's  colleges,  and  several  have  been  estab- 
lished. To  meet  a  new  demand,  France  established  a  school  to 
train  professors  for  these  girls'  colleges.  The  .administration  of 
the  French  system  is  vested  in  a  Minister  of  Public  Instruction,  a 
national  council — called  the  Superior  Council — of  forty-seven 
members,  district  inspectors-general,  etc.  The  council  determines 
what  shall  be  taught,  and  the  normal  schools  train  the  teachers  to 
teach  it.  France  is  a  representative  republic,  and  her  continued 
existence  depends  upon  the  intelligence  of  the  people.  She  must 
therefore  see  to  it  that  every  child  is  educated,  and  she  aims  to 
educate  the  whole  hoy  and  the  whole  girl.  Parents  or  guardians 
may  send  children  to  the  public  schools,  private  schools,  or  church 


184  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

schools,  but  what  the  national  council  prescribes  as  necessary 
studies  to  make  the  pupils  good  French  citizens,  must  be  taught, 
and  thoroughly  taught,  and  whatever  that  council  proscribes  a& 
contrar}'  to  the  constitution,  or  laws,  or  morality,  must  not  be 
taught.  Dr.  Rounds  was  surprised  at  the  lead  taken  by  the  French 
schools  in  the  inculcation  of  morals,  duties  in  the  family,  to  the 
country,  and  to  God.  The  school  authorities  foster  professional 
schools  for  young  women,  even  urging  them  to  take  the  education 
which  will  make  them  cultivated  women.  It  is  the  purpose  of  the 
government  to  make  France  a  democratic  republic.  She  honors 
those  who  have  honorably  served  the  Republic,  whatever  the  con- 
dition of  the  person,  or  the  department  of  service.  The  advance 
already  made  by  France  under  the  present  system,  gives  assurance 
that  whatever  else  is  in  store  for  that  country  the  Republic  will  be 
saved  through  education. 

The   announcement   for   the   next  Saturday   was   a    paper   on 
"  Dahlias,"  by  William  E.  Endicott,  of  Canton. 


BUSINESS   MEETING. 

Saturday,  March  22,  1890. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Societ}'  was  holden  at  half-past 
eleven  o'clock,  President  William  H.  Spooner,  in  the  Chair. 

The  Secretary  laid  before  the  Society  letters  from  Hon.  Henry 
Cabot  Lodge,  Hon.  John  F.  Andrew,  Hon.  Rodney  Wallace,  and 
Hon.  Elijah  A.  Morse,  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  the  Resolu- 
tions and  Memorial  of  the  American  Forestry  Association,  in 
regard  to  the  preservation  of  forests  on  the  national  domain,  with 
the  approval  of  this  Society,  and  stating  that  the  Memorial  and 
Resolutions  would  at  the  proper  time  receive  attention. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  March  29,  1890,  at  half-past  eleven 
o'clock,  A.  M. 


THE   DAHLIA.  185 

MEETING   FOR   DISCUSSION. 

The  Dahlia. 

By  William  E.  Endicoit,  of  Canton. 

In  the  Gardeners'  Chronicle  of  1879,  Mr.  Hemsle}'  reckoned 
the  number  of  species  of  dahlia  as  nine :  imperialism  excelsa, 
BarJcerice,  3faximiliana,  scapigera^  variabilis,  coccinea,  gracilis, 
and  MercTcii.  These  are  reduced  to  four  or  five  in  the  "Genera 
Plantarum  "  of  Bentham  and  Hooker.  All  the  species  and  natural 
varieties,  however  many  they  may  be,  are  natives  of  Mexico,  and 
are  found  at  various  elevations  from  four  thousand  to  ten  thousand 
feet.  The  genus  is  named  from  the  Swedish  botanist,  Dahl ;  the 
first  a  therefore  should  be  sounded  as  in  father,  though  we 
generall}'  hear  the  word  pronounced  ddll-ya,  and  in  England,  if  we 
ma}'  judge  from  Mr.  Hibberd's  remarks,  ddle-ya  meets  accept- 
ance. The  genus  was  also  at  one  time  called  Georgina  and  is 
entered  under  that  name  in  German  catalogues. 

Seeds  of  the  Dahlia  were  sent  to  Madrid  by  the  botanist 
Cavanilles,  in  1789,  and  some  of  these  were  sent  to  Kew  by  the 
wife  of  Lord  Bute  who  was  then  British  ambassador  to  Spain. 

One  complete  centur}-  of  cultivation  has  been  expended  upon 
the  Dahlia ;  in  a  few  weeks  we  shall  begin  its  second  century  of 
development.  Strangel}"  enough  at  the  end  of  the  century,  the 
original  single  forms  enjoy  the  highest  degree  of  popularity.  In 
one  hundred  jears  the  entire  circle. has  been  traced  and  we  find 
ourselves  back  at  the  point  of  beginning. 

The  dahlia  was  known  only  as  a  single  flower  for  twenty-five 
years  ;  it  was  not  until  1814  that  the  first  double  was  raised  ;  but 
the  break  once  made  double  flowers  became  numerous.  Among 
the  earlier  double  flowers  were  man}'  with  flat  or  pointed  petals, 
very  like  most  of  the  so-called  "  cactus"  varieties  of  the  present 
day. 

The  culture  of  the  dahlia  is  not  a  difficult  matter.  In  May  the 
roots  should  be  brought  out  from  their  winter  quarters  and 
examined.  The  tubers  which  are  hanging  to  the  crown  by  only 
a  few  dead  fibres  should  be  cut  off  and  the  sound  part  so  divided 
that  each  portion  shall  have  not  more  than  one  or  two  buds  ; 
these  will  be  readily  discernible  in  May.     If  the  roots  are  planted 


186  MA.SSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

year  after  year  without  division,  not  only  will  they  form  unwieldy 
masses  but  there  will  be  a  multitude  of  feeble  shoots  whose  flowers 
will  be  few  and  poor. 

The  soil  should  be  such  as  is  neither  light  nor  heavy  and  a 
plentiful  suppl}'  of  manure  should  be  used.  Chemical  fertilizers 
will  induce  a  low  growth,  not  high  enough  to  hide  a  child,  while 
barnyard  manure  will  cause  a  tall  growth.  For  m}-  own  part  I 
prefer  tall  plants  and  should  use  manure  if  I  could  get  enough  of 
it,  for  though  dahlias  raised  on  it  need  staking  to  keep  the  wind 
from  breaking  them,  the  flowers  are  much  finer  both  in  shape  and 
color  and  the  foliage  has  a  freshness  and  perfection  which  adds 
much  to  the  beauty  of  the  plant.  With  chemical  fertilizers  there 
are  too  many  ill-shaped  and  ill-colored  flowers  and  the  foliage  is 
more  apt  to  be  infected  with  a  fungous  growth  which  causes  it  to 
turn  yellowish  at  the  edges  and  to  shrivel  toward  the  end  of  the 
season.  The  roots  should  be  planted  about  the  end  of  May  and 
should  be  covered  about  three  inches  deep  and  there  should  be  at 
least  four  feet  of  clear  space  allowed  on  each  side  ;  otherwise  full 
development  cannot  be  expected.  I  have  seen  them  planted 
singly  on  lawns,  and  so  treated  a  tall,  bushy  and  well-flowered 
plant  of  a  large  blossomed  variety  makes  a  fine  appearance.  As 
in  the  majority  of  plants,  the  after  cultivation  consists  simplj'  in 
keeping  the  ground  loose  and  clean  and  in  supplying  water  occa- 
sionally if  the  season  be  dr}',  for  the  dahlia  needs  a  good  supply 
of  water.  I  remember  a  season  in  which  from  many  hundred 
plants  I  had  but  one  flower,  while  a  field  of  gladioli  blossomed  as 
well  as  ever.  The  first  frost  will  destroy  the  plants  but  it  is  by 
no  means  necessarj-  that  they  be  then  taken  up.  On  the  contrary 
they  will  keep  better  in  the  ground  than  out  of  it  until  the  end  of 
October ;  all  that  is  necessarj-  is  to  lift  them  before  the  ground 
freezes  up.  I  have  known  a  root  accidentallj'  left  in  the  ground 
over  winter  to  come  up  in  the  spring  and  flourish  as  vigorously 
as  if  it  had  been  stored  in  the  cellar  through  the  winter. 

In  taking  up  dahlia  roots,  it  is  necessary  to  observe  two  precau- 
tions :  not  to  shake  them  too  violently  in  removing  the  earth, 
otherwise  the  necks  of  many  tubers  will  be  so  injured  as  to  rot 
awa}'  during  the  winter ;  and  to  invert  the  root  for  a  while  after 
cutting  off  the  stems  so  that  the  moisture  which  drains  off  shall 
not  run  down  upon  the  crown,  there b}-  causing  the  buds  for  next 
year's  growth  to  rot.  Neglect  of  these  precautions  has  been  the 
destruction  of  many  a  good  collection. 


THE    DAHLIA.  187 

The  dahlia  is  propagated  by  cuttings  or  divisions.  The  latter 
method  may  be  carried  out  at  any  time  from  lifting  to  planting ; 
it  consists  simply  in  cutting  the  old  root  into  pieces,  leaving  one 
or  more  "  eyes  "  on  each. 

If  it  is  intended  to  propagate  by  cuttings,  the  roots  from  which 
the  slips  are  to  be  taken  should  be  potted  and  put  into  a  warm 
greenhouse  in  the  first  part  of  February.  When  the  shoots  are 
about  two  inches  long  they  should  be  cut  off  just  below  a  pair  of 
leaves,  the  buds  in  the  axils  of  which  will  form  the  eyes  of  the 
tubers  which  the  cutting  is  to  develop.  If  the  cuttings  be  taken 
with  a  long  piece  of  stem  below  the  leaves  they  will  root  and 
form  tubers,  but  these  will  never  grow  after  the  first  year  for  they 
will  have  no  buds  at  their  crowns. 

The  cuttings  are  rooted  in  sand  in  the  ordinary  way,  and  may 
be  planted  out  when  the  weather  becomes  warm  enough.  It 
sometimes  happens  that  a  cutting  has  a  hollow  stem  ;  without 
special  treatment  this  will  never  root,  but  if  it  be  split  up  to  the 
leaves,  and  one  of  the  halves  cut  away  the  cutting  will  root  with- 
out much  trouble. 

New  varieties  must  be  raised  from  seed,  for  the  dahlia  rarely 
sports,  though  it  sometimes  does  so.  I  have  never  seen  more  than 
one  instance  ;  in  that  one  several  tubers  of  Emma  Cheney,  a  very 
large  rosy  colored  sort  produced  mahogany  brown  flowers  and 
have  continued  to  do  so.  It  is  said -that  the  plump  seed  is  of 
little  value  but  that  the  thin  ones  are  more  apt  to  produce  fine 
flowers.  I  have  not  found  that  there  is  any  such  difference. 
Whatever  seed  you  use  you  will  not  get  more  than  one  flower 
worth  saving  out  of  a  thousand  seedlings.  Seed  is  readily 
obtained ;  if  you  pull  off  one  of  the  dead  dry  heads  left  where  a 
blossom  withered,  you  will  find  the  thin  black  seeds  among  the 
chaffy  bracts ;  these  should  be  planted  out  of  doors  where  the 
plants  are  to  remain,  as  soon  as  the  ground  is  warm  enough.  If 
these  plants  are  taken  care  of  and  given  room  enough  they  will 
probably  blossom  in  September. 

We  are  commonly  advised  to  sow  the  seed  under  glass  in 
March,  but  those  who  do  so  will  be  sorry  before  the  end  of  May, 
for  the  seed  starts  so  readily  and  the  young  plants  grow  so  freely 
that  the  hasty  gardener  soon  has  to  choose  whether  he  will  throw 
away  some  of  his  dahlias  or  some  of  his  other  plants. 

In  the  dahlia  as  we  now  have  it  the  tendenc}'  to  variation  is 
pretty  thoroughly   fixed.     Out  of  two  hundred  seedlings  raised 


188  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

from  seed  of  the  fine  white  pompon  variet}',  White  Aster,  I  had' 
flowers  of  every  sort  and  kind  and  every  shade  of  color, — single^ 
pompon,  and  large  doubles,  some  of  the  latter  pretty  good  and 
some  poor  enough  to  be  offered  as  first  rate  "  cactus"  dahlias. 

We  seem  to  be  advancing  from  the  single  flowers  over  precisely 
the  same  ground  formerly  traversed,  for  most  of  the  "cactus" 
varieties  of  the  present  day  are  in  no  respect  different  from  varie- 
ties figured  fifty  3'ears  ago  in  the  "  Floricultural  Cabinet  "  and  other 
publications.  I  looked  at  a  plant  over  a  stranger's  garden  fence 
last  summer,  trying  to  decide  whether  it  was  the  much  lauded 
Henry  Patrick  or  a  poorly  grown  specimen  of  some  worn-out 
variety  ;  I  could  not  settle  the  point. 

Into  what  will  these  loose  flat  petalled  varieties  develop? 
Will  they  become  the  round,  perfect,  show  dahlias  as  they  did 
before,  or  will  they  take  a  different  turn  and  produce  some  new 
form?  It  seems  to  me  that  the  same  materials  —  the  species 
variabilis,  coccinea  and  gracilis  —  must  produce  the  same  results. 
Within  a  year  or  two  Merckii  (glabrata  of  some)  has  been  crossed 
with  some  of  the  old  sorts  and  the  offspring  have  been  bushy 
little  plants  not  more  than  eighteen  inches  high,  and  with  large 
single  flowers  which,  however,  are  just  like  what  we  have  now. 

In  so  large  a  family  as  the  Compositse,  to  which  the  dahlia 
belongs,  it  seems  probable  that  some  genus  exists  with  which 
h3'brids  ma\'  be  formed,  and  it  is  from  such  a  source  that  new 
kinds  are  to  be  had  if  at  all.  A  correspondent  has  lately  sent  to 
the  "  Gardener's  Chronicle"  what  he  states  to  be  the  offspring  of  a 
dahlia  and  a  perennial  sunflower.  The  learned  editor  declares 
that  he  sees  nothing  of  the  sunflower  about  it,  but  admits  that  he 
cannot  say  that  such  a  cross  is  impossible, — an  admission  that 
botany  has  learned  something  from  horticulture,  for  thirty  years 
ago  the  idea  of  a  bi-generic  hybrid  would  have  met  nothing  but 
derision. 

There  is  still  one  point  in  which  the  present  race  of  dahlias 
ma}'  be  improved, —  I  mean  hardiness.  We  frequentl}-  have  a 
frost  in  the  first  part  of  September  which  kills  all  our  dahlias  \ 
then  succeed  several  weeks  of  bright  mild  weather  in  which  our 
blackened  plants  present  but  a  sorry  figure.  If  we  could  infuse 
enough  hardiness  into  them  to  enable  them  to  withstand  this  first 
frost,  it  would  be  a  great  point  gained.  Two  years  ago  among 
some  hundreds  of  seedlings  which  the  frost  had  destroyed,  one 


THE    DAHLIA.  189 

stood  up  as  fresh  and  green  as  ever.  1  ought  to  have  marked  it 
for  preservation,  but  I  put  off  doing  so  and  the  result  was  that  it 
was  lost.  This  incident  shows  that  a  moderate  degree  of  hardi- 
ness raa}-  be  attained  by  the  single  process  of  selection  among 
seedlings ;  perhaps  by  hybridization  perfect  hardiness  may  be 
reached. 

We  frequently  hear  and  read  discussions  as  to  whether  single 
or  double  varieties  are  to  be  preferred  ;  but  these  two  classes  are 
so  very  unlike  each  other  that  a  comparison  between  them  is 
hardly  possible.  Both  are  desirable, —  both  are  beautiful;  each 
in  its  own  way.  The  large  double  dahlia  is  certainly  heavy  in 
appearance,  but  it  has  a  richness  of  color,  a  delicacy  of  shading, 
and  a  perfection  of  construction  that  the  singles  cannot  approach. 
I  marvel  that  any  one  can  examine  such  a  flower  as  Flamingo  or 
Sarah  McMillan  without  admiration.  The  single  dahlias  are  so 
free  in  flowering,  so  cheerful  and  graceful  as  they  stand  in  the 
garden  beds,  that  I  wonder  that  any  one  should  declare  he  will 
have  none  of  them. 

It  is  commonly  expected  that  a  paper  of  this  kind  shall  finish 
■with  a  list  of  best  varieties,  and  warned  by  a  previous  experience 
I  shall  tr}'  to  meet  this  expectation.  But  first  I  will  describe  such 
of  the  wild  species  as  seem  to  need  a  word.  Imperialis  is  a  very 
beautiful  species,  which,  however,  will  never  be  much  grown, 
because  it  does  not  flower  until  Noveniber  and  then  only  on  stalks 
twelve  or  fifteen  feet  tall.  Nothing  can  much  exceed  the  beauty 
of  its  clusters,  however,  consisting  as  they  do  of  flowers  grace- 
fully drooping,  white  faintly  flushed  with  pink,  and  with  petals  so 
disposed  that  the  flowers  look  more  like  lilies  than  dahlias.  This 
species  is  well  worth  growing  for  the  beauty  of  its  foliage,  which 
is  much  divided  and  arches  out  from  the  stem  like  some  kinds  of 
aralia.  Excelsa  is  another  tree-like  plant,  coarser  in  foliage  than 
imperialis  and  also  late  flowering ;  the  blossoms  are  pink. 
Merckii,  called  also  glabrata,  is  a  very  dwarf  species,  not  over  a 
foot  and  a  half  high.  In  no  respect  does  it  resemble  the  other 
species  in  appearance.  The  foliage  is  shiny  and  very  finel}'  cut, 
and  the  blossoms  much  resemble  the  coreopsis  in  size,  shape,  and 
length  of  stalk.  The  colors  are  white,  pink,  and  purple  with  a 
dark  brown  centre.  The  other  species  are  much  like  the  ordinary 
•crimson  and  scarlet  single  varieties. 


190  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

As  for  varieties  I  cannot  pretend  to  name  the  best,  for  the  first 
rank  contains  a  very  great  number  of  kinds  ;  but  I  will  name  a 
few  which  I  think  are  as  good  as  any.  These  best  flowers  are  by 
no  means  all  of  modern  date,  for  Miss  Caroline,  a  beautiful  show 
flower,  was  raised  in  1853,  and  Paragon,  one  of  the  best  of  single 
sorts,  was  in  existence  in  1834. 

The  large  flowered  double  sorts  are  classed  as  "  Show"  and 
"  Fancy "  kinds.  The  distinction  is  not  much  regarded  in  this 
country.  The  possessor  of  the  following  kinds  has  a  good  collec- 
tion : 

Anne  Boleyn,  light  flesh. 

British  Triumph,  dark  crimson. 

Duchess  of  Cambridge,  rose  with  crimson  tipped  florets. 

Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  rich  purple. 

Flamingo,  vermilion. 

Julia  Davis,  rich  yellow. 

Lady  Allington,  scarlet,  tipped  white. 

Lord  Hawke,  yellow  and  buff. 

Louisa  Neate,  pink. 

Miss  Ruth,  lemon  yellow  with  white  tips. 

Mrs.  Gladstone,  delicate  soft  pink. 

Prospero,  plum  color,  tipped  white. 

Some  very  good  Pompon  or  small  flowered  double  kinds  are  : 
Catherine,  3'ellow. 

Cochineal  Rose,  deep  crimson  and  of  perfect  form. 
Figaro,  buff  with  crimson  edge. 
George  French,  crimson  if  seen  from  the  front,  bluish  rose  if 

looked  at  from  the  side. 
Isabel,  brilliant  scarlet  and  of  finest  form. 
Liebchenmein,  white,  bordered  violet. 
Little  Goldlight,  golden  yellow,  tipped  scarlet. 
Lurline,  yellow. 
Mercator,  pink,  tipped  crimson. 
Pure  Lore,  lilac. 
Snowflake,  creamy  white. 
Sparkler,  scarlet. 
White  Aster,  pure  white  with  fringed  petals. 

Of  the  "Cactus"  varieties  there  are  by  far  too  many,  unless 
their  quality  improves.     Juarezi,  named  from  Juarez,  the  former 


THE    DAHLIA.  191 

President  of  Mexico,  was  the  first,  and  is  so  far  the  best,  that  I 
am  almost  inclined  to  sa}'  that  no  other  sort  is  worth  growing. 
Its  color  is  intense  and  pure  scarlet,  and  its  shape  and  the 
arrangement  of  petals  are  peculiar.  I  regard  it  as  a  very  valuable 
introduction.  Lord  Lj-ndhurst  is  very  good,  and  is  a  reproduction 
of  it  on  a  somewhat  smaller  scale  and  in  a  lighter  shade  of  color. 
It  is,  I  think,  a  sport  from  Juarezi.  Mondamin  is  a  fine  pink 
variety  raised  from  seed  of  Juarezi  and  has  the  same  peculiar 
shape.  I  can  name  no  more  than  these  three.  I  have  not  seen 
all  that  are  in  existence,  but  I  have  seen  many  and  do  not  desire 
to  own  them.     It  is  of  no  use  to  mention  single  varieties. 

At  the  close  of  the  lecture,  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Endicott, 
for  his  very  able  and  interesting  paper,  was  unanimously  passed. 

Discussion. 

John  C.  Hovey  spoke  in  commendation  of  the  class  of  Bouquet 
dahlias.  The}'  grow  only  from  a  foot  and  a  half  to  two  feet  high 
and  do  not  require  staking.  They  flo^ver  very  abundantly.  He 
thought  the  varieties  raised  here  from  seed  would  flower  earlier 
than  foreign  varieties. 

Leverett  M.  Chase  said  that  he  visited  Mr.  Endicott's  grounds 
two  years  ago  and  saw  a  variety  which  was  one  mass  of  flowers 
and  ver}'  beautiful.  It  was  Highland -Mary,  and  was  raised  by 
Mr.  Endicott  some  years  ago  from  seed  of  "White  Aster.  The 
most  noticeable  thing  there  was  a  line  of  this  kind  ;  he  had  never 
seen  anything  so  floriferous  ;  the  flowers  grew  above  the  foliage 
and  in  unceasing  abundance.  They  are  of  a  delicate  pink  with 
patches  of  white  florets. 

John  Parker  said  that  he  had  had  an  experience  of  sixty  3'ears 
in  growing  dahlias  and  had  always  been  successful.  He  had 
been  an  exhibitor  more  than  forty  years.  At  the  Annual  Exhibi- 
tion of  this  Societ}'  in  Faneuil  Hall  in  1848,  he  exhibited  forty- 
seven  varieties  of  dahlias.  He  had  set  out  a  plant  in  flower  in 
April  which  had  continued  to  flower  until  frost.  He  had  had  a 
plant  of  Lord  Liverpool  which  grew  to  be  fourteen  feet  high. 
The  dahlia  is  in  its  glor}-  when  all  other  flowers  are  faded  and 
gone.  He  gives  them  plenty  of  water  and  plenty  of  enrichment 
and  trims  them  up  to  a  single  stalk.  The  French  have  a  method 
of  letting  them  lie  on  the  ground  and  flower  like  bedding  plants. 


192  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL,    SOCIETY. 

He  pins  a  piece  of  tissue  paper  over  flowers  to  preserve  them  for 
exhibition.  He  uses  every  kind  of  fertilizer.  The  dahlia  attempts 
too  much,  and  is  improved  by  taking  off  part  of  the  buds. 

Mr.  Hovey  would  encourage  the  cultivation  of  dwarf  Bouquet 
dahlias  rather  than  laying  down  tall  growing  varieties.  By 
improving  the  dwarfs  much  better  results  may  be  secured.  Last 
fall  he  saw  a  plant  of  the  White  Bouquet  variety  bearing  twenty 
flowers. 

John  S.  Martin  said  he  had  greatly  enjoyed  the  interesting  and 
valuable  lecture  upon  the  Dahlia,  its  properties  and  needs.  But 
he  would  recommend,  especially  to  amateurs,  the  growing  of 
dwarf  varieties.  While  this  class  possesses  great  beauty  of  form 
and  richness  of  colors  in  the  flowers  they  are  very  free  bloomers. 
The  compact  growth  of  the  plants  permits  the  cultivator  to  have  a 
large  number  of  varieties  upon  a  small  area.  Another  advantage 
from  their  low  stature  is  the  ease  with  which  they  can  be  fully 
protected  from  early  frosts,  thus  securing  the  continued  enjoy- 
ment of  their  varied  beauty  long  after  the  tall  growing  varieties 
have  been  destro3'ed. 

The  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Publication  and  Discussion, 
stated  that  Hon.  Henry  L.  Parker  of  Worcester  would  be  unable  to 
present  the  paper  announced  on  the  programme  for  next  Saturday, 
and  that  the  meeting,  which  would  be  the  last  of  the  season, 
would  be  open  for  the  discussion  of  such  subjects  as  might  be 
suggested. 


BUSINESS   MEETING. 

Saturday,  March  29,  1890. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at  half-past 
eleven  o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spooner,  in  the  Chair. 

The  Secretary  read  a  letter  from  Hon.  John  W.  Candler, 
acknowledging  the  receipt  of  the  Resolutions  and  Memorial  of  the 
American  Forestry  Association  approved  by  this  Society,  and 
stating  that  he  is  interested  in  the  subject  to  which  they  refer  and 
would  give  them  careful  consideration. 


HORTICULTURAL  EDUCATION.  193 

The  Secretary  also  presented  a  letter  from  the  Worcester 
Agricultural  Society,  returning  thanks  for  the  invitation  to  appoint 
a  member  who  should  have  the  free  use  of  the  Library'  and  Library 
room  for  the  purpose  of  preparing  essays  to  be  read  before 
Farmers'  Institutes,  and  stating  that  Calvin  L.  Hartshorn  of 
Worcester  had  been  appointed  to  enjoy  that  privilege. 

Mrs.  H.  L.  T.  Wolcott  referred  to  the  subject  of  Horticultural 
Education  for  children,  which  formed  the  subject  at  the  Meeting 
for  Discussion  two  weeks  previously,  expressing  the  desire  that 
something  should  be  done  by  the  Society  to  promote  that  object, 
and  moved  that  the  subject  be  referred  to  the  Committee  on 
Window  Gardening.     A  discussion  of  the  subject  followed. 

Edmund  Herse}'  said  that  the  future  of  the  country  depends 
upon  the  proper  education  of  the  children,  and  if  this  Society  can 
do  anything  to  get  the  children  interested  in  the  cultivation  of 
fruits  or  flowers  or  vegetables,  it  should  do  so.  We  are  soon  to 
leave  our  places  here,  and  if  the  Society  is  to  prosper  we  must 
take  action  to  interest  children  in  horticulture,  so  that  they  may 
take  our  places  when  we  are  gone,  and  do  better  than  we  have 
done.  There  are  many  difBculties  in  the  way  when  we  attempt 
to  make  our  ideas  practical,  but  still  we  can  do  something.  In 
Hingham,  where  the  speaker  resides,  the  Agricultural  and  Horti- 
cultural Society  has  a  Children's  Department,  which  strengthens 
the  society  and  improves  the  children."  Working  on  these  lines, 
oflfering  premiums  for  the  best  fruits,  flowers,  and  vegetables  grown 
b}'  children,  will  be  a  step  in  the  right  direction.  Another  step 
suggested  is  that  since  this  Society  is  affiliated  with  the  State 
Board  of  Agriculture,  and  whatever  the  Board  requires  societies 
to  do  they  must  do,  there  being  seven  members  of  the  Board  who 
are  also  members  of  this  Society,  can  the}'  not  influence  the  Board 
to  do  something  in  this  direction?  The  Board  might  require  the 
societies  to  offer  prizes  for  the  best  herbariums  of  ferns  and 
grasses  collected  by  children  and  thus  educate  them  to  observe 
better  than  ever  before.  Another  point  is  that  we  now  have  a 
series  of  lectures  every  winter  which  are  listened  to  mostly  by 
gray-headed  persons ;  might  we  not  have  one  lecture  especially 
adapted  to  the  older  children  in  the  High  School?  In  Hingham, 
notice  is  sent  to  the  teachers  of  whatever  is  done  by  the  Agricul- 
tural Society  which  will  be  for  the  benefit  of  children,  and  the 
13 


194  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

result  has  been  for  the  advantage  of  both  the  society  and  the 
children.  The  same  course  was  pursued  at  a  recent  farmers* 
institute  at  Topsfield  with  promising  results.  The  Society  should 
look  into  this  matter  careful!},  and  wherever  it  sees  an  opportunity 
to  elevate  the  education  of  children  it  should  improve  it.  It  has 
already  done  much  in  shaping  opinion  in  regard  to  the  cultivation 
of  flowers,  especially  in  New  England, —  perhaps  more  than  we 
realize.  That  flowers  are  cultivated  as  much  as  they  are  from 
northern  Maine  to  the  southern  boundarj-  of  Connecticut  is  largely 
due  to  the  influence  of  this  Society.  Whatever  we  can  do  to 
improve  the  cultivation  of  fruits,  flowers,  and  vegetables,  especially 
among  children,  let  us  try  to  do  it. 

Francis  H.  Appleton  said  that  as  a  member  of  the  State  Board 
of  Agriculture  he  should  be  glad  to  promote  an}-  movement  which 
the  Board  might  make  in  the  direction  indicated  by  the  last 
speaker.  This  State  has  been  a  pioneer  in  education,  but  perhaps 
some  other  States  are  now  in  advance  of  us  in  the  special  depart- 
ment under  consideration. 

John  S.  Martin,  by  request,  related  some  experience  in  regard 
to  the  subject  before  the  meeting.  When  a  young  boy  he  was 
transferred  from  the  public  schools  in  this  city  to  one  in  Maine 
where  the  schoolhouse  was  very  different  from  those  in  Boston. 
Near  it  was  a  piece  of  woods  belonging  to  the  school  grounds,  and 
in  this  a  patch  was  cleared  and  planted  by  the  boys  and  girls  with 
flowers  which  they  collected  in  the  woods  and  elsewhere.  This 
place  the  children  made  their  playground  and  ate  their  dinners 
there,  and  there  were  no  quarrels  among  them,  but  great  comfort 
and  enjoyment.  No  bad  language  was  heard,  and  the  speaker 
did  not  believe  there  was  a  happier  group  of  children  in  the  State. 
He  felt  much  interested  to  have  school  gardens  in  Boston  if 
possible,  for  there  is  nothing  more  desirable  as  an  educational 
influence. 

Henry  L.  Clapp,  principal  of  the  George  Putnam  School  in 
Roxbury,  and  author  of  the  paper  which  had  led  to  this  discus- 
sion, said  that  while  he  thought  highly  of  school  gardens,  such  as 
had  been  described  by  the  preceding  speaker,  his  purpose  was  to 
have  plant  culture  for  educational  purposes.  He  had  known  school 
gardens  to  be  robbed,  and  he  would  not  cultivate  in  them  such 
flowers  as  would  attract  robbery,  but  ferns  and  grasses  and  similar 
plants.     His  idea  was  that  time  now  given  to  the  study  of  plants 


TOUR    OF    GRANGEHS    IN    CALIFORNIA.  195 

in  the  schoolhouse  should  be  spent  in  the  study  of  plants  in  the 
school  garden. 

The  motion  that  the  subject  be  referred  to  the  Committee  on 
Window  Gardening  was  unanimously  carried. 

The  meeting  was  then  dissolved. 


MEETING   FOR   DISCUSSION. 
The  Tour  of  the  Grangers  in  California. 

By  O.  B.  Hadwen,  of  Worcester. 

In  speaking  of  my  sojourn  in  the  great  State  of  California  and 
giving  an  account  of  its  agricultural  and  horticultural  resources 
and  interests,  built  up  since  the  tide  of  emigration  from  the  Eastern 
States  set  towards  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  I  can 
but  declare  that  neither  my  time  nor  m}-  opportunity  is  equal  to 
more  than  the  merest  superficial  account  of  the  great  orchards 
and  vineyards  extending  from  the  Napa  Valley  of  the  north  to 
the  San  Diego  and  the  San  Gabriel  of  the  south. 

As  we  near  the  foot-hills  on  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra 
Nevadas  the  cultivation  of  the  apple  becomes  manifest  in  small 
but  well  cultivated  orchards.  As  we  approach  the  valley  of  the 
Sacramento,  orchards  of  the  peach,  pear,  and  plum,  as  well  as 
market  gardens,  are  seen,  apparently  under  the  best  management 
and  care. 

Perhaps  no  other  given  space  has  Nature  signalized  with  so 
great  a  variety  of  climate  and  products,  as  that  of  forty  miles 
from  the  mountain  to  the  foot-hills  and  the  valley,  which  challenges 
the  attention  of  all  who  have  a  fondness  for  her  works. 

Having  seen  this  most  charming  and  wonderful  feature  of 
landscape  and  cultivation,  we  arrive  at  the  City  of  Sacramento 
to  find  a  banquet  in  readiness  at  the  State  Capitol  for  the 
Grangers  and  their  invited  guests.  Four  hundred  or  more  were 
seated  at  the  tables,  which  were  most  bountifully  supplied  with 
the  fruits,  flowers,  wines,  and  other  products  of  the  State,  and  no 
State  can  entertain  guests  with  more  generous  hospitalit}'.  No 
State  can  set  a  table  more  temptingly  arranged, — loaded  with 
only  the  products  of  her  own  soil,  than  can  California.  Not  only 
may  be  found  fish  and  fowl  with  all  the  domestic  meats,  and  all  of 
the  vegetables  used    in  civilized  communities,  but  the  greatest 


196  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

variety  of  fruits.  The  apple,  the  pear,  the  peach,  the  persimmon, 
the  plum  and  prune,  the  apricot,  and  grapes  in  great  variety  ;  also 
the  fig,  orange,  lemon,  lime,  olive,  guava,  and  banana,  with 
almonds,  chestnuts,  pecans,  E)nglish  walnuts, —  in  fact  every 
product,  seemingl}',  can  be  grown  in  California — and  who  can  want 
more?  In  her  flora  is  found  an  equally  great  variety,  and  in 
either  summer  or  winter  they  are  in  readiness  to  decorate  the 
houses  and  rooms  and  banquets  with  the  best  effect.  Fruits  and 
flowers  were  in  great  profusion,  with  a  boutonni^re  of  exquisite 
beauty  and  taste  at  each  plate.  Following  the  example  of  the 
ladies  of  California,  which  we  deemed  worth}'  of  imitation,  we 
tasted  the  wines  and  other  good  cheer,  and  coHgratulated  the 
Californians  that  they  could  sit  under  their  own  vines  and  fig- 
trees,  feast  upon  their  abundance,  and  have  a  large  surplus  for 
their  less  fortunate  neighbors.  The  company  was  made  up  of 
representatives  from  all  the  States  of  the  Union  excepting  four, — 
delegates  from  the  Granges  and  their  invited  guests,  including 
many  State  officials.  After  the  banquet,  music  and  speeches  were 
in  order,  all  expressive  of  good  feeling  and  good  cheer.  Taking 
it  as  a  whole — the  hall,  the  decorations,  the  tables,  and  the  com- 
pany, the  banquet  may  well  be  described  as  of  the  highest  order. 

The  ranch  of  General  Bidwell,  at  Chico,  of  about  30,000  acres, 
is  one  of  the  finest  I  saw  in  California.  The  grounds  about  the 
mansion  are  tastefully  embellished  with  beautiful  trees  in  endless 
variety  as  well  as  flowering  shrubs  and  plants,  artistically 
grouped  and  looking  remarkably  thrifty.  There  were  also  on  the 
place  beautiful  orchards  of  the  cherry, — the  finest  I  ever  saw.  The 
trees  wez'e  very  shapely  and  some  of  the  trunks  measured  five  feet 
in  diameter.  Those  trees  were  probably  planted  about  thirty-five 
years  ago.  There  were  extensive  orchards  of  apple  trees,  shapely 
and  well  cared  for ;  also  large  orchards  of  the  peach,  with  well 
pruned  branches,  and  very  many  trunks  were  each  more  than  a 
foot  in  diameter.  Orchards  of  the  plum  and  apricot  were  exten- 
sive, set  in  rows  absolutely  straight,  and  with  the  high  culture 
bestowed  upon  them  all  thej'  could  not  help  producing  abundant 
crops. 

The  plantations  of  the  fig  were,  to  our  unaccustomed  ej'es,  very 
unique.  I  should  think  the  trees  reached  the  height  of  nearly  if 
not  quite  sixty  feet,  and  a  diameter  of  trunk  of  two  feet  or  even 
more  ;    it  was  certainlj'  the  finest  orchard  of  the  fig  I  saw  in  Cal- 


TOUR    OF    GRANGERS    IN    CALIFORNIA.  197 

ifornia.  I  was  told  that  the  fig  produces  three  crops  in  the  j'ear. 
The  stock  of  almond  and  English  walnut  and  chestnut  trees  was 
large  and  well  cultivated,  but  the  native  forest  trees  were  of  the 
most  stateh'  and  gigantic  growth.  The  live-oaks  were  immense, 
with  sturdy  trunks  and  sj'mmetrical  tops.  AVe  saw  one  gray  oak, 
the  branches  of  which  extended  sixty-three  b}'  seventy-three  feet, 
and  it  was  said  that  seven  thousand  men  could  stand  beneath  its 
shade.  We  also  saw  well  bred  and  well  kept  cattle  and  swine 
in  large  numbers.  In  short  this  ranch  was  superlative  in  all  its 
features  and  appointments  ;  a  truly  grand  spectacle  both  agricul- 
turally and  horticulturally  speaking  and  such  as  the  eye  can 
feast  upon  but  is  impossible  fitlv  to  describe. 

Upon  this  ranch  were  mills  for  grinding  grain,  mostl}'  wheat ; 
establishments  for  canning  fruits,  and  substantial  stables  for 
horses  and  cattle.  In  every  department  excellent  care  seemed 
manifest. 

A  colony  of  Digger  Indians  having  become  civilized  dwell  on 
this  estate,  and  they  are  given  employment  in  gathering  fruits, 
and  performing  other  farm  work. 

We  next  paid  a  visit  to  Vina,  the  plantation  and  vineyard  of 
Senator  Stanford,  of  55,000  acres.  Here  is  a  vineyard  of  4,000 
acres  planted  with  wine  grapes.  In  the  vaults  were  stored 
4,700,000  gallons  of  wine,  contained  in  casks  of  two  thousand 
gallons  capacity.  The  wines  of  California  are  in  great  diversity, 
made  from  different  varieties  of  grapes.  Perhaps  a  dozen  leading 
sorts  are  largely  exported  and  sent  east.  It  may,  however,  be 
termed  the  native  beverage,  and  is  largely  used  in  the  State. 

We  next  visited  Woodland  and  there,  it  being  Sundav,  attended 
church  in  the  forenoon.  In  the  afternoon  we  left  for  Santa  Rosa, 
passing  through  a  very  fertile  vallej'  about  sixty  miles  in  length, 
where  we  saw  great  numbers  of  live  stock.  Large  vineyards  and 
orchards  and  market  gardens  are  seen  along  this  route.  Santa 
Rosa  is  the  seat  of  Sonoma  County.  It  is  situated  in  the  valle}' 
of  Santa  Rosa,  one  of  the  richest  and  most  beautiful  valleys,  sixty 
miles  in  length  and  sixty  miles  in  width.  The  streets  are  well 
paved  and  bordered  with  the  eucalyptus  and  other  trees.  Leaving 
early  in  the  morning,  we  had  but  little  opportunity  to  visit  the 
places  of  interest  in  which  Santa  Rosa  abounds. 

On  the  way  to  San  Francisco  we  'ijass  through  a  valley  abound- 
ing  in    agricultural  wealth.     We   noted  Jersey    cattle   on  many 


198  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

farms,  and  fine  gardens  and  residences,  which  apprized  us  of  our 
near  approach  to  a  large  city.  On  reaching  San  Francisco  we 
were  quartered  at  the  Palace  Hotel,  one  of  the  largest  and  finest 
in  the  world,  where  I  spent  six  days  with  a  great  deal  of  comfort 
and  satisfaction.  The  city  abounds  in  public  parks  and  squares. 
The  Golden  Gate  Park  contains  1,013  acres,  the  Government 
reservation  at  Presidio  1,200  acres,  Buena  Vista  20  acres,  Moun- 
tain Lake  20  acres,  and  other  citj'  squares  comprise  119  acres. 
Our  first  move  was  for  Golden  Gate  Park,  in  the  western  portion 
of  the  city.  Original!}'  it  was  a  barren  waste  of  sand,  but  now  it 
is  a  very  attractive  and  charming  spot,  well  planted  with  trees  and 
shrubs.  Plants  that  with  us  are  grown  under  glass  grow  out  of 
doors  there,  and  man}'  were  in  full  bloom  at  this  season,  November 
15th.  Fnschias  were  growing  in  hedges,  and  many  other  plants 
which  we  usually  grow  under  glass  were  permanently  set  in  the  open 
ground,  many  of  them  attaining  the  size  and  form  of  trees.  The 
conservatory  is  250  feet  in  length  and  contains  a  fine  collection 
of  choice  plants.  The  improvements  were  commenced  in  1874 
and  now  many  of  the  trees,  deciduous  and  evergreen,  are  quite 
large, — even  stately.  But  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  one  grow- 
ing season  in  California  is  about  equal  to  one  and  a  half  of  ours. 
The  drives  are  well  graded  and  macadamized,  and  on  pleasant 
afternoons  are  filled  by  the  turnouts  of  the  city.  Vast  sums  of 
money  have  been  expended  on  this  park.  We  were  made 
acquainted  with  the  Superintendent,  G.  M.  Murph}-,  who  kindl}- 
showed  us  the  places  of  especial  interest. 

The  Board  of  Trade  Rooms  were  quite  an  interesting  feature. 
Here  are  on  exhibition  the  products  of  the  several  counties  of  the 
State,  either  in  a  green  or  preserved  condition.  These  products 
were  mostly  large,  indicating  rich  lands  and  a  long  season. 
There  were  squashes  weighing  304,  208,  195,  and  176  pounds  and  so 
on  ;  a  beet  154  pounds  ;  onions  six  and  one-half  pounds  ;  sweet 
potatoes  twenty-eight  pounds ;  pears  five  pounds ;  peaches 
twelve  inches  round,  and  other  products  in  proportion.  I  will 
only  touch  upon  the  productive  industry  of  the  State.  The  gold 
and  silver  products  since  1848  are  $2,789,207,538  ;  the  coinage  at 
the  mint  to  1886  is  $847,694,237.  The  banking  capital  is  $45,- 
000,000.  Thus  will  be  seen  the  vast  wealth  from  the  mines  alone. 
The  productive  industry  of  this  State  is  immense  and  yearly  in- 
creasing:. 


TOUR    OF    GRANGERS    IN    CALIFORNIA.  199 

After  two  da3'S  sojourn  in  San  Francisco  we  left  for  the 
soutiiern  portion  of  the  State,  our  first  destination  being  Menlo 
Park,  in  which  is  the  residence  of  Senator  Stanford,  named 
Thurlow  Lodge.  Here  we  were  charmed  with  the  groves  of  live- 
oaks.  The  drives  are  through  groves  of  beautiful  pine,  eucalypti, 
and  other  trees.  Palms  as  well  as  flowering  shrubs  and  plants 
of  all  kinds,  are  seen  in  great  profusion.  Deer  parks  and  orna- 
mental gardens  render  the  drives  and  grounds  princely. 

A  drive  of  a  mile  or  more  over  finely  graded  avenues  brought 
us  to  the  Leland  Stanford,  Jr.,  University'.  The  buildings,  now  in 
course  of  construction,  are  to  be  of  granite  and  sandstone.  We 
were  told  that  this  university  has  an  endowment  of  large  estates 
valued  at  $20,000,000,  Its  purpose  is  to  educate  the  j^oung  aoen 
of  California,  and  it  is  regarded  as  the  most  magnificent  gift  ever 
made  to  that  State.  A  short  drive  through  fine  fields  filled  with 
horses  of  different  ages,  brought  us  to  the  stables,  where  are  kept 
the  finest  stud  of  horses  probably  to  be  found  in  America. 
Some  of  the  most  noted  of  these  herses  were  led  out  for  our 
inspection.  At  the  same  time  the  celebrated  horse  Sanol  was 
being  tried  on  the  track  in  presence  of  Mr.  Robert  Bonner. 

Returning  to  the  station  we  look  cars  for  San  Jose,  a  beautiful 
little  city,  surrounded  by  fine  orchards  and  vineyards.  There  we 
were  driven  out  to  see  an  olive  orchard,  and  were  favored  with  a 
most  excellent  lunch,  where  olives,  -grapes,  and  wine  were  in 
perfection  and  superabundant ;  also  a  very  dainty  dish  called 
resota,  composed  in  the  main  of  chicken  and  rice,  cooked  and 
incorporated  with  other  nourishing  and  seasoning  aliments.  It 
was  most  highly  appreciated  and  commended  by  the  whole  com- 
pany. The  proprietor,  Mr.  Goodrich,  made  a  graceful  and 
finished  speech,  complimentary  to  the  company,  and  as  agreeable 
as  was  his  abounding  hospitality.  The  olive  groves  seemed 
perfection  in  their  planting  and  cultivation.  The  trees  were 
remarkable  for  their  symmetry  of  shape  and  uniformity  of  size. 
The  grapes  were  the  best  we  found  in  California — long,  elegant 
clusters  of  highly  colored  fruit.  The  atmosphere  of  the  whole 
place  indicated  the  most  refined  care  and  supervision. 

After  an  hour  or  more  most  pleasantly  spent  we  returned  to 
the  cit}'  of  San  Jose  where  we  were  comfortably  quartered  at  the 
hotels  for  the  night,  the  day's  excursion  having  been  most 
delightful. 


200  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

In  the  evening  a  banquet  was  given  in  Horticultural  Hall. 
The  Hall  was  finely  decorated  and  the  arrangement  of  the  tables 
was  ver}-  unique — unlike  anj-thing  we  had  seen,  but  the  effect  was 
charming,  loaded  as  they  were  with  the  products  of  the  State 
most  tastefully  displayed.  After  a  sumptuous  repast  speaking 
was  in  order,  which  together  with  most  excellent  music  held  the 
company  to  a  late  hour. 

After  a  good  night's  rest  we  took  our  train  for  Monterey, 
situated  on  the  southern  extremity  of  the  Bay  of  Monterey.  A 
short  ride  brought  us  to  our  first  stop,  at  Del  Monte,  situated 
near  the  Bay  of  Monterey.  From  the  station  we  walked  through 
a  beautiful  avenue  shaded  with  live-oaks  and  conifers  seemingly 
old  as  the  hills,  approaching  the  famous  Hotel  Del  Monte,  which 
was  built  within  two  or  three  years  to  replace  one  that  was 
burned.  This  hotel  is  situated  in  the  centre  of  a  natural  park  of 
two  hundred  acres.  Here  were  some  of  the  largest  and  tallest 
pines  we  saw  on  the  trip.  Though  native  trees,  by  Nature 
planted,  the}'  were  grouped  for  the  most  charming  effect,  each 
tree  in  its  grandeur  seeming  indispensable  to  the  others.  Beneath 
their  shade  was  fine  artificial  planting  of  the  Cacti  in  great 
variet}',  as  well  as  all  other  desirable  ornamental  plants.  The 
roses,  which  seem  to  receive  especial  attention,  were  in  full  bloom 
November  28.  At  this  hotel  we  took  our  Thanksgiving  lunch. 
The  dining  room  was  well  filled  and  ample  justice  was  done  to 
the  bill  of  fare. 

There  is  a  "  Labyrinth  "  here,  planted  with  a  species  of  cedar, 
in  hedge  form,  with  intricate  paths.  Our  company  seemed  to 
have  but  little  difficult}'  in  getting  in,  but  there  was  a  great  deal 
of  noise  and  confusion  in  gettino;  out.  We  were  told  of  some 
who  failed  to  find  their  way  out  and  had  to  remain  over  night. 

I  have  never  seen  a  spot  where  everything  seemed  so  entirely 
wrapped  up  in  Nature — in  fact  where  Nature  seemed  so  entirely 
supreme  ;  where  trees  of  gigantic  growth  have  lived  for  ages  and 
still  look  vigorous  and  well  preserved.  The  hotel  with  its  sur- 
roundings seems  to  have  an  air  of  royal  and  generous  hospitality, 
as  well  as  an  indescribable  kindl}'  rural  aspect.  Monterey  is 
favored  with  a  beautiful  contour  of  countr}'  and  ocean  in  close 
proximity ;  and  the}'  seem  to  unite  most  happily,  with  no  rugged 
waste  in  view.  As  we  neared  the  beach  curious  shells  were  found, 
of  which  many  were  gathered  by  our  party.    The  harbor  is  crescent- 


TOUR   OF   GRANGERS    IN    CALIFORNIA.  201 

shaped  and  ver}-  beautiful  to  look  upon.  The  Old  Mission  Church 
is  one  of  the  most  ancient  buildings,  and  there  are  also  several  old 
fortifications.  The  town  is  curiously  tame  and  seems  satisfied 
with  itself. 

We  arrived  at  Los  Angeles  on  Monday  morning,  December  2, 
and  breakfasted  at  the  station.  We  were  then  invited  to  carriages 
and  rode  about  the  city  and  suburbs.  We  drove  through  miles  of 
vegetable  gardens  and  orchards,  which  surrounded  the  cit}'  in  all 
directions.  All  kinds  of  fruits  and  vegetables  seem  to  thrive  ;  they 
were  in  all  stages  of  growth  and  represent  a  great  industry. 
The  city  is  well  laid  out  with  wide  streets,  but  while  some  portions 
were  well  paved  others  were  wet  and  muddy.  Shade  trees  were 
abundant ;  the  live-oak,  pine,  cypress,  pepper,  eucalyptus,  S3'ca- 
more,  poplar,  palm,  etc.,  were  most  conspicuous.  Orange,  lemon, 
lime,  pomegranate,  and  fig  trees  were  to  be  seen  in  every  3'ard, 
and  grand  mountains  loomed  up  in  the  distance. 

Before  noon  we  took  the  cars  for  Alhambra,  a  beautiful  town 
in  the  San  Gabriel  valley,  seven  miles  from  Los  Angeles ;  a 
pleasant  ride  of  thirty  minutes  brought  us  to  our  destination,  where 
we  dined.  Teams  were  in  readiness  to  conve}'  us  about  the  place 
and  through  the  orange  groves,  which  seemed  to  occup}'  all  the 
lands  about.  The  ride  was  a  delightful  one.  Everything  was 
new  to  us.  44,000  bearing  orange  trees  with  extensive  orchards 
and  vinevards  seemed  to  stretch  away-  for  miles.  Our  time  was 
short  and  at  3  p.  m.  we  were  in  the  cars  for  San  Diego,  about 
53  miles  distant.  There  we  arrived  at  dark  and  supped  at  the 
station,  after  which  another  ride  over  a  neck  of  land  fifteen  miles 
long  brought  us  to  the  Grand  Hotel  Del  Coronado,  where  we 
were  glad  to  retire  for  the  night. 

The  Hotel  Coronado  is  deservedly  called  one  of  the  first  hotels 
in  California.  It  is  said  to  cover  five  acres  of  ground  rising 
graduallv  from  the  beach.  It  contains  rooming  capacity  for 
twelve  hundred  persons.  The  dining  room  is  the  largest  I  have 
ever  seen.  It  is  shaped  like  the  famous  Mormon  Tabernacle  ;  is 
finished  in  oak  of  the  natural  color  of  the  wood  and  is  beautifully 
frescoed  ;  it  is  said  that  it  will  accommodate  a  thousand  persons. 
After  a  refreshing  night's  rest  and  an  excellent  breakfast,  we  take 
the  cars,  return  over  the  neck  of  land  to  National  City,  and  thence 
a  distance  of  seven  miles  to  Rosarito,  at  the  Mexican  line.  Here 
we  find  a   few  houses,  a  custom  house,  and  some  half-breeds  of 


202  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Indians  and  Mexicans.  Through  an  interpreter  we  had  an 
informal  introduction  to  the  ofl3cials,  and  after  some  pleasant 
interchange  of  compliments  took  our  departure.  "  On  our  return 
trip  we  stopped  first  at  the  residence  of  one  of  the  Kimball 
Brothers.  There  we  went  through  the  groves  planted  with  the 
orange,  lemon,  olive,  and  guava ;  also  through  the  grounds  about 
the  residence,  which  were  planted  with  ornamental  trees  and 
flowering  plants.  Roses  were  in  perfection,  being  in  superb 
bloom,  the  buds  showing  most  exquisite  form  and  color.  After 
passing  through  the  grounds  and  mansion,  and  it  being  about 
noon,  each  member  of  the  party  was  presented  with  a  basket 
containing  a  very  delicate  and  appetizing  lunch  covered  with  a 
Japanese  napkin,  and  on  each  basket  was  a  houtonni^re  of  the 
most  exquisite  flowers.  Lemonade  was  freeh"  served  and  par- 
taken of ;  it  was  made  from  lemons  to  the  manor  born  and  was 
deliciously  refreshing  and  dul}'  appreciated. 

With  lunch  in  hand  we  boarded  the  cars  again  for  a  trip  to  the 
famous  Sweetwater  Dam,  built  by  the  San  Diego  Land  and  Town 
Company  at  a  cost  of  $200,000.  It  is  designed  to  supply  the 
cit}-  with  water  and  also  to  irrigate  lauds  in  the  vicinity.  The  dam 
presents  a  fine  appearance.  It  is  a  strong,  durable,  and  hand- 
some structure,  and  the  reservoir,  which  has  the  capacity  of 
6,000,000,000  gallons,  covers  an  area  of  seven  hundred  acres. 
Resuming  our  journey,  we  next  stopped  at  some  large  orange 
groves,  which  were  under  excellent  management,  the  trees  being 
loaded  with  fine  fruit,  now  approaching  ripeness.  On  our  arrival 
at  San  Diego  we  were  shown  to  the  rooms  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  where  we  found  an  exhibition  of  fruits,  vegetables, 
and  flowers.  All  were  well  arranged  and  showed  the  intelligent 
care  bestowed  upon  their  cultivation.  After  some  speeches  we 
repaired  to  the  ferry  boat  and  were  soon  lauded  again  at  the 
Hotel  Del  Coronado,  where  we  took  supper.  Later  on  the 
companj'  met  in  one  of  the  large  parlors,  for  an  interchange  of 
speeches  of  a  complimentary  nature,  which  proved  verj*  interest- 
ing to  us.  We  were  really  the  guests  of  Messrs.  F.  A.  and  W.  C. 
Kimball,  formerly  of  Massachusetts,  and  we  acknowledged  as 
best  we  could  our  heartfelt  gratitude  for  their  kindness  and 
generous  hospitality,  as  nowhere  else  in  the  State  were  we  shown 
more  liberal  and  considerate  attention. 


TOUR    OF    GRANGERS    IN    CALIFORNIA.  203 

The  next  morning,  December  3,  we  reerossed  the  ferry  and 
taking  the  cars  going  north  visited  the  famous  orange  groves  at 
Riverside.  We  found  it  a  beautiful  place  covering  an  area  of 
25,000  acres.  The  orange  groves  and  vineyards  occupy  the  whole 
place  and  the  ver}'  best  care  and  skill  are  manifest  everywhere. 
The  eitj'  and  county  have  a  population  of  about  7,000.  It  is  a 
city  of  magnificent  avenues  and  residences.  The  avenues  are 
tastefully  planted  with  palms  and  pepper  trees  and  nothing  can 
surpass  them  in  their  grace  and  beauty. 

After  viewing  Riverside  and  receiving  the  hospitalities  of  the 
citizens,  which  were  most  generous,  we  reentered  the  cars  for  Los 
Angeles,  and  on  our  arrival  were  quartered  at  the  hotels  for  the 
night.  All  were  tired,  and  desired  rest  from  the  constant  strain 
and  excitement  of  the  ten  days  excursion  and  banquets,  which 
were  kept  up  without  any  intermission.  We  needed  to  prepare 
ourselves  for  the  grand  finale  on  the  following  morning,  when  the 
tour  of  the  Grangers  over  the  State  of  California  was  to  end  and 
the  party  to  separate.  The  pleasant  associations  and  incidents, 
the  hallowed  memories,  the  dignified,  graceful,  and  charming 
courtesies  we  received  during  our  absence  from  home  and  friends, 
made  the  farewell  truly  heartfelt,  and  prompted  the  wish  that  we 
might  reciprocate  such  generous  hospitality.  We  feel  that  hence- 
forth our  houses  shall  be  open  to  tlie  Californians  if  they  ever 
come  to  sojourn  among  us.  We  can  only  hope  that  we  have  been 
worthy  of  the  attentions  which  we  received  as  visitors  to  their 
glorious  State,  and  we  know  and  feel  that  their  kindness  must 
ever  keep  a  green  spot  in  our  memories  while  life  lasts.  The 
final  parting  at  the  railroad  station,  where  the  larger  part  were 
gathered  to  go  eastward  to  their  homes,  was  a  scene  such  as  the 
most  of  us  never  before  witnessed.  An  express  wagon  came 
loaded  with  Navel  oranges  in  baskets  for  our  refreshment  by  the 
way,  supplemented  with  bottles  of  native  wine,  of  which  one  was 
presented  to  each  member  of  the  party.  Governor  Robie,  of 
Maine,  mounted  the  wagon  and  made  the  parting  speech,  com- 
mending the  people  for  their  generous  hospitality  ;  praising  the 
great  agricultural  resources  of  the  State,  with  its  mountains,  its 
foot-hills,  and  vast  valley's,  and  thanking  all  who  had  so  gener- 
ousl}'  contributed  to  the  welfare  and  pleasure  of  the  party.  All 
was  expressed  with  his  charming  felicity  of  speech,  which  flows  so 
easily   upon  every  occasion.     The  cry,  "  all  aboard!"    was  heard 


204  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

from  the  conductor,  cheers  were  given  with  a  will,  the  locomotive- 
gave  its  resounding  puff,  the  wheels  turned  on  their  axles,  and 
the  train  soon  took  the  visitors  out  of  sight.  The  mind  of  each 
one  of  the  travellers  was  filled  with  wonder  and  amazement  at 
the  scenes  which  formed  the  indescribable  panorama  ©f  this 
excursion.  Their  cups  of  pleasure  and  happiness  were  filled  to 
the  brim  as  they  wended  their  way  homeward,  thinking,  as  they 
will  ever  think,  of  their  ver3-  pleasant  visit  to  California. 

Perhaps  the  most  pleasing  spot  in  California,  if  not  in  the 
world,  is  Passadena  and  its  vicinity.  The  great  stretch  of  the 
San  Gabriel  valle}'  of  fifty  miles,  with  the  Sierra  Madre  moun- 
tain range  on  the  north  and  east,  from  four  thousand  to  five 
thousand  feet  high  and  reaching  back  for  fort}'  miles,  is  seen  ;  as 
the  eye  follows  the  range  it  discerns  further  back  Old  Baldy,  eleven 
thousand  feet  high,  snow-capped  the  year  round.  Turning  to  the 
west  the  Virdugos  loom  up,  and  nearer  the  foot-hills  and  ridged 
hills,  which  on  the  10th  of  December  were  clothed  with  foliage  of 
pea-green  hue.  From  the  Raymond  hill,  the  site  of  the  Raymond 
Hotel,  can  be  seen  the  most  charming  scenery,  combining  moun- 
tains, hills,  the  vast  valley  and  through  a  gap  in  the  hills  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  with  the  cit}'  of  Passadena  in  full  view,  and  a 
fertile  and  highly  cultivated  country,  planted  with  the  trees  and 
orchards  of  a  semi-tropical  climate. 

The  grounds  around  the  Raymond,  about  fifty  acres,  are  only 
recentlj'  planted  but,  in  a  ver}-  few  years  will  form  an  arboretum 
in  themselves.  Here  I  saw  the  greatest  rariet}'  of  trees,  both  indige- 
nous and  foreign.  The  flowers  about  the  grounds,  by  far  surpassed 
any  I  saw  elsewhere.  La  France  Roses, —  if  the  rose  is  the  Queen 
of  flowers,  La  France  is  the  Queen  of  Roses, —  are  grown  about 
the  Raymond  in  the  greatest  abundance,  witli  the  finest  buds  and 
flowers, — three  times  as  large  as  we  usually  see  them  in  New  Eng- 
land. The  tea  and  other  tender  roses  seemed  perfectly  at  home  in 
the  open  air.  Connected  with  the  grounds  are  glass  houses  for 
orchids  and  tender  plants.  Roses  are  also  extensively  planted  in. 
cheap  houses  where  glass  can  be  used  in  case  of  rain  storms. 
The  hotel  was  virtually  surrounded  with  flowers,  and  they  all  seemed 
kindly  to  bloom  when  most  needed,  and  were  fully  appreciated  by 
the  guests  of  the  house.  The  planting  is  under  the  supervision  of 
Charles  H.  Hovey,  formerly  of  Boston,  and  the  gardener,  James 
Barratt,  was  with  Charles  M.  Hovey  for  twent}"  j-ears.     The  Hotel 


TOUR    OF    GRANGERS    IN    CALIFORNIA.  205 

Raymond  is  not  only  delightfully  situated  but  is  admirably  kept. 
It  is  one  of  those  hotels  that  are  plain  but  luxurious.  One  feels  as 
though  everything  to  be  desired  in  a  hotel  was  there.  The  scenery 
grew  upon  me  every  day,  and  I  can  now  view  it  in  my  mind's 
eye  as  the  finest  I  have  ever  witnessed. 

I  should  like  to  describe  some  private  places,  but  having  taken 
more  than  the  allotted  time  must  close  by  commending  California 
to  all  who  have  a  fondness  for  the  unlimited  charms  of  Nature, 
which  seem  so  ever  varied  over  that  State. 

A  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Hadwen  for  his  interesting  paper  was 
proposed,  and  as  this  was  the  last  of  the  series  of  meetings  for 
the  discussion  of  horticultural  subjects  the  present  season, 
"William  D.  Philbrick  moved  that  the  vote  include  the  thanks  of 
the  Society  to  the  Committee  on  Publication  and  Discussion  for 
the  interesting  and  instructive  papers  and  lectures  which  they 
had  provided,  and  in  this  form  the  vote  was  unanimously  passed. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGB 

Prefatory  Note, 3 

Business  Meeting,  January  4,1890;  Address  of  President  Spooner,  pp.  6-8; 
Awards  by  Committee  on  Gardens,  8;  Report  of  Committee  on  Win- 
dow Gardening  read,  9;  Appropriations  for  1890,  9;  Appointment  of 
Secretary  and  Treasurer,  9;  Prizes  for  Reports,  9;  Committee  on  Por- 
trait of  President  Walcott,  9 ;  Proceedings  of  American  Pomological 
Society  presented,  10;  Letter  from  F.  Lyford,  10 ;  Appointment  of  Com- 
mittee of  Conference,  10 ;  Election  of  Member,  10 ;  Announcement  of 

Meetings  for  Discussion, 10 

Business  Meeting,  January  11 ;  Letter  from  Montreal  Horticultural  Soci- 
ety, and  appointment  of  Delegate 10,  11 

Meeting  for  Discussion;    Horticulture  of  California,  by  Benjamin  P. 

Ware,  pp.  11-15;  Discussion, 15,16 

Business  Meeting,  January  18;  Report  of  Treasurer  read,  p.  16;  Letter 

from  Montreal  Horticultural  Society, 16 

Meeting  for  Discussion;    Huckleberries  and  Blueberries,  by  E.  Lewis 

Sturtevant,  M.  D.,  pp.  17-33;  Discussion 33-38 

Business  Meeting,  January  25;  Notices,  etc.,  to  be  sent  to  members,  p.  39; 

Library  Committee  authorized  to  employ  assistance,        ....  39 
Meeting  for  Discussion  ;  Fruits  and  Flowers  of  Northern  Japan,  by  Pro- 
fessor William  P.  Brooks 39-59 

Business  Meeting,  February  1 ;  Report  of  Committee  on  Gardens  presented, 
p.  60 ;  Vote  concerning  appropriation  for  Committee  on  Window  Gar- 
dening, 60;  Protection  of  fruit  from  juvenile  trespassers,  60;  Election 

of  member,  60 

Meeting  for  Discussion  ;  Galls  found  near  Boston,  by  Miss  Cora  H.  Clarke, 

pp.  61-69;  Discussion, 7» 

Business  Meeting,  February  8;  Gypsy  Moth, 71 

Meeting  for  Discussion;  Chrysanthemums,  by  W.  A.  Manda,  pp.  71-78; 

Discussion, 78, 79 

Business  Meeting,  February  15;  Use  of  Library  Room  and  Library  by  Ag- 
ricultural Societies,  p.  80;  Committee  to  nominate  Committee  on  Win- 
dow Gardening, 80 

Meeting  for  Discussion;  Cemeteries  and  Parks,  by  John  G.  Barker,  pp. 

81-109;  Discussion, 110-112 

Business  Meeting,  February  22;  Committee  on  Window  Gardening,  .       .  112 
Meeting  for  Discussion;  The  Growth  and  Nutrition  of  Plants,  by  Profes- 
sor G.  H.  Whitcher,  pp.  113-127 ;  Discussion 127-129 


CONTENTS.  11 

Busi:«xss  Meeting,  March  l ;  Appointments  by  Agricultural  Societies,  p. 
129;  Election  of  Member,  129;  Vote  approving  resolutions  of  American 
Forestry  Association, 130 

Meeting  fob  Discussion;  Some  Aspects  of  the PresentForestry  Agitation, 

by  Professor  Joseph  T.  Kothrock,  pp.  130-145;  Discussion,       .        .        .      146-150 

Business  Mketing,  March  8;   Decease  of  George  Hill  announced,  p.  150; 

Appointments  by  Agricultural  Societies,  etc., 150,161 

Mebtixg  for  Discussion;  Heating  Cold  Frames  and  Growing  Black 
Hamburg  Grapes  under  Glass,  by  William  D.  Philbrick,  pp.  151-154; 
Discussion 164-156 

Business  Meeting,  March  15;  Memorial  of  George  Hill,  pp.  157, 158;  Com- 
mittee on  Large  and  Interesting  Trees,  p.  158 ;  Appointment  by  Spen- 
cer Farmers'  and  Jlechanics'  Association, 158 

Meeting  for  Discussion  ;  Horticultural  Education  for  Children,  by  Henry 

L.  Clapp,  pp.  159-179;  Discussion, 179-184 

Business  Meeting,  March  22;  Letters  received  from  Members  of  Congress,  184 

Meeting  fob  Discussion;  The  Dahlia,  by  William  E.  Endicott,  pp.  185-191; 

Discussion, 191, 192 

Business  Meeting,  March  29;  Letter  from  Hon.  John  W.  Candler  read,  p. 
192;  Appointment  by  Worcester  Agricultural  Society,  193;  Horticul- 
tural Education  for  Children, 193-196 

Meeting  fob  Discussion;  The  Tour  of  the  Grangers  in  California,  pp.  195- 

205;  Closing  Proceedings, 205 


TRANSACTIONS 


P^assac|usctts  Dortiailtural  ^ocietj), 


FOR  THE  YEAR  1890. 


PAKT  II. 


BOSTON : 

PRINTED     FOR     THE     SOCIETY. 

1891. 


TRANSACTIONS 


IJliissiichusetts  ^otticultutal  f  atietg^ 


BUSINESS    MEETING. 

Satfrday,  April  5,  1890. 

This  was  the  day  for  the  stated  meeting  of  the  Society,  which 
was  duly  notified,  but  no  quorum  was  present,  and  the  meeting 
was 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  May  3,  at  11  o'clock. 


BUSINESS    MEETING. 

Saturday,  May  3,  1890. 
An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society-  was  holden  at  11  o'clock, 
the  President,  William  H.  Spooner,  in  the  chair. 

The  Secretary  read  a  letter  from  Hon.  Henry  L.  Dawes,  ac- 
knowledging the  receipt  of  the  Resolutions  and  Memorial  of  the 
American  Forestry  Congress  in  regard  to  the  preser\'ation  of 
forests  on  the  national  domain,  with  the  approval  of  this  Society, 
and  expressing  his  hearty  approval  thereof. 

A  letter  was  also  presented  from  the  Hiugham  Agricultural  and 
Horticultural  Society,  giving  notice  of  the  appointment  of  Samuel 
Pratt,  of  Hingham  Centre,  to  have  the  free  use  of  the  Library  and 
Room  of  this  Society  during  the  year  1890,  for  the  purpose  of 
preparing  essays  to  be  read  at  Institutes  of  that  Society. 


212  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

The  following  named  persons,  having  been  recommended  by  the 
Executive  Committee,  were  on  ballot  duly  elected  members  of  the 
Society. 

Michael  J.  Flynn,  of  Roxbury. 

John  J.  Merrill,  of  Roxbury. 

Warrex  Ewell,  of  Dorchester. 

Franklin  H.  Beebe,  of  Boston. 

Isaac  Y.  Chubbuck,  of  Roxbury. 

Charles  H.  Smith,  of  Providence,  R.I. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  June  7. 


BUSINESS    MEETING. 

Saturday,  June  7,  1890. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at  11  o'clock, 
the  President,  William  H.  Spooner,  in  the  chair. 

Joseph  H.  Woodford,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Plants 
and  Flowers,  moved  that  the  Committee  of  Arrangements  be  au- 
thorized to  supply  moss  for  the  rose  boxes  at  the  coming  Rose 
Exhibition,  at  a  cost  not  exceeding  §10.     The  motion  was  carried. 

Mrs.  H.  L.  T.  Wolcott,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Window 
Gardening,  stated  that  in  consequence  of  the  additional  duties  de- 
volved upon  that  Committee  by  vote  of  the  Society  on  the  29th  of 
March,  more  funds  would  be  required,  and  asked  for  an  additional 
appropriation  of  8150.  The  subject  was  referred  to  the  Executive 
Committee. 

The  Secretary  read  a  letter  from  Dr.  Robert  P.  Harris,  of  Phil- 
adelphia, on  the  Potato,  designed  to  awaken  interest  in  the  culti- 
vation of  wild  North  American  species,  for  the  production  of  new 
and  hardy  varieties.  On  motion  of  Leverett  M.  Chase,  the  letter 
was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Vegetables,  and  ordered  to  be 
published  in  the  Transactions. 

The  letter  is  as  follows  :  — 

Philadelphia,  April  10,   1890. 
To  the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society :  — 

The  interests  of  Potato  Culture  in  the  United  States  require 
that  an  early  repetition  of  the  work  of  the  late  Rev.  Chauncy  E. 


LETTER  OF  DR.  ROBERT  P.  HARRIS.         213 

Goodrich,  of  Ulica,  N.Y.,  should  be  made,  and  new  seedlings  be 
produced  from  developed  wild  tubers,  not  of  South  American 
stock,  —  under  which  he  had  eleven  out  of  twelve  varieties  fail,  in 
consequence  of  the  long  season  required  for  the  growth  of  hot- 
climate  tubers, — but  from  North  American  wild  stock,  such  as 
maj'  be  dug  up  in  Washington  Territory,  California,  Arizona, 
Texas,  and  Mexico. 

From  one  Chilian  potato  Mr.  Goodrich  produced  the  Rough 
Purple  Chili,  the  seed  of  which  again  produced  the  Garnet  Chili, 
which  was  the  father  of  Bresee's  Early  Rose,  the  most  noted 
American  White  Potato  that  has  yet  been  produced  by  seed-cul- 
ture. Through  this  Early  Rose  has  been  produced  a  new  dynasty 
of  hardy  tubers,  originating  in  its  Chilian  grandfather,  and  our 
tables  are  now  chiefly  supplied  by  one  or  other  of  the  descendants  of 
this  potato-line.  But  this  stock,  after  more  than  thirty  years,  has 
begun,  like  that  of  the  jMercer,  to  die  out.  Can  any  one  now  pro- 
duce a  true  Garnet  Chili?  The  value  of  the  Early  Rose,  and  its 
adaptation  to  certain  soils,  still  preserves  it  in  some  sections,  as 
in  the  State  of  Maine,  where  it  appears  to  grow  in  its  original 
quality.  But  here,  no  doubt,  we  have  history  only  repeating  itself, 
for  those  who  are  old  enough  will  remember  the  Maine  Mercers, 
as  they  were  sold  in  New  York  and  Philadelphia  long  after  their 
failure  in  the  Middle  States. 

The  potato-rot  of  1844  and  1845  started  Mr.  Goodrich  in  his 
humanitarian  scheme  of  obtaining  hardiness  by  cultivating  and  dis- 
seminating seedlings  from  wild  potato  stock,  and  such  was  his  zeal 
and  activity  during  sixteen  years  prior  to  his  death  in  1864, — 
although  much  of  the  time  in  poor  health  from  lung  trouble,  —  that 
he  produced  from  thirteen  thousand  to  fifteen  thousand  tuber-seed- 
lings. He  unfortunately  died  before  the  Garnet  Chili  family  could 
be  seen  in  its  full  development,  and,  sad  to  say,  in  poverty  ;  but 
his  country  honors  his  name  today  for  the  great  good  he  accom- 
plished in  his  last  years,  and  he  is  regarded  in  Europe  as  having 
commenced  a  new  era  in  potato  culture.  AYhen  we  consider  that 
the  loss  by  the  potato-rot  in  the  British  Isles  alone  was  estimated 
at  $50,000,000  for  its  maximum  year,  and  that  the  disease  pro- 
duced a  famine  in  Ireland,  we  can  learn  to  value  the  expedients 
which  restored  a  healthy  condition  of  crops,  and  were  thereby  the 
means  of  saving  life. 

To  prepare  for  the  future  results  of  deterioration,  the  work  of 


214  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

raising  new  varieties  from  wild  stock  sliould  be  commenced  at 
once,  and  be  undertaken  by  the  younger  horticulturists,  as  it  will 
be  the  labor  of  some  3'ears  to  effect  a  full  fruition.  Wild  American 
potatoes  vary  in  size  from  that  of  a  pea  to  that  of  a  marble,  and 
first  crop  seedlings  are  as  large  as  buckshot.  The  former  will 
generally  require  seven  seasons  to  bring  them  to  full  size,  and 
the  latter  four  seasons.  The  soil  should  be  fed  with  the  proper 
materials  to  make  the  tubers  enlai'ge,  and  for  this  purpose  a 
dressing  of  wood  ashes  will  be  found  available. 

Wild  potatoes  are  early,  late,  and  too  late  for  our  climate. 
They  are  white-fleshed,  yellow-fleshed,  round,  oval,  and  oblong. 
The  plants  are  erect,  semi-pronate,  and  recumbent,  spreading  over 
a  wide  surface ;  bearing  white  or  purple  flowers,  but  chiefly  white. 
Some  will  bear  seed-balls  when  cultivated  ;  others  will  not.  Seeds 
may  produce  varieties  by  accident,  or  as  the  result  of  hybridization 
effected  by  hand  or  insect  fertilization.  "  Sports  "  from  under- 
ground change  will  also  produce  changes  upon  the  original  tuber 
planted.  Such  are  liable  to  a  repetition,  and  gardeners  have  less 
faith  in  them.  Potato  plants  that  blossom  but  do  not  bear  fruit 
can  be  made  productive  by  hand-fertilizing,  or  by  planting  another 
variety  in  alternate  hills  ;  the  Early  Rose  has  been  made  to  bear 
seed-balls  in  this  latter  way. 

By  a  wise  provision  of  the  Creator  wild  potatoes  always  remain 
very  small  in  their  native  soil  unless  cultivated  ;  but  for  which 
they  would  exhaust  the  land  and  die  out.  In  South  America 
they  grow  on  lofty  plateaus  like  that  of  Quito  (9,500  feet),  or 
Bogota  (8,500  feet),  on  the  sides  of  the  Andes  at  suitable  eleva- 
tions, and  often  have  a  season  of  eight  months'  activity,  after 
which  the  newly  formed  tubers  remain  dormant  for  four  months, 
when  they  in  turn  sprout.  The  soil  is  largeh'  replenished  by  the 
dying  of  the  old  tubers  and  plants,  just  as  that  of  a  forest  is  by 
the  formation  of  leaf -mould. 

The  pecuniary  value  of  a  new  seedling  potato  may  be  ver}^  great, 
as  is  shown  by  the  historj-  of  the  Early  Rose,  which  brought  as 
high  as  $2  for  a  single  five-ounce  tuber.  As  there  would  be  one 
hundred  and  ninety -two  such  potatoes — or  sixty  pounds  —  in  a 
bushel,  the  price  would  be  equivalent  to  §384  for  a  bushel.  From 
S2  to  $3  for  a  pound  was  often  obtained,  and  820  for  a  peck  was 
considered  reasonable.  These  prices  do  not  appear  so  extravagant 
when  we  bear  in  mind  that  the  five-ounce  potato  was  made  to  pro- 


AMENDMENTS    TO    THE    CONSTITUTION    AND    BY-LAWS.     215 

duce  one  liundred  and  fifty  plants,  which  yiekled  four  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds,  or  seven  and  a  half  bushels,  and  that  one  pound 
(four  potatoes)  has  produced  two  thousand  plants,  and  nineteen 
hundred  and  eighty-two  pounds,  or  thirty-three  bushels  of  potatoes. 
The  second  season  of  the  Early  Rose  brought  the  price  down  to 
810  per  bushel,  the  third  year  to  $3,  and  the  fourth  to  an  edible 
valuation. 

Yours  very  respectfully, 

ROBERT  P.    HARRIS. 

The  following  named  persons,  having  been  recommended  by  the 
Executive  Committee,  were  on  ballot  duly  elected  members  of 
the  Society. 

Willi Ajr  Thomas  Park,  of  Boston. 

Robert  C.  Winthrop,  Jr.,  of  Boston. 

A.  Chandler  Manning,  of  Reading. 

William  O.  Rogers,  of  Chelsea. 

The  meeting  was  then  dissolved. 


BUSINESS   MEETING. 

-    Saturday,  July  5,  1890. 
A  duly  notified  stated  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden    at 
eleven  o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spooner,  in  the  chair. 

The  President,  as  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee,  re- 
ported a  recommendation  that  the  Society  make  an  additional 
appropriation  of  $150  for  the  use  of  the  Committee  on  Window 
Gardening,  to  be  expended  under  the  joint  approval  of  the  Presi- 
dent and  the  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Window  Gardening. 
The  report  was  accepted  and  adopted,  and  the  appropriation  was 
voted. 

The  Executive  Committee  also  recommended  to  the  Society  the 
adoption  of  the  following  amendment  to  the  Constitution  and 
By-Laws  :  — 

Add  at  the  end  of  Section  1  the  words  "  and  provided  also  that 
no  person  shall  be  eligible  to  the  oHice  of  Treasurer  or  Secretary 
who  is  not  a  member  of  the  Society." 


216  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTUKAL   SOCIETY. 

The  following  substitute  for  the  amendment  offered  by  the 
Executive  Committee  was  offered  by  Joseph  H.  AYoodford  and 
seconded  by  George  W.  Warren  :  — 

In  the  last  clause  of  Section  1,  which  now  reads  "  provided, 
however,  that  no  person  shall  be  eligible  to  the  office  of  President 
unless  he  shall  have  been  a  member  for  the  three  years  preced- 
ing," strike  out  the  word  "the"  before  "office"  and  insert 
"  any,"  and  strike  out  the  words  "of  President,"  so  that  the 
clause  shall  read  :  — 

"  Provided,  however,  that  no  person  shall  be  eligible  to  any 
office  unless  he  shall  have  been  a  member  for  the  three  years 
preceding."  • 

The  question  was  taken  on  the  substitute  offered  by  Mr  Wood- 
ford, and  it,  having  been  read  twice,  was  bv  a  unanimous  vote 
ordered  to  be  entered  on  the  records,  to  lie  over  for  considera- 
tion at  the  quarterly  meeting  in  October. 

The  Executive  Committee  further  recommended  that  the  Com- 
mittee of  Arrangements  be  authorized  to  hire  Music  Hall  for  the 
Exhibition  of  Plants  and  Flowers,  August  19-22,  which  recom- 
mendation was  unanimously  adopted. 

The  following  named  persons,  having  been  recommended  by  the 
Executive  Committee  for  membership  in  the  Society,  were  on 
ballot  duly  elected. 

William  Wallace  Luxt,  of  Hingham. 
James  Rankin,  of  Dorchester. 
Charles  V.  Whittex,  of  Dorchester. 
W.  Henry  White,  of  Lowell. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  August  2,  1890. 


BUSINP:SS    MEETING. 

Saturday,  August  2,  1890. 
An  adjourned  meeting  of  the   Society    was  holden  at   eleven 
o'clock,  ihe  President,  William  H.  Spoonek,  in  the  chair. 

Ex-President  William  C.  Strong  presented,  with  some  appro- 
priate remarks,  the  following  memorial  of  the  late  Patrick  Barryj 
and  moved  its  adoption. 


MEMORIAL    OF    PATRICK    BARRY.  217 

The  INIftssachiisotts  Horticultural  Society  desires  to  express  and 
to  place  on  record  its  high  appreciation  of  the  services  in  the  field 
of  horticulture,  of  the  late  Patrick  Barry,  of  Rochester,  N.Y., 
a  Corresponding  Member  of  this  Society. 

More  than  forty  years  ago  Mr.  Barry  entered  upon  his  work  as 
a  nurseryman  at  a  time  when  the  business  was  in  its  infancy  at 
the  West.  Since  then,  in  connection  with  his  partner,  he  has 
pursued  the  profession  with  such  skill,  enterprise,  and  integrity  as 
to  place  the  house  in  the  front  rank,  and  to  give  it  a  world-wide 
reputation.  And  this  credit  and  success  have  been  won  without  a 
resort  to  extravagant  descriptions  of  "novelties,"  but  rather  by 
a  judicious  selection  and  production  of  articles  of  sterling  merit 
which  might  with  reason  be  expected  to  benefit  the  public.  Yet, 
valuable  as  Mr.  Barr3''s  woi'k  has  been  in  the  distribution  of  im- 
mense quantities  of  trees  and  plants  for  so  long  a  period,  it  is 
probable  tliat  his  public  services  will  be  regarded  as  of  still  more 
importance.  As  Chairman  of  the  Fruit  Committee  of  the  Ameri- 
can Pomological  Society,  Mr.  Barry  was  called  upon  to  catalogue 
and  arrange  the  entire  list  of  varieties  of  fruits  recommended  for 
general  (;ultivation  in  North  America.  The  ability  and  thorough- 
ness with  which  he  commenced  and  completed  this  task,  embracing 
every  State  in  the  Union,  and  also  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  is 
recognized  by  fruit  cultivators  as  a  permanent  monument  to  his 
praise. 

As  editor  of  "The  Horticulturist,"  succeeding  the  honored 
Downing,  and  as  an  author  and  frequent  writer  upon  Fruit  Cult- 
ure, Ml'.  Barry  has  also  obtained  a  deservedly  high  reputation. 
Of  his  success  in  other  departments  of  life  it  is  not  our  province 
to  speak.  In  whatever  he  engaged  he  played  his  part  well.  We 
honor  his  memory  while  we  mourn  his  loss.  And  while  we  extend 
to  his  family  our  sympath}'  in  their  sorrow,  we  must  also  add  our 
congratulations  on  their  rich  inheritance  of  his  example — a  well- 
spent  life. 

Robert  Manning  seconded  the  motion  to  adopt  the  memorial, 
and  said  that  on  the  departure  of  a  friend  whom  he  had  long 
known,  his  mind  always  went  back  to  the  time  of  their  first  meet- 
ing, and  to  a  review  of  their  long  friendship.  He  had  a  vivid 
recollection  of  the  occasion  when  he  first  met  Mr.  Barry.  It  was 
when  the  Pomological  Garden  at  Salem  —  which  was  established 
by  the  father  of  the  speaker  —  was  a  place  to  which  pilgrimages 


218  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICUL,TXIRAL    SOCIETY. 

of  fruit  growers  were  directed,  — for  there  could  be  seen  more 
varieties  of  fruit  trees  in  bearing,  especially'  pears,  than  anywhere 
else  in  this  country.  It  was  then  and  there  that  he  received  a  call 
from  Mr.  Barry.  It  was  not  the  less  pleasant  for  being  entirely 
unexpected,  and  he  knew  that  his  guest  was  pleased  with  what  he 
saw  in  that  garden.  They  met  again  soon  afterwards  at  the  first 
Pomological  Congress,  and  also  from  time  to  time,  when  they  were 
associated  in  labors  connected  with  that  Society,  besides  on  occa- 
sional visits  of  Mr.  Barr}'  to  Boston.  Mr.  Manning  recalled 
especially  a  four  weeks'  journey  in  the  South  with  Mr.  Barry, 
Col.  Wilder,  and  Mr.  Ellwanger.  He  did  not  believe  a  pleasauter 
or  more  harmonious  party  ever  travelled  together.  He  always 
thought  of  Mr.  Barry  as  a  true  and  sincere  man,  who  never  gave 
forth  an  uncertain  sound ;  a  man  of  quick  perception  and  sound 
judgment,  —  two  qualities  not  always  united  in  the  same  indi- 
vidual. 

Benjamin  Gr.  Smith  said  he  had  been  much  with  Mr.  Barry,  and 
thought  that  whoever  had  the  pleasure  of  knowing  him  could  never 
forget  him.  He  was  a  man  of  great  individuality,  —  a  mirror  of 
manhood.  He  was  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  American  Pomologi- 
cal Society,  and  acted  as  its  Secretary.  He  always  manifested  a 
strong  and  active  interest  in  that  organization,  and  his  labors  for 
promoting  its  welfare  and  objects  ceased  only  with  his  life. 

The  memorial  was  unanimously  adopted. 

The  Secretary  read  a  circular  from  the  Illinois  State  Horticult- 
ural Society,  inviting  all  National,  State,  and  other  prominent 
horticultural  and  floral  societies  and  kindred  organizations  to 
send  two  delegates  each  to  a  convention  to  be  held  in  Chicago, 
August  27,  to  consider  and  take  action  on  the  best  method  of 
properl}'  representing  the  horticultural  interests  of  the  country  at 
the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  in  1893.  It  was  voted  to  accept 
the  invitation,  and  the  President  appointed  as  delegates,  Benjamin 
G.  Smith  and  O.  B.  Hadwen,  with  power  to  appoint  substitutes. 

Joseph  H.  Woodford  stated  that  the  expense  of  supplying  moss 
for  the  rose  boxes,  agreeably  to  the  vote  passed  on  the  7th  of  June, 
had  amounted  to  $18,  —  a  larger  sum  than  it  was  then  supposed 
would  be  required.  On  his  motion  the  Treasurer  was  authorized 
to  pay  the  bill  for  the  moss. 

Ex-President  Strong  moved  that  thfe  members  of  the  Society  of 


APPOINTMENT   OF   NOMmATING   COMMITTEE.  219 

American  Florists  be  admitted  to  the  Exhibition  of  Plants  and 
Flowers  in  the  Music  Hall  by  their  badges,  which  motion  was 
carried . 

Patrick  Norton  moved  that  the  same  invitation  be  extended  to 
the  Association  of  American  Cemetery  Superintendents,  and  this 
motion  was  also  carried. 

Agreeably  to  the  Constitution  and  By-Laws,  the  President  ap- 
pointed the  following  Committee  to  nominate  suitable  candidates 
for  the  various  offices  of  the  Society  for  the  year  1891  :  — 
James  F.  C.  Hyde,  Chairman. 
C.  H.  B.  Breck,  Benjamin  G.  Smith, 

Nathaniel  T.  Kidder,  Patrick  Norton, 

E.  W.  Wood,  "Warren  Heustis. 

William  J.  Stewart,  Secretary  of  the  Gardeners  and  Florists' 
Club,  of  Boston,  stated  that  tlie  Club  would  give  a  harbor  excur- 
sion to  the  Society  of  American  Florists,  and  invited  the  P^x- 
Presidents,  and  the  present  officers  and  chairmen  of  committees  of 
the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society,  with  ladies,  to  join  in  the 
excursion.  The  invitation  was  accepted,  and  the  thanks  of  the 
Society  were  voted  therefor. 

The  Librarian  laid  before  the  Society  ten  volumes  of  works  on 
Forestry,  presented  to  the  Library  by  the  author,  John  Croumbie 
Brown,  LL.D.,  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  and  moved  that  the  thanks 
of  the  Society  be  presented  to  him  for  his  valuable  gift.  The 
motion  was  unanimously  carried. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  September  6. 


BUSINESS    MEETING. 

Saturday,  September  6,  1890. 
An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holdeu  at  11  o'clock, 
the  President,  William  H.  Spooner,  in  the  chair. 

James  F.  C.  Hyde,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Nominations, 
reported  a  printed  list  of  candidates  for  Officers  and  Standing 
Committees.  The  report  was  accepted,  and  it  was  voted  that  the 
Committee  be  continued,  and  requested  to  nominate  candidates  in 
place  of  an}-  who  might  decline  before  election. 


220  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTUKAL    SOCIETY. 

Joseph  H.  Woodford  moved  that  the  thanks  of  the  Society  be 
presented  to  all  the  contributors  of  Special  Prizes  at  the  Annual 
Exhibition  of  Plants  and  Flowers  in  August,  as  these  prizes  added 
greatly  to  the  attractions  and  success  of  the  Show,  and  that  the 
Secretary  notify  each  contributor  of  the  above  vote. 

The  motion  was  unanimously  carried. 

The  Secretary  read  a  letter  from  William  C.  Barry,  of  Roches- 
ter, N.Y.,  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  the  memorial  of  his  father, 
the  late  Patrick  Barry,  adopted  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  So- 
ciety, and  conveying  the  thanks  of  the  family  for  this  expression 
of  sympathy  and  regard. 

Also  a  letter  from  William  J.  Stewart,  Secretary  of  the  Society 
of  American  Florists,  communicating  a  resolution  of  thanks  for 
the  use  of  the  Society's  halls  for  their  late  meeting,  and  for  the 
magnificent  Exhibition  of  Plants  and  Flowers,  which  symbolized 
their  gatherinof  as  had  never  been  done  before. 

Also  a  letter  from  John  Simpkins,  President,  and  F.  C.  Swift, 
Secretary,  of  the  Barnstable  Agricultural  Society,  thanking  this 
Society  for  its  courtesy  in  offering  the  free  use  of  the  Library  to 
aid  in  preparing  papers  to  be  read  at  the  institutes  of  that  Society, 
and  accepting  the  invitation,  with  the  appointment  of  Mr,  Nathan 
Edson,  of  Barnstable,  to  be  the  representative  of  that  Society  for 
the  purpose  above  mentioned. 

It  was  voted  that  these  letters  be  placed  on  file. 

Patrick  Norton,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Arrangements, 
moved  that  the  thanks  of  the  Society  be  presented  to  His  Honor 
Thomas  N.  Hart,  Mayor  of  the  City  of  Boston,  and  to  the  City 
Government,  for  the  interest  manifested  by  them  in  this  Society 
by  granting  to  it  the  use  of  the  Common  for  the  August  Exhibi- 
tion, and  that  the  Secretarj-  notify  the  Mayor  and  City  Govern- 
ment of  the  above  vote. 

Also  that  the  thanks  of  the  Society  be  presented  to  the  Press  of 
Boston  for  their  kind  and  appreciative  notices  of  the  late  Exhibi- 
tion, which  contributed  largely  to  its  success,  and  that  the  Secre- 
tary communicate  this  vote  to  the  various  newspapers  to  which  we 
are  indebted. 

Both  these  motions  were  unanimously  carried. 

The  meetina:  was  then  dissolved. 


ANNUAL    ELECTION.  221 


BUSINESS    MEETING. 

Saturday,  October  4,  1890. 

A  stated  meeting  of  the  Society,  being  the  Annual  Meeting  for 
the  choice  of  Officers  and  Standing  Committees,  was  liolden  at 
eleven  o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spoonhr,  in  the  chair. 

The  Recording  Secretary  stated  that  the  requirements  of  the 
Constitution  and  By-Laws  in  regard  to  notice  of  the  meeting  had 
been  complied  with. 

On  motion  of  Edmund  Hersey,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Large  and  Interesting  Trees,  it  was  voted  that  Francis  H.  Ap- 
pleton  be  added  to  the  Committee. 

The  amendment  to  the  Constitution  and  By-Laws,  changing  the 
last  clause  of  Section  1  so  as  to  read,  "  Provided,  however,  that 
no  person  shall  be  eligible  to  any  office  unless  he  shall  have  been  a 
member  for  the  three  years  preceding,"  which  at  the  stated  meet- 
ing in  July  received  a  majority  of  votes  and  was  ordered  to  be 
entered  on  the  records,  came  up  for  final  action,  and  two-thirds  of 
the  members  present  voting  in  favor  of  said  amendment,  it  was  de- 
clared by  the  President  to  be  adopted  as  a  part  of  the  Constitution 
and  By-Laws. 

On  motion  of  Joseph  H.  Woodford,  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Plants  and  Flowers,  it  was  voted  as  the  sense  of  the  meeting 
that  an  additional  appropriation  of  three  hundred  dollars  should 
be  made  for  the  use  of  that  Committee  the  present  year. 

It  was  then  voted  to  proceed  to  the  election  of  officers  and 
standing  committees  for  the  year  1891,  and  that  the  polls  be  kept 
open  for  one  hour. 

Agreeably  to  the  Constitution  and  By-Laws  the  Chair  appointed 
John  C.  Hovey,  I.  Gilbert  Robbins,  and  William  J.  Hargraves  a 
Committee  to  receive,  assort,  and  count  the  votes  given  and  re- 
port the  number.  The  polls  were  opened  at  twenty-eight  minutes 
past  eleven  o'clock. 

Tlie  Secretary  laid  before  the  Society  a  letter  from  the  Oxford 
Agricultural  Society  announcing  that  the  Hon.  J.  W.  Stockwell 
had  been  appointed  to  have  the  free  use  of  the  Library  of  this 
Society,  agreeably  to  the  circular  dated  February  15,  1890. 


222  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

Walter  Raymond,  of  Cambridgeport, 

having  been  recommended  by  the  Executive  Committee,  was,  on 
ballot,  dul}^  elected  a  member  of  the  Society. 

The   polls    were   closed   at  twent3'-eight   minutes    past  twelve 
o'clock,  and  the  Committee  to  receive,  assort,  and  count  the  votes, 
reported  the  whole  number  of  ballots  to  be  .         .         .         .     IjOo 

Necessary  for  a  choice         .......       53 

^  The  report  of  the  Committee  was  accepted,  and  the  persons  re- 
ported as  having  the  number  of  ballots  necessary  for  a  choice 
were,  agreeably  to  the  Constitution  and  By-Laws,  declared  by  the 
President  to  have  a  majority  of  votes  and  to  be  elected  Officers 
and  Standing  Committees  of  the  Society  for  the  year  1891. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  November  1,  1890. 


BUSINESS    MEETING. 

Saturday,  November  1,  1890. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at  eleven 
o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spooner,  in  the  chair. 

The  President,  as  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee,  re- 
ported from  that  Committee  a  recommendation  that  the  Society 
appropriate  the  sum  of  $6,800  for  prizes  for  the  year  1891,  this 
amount  to  be  apportioned  among  the  several  committees  as  deemed 
best  by  said  committees.  The  report  was  accepted,  and  agreeably 
to  the  Constitution  and  BN'-Laws  was  laid  over  until  the  stated 
meeting  on  the  first  Saturday  in  January  next  for  final  action. 

Francis  H.  Appleton  stated  that  the  plate  for  Members'  Diplomas 
was  much  worn,  and  moved  that  the  subject  of  repairing  it  or  pro- 
viding a  new  plate  be  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Publication. 
It  was  so  referred. 

The  Secretar)'  stated  that  when  the  amendment  to  the  Constitu- 
tion and  By-Laws  was  proposed  on  the  first  Saturday  in  July,  1889, 
it  was  itself  amended  so  as  to  provide  for  a  Committee  on  Plants- 
of  five  members  instead  of  three,  and  that  this  change  having 
been  overlooked  when  the  nomination  of  officers  and  committees 
was  made,  two  vacancies  existed  in  the  Committee.  On  motion  of 
Joseph  H.  Woodford,  it  was  voted  that  the  three  members-elect  of 


DECEASE  OF  MRS.  FRANCIS  B.  HAYES.        223 

this  Committee  be  requested  to  report  to  the  Society  at  the  next 
meeting  the  names  of  two  members  whom  they  would  recommend 
to  fill  these  vacancies. 

Hon.  William  H.  Haile,  of  Springfield,  and 
Thomas  B.  Fitz,  of  West  Newton, 

having  been  recommended  b}'  the  Executive  Committee,  were,  on 
ballot,  duly  elected  members  of  the  Society. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  December  6,  1890. 


BUSINESS    MEETING. 

Saturday,  December  6,  1890. 
An    adjourned   meeting  of   the   Society  was   holden  at   eleven 
o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spooner,  in  the  chair. 

The  President  announced  the  decease  of  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes, 
and  said  that  as  a  contributor  to  the  weekly  exhibitions  of  the  • 
Society  no  one  was  more  constant ;  she  never  needed  urging.    She 
was  also  noted  for  her  generous  hospitality  which  she  was  specially 
pleased  to  show  to  this  Society. 

The  President,  as  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee,  pre- 
sented the  Schedule  of  Prizes  prepared  by  the  Committee  on  Estab- 
lishing Prizes,  with  the  recommendation  that  it  be  amended  by  the 
offer  of  Prospective  Prizes  for  Herbaceous  Paeonies,  Tuberous- 
Rooted  Begonias,  and  Chrysanthemums ;  that  the  Prospective 
Prizes  for  Flowers  be  made  uniformly  fifty  dollars  ;  that  Chrysan- 
themum plants  exhibited  for  prizes  be  required  to  be  single 
stemmed,  branching  above  ground  ;  and  that  in  the  prize  for  forty 
Chrysanthemum  plants  in  six-inch  pots,  the  words  "  each  bearing 
a  single  bloom  "  be  stricken  out.  These  amendments  were  carried, 
excepting  the  last. 

On  motion  of  Joseph  S.  Chase,  it  was  voted  that  three  prizes 
for  Herbert  Grapes  be  offered  at  the  October  exhibition. 

The  Schedule  was  then  adopted. 

Frederick  L.  Harris,  Chairman  of  the  Committee-elect  on  Plants, 
to  which  was  referred  the  nomination  of  two  members  to  fill  the 
vacancies  in   that  Committee,   presented  the  names  of  Azell  C. 


224  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Bowditch  and  William  Robinson.  The  report  was  accepted  and 
adopted,  and  the  gentlemen  named  were  elected  to  fill  the  vacancies 
in  the  Committee  on  Plants. 

On  motion  of  Francis  H.  Appleton,  of  the  Committee  on  Publi- 
cation, to  which  the  matter  of  the  Societj^'s  Diploma  was  referred, 
it  was  voted  to  continue  the  Diploma  in  its  present  form. 

The  Annual  Report  of  the  Committee  on  Plants  and  Flowers 
was  read  by  Joseph  H.  Woodford,  Chairman,  accepted  and  referred 
to  the  Committee  on  Publication. 

The  Annual  Report  of  the  Committee  on  Fruits  was  read  by 
E.  W.  Wood,  Chairman,  accepted  and  referred  to  the  Committee 
on  Publication. 

Charles  N.  Brackett,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Vegetables, 
asked  further  time  to  prepare  his  report;  which  was  granted. 

On  motion  of  William  E.  Endicott,  Chairman,  it  was  voted  that 
the  Library  Committee  be  authorized  to  employ  such  assistance  as 
•  is  necessary  to  complete  the  rearrangement  and  cataloguing  of  the 
Library. 

The  Secretary  read  a  letter  from  Frank  Higgins,  Secretary  of 
the  Association  of  American  Cemetery  Superintendents,  express- 
ing the  thanks  of  that  Association  for  the  courtesy  shown  to  its 
members  and  their  ladies,  in  providing  them  with  complimentary 
tickets  to  the  Exhibition  of  Plants  and  Flowers,  held  at  Music 
Hall  during  their  Fourth  Annual  Convention  in  August  last.  It 
was  voted  that  the  letter  be  placed  on  file. 

The  following-named  persons,  having  been  recommended  by  the 
Executive  Committee,  were,  on  ballot,  dul}'  elected  members  of 
the  Society :  — 

EvERELL  F.  Sweet,  of  Maiden. 

Charles  W.  Quinn,  of  Roxbury. 

Frederick  C.  Becker,  of  Cambridge. 

George  D.  Wilcox,  M.D.,  of  Providence,  R.I. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  December  20. 


REPORTS  OF  COMMITTEES  READ.  225 


BUSINESS   MEETING. 

Saturday,  December  20,  1890. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at  eleven 
o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spooner,  in  the  chair. 

The  President  announced  the  decease  of  "Warren  Heustis,  of 
Belmont,  and  spoke  of  him  as  a  member  of  this  Society  for  many 
years ;  a  valued  member  of  the  Committee  on  Vegetables ;  a 
skilful  cultivator  of  vegetables ;  the  originator  of  the  Belmont 
Strawberry  ;  a  lover  and  grower  of  roses  ;  a  good  friend  ;  a  pleas- 
ant and  honest  man,  and  one  of  the  class  of  men  who  have  made 
Arlington  and  Belmont  the.  market  garden  of  Boston.  It  was 
voted  that  a  delegation  from  the  Society  attend  the  funeral  of  Mr. 
Heustis,  and  that  their  expenses  be  paid  by  the  Society. 

Charles  N.  Brackett,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Vegetables, 
read  the  Annual  Report  of  that  Committee. 

William  E.  Endicott,  Chairman  of  the  Library  Committee,  read 
the  Annual  Report  of  that  Committee. 

William  C.  Stroug,  member  from  this  Society  of  the  Board  of 
Control  of  the  State  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  read  a  re- 
port of  the  doings  of  the  Station. 

Mrs.  H.  L.  T.  Wolcott,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Window 
Gardening,  read  the  Annual  Report  of  that  Committee. 

Robert  Manning  read  his  Annual  Report  as  Secretary  and 
Librarian. 

These  reports  were  severally  accepted  and  referred  to  the  Com- 
mittee on  Publication. 

Joseph  H.  Woodford,  from  the  Committee  of  Arrangements, 
read  a  portion  of  the  Annual  Report  of  that  Committee,  which 
was  accepted  and  referred  to  the  Committee  for  completion. 

It  was  voted  that  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  by  the 
Chair  to  prepare  a  memorial  of  the  late  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes. 
The  Chair  appointed  as  that  Committee,  Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill,  Mrs. 
A.  D.  Wood,  and  Joseph  H.  Woodford. 

The  Secretary  laid  before  the  Society'  a  circular  from  the  Michi- 
gan Horticultural  Society,  accompanied  by  a  classification  of 
objects  to  be  exhibited  in  the  Horticultural  Department  of  the 


'22i)  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

coming  Chicago  Exposition,  which  the  Michigan  Society  deemed 
so  faulty  that  they  asked  the  cooperation  of  sister  societies  in  the 
endeavor  to  secure  a  more  proper  classification.  The  subject  was 
referred  to  the  Committee  of  Arrangements. 

The  Secretary  also  presented  circulars  from  a  committee  ap- 
pointed by  the  conference  held  on  the  twenty-fourth  of  Ma}'  last 
by  persons  interested  in  the  Preservation  of  Beautiful  and  His- 
torical Places  in  Massachusetts,  asking  the  cooperation  and  assist- 
ance of  ever}'  historical,  improvement,  and  out-door  societ}'  in  the 
State.     This  subject  was  referred  to  the  Executive  Committee. 

The  meeting  was  then  dissolved. 


REPORT 

OF    THE 

COMMITTEE  ON  PLANTS  AND  FLOWEES, 

FOR    THE    YEAR    1890. 


By  JOSEPH   H.    WOODFORD,  Chairman. 


The  year  which  is  now  approaching  its  close  has  been  a 
memorable  one  in  the  history  of  our  Societ}'.  The  season  has 
been  favorable  for  the  development  of  both  plants  and  flowers, 
and  our  stated  exhibitions  have  been  crowded  with  the  very  best 
specimens  of  these  we  have  ever  seen. 

The  gardeners  seem  to  have  taken  advantage  of  every  known 
method  to  improve  and  perfect  the  growth  of  their  plants  and 
flowers,  so  that  they  have  been  enabled  to  exhibit  them  in  their 
most  attractive  forms  and  best  conditions. 

The  "  Boston  Dail}' Advertiser  "  of  August  7,  said  :  "The  part 
that  flowers  play  in  life  today  is  a  striking  and  creditable  feature 
of  modern  civilization.  The  result  has  not  come  about  of  its  own 
accord.  It  is  due  in  a  great  measure  to  the  energy  of  a  compara- 
tively few  enthusiasts  who  have  labored  to  extend  the  beneficent 
influence  of  floral  beauty.  In  this  work  there  is  no  one  agency 
that  can  look  back  on  a  more  honorable  record  than  the  Massa- 
chusetts Horticultural  Society.  Its  founding,  its  growth,  and  its 
vicissitudes  during  the  sixty  odd  years  of  its  existence,  cover 
about  all  that  is  worth  knowing  of  the  history  of  horticulture." 
It  is  a  very  pleasant  thing  to  have  the  indorsement  of  so  able  and 
so  venerable  a  newspaper  as  the  "  Advertiser." 

One  great  stimulant  with  the  gardeners  this  year  to  produce 
superior  cultivation,  was  the  knowledge  that  the  Society  of  Ameri- 


228  MASSACHUSETTS    HOETICULTUKAL    SOCIETY. 

can  Florists  would  hold  their  annual  convention  in  this  city,  and 
that  our  Society  had  tendered  to  them  the  use  of  our  halls  for  that 
purpose.  AVe  had  also  arranged  to  hold  our  Annual  Exhibition  of 
Plants  and  Flowers  during  the  same  week  as  the  Convention. 

To  enable  us  to  do  so  with  credit  to  ourselves,  we  engaged 
Music  Hall  in  which  to  display  the  wonderful  collections  of  plants 
and  flowers  contributed  from  the  private  stoves  and  greenhouses 
of  some  of  our  opulent  members. 

The  combined  collection  was  the  most  superb  and  beautiful  of 
any  gathering  together  of  plants  ever  beheld  in  this  country,  and 
elicited  unbounded  praise  from  every  visitor  and  florist  present. 

This  season  the  number  of  contributors  has  largely  increased, 
and  several  of  our  members,  who  had  in  late  years  become  weary 
in  well-doing,  have  returned  to  their  former  allegiance,  and  have 
contributed  from  their  abundance,  so  that  our  shows  during  the 
past  3'ear  have  been  complete,  and  have  received  the  most  favor- 
able mention  possible  by  the  public  press,  and  by  distinguished 
visitors  from  all  pai'ts  of  our  own  country  and  from  abroad. 

This  state  of  things  is  very  gratifying  to  your  Committee,  and 
it  becomes  a  pleasure  under  such  circumstances  to  chronicle  the 
events  as  they  have  developed  themselves  during  the  3'ear  now 
closing.  Therefore  we  will  now  specify  some  of  the  most  notable 
features  of  the  exhibitions  as  they  occurred. 

On  January  4,  John  L.  Gardner  showed  a  fine  plant  of  Cattleya 
Percivaliana  and  a  Kalanchoe  carnea,  the  latter  of  which  was 
awai'ded  a  First  Class  Certificate  of  Merit. 

On  Januar}'  11  and  18,  James  Comley  showed  fine  blooms  of 
his  rose  Francis  B.  Haj'es,  and  on  January  25,  the  seedling  rose 
Oakmount.     John  L.  Gardner  also  showed  some  fine  Orchids. 

February  1,  Jackson  Dawson  showed  a  cross  between  the 
Hybrid  Perpetual  Rose,  Gen.  Jacqueminot,  and  Rosa  Japonica 
multiflora^  giving  a  miniature  rose  of  a  deep  pink  color,  quite  full 
and  very  fragrant. 

On  February  15,  James  Comley  again  showed  very  fine  blooms 
of  the  seeding  rose  Oakmount. 

February  22,    Norton  Brothers  showed  a  new  Tea  Rose,   Lu- ' 
ciole  ;  its  color,  a  bright  pink  and  yellow. 

March  1,  Jackson  Dawson  exhibited  four  seedling  Indian 
Azaleas,  of  good  substance  and  clear  colors  ;  also  a  box  containing 
about  forty  plants  of   Cypripedimn  acaule   in  full  bloom.     This 


REPORT    OF    COMMITTEE    ON    PLANTS    AND    FLOWERS.    229 

was  a  fine  exhibition  of  one  of  onr  Laixly  native  orchids.  Wil- 
liam H.  Spoouer  showed  the  Tea  Rose  Hon.  Edith  Gifford.  This 
rose  is  after  the  style  of  the  Gloire  de  Dijon,  but  lighter  in  color. 

March  8,  Charles  J.  Dawson  sent  in  some  branches  of  forced 
hardy  shrubs,  Moss  Pinks,  and  Mayflowers  {Epigcea  repens). 

March  15,  Augustus  P.  Calder  exhibited  a  beautiful  collection 
of  Roman  Anemones,  the  finest  specimens  we  have  ever  seen  ; 
and  William  H.  Spooner  and  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes  showed  large 
collections  of  forced  Hybrid  Perpetual  and  Tea  Roses  in  perfect 
form  and  condition. 

SPRING   EXHIBITION. 
March  2G,  27,  and  28. 

This  exhibition  was  superb,  and  there  were  more  contributors 
of  plants  and  flowers  than  usual,  so  that  nearly  all  the  prizes  were 
awarded. 

The  Indian  Azaleas  exhibited  by  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder  were  fine 
large  plants,  and  well  worthy  of  the  Lyman  Plate  which  they  re- 
ceived. Indian  Azaleas  were  also  shown  b}'  Joseph  H.  White, 
Dr.  C.  G.  Weld,  and  Edward  Butler. 

The  display  of  Orchids  was  also  very  grand,  coming  from  E.  W. 
Gilmore,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder,  Jackson  Dawson,  John  L.  Gard- 
ner, and  Edward  Butler. 

The  forced  Roses  displayed  were  of  the  finest  quality  and  in 
abundance,  and  were  from  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  Thomas  H. 
Meade,  E.  M.  Wood  &  Co.,  Ernest  Asmus,  of  West  Hoboken, 
N.J.,  Thomas  Clark,  Charles  W.  Galloupe,  William  H.  Elliot, 
Augustus  P.  Calder,  and  Norton  Brothers.  Mr.  Asmus  was 
awarded  a  First  Class  Certificate  of  Merit  for  the  new  Tea  Rose 
Madame  Hoste,  a  very  pale  yellow  rose  of  large  size  and  good 
form. 

Denys  Zirngiebel  exhibited  one  hundred  and  fifty  blooms  of  the 
Bugnot  and  Gassier  strains  of  Pansies,  which  were  of  superior 
excellence. 

The  displays  of  Carnations  by  William  Nicholson  and  Richard  T. 
Lombard  were  particularly  good,  and  embraced  a  large  number  of 
the  best  kinds. 

The  competition  for  prizes  on  Holland  Bulbs  was  tlie  most 
marked   for  years,  and  all  the  prizes  but  three  were  taken.     Al- 


230  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

though  we  did  not  have  the  Holland  medals  as  an  incentive  this 
year,  we  were  pleased  to  see  so  much  interest  manifested  in  these 
plants,  which  give  such  good  results  with  a  minimum  amount  of 
care. 

The  large  number  of  plants  contributed  by  Norton  Brothers, 
Frank  Becker,  William  E.  Doyle,  and  the  Botanic  Garden  of 
Harvard  University,  formed  a  splendid  feature  of  the  Exhibition 
and  elicited  many  expressions  of  commendation,  as  did  also  the 
Lilium  Harrisii  shown  by  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld,  Thomas  Clark,  and 
Thomas  H.  Meade. 

April  12,  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes  presented  a  seedling  Rhodo- 
dendron, named  William  Power  Wilson.  The  color  is  white, 
tinged  with  pink,  having  a  reddish-brown  blotch,  a  good,  large, 
and  compact  truss  ;  it  is  said  to  be  hardy.  It  was  awarded  a  First 
Class  Certificate  of  Merit.  It  has  been  entered  for  the  Prospective 
Prize. 

On  April  26,  Mrs.  P.  D.  Richards  made  her  first  exhibition  of 
Wild  Flowers,  consisting  of  seventeen  varieties  of  the  flowers 
which  bloom  in  the  spring. 

MAY   EXHIBITION. 

May  10. 

The  competition  for  prizes  was  not  so  marked  at  this  exhibition 
as  is  usuall}'  the  case,  owing  to  the  prevailing  fine  weather,  which 
was  taken  advantage  of  by  the  gardeners  to  get  their  grounds 
ready  for  planting.  Nevertheless,  there  was  a  very  good  show, 
particularly  of  plants  not  entered  for  prizes. 

A.  W.  Spencer  was  awarded  the  Society's  Silver  Medal  for  a 
fine  plant  of  Anguloa  Clowesii;  and  Jacob  W.  Manning  was 
awarded  a  First  Class  Certificate  of  Merit  for  Spircea  astilboides, 
a  new  herbaceous  plant  of  great  promise. 

RHODODENDRON   SHOW. 

June  7. 

This  exhibition  fully  realized  the  expectations  which  had  been 

formed  in  regard  to  it.     The  largest  exhibitors  were  H.  H.  Hun- 

newell,  who  showed  sixty-four  of  the  best  varieties,  all  named, 

besides  a  very  large  number  unnamed  ;  and  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes, 


REPORT    OF    COiLMITTEE    ON    PLANTS    AND    FLOWERS.     231 

whose  contributions  more  than  filled  the  whole  centre  table  running 
the  length  of  the  lower  hall.  Fine  collections  of  trusses  of  Rho- 
dodendrons were  sent  in  by  Joseph  H.  AVhite,  John  L.  Gardner, 
Nathaniel  T.  Kidder,  Edwin  Sheppard  &  Son,  Joseph  Clark,  and 
from  Newton  Cemetery. 

Mrs.  Hayes  also  showed  several  plants  of  Bignonia  proBcox 
superba,  from  Japan;  a  superb  addition  to  the  class  of  hardy 
drooping  shrubs.  This  was  awarded  a  First  Class  Certificate  of 
Merit. 

John  L.  Gardner  was  awarded  a  First  Class  Certificate  of  Merit 
for  Utricularia  nelumhifoUa. 

June  14,  we  had  a  continuation  of  the  Rhododendron  Exhibi- 
tion, and  the  display  made  by  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes  fairly  eclipsed 
the  grand  show  she  made  the  Saturday  previous.  She  staged  more 
than  five  hundi'ed  trusses,  comprising  more  than  one  hundred 
varieties  of  the  best  kinds  grown.  We  cannot  say  too  much  in 
praise  of  this  great  exhibition  of  grand  flowers,  but,  as  a  slight 
expression  of  appreciation  of  their  merit,  she  was  awarded  the 
Society's  Gold  Medal,  which  is  the  highest  award  we  can  confer, 
and  well  she  deserved  the  honor. 

ROSE   EXHIBITION. 
June  24  and  25. 

It  is  gratifying  to  be  able  to  record  the  fact  that  this  Rose  Show 
was  an  unqualified  success. 

The  arrangiement  of  the  hall  was  such  that  on  entering  one 
saw  nothing  in  bloom  but  roses.  "  Taverner,"  the  correspondent 
of  the  "  Boston  Post,"  wrote  :  "  I  do  not  remember  a  finer  collec- 
tion of  magnificent  specimens."  A  contributor  to  "Garden  and 
Forest,"  also  wrote  as  follows  :  — 

"  The  Roses  as  a  whole  were  distinguished  b}'  a  remarkable 
evenness  of  excellence  which  must  have  made  judging  a  diflS- 
cult  matter;  b}'  good  foliage  and  by  flowers  well  colored,  but  not 
of  such  enormous  size  as  these  shows  have  sometimes  called  out. 
Not  the  least  attractive  part  of  this  exhibition  was  the  display  of 
Foxgloves  grouped  on  the  stage  at  the  end  of  the  upper  hall,  which 
produced  a  remarkable  and  striking  effect." 

It  is  well  to  have  our  own  opinions  confirmed  by  such  reliable 


232  JIASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

authorities.  There  were  other  plants  at  this  exhibition  deserving 
special  notice,  such  as  the  Japan  and  native  hardy  roses  and 
shrubs  contributed  by  Jackson  Dawson,  the  Canterbury  bells 
(Dean's  Strain)  by  R.  &  J.  Farquhar  &  Co.,  and  the  display  of 
Foxgloves  on  the  stage  by  Joseph  H.  Woodford. 

WEEKLY  EXHIBITIONS. 

The  weekly  Saturday  exhibitions  began  this  year  earh'  in  July 
and  continued  into  September.  The  shows  have  been  very  full, 
and  have  been  well  attended.  The  prizes  for  herbaceous  plants, 
having  been  revised  and  made  more  nearly  adequate  to  the  labor 
required  in  staging  large  collections  properly,  have  again  received 
the  attention  of  growers,  and  we  have  had  especially  fine  exhibi- 
tions of  these  throughout  the  season. 

July  12  was  memorable  for  the  grand  display  of  Japan  Irises. 
It  was  the  best  show  of  tliis  beautiful  plant  we  have  ever  seen. 

July  19,  the  special  object  of  interest  was  the  great  collection 
of  that  old-fashioned  flower,  the  Hollyhock.  Joseph  S.  Fay,  of 
Wood's  Holl,  brought  a  large  number  of  long  spikes  of  the  finest 
varieties,  filling  the  centre  table  in  the  lower  hall,  and  he  was 
awarded  the  Society's  Silver  Medal  for  the  grand  display  he  made. 

Jul}'  26,  the  place  of  honor  was  allotted  for  the  display  of 
Native  Ferns,  and  splendid  collections  were  brought  in  by  Mrs.  P. 
D.  Richards,  Walter  E.  Coburn,  and  E.  H.  Hitchings.  Unless 
one  is  familiar  with  this  order  little  does  he  realize  the  beauty  and 
grace  expressed  in  their  varied  forms.  Mrs.  P.  D.  Richards 
staged  fine  specimens,  comprising  fifty  species  and.  varieties. 

August  2  was  Sweet  Pea  Day,  and  the  displays  made  by  James 
F.  C.  Hyde,  George  S.  Harwood,  and  H.  A.  Jones  were  particu- 
larly good.  This  is  one  of  the  most  satisfactor}'  flowers  that  a 
person  can  grow,  for  it  produces  its  beautiful,  fragrant  blossoms 
continuously  from  early  in  July  till  the  frost  kills  the  vines. 

August  9,  Perennial  Phloxes  and  Native  Plants  held  the  right 
of  way,  and  a  hall  full  of  charming  flowers  was  the  result. 

August  30,  the  display  of  Asters  was  very  good,  notwithstand- 
ing a  new  disease  has  attacked  them. 

September  6,  Pitcher  &  Manda,  of  Short  Hills,  N.J.,  showed 
a  hybrid  Cypripediu7n,  named  by  them  ArnoJdianuvi,  a  cross 
between  Veitchii  and  concolor.  It  was  awarded  the  Society's 
Silver  Medal. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  PLANTS  AND  FLOWERS.  233 

ANNUAL   EXHIBITION  OF  PLANTS   AND   FLOWERS. 

August  19,  20,  21,  and  22. 

The  Annual  Exhihition  of  Plants  and  Flowers  was  held  this  year 
in  August  at  Music  Hall,  so  as  to  give  the  National  Convention  of 
the  Society  of  American  Florists  a  chance  to  see  some  of  the  collec- 
tions of  choice  plants  as  grown  b}^  our  opulent  members  for  their 
own  gratification.  One  of  the  newspapers  said  :  "  The  exhibit  this 
year  is  the  largest  and  most  complete  in  the  history  of  the  Society, 
and  is  a  well-nigh  exhaustive  exposition  of  horticultural  art." 
Another  newspaper  said  :  "  Music  Hall  has  presented  the  past  week 
a  scene  of  exceeding  beauty,  and  all  adjectives  expressive  of 
admiration  could  find  no  better  work  tlian  to  free  themselves 
amid  the  tropical  charms  of  the  Massachusetts  Horticultural 
Society's  beautiful  exhibition." 

There  were  several  features  out  of  the  ordinary  course  connected 
with  this  show  which  we  must  recount.  The  first,  and  one  to  be 
commended,  was  the  offering  of  prizes  for  Decorations  of  Diuing- 
Tables  and  Mantlepieces.  The  four  compartments  devoted  to  these 
displays  were  very  beautiful  and  attractive,  and  gave  all  observers 
an  idea,  or  foretaste,  of  how  delightful  it  must  be  to  dine  at  such 
lovely  tables  while  listening  to  the  strains  of  entrancing  music. 

But  the  most  gratifying  feature'  of  our  exhibition  was  the  very 
friendly  spirit  manifested  by  the  following-named  persons  and 
firms  in  offering  special  prizes  of  plate,  to  the  value  of  8820,  to  be 
competed  for  at  this  show,  viz.  :  — 

Abram  French  &  Co.,  of  Boston. 
R.  &  J.  Farquhar  &  Co.,  of  Boston. 
Marshall  B.  Faxon,  of  Boston. 
The  Society  of  American  Florists. 
American  Florist,  Chicago. 
Henry  A.  Dreer,  Philadelphia. 
Peter  Henderson  &  Co.,  New  York. 
Parker  &  Wood,  Boston. 
American  Agriculturist,  New  York. 
J.  C.  Vaughan,  Chicago. 
Benjamin  Grey,  Maiden. 
Siebrecht  &  Wadley,  New  York. 


234  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

John  Gardiner  &  Co.,  Philadelphia. 
American  Garden,  New  York. 
BowKER  Fertilizer  Co.,  Boston. 
George  Johnson  &  Co.,  Boston. 

Another  feature  which  we  must  not  omit  to  mention  was  the 
delightful  music,  afternoon  and  evening,  by  the  Gerraania  orches- 
tra. This  was  a  charming  and  appropriate  accompaniment  to  the 
exhibition,  and  greatly  increased  the  enjoyment  of  visitors. 

George  A.  Nickersou  brought  in  the  best  colored  and  finest 
Croton  —  Queen  Victoria  —  ever  seen  in  our  halls,  and  he  was 
awarded  the  Society's  Silver  Medal.  Mrs.  J.  Lasell  sent  a  splendid 
new  Alocasia  which  was  brought  into  this  couutrj'  from  the 
Malayan  Archipelago  in  the  ^-ear  1884  by  David  Allan,  and  she 
was  awarded  a  Silver  Medal.  W.  R.  Smith,  of  the  Botanic 
Garden  at  Washington,  D.C.,  brought  a  very  large  collection  of 
Carnivorous  Plants,  which  were  wonderfully  curious  and  interest- 
ing, and  he  was  awarded  the  Society's  Silver  IMedal.  Robert 
Cameron,  of  the  Botanic  Garden  at  Cambridge,  brought  in  a  large 
collection  of  Cacti  of  most  peculiar  formation,  and  he  also  received 
the  Society's  Silver  Medal. 

In  fact,  we  might  go  on  indefinitely  enumerating  the  wonderful, 
the  curious,  and  the  beautiful  productions  of  nature  which  were 
staged  in  Music  Hall,  but  even  then  we  should  convey  no  adequate 
idea  of  the  floral  loveliness  revealed  at  this  exhibition,  unless  the 
reader  had  seen  it. 

CHRYSANTHEMUM    EXHIBITION. 

November  11,  12,  13,  and  14. 

The  grand  final  exhibition  of  the  floral  productions  of  the  year 
is  the  Chrysanthemum  Show,  and  this  year  gave  us  very  marked 
improvement  in  the  size,  style,  and  finish  of  the  blooms.  A  new 
enemy  has  appeared  in  the  shape  of  a  small  beetle,  which  commits 
such  depredations  on  plants  in  the  open  ground  that  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  protect  them  from  total  denudation  of  flower-buds. , 
Plants  grown  all  summer  in  the  house,  where  sulphur  and  tobacco 
are  used,  come  into  flower  as  usual.  But  not  every  one  has  the 
space  indoors  to  accomplish  this,  therefore  our  exhibition  did 
not  secure  an  over-abundance  of  plants,  yet  those  we  did  have  were 


REPORT    OF    COMMITTEE    ON    PLANTS    AND    FLOWERS.     235 

geuerally  of  larger  size,  and  iu  other  respects  finer  specimens,  than 
were  exhibited  last  year. 

The  arrangement  of  the  lower  hall,  wherein  the  cut  flowers  were 
staged,  was  excellent,  and  never  in  the  history  of  our  Society  was 
there  a  larger  or  better  show  of  cut  flowers. 

The  flowers  grown  1)}'  S.  J.  Coleman,  gardener  to  Charles  J. 
Powers,  and  exhibited  by  himself  and  Galvin  Brothers,  were 
the  largest  and  best  finished  flowers  ever  seen  in  our  halls.  Mr. 
Coleman  was  awarded  the  Society's  Silver  Medal  for  superior 
cultivation  of  Chr3'santheinums  iu  general,  and  T.  D.  Hatfield  re- 
ceived the  same  for  superior  cultivation  of  the  Chrysanthemum 
Mrs.  Alpheus  Hardy,  of  which  he  showed  a  fine  large  plant 
bearing  upwards  of  one  hundred  large  blooms. 

Henry  A.  Gane,  one  of  our  most  enthusiastic  growers  of  Seed- 
ling Chrysanthemums,  exhibited  a  large  number  of  seedlings,  — 
most  of  them  of  superior  merit,  —  and  he  was  awarded  the  Apple- 
ton  Silver  Medal  for  his  collection. 

The  more  we  become  acquainted  with  the  Nee  Sima  Collection 
of  Chrysanthemums,  which  were  sent  to  Mrs.  Hardy,  the  more  we 
are  convinced  that  it  is  the  very  best  collection  ever  sent  out  of 
Japan. 

A  Seedling  Orchid  —  a  very  beautiful  Calanthe —  was  shown  by 
Richard  Gardner.  It  is  a  cross  between  C  Vfstita  and  C.  vestita 
rubro-ocidata,  and  gained  the  award  of  the  Society's  Silver  Medal. 

E.  M.  Wood  &  Co.  have  established  a  sport  fiom  the  Tea  Rose 
Catherine  Mermet,  which  they  have  named  \Yaban.  This  is 
vivid  pink  in  color,  and  of  the  same  form  and  comeliness  as  the 
parent,  and  also  its  sister.  The  Bride.  It  received  the  Society's 
Silver  Medal. 

The  displaj'S  of  hardy  herbaceous  plants  made  by  Jacob  W. 
Manning  during  the  season  have  been  very  fine,  and  the  manner 
he  has  adopted  in  labelling  them,  with  both  the  botanical  and 
common  names,  and  adding  the  name  of  their  native  country,  is 
greatly  to  be  commended.  He  won  the  award  of  the  Appleton 
Silver  Medal. 

The  amount  appropriated  by  the  Society  for  the  use  of  our 
Committee  was  83,300,  and  out  of  this  we  have  awarded  in  Prizes, 
Medals,  and  Gratuities,  $3,272. 

We  cannot  close  this  report  without  reverting  to  the  great  loss 


236  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

our  Society  has  very  lately  sustained  by  the  death  of  Mrs.  Francis 
B.  Ha^^es.  She  always  stood  ready  to  further  our  interests  in  any 
manner  most  conducive  to  the  progress  of  horticulture,  and  we 
shall  miss  her  genial  presence  and  cordial  welcome ;  but  the  mem- 
ory of  her  benevolence  and  kindly  deeds  will  always  remain  with 
us.     May  she  rest  in  peace. 

In  taking  leave  of  the  Plant  and  Flower  Committee  the  Chair- 
man wishes  to  thank  the  other  members  for  the  courtesy  and  for- 
bearance shown  him  during  the  3'ears  they  have  been  associated. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

Joseph  H.  Woodford, 

F.  L.  Harris,  j     Committee  on 

M.  H.  Norton, 

A.  H.  Fewkes,  )       Plants  and 


VV.  J.  Stewart, 
J.  H.  Moore, 

E.  H.  HiTCHINGS, 


Flowers. 


PRIZES    AND    GRATUITIES    FOR    PLANTS    AND    FLOWERS.    237 


PRIZES    AND    GRATUITIES    AWARDED    FOR    PLANTS 
AND    FLOWERS. 


January  4. 
Gratuity  :  — 
John  L.  Gardner,  Cattleya  Percivaliana    .         .         .         .         .         .      $5  00 

January  25. 
Gratuity :  — 
John  L.  Gardner,  Orchids,    Cattleya    TriancB    (two),    Toxicophlcea 
spectabilis,    and     Vanda    Amesiana ;    also    Boronia    mega- 
stigma,  and  Violets         ........         5  00 

March  1. 

Gratuity  :  — 
Jackson  Dawson,  Box  of  Cypripedium  acaule,  forty  blooms      .         .         2  00 

March  8. 
Gratuity  :  — 
Charles  J.  Dawson,  Two  plants  of  Pi/''"*  ^^^'^^^^'^^^^  •         •         •         2  00 

SPRING    EXHIBITION. 

March  26,  27,  and  28. 

Theodore  Lyman  Prizes. 

Indian  Azaleas.  —  Six  distinct  named  varieties,  in  pots,  Nathaniel 

T.  Kidder,  the  Lyman  Plate,  value $35  00 

Orchids.  —  Ten  plants  in  bloom,  E.  W.  Gilmore,  the  Lyman  Plate, 

value 30  00 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder,  the  Lyman  Plate,  value         .         .       25  00 

Society's  Prizes. 

Indian  Azaleas.  — Four  distinct  named  varieties,  in  not  exceeding 

ten-inch  pots,  Joseph  H.  White 10  00 

Second,  Joseph  H.  White 8  00 

Two  distinct  named  varieties,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld        .         .         .         .  6  00 

Second,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 4  00 

Specimen  plant,  named,  Edward  Butler           .         .         .         .         .  4  00 


238  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Single  plant,  of  any  named  variety,  in  not  exceeding  an  eight-inch 

pot,  Joseph  H.  White $3  00 

Second,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 2  00 

Hybrid  Perpetual  Roses.  — Twelve  cut  blooms,  of  not  less  than 
six   distinct    named   varieties,    excluding   Gen.   Jacqueminot, 

Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes 6  00 

Six  cut  blooms,  distinct  named  varieties,  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes    .  4  00 
Tender  Roses  in  Vases. — Twelve  blooms  of  Catherine  Mermet, 

Thomas  H.  Meade 5  00 

Second,  Edmund  M.  Wood  &  Co 4  00 

Twelve  blooms  of  Cornelia  Cook,  Edmund  M.  Wood  &  Co.   .         .  5  00 

Second,  Thomas  H.  Meade 4  00 

Twelve    blooms   of  ^  Mme.    de  Watte ville,    Ernest   Asmus,    West 

Hoboken,  N.J.' 5  00 

Twelve  blooms  of  Papa  Gontier,  Thomas  H.  Meade       .         .         .  5  00 

Twelve  blooms  of  The  Bride,  Edmund  M.  Wood  &  Co.           .         .  5  00 

Second,  Thomas  Clark 4  00 

Twelve  blooms  of  any  variety  of  Yellow  Tea,  Thomas  H.  Meade, 

Perle  des  Jardins     .........  5  00 

Orchids.  —  Three  plants  in  bloom,  John  L.  Gardner         .         .         .  12  00 

Second,  E.  W.  Gilmore 8  00 

Single  plant  in  bloom,  Edward  Butler     .         .         .         .         .         .  6  00 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder        ...          ....  5  00 

Third,  E.  W.  Gilmore 3  00 

Stove  or  Greenhouse  Plant.  —  Specimen   in  bloom,  other  than 

Azalea  or  Orchid,  named,  John  L.  Gardner     .         .         .         .  8  00 

Second,  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes 6  00 

Hardy  Flowering  Shrubs,  Forced.  —  Four,  in  pots,  of  four  dis- 
tinct named  varieties,  John  L.  Gardner   .         .         .         .         .  6  00 

Second,  Charles  J.  Dawson          .......  5  00 

Cyclamens. — Ten  plants  in  bloom.  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld          .         .         .  8  00 

Second,  Mrs.  Mary  T.  Goddard 6  00 

Three  plants  in  bloom,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 3  00 

Second,  Mrs.  Mary  T.  Goddard 2  00 

Single  plant  in  bloom,  Thomas  Clark      .         .         .         .         .         .  2  00 

Hardy   Primroses  and   Polyanthuses.  —  Ten  plants,  of  distinct 

varieties,  in  bloom,  Thomas  Clark   .         .         .         .         .         .  5  00 

Second,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 4  00 

Cinerarias. — Six  varieties  in  bloom,  in  not  over   nine-inch  pots, 

Thomas  Clark 6  00 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder        ...          ....  5  00 

Third,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 4  00 

Violets.  —  Six  pots,  in  bloom,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder          .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 2  00 

Pansies.  —  Six  distinct  varieties,  in  pots,  in  bloom,  Joseph  S.  Fay   .  2  00 
Fifty  cut  blooms  in  the  Society's  flat  fruit  dislies,  Denys  Zirn- 

giebel 4  00 


PRIZES    AND    GRATUITIES    FOR    PLANTS    AND    FLOWERS.    239 

Second,  Denys  Zirngiobel $3  00 

Third,         "               " 2  00 

Carnations.  —  Display  of  cut  blooms,  with  foliage,  not  less  than 

six  varieties,  in  vases,  William  Nicholson        .         .         .         .  5  00 

Second,  Richard  T.  Lombard 4  00 

Centre  Piece  for  Table.  —  Last  day  of  the  Exhibition,  Mrs.  E. 

M.  Gill 10  00 

Second,  Mrs.  A.  D.  Wood 8  00 

Spring  Flowering  Bulbs. 

Hyacinths.  —  Twelve  distinct  named  varieties  in  pots,  one  in  each 

pot,  in  bloom,  John  L.  Gardner        .         .         .         .         .         .  10  00 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 8  00 

Third,  Thomas  Clark 6  00 

Six  distinct  named  varieties  in  pots,  one  in  each  pot,  in  bloom, 

John  L.  Gardner 6  00 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 5  00 

Third,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 4  00 

Three  distinct  named  varieties  in  pots,  one  in  each  pot,  in  bloom. 

Dr.  C.  G.  Weld        .         . 4  00 

Second,  John  L.  Gardner     ........  3  00 

Third,  Thomas  Clark 2  00 

Single  named  bulb  in  pot,  in  bloom,  Thomas  Clark         .         .         .  2  00 

Second,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 1  00 

Three  pans,  ten  bulbs  of  one  variety  in  each  pan,  Nathaniel  T. 

Kidder 10  00 

Second,  Thomas  Clark 8  00 

Third,  Dr.  C  G.  Weld        .         .         .  - 6  00 

Two  pans,  ten  bulbs  of  one  variety  in  each  pan,  Thomas  Clark      .  8  00 

Second,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  6  00 

Third,  John  L.  Gardner 6  00 

Single  pan,  with  ten  bulbs  of  one  variety,  Thomas  Clark       .         .  5  00 

Second,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 4  00 

Third,      "     "    "        " 3  00 

Tulips.  —  Six  six-inch  pots,  five  bulbs  in  each,  in  bloom,  Nathaniel 

T.  Kidder 5  00 

Second,  Arthur  H.  Fewkes 4  00 

Three  six-inch  pots,  five  bulbs  in  each,  in  bloom.  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld,  4  00 

Second,  Arthur  H.  Fewkes 3  00 

Third,          <.       u         ,<                  2  00 

Three  pans,  ten  bulbs  of  one  variety  in  each  pan,  John  L.  Gard- 
ner     6  00 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder       .        * 5  00 

Third,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 4  00 

Fourth,  W.  S.  Ewell  &  Son 3  00 

Polyanthus  Narcissus. — Four    seven-inch  pots,  three  bulbs  in 

each,  in  bloom,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 6  00 


240  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

Second,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld §4  00 

Hardy  Narcissus  and  Daffodils.  —  Twelve  pots,  not   less  than 

six  varieties,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 8  00 

General    Display   of    Spring  Bulbs.  —  All   classes,    Charles   J. 

Dawson 12  00 

Second,  Thomas  Clark 10  00 

Third,  W.  S.  Ewell  &  Son 8  00 

LiLiuM  Longiflordm,   or   Harrisii.  —  Three  pots,  not  exceeding 

ten  inches.  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 8  00 

Second,  Thomas  Clark 6  00 

Lily  of  the  Valley.  —  Six  six-inch  pots,  in  bloom,  W.  S.  Ewell 

&  Son 5  00 

Second,  John  L.  Gardner    ........  4  00 

Third,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 3  00 

Anemones. — Three  pots  or  pans,  Thomas  Clark       .         .         .          .  4  00 

Freesias.  —  Six  pots  or  pans,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder  .         .         .         .  6  00 

IxiA  Crocata.  —  Six  pots,  John  L.  Gardner     .     v   .         .         .         .  4  00 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 3  00 

Roman  Hyacinths.  — Six  pots  or  pans,  John  L.  Gardner         .         .  4  00 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 3  00 

Gratuities :  — 
William  E.  Doyle,  Display  of  Palms,  Crotons,  Lilies,  Astilbe,  and 

Ferns 25  00 

F.  Becker,  Display  of  Palms,  Araucarias,  Sweet  Bays,  etc.     .         .  20  00 

Botanic  Garden,  Cambridge,  Display  of  Agaves,  Cacti,  Ferns,  etc.,  20  00 

Temple  &  Beard,  Ten  Plants 10  00 

Nathaniel  T.  Kidder,  Seventy  Plants 10  00 

William  C.  Strong,  Thirty-two  Evergreens         .         .         .          .         .  10  00 
Norton  Brothers,   Fourteen    Rhododendrons  and  Orchids,  and  Cut 

Flowers 8  00 

John  L.  Gardner,  Ten  pots  of  Plants  and  Twelve  pots  of  Bulbs       .  5  00 

Charles  J.  Dawson,  Thirty  pots  of  Hardy  Herbaceous  Plants    .         .  5  00 

Nathaniel  T.  Kidder,  Orange  Tree 5  00 

John  L.  Gardner,  Eleven  Orchids      .         .         .         .         .         .         .  5  00 

E.  W.  Gilraore,  Twelve  Orchids 5  00 

Edward  Butler,  Cattleya  amethystoglossa  .         .         .         .         .         .  1  00 

William  C.  Strong,  Eight  pots  Hydrangeas         .          .         .         .         .  1  00 

Mrs.  Mary  T.  Goddard,  Twelve  pots  Primula  ohconica     .         .         .  1  00 

Joseph  S.  Fay,  Twenty  pots  Pansies          .         .         .         .         .         .  2  00 

T.  Rowland,  Five  pots  Mignonefte 2  00 

Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill,  Eleven  pots  Tulips 2  00 

Dr.  C.  G.  Weld,  Seven  pots  Narcissus  bulbocodium           .         .         .  1  00 

Thomas  H.  Meade,  Three  Lilies  and  Twenty-four  Tea  Roses  .         .  3  00 

Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  Three  Hundred  Hybrid  Perpetual  Roses      .  15  00 
Norton   Brothers,   Two   vases   Roses,    Gabriel   Luizet    and   Ulrich 

Brunner    ...........  3  00 

William  H.  Elliott,  Four  vases  Hybrid  Perpetual  Roses    .         .         .  3  00 


PRIZES    AND    GRATUITIES    FOR    PLANTS    AND    FLOWERS.    241 

C.  W.  Galloupe,  Eight  vases  H^'brid  Perpetual  Roses  and  Pinks       .      $4  00 
Ernest  Asmus,  West  Hoboken,  N.J.,  Five  vases  roses,  Mme.  Cusin, 

Catlierine  Mermet,  Mme.  Hoste,  and  Mme.  de  Watteville       .  2  GO 

Augustus  P.  Calder,  Two  vases  Papa  Gontier  roses  .         .         .         .  1  00 

Augustus  P.  Calder,  Four  vases  Anemones  and  Ranunculuses  .         .  1  00 

Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill,  Cut  Flowers 1  00 


varieties. 


Dr. 


C.  G 


MAY   EXHIBITION. 

May  10. 
Indian  Azaleas.  —  Six  plants  in  pots,  named,  John  L.  Gardner 
Single  specimen,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder    . 
Second,  John  L.  Gardner    . 
Calceolarias.  —  Six  varieties,  in  pots,  John  L.  Gardner 
Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 
Single  plant.  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 
Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 
Tulips.  —  Twenty-four  blooms,  distinct  named 

Weld 

Basket  of  Flowers.  —  Mrs.  A.  D.  Wood 

Second,  Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill      . 
Pansies.  — Fifty  cut  blooms,  in  the  Society's  flat  fruit  dishes,  Isaac 

E.  Coburn         

Herbaceous  Plants.  —  Jacob  W.  Manning,  forty-seven  species 

Gratuities :  — 

Edwin  Sheppard  &  Son,  Pelargoniums,  Pinks,  etc 
John  L.  Gardner,  Azalea   .... 
A.  W.  Spencer,  Calceolarias 
Nathaniel  T.  Kidder,  Gattleya  intermedia 
John  L.  Gardner,  Cypripedium  Haynaldianum 
Norton  Brothers,  Deiidrobium  Jamesianum 
Joseph  H.  Wiiite,  Gloxinias  and  Begonias 
Dr.  C.  G.  Weld,  Erica  Cavendishiana 
William  S.  Ewell  &  Son,  Lilies  of  the  Valley 
H.  H.  Hunnewell,  Rose  W.  A.  Richardson 
Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  Cut  Flowers 
Mrs.  P.  D.  Richards,  Wild  Flowers  . 
E.  H.  Hitchings,  Wild  Flowers 


$10  00 

4  00 

3  00 
6  00 

5  GO 
2  GO 
1  00 

6  00 
6  00 
5  GO 

4  00 
4  00 


8  00 
3  00 

2  GO 

3  00 
3  GO 
3  GO 
2  GO 
2  00 
1  GO 
1  GO 

1  00 

2  00 
1  00 


Mat  24. 


Gratuities  : 


Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  Flowering  Trees  and  Shrubs 
Mrs.  P.  D.  Richards,  Native  Plants  .... 


3  GO 
2  GO 


Mat  31. 
Gratuities  :  — 

H.  H.  Hunnewell,  Rhododendrons  and  Azaleas 


3  GO 


242 


MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL,   SOCIETY. 


Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  Hardy  Shrubs,  etc. 
Joseph  Comley,  Gen.  Jacqueminot  Roses  . 


82  00 
1  GO 


RHODODENDRON    SHOW. 

June  7. 

H.  H.  Hunnewell  Premiums. 

Rhododendrons.  —  Twelve     trusses,     distinct     hardy    varieties, 
named,  in  the  Society's  vases,  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  a  piece 
of  plate,  value  ......... 

Second,  John  L.  Gardner,  a  piece  of  plate,  value 
Eighteen  tender  varieties,  named,  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes 
Ten  tender  varieties,  named,  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes     . 

Second,  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes 

Six  tender  varieties,  named,  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes 
Single  truss  of  any  tender  variety,  named,  Joseph  Clark 
Hardy  Azaleas,  from   ant   or    all   classes.  —  Fifteen    named 
varieties,  one  truss  each,  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes     . 
Six  named  varieties,  one  truss  each,  the  second  prize  to  Benjamin 
G.  Smith 


$20  00 

15 

00 

8 

00 

5 

00 

4 

00 

.3 

00 

1 

00 

00 


2  00 


Socieiy\i  Prizes. 

German  Iris.  —  Six  distinct  named  varieties,  one  spike  of  each,  tlie 
second  prize  to  Jacob  W.  Manning  ..... 

Clematis.  —  Named  varieties,  display  of  cut  blooms,  with  foliage, 
Joseph  H.  Woodford        ........ 

Hardy    Ptrethrums.  —  Display,   the    third    prize   to   Joseph    H. 
Woodford  .......... 

Hardy  Flowering  Trees  and  Shrubs.  —  Largest   and   best  col- 
lection, named,  cut  blooms,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder    . 
Second,  Joseph  S.  Fay 

Basket  op  Flowers.  —  Mrs.  A.  D.  Wood       ..... 
Second,  Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill 

Herbaceous  Plants.  —  Jacob  W.  Manning     ..... 

Native  Plants.  — Display  of  named  species  and  varieties,  one  vase 
of  each,  Mrs.  P.  D.  Richards  ....... 

Second,  E.  H.  Hitchings 

Gratuities :  — 
H.  H.  Hunnewell,  Sixty-four  named  Rhododendrons,  and  others 
Joseph  Clark,  Rhododendrons    .... 
E.  Sheppard  &  Son,  Rhododendrons,  Azaleas,  etc. 
John  L.  Gardner,  "  and  Azaleas 

Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  Indian  Azaleas  . 
Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  Display  of  flowers 
Newton  Cemetery  "  " 


2  00 
4  00 
1  00 


6 

00 

5 

00 

5 

00 

4 

00 

4 

00 

4 

00 

3 

00 

10 

00 

2 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

2 

00 

10 

00 

5 

00 

PRIZES    AND    GRATUITIES    FOR    PLANTS    AND    FLOWERS.    243 

Joseph  H.  Woodford,  Three  vases  of  flowers     .         .         ,         .         .  S3  00 

Mrs.  A.  D.  Wood,  One  vase                "                 1  00 

Joseph  Comley,  Vase  of  Jacqueminot  Roses 1  00 

Leverett  M.  Chase,  Paeonies       ........  1  00 

June  14. 
Gratuities :  — 

Miss  Ellen  M.  Harris,  Paeonies           .         .         .         .         .         .         .  2  00 

Benjamin  D.  Hill,  Clematis 3  00 

Joseph  H.  Woodford,  Pyrethrums,  etc 2  00 

ROSE   EXHIBITION. 
June  24  and  25. 
Special  Prize,   Theodore  Lyman  Fund. 
Hakdt  Perpetual  Roses.  —  Twenty-four  distinct  named  varieties, 

three  of  each,  John  B.  Moore  &  Son $35  00 

Second,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son 30  00 

Third,  William  H.  Spooner 25  00 

Special  Prize,  offered  by  President    William  H.   Spooner. 
Ulkich  Brunnek.  —  For  the  best  twelve  blooms,  Mrs.  Francis  B. 

Hayes 10  00 

Regular  Prizes. 

Hardy    Perpetual    Roses.  —  Sixteen    distinct   named    varieties, 

three  of  each,  John  B.  Moore  &  Son 25  00 

Second,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son 20  00 

Twelve  distinct  named  varieties,  three  of  each,  John  L.  Gardner  .  20  00 

Second,  John  B.  Moore  &  Son    .         .         .         .         .         .         .  15  00 

Six  distinct  named  varieties,  three  of  each,  Joseph  H.  White         .  15  00 

Second,  John  B.  Moore  «&  Son 10  00 

Three  distinct  named  varieties,  three  of  each.  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld      .  10  00 

•       Second,  Joseph  H.  White 8  00 

Third,  John  B.  Moore  &  Son 5  00 

Twenty-four    distinct    named    varieties,    one   of    each,   John   L. 

Gardner 15  00 

Second,  William  H.  Spooner       .         .         .         .         .         .         .  10  00 

Third,  John  B.  Moore  &  Son 8  00 

Eighteen    distinct    named   varieties,    one    of   each,    William    H. 

Spooner 12  00 

Second,  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes  ....         ...  8  00 

Twelve  distinct   named  varieties,  one  of  each,  Mrs.  Francis  B. 

Hayes 10  00 

Second,  John  L.  Gardner     ........  6  00 

Third,  William  H.  Spooner 4  00 


244 


MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICIILTUKAL   SOCIETY. 


Six  distinct  named  varieties,  one  of  each,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld    .         .  $6  00 

Second,  Joseph  H.  White    . 4  00 

Third,  John  B.  Moore  &  Son 3  00 

Three  distinct  varieties,  one  of  each,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son         .  3  00 

Second,  John  L.  Gardner 2  00 

Third,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son 1  00 

Moss  Roses.  —  Six  distinct  named  varieties,  three  clusters  of  each, 

John  B.  Moore  &  Son 6  00 

Second,  John  L.  Gardner 4  00 

Third,  Joseph  S.  Fay 3  00 

General  Display  of  One  Hundred  Bottles  of  Hardy  Roses,  J.  B. 

Moore  &  Son 10  00 

Second,  Edwin  Sheppard  &  Son 9  00 

Third,  John  L.  Gardner 8  00 

Fourth,  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes 7  00 

Fifth,  Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill 6  00 

Stove  and  Greenhouse  Flowering  Plants.  —  Two  distinct  named 
varieties,  in  bloom,  no  Orchid  admissible,  Nathaniel  T.  Kid- 
der     15  00 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 10  00 

Specimen  Plant  in  Bloom.  —  Named,  other  than  Orchid,  John  L. 

Gardner 7  00 

Orchids.  —  Six  plants,  of  six   named  varieties,  in  bloom,   John  L. 

Gardner 20  00 

Second,  E.  W.  Gilmore 12  00 

Three  plants,  of  three  named  varieties,  in  bloom,  John  L.  Gard- 
ner    10  00 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 8  00 

Single  specimen,  named,  John  L.  Gardner     .         ...         .         .  G  00 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 5  00 

Herbaceous  Pjeonies.  —  Ten  named  varieties,  Thomas  C.  Thurlow,  8  00 

Second,  William  C.  Strong G  00 

Sweet  Williams.  —  Thirty  spikes,  not  less  than  six  distinct  varie- 
ties, Edwin  Sheppard  &  Son     .......  4  00 

Second,  L.  W.  Goodell 3  00 

Third,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 2  00 

Vase  of  Flowers.  —  Best  arranged,  in  one   of  the  Society's  glass 

vases,  Mrs.  A.  D.  Wood 5  00 

Second,  Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill 4  00 

Gratuities :  — 

Joseph  S.  Fay,  Display  of  Hardy  Perpetual  Roses     .         .         .         .  20  00 

Jackson  Dawson,  Japan  and  Native  Hardy  Roses  and  Shrubs  .          .  10  00  ■ 

Norton  Brothers,  One  hundred  bottles  Hardy  Perpetual  Roses  .         .  6  00 

Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  Rhododendrons     .         .....  5  00 

Edwin  A.  Hall,  Kalmia 1  00 

Thomas  C.  Thurlow,  Red  and  White  Kalmia 100 

Joseph  H.  Woodford,  Display  for  the  Platform          .         .         .         .  15  00 


PRIZES    AND    GRATUITIES    FOR    PLANTS    AND    FLOWERS.    245 


Jacob   W.    Manning,  One   hundred   varieties   of  Hardy   Trees  and 
Shrubs         ....... 

William  C.  Strong,  Foliage  Trees  and  Shrubs  . 
Benjamin  D.  Hill,  Pjeonies         .... 

Miss  Ellen  M.  Harris,  PiEonies  and  Sweet  Williams 

Newton  Cemetery,  Irises  and  Sweet  Williams   . 

Edwin  Sheppard  &  Son,  Pelargoniums,  etc. 

Walter  E.  Coburn,  Pelargoniums 

Nathaniel  T.  Kidder,  Four  Pelargoniums  . 

Richard  T.  Lombard,  Pinks,  etc. 

Neale  Boyle,  Stock  Gilliflower  .... 

William  S.  Ewell  &  Son,  Campanulas,  etc. 
Marshall  B.  Faxon,  Pansies       .... 

R.  &  J.  Farquhar  &  Co.,  Canterbury  Bells  (Dean's  strain 

Jacob  W.  Manning,  Herbaceous  Plants 

Miss  Sarah  M.  Vose,  Basket  of  Flowers    . 

Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill,  Basket  of  Flowers    . 

E.  H.  Hitchings,  Native  Plants  .... 

Mrs.  P.  D.  Richards,  Native  Plants   . 


^5  00 
2  00 
1  00 

1  00 

2  00 
2  00 
1  00 
1  00 
1  00 
1  00 
1  00 

1  00 

2  00 

3  00 
1  00 

1  00 

2  00 
2  00 


July  5. 

LiLiusi  Candidum.  —  Twelve  spikes,  Leverett  M.  Chase 
Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Ividder        .... 
(jrratuities :  — 

John  L.  Gardner,  Delphiniums 

Anthony  McLaren,  "  ..... 

William  C.  Strong,  Iris  Kampferi    .... 

Charles  J.  Dawson,  Poppies        ...... 

Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill,  Basket  of  Flowers  .         .         .         .         , 

Miss  Sarah  M.  Vose,  "  "...., 


4 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

1 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

July  12. 

Hardy  Carnations.  —  Twelve  cut  blooms,  distinct  varieties,  tree 

or  tender  kinds  not  admissible,  Charles  Jackson  Dawson         .  3  00 

Second,  William  C.  Winter 2  00 

Iris  K^mpferi.  —  Fifteen  varieties,  three  of  each,  in  vases,  John 

L.  Gardner 8  00 

Second,  William  C.  Strong 6  00 

Third,  Newton  Cemetery 5  00 

Six  named  varieties,  three  of  each,  in  vases,  John  L.  Gardner       .  4  00 

Second,  William  C.  Strong 3  00 

Basket  of  Flowers.  —  Mrs.  A.  D.  Wood 5  00 

Second,  Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill 4  00 

Vase  or  Flowers.  —  Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill 4  00 

Second,  Mrs.  A.  D.  Wood 3  00 

Herbaceocs  Plants.  —  Jacob  W.  Manning 4  00 


246 


MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTUEAL   SOCIETY. 


Gratuities :  — 

William  C.  Strong,  Irises 

Newton  Cemetery,      "       .         .         .         . 
Edwin  Sheppard  &  Son,  Irises  and  Hollyhocks 
Dr.  C.  G.  Weld,  Hollyhocks,  etc.      . 
Charles  F.  Curtis,         "  .         . 

Joseph  S.  Pay,  " 

John  L.  Gardner,  Gloxinias 

"  "  DendrocMlum  filiforme 

John  Irving,  Candytuft       .... 
Joseph  H.  Woodford,  Two  vases  of  flowers 
Mrs.  P.  D.  Richards,  Wild  Flowers  . 
Walter  E.  Coburn,  "  "         .         . 

E.  H.  Hitchings,  "  "         .         . 

July  19. 

Hollyhocks.  —  Double,  twelve   blooms  of  twelve  distinct   colors 
in  the  Society's  flat  fruit  dishes,  Joseph  S.  Fay 

Second,  Edwin  Sheppard  &  Son  . 
Six  blooms,  of  six  distinct  colors,  Joseph  S.  Fay 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 
Parlor  Bouquet.  — Mrs.  E.  M,  Gill 

Second,  Mrs.  A.  D.  Wood  .... 

Third,  Joseph  H.  Woodford        ... 

Gratuities  :  — 
Edwin  Sheppard  &  Son,  Display  of  Hollyhocks  . 
Charles  F.  Curtis,  "  " 

Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  Display  of  Flowers 
Dr.  C.  G.  Weld,  "  " 

Frederick  S.  Davis,  Poppies       .... 
Walter  E.  Coburn,  Native  Plants  and  Pelargoniums 
Mrs.  P.  D.  Richards,     "  "  ... 


^2  00 
2  00 
2  00 
2  00 
1  00 

1  00 

2  00 
2  00 

1  00 

2  00 
2  00 
1  00 
1  00 


4 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

4 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

2 

00 

2 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

1 

00 

1 

00 

July  26. 
Special  Prize,  offered  by  M.  B.  Faxon. 
Sweet  Peas.  —  For  the  best  Bouquet  or  Vase,  and  best  arranged, 
other  foliage  than  that  of  Sweet  Peas  admissible,  Mrs.  Francis 
B.  Hayes  ........... 


3  00 


Regular  Prizes. 
Gloxinias.  —  Display  of  Cut  Flowers,  John  L.  Gardner  . 

Second,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 

Hydrangeas.  — Pair,  in  tubs  or  pots,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 

Second,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 

Single  plant,  in  tub  or  pot,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld    . 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 


PRIZES    AND    GRATUITIES    FOR    PLANTS    AND    FLOWERS.    247 


Native  Ferns.  —  Best  display,  Mrs.  P.  D.  Richards 

Second,  Walter  E.  Coburn 

Gratuities :  — 

Jackson  Dawson,  Hahenaria  dliaris  and  Epidendrum  odora 

Joseph  S.  Fay,  Collection  of  Hollyhocks    .... 

Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  Cut  Flowers  .... 

E.  H.  Hitchings,  Ferns,  etc. 


$4  00 
3  00 


August  2. 

Sweet  Peas.  —  Display,   filling   thirty   vases,  James  F.  C.  Hyde 

Second, H.  A.  Jones    ..... 

Third,  George  S.  Harwood 
Basket  of  Flowers.  —  Mrs.  A.  D.  Wood 

Second,  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes  . 

Third,  Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill         .... 
Herbaceous  Plants.  —  Jacob  W.  Manning     . 


2 

00 

1 

00 

2 

00 

2  00 

6 

00 

4 

00 

3 

00 

4 

00 

3  00 

2  00 

4 

00 

August  9. 

Perennial  Phloxes.  —  Collection  of  twenty  spikes,  Edwin  Shep- 

pard  &  Son       ..........  5 

Ten  distinct  named  varieties,  Edwin  Sheppard  &  Son     ...  4 

Vase  of  Flowers.  —  Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill 4 

Second,  Mrs.  A.  D.  Wood 3 

Native  Flowers.  —  Collection,  Mrs.  P.  D.  Richards       ...  4 

Second,  Walter  E.  Coburn 3 

Third,  E.  H.  Hitchings 2 

Gratuities :  — 

J.  Warren  Clark,  Gladioli 3 

August  16. 

Gladioli.  — Twenty  named  varieties  in  spikes,  J.  Warren  Clark      .  6  00 

Ten  named  varieties,  in  spikes,  J.  Warren  Clark  ....  3 

Six  named  varieties,  in  spikes,  J.  Warren  Clark    ....  2 

Display   of  named  and   unnamed   varieties,  filling   one  hundred 

vases,  J.  Warren  Clark   ........  6 

Phlox   Drummondi.  —  Thirty   vases,   not   less  than   six  varieties, 

L.  W.  Goodell 4 

Second,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 3 


00 
00 

00 

00 
00 


ANNUAL  EXHIBITION   OF   PLANTS  AND   FLOWERS. 
August  19,  20,  21,  and  22. 
Special  Prizes,  offered  by  IT.   II.   Hunnewell. 
Coniferous  Trees  not  Natives  of  New  England. — Display  in 
pots  or  tubs,  named,  Temple  &  Beard      ..... 
Second,  Jacob  W.  Manning  ....... 


$15  00 
10  00 


248  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICTILTURAL   SOCIETY. 

Special  Prize,  offered  by  R.  ^  J.  Farquhar  ^   Co.,  Boston. 

Annuals.  —  Display,  filling  not  less  than  one  hundred  vases,  Mrs. 

E.  M.  Gill,  a  piece  of  plate,  value $40  00 

Special  Prizes,  from  the  Theodore  Lyman  Fund. 
Floral  Design.  — For  the  best,  and  best  kept  for  three  days,  and 
prizes  awarded  the  last  day,  O.  A.  Buggies,  the  Lyman  plate, 

value 35  00 

Second,  Galvin  Brothers,  the  Lyman  plate,  value       .         .         .       30  00 
Third,  James  Comley,  the  Lyman  plate,  value   .         .         .         .       25  00 

Special  Prospective  Prize,  offered  by  M.  B.  Faxon,  Boston. 

Sweet  Peas.  —  For  the  best  display,  other  foliage  than  that  of 
Sweet  Peas  admissible,  prize  to  be  taken  by  the  same  person 
or  firm  twice  in  three  consecutive  years  :  first  year,  George  S. 
Harwood,  a  silver  vase,  value 25  00 

Special  Prizes,  offered  by  the  Society  of  American  Florists. 

Decokation  of  Mantlepiece  and  Fireplace.  —  For  the  best  ar- 
ranged, David  Allan,  a  piece  of  plate,  value    .         .         .         .       75  00 
Second,  William  E.  Doyle,  a  piece  of  plate,  value      .         .         .       50  00 

Special  Prizes,  offered  by  Abram  French  <5"   Co.,  Boston. 

Dinner  Table  Decoration.  —  For  the  best,  of  flowers,  or  plants 

and  flowers,  William  E.  Doyle,  a  piece  of  plate,  value   .         .       60  00 
Second,  Galvin  Brothers,  a  piece  of  plate,  value        .         .         .       40  00 

Special  Prizes,  offered  by  "  The  American  Florist,"   Chicago. 

Hardy  Herbaceous  Flowers.  —  For  the  best  collection,  named, 
with  foliage,  from  plants  not  having  woody  or  shrubby  stems, 
and  from  all  hardy  bulbs,  filling  one  hundred  vases,  with  not 
less  than  seventy-five  varieties,  Jacob  W.  Manning,  a  piece 
of  plate,  value  .         ,         .         .         .         .         .         .         .       40  00 

Second,  Temple  &  Beard,  a  piece  of  plate,  value         .         .         .       30  00 

Special  Prizes,  offered  by  Henry  A.  Dreer,   Philadelphia. 

Gloxinias.  —  For  the  best  collection  of  the  flowers,  by  Amateur 

Exhibitors,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld,  a  piece  of  plate,  value         .         .        15  00 
Second,  Hon.  Robert  C.  Winthrop,  a  piece  of  plate,  value         .       10  00 

Special  Prizes,  offered  by  the  ^^  American  Agriculturist,"  Neiv   York. 

Ornamental  Foliage.  —  For  the  best  collection,  from  Hardy  Trees 
and  Shrubs,   filling  fifty  vases,   William   C.   Strong,  books, 

value 12  00 

Second,  Temple  &  Beard,  books,  value       .         .         .         .         .         8  00 


PRIZES    AND    GRATUITIES    FOR    PLANTS    AND    FLOWERS.    249 

Special  Prizes,  offered  by  Benjamin   Grey,   Maiden. 

Nymph.eas  and  other  Aquatic  Plants  and  Flowers. — For  the 

best  display,  L.  W.  Gootlcll,  a  piece  of  plate,  value         .         .     .$25  00 
Second,    Fairnian   Rogers,    Newport,   R.I.,  a  piece   of   plate, 
value         ...........       15  00 

Special  Prizes,  offered  by  Siebrecht  ^    Wadley,  New    York. 

Orchids.  —  For  the  best  collection  of  plants  in  bloom,  Frederick  L. 

Ames,  a  piece  of  plate,  value  .         .         .         .         .         .         .       25  00 

Second,  H.  H.  Hunnewell,  a  piece  of  plate,  value      .         .         .       15  00 
Single  plant,  Frederick  L.  Ames,  Lcelia  crispa  superba,  a  piece  of 

plate,  value      ..........       15  00 

Special  Prizes,  offered  by  John  Gardiner  ^  Co.,  Philadelphia. 

Gladioli. — For  the  best  collection,  filling  one  hundred  vases,  J. 

Warren  Clark,  a  piece  of  plate,  value      .         .         .         .         .       25  00 
Second,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld,  a  piece  of  plate,  value  .         .         .       15  00 

Special  Prizes,  offered  by  the  Society. 

Palms.  —  Pair,  in  tubs  not  less  than  twenty-four  inches  in  diameter, 

H.  H.  Hunnewell 15  00 

Second,  Joseph  H.  White 10  00 

Pair,  in  tubs  not  less  than  twenty  inches  in  diameter,  Joseph  H. 

White 12  00 

Pair,  in  tubs  not  less  than  sixteen  inches  in  diameter,  Joseph  H. 

Wiiite 10  00 

Pair,  in  tubs  not  less  than  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  Frederick  L. 

Ames 8  00 

Second,  Joseph  H.  White    . 5  00 

Regular   Prizes. 

Stove  and  Greenhouse  Plants.  —  Six  distinct  named  varieties, 

two  Crotons  admissible,  H.  H.  Hunnewell        .         .         .         .       30  00 

Second,  John  L.  Gardner 25  00 

Third,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 20  00 

Single  plant,  for  table  decoration,  dressed  at  the  base,  only  one 

entry  admissible,  the  second  prize  to  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder       .         8  00 

Third,  John  L.  Gardner 6  00 

Specimen  Flowering  Plant.  —  Single  named  variety,  Joseph  H. 

White 8  00 

Second,  John  L.  Gardner 6  00 

Ornamental  Leaved  Plants.  —  Six  named  varieties    not  offered 
in  the  collection  of  greenhouse  plants,  Crotons  and  Dracasnas 

not  admissible,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 20  00 

Second,  Joseph  H.  White 15  00 


250 


MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 


Single  specimen,  variegated,  named,  not  offered  in  any  collection, 

Frederick  L.  Ames $6  00 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 5  00 

Third,  George  A.  Nickerson        .......  4  00 

Caladiums.  —  Six  named  varieties,  H.  H.  Hunnewell       .         .         .  6  00 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 4  00 

Ferns.  —  Six  named  varieties,  no  Adiantums  admissible,  Nathaniel 

T.  Kidder 10  00 

Second,  Frederick  L.  Ames         .......  8  00 

Third,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 6  00 

Adiantums.  —  Five  named  varieties,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder         .         .  8  00 

Second,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 5  00 

Tree  Fern.  —  Single  specimen  named,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld          .         .  10  00 

Second,  Joseph  H.  White 8  00 

Ltcopods.  — Four  named  varieties,  Natlianiel  T.  Kidder          .         .  5  00 

Second,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 4  00 

Drac^nas.  —  Six  named  varieties,  H.  H.  Hunnewell       .         .         .  8  00 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 6  00 

Ckotons.  —  Six  named  varieties,  in  not  less  than  twelve-inch  pots, 

Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 10  00 

Six  in  six-inch  pots.  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 6  00 

Second,  Johi*L.  Gardner     ........  5  00 

Third,  George  A.  Nickerson        .......  2  00 

Ctcad.  —  Single  plant,  named,  Joseph  H.  White      .         .         .         .  10  00 

Second,  Joseph  H.  White 8  00 

Nepenthes.  —  Three  plants,  named,  Frederick  L.  Ames  .         .         .  6  00 

Second,  John  L.  Gardner    ........  5  00 

Orchids.  —  Six  plants,    named  varieties,  in  bloom,  Frederick  L. 

Ames 12  00 

Second,  John  L.  Gardner    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  10  00 

Three  plants,  named  varieties,  in  bloom,  Frederick  L.  Ames          .  8  00 

Single  plant  in  bloom,  Frederick  L.  Ames      .         .         .         .         .  4  00 

Second,  H.  H.  Hunnewell 3  00 


Gratuities  :  — 
Frank  Becker,  Display  of  Plants  on  the  platform 
William  E.  Doyle,      " 
Thomas  Clark,  Plants  .... 

George  McWilliam,  Plants 
Dr.  C.  G.  Weld,  Plants  .... 
George  A.  Nickerson,  Plants 
Botanic  Garden,  Cambridge,  Plants  . 
John  L.  Gardner,  Stove  and  Greenhouse  Plants 
Robert  C  Winthrop,  Plants 
David  Allan,  Anthuriums,  etc.  . 
John  L.  Gardner,  Agapanthus  and  Hydrangeas  . 
Joseph  II.  White,  Monstera  and  other  Plants 


25  00 

25  00 

20  00 

15  00 

10  00 

10  00 

10  00 

10  00 

5  00 

5  00 

5  00 

5  00 


PRIZES    AND    GRATUITIES    FOR    PLANTS    AND    FLOWERS.    251 

William  Patterson,  Caladiums,  etc §2  00 

Fisher  Brothers,  Ferns,  etc 2  00 

Albert  Scott,  Begonias 2  00 

Benjamin  Grey,  Nymphaeas         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  20  00 

E.  D.  Sturtevant,  Bordentown,  N.J.,  Nelumbiums    .         .         .         .  5  00 

Chipman  Brothers,  Pink  Pond  Lilies  .......  3  00 

Denys  Zirngiebel,  Asters    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  10  00 

Mrs.  P.  D.  Richards,  Native  Flowers 2  00 

Jacob  W.  Manning,  Native  Ferns 1  00 

August  30. 

Special  Prize,  offered  by  Marshall  B.  Faxon. 

Asters. —  For  the  best  display  of  Cut  Flowers,  filling  twenty-five  of 

the  Society's  glass  vases,  Mrs.  Mary  T.  Goddard  .         .         .  4  00 

Regular  Prizes. 

Asters.  —  Truffaut's  Paeony  Flowered,  thirty  blooms,  not  less  than 

twelve  varieties,  the  second  prize  to  Mrs.  Mary  T.  Goddard  .  4  00 

Third,  William  Patterson 3  00 

Victoria  Flowered,  thirty  blooms,  not  less  than  twelve  varieties, 

Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes     ........  5  00 

Second,  William  Patterson  .......  4  00 

LiLiUM  Lancifohum.  —  Collection,  the  second  prize  to  Mrs.  E.  M. 

Gill 2  00 

Basket  of  Flowers.  — Mrs.  A.  D.  Wood       .         .         .         .         .  4  00 

Second,  Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill 3  00 

September  6. 

Special  Prize,  offered  by  Marshall  B.  Faxon. 

TROPiEOLUMS.  —  For  the  best  display,  filling  twenty  of  the  Society's 

glass  vases,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 3  00 

Regular  Prizes. 

Double  Zinnias.  —  Twenty-five  flowers,  not  less  than  six  varieties, 

Frederick  L.  Davis 4  00 

Second,  Nellie  B.  Cook 8  00 

Third,  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes 2  00 

Dianthus.  —  Collection  of  Annual  and  Biennial  varieties,  filling  fifty 

bottles,  L.  W.  Goodell 4  00 

Third,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 2  00 

Herbaceous  Plants.  —  Jacob  W.  Manning 4  00 

Gratuity :  — 
Benjamin  Grey,  Nymphseas,  etc.       .......        8  00 


252  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

CHRYSANTHEMUM   SHOW. 

November  11,  12,  13,  and  14. 
Special  Prizes,  from  the  Josiah  Bradlee  Fund. 

Chrysanthemums.  —  Fifty  blooms,  S.  J.  Coleman,  the  Bradlee  plate, 

value $30  00 

Fifty  blooms,  viz.,  thirty  Japanese,  ten  Chinese,  and  ten  Anemone, 

Joseph  H.  White,  the  Bradlee  plate,  value       .         .         .         .       20  00 

Special  Prizes,  offered  by  the  Society. 

Best  Seedling  of  1889.  —  The  Second  prize  to  S.  J.  Coleman,  for 

Albert  Henry 5  00 

Third,  Joseph  H.  White,  for  Mrs.  J.  H.  White  .         .         .         .         4  00 

Regvlar  Prizes. 

Display  of   twenty  named  plants,  all  classes,  distinct  varieties, 

Walter  Hunnewell 60  00 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 50  00 

Third,  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes 40  00 

Display  of  twelve  named  plants,  all  classes,  distinct  varieties,  Mrs. 

Francis  B.  Hayes 40  00 

Six   Japanese,    distinct    named    varieties,   the    second    prize    to 

Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 15  00 

Third,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 10  00 

Six  plants.  Large  Flowered  Chinese,  in  not  over  eight-incli  pots, 
distinct  varieties,  bearing  not  more  than   four  blooms  each, 

the  second  prize  to  the  Bussey  Institution         .         .         .         .  8  00 

Six  Japanese,  in  not  over  eight-inch  pots,  distinct  named  varieties, 

bearing  not  more  than  four  blooms  each,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld       .  10  00 

Second,  the  Bussey  Institution    .......  8  00 

Specimen,  Incurved,  or  Chinese,  named  variety.    Dr.  Henry  P. 

Walcott 6  00 

Second,  Walter  Hunnewell           .......  5  00 

Specimen  Japanese,  named  variety,  Walter  Hunnewell          .         .  6  00 

Second,  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes 5  00 

Third,  Dr.  Henry  P.  Walcott 4  00 

Specimen  Pompon,  named  variety,  Dr.  Henry  P.  Walcott      .         .  5  00 

Second,  Walter  Hunnewell           .......  4  00 

Specimen  Anemone,  named  variety,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder       .         .  (5  00 

Second,  Walter  Hunnewell 5  00 

Specimen  trained  Standard,  any  class,  named,  Nathaniel  T.  Kid- 
der     8  00 

Second,  Joseph  H.  White 6  00 

Third,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 5  00 


PRIZES    AND    GRATUITIES    FOR    PLANTS    AND    FLOWERS.    253 


Twelve  cut  blooms,  Large  Flowered,  or  Chinese,  named,  in  vases, 
E.  A.  Wood 

Second,  Kichard  T.  Lombard 

Third,  Patrick  Malley 

Twelve  cut  blooms,  Japanese,  named,  in  vases,  Joseph  II.  White, 

Second,  E.  A.  Wood    .,,...... 

Third,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 

Six  cut  blooms.  Large  Flowered,  or  Chinese,  named,  in  vases, 
Joseph  H.  White 

Second,  the  Bussey  Institution    ....... 

Third,  Kichard  T.  Lombard 

Six  cut  blooms,  Japanese,  named,  in  vases,  E.  A.  Wood 

Second,  Dr.  C.  G.  Weld 

Third,  George  B.  Gill 

Display  of  cut  blooms,  of  all  classes,  filling  fifty  vases,  Mrs.  Fran- 
cis B.  Hayes     .......... 

Second,  Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill 

Third,  Joseph  H.  White 

Fourth,  Mrs.  A.  D.  Wood 


no 

00 

8 

00 

4 

00 

10 

00 

8 

00 

i 

00 

6 

00 

4 

00 

2 

00 

6 

00 

4 

00 

2 

00 

12 

00 

10 

00 

8 

00 

6  00 

Gratuities  :  — 

Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  Display  of  Chrysanthemums  in  pots  (thirty 
five  plants)        ......... 

The  Bussey  Institution,      "  "  "  "       " 

William  H.  Elliott,  «'  "  "  "       " 

Joseph  S.  Fay,  "  "  "  "      " 

Norris  T.  Comley,  "  "     Seedling  Chrysanthemums 

Arend  Brandt,  Newport,  R.I.,  Display  of-  Seedling  Chrysanthe 
mums        ........ 

Miss  Jennie  W.  May,  Chrysanthemums  of  Open  Culture 

George  Hollis,  Chrysanthemums  in  vases  . 

Richard  T.  Lombard,     "  "       "       . 

George  M.  Anderson,     "  "       "      .         .         . 

Galvin  Brothers,  Display  on  the  Platform,  Lower  Hall 

William  E.  Doyle,    "         "     "  "  Upper  Hall 

Norton  Brothers,      "        of  Plants  and  Flowers 

Edward  Butler,  Orchid,  Stanhopea  oculata 

C.  V.  Whitten,  Tea  Rose  Mme.  Hoste 

Edmund  M.  Wood  &  Co.,  Five  vases  of  Tea  Roses 

Azell  C.  Bowditch,  Vase  of  La  France  Roses     . 

Galvin  Brothers,  Display  of  Carnations 

Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  Cut  Flowers 


15 

00 

10 

00 

5 

00 

3 

00 

4 

00 

2 

00 

2 

00 

2 

00 

2 

00 

2 

00 

25 

00 

20 

00 

6 

00 

5 

00 

1 

00 

3 

00 

1 

00 

2 

00 

3 

00 

254  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 


SOCIETY'S   GOLD    MEDAL. 

June  14.     Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  Display  of  Rhododendrons  and  Azaleas, 
five  hundred  blooms,  one  hundred  varieties. 

SILVER   APPLETON   MEDALS. 

Chrysanthemum   Show,   Nov.    11-14.     Henry  A.   Gane,   Superior  Seedling 

Chrysanthemums. 
December  31.     Jacob  W.  Manning.     Having  taken  all  the  First  Prizes  of  the 

year  for  exhibits  of  Herbaceous  Plants. 

SOCIETY'S    SILVER   MEDALS. 

May  Exhibition,  May  10.     A.  W.  Spencer,  Orchid,  Anguloa  Clowesii. 

July  19.     Joseph  S.  Fay,  Display  of  Hollyhocks. 

Annual  Exhibition  of  Plants  and  Flowers,  August  19-22.     George  A.  Nicker- 

son,  Croton,  Queen  Victoria. 
Annual  Exhibition  of  Plants  and  Flowers,  August  19-22.     Robert  Cameron, 

Collection  of  Cacti. 
Annual  Exhibition  of  Plants  and  Flowers,  August  19-22.     George  McWil- 

liam,  Variegated  Alocasias. 
Annual  Exhibition  of  Plants  and  Flowers,  August  19-22.     William  R.  Smith, 

Washington,  D.C.,  Carnivorous  Plants. 
September  6.     Pitcher  &  Manda,  Short  Hills,  N.J.,   Cypi'ipedium  Arnoldi- 

anum,  C.   Veitchii,  and  C.  concolor. 
Chrysanthemum  Show,  November  11-13.     Arthur  H.  Fewkes,  Best  Seedling 

Chrysanthemum  of  1889. 
"  "  "  "  T.  D.  Hatfield,  Superior  cultiva- 

tion  of    the     Chrysanthemum 
Mrs.  Alpheus  Hardy. 
"  "  "  "  S.  J.  Coleman,  superior  cultiva- 

tion of  Chrysanthemums. 
"  "  "  "  E.  M.  Wood  &  Co.,  New  Rose, 

AVaban. 
"  "  "  "  Richard  Gardner,  Newport,  R.I., 

New  Seedling  Calanthe,  a 
cross  between  C  vestita  and  C. 
vestita  rubro-oculata. 

FIRST   CLASS   CERTIFICATES   OF   MERIT. 
January  4.     John  L.  Gardner,  Kalanchoe  carnea. 

Spring  Exhibition,  March  26-28.     Jackson  Dawson,  superior  cultivation  of 

Cypripedium  acaule. 
"  "  "  "        Ernest  Asmus,  West  Hoboken,  N.J.,  New 

Yellow  Rose,  Mme.  Hoste. 
April  12.     Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  Seedling  Rhododendron  William  Power 
Wilson,  entered  for  Prospective  Prize. 


PRIZES    AND    GRATUITIES    FOR    PLANTS    AND    FLOWERS.    255 

May  Exhibition,  May  10.     Jacob  W.  Manning,  Spircea  astilboides. 
Rhododendron  Show,  June  7.     John  L.  Gardner,  Utricularia  nelumhifolia. 
"  "  "       "     Mrs.    Francis    B.    Hayes,  Begonia   prcecox 

superba. 
July  19.     William  E.  Endicott,  Gladiolus  President  Carnot. 
"    26.     John  L.  Gardner,  Gladiolus  Jolin  Laing. 
"     ♦'  "      "         "  "  Lainartine. 

August  9.     "William  E.  Endicott,  Seedling  Gladiolus,  Kehydius. 

"    30.     Joseph  T.  Comley,  Seedling  Gladiolus,  Eclaireus. 
September  6.     Botanic  Garden,  Cambridge,  Cereus  triangularis. 
Chrysanthemum  Show,  November  11-13.     George  B.  Gill,  Chrysanthemum 

sport,  Mrs.  Dudley  C.  Hall. 
"  "  "  "  John   McGowan,  Orange,    N.J., 

White    Carnation,    Lizzie    Mc- 
Gowan. 

HONORABLE   MENTION. 
Rose  Exhibition,  June  24-25.     R.  &  J.  Farquhar,  Annual  Carnation. 
July  26.     J,  Warren  Clark,  Seedling  Gladioli. 
September  6.     Dr.  C.  G.  Weld,  CyHanthus  hybridus. 
"  "     Thomas  Cox,  Seedling  Gladiolus. 

"  "     Botanic  Garden,  Cambridge,  Collection  of  Herbaceous  Plants. 

Chrysanthemum  Show,  November  11-13.     T.  H.  Spaulding,  Orange,  N.J., 

Seedling   Chrysanthemum,   D. 
D.  Farson. 
"  "  "  "  John  McGowan,  Orange,    N.J., 

Yellow      Carnation,      Louise 
Porsch. 
"  "  "  "  Lathrop      Wright,       Carnation 

Helen  Galvin. 


REPORT 


COMMITTEE    ON    FRUITS, 


FOR    THE    TEAR   1890. 


Br  E.   W.  WOOD,   Chairman. 


The  season  opened  favorably  for  the  fruit  crop,  the  vines, 
shrubs,  and  trees  having  suffered  little  or  no  injury  during  the 
winter;  the  mild  weather  in  the  early  spring  encouraged  a  strong, 
vigorous  growth  ;  the  fruit  buds  on  the  peach  trees  had  been  less 
injured  than  for  several  years,  and,  it  being  tlie  bearing  year  for 
the  apple  in  this  State,  the  prospect  had  seldom  looked  more 
favorable  for  an  abundant  fruit  crop. 

The  apple  trees  bloomed  profusely,  and  there  was  a  full  average 
bloom  among  the  pears  ;  but  it  was  noticed  after  the  blossoms  had 
fallen  that  a  comparatively  small  amount  of  fruit  had  set.  In 
some  places  the  apple  showed  little  or  no  fruit  at  all.  Among  the 
pears  some  varieties  seemed  to  be  much  more  unfavorably  afiected 
than  others.  There  was  a  full  average  crop  of  Bartletts  and 
Seckels.  It  will  be  remembered  that  during  the  time  the  apple  and 
pear  trees  were  in  bloom  we  had  almost  continuous  cold  storms, 
which  would  seem  to  be  the  only  unusual  atmospheric  condition  to 
affect  unfavorably  these  two  species  of  fruit. 

Notwithstanding  the  partial  failure  of  two  of  our  most  impor- 
tant fruits,  our  exhibits,  taken  as  a  whole,  have  seldom,  if  ever, 
been  better  than  during  the  past  year.  They  have  been  fully  up 
to  the  average  in  quantity  and  superior  in  quality. 


RErORT    OF    THE    COMMITTEE    ON   FRUITS.  257 

The  Strawberry  Show  was  more  than  usually  successful ;  the 
competition  was  earnest  and  close,  especially  for  the  larger  prizes. 
While  several  past  favorites  have  disappeared  from  our  tables, 
new  varieties  have  taken  their  places,  and  the  interest  in  seed- 
lings and  the  practice  of  growing  them  are  constantlv  increasing, 
and  several  promising  new  ones  were  shown  at  this  exhibition. 
Messrs.  Campbell  &  Gowing  showed  on  June  21  a  new  seedling 
variety  which  very  closely  resembled  the  Jewell  in  size,  form,  and 
color ;  but  they  claimed  that  it  is  some  ten  days  earlier,  and  that 
the  berries  shown  were  among  the  last  picked  from  the  vines,  and 
they  were  unable  to  show  any  specimens  at  the  Rose  and  Straw- 
berry Exhibition  on  the  24th  and  25th.  Unless  these  were  grown 
in  an  exceptionally  warm  situation  this  new  variety  bids  fair  to 
meet  the  demand  of  the  market-growers,  who  have  long  felt  the 
need  of  a  large-sized,  early  variety,  thus  extending  the  season 
and  furnishing  what  the  trade  demands  —  large-sized,  handsome 
fruit.  Benjamin  M.  Smith  showed  a  seedling  from  Miner's 
Prolific,  which  he  has  named  the  Beverly,  from  the  town  where 
it  originated.  It  resembled  the  parent  very  closely,  but  was 
somewhat  larger  in  size,  and,  as  grown  by  Mr.  Smith,  was  a 
strong,  vigorous  plant,  and  very  productive.  Among  the  recently 
introduced  varieties  that  seemed  the  most  promising  were  the 
Jessie,  Bubach,  Louise,  and  Crawford. 

There  has  been  the  usual  quantity  of  summer  fruits  shown  at 
the  weekly  exhibitions,  and  the  quality  has  been  above  the 
average.  The  Currant  has  generally  been  a  partial,  and  in  some 
places  a  total,  failure  the  past  season,  and  those  who  were  so 
fortunate  as  to  have  a  crop,  realized  about  double  the  usual  prices 
for  them.  There  were  no  new  varieties  of  Raspberries  or  Black- 
berries shown,  the  Dorchester,  as  usual,  carrying  off  most  of  the 
prizes  for  the  latter.  The  fruit  growers  in  this  vicinity  give  less 
attention  to  these  two  species  of  fruit,  in  proportion  to  their 
merit,  than  to  any  others.  Their  liability  to  winter-killing,  and 
the  consequent  failure  of  a  crop,  prevents  their  more  general  cul- 
tivation. 

At  the  Plant  and  Flower  Show  held  at  Music  Hall  in  August, 
prizes  were  awarded  for  fruit,  amounting  to  one  hundred  and  five 
dollars.  This  amount  was  not  taken  from  the  appropriation  made 
by  the  Society,  but  was  contributed  by  private  individuals. 

At  the  annual  exhibition  in   September  a  most  interesting  and 


258  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

instructive  exhibit  was  made  by  the  Horticultural  Department 
of  the  Agricultural  College  at  Amherst.  Very  careful  experiments 
have  been  made  there  in  the  application,  by  spraying,  of  the  so- 
called  Bordeaux  mixture  to  the  grape  vine,  to  prevent  mildew. 
The  application  has  been  made  where  there  were  duplicate  vines 
of  the  same  variety  growing  side  by  side,  upon  one  vine  only,  and 
where  there  was  a  single  vine  upon  a  portion  of  it,  and  branches 
of  the  vines,  with  fruit  and  foliage  attached,  were  exhibited,  show- 
ing a  ver}^  marked  improvement  in  both  fruit  and  foliage  where  the 
mixture  had  been  applied. 

Another  interesting  feature  of  this  exhibition  was  from  Dr. 
Jabez  Fisher,  who  showed  sample  bunches  of  Concord  grapes,  all 
from  the  same  vine,  one-half  of  which  had  been  girdled.  The 
berries  from  the  girdled  portion  of  the  vine  were  about  one-third 
larger  than  those  from  the  part  not  girdled  and  fully  ripe,  while 
the  fruit  from  the  other  portion  of  the  vine  was  not  even  fully 
colored.  There  were  also  several  bunches  of  Eaton  and  Worden 
from  girdled  vines  showing  the  same  result. 

As  we  were  to  have  only  fruits  and  vegetables  at  the  September 
exhibition,  thus  affording  very  much  more  space  than  has  hereto- 
fore been  thus  occupied,  the  Committee  decided  to  invite  some  of 
the  largest  dealers  in  preserved  fruits  to  make  an  exhibit.  With- 
in the  last  few  years  the  improvement  in  the  methods  of  preserv- 
ing fruits  has  been  greater  than  in  growing  them,  and  the  business 
has  been  very  largely  increased.  It  is  estimated  that  within  the 
circle  limited  by  a  radius  of  forty  miles  around  the  city  of 
Rochester,  N.Y.,  there  have  been  some  years  in  which  more  than 
six  miUion  bushels  of  apples  have  been  evaporated. 

Some  fifteen  years  ago,  when  the  export  of  green  fruit  was  very 
considerably  increased,  leading  horticulturists  thought  the  ques- 
tion of  how  to  dispose  of  an  abundant  crop  was  solved.  But 
here  we  have  iu  this  limited  area  around  Rochester  a  consump- 
tion of  fruit  larger  than  all  the  green  fruit  exported  from  the 
whole  country. 

The  Royal  Horticultural  Society  of  London  has  recently  held  a 
four  days'  exhibition,  confined  entirely  to  preserved  fruits.  We 
found  upon  soliciting  contributions  in  September,  that  it  was  the 
most  unfavorable  time  in  the  year,  as  the  dealers  had  on  hand  only 
the  stock  they  had  carried  over,  expecting  to  receive  their  new 
stock  later  in  the  season  ;  but  Messrs.  S.  S.  Pierce  &  Co.  and  George 


REPORT    OF   THE    COMMITTEE   ON   FRUITS.  259 

Johnson  &  Co.  made  very  handsome  displays,  which  proved  of 
mnch  interest  to  visitors.  With  more  time  and  a  more  extended 
display  of  all  kinds  of  canned  and  evaporated  fruits,  both 
growers  and  consumers  would  be   equally  interested. 

The  fruit  exhibits  on  the  first  Saturdays  of  October  and  No- 
vember, as  heretofore,  were  much  better  in  quality  than  at  the 
Annual  Exhibition.  The  fall  and  winter  fruits  were  then  in  perfec- 
tion. The  show  of  apples  at  the  last  exhibition,  considering  the 
season,  was  remarlcably  good.  Several  plates  of  Northern  Spy 
were  shown  which  were  superior  to  any  previously  exhibited  with- 
in the  remembrance  of  the  Committee. 

There  have  been  more  peaches  shown  this  season  than  for 
several  years,  and  a  verj'  large  proportion  of  them  were  seedling 
varieties.  Remarkably  fine  specimens  of  Crawford's  Late,  grown 
under  glass,  were  exhibited  by  D.  B.  Fearing,  Newport,  R.I., 
some  of  them  measuring  twelve  inches  in  circumference. 

Plums  have  been  shown  in  less  quantity  than  previously,  and 
there  is  little  probability  of  any  considerable  increase  until  some 
effectual  means  have  been  discovered  to  prevent  injury  to  the 
trees  by  the  black  wart. 

The  Committee  have  awarded  in  prizes  and  gratuities  the  sum  of 
$1,617,  leaving  an  unexpended  balance  of  $83. 

In  closing  their  report  the  Committee  feel  that  the}'  can  congrat- 
ulate the  growers  upon  the  general  results  of  the  year's  work. 
"While  there  have  been  partial  failures  in  some  lines,  the  prices 
received  through  the  season  will  make  a  full  average  showing  on 
the  right  side  of  the  balance-sheet. 

E.  W.  Wood,        \ 
O.  B.  Had  WEN,      I    Committee 
C.  F.  Curtis,  \  on 

Sam'l.  Hartwell,  I        Fruits. 
Warren  Fenno,      I 


PRIZES    AND  GRATUITIES  AWARDED  FOR  FRUITS. 


SPRING  EXHIBITION. 

March  26,  27,  and  28. 

Winter  Apples.  — Any  variety,   William  T.   Hall,  Northern   Spy,  $3  00 

Second,  Warren  S.  Frost,  Baldwin 2  00 

Winter  Pears. — C.  A.  Smith,  Anjou      .         .         .         .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  Edwin  A.  Hall,  Winter  Nelis 2  00 

Strawberries.  —  Cephas  H.  Brackett,  Sharpless    .         .         .         .  3  00 

Gratuity:  — 
Asa  Clement,  Apples 1  00 

Jdne  7. 
Oratuity  :  — ■ 
Winter  Brothers,  Foreign  Grapes 2  00 

June  14. 
Gratuities :  — 

Leonard  W.  Weston,  Crescent  Strawberries 1  00 

William  Doran  &  Son,  Downing        "  1  00 

June  21. 
Gratuities :  — 

Charles  N.  Brackett,  Strawberries 1  00 

Charles  E.  Grant,  '♦  1  00 

Campbell  &  Gowing,  Seedling  Strawberries 1  00 

William  G.  Prescott,        "  "  1  00 


ROSE  AND   STRAWBERRY  EXHIBITION. 

June  24  and  25. 

Special  Prizes  from  the    Theodore   Lyman  Fund. 

Strawberries.  — For  the  best  four  quarts  of  any  variety,  Samuel 

Barnard,  Jewell,  the  Lyman  Plate,  value         .         .         .         .  20  00 

Second,  Varnum  Frost,  Belmont,  the  Lyman  Plate,  value  .  16  00 

Third,  Artemas  Frost,  Belmont,  the  Lyman  Plate,  value   .         .  12  00 


PRIZES   AND   GRATUITIES   FOR   FRUITS. 


261 


Special   Prizes  offered  hy  the  Society. 
For   the  best  two  quarts  of  any  variety,  to  be  judged  by  points, 

Winter  Brothers,  Henderson $6  00 

Second,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son,  Bay  State  .         .         .         .         5  00 

Third,  John  B.  Burgess,  Burgess  Seedling  .  ,         ,         .         4  00 

Fourth,  Isaac  E.  Coburn,  Jessie  .         .         .         .         ,         .         3  00 

For  the  best  exhibition  of  a  Seedling  Strawberry  introduced  with- 
in the  last  five  years,  Benjamin  M.  Smith,  for  the  Beverly,  Silver  Medal. 


Regular  Prizes. 
For  the  largest  and  best  collection,  not  less  than  twenty  baskets, 
of  two  quarts  each,  and  not  less  than  five  varieties,  Samuel 
Barnard   ........... 

Ten  baskets   of  one  variety,  two  quarts  each,  Samuel  Barnard, 
Jewell      ,...., 

Second,  Varnum  Frost,  Belmont 

Third,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son,  Belmont 
Five  baskets  of  one  variety,  two   quarts  each,  Isaac  E.  Coburn 
Jessie        ..... 

Second,  Varnum  Frost,  Belmont 

Third,  William  Doran  &  Son,  Sharpl 
Two  quarts  of  Belmont,  Varnum  Frost 

Second,  George  F.  Wheeler 

Third,  Charles  N.  Brackett 
Bidwell,  Isaac  E.  Coburn 

Second,  Samuel  Barnard 
Champion,  A.  B.  Howard 

Second,  Samuel  Barnard 

Third,  George  F.  Wheeler 
Charles  Downing,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 

Second,  Charles  E.  Grant    . 

Third,  William  Doran  &  Son 
Crescent,  Leonard  W.  Weston 

Second,  Isaac  E.  Coburn     . 
Cumberland,  George  F.  Wheeler 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 

Third,  Winter  Brothers 
Jewell,  Samuel  Barnard 

Second,  Isaac  E.  Coburn     . 
May  King,  Samuel  Barnard    . 

Second,  Isaac  E.  Coburn     . 

Third,  George  F.  Wheeler 
Miner's  Prolific,  Isaac  E.  Coburn 

Second,  George  F.  Wheeler 

Third,  Samuel  Barnard 
Sharpless,  Samuel  Barnard     . 


25  00 


15  00 

10 

00 

8 

00 

8 

00 

6 

00 

5 

00 

4  00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

4  00 

3 

00 

4 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

4 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

4 

00 

3 

00 

4 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

4 

00 

3 

00 

4 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

4 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

4  00 

262  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Wilder,  the  second  prize  to  "Winter  Brotliers  ..... 

Two  quarts  of  any  other  variety,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder,  Jessie 
Second,  Samuel  Barnard,  Parry  ....... 

Third,  A.  B.  Howard,  Jessie         ....... 

Collection  of  not  less  than  six  varieties,  one  quart  each,  Samuel 
Barnard    ........... 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder       ....... 

One  quart  of  any  new  variety,  Charles  N.  Brackett,  Louise  . 
Second,  Campbell  &  Gowing,  Seedling        ..... 

Cherries. — Two    quarts    of    any    variety,    Oliver    R.    Robbins, 
Black  Tartarian        ......... 

Second,  Edwin  Hastings,  Black  Tartarian  ..... 

Foreign  Grapes.  —  Two  bunches  of  any  variety,  Joseph  H.  White, 
Black  Hamburg        ......... 

Second,  Winter  Brothers,  Black  Hamburg  .... 

Forced  Peaches.  —  Six  specimens  of  any  variety,  Winter  Brothers, 
Waterloo  .         ... 

Second,  Winter  Brothers,  Amsden      ...... 

Gratuitiss :  — 
George  V.  Fletcher,  Strawberries      . 
C.  S.  Pratt,  "  ... 

Charles  E.  Grant,  "  ... 

Samuel  H.  Warren,  Crawford  Strawberries 
A.  B.  Howard,  Seedling  Strawberries 
George  Johnson  &  Co.,  Grapes  on  vine 

June  28. 
Gratuities :  — 

William  Doran  &  Son,  Sharpless  Strawberries  .  .  .  .  .  1  00 
E.  W.  Howe,  Red  and  White  Wood  Strawberries  .  .  .  .  1  00 
Charles  N.  Brackett,  Cherries 1  00 

JULT   5. 

Strawberries.  —  One   quart   of  any  variety,   Benjamin  M.  Smith, 
Beverly    ........... 

Second,  Charles  E.  Grant,  Longfellow         ..... 

Cherries.  —  Two  quarts  of  Black  Tartarian,  Charles  F.  Curtis 
Two  quarts  of  Downer's  Late,  Charles  F.  Curtis     .... 

Two  quarts  of  any  other  variety,  John  L.  Bird,  Napoleon  Bigar- 
reau  ........... 

Second,  Marshall  W.  Chadbourne,  White  Heart 
Third,  "  "  "  Governor  Wood  . 

July  12. 
Cherries.  —  Two  quarts  of  Black  Tartarian,  Leverett  M.  Chase 
Two  quarts  of  Downer's  Late,  Charles  N.  Brackett 


83  00 

4 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

8 

00 

6 

00 

3 

00 

2  00 

4 

00 

3 

00 

6  00 

4 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

6 

00 

4 

00 

1 

00 

1 

00 

1 

00 

2 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

3 

00 

3 

00 

3 

00 

2  00 

1 

00 

3 

00 

3 

00 

PRIZES    AND    GRATUITIES    FOR    FRUITS.  263 

Two  quarts   of  any   other   variety,    Charles    F.   Curtis,    Hyde's 

Black $3  00 

Second,  Marshall  \V.  Chadbourne,  White  Heart          .         .         .  2  00 

Third,  Leverett  M.  Chase,  Seedling 1  00 

Raspberries.  — Two  quarts  of  any  variety,  Charles  E.  Grant,  Cuth- 

bert 3  00 

Second,  William  Doran  &  Son,  Highland  Hardy         .         .         .  2  00 
Currants. — Two  quarts    of  any  Red   variety,  Benjamin  G.  Smith, 

Versaillaise       ..........  4  00 

Second,  Benjamin  G.  Smith,  Fay's 3  00 

Third,  William  Doran  &  Son,  Versaillaise           .         .         .         .  2  00 
Two  quarts    of  any   White  variety,  Benjamin  G.  Smith,    Trans- 
parent         3  00 

Second,  Benjamin  G.  Smith,  White  Gondouin    .         .         .        .  2  00 

Gratuities  :  — 

William  G.  Prescott,  Golden  Queen  Raspberries        .         .         .         .  1  00 

Joseph  H.  Woodford,  Gooseberries    .......  1  00 

Winter  Brothers,  Grapes  and  Peaches 2  00 

July  19. 
Raspberries.  —  Collection   of   not   less  than   four   varieties,   two 

quarts  each,  William  Doran  &  Son          .         .         .         .         .  4  00 

Two  quarts  of  any  variety,  Charles  E.  Grant,  Cuthbert          .         .  3  00 

Second,  William  Doran  &  Son,  Red  Antwerp      .         .         .         .  2  00 

Currants.  —  One  quart  of  Versaillaise,  William  Doran  &  Son         .  2  00 

Second,  Benjamin  G.  Smith 1  00 

One  quart  of  anj'  other  Red  variety,    Benjamin  M.    Smith,  Fay's 

Prolific - 2  00 

Second,  Benjamin  G.  Smith,  Fay's  Prolific          .         .         .         .  1  00 
One    quart    of  any  White  variety,   Benjamin   G.   Smith,   Trans- 
parent         2  00 

Second,  Benjamin  G.  Smith,  White  Gondouin    .         .         .         .  1  00 

Gratuities :  — 

Charles  N.  Brackett,  Cherries 1  00 

Marshall  W.  Chadbourne,  Cherries  and  Currants       .         .         .         .  1  00 

Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill,                         "           "           "             ....  1  00 

Joseph  S.  Chase,  Gooseberries 1  00 

July  26. 
Raspberries. — Two  quarts  of  any  variety,  William  Doran  &  Son, 

Red  Antwerp 3  00 

Second,  Charles  E.  Grant,  Cuthbert 2  00 

Currants.  —  One  quart  of  any  Red  variety,  Benjamin  G.  Smith, 

Versaillaise       ..........  3  00 

Second,  Benjamin  G.   Smith,  Fay's  Prolific         .         .         .         .  2  00 

Third,  Benjamin  M.  Smith,         "           "                ....  1  00 


264 


MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY 


One  quart  of    any   "White  variety,   Benjamin    G.    Smith,  Trans- 
parent         •      .         .  §2  00 

Second,  Winter  Brothers,  White  Grape      .         .         .         .         .  1  00 
Blackberries.  —  Two  quarts  of  any  variety,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder, 

Dorchester 3  00 

Second,  Marshall  W.  Chadbourne,  Dorchester  .         .         .         .  2  00 

Gooseberries. — Two  quarts  of  any  Native  variety,  Benjamin  G. 

Smith,  Smith's  Improved           ....          ...  3  00 

Second,  Benjamin  G.  Smith,  Downing         .         .          .         .          .  2  00 

Third,  Joseph  S.  Chase,  Smith's  Improved          .         .         .         .  1  00 

Gratuities :  — 

William  Doran  &  Son,  Raspberries  .         .         .         .         .         .         .  2  00 

Charles  S.  Smith,  Alexander  Peaches        .         .         .         .         .         .  1  00 

Winter  Brothers,  Hale's  Early  Peaches      ......  1  00 


mith 


August  2. 

Blackberries.  —  Two  quarts  of  any  variety,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 
Dorchester        ........ 

Second,  Marshall  W.  Chadbourne      .... 

Third,  S.  M.  Vose,  Dorchester  .... 

Gooseberries.  —  Two  quarts  of  Industry,  Winter  Brothers 
Two    quarts  of  an^'  other  foreign  variety,   Benjamin    G.    S 
Bang-Up  ...... 

Second,  Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill,  Whitesmith 
Pears.  —  Summer  Doyenne,  Benjamin  G.  Smith 
Second,  Leverett  M.  Chase 

Third  F.  W.  Payne 

Any  other  variety,  Warren  Fenno,  Giffard 
Peaches.  — Any  variety,  William  P.  Walker,  Hale's  Early 
Second,  John  L.  Bird,  Hale's  Early     .... 


3 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

2 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

3 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

August  9. 

Apples. — Early  Harvest,  Warren  Fenno  .... 

Sweet  Bough,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son     ..... 

Second,  William  T.  Hall 

Third,  George  V.  Fletcher 

Any  other   variety,  John   L.  Bird,    Red  Astrachan 

Second,  William  T.  Hall,  u  <<  _ 

Third,  Marshall  W.  Chadbourne,  "  "  .  . 
Pears.  —  Giffard,  Charles  N.  Brackett 

Second,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid     ...... 

Third,  John  L.  Bird 

Any  other  variety,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid,  Manning's  Elizabeth 

Second,  Charles  N.  Brackett,  Brandywine 

Third,  Charles  N.  Brackett,  Jargonelle       .... 


2  00 

3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

3  00 

2  00 
1  00 


PKIZES    AND   GRATUITIES    FOR   FRUITS. 


265 


Blackberries.  —  Two  quarts  of  any  variety,  Natlianiel  T.  Kidder, 
Dorchester        .......... 

Second,  Marshall  W.  Chadbourne,  Dorchester  .         .         .         . 

Peaches. — Any  variety,  Nathan  D.  Harrington,  Seedling 

Gratuities :  — 
Josepli  II.  White,  Peaches  ........ 

Warren  Fenno,  Apricots    ......... 


$3  00 

2  00 

3  00 


2  00 
1  00 


August  16. 

Apples. — Oldenburg,  Warren  Fenno 

Red  Astrachan,  C.  C.  Shaw    ..... 

Second,  William  T.  Hall 

Third,  John  L.  Bird 

Pears.  —  Clapp's  Favorite,  Aaron  S.  Mcintosh 

Second,  Leverett  M.  Chase  .         .         .         .         , 

Third,  E.  J.  Hewins 

Manning's  Elizabeth,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid    . 
Second,  Frank  Ware  ..... 

Any  other  variety,  J.  M.  Sweet,  Tyson 

Second,  John  L.  Bird,  "       .         .         .         . 

Apricots.  —  Warren  Fenno       ...... 

Peaches.  —  Twelve  specimens  of  out-door  culture,   of  any  va 
John  D.  Woodbury,  Seedling  .         .         .        ' . 

Second,  Nathan  D.  Harrington,  Crawford's  Early 
Third,  Nathan  D.  Harrington,  Seedling 
Six   specimens  of  cold-house  or  pot  culture,  Joseph  H.  White 
Noblesse  .....         ^        .         . 

Foreign  Grapes.  —  Two  bunches  of  any  variety,  Nathaniel  T 
der,  Black  Hamburg         ...... 

Second,  Joseph  H.  White,  Bowood  Muscat 

Gratuities :  — 

Charles  F.  Curtis,  Apples 

Charles  N.  Brackett,  Apples  and  Pears     .... 


riety 


Kid 


3 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

o 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

3 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

3  00 


5  00 
4  00 


1  00 
1  00 


August  30. 

Apples.  — Williams's  Favorite,  Reuben  Handley 

Second,  C.  C  Shaw 

Third,  Artemas  Frost  ..... 

Any  other  variety,  Warren  Fenno,  Summer  Pippin 

Second  Varnum  Frost,  Gravenstein    . 

Third,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder,  Porter     . 
Pears. — Bartlett,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid 

Second,  Varnum  Frost         ..... 

Third,  Leverett  M.  Chase 


3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

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2  00 
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266 


MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTUEAL    SOCIETY. 


Eostiezer,  R.  F.  &  F.  L.  "Weston 83  00 

Second,  Charles  N.  Brackett 2  00 

Third,  Marshall  W.  Chadbourne 1  00 

Tyson,  John  L.  Bird 3  00 

Second,  Aaron  S.  Mcintosh 2  00 

Third,  Benjamin  G.  Smith 1  00 

Any  other  variety,  Aaron  S.  Mcintosh,  Clapp's  Favorite        .         .  3  00 

Second,  Charles  N.  Brackett,  Souvenir  du  Congres             .         .  2  00 

Third,  E.  J.  Hewins,  Clapp's  Favorite 1  00 

Peaches.  —  Any  variety,  Nathan  D.  Harrington,  Seedling        .         .  3  00 

Second,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid,  Foster         .         .         .         .         .  2  00 

Third,  C.  H.  Johnson,  Seedling 1  00 

Plums. — Any  variety,  William  H.  Hunt,  Bradshaw          .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  Leverett  M.  Chase 2  00 

Third,  Benjamin  G.  Smith,  Imperial  Gage 1  00 

Native  Grapes.  — Any  variety,  Samuel  Hartwell,  Moore's  Early  .  3  00 

Second,  Cephas  H.  Brackett,                                       "          "         .  2  00 

Third,  Benjamin  G.  Smith,  Champion 1  00 


September  6. 

Apples.  —  Foundling,  Reuben  Handley     . 
Gravenstein,  Reuben  Handley 

Second,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son 

Third,  Artemas  Frost 
Maiden's  Blush,  Warren  Fenno 

Second,  E.  R.  Cook    . 
Porter,  Reuben  Handley 

Second,  E.  R.  Cook    . 

Third,  E.  H.  Thompson      . 
Any  other  variety,  Warren  Fenno,  Alexander 

Second,  E.  R.  Cook,  Fall  Orange  or  Holden 

Third,  Jesse  F.  Wheeler,  Summer  Pippin  . 
Pears. — Andrews,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid 

Second,  Benjamin  G.  Smith 

Third,  Arthur  Timmins 
Boussock,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid 

Second,  Charles  F.  Curtis  . 

Third,  Leverett  M.  Chase   . 
Any  other  variety,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid,  Bartlett 

Second,  Charles  N.  Brackett,  Bartlett 

Third,  Aaron  S.  Mcintosh,  " 

Peaches.  —  Collection,  Charles  S.  Smith 

Second,  Nathan  D.  Harrington   . 

Third,  C.  H.  Johnson . 
Plums.  — Bradshaw,  Leverett  il.  Chase 

Second,  Benjamin  G.  Smith 


3  00 
3  00 

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PKIZES   AND   GRATUITIES   FOR   FRUITS.  267 

Imperial  Gage,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid $2  00 

Second,  William  H.  Hunt 1  00 

Jefferson,  William  P.  Walker 2  00 

Lombard,  William  Christie 2  00 

Second,  Leverett  M,  Chase 1  00 

Washington,  J.  W.  Goodell 2  00 

Any  other  variety,  William  H.  Hunt,  Pond's  Needling  .         .         .  2  00 

Second,  Charles  F.  Curtis,  Seedling 1  00 

Native  Grapes.  —  Six  bunches  of  Cottage,  William  H.  Hunt.         .  3  00 

Second,  Benjamin  G.  Smith 2  00 

Moore's  Early,  Samuel  Hartwell     .......  3  00 

Second,  William  H.  Hunt 2  00 

Any  other  variety,  William  H.  Hunt,  August  Rose        .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  Benjamin  G.  Smith,  Lady      .         .         .         .         .         .  2  00 

Gratuity :  — 

Robert  Manning,  Figs 1  00 

ANNUAL   EXHIBITION. 

September  17  and  18. 
Special  Prizes. 

Samuel  Appleton  Fund. 
Baldwin  Apples.  — Best  twelve,  William  C.  Eustis 
HuBBARDSTON  AppLEs.  —  Bcst  twelve,  Samuel  Hartwell 
Bosc  Pears.  —  Best  twelve,  John  L.  Bird        ..... 
Sheldon  Pears. — Best  twelve,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid     . 

Benjamin  V.  French  Fund. 
Gravenstein  Apples. — Best  twelve,  Jabez  Fisher 
Rhode  Island  Greening  Apples.  —  Best  twelve,  Jabez  Fisher 

Marshall  P.   Wilder  Fund. 

Anjou  Pears.  —  Best  twelve,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid         .         .         .  4  00 

Second,  Samuel  G.  Damon          .         .         .         .         .         .         .  3  00 

Third,  Cephas  H.  Brackett 2  00 

Fourth,  Leverett  M.  Chase 1  00 

Bartlett  Pears.  —  Best  twelve,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid   .         .         .  4  00 

Second,  Frank  Ware 3  00 

Third,  C.  H.  Johnson 2  00 

Fourth,  Varnum  Frost        .         .         .     ' 1  00 

Concord  Grapes. — Best  six  bunches,  Arthur  J.  Bigelow       .         .  3  00 

Second,  William  H.  Hunt 2  00 

Third,  William  Doran  &  Son 1  00 

Moore's  Early  Grapes.  —  Best  six  bunches,  Samuel  Hartwell      .  3  00 

Second,  E.  A.  Hubbard 2  00 

Third,  John  B.  Moore  &  Son 1  00 


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00 

268  MASSACHUSETTS   HOETICULTTJRAL   SOCIETT. 

Theodore  Lyman  Fund. 
Foreign  Black  Grapes.  —  Heaviest  and  best  ripened  bunch,  not 

less  than  six  pounds,  George  McWilliam         ....  $10  00 
Foreign  White  Grapes.  —  Heaviest  and  best  ripened  bunch,  not 

less  than  six  pounds,  George  McWilliam         .         .         .         .  10  00 

Special  Prizes  offered  by  the  Society. 

Anjou  Pears.  — Best  twelve,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid         .         .         .  5  00 

Bartlett  Pears.  —  Best  twelve,  Mrs.  Mary   Langmaid          .         .  5  00 
Native  Grapes.  —  Best  twelve  bunches  of  any  variety,  Arthur  J. 

Bigelow,  Concord 5  00 

Theodore  Lyman  Fund. 

Apples. — Baldwin,  E.  R.  Cook 4  00 

Second,  Reuben  Handley 3  00 

Third,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son 2  00 

Danvers  Sweet,  Warren  Fenno 3  00 

Second,  S.  P.  Buxton 2  00 

Third,  C.  C.  Shaw .         .  1  00 

Dutch  Codlin,  James  H.  Clapp 2  00 

Second,  T.  N.  Russell 1  00 

Fall  Orange,  Reuben  Handley 3  00 

Second,  E.  R.  Cook 2  00 

Third,  Asa  Clement 1  00 

Fameuse,  Benjamin  G.  Smith         .......  3  00 

Second,  George  V.  Fletcher 2  00 

Third,  Marshall  W.  Chadbourne         .         .  '      .         .         .         .  1  00 

Fletcher  Russet,  John  Fletcher 3  00 

Foundling,  Asa  Clement 4  00 

Second,  Reuben  Handley 3  00 

Garden  Royal,  Oliver  B.  Wyman 3  00 

Second,  Reuben  Handley 2  00 

Golden  Russet,  Warren  Fenno 2  00 

Gravenstein,  Reuben  Handley 4  00 

Second,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son 3  00 

Third,  J.  H.  Butterfield 2  00 

Hubbardston,  Reuben  Handley 4  00 

Second,  William  H.  Hunt 3  00 

Third,  Jabez  Fisher 2  00 

Hunt  Russet,  William  H.  Hunt 3  00 

Second,  Samuel  Hartwell    .' 2  00 

Third,  Calvin  Terry 1  00 

Lady's  Sweet,  David  L.    Fisk 2  00 

Second,  Asa  Clement  .........  1  00 

Lyscom,  Asa  Clement     .........  2  00 

Maiden's  Blush,  Jabez  Fisher 2  00 

Second,  C.  C.  Shaw 1  GO 


PRIZES   AND   GRATUITIES   FOR   FRUITS. 


269 


Mother,  Benjamin    G.  Smith, 

Second,  James  H.  Clapp 

Tliird,  E.  W.  Wood    . 
Northern  Spy,  George  V.  Fletcher 

Second,  William  T.  Hall     . 

Third,  William  C.  Eustis     . 
Porter,  Aaron  S.  Mcintosh     . 

Second,  E.  E.  Cook     . 

Third,  Reuben  Handlej 
Punij)kin  Sweet,  David  L.  Fisk 
Rhode  Island  Greening,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidde 

Second,  Reuben    Handley  . 

Third.  Charles  E.  Grant      . 
Roxbury  Russet,  E.  R.  Cook  . 

Second,  John  L.  Bird 

Third,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son 
Tolman's  Sweet,  Artemas  Frost 

Second,  David  L.  Fisk 

Third,  Asa  Clement     . 
Tompkins  King,  Jabez  Fisher 

Second,  Judson  Hartshorn  . 

Third,  Herbert  Wilkinson  . 
Washington  Royal,  Charles  N.  Brackett 
Washington  Strawberry,  Warren  Fenno 
Any  other  variety,  Warren  Fenno,  Alexander 

Second,  William  T.  Hall     .... 

Third,  Samuel  Hartwell,  Gloria  Mundi 
Crab  Apples. — Hyslop,  Marshall   W.  Chadbourne 

Second,  C.  C.  Shaw . 

Society's  Prizes. 
Pears. — Angouleme,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid     . 

Second,  A.  H.  Lewis    ...... 

Third,  Samuel  G.  Damon    .         . 
Belle  Lucrative,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid  . 

Second,  Leverett  M.  Chase         .         .         .         . 

Third,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son      .         .         .         . 
Bosc,  J.  M.  Sweet 

Second,  Charles  F.  Curtis   .         .         .         .         . 

Third,  John  L.  Bird 

Fourth,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid      .         .         .         . 
Boussock,  Leverett  M.  Chase  .         .         .         . 

Second,  Arthur  Timmins     ..... 

Third,  George  W.  Eaton 

Clairgeau,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid     .         .         .         . 

Second,  William  T.  Hall 

Third,  Charles  F.  Curtis      .         .         .         . 


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270 


MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 


Cornice,  Charles  N.  Brackett 

Second,  William  P.  Walker 

Third,  Warren  Fenno 

Dana's  Hovey,  E.  W.  Wood    . 

Second,  Samuel  G.  Damon 

Third,  David  L.  Fisk 

Diel,  William  P.  Walker 

Second,  Charles  A.  Smith  . 

Third,  Edwin  A.  Hall 

Hardy,  Aaron  S.  Mcintosh     . 

Second,  J.  M.  Sweet  . 

Third,  Arthur  Timmins 

Howell,  Leverett  M.  Chase     . 

Second,  Benjamin  G.  Smith 

Third,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid 

Lawrence,  John  McClure 

Second,  Samuel  Hartwell   . 

Third,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid 

Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey,  Arthur  T 

Second,  Leverett  M.  Chase 

Third,  Thomas  M.  Davis     . 

Marie  Louise,  Warren  Fenno 

Second,  Samuel  G.  Damon 

Third,  Edwin  A.  Hall 

Merriam,  Samuel  G.  Damon  . 

Second,  Charles  F.  Curtis  . 

Third,  Aaron  S.  Mcintosh  . 

Onondaga,  Leverett  M.  Chase 

Second,  Charles  A.  Smith  . 

Third,  Arthur  Timmins 

Paradise  of  Autumn,  Leverett  M.  Chase 

Second,  William  H.  Hunt  . 

Third,  Warren  Fenno 

Seckel,  William  Doran  &  Son 

Second,  Thomas  M.  Davis  . 

Third,  Leverett  M.  Chase   . 

Sheldon,  Nathan  D.  Harrington 

Second,  Arthur  Timmins     . 

Third,  Leonard  W.  Weston 

Souvenir  du  Congres,  Benjamin  H.  Ober 

Second,  J.  M.  Wetherbee    . 

Third,  Charles  N.  Brackett 

St.  Michael  Archangel,  Warren  Heustis 

Second,  Tliomas  M.  Davis 

Third,  Benjamin  G.  Smith 

Superfin,  Leverett  M.  Chase 

Second,  Samuel  G.  Damon 

Third,  Thomas  M.  Davis     . 


&  S 


PRIZES   AND   GRATUITIES   FOR   FRUITS.  271 

Urbanistc,  Aaron  S.  Mcintosh $3  00 

Second,  Marshall  W.  Chadbourne 2  00 

Third,  John  L.  Bird               1  00 

Vicar,  Leverett  M.  Chase 3  00 

Second,  Charles  A.  Smith 2  00 

Third,  Edwin  A.  Hall 1  00 

Winter  Nelis,  Thomas  M.  Davis 3  00 

Second,  Edwin  A.  Hall 2  00 

Third,  William  P.  Walker 1  00 

Any  other  variety,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son,  Bonne  d'Ezee        .         .  3  00 

Second,  Frederick R.  Shattuck,  De  Tongres         .         .         .         .  2  00 

Third,  Warren  Fenno,  Adams     .......  1  00 

Quinces.  —  An}' variety,  Benjamin  G.  Smith,  Rea     .         .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  George  S.  Curtis,  Rea 2  00 

Third,  George  V.  Fletcher,  Orange 1  00 

Peaches.  —  Coolidge's   Favorite,    the   second   prize   to  Charles    S. 

Smitli 2  00 

Crawford's  Early,  William  H.  Hunt 3  00 

Second,  G.  W.  Goddard 2  00 

Third,  George  W.  Stevens 1  00 

Foster,  David   L.  Fisk 3  00 

Second,  John  L.  Bird 2  00 

Oldmixon,  Charles  S.  Smith 3  00 

Third,  W.  A.  Bemis 1  00 

Stump  the  World,  Charles  S.  Smith 3  00 

Any  other  variety,  W.  D.  Kelly 3  00 

Second,  G.  W.  Goddard 2  00 

Third,  G.  W.  Goddard 1  00 

Peaches,  Orchard  House  Culture.  —  Charles  E.  Grant         .         .  4  00 

Second,  Joseph  H.  White 3  00 

Plums. — Lombard,  Leverett  M.  Chase     .         .         .         .         .         .  2  00 

Second,  G.  W.  Goddard 1  00 

Any  other  variety,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid         .         .         .         .         .  2  00 

Second,  Benjamin  G.  Smith         .......  1  00 

Native  Grapes.  —  Brighton,  Samuel  Hartwell        .         .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  Joseph  S.  Chase 2  00 

Third,  Marshall  W.  Chadbourne 1  00 

Cottage,  William  H.  Hunt 3  00 

Second,  Samuel  G.  Damon          .......  2  00 

Third,  Benjamin  H.Ober 1  00 

Delaware,  Joseph  S.  Chase     ........  3  00 

Second,  Samuel  G.  Damon          .......  2  00 

Third,  E.  R.  Cook 1  00 

Eumelan,  Benjamin  G.  Smith 3  00 

Massasoit,  Benjamin  G.  Smith         .......  3  00 

Second,  Joseph  S.  Chase     ........  2  00 


272 


MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 


Niagara,  Samuel  Hartwell $3  00 

Second,  E.  A.  Hubbard 2  00 

Third,  P.  G.  Hanson 1  00 

Wilder,  Benjamin  G.  Smith    . 

Second,  Samuel  G.  Damon 
Worden,  F.  J.  Kinney     . 

Second,  Samuel  Hartwell    . 

Third,  E.  R.  Cook 1  00 

Any  other  variety,  "William  H.  Hunt,  August  Rose         .         .         .         3  00 

Second,  John  B.  Moore  &  Son,  Moore's  early    .         .         .         .         2  00 

Third,  John  B.  Moore  &  Son,  Hayes 1  00 

Foreign   Grapes.   —  Four   varieties,  two  bunches   each,    George 

McWilliam 10  00 

Second,  E.  W.  Wood 

Third,  Benjamin  G.  Smith 
Black  Hamburg,  two  bunches,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 

Second,  George  McWilliam 

Third,  Joseph  H.  White      . 
Buckland  Sweetwater,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 
Muscat  of  Alexandria,  George  McWilliam 

Second,  Josepli  H.  White    . 
Wilmot's  Hamburg,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 

Second,  George  McWilliam 

Third,  E.  W.  Wood     .... 
Any  other  variety,  George  McWilliam   . 

Second,  George  McWilliam 

Third,  E.  A.  Hubbard 

Gratuities  :  — 

Edward  B.  Wilder,  Pears 

Winn,  Ricker,  &  Co.,  Peaches 

Caleb  Bates,  Figs 

Nathan  D.  Harrington,  Seedling  Peaches 

C.  H.  Johnson,  Seedling  Peaches  . 

Massachusetts  Agricultural  College,  Collection  of  Apples,  Pears, 

and  Peaches 10  00 

Massachusetts  Agricultural  College,  Educational  display  of  Grapes 

with  foliage     .........   Silver  Medal 

Robert  McLeod,  Newport,  R. I.,  Peaches         ....  Silver  Medal 

S.  S.  Pierce  &  Co.,  Display  of  Preserved  Fruits  and  Vegeta- 
bles ...........  Silver  Medal 

George  Johnson  &  Co.,  Display  of  Preserved  and  Fresh  Fruits 

and  Vegetables Silver  Medal 


8 

00 

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1 

00 

PRIZES    AND    GRATUITIES    FOR    FIIUITS. 


273 


EXHIBITION  OF  AUTUMN   FRUITS. 

October  4. 
Applks.  —  Gravenstcin,  Reuben  Handley 

Second,  Benjamin  A.  Moore 

Third,  William  T.  Hall 
Fall  Oranije,  or  Holden,  Reuben  Handle 

Second,  Asa  Clement  . 
Mother,  Asa  Clement 

Second,  Benjamin  G.  Smith 
Porter,  Aaron  S.  Mcintosh     . 

Second,  E.  J.  Hewins 
Any  other  variety,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder,  Rhode  Island  Grei 

Second,  Benjamin  G.  Smith,  Fameuse 
Pears.  — Angouleme,  L.  A.  Milman 

Second,  William  S.  Janvrin 

Third,  John  McClure 
Bosc,  John  L.  Bird 

Second,  William  P.  Walker 

Third,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid 
Clairgeau,  William  T.  Hall     . 

Second,  Mrs.  Mary  Langmaid 

Third,  Willard  P,  Plimpton 
Comice,  William  S.  Janvrin  . 

Second,  Leverett  M.  Chase 

Third,  William  P.  Walker  . 
Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey,  Thomas  M.  D 

Second,  Leverett  M.  Chase 

Third,  Arthur  Timmins 
Seckel,  Arthur  Timmins 

Second,  E.  A.  Hubbard 

Third,  William  Doran  &  Son 
Sheldon,  George  W.  Wilkinson 

Second,  John  L.  Bird 

Third,  George  E.  Freeman 
Superfin,  MiclAel  Finnegan    . 

Second,  Leverett  M.  Chase 

Third,  Samuel  G.  Damon    . 
Urbaniste,  A.  D.  Miller 

Second,  John  L.  Bird 

Third,  John  K.  Berry 
Any  other  variety,  Walter  Russell,  Howell 

Second,  Warren  Fenno,  Marie  Louise 

Third,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son,  St.  Michael  Arcl 
QcixcEs.  —  Any  variety,  Benjamin  G.  Smith 

Second,  Charles  S.  Smith    . 

Third,  Joseph  S.  Chase 


$3  00 


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3  00 

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3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

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1  00 

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274 


MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY 


Peaches.  — Any  variety,  "William  H.  Hunt,  Crawford's  Late 

Second,  Nathan  D.  Harrington,  Seedling 

Third,  Charles  E.  Grant,  Lemon 
Native  Grapes.  —  Brigliton,  Benjamin  G.  Smitli 

Second,  T.  H.  Talbot 

Third,  Samuel  G.  Damon  . 
Concord,  Arthur  J.  Bigelow    . 

Second,  C.  F.  Havward 

Third,  E.  A.  Hubbard 
Delaware,  C.  F.  Hajward 

Second,  Joseph  S.  Chase     . 

Third,  Samuel  G.  Damon  . 
lona,  Samuel  G.  Damon 

Second,  Henry  W.  Wilson  . 

Third,  Benjamin  G.  Smith  . 
Isabella,  Samuel  G.  Stone 
Lindley,  Benjamin  G.  Smith  . 

Second.  Joseph  S.  Chase  . 
Massasoit,  Benjamin  G.  Smith 
Moore's  Early,  E.  A.  Hubbard 
Pocklington,  Samuel  Hartwell 

Second,  George  W.  Jameson 

Third,  Samuel  G.  Damon  . 
Prentiss,  Benjamin  G.  Smith  . 

Second,  Joseph  S.  Chase     . 

Third,  Samuel  G.  Damon  . 
"Wilder,  Benjamin  G.  Smith    . 

Second,  Samuel  G.  Damon 
Any  other  variety,  Benjamin  G.  Smith,  Barry 

Second,  C.  F.  Hayward,  Niagara 

Third,  Benjamin  G.  Smith,  Jefferson 

FoKEiGX  Grapes.  —  Two  bunches  of  any  variety,  Nathaniel  T.  Kid 

der,  Black  Hamburg        ........ 


83  00 

2  00 

1  00 

3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

3  00 

2  00 
1  00 

3  00 
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1  00 

3  00 

2  00 

3  00 
2  00 
1  00 

4  00 


EXHIBITION   OF   TVINTER   FRUITS. 

November  8. 

Special  Prizes,  Benjamin    V.   French  Fund. 
Baldwin  Apples.  —  Best  twelve,  John  L.  Bird  .         .         .         .  5  00 

HcBBARDSTox  AppLES.  —  Best  twelve,  Reuben  Handley  .         .         5  00 


Society's  Prizes. 
Apples. — Baldwin,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 

Second,  S.  M.  Vose 

Third,  George  B.  Gill  .         .         .         . 


3  00 
2  00 
1  00 


PRIZES    AND    GRATUITIES    FOR   FRUITS. 


275 


Danvers  Sweet,  Warren  Fenno 

Second,  Benjamin  P.  AVare 
Hubbardston,  Walter  Russell 

Second,  Reuben  Handley     . 

Third,  Marshall  W.  Cliadbourne 
Hunt  Russet,  William  H.  Hunt 

Second,  Benjamin  G.  Smith 

Third,  Samuel  Hartwell 
Lady's  Sweet,  Asa  Clement     . 
Northern  Spy,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 

Second,  William  T.  Hall     . 

Third,  Mrs.  Alfred  E.  Giles 
Rhode  Island  Greening,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 

Second,  Joseph  Lovell 

Third,  Willard  P.  Plimpton 
Roxbury  Russet,  Cephas  H.  Brackett 

Second,  J.  Warren  Clark 

Third,  S.  M.  Vose 
Tolman's  Sweet,  Artemas  Frost 

Second,  Willard  P.  Plimpton 

Third,  Asa  Clement     . 
Tompkins  King,  John  Parker 

Second,  Warren  Fenno 
Any  other  variety,  Aaron  S.  Mcintosh,  Yellow  Bellflower 

Second,  John  R.  Brewer,  Murphy 

Third,  Samuel  Hartwell,  Gloria  Mundi 
Pears.  — Angouleme,  John  L.  Bird 

Second,  William  S.  Janvrin 

Third,  A.  H.  Lewis      . 

Fourth,  Arthur  Timrains 
Anjou,  Arthur  Timmins 

Second,  Warren  Fenno 

Third,  George  W.  Hall 

Fourth,  Aaron  S.  Mcintosh 
Clairgeau,  William  T.  Hall     . 

Second,  Warren  Fenno 

Third,  Arthur  Timmins 
Cornice,  William  S.  Janvrin    . 

Second,  John  J.  Merrill 

Third,  Leverett  M.  Chase    . 

Fourth,  John  L.  Bird  . 
Dana's  Hovey,  WifPard  P.  Plimpton 

Second,  Benjamin  G.  Smith 

Third,  E.  W.  Wood     . 

Fourth,  Warren  Fenno 
Glout  Morceau,  Edwin  A.  Hall 


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276  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

Josephine  of  Malines,  Warren  Fenno      .         .         .         .         .         .  $3  00 

Second,  Benjamin  G.  Smith 2  00 

Third,  John  L.  Bird 1  00 

Diel,  Edwin  A.  Hall 3  00 

Second,  William  P.  Walker 2  00 

Third,  Thomas  M.  Davis 1  00 

Langelier,  John  L.  Bird          ...          .....  3  00 

Second,  Thomas  M.  Davis 2  00 

Third,  A.  H.  Lewis 1  00 

Lawrence,  John  McClure        ........  3  00 

Second,  Warren  Fenno 2  00 

Third,  William  T.  Hall 1  00 

Vicar,  J.  M.  Sweet 3  00 

Second,  Aaron  S.  Mcintosh 2  00 

Third,  Leverett  M.  Chase 1  00 

Winter  Nelis,  Mrs.  Fanny  Browning      .         .         .         .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  Thomas  M.  Davis 2  00 

Third,  Edwin  A.  Hall 1  00 

Any  other  variety,  Aaron  S.  Mcintosh,  Urbaniste           .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  William  P.  Walker,  Bosc 2  00 

Third,  John  J.  Merrill 1  00 

Foreign  Grapes. — Two  bunches  of  any  variety,  Fisher  Brothers, 

Alicante 5  00 

Second,  E.  A.  Hubbard,  Gros  Colraan 4  00 

Third,  E.  A.  Hubbard,  Muscat 3  00 


REPORT 

OF    THE 

COMMIHEE    ON    VEGETABLES, 


FOR    THE    YEAR    1890- 


By  CHARLES  N.  BRACKETT,  Chairman. 


In  every  human  life  —  one  ma}'  almost  say  in  every  liuman  un- 
dertaking—  there  must  come  times  devoted  to  what,  in  commercial 
phrase,  is  called  "  taking  account  of  stock."  At  such  times,  the 
life  or  the  undertaking  finds  itself  almost,  as  it  would  seem, 
involuntarily  at  a  pause,  and,  like  the  mercantile  world,  it  closes 
its  doors  for  a  longer  or  a  shorter  period  to  outside  interests,  and 
reviews  its  past  failures  and  successes,  settles  their  causes  to  its 
own  satisfaction,  and,  casting  aside  what  have  proved  to  be 
impediments,  prepares  itself  for  a  new  and  wiser  start  in  its 
chosen  direction.  Such  a  time  as  this  seems  just  at  present  to 
have  come  to  us.  The  eve  of  a  new  year  is  proverbiall}'  the  time 
for  a  critical  survej'  of  the  past,  and  the  making  of  good  resolu- 
tions for  the  future. 

The  attendance  at  our  weekh'  exhibitions  has  been  good  during 
the  year,  with  increasing  interest  on  the  part  of  members,  and  a 
better  appreciation  of  the  work  of  the  Society  by  the  public  in 
general.  The  Annual  and  other  great  exhibitions  of  the  year 
were  largely  attended  and  very  successful,  except  when  inter- 
rupted by  stormy  weather.  The  interest  shown  by  the  public  in 
these  exhibitions  has  been  of  the  most  encouraging  kind,  giving 
evidence  of  the  constantly  increasing  taste  and  love  for  Horticult- 
ure, and  showing  that  the  work  of  the  Society  in  promoting  the 
interests  and  objects  for  which  it  was  established  has  pervaded 
the  communitv  in  its  influence. 


278  •   MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICTILTURAL   SOCIETY. 

A  new  departure  at  the  Annual  Exhibition  this  year  was  the 
separation  of  the  Plant  and  Flower  Show  from  that  of  the  Fruit 
and  Vegetables.  By  this  arrangement  the  Fruit  and  Vegetable 
departments  at  the  Annual  Show  were  left  with  both  the  halls  of 
the  Society  to  fill.  Some  fears  were  entertained  that  we  should 
not  he  able  to  occupy  so  much  space  without  the  assistance  of  the 
Flower  Department,  but  the  result  proved  that  such  fears  w^ere 
unfounded.  The  display  of  vegetables  completely  filled  the  lower 
hall^  and  taken  as  a  whole,  was  one  of  the  best  exhibitions  which 
this  department  has  ever  made.  We  were  indebted  to  the  Bos- 
ton Public  Institutions  at  Long  Island  and  the  Boston  Asylum 
and  Farm  School  for  large  and  interesting  collections  at  this 
exhibition. 

The  show  of  forced  vegetables,  January  4,  was  not  as  large  as 
it  should  have  been,  only  about  half  the  prizes  on  the  Schedule 
being  competed  for.  The  specimens  of  varieties  shown,  how- 
ever, were  fully  up  to  the  average. 

The  season  for  out-door  vegetables  was  opened,  May  10,  with 
Asparagus,  Edmund  Hersey  taking  first  prize  with  some  very  fine 
specimens,  and  Leonard  W.  Weston  the  first  prize  at  the  follow- 
ing show.  The  ravages  of  the  Asparagus  Beetle  are  now  much 
complained  of,  and  threaten  the  destruction  of  this  valuable  crop, 
unless  some  remedy  is  soon  found  for  this  pest.  Several  among 
our  contributors  are  largely  engaged  in  the  culture  of  asparagus, 
having  acres  devoted  to  its  production,  and  the  loss  of  this  crop 
would  be  a  serious  one  to  them.  A  liberal  application  of  air- 
slacked  lime,  sown  broadcast  just  as  the  shoots  are  about  to  make 
their  appearance,  and  repeated  if  necessary,  has  been  recommended 
and  tried  with  success  bj-  one  of  our  contributors.  The  remedy 
is  simple  and  cheap,  if  effectual.  Rusts,  blights,  and  mildews  are 
also  subtle  enemies  of  our  fruit  and  vegetable  crops,  and  how  to 
overcome  or  avoid  them  cannot  be  known  until  we  have  learned 
more  about  them.  A  wide  field  is  opened  up  to  our  scientists, 
who  are  at  present  devoting  considerable  attention  to  this  subject, 
and  it  is  hoped  they  may  find  the  causes  of  these  dreaded  foes  and 
remedies  to  counteract  them. 

The  show  of  vegetables,  August  20,  was  the  largest  and  decid- 
edly the  best  of  all  the  weekly  exhibitions  during  the  season. 
The  prizes  were  all  competed  for,  and  all  but  one  were  awarded. 
At  this  exhibition,  Joseph  S.  Fay  exhibited  fine  specimens  of   his 


REPORT    OF    COJEVIITTEE    ON   VEGETABLES.  279 

new  Ilvbrid  INIelou,  —  Fay's  Triumph, — weighing  from  eleven 
and  one-half  to  fourteen  pounds  each.  This  melon  is  a  cross 
between  the  Iroudequoit  and  Christiana,  and  of  tine  flavor.  Mr. 
Fay  also  showed  extra  fine  specimens  of  Surprise,  Christiana, 
Emerald  Gem,  and  Hackensack  melons,  besides  a  general  display 
of  melons,  consisting  of  twenty-one  specimens,  making  the  largest 
and  best  collection  of  green  and  salmon  flesh  melons  ever  shown 
in  the  Hall  by  a  single  exhibitor.  Mr.  Fay  has  been  a  large  con- 
tributor at  our  weekly  exhibitions  all  through  the  season,  and  his 
exhibits  have  attracted  particular  attention  on  account  of  their 
excellence. 

Among  the  novelties  in  the  way  of  new  vegetables  introduced 
the  past  season  may  be  mentioned  Burpee's  Dwarf  Lima  Bean, 
exhibited  here  for  the  first  time  August  30,  by  C.  E.  Grant. 
This  new  bean  should  not  be  confounded  with  Henderson's  Bush 
Lima  (noticed  in  our  last  report),  which  is  a  small  bean,  belonging 
to  the  Carolina  or  Sieva  class.  Burpee's  Bush  Lima  is  a  perfect 
bush  bean  with  pods  and  beans  as  large  as  those  of  the  well- 
known  Large  Lima  Pole  bean.  The  plants  grow  from  eighteen 
to  twenty-two  inches  in  height,  with  a  strong  and  branching  main 
stem  and  thick  leathery  foliage,  indicating  a  strong  constitution. 
Each  plant  will  produce  under  ordinary  field  culture  from  twent}'- 
five  to  fifty  pods,  each  pod  containing  three  or  four  beans  ;  gen- 
erally three.  In  field  culture  of  the  Pole  Lima,  the  cost  of  poles 
and  the  labor  of  setting  them  adds  considerably  to  the  expense 
of  the  crop,  while  in  gardens  they  are  anything  but  ornamental. 
With  the  introduction  of  this  new  bean  we  now  have  both  the 
Large  and  Small  Lima  in  bush  form,  which  can  be  grown  with  no 
more  trouble  or  expense  than  common  bush  beans.  We  consider 
this  bean  a  great  acquisition,  and  have  no  doubt  it  will  soon  become 
a  popular  variety  with  market  gardeners. 

At  the  Annual  Exhibition,  in  September,  the  show  of  vegeta- 
bles was  large  and  fine  —  a  credit  to  any  State  or  society.  Market 
gaidening,  as  carried  on  around  Boston,  is  probably  not  excelled 
in  any  other  locality  in  the  country.  In  Arlington,  Belmont,  and 
other  suburban  towns,  large  areas  are  devoted  to  vegetable 
houses,  where  all  through  the  winter  and  early  spring  may  be 
seen  immense  quantities  of  finely  grown  vegetables  under  glass. 
There  are  also,  among  these  market-gardeners,  specialists,  who 
devote  their    whole   attention    to   the    growing  of   either  Celer}-, 


280  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Cauliflowers,  Squashes,  or  some  other  siugle  crop,  which  they  grow 
to  perfectiou,  aud  derive  huge  profits  therefrom.  These  and  kiu- 
dred  crops  must  be  well  grown  to  command  good  prices  ;  for  unless 
of  good  quality  the}'  cau  hardly  be  sold  at  any  price.  These  es- 
tablishments not  only  supply  our  own  market  with  their  produce, 
but  also  ship  large  quantities  to  New  York  and  elsewhere. 

The  Cauliflowers  shown  by  W.  H.  Teele,  Egg  Plant  by  E.  J. 
Coolidge,  and  Watermelons  by  C.  E.  Grant,  at  the  Annual 
Exhibition,  are  deserving  of  special  mention,  as  the  specimens  of 
each  were  remarkably,  fine  and  well  grown.  No  competitors 
appeared  for  the  regular  prizes  for  Boston  Market  Celery  at  the 
Annual  Exhibition.  The  first  Special  Prize  for  Celery  was 
awarded  to  Artemas  Frost  for  Goldeu  Self-Blanching,  I.  E. 
Coburu  taking  the  second  with  White  Plume. 

November  8,  a  new  Seedling  Potato  was  exhibited  by  E.  L. 
Coy,  of  New  York,  its  originator,  who  has  sent  out  many  good 
varieties,  such  as  Beauty  of  Hebron,  Empire  State,  Pin'itan,  aud 
others,  which  have  a  wide  and  well-established  reputation.  This 
new  seedling  is  of  good  form  and  size  ;  both  skin  and  flesh  are 
white,  texture  mealy,  and  flavor  delicate.  Specimens  were  fur- 
nished the  committee  for  trial,  and  all  who  have  reported  agree 
as  to  its  superior  quality.  A  First  Class  Certificate  of  Merit  was 
awarded  to  Mr.  Coy.  We  have  been  informed  since  this  potato 
was  on  exhibition  here  that  it  has  been  named  the  Vaughan,  aud 
will  probably  be  for  sale  under  that  name  the  coming  season. 

We  have  to  record  the  great  loss  which  this  department  has 
sustained  during  the  past  year  in  the  death  of  Mr.  George  Hill, 
one  of  our  largest  and  most  valued  contributors,  who  for  thirteen 
3'ears  was  a  member  of  this  Committee.  We  can  also  recall  the 
names  of  many  other  active  and  constant  contributors  who  have 
passed  away  within  a  few  years,  —  Hatch,  Pierce,  Fillebrown, 
Crosby,  Hill,  — all  of  whom  served  the  Society  faithfully  aud  well 
for  many  years,  as  members  of  the  Vegetable  Committee,  and  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  success  of  our  exhil)itions.  But  while  we 
mourn  the  loss  of  these  tried  friends,  we  also  regret  that  we  do 
not  see  more  of  our  young  and  enthnsiastic  cultivators  coming 
forward  to  fill  the  gaps  thus  made  in  our  ranks.  The  fact  is 
obvious,  that  the  horticulturists  of  today  must,  iu  the  ordinary 
course  of  nature,  soon  give  place  to  younger  men,  and  it  is  equally 
true  that  if  we  scan  the  ranks  of  Horticulture  toda\-,  these  coming 


REPORT    OF    COMMITTEE    ON   VEGETABLES.  281 

raen  fail  to  materialize  iu  adequate  numbers,  so  that  it  seems 
necessary,  if  not  even  indispensable,  that  the  rising  generation 
should,  in  some  manner,  be  led  to  take  a  stronger  interest  iu  tlie 
work  which  this  Society  is  doing.  The  question  seenos  to  be, 
How  can  this  be  best  accomplished?  The  indications  are  that 
the  problem  is  not  easy  of  solution. 

A  few  brief  weeks  ago  the  various  committees  were  all  hard 
at  work  making  preparations  for  the  Annual,  and  closing  exhibi- 
tions of  the  year.  Now  these  exhibitions  have  passed  into  history, 
with  all  that  pertains  to  them  :  their  successes,  their  failures,  the 
hard  labor  required,  and  their  undeniable  marks  of  solid  progress. 
The  record  of  these  exhibitions  forms  a  chapter  of  more  or  less 
interest  in  the  story  of  the  year's  work  ;  an  eloquent  commentary 
upon  the  men  and  women  who  helped  make  the  record.  And  as 
the  years  succeed  each  other  in  their  rapid  flight,  as  the  annals 
accumulate  and  become  venerable  from  dust  and  old  age,  who 
can  turn  back  volume  after  volume,  without  wishing  tliat  the 
beginning  of  his  own  life's  story  had  been  more  earnest,  and  that 
the  chapters  toward  the  end  of  it  had  been  richer  in  results 
achieved  ? 

The  annual  appropriation  for  this  department  was  Si, 000.  Of 
this  amount  the  Committee  have  awarded  S914  in  prizes  and 
gratuities,  leaving  an  unexpended  balance  of  S86. 

With  the  annexed  list  of  awards,  this  report  is  I'espectfully 
submitted. 

C.    N.    Br  AC  RETT, 

Chairman. 


PRIZES    AND    GRATUITIES     AWARDED    FOR 
VEGETABLES. 


January  4. 

Radishes.  —  Four  bunches,  George  F.  Stone  . 

Second,  George  F.  Stone,  White  Tip 
Cucumbers.  —  Pair  of  any  variety,  Richard  T.  Lombard 
Cauliflowers.  —  Four  specimens,  George  E.  Sanderson 
Lettuce.  —  Four  heads  of  Tcnnisball,  second  prize,  George  F. 
Parsley.  —  Two  quarts,  George  F.  Stone 

Second,  George  E.  Sanderson      ..... 
Mushrooms.  —  Twenty-four  specimens,  Cephas  H.  Brackett 
Tomatoes.  —  Twelve  specimens.  Winter  Brotliers,  Essex 

Second,  Cephas  H.  Brackett,  Champion 

Third,  Cephas  H.  Brackett,  Essex       .... 

Gratuity :  — 
Cephas  H.  Brackett,  Asparagus  ..... 


.   ^3 

00 

2 

00 

3 

00 

3 

00 

Stone,    2 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

3 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

2  00 


February  1. 

Radishes.  — Four  bunches  of  any  variety,  George  F.  Stone 
Lettuce.  —  Four  heads,  the  second  prize  to  George  F.  Stone 
Mushrooms. — Twenty-four  specimens,  Cephas  H.  Brackett 

Second,  Oak  Grove  Farm    . 
Rhubarb.  — Twelve  stalks,  George  E.  Sanderson,  Victoria 

Second,  George  E.  Sanderson,  Monarch 
Tomatoes. — Twelve,  Charles  Winter 

Second,  Cephas  H.  Brackett 

Third,  Winter  Brothers 


Gratuities :  — 

George  E.  Sanderson,  Collection 
Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  Cress  . 
George  F.  Stone,  Parsley  . 


3 

00 

2 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

3 

00 

') 

00 

1 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

1 

00 

February  15. 


Gratuity :  — 
George  F.  Stone,  Collection 


2  00 


PRIZES    AND   GRATUITIES   FOR   VEGETABLES. 


283 


SPRING  EXHIBITION. 

March  26,  27,  and  28. 
William  J.  Walker  Fund. 
Radishes. — Four  bunches  of  Turnip  Rooted,  George  F.  Stone 

Four  bunches  of  Long  Scarlet,  Charles  A.  Learned 
Cucumbers.  —  Pair  of  White  Spine,  William  Nicholson 
Dandelions.  — Peck,  Edwin  J.  Coolidge 
Lettuce. — Four  heads,  George  F.  Stone 
Second,  John  L.  Gardner   . 
Third,  Charles  A.  Learned 
Parsley.  —  Two  quarts,  John  L.  Gardner 

Second,  George  F.  Stone     . 
Rhubarb.  —  Twelve  stalks,  George  E.  Sanderson 


.$3  00 


3 

00 

3 

00 

3 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

2 

00 

1  00 
3  00 


Gratuities  :  — 
Edward  J.  Coolidge,  Collection 
Thomas  Clark,  Mushrooms 
Tliomas  Rowland,       " 


3  00 
2  00 
1  00 


April  19. 


Gratuity  :  — 
Ernest  E.  Moore,  Lettuce 


1  00 


MAY  EXHIBITION. 


May  10. 
William  J.   Walker  Fund. 
Asparagus.  —  Four  bunches,  Edmund  Ilersey 

Second,  Varnum  Frost        .... 

Third,  Leonard  W.  Weston 
Cucumbers.  —  Pair  of  White  Spine,  Varnum  Frost 

Second,  Charles  A.  Learned 
Spinach.  —  Peck,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son 
Dandelions.  — Peck,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son    . 
Lettuce.  —  Four  heads,  M.  E.  Moore 

Second,  George  F.  Stone     .... 
Rhubarb.  — Twelve  stalks,  George  E.  Sanderson 

Second,  Marshall  W.  Chadbourne 

Third,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son 


3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

3  00 

2  00 

3  00 

2  00 

3  00 

2  00 

3  00 
2  00 
1  00 


Gratuities :  — 
Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  Potatoes  and  Radishes 
George  F.  Stone,  Collection 


2  00 
1  00 


284 


MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 


Mat  24 . 
Gratuity  :  — 
Mrs.  Francis  B.  Haj-es,  Potatoes f  1  00 

Mat  31. 
Gratuities  :  — 

Joseph  S.  Fay,  Collection 2  00 

C.  W.  Prescott,  Asparagus 1  00 


RHODODENDRON  SHOW. 

JONE  7. 

Theodore  Lyman  Fund. 
Beets.  —  Twelve  specimens,  Warren  S.  Frost  . 
Second,  Joseph  S.  Fay   ..... 
Cakrots.  —  Twelve  short  scarlet,  Joseph  S.  Fay. 
Radishes.  —  Four  bunches  turnip  rooted,  Warren  Heustis  & 

Second,  Marshall  W.  Chad  bourne 
Asparagus.  —  Four  bunches,  Leonard  W.  Weston 

Second,  C.  W.  Prescott        .... 

Third,  Charles  E.  Grant       .... 
Cucumbers.  —  Pair,  Varnum  Frost  . 

Second,  Warren  S.  Frost    .... 
Lettuce.  —  Four  heads,  Varnura  Frost     . 

Second,  Warren  S.  Frost    .... 

Tliird,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son     . 
Rhubarb.  —  Twelve  stalks,  Cephas  H.  Brackett  (35 

Second,  Benjamin  G.  Smith  (24  pounds)    . 

Third,  Marshall  W.  Chadbourne 


Son 


pounds) 


Gratuities :  — 
Joseph  S.  Fay,  Cauliflowers  and  Onions     . 
Warren  Heustis  &  Son,  Onions  and  Lettuce 
Winter  Brothers,  three  varieties  of  Tomatoes  . 
Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill,  Tomatoes         .... 

June  14. 

Gratuities :  — 
Charles  E.  Grant,  Alaska  Peas  .... 
John  B.  Moore  &  Son,  White  Spine  Cucumbers 

June  21. 
Gratuities  :  — 

Charles  E.  Grant,  Peas 

Samuel  Hartwell,     " 


3 

00 

2 

00 

3 

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3 

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2 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

1 

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3 

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2 

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3 

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2 

00 

1 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

3 

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2 

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00 

1 

00 

1  00 
1  00 


1   00 
1  00 


PRIZES    AND    GRATUITIES    FOR    VEGETABLES. 


285 


ROSE   AND    STRAWBERRY   EXHIBITION. 

June  2-t  and  25. 

Beets.  —  Twelve  Summer  Turnip  Rooted,  Charles  A.  Learned 

Second,  Varnum  Frost         ........ 

Third,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son     ....... 

Onions. — Twelve  specimens,  Joseph  S.  Fay    .         .         .         .         . 

Second,  Charles  A.  Learned        ....... 

Third,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son     ....... 

Cucumbers.  —  Pair  of  White  Spine,  Varnum  Frost 

Second,  Warren  S.  Frost    ........ 

Third,  Artenias  Frost  ........ 

Cabbages.  —  Three  of  any  variety,  Charles  A.  Learned,  Henderson, 

Second,  Charles  A-  Learned,  Wakefield      ..... 

Third,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son     ....... 

Lettuce.  —  Four  heads  of  any  variety,  Charles  A.  Learned     . 

Second,  George  F.  Stone     ........ 

Third,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son      ....... 

Peas.  —  Half-peck  of  any  variety,  Cephas  H.  Brackett,  American 
Wonder         .......... 

Second,  Joseph  S.  Fay,  Maud  S 

Third,         "         "    "      Alaska 


Gratuities :  — 
Winter  Brothers,  Tomatoes 
Samuel  Hartwell,  Clipper  Peas 
Cephas  H.  Brackett,  Hebron  Potatoes 
Joseph  S.  Fay,  Potatoes  and  Carrots 
Warren  Heustis  &  Son,  Radishes 
Charles  A.  Learned,  Collection 


June  28. 
Gratuity :  — 

Charles  N.  Brackett,  American  Wonder  Peas    . 


$3 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

1 

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3 

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2 

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1 

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3 

00 

2 

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00 

3 

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1 

00 

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1 

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2 

00 

1 

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1 

00 

3 

00 

1  00 


July  5. 

Onions.  —  Twelve  specimens,  Joseph  S.  Fay    .         .         .         .         .  2  00 

Second,  Charles  A.  Learned        .......  1  00 

Cabbages.  — Three  of  any  variety,  Charles  A.  Learned,  Henderson,  3  00 

Second,  Charles  A.  Learned,  Wakefield 2  00 

Peas.  —  Half-peck  of  American  Wonder,  Calvin  Terry     .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  Charles  E.  Grant 2  00 

Any  other  variety,  John  L.  Gardner,  Prodigy         .         .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder,  .^.dvancer 2  00 

Gratuity :  — 

Charles  A.  Learned,  Egyptian  Beets 1  00 


286 


MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 


July  12. 

Potatoes. — Twelve  specimens,  Joseph  S.  Fay,  Hebron           .         .  §3  00 

Second,  Calvin  Terry,  Rose 2  00 

Third,  Charles  E.  Grant,  Rose 1  00 

Squashes.  —  Four  Long  Warted,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son          .         .  2  00 

Beans.  —  Half-peck  of  String  of  any  variety,  Isaac  E.  Coburn        .  3  00 

Second,  Joseph  S.  Fay 2  00 

Third,  George  F.  Stone 1  00 

Peas.  —  Half-peck  of  any  variety,  George  S.  Harwood,  Duchess      .  3  00 

Second,  Charles  N.  Brackett,  Stratagem 2  00 

Third,  Isaac  E.  Coburn,                 "               1  00 

Gratuities :  — 

"Winter  Brothers,  Tomatoes        ........  1  00 

Charles  F.  Curtis,  Collection  of  Beans,  nine  varieties         .         .         .  3  00 

Warren  Heustis  &  Son,  Collection     .         .         .         .         .         .         .  3  00 

George  F.  Stone,                     "             2  00 


July  19. 
Levi  Whitcomb  Prizes. 
Cabbages.  —  Three  Drumhead,  Joseph  S.  Fay 

Second,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son  .... 
Beans.  —  Half-peck  of  Cranberry,  Isaac  E.  Coburn 
Peas.  —  Half-peck  of  any  variety,  Charles  N.  Brackett, 

Second,  Isaac  E.  Coburn,  Stratagem  . 

Third,  George  S.  Harwood,         " 
Sweet  Corn.  — Twelve  ears,  Joseph  S.  Fay 

Second,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder 

Third,  Charles  E.  Grant      . 
Tomatoes. —  Open  culture,  twelve  specimens,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder, 


Gratuities  : 
Charles  B.  Lancaster,  Potatoes 
Charles  N.  Brackett,  " 


3 

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3 

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1 

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1 

00 

July  26. 

Potatoes.  —  Twelve  specimens,  Joseph  S.  Fay,  Charles  Downing  .  3  00 

Second,  Joseph  S.  Fay,  Hebron 2  00 

Third,  Charles  B.  Lancaster,  Hebron          .         .         .         .         .  I  00 

Sweet  Corn.  — Twelve  ears,  Joseph  S.  Fay,  Corey         .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  John  L.  Gardner,  Burbank    .         .         .         .         .         .  2  00 

Third,  Joseph  S.  Fay,  Crosby 1  00 

Tomatoes.  —  Open    culture,    twelve    specimens,    Varnum    Frost, 

Paragon        ..........  3  00 

Second,  Varnum  Frost,  Emery  .         .         .         .         .         .         .  2  00 


PRIZES    AND   GRATUITIES   FOR   VEGETABLES. 


287 


Gratuities :  — 
Charles  N.  Brackett,  Collection 
Charles  E.  Grant,  Heans  and  Potatoes 
John  L.  Gardner,  Nutting  Beet 


82  00 
1  00 
1  00 


August  2. 
Potatoes.  —  Any  variety,  twelve  specimens,  Joseph  S.  Fay,  Savoy- 
Second,  John  B.  Moore  &  Son,  Hebron       .... 

Third,  Joseph  S.  Fay,  Charles  Downing     .... 
Squashes.  —  Three  Marrow,  Edward  J.  Coolidge     . 

Second,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son  ...... 

Peas.  — Half-peck  of  any  variety,   Charles  N.  Brackett,  Stratagem 

Second,  Charles  E.  Grant,  Profusion  ..... 

Third,  Charles  E.  Grant,  Yorkshire  Hero 
Sweet  Corn.  —  Twelve  ears,  Joseph  S.  Fay,  Perry's  Hybrid  . 

Second,  Joseph  S.  Fay,  Crosby  ...... 

Third,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder,  Crosby 

Tomatoes.  —  Twelve  specimens,  Varnum  Frost,  Emery 

Second,  Varnum  Frost,  Paragon         ..... 

Third,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder,  Edgar's  Seedling     . 


Gratuities  :  — 
Calvin  Terry,  Corn  and  Potatoes 
Charles  B.  Lancaster,  Potatoes 
Jolin  B.  Moore  &  Son,  Cucumbers     . 
John  L.  Gardner,  Cabbages 
Nathaniel  T.  Kidder,  Collection  of  Tomatoes 
Charles  E.  Grant,  Collection 


3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

3  00 

2  00 


1  00 


1  00 
3  00 

2  00 

1  00 


1  00 
I  00 
1  00 

1  00 

2  00 
2  00 


August  9. 

Beans.  —  Two  quarts  of  Goddard,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son 

Second,  George  F.  Stone     ....... 

Third,  Oliver  R.  Bobbins 

Tomatoes.  —  Twelve  specimens  of  Acme,  Charles  N.  Brackett 

Second,  George  F.  Stone     ....... 

Emery,  €.  N.  Brackett 

Second,  Varnum  Frost         ...... 

Third,  Edward  J.  Coolidge  ...... 

Any  other  variety,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder,  Perfection 

Second,  Varnum  Frost,  Perfection     ..... 

Third,  George  F.  Stone,  "  

Egg  Plant.  —  Four  Round  Purple,  Edward  J.  Coolidge  . 

Gratuities  :  — 
Joseph  H.  Woodford,  Beans       ....... 

Calvin  Terry,  Corn     ......... 


3 

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1 

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1 

00 

288      MASSACHUSETTS  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 

Charles  N.  Brackett,  Corn  and  Peas §1  00 

George  F.  Stone,  Parsley  and  Cucumbers 1  00 

Charles  E.  Grant,  Collection 2  00 

August  1G. 

Greenflesh  Meloxs.  —  Four  specimens,  Varnura  Frost         .         .  3  00 

SALMoy-FLESH  Meloxs.  — Four  specimens,  Warren  Ileustis  &  Son,  3  00 

Sweet  Corx.  —  Twelve  ears,  Charles  N.  Brackett,  Excelsior        .  3  00 

Second,  Varnnm  Frost,  Crosby 2  00 

Third,  C.  N.  Brackett,          " 1  00 

Egg  Plaxt. — Four  Round  Purple,  Edward  J.  Coolidge  .         .         .  2  00 

Second,  Joseph  S.  Fay 1  00 

Gratuities :  — 

Charles  N.  Brackett,  Tomatoes  and  Peppers 2  00 

W.  F.  Reynolds,  Celery 2  00 

Charles  E.  Grant,  Collection 2  00 

August  30. 

Potatoes.  —  Twelve  specimens  of  any  variety,  J.  S.  Fay,  Hebron     .  3  00 

Second,  Joseph  S.  Fay,  Rose 2  00 

Third,  Charles  E.  Grant 1  00 

Onions. — Twelve  specimens,  Varnura  Frost    .         .         .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  Joseph  S.  Fay 2  00 

Third,  Artemas  Frost 1  00 

Greexflesh  Melons.  —  Four  specimens,  Varnura  Frost         .         .  3  00 

Second,  Joseph  S.  Fay 2  00 

Third,  Samuel  Hartwell 1  00 

Salmox-flesh  Melons.  —  Any  variety,    four    specimens,    Warren 

Hcuslis  &  Son,  Emerald  Gem            ......  3  00 

Second,  Joseph  S.  Fay,  Christiana 2  00 

Third,         "         "     "       Surprise 1  00 

Watermeloxs. — Pair,  Charles  E.  Grant,  Black  Spanish         .         .  3  00 

Third,  Charles  E.  Grant,  Fordhook 1  00 

Beans.  —  Two  quarts  of  Large  Lima,  Warren  S.  Frost   .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  Varnum  Frost 2  00 

Third,  Benjamin  G.  Smith ;  ]   00 

Two  quarts  of  Dwarf  Lima,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder           .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  Joseph  S.  Fay 2  00 

Third,  Charles  E.  Grant 1  00 

Two  quarts  of  Goddard,  shelled,  Isaac  E.  Coburn          .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  X.  T.  Kidder 2  00 

Third,  William  Christie 1  00 

Sweet    Corn.  —  Twelve   ears   of    Potter's   Excelsior,    Charles   N. 

Brackett 3  00 

Second,  William  Christie 2  00 

Third,  Charles  E.  Grant 1  00 


PRIZES    AND    GRATUITIES    FOR    VEGETABLES. 


289 


Any  other  variety,  William  II.  Hunt,  Burr's 
Second,  Joseph  S.  Fay,  Stowell's 
Third,  Samuel  ITartwell,  Crosby 
Peppers. — Twelve  specimens  of  Squash,  C. 
Second,  George  \V.  Jameson 
Third,  Richard  T.  Lombard 
Any  other  variety,  Richard  T.  Lombard,  Bull 
Second,  Joseph  S.  Fay 
Third,  Charles  F.  Curtis      . 


Brackett 


Nose 


Gratuities :  — 
Charles  N.  Brackett,  Tomatoes,  four  varieties 
William  H.  Teel,  Cauliflowers   . 
Samuel  Hartwell,  Cabbages 

Joseph  S.  Fay,  Egg  Plant 

Charles  E.  Grant,  Collection 

George  F.  Stone,  "  ... 


September  6. 
Cauliflowers.  —  Four,  William  H.  Teel 

Second,  A.  M.  Knowlton  ..... 
Celery.  —  Four  roots,  L.  W.  Platts,  White  Plume  . 
Beans.  — Two  quarts  of  Large  Lima,  Varnum  Frost 

Second,  Warren  S.  Frost  ..... 
Peppers.  —  Twelve  Squash,  Charles  N.  Brackett 

Second,  George  W.  Jameson       .... 

Third,  George  A.  Lovell      ..... 
Any  other  variety,  George  A.  Lovell,  Bull  Nose    . 

Second,  C.  N.  Brackett,  Ruby  King    . 

Gratuities :  — 

Charles  E.  Grant,  Collection 

Charles  N.  Brackett,     " 

Isaac  E.  Coburn,  " 


$3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

3  00 

2  00 
1  00 


2  00 
2  00 

2  00 
1  00 

3  00 
1  00 


3  no 

2  00 

3  00 
3  00 

2  00 

3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

3  00 

2  00 


3  00 
3  00 
2  00 


ANNUAL  EXHIBITION. 

September  17  and  18. 
Special  Prizes. 
Cauliflowers.  —  Best  four  specimens,  William  H.  Teel 
Celery.  —  Best  four  specimens,  Artemas  Frost 

Second,  Isaac  E.  Coburn     ...... 


Regular  Prizes. 
Beets. —  Twelve  Turnip  Rooted,  Varnum  Frost 
Second,  John  L.  Gardner    .... 
Third,  George  F.  Stone        .... 


6 

00 

8 

00 

6 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

290  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

Carrots. — Twelve  Long  Orange,  Joseph  S.  Fay     .         .         .         .  §3  00 

Twelve  Intermediate,  F.  J.  Kinney        .         .         .         .         .         .  3  GO 

Second,  Samuel  Walker 2  00 

Third,  J.  S.  Fay I  00 

Parsnips. — Twelve  Long,  Samuel  Walker       .         .         .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son  .......  2  00 

Third,  Charles  A.  Learned 1  00 

Potatoes.  —  Four  varieties,   twelve   specimens  each,    Charles    B. 

Lancaster          .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .     '    .         .  5  00 

Second,  F.  J.  Kinney 4  00 

Third,  William  Christie 3  00 

Clark,  Twelve  specimens,  F.  J.  Kinney  .         .....  3  00 

Second,  William  Christie  • 2  00 

Third,  James  J.  H.  Gregory 1  00 

Hebron,  William  G.  Prescott 3  00 

Second,  S.  A.  Merrill 2  00 

Third,  Charles  N.  Brackett 1   00 

Rose,  S.  A.  Merrill 3  00 

Second,  F.  J.  Kinney 2  00 

Third,  Calvin  Terry 1  00 

Savoy,  F.  J.  Kinney 3   00 

Second,  Isaac  E.  Coburn 2  00 

Any  other  variety,  Albert  Bresee,  Leader       .         .         .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  F.  J.  Kinney,  Essex       .......  2  00 

Third,  F.  J.  Kinney,  Burbank ]   00 

Salsify.  —  Twelve  specimens,  John  L.  Gardner        .         .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  F.  J.  Kinney 2  00 

Third,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son 1  00 

Turnips.  —  Twelve  Flat,  F.  J.  Kinney 2  00 

Second,  George  F.  Stone 1  00 

Swedish,  Joseph  S.  Fay .         .         . 2  00 

Second,  William  Christie 1  00 

Onions. — Twelve  Danvers,  George  F.  Stone 3  00 

Second,  Charles  A.  Learned        .         .         .         .         .         .         .  2  00 

Third,  Varnum  Frost 1  00 

Portugal,  Joseph  S.  Fay 3  00 

Red,                 .4       .1     ./ 3  00 

Second,  James  J.  H.  Gregory      .         .         .         .         .         .         .  2  00 

Third,  John  L.  Gardner 1  00 

Greenflesh  Melons.  —  Four,  Samuel  Hartwell       .         .         .         .  3  00 

Second,  Charles  F.  Curtis 2  00 

Third,  Charles  E.  Grant 1  00. 

Watermelons.  — Pair,  Charles   E.  Grant,  Black  Spanish         .         .  3  00 

Second,  Charles  E.  Grant,  Fordhook 2  00 

Third,  Charles  E.  Grant,  Gold  and  Green 1  00 

Squashes.  —  Tliree  Hubbard,  Joseph  S.  Fay 3  00 

Second,  Charles  A.  Learned         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  2  00 

Third,  S.  P.  Buxton 1  00 


PKIZES    AND    GRATUITIES    FOR    VEGETABLES. 


291 


Hybrid  Turban,  S.  P.  Buxton 
Second,  Charles  A.  Learned 
Marbleliead,  C.  A.  Learned 

Second,  F.  J.  Kinney  . 
Marrow,  Varnum  Frost  . 
Second,  F.  J.  Kinney  . 
Third,  Warren  S.  Frost 
Turban,  P.  G.  Hanson    . 
Second,  F.  J.  Kinney  . 
Cabbage. — Drumhead,  Joseph  S.  Fay,  Marblehead 
Second,  Oliver  R.  Robbins,  Brunswick 
Third,  J.  S.  Fay,  All  Seasons 
Red,  Samuel  Hartwell    . 
Second,  S.  P.  Buxton  . 
Third,  William  Christie 
Savoy,  Joseph  S.  Fay     . 
Second,  Samuel  Hartwell    . 
Third,  William  Christie 
Cauliflowers.  — Four  specimens,  William  H.  Teel 
Celery. — Four  roots,  Artemas  Frost,  Golden 
Second,  F.  J.  Kinney  .... 

Third,  Isaac  E.  Coburn,  White  Plume 
Endive.  — Four  specimens,  F.  J.  Kinney 
Horseradish.  —  Six  roots,  F.  J.  Kinney 

Second,  Charles  A.  Learned 
Beans.  —  Large  Lima,  two  quarts,  Varnum  Frost 
Second,  Warren  S.  Frost   .... 

Third,  Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill 

CoKN.  —  Sweet,  twelve  ears,  S.  A.  Merrill,  Burr's 
Second,  P.  G.  Hanson,  Stowell's 
Third,  Charles  N.  Brackett,  Ruby  King 
Yellow  or  Field,  twenty-five  ears,  William  Christie 
Egg  Plant. — Four  Round  Purple,  Edward  J.  Coolidge 
Second,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son 
Third,  Joseph  S.  Fay 


Tomatoes.  —  Three  varieties,  twelv 
Brackett 
Second,  Varnum  Frost 
Third,  Isaac  E.  Coburn 

Acme,  William  Christie 
Second,  C.  N.  Brackett 
Third,  Charles  E.  Grant 

Emery,  Charles  N.  Brackett 
Second,  Varnum  Frost 
Third,  Isaac  E.  Coburn 

Paragon,  C.  N.  Brackett 
Second,  Varnum  Frost 
Third,  George  Sanderson 


specimens  each 


Charl 


es  N 


$3  00 

2  00 

3  00 

2  00 

3  00 
2  00 
1  00 


3  00 

2  00 

3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

3  00 
5  00 

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3  00 
3  00 
3  00 

2  00 

3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

3  00 

3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

5  00 

4  00 

3  00 
3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

3  00 

2  00 

1  00 

3  00 

2  00 
1  00 


292 


MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETr. 


Cardinal,  Charles  N.  Brackett 

Second,  Varnum  Frost        .... 

Third,  Charles  E.  Grant      .... 
Any  other  variety,  Isaac  E.  Coburn,  Ignotura 

Second,  Charles  N.  Brackett,  " 

Third,  George  E.  Sanderson,  Red  Cross 
Peppers.  —  Tweh^e  Squash,  Charles  N.  Brackett 

Second,  George  W.  Jameson 

Third,  William  Christie       .... 
Any  other  variety,  Richard  T.  Lombard,  Bull  Nose 

Second,  Charles  N.  Brackett,  Ruby  King    . 

Gratuities :  — 

Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  Sea  Kale 

William  C.  Strong,  Sweet  Potatoes    . 

S.  A.  Merrill,  Squashes       .... 

Charles  A.  Learned,  Bay  State  Squashes  . 

Edward  J.  Coolidge,  Egg  Plant 

James  J.  H.  Gregory,  Collection  of  Potatoes 

Boston  Public  Institutions,  Long  Island,  Collection 

Boston  Asylum  and  Farm  School, 

G.  W.  Goddard, 

George  Johnson  &  Co., 

Charles  A.  Learned, 

John  L.  Gardner, 

George  F.  Stone, 

Charles  E.  Grant, 

William  Christie, 


§3 

00 

2 

00 

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3 

00 

6 

00 

5 

00 

10 

00 

5 

00 

3 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

EXHIBITION   OF    AUTUMN   FRUITS   AND   VEGETABLES. 


October  4. 

Salsify.  —  Twelve  specimens,  Walter  Russell 

Second,  Warren  Heustis  &  Son 

Third,  George  W.  Jameson 
Squashes.  — Three  Hubbard,  Charles  A.  Learned 

Second,  S.  P.  Buxton  .... 

Marrow,  Varnum  Frost  ..... 

Second,  S.  P.  Buxton  .... 

Cabbages.  —  Three  Drumhead,  S.  P.  Buxton  . 

Second,  Oliver  R.  Robbins 

Third,  George  F.  Stone        .... 
Red,  S.  P.  Buxton 

Second,  Samuel  Hartwell 

Third,  Charles  N.  Brackett 


3 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

PRIZES    AND    GRATUITIES    FOR    VEGETABLES.  293 


Savoy,  S.  P.  Buxton 

Second,  Samuel  Hartwell   ..... 

Third,  Charles  B.  Lancaster  .... 
Cauliflowers. — Four  specimens,  William  H.  Teel 
Celery. — Four  roots,  Artemas  Frost,  Golden 

Second,  Isaac  E.  Coburn,  White  Plume 

Third,  Charles  A.  Learned,  Arlington 


Gratuities  : — 

Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill,  Tomatoes 
Calvin  Terry,  Peppers 
C.  A.  Learned,  Collection 
George  W.  Jameson,  Collection 
Charles  E.  Grant,  " 

Charles  N.Brackett,         " 


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00 

EXHIBITION   OF  WINTER   FRUITS   AND    VEGETABLES. 
November  8. 

Cucumbers.  — Pair,  the  third  prize  to  Varnum  Frost 

Cabbages. — Three  Red,  S.  P.  Buxton 

Second,  H.  A.  Bagley  ........ 

Third,  Charles  B.  Lancaster        . 

Savoy,  William  Christie  ........ 

Second,  H.  A.  Bagley 

Third,  S.  P.  Buxton 

Brussels  Sprouts. — Half- peck,  Joseph  H.  White  ... 

Second,  William  Christie  ....... 

Cauliflowers.  —  Four  specimens,  William  H.  Teel 
Celery. — Four  roots,  Artemas  Frost       .         . 

Second,  Walter  Russell       ........ 

Lettuce.  —  Four  heads,  the  third  prize  to  George  F.  Stone     .         .         1  00 
Tomatoes.  —  Twelve  specimens,  Winter  Brothers  .         .         .        3  00 

Gratuities  :  — 

Calvin  Terry,  Turnips         .........  1  00 

Edward  L.  Coy,  New  York,  New  Seedling  Potato  Vaughan      .         .  1  00 

William  S.  Janvrin,  Tomatoes            .......  1  00 

Walter  Russell,  Collection 2  00 

FIRST    CLASS    CERTIFICATES    OF    MERIT. 

March  2G.     Benjamin  K.  Bliss,  for  new  Squash  Pride  of  the  Amazon. 

August  2.     Joseph  Tailby,  for  Hybrid  Cucumber. 

August  16.     Charles  N.  Brackett,  for  Ignotum  Tomatoes. 

August  30.     Charles  E.  Grant,  for  Burpee's  Bush  Lima  Beans. 

November  8.     Edward  L.  Coy,  New  York,  for  New  Seedling  Potato,  Vaughan. 


REPORT 


COMMITTEE  ON  GARDENS, 


FOB,    THE    YEAR    1890. 


By  JOHN  G.  BARKER,  Chairman. 


We  again  bring  to  the  Society  the  report  of  our  doings  for  the 
past  year.  The  applications  for  the  various  premiums  have  been 
much  less  in  number  than  we  could  have  hoped.  For  years  there 
have  been  none  for  the  H.  H.  Hunnewell  Triennial  Premiums. 
Whether  there  is  a  lack  of  interest  on  the  part  of  those  who  own 
places  of  the  size  prescribed,  or  whether  three  consecutive  vears  is 
too  long  a  term  to  require  a  place  to  be  kept  in  order,  for  the  amount 
offered,  is  more  than  we  can  tell,  but  this  much  we  can  safely 
venture  to  suggest,  that  we  should  encourage  as  far  as  possible 
not  only  the  judicious  laying  out  of  small  places,  but  a  more 
general  desire  to  learn  how  to  plant  and  maintain  them  in  the 
most  economical  manner.  Our  suburbs  are  fast  filling  up  with 
such  places.  Larger  estates,  with  an  abundance  of  glass-houses, 
and  everything  on  an  extensive  scale  which  wealth  only  can  ob- 
tain, are  the  exception  and  not  the  rule.  When  we  look  back 
and  think  of  the  man}'  interesting  and  well-kept  places  that  once 
existed  near  Boston,  but  are  now  no  moi'e,  we  deeply  regret  the 
change. 

In  too  many  instances  a  lack  of  interest  is  the  reason  why  these 
grand  old  places  are  entirely  obliterated  ;  unlike  the  custom  in 
Old  England,  these  estates  are  not  handed  down  from  one  gen- 
eration to  another.  But  not  unfrequently  the  march  of  progress 
brings  the  railroad,  and  the  well-kept  garden  must  yield  to  the 
public  needs  and  the  demands  of  the  real-estate  man  ;  and  where 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  ON  GARDENS.      295 

once  the  fruit  and  kitclien  gardens  were  seen,  the  trees  laden 
with  hiscious  fruits,  the  vegetables  in  greatest  abundance,  the 
flower-garden  and  pleasure-grounds  the  admiration  of  the  passer- 
by and  the  attraction  of  the  many  —  now  the  new  street  is  found, 
and  modern  flats  or  cottage  residences  occupy  the  place  of  the 
once  well-kept  gardens.  Then  the  indefatigable,  persistent,  tree- 
agent  comes  along  and  with  his  chromos  bewitches  the  occupant  or 
owner  of  the  place,  who  is  induced  to  make  a  liberal  investment, 
being  led  to  anticipate  most  flattering  results,  but  who  is  too  often 
doomed  to  bitter  disappointment.  His  trees  and  shrubs  are  de- 
livered half  dried  up  ;  some  scarcely  live,  more  die  altogether. 
Although  disappointed  it  may  be  that  he  tries  again,  but,  succeed- 
ing no  better,  gives  it  up,  and  future  years  find  these  small  places 
overgrown  with  weeds,  and  utterly  neglected. 

This  is  not  an  imaginary  idea  expressed  for  the  sake  of  making 
a  report  to  you  ;  it  is  unfortunately  true,  and  we  deem  it  a  subject 
worthy  of  our  best  thought,  and  we  ask  if  we  have  not  some  work 
to  do  to  produce  a  change  for  the  better  in  this  direction.  Surely 
the  voice  of  the  Society  should  be  made  louder  and  be  heard 
farther  than  it  is  on  this  and  many  other  kindred  subjects. 
Unless  we  are  aroused  from  the  too  evident  conservatism  which 
seems  to  be  fast  taking  possession  of  us  in  the  work  of  the 
Society,  instead  of  a  State  Society  we  shall  soon  be  merely  a  city 
and  suburban  society  —  and  the  suburb  a  small  one  at  that. 

Progress  has  been  made  in  some  directions  during  the  past  year, 
wliich  is  very  gratifying  indeed  ;  but  when  we  consider  that  out  of  a 
total  appropriation  of  $6,000,  the  Garden  Committee  was  allotted 
for  Flower  Gardens,  Greenhouses,  Strawberry  Gardens,  and 
Vineyards,  the  sum  of  $300  only  —  and  part  of  that  from  the  John 
A.  Lowell  Fund,  which  the  Society  is  bound  to  off"er —  is  it  to  be 
wondered  at  that  there  is  no  more  competition  for  the  meagre 
prizes  we  are  enabled  to  offer?  A  well-kept  Flower  Garden,  a 
house  of  Orchids,  a  Market  or  Amateur  Strawberr3'  Garden,  or  a 
Vineyard  of  one  acre,  requires  time  and  money  to  establish  and 
maintain.  Let  us  look  at  some  of  the  prizes  offered,  in  com- 
parison with  those  in  other  departments.  These  are  for  1891  : 
For  the  best  arranged  and  best  kept  Flower  Garden, — hardy 
perennial  and  biennial  plants  admissible,  — $50;  best  Six  Green- 
house and  Stove  plants,  S30.  For  the  liest  ari-anged  and  best 
kept   Stove  or  Greenhouse,  during  the  month  of  March  or  April, 


296  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTUEAL   SOCIETY. 

$60.  At  the  Spring  Exhibition  in  March:  Six  Azaleas,  S20  ;  one 
Stove  or  Greenhouse  plant  in  bloom,  $8.  At  the  Rose  Show,  two 
Stove  and  Greenhouse  Flowering  plants,  $15.  For  the  best 
Market  Strawberry  Garden,  $50.  For  the  best  Amateur  Straw- 
berry Garden,  S30.  At  the  Strawberry  Show  :  For  the  best  four 
quarts  of  any  variety,  from  the  Lyman  Fund,  $20.  For  the  best 
Vineyard  of  one  acre,  $50.  At  the  Annual  Exhibition  :  For  the 
best  six  bunches  of  native  Grapes  in  all  cases,  63.  Now,  how 
does  this  look?  Ten  Greenhouse  and  Stove  plants  would  equal  a 
whole  Flower  Garden.  So  far  as  regards  the  amount  of  the  prize 
offered,  eighteen  Azaleas  would  equal  the  best  arranged  and  best 
kept  Stove  and  Greenhouse  with  plants.  Ten  of  the  best  quarts 
of  Strawberries  would  equal  an  entire  Market  Garden,  and  six 
quarts  would  equal  the  Amateur.  One  hundred  bunches  of  Grapes 
would  equal  the  Vineyard  of  an  acre.  These  are  facts.  We  beg 
your  careful  consideration  of  these  comparisons  of  prizes,  and  we 
ask  for  your  suggestions  after  giving  it.  If  we,  as  a  Society,  are 
doing  all  we  can,  and  the  sum  allotted  to  this  Committee  is  suffi- 
cient, then  there  is  nothing  to  be  said,  and  we  have  only  to  keep 
along  in  the  well-worn  rut ;  if  not  yet  doing  our  best,  let  us  get 
out  of  this  rut,  —  and  the  sooner  the  better,  —  and  let  us  wake  up 
thoroughly  to  the  real  merits  of  the  case,  and  in  future  strive  to 
work  justly  and  to  the  full  measure  of  our  ability  and  opportunities 
for  usefulness. 

The  President  in  his  annual  address  very  properly  alluded  to 
the  meeting  of  the  Society  of  American  Florists  held  in  Boston 
last  season.  This  event  occupied  a  great  deal  of  the  time 
of  the  active  members  of  the  Society,  and  at  a  season  of  the 
year  when  this  Committee  usually  make  their  visits  to  the  vine- 
yards. This  and  the  meeting  of  the  Association  of  American 
Cemetery  Superintendents  kept  us  all  busy,  especially  your 
Chairman,  with  the  last-named  society.  It  may  not  be  out  of 
place  to  say  that  this  Association  is  only  four  years  old,  and  if 
it  is  small  in  number  —  only  a  trifle  over  one  hundred  active 
members  —  it  represents  the  whole  country,  and  delegates  were 
present  from  most  of  the  leading  cemeteries  in  the  United  States  ; 
and  among  the  eight  honorary  members,  is  one  at  Aarhuus,  Den- 
mark. The  members  have  already  realized  the  great  benefit  of 
united  effort,  and  the  meetings  that  have  been  held  were  of  in- 
estimable value  to  all,  but  especially  to  those  who  are  located  at  a 


REPORT    OF    THE    CO^OIITTEE    ON    GARDENS.  297 

distance  from  the  large  cities.  Not  one  of  the  members  from 
other  States  had  ever  witnessed  such  an  exhibition  as  that  at 
Music  Ilall,  and  many  of  them  were  so  delighted  that  they  said 
that  alone  paid  them  for  coming  to  Boston,  while  the  visits  to 
Mount  Auburn,  Newton,  and  Forest  Hills  cemeteries,  as  well  as 
to  tiie  Arnold  Arboretum  and  Franklin  Park,  were  not  only  in- 
teresting but  very  profitable,  especially  that  to  the  Arboretum  ; 
and  as  the  Horticultural  Society  is  the  originator  of  the  Suburban 
Cemeter3',  you  will  doubtless  be  gratified  to  learn  the  progress  of 
this  youthful  organization.  Its  first  meeting  was  held  at  Cincin- 
nati ;  the  second  at  Brooklyn  ;  the  third  at  Detroit ;  the  fourth  at 
Boston  ;  and  the  fifth  will  be  at  Chicago.  Thus  yoi>  see  the  places 
of  meeting  have  been  in  cities  where  we  could  not  only  meet  and 
listen  to  a  superintendent  of  large  experience,  but  could  see  his 
work,  and  that  is  what  determines  his  rank  in  the  profession.  As 
the  plans  of  the  Society  for  the  future  are  developed  and  extended, 
it  is  the  hope  and  expectation  of  its  members  that  this  organiza- 
tion will  have  a  standing  equal  in  public  estimation  with  that  of 
Horticultural  and  other  Societies,  for  usefulness  and  intelligence 
of  its  membership  in  their  calling,  which  they  believe  is  second  in 
importance  to  none. 

For  the  premiums  offered  for  the  best  kept  Flower  Garden,  we 
had  no  application. 

Orchid  House  of  E.  W.  Gilmore. 

For  the  liest  House  of  Orchids  in  bloom  in  the  month  of  March, 
Thomas  Greaves,  gardener  to  E.  "W.  Gilmore,  North  Easton, 
entered  the  house  under  his  care.  The  visit  was  made  March  22. 
The  cool-house  orchids,  which  were  the  special  feature,  were  in 
admirable  condition.  The  house  is  a  small  lean-to,  and  modest 
in  every  way.  The  following  varieties  were  in  bloom  at  the  time 
of  our  visit. 

Angrcecum  sesquipedale.  An  extraordinarj-  plant,  and  one  of  the 
orchids  in  which  Charles  Darwin  was  especially  interested,  on 
account  of  the  exceptional  length  of  the  spur.  The  flowers  are 
ver}'  fragrant,  and  will  last  nearly  a  month. 

Cattleya  citrina.  A  fragrant  and  beautiful  orchid,  having  the 
curious  habit  of  growing  its  head  downwards.  The  flowers  are  of 
a  soft  lemon  3'ellow,  the  margin  of  the  lip  wavy  and  white.  They 
are  delightfully  fragrant,  and  hist  a  long  time. 


298  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

C.  TriaiKe,  in  variety. 

Cypripedium  bellatulum. 

C.  Boxallii. 

C.  caUosum. 

C.  Harrisianum. 

C.  Hooker (B. 

C.  Low  a. 

C  villosum.  This  and  the  six  preceding  are  choice  and  select 
species. 

Dendrohium  chrysotoxum. 

D.  Findleyanum. 

D.  FreenianiL     There  were  seventy-two  blooms  on  this  plant. 

D.  heterocarpum. 

D.  Jamesianum. 

D.  Jiobile,  and  varieties,  including  a  lovely  white  one. 

D.  Pierardii. 

D.  primulinum. 

D.  Wardianum.  A  very  beautiful  species,  of  which  tliere  were 
fifteen  fine  plants,  with  from  twenty-five  to  seventy-five  blooms 
on  each. 

Lycaste  Skinneri  is  one  of  the  most  desirable  of  the  orchids, 
and  should  be  in  every  collection. 

Ma sdevaUia  Re icli enbach ia n a . 

31.  tovarensis.      The  only  pure  white-flowered  species. 

Odontoglossum  Alexandrce.     About  fifty  plants  were  in  bloom. 

0.  Cervcmtesii ,  in  number. 

0.  (jloriosum. 

0.  luteo-purpureum. 

0.  CErstedii.    A  small  aud  very  prett}'  species. 

0.  Pescatorei.     Thirty  plants  in  bloom. 

0.  Rossii.  In  number ;  one  of  the  best  of  the  smaller  kinds, 
and  growing  and  flowering  very  freelv. 

0.  tripudiayis. 

O.  triumphans.  A  splendid  lot;  these  are  large  flowered,  easily 
managed,  aud  deservedly  the  most  popular  of  the  genus. 

0.   Wilckeanum.      Rare. 

Onddiuiii  papilio.  A  fine  plant  with  ten  blooms;  this  is  the 
beautiful  Butterfly  Orchid,  and  is  a  ver}*  interesting  species. 

0.  sarcodes.    A  very  handsome  variety. 

Phalceaopsis  Schilleriana,  a  verv  desirable   variety  ;  the  foliage 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMITTEE    ON    GARDENS.  299 

and  flowers  are  both  extremely  handsome,  and  there  was  a  fine 
show  of  bloom. 

P.  Stuartiana,  also  distinct  and  very  handsome. 

There  was  a  total  of  two  hundred  and  five  plants  in  bloom,  and 
many  varieties  that  were  not  in  bloom.  All  the  plants  were  well 
grown  and  showed  by  their  condition,  which  was  excellent  in 
every  respect,  that  much  skill  and  care  had  been  bestowed  upon 
them.  The  houses  devoted  to  their  cultivation  were  moderate 
sized  and  what  might  be  termed  inexpensive,  demonstrating  fully 
the  incorrectness  of  the  idea  which  was  once  entertained  that  ex- 
pensive houses  are  requisite  to  tlie  successful  cultivation  of  this 
beautiful  and  highly  ornamental  class  of  plants.  Time  will  not 
permit  us  to  go  into  any  further  details,  which  might  perhaps  be 
interesting  to  some,  on  the  cultivation  of  cool-house  orchids  ;  but 
all  who  would  like  to  study  the  subject  can  purchase  one  or  more 
of  the  following  books,  which  are  full  of  good  practical  informa- 
tion, and  cannot  fail  to  interest  such  readers  :  "  Cool  Orchids,  and 
How  to  Grow  Them,"  by  F.  W.  Burbidge,"  and  "  Orchids;  their 
Structure,  History,  and  Culture,"  by  Lewis  Castle.  These  are 
both  English  works  and  can  be  had  for  about  one  dollar  each.  A 
still  later  work,  "Orchids;  their  Culture  and  Management,"  bj' 
W.  Watson,  of  the  Royal  Gardens,  Kew,  is  a  more  extensive  and 
a  very  valuable  work,  costing  about  five  dollars. 

Oakley    Park,    "Watektown,    the    Residence    of   Robert    M. 

Pratt. 
The  members  of  the  Society  will  undoubtedly  remember  the  fine 
exhibits  of  Orchids  which  were  made  a  few  years  ago  by  David 
Allan,  the  gardener  at  this  place.  It  is  not  necessary  to  tell  you 
that  what  Mr.  Allan  does  is  well  done  ;  proof  of  that  is  shown  by 
his  works,  and  his  skill  as  a  cultivator  we  all  acknowledge.  On 
the  20th  of  March  your  Committee  were  invited  to  visit  Mr.  Allan 
and  inspect  his  Dendrobiums,  which  were  all  arranged  in  a  small 
span-roofed  house.  Upon  opening  the  door  the  sight  presented 
was  truly  magnificent,  and  it  is  not 'saying  too  much  when  we  in- 
form you  that  the  Committee  were  enthusiastic  over  the  rich  treat 
the\'  were  invited  to  enjoy.  To  give  an  adequate  idea  of  it  is 
beyond  our  power.  If  by  any  description  that  we  might  be  able  to 
give  of  that  array  of  beauty  we  could  rouse  your  imagination  to 
an  appreciation  of  the  scene,  we  would  gladly  do  it.     There  were 


,100  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

about  three  hundred  plauts,  from  the  smallest  in  a  thumb  pot  to 
large  basket  specimens,  some  with  hundreds  of  flowers  on  them. 
TheDendrobiums  are  a  lovely  genus  of  orchids,  easily  grown,  and 
profuse  bloomers,  the  well-known  D.  nohile  being  one  of  the  best 
winter  flowering  varieties  and  grown  in  large  quantities.  We  are 
reminded  here  of  an  answer  to  a  question  propounded  to  Louis 
Menand,  the  well-known  and  greatly  respected  Albany  florist. 
"When  asked  which  were  the  best  three  orchids  to  cultivate,  he 
gave  as  his  choice  D.  nohile  for  all  three.  The  unusual  excellence 
of  this  collection  has  induced  us,  as  far  as  possible,  to  give  de- 
scriptions of  the  plants  then  in  bloom,  that  you  may  form  some 
slight  idea  of  their  merits. 

D.  Ain.nvorthii.  A  hybrid  between  D.  nnhile  and  D.  aureum 
{lieterocarptim) .  A  beautiful  kind  ;  the  flowers  large,  sepals  and 
petals  French  white,  tipped  with  rose  purple ;  lip  of  a  deep 
amethyst  red,  with  a  white  margin, 

D.  Beiuonioe.  The  flowers  are  lovely  ;  the  sepals  and  petals  are 
milk  white,  the  lip  is  white  with  an  orange  centre  and  ornamented 
near  the  base  with  two  large  velvet}^  black  blotches. 

D.  Cambridgeanum,  with  sepals  and  lip  of  a  beautiful  bright 
yellow,  centre  dark  brown,  is  one  of  the  finest  of  all  yellow 
orchids. 

D.  crassinode  has  sepals  and  petals  richly  tipped  with  deep  pur- 
ple rose  ;  the  lip  white,  with  an  orange-colored  blotch  at  the  base. 

D.  Dominiamim.  A  cross  between  D.  Linawianum  and  D. 
nohile.  Flowers  of  a  bright  rosy  purple,  but  white  towards  the 
base  of  the  sepals  and  petals. 

D .  Jimhriatum  has  rich  orange-colored  flowers,  the  margin  of 
the  rounded  lip  being  beautifully  bordered  with  a  golden  moss- 
like fringe. 

D.  Findleyanum  is  pinkish  lilac  in  the  sepals  and  petals,  the 
lip  a  rich  orange  yellow  at  the  base,  becoming  a  lighter  and 
brighter  yellow  at  the  margin. 

D.  Freemanii  is  an  extremely  beautiful  orchid ;  the  flowers  are 
similar  to  those  of  D.  nohile,  but  the  color  is  far  deeper ;  the  dark 
purple  blotch  on  the  shell-like  lip  is  margined  with  white. 

D.  Leechianum.  A  hybrid  between  D.  aureum  and  D.  nohile. 
This  is  very  near  D.  Ainsworthii,  but  larger  and  deeper  colored. 

D.  Linaicianum.  —  Flowers  nearly  white  in  the  centre,  the  outer 
portion  of  the  sepals  and  petals  being  a  pale  rosy  lilac  or  cerise  ; 


REPORT    OF    THE    COiMMITTEE    ON    GARDENS.  301 

the  lip  is  siutill,  white,  with  two  purple  blotches  in  front,  and  is 
wholly  purple  in  the  throat. 

D.  nobile  and  varieties.  —  Among  the  latter  D.  nohile  nobilius 
was  very  noticeable.  It  is  a  gorgeous  flower,  the  sepals  aad  petals 
colored  a  very  rich  glowing  amethyst,  paler  towards  the  base  ; 
lip  deep  maroon,  with  a  zone  of  milk  white  in  front. 

D.  senile  is  a  curious  orchid  ;  the  flowers,  of  a  clear  yellow  color, 
are  about  one  inch  across,  and  very  showy. 

D.  Wardianum  is  remarkable  for  the  size  of  the  flowers  ;  the 
sepals  are  a  rich  amethyst  with  a  margin  of  white  ;  the  petals  also 
white,  tipped  with  amethyst,  as  is  the  lip  ;  the  colors  are  very 
deep  and  rich. 

The  following  varieties  of  Odontoglossum  were  noted  : 
0.  Alexnndne.  —  Sepals    and   petals   rich   deep  lilac,    rose,  or 
mauve ;   petals  white  suffused    with    mauve ;  lip   prettily   frilled, 
white,  stained  with  yellow  at  the  base. 

0.  Andersonianum.  — The  blossoms  resemble  those  of  0.  cir- 
rliosum  in  form  and  size,  but  the  spots  and  markings,  instead  of 
being  a  purplish  blue,  are  of  a  reddish-brown  color.  It  is  a  very 
distinct  and  valuable  variety. 

0.  cirrhosum  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  species  in  the  white- 
spotted  pui'ple  group. 

0.  Fescatorei.  — Flowers  large  and  pure  white,  with  a  blotch  of 
purplish  crimson  on  the  base  of  the  lip. 

0.  Rossii.  —  Sepals  white,  barred  with  brown;  petals  pure 
white,  with  a  few  spots  at  their  bases  only  ;  lip  pure  white,  with  a 
lemon-yellow  bi-lobed  crest ;  column  white. 

0.  triumplians  is  a  large  flowered,  easily  managed  species  and 
one  of  the  most  popular  of  the  genus.     Its  sepals  and  petals  are 
bright  yellow,  blotched  with  deep  brownish  crimson  ;  lip  oblong, 
with  a  narrow  tail-like  tip ;  the  edges  toothed,  the  front  portion 
being  cinnamon  brown,  and  the  basal  half  pure  white,  with  a  yellow 
centre ;  the  crest,  which  is  usually  white,  has  two  long  teeth. 
Masdevallias  are  valuable,  as  some  are  always  in  flower. 
M.  Barkeami  is  a  pretty  species,  scarlet ;  very  free. 
M.  Davisii  is  of  rich  orange  yellow,  distinct  and  handsome. 
M.  ignea  is  very  bright  fiery  red,  shaded  with  crimson  or  violet 
rose,  and  is  said  to  be  unsurpassed  for  brilliancy  in  the  vegetable 
kingdom. 

M.  Veitchiana  has  the  outer  surface  of  the  petals  tawnj'  yellow, 


302  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

the  inner  surface  rich  orange  scarlet,  and  is  said  to  be  probably 
the  finest  species  jet  introduced. 

CaUleya  citrina  has  been  alread}'  mentioned. 

In  other  houses  we  noticed  in  bloom 

Caltleya  Triancp.,  var.  Mendelii. 

Cypripedium  Harrisiamim. 

C.  insigne  and  its  varieties. 

C.  Lawrenceanum. 

C.  cEnanthitm. 

C.  vexillariam  superbum. 

C.  viUosum. 

Our  attention  was  directed  to  a  fine  lot  of  Staphylea  colchica, 
one  of  the  very  best  plants  for  forcing. 

A  few  Cyclamens  were  still  in  bloom  ;  the  variety  in  the  flowers 
was  particularly  striking,  the  color  varying  from  a  deep  magenta 
to  a  pure  white.    The  Cyclamen  also  is  a  specialty  with  Mr.  Allan. 

Adiantum  Farleyense  is  another  specialty.  The  great  number 
of  plants,  and  the  luxuriant  fronds  on  each,  were  especially'  notice- 
able.    This  is  Ivnown  as  one  of  the  most  magnificent  Adiantums. 

A  large  quantity  of  Lilium  candidum  promised  well.  Many 
other  things  might  be  noted,  but  attention  has  been  called  to  a 
sufficient  number  already  to  give  assurance  that  the  excellence  of 
the  plants  grown  at  Oakley  Park  is  still  maintained.  All  the 
plants  showed  care  and  skill  in  cultivation.  After  leaving  the 
houses  we  were  taken  to  the  cold-frames  where  the  violets  were 
grown,  and  the  same  skill  in  cultivation  was  evident  there  ;  they 
were  not  grown  very  close  together,  but  the  flowers  were  un- 
usually fine  and  produced  in  great  abundance. 

Although  this  was  an  impromptu  visit,  it  was  one  of  the  most 
satisfactory  that  your  Committee  have  been  permitted  to  enjoy. 

Forcing-Houses  of  Hittinger  Brothers,  Belmont. 
A  hasty  glance  was  given  to  the  forcing-houses  for  early  vege- 
tables which  are  conducted  by  Hittinger  Brothers,  who  informed 
us  that  they  had  already  (March  20)  taken  two  crops  of  lettuce 
from  the  large  house,  which  is  635  feet  long  by  '2b  to  30  feet  wide, 
and  is  divided  by  a  glass  partition,  and  were  now  taking  out 
the  third  crop.  In  the  other  houses  tomatoes  were  as  large  as 
hens'  eggs  ;  cucumbers  were  set,  while  radishes,  parsley,  and  water- 
cress, —  all  grown  in  the  greatest  abundance,  —  were  ready  for 


REPORT    OF   THE    COMMITTEE    ON    GARDENS.  303 

use.  Every  department  was  in  excellent  condition,  and  we  regret 
that  the  darkness  of  the  evening  coming  on  prevented  our  making 
a  more  thorough  examination  of  the  excellent  arrangements  for 
growing  winter  vegetables  so  successfully  used  by  these  gentle- 
men ;  but  we  hope  in  the  near  future  to  be  able  to  give  more  in 
detail  such  facts  as  will  be  of -interest  to  the  Society. 

Market  Strawberry  Garden  of  Samuel  Barnard. 
In  our  previous  reports  we  have  called  attention  to  the  straw- 
berry gardens  of  Warren  Heustis  &  Son  and  Samuel  Barnard,  both 
at  Belmont.  This  season  the  Committee  were  again  invited  to 
examine  a  bed  of  the  Jewell  strawberry  at  Mr.  Barnard's,  and  it 
is  with  an  unusual  degree  of  satisfaction  that  we  can  report  that 
this  bed  was  a  very  superior  one  in  every  way,  and  that  Mr. 
Barnard  continues  rightfully  to  enjoy  his  well-earned  reputation  as 
a  leading  cultivator  of  the  strawberry.  The  Jewell  has  been 
awarded  a  Silver  Medal  by  the  Society,  and  it  is  a  satisfaction  to 
be  able  to  note  that  it  still  proves  worth}-  of  the  award.  It  has 
always  been  spoken  of  in  the  highest  terms,  and  is  considered  one 
of  the  most  productive  large  strawberries  ever  introduced.  It 
is  a  fine  grower,  and  has  never  shown  any  signs  of  rust  or  blight. 
The  berries  are  large,  bright  red,  changing  to  crimson  when  very 
ripe,  firm  and  of  good  quality.  It  is  said  to  be  a  seedling  of  the 
JerscN'  Queen. 

A^iATEUR  Strawberry  Garden  of  Benjamin  M.  Smith,  Beverly. 
This  was  visited  June  21.  The  one  variety  demanding  our 
special  attention  was  the  new  seedling  Beverly.  For  information 
in  regard  to  it  we  refer  you  to  the  report  of  the  Fruit  Committee 
of  this  year,  and  for  the  mode  of  cultivation  and  management  of 
Mr.  Smith's  garden,  to  his  statement,  which  is  appended.  This 
is  the  first  application  that  we  have  had  to  visit  an  amateur 
strawberry  garden,  and  we  sincerely  hope  that  others  will  follow. 

Letter  of  Benjamin  M.  Smith. 

Beverly,  Nov.  18,  1890. 
Mr.  .John  G.  Barker,   Chairman  Committee  on  Gardens:  — 

Dear  Sir, — Your  letter  of  the  11th  instant,  requesting  me  to 
write  you  my  experience  in  growing  strawberries,  and  also  about 
the  new  seedling,  Beverly,  I  have  received.    My  first  experience  was 


304  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

at  Meredith,  X.H.,  in  1863.  Since  then,  at  Newbury,  Haverhill, 
Salem,  and  Beverly,  I  have  grown  the  Agriculturist,  Charles 
Downing,  Bidwell,  Atlantic,  Mrs.  Garfield,  Prince  of  Berries, 
Daniel  Boone,  Miner's  Prolific,  Belmont,  May  King,  Crescent, 
Jessie,  Jewell,  and  last  the  Beverly.  I  have  grown  them  in  area 
from  a  small  bed  to  an  acre.  For-  garden  culture  I  prefer  to 
grow  them  in  hills,  with  double  rows,  one  foot  between  the  hills 
each  way,  two  and  one-half  feet  between  the  rows,  and  to  keep 
all  runners  cut  off.  The  garden  I  entered  for  a  prize  is  in  size 
about  forty  by  ninety  feet ;  about  two-thirds  of  it  was  set  out  in 
August,  1888,  and  the  spring  of  1889,  and  the  other  third  in 
August,  1889,  after  harvesting  corn  and  beans.  The  ground  had 
been  well  fertilized  in  the  spring  with  stable  manure  and  street 
scrapings  from  the  streets  of  Salem.  After  harvesting  the  corn 
and  beans,  I  spaded  in  ground  bone  and  unleached  ashes,  —  about 
one-third  bone  to  two-thirds  ashes,  —  and  used  on  the  whole  gar- 
den, I  should  think,  fift}'  pounds  of  bone  and  four  bushels  of 
ashes.  I  set  out  runner  plants  with  what  earth  could  be  taken  up 
I'eadily  with  the  trowel,  and  kept  them  watered  until  new  roots 
started.  They  were  hoed  as  often  as  once  in  two  weeks ;  once  a 
week  would  be  better.  All  the  ruuners  were  cut  off.  About 
December  1,  I  covered  them  with  leaves  and  threw  on  a  little 
stable  manure  to  keep  the  leaves  in  place.  I  got  the  best  results 
from  plants  set  in  August,  as  above,  — as  good  as  from  plants  set 
in  the  spring.  If  one  has  plenty  of  land  he  should  not  grow 
strawberries  more  than  two  years  on  the  same  piece  of  ground. 

The  history  of  the  new  seedling,  Beverly,  is  as  follows  :  In  July, 
1887,  I  sowed  seeds  from  the  Miner's  Prolific.  In  June,  1888,  I 
got  good  specimens  from  them.  Among  those  that  bore  fruit  one 
seemed  very  promising.  In  the  summer  of  1888  I  set  out  what 
plants  it  made,  which  formed  a  row  about  twenty-two  feet  long. 
I  cut  oflJ"  no  runners,  as  I  wished  for  plants  as  well  as  fruit.  On 
one  side  of  this  row,  twenty-two  feet  long,  I  set  a  row  of  Belmonts, 
and  on  the  other  side  a  row  of  Jewells,  each  fifty  feet  long. 
Treated  as  well  as  the  seedling,  I  should  say  that  both  rows  did 
not  yield  any  more  fruit  than  the  space  of  twenty-two  feet,  where 
I  put  out  the  new  seedling,  though  I  do  not  say  it  would  ever  do 
that  again.  From  that  twenty-two  feet  row  I  got  runners  enough 
to  set  out  one-tliird  of  my  garden,  in  August,  1889,  as  stated. 
Last  June  vou  and  your  Committee  saw  how  they  were  bearing. 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  ON  GARDENS.      305 

the  quality  of  the  berries,  and  the  vigor  of  the  plants.  Some  one 
of  ihe  Couirnittee  asked  me  wiiat  would  become  of  all  those  green 
berries  that  were  set  on  tlie  plants,  and  my  reply  was  that  most 
of  them  would  matuj^,  which  they  did. 

I  will  now  briefly  recapitulate  the  ease  of  the  seedling  Beverly. 
In  the  spring  of  1888  there  was  only  one  plant.  In  the  summer 
of  1890  I  picked  eight  bushels  and  twenty-four  quarts  of  berries 
from  the  Beverly  strawberry  plants.  The  yield  from  the  whole 
garden  was  fifteen  bushels  and  sixteen  quarts. 

The  Beverl}'  strawberry  plant  is  the  most  vigorous,  and  the 
most  free  from  rust  of  any  plant  I  ever  saw. 

I  invite  those  who  are  interested  to   visit  my   garden    in    the 
season  of  1891,  and  see  for  themselves  what  it  is. 
Respectfully  yours, 

Benjamin  M.  Smith. 

The  Committee  have  made  the  following  awards  for  the  year 
1890:  — 

To  Thomas  Greaves,  for  the  best  house  of  Orchids  in 

bloom  during  the  month  of  March,  the  premium  of  .         S60  00 

To  Benjamin  M.  Smith,  for  the  best  Amateur  Straw- 
berry* Garden,  the  premium  of  ....  30  00 

To  David  Allan,  for  a  very  fine  house  of  Dendrobiums, 

a  gratuity  of -       .         .  .  30  00 

To  Samuel   Barnard,    for   a   superior   bed   of   Jewell 

Strawberries,  a  gratuity  of       .         .         .         .         .  lo  00 

We  again  call  ^'our  attention  to  the  changes  in  the  amount  to 
be  offered  in  prizes  in  1891  by  the  Committee  on  Gardens. 
If  any  one  cannot  compete  for  these,  but  has  any  other  object  of 
interest  to  the  Society  or  the  public,  it  will  be  a  pleasure  to  give 
it  our  best  consideration,  and  a  request  to  the  Chairman  that  the 
Committee  should  examine  any  such  object,  will  be  gladly  received 
and  cheerfully  attended  to. 

This  report  was  read  at  a  meeting  held  Jan.  27,  1891,  and  ap- 
proved by  a  majoritj'  of  the  Committee. 

John  G.  Barker,  Chairman. 
Joseph  H.  Woodford, 
C.  N.  Brackett, 
Henry  W.  Wilson, 
C.  W.  Ross. 


REPORT 


COMMIHEE  OF  ARRANGEMENTS, 


FOR    THE    YEAR    1890. 


By   PATRICK   NORTON,    Chairman. 


As  the  3'ear  draws  to  a  close  it  becomes  the  duty  of  your  Com- 
mittee to  make  a  report  of  their  doings  during  the  past  season. 

Nearly  all  of  the  exhibitions  have  been  very  gratifying  and 
satisfactory,  and  have  met  the  hearty  approval  of  the  public. 

Meetings  of  the  Committee  have  been  held  during  the  year, 
whenever  it  was  necessary  to  make  arrangements  for  the  various 
large  exhibitions  ;  and  with  the  cooperation  of  the  other  Com- 
mittees, the  various  plans  and  methods  adopted  have  been  carried 
out  with  credit  to  the  Society  and  to  the  pleasure  of  visitors. 

The  Spring  Exhibition  was  of  unusual  excellence,  and  so  also 
was  the  Rose  and  Strawberry  Show.  The  arrangement  of  the 
tables  has  been  such  as  to  display  the  exhibits  to  their  best  ad- 
vantage, and  in  much  better  form  than  has  usually  been  prac- 
tised. 

The  Grand  Exhibition  in  Music  Hall,  in  August,  entailed  a 
large  amount  of  expense ;  and  the  study  in  planning  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  enormous  quantity  of  plants  and  flowers  offered,  and 
the  labor  of  placing  them  so  as  to  produce  the  best  effect,  were 
ver}'  considerable  ;  but  the  plans  were  so  fully  completed,  and  so 
carefully  carried  out,  that  every  one  was  accommodated  in  a  satis- 
factory manner.  One  of  the  great  features  of  this  Exhibition  was- 
the  contribution,  by  outside  parties,  of  silver  plate  to  the  amount 
of  S820,  offered  as  Special  Prizes  to  be  awarded  at  this  time. 
This  was  entirely  the  work  of  the  Committee  of  Arrangements, 
and  was  a  most  important  feature  of  this  successful  exhibition. 


REPORT    OF    COMMITTEE    OF    ARRANGEMENTS. 


307 


The  advertising,  and  the  courtesy  of  the  press  in  calling  the 
attention  of  the  public  to  our  exhibitions  throughout  the  year,  has 
never  been  excelled ;  and  the  economy  of  all  this,  as  far  as  the 
Society  is  concerned,  is  to  be  credited  to  this  Committee. 

Your  Committee  feel  that  great  progress  has  been  secured 
during  the  year  in  the  various  interests  pertaining  to  our  Society, 
and  we  confidently  hope  that  it  will  continue  in  the  future. 

The  expenses  attending  the  exhibitions  during  the  year  have 
been  as  follows  :  — 


^249  44 
133  36 

2,460  51 
289  04 
293  81 

83,426  16 

$500  25 

198  00 

2,108  28 

172  25 

1,667  00 

$4,645  78 


showing  a  balance  of  SI, 219. 62  in  favor  of  the  Society,  which  has 
been  passed  into  the  treasury-. 

Out  of  the  ai)propriation  of  $300,  which  was  placed  at  the  dis- 
posal of  this  Committee  at  the  beginning  of  the  year,  there  has 
been  expended  $296.50. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 


Spring  Exhibition       .         .         .         .        " . 
Rose  and  Strawberry  Exhibition 
Annual  Exhibition  of  Plants  and  Flowers    . 
Annual  Exhibition  of  Fruits  and  Vegetables 
Chrvsanthemum  Show         .... 


The  receipts  were  as  follows  :  — 
Spring  Exhibition        ..... 
Rose  and  Strawberry  Exhibition 
Annual  Exhibition  of  Plants  and  Flowers    . 
Annual  Exhibition  of  Fruits  and  Vegetables 
Chrysanthemum  Show         .... 


Patrick  Nokton, 
Jos.  H.  Woodford,! 
C.  N.  Brackett, 
E.  W.  Wood, 


Committee 

of 
Arrangements. 


REPORT 


COMMITTEE   ON   WINDOW   GARDENING. 


FOR    THE    YEAR    1890. 


By  HENRIETTA  L.  T.  AVOLCOTT,  Chairman. 


At  the  close  of  the  season  of  out-of-doors  work,  the  Committee 
on  Window  Gardening  beg  leave  to  report  for  the  year  the  exhi- 
bitions and  their  results. 

Owing  to  a  misunderstanding  among  the  exhibitors  of  the  year 
1889,  as  to  notification,  but  few  windows  were  offered  for  exami- 
nation in  March,  1890.  In  those  that  were  entered  a  most  satis- 
factory conditio^,  as  to  growth  under  unfavorable  surroundings, 
was  observed,  notwithstanding  the  gas  and  furnace  heat,  which 
usually  proves  fatal  to  free  blooming.  In  cool  apartments.  Nar- 
cissus—  the  variety  lately  introduced  by  the  Chinese  —  and  Ama- 
ryllis seem  as  serviceable  as  Scarlet  Zonale  Pelargoniums  and  our 
faithful  friend,  the  Begonia. 

During  the  winter  months  the  Committee  had  considered  the 
plan  of  granting  prizes  in  money,  and  the  objections  thereto. 
Gratuities,  even  in  small  suras,  and  the  prizes  for  excellence  drew 
perceptibly  on  the  limited  resources  of  the  Committee.  Yet  the 
example  set  by  the  Society,  under  whose  autliority  we  act,  could 
not  be  entirely  ignored. 

The  encouragement  of  the  love  of  Jiowers  in  the  community 
was  the  acknowledged  purpose  of  the  founders  of  this  Society. 
They  made  no  special  note  of  the  business  element  which  so  largely 
obtains  at  present,  and  this  love  of  flowers  seemed  in  danger  of 
being  overcome  by  the  love  of  candy,  the  small  gratuities  often 
serving  to  purchase  the  desired  treat. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  WINDOW  GARDENING.   309 

Considering  this  plan  then  as  at  least  open  to  criticism,  the  Com- 
mittee substituted  plants  as  gifts  and  prizes.  Then  came  the  ques- 
tion, "  How  can  plants  of  suitable  age  be  secured  for  tlie  later 
mfentlis?  "  To  keep  cuttings  or  small  plants  three  or  four  months 
must  add  to  the  expense. 

Througli  the  most  cordial  cooperation  of  George  A.  Parker,  — 
a  member  of  the  Society,  and  himself  a  lover  of  both  plants  and 
children,  —  space  in  his  greenhouses  was  offered  for  the  growing 
and  caring  for  all  the  plants  we  needed. 

Cuttings  and  seeds  were  purchased  at  wholesale  prices,  and  the 
results  proved  that  the  work  was  not  commenced  any  too  early  to 
meet  the  demands  made  upon  us.  Seven  classes  in  Boston  schools 
were  taking  courses  of  lessons  in  Botan}',  and  at  that  season  pre- 
paring for  an  exhibition  of  their  progress.  The  germination  of 
seeds,  and  the  propagation  of  plant-life  by  slips,  had  been  care- 
fully noted  day  by  day,  and  a  record  had  been  kept  for  future 
reference.  Your  Committee  were  invited  to  be  present.  After 
carefully  observing  their  work,  it  seemed  wise  to  furnish  to  those 
who  wanted  to  continue  their  investigations  seedlings  which  were 
then  in  fine  condition.  Most  gratefully  were  they  received  and 
distributed  by  teachers  and  pupils.  About  one  thousand  seedlings 
of  Asters,  Coreopsis,  Dianthus,  Hardy  Carnations,  Lobelia,  Sweet 
Williams,  Nicotiana  qffinis,  Candytuft,  and  Sweet  Alyssum,  were 
the  principal  annuals,  while  Abutilon  and  Heliotrope  were  among 
the  hardier  perennial  plants.  These  were  heard  from  during  the 
summer.  Each  collection  was  carefully  labelled  with  the  botani- 
cal and  common  name.  This  was  considered  necessary  to  discour- 
age the  habit,  among  raisers  of  plants,  of  propagating  error  while 
they  propagate  plants.  Like  all  untruths,  false  names  mislead, 
perhaps  not  the  dealer,  but  the  seeker  after  knowledge.  For  in- 
stance, the  pretty  white  flower  sold  as  Stevia  is  not  that  at  all. 
Its  botanical  name  is  Piqueria,  from  that  of  a  Spanish  botanist, 
and  it  is  very  much  more  desirable  for  decorative  purposes  than 
the  Stevia,  which  has  a  stiff  stem  bearing  a  close  cyme  of  blos- 
soms at  the  head  of  the  upright  stalk.  The  true  names  can  be 
mastei'ed  by  persons  of  the  average  intelligence,  as  well  as  the 
incorrect  ones. 

Previous  to  the  Easter  celebrations  your  Committee  had  been 
asked  to  aid  in  arranging  and  presenting  the  flowers  provided  for 
a  mission  school  near  Roxbury,  and  to  present  flowers  and  explain 


310  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

the  plan  of  the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society.  Eight 
schools  were  visited  that  day.  When  it  is  remembered  that  be- 
fore the  "Window  Gaixlening  Committee  was  formed  but  one  school 
in  Boston  had  ever  given  pot  plants,  the  contrast  which  was  ob- 
served in  1890  was  encouraging.  About  13,000  pot  plants  were 
distributed  in  the  various  schools  in  the  State. 

In  one  or  two  instances  the  florist  was  authorized  to  put  a 
water-proof  cover  over  tlie  earthen  pot,  thus  preventing  many 
untoward  accidents  resulting  from  carrying  dirty  pots. 

The  first  exhibition  of  this  year  was  held  in  June,  at  the  Church 
of  the  Good  Shepherd,  whose  faithful  pastor  has  interested  him- 
self in  the  work  of  this  Committee  since  its  formation  Forty- 
five  plants  were  there,  each  and  every  one  of  which  had  been  the 
especial  care  of  a  child.  They  were  well-grown  and  free  from  torn 
or  dead  leaves  or  stems.  The  pots  were  clean,  and  the  labels  dis- 
tinctly marked.  One  family  of  six  children  brought  an  astonish- 
ing collection.  A  visit  to  their  home  later  in  the  season  revealed 
the  fact  that  the  mother,  while  encouraging  the  children  to  water 
and  shelter  the  plants  in  the  small  enclosure  called  garden,  —  on 
which  the  sun's  rays  fell  with  terrible  effect  in  August  and  .Se|)tem- 
ber,  —  had  little  leisure  to  help  them.  A  sick  husband,  an  infant  in 
arms,  and  the  whole  care  of  a  family  of  nine,  gave  her  enough  to  do. 
The  welcome  addition  of  six  other  plants  gave  to  the  household 
much  joy. 

In  August,  the  second  exhibition  was  held  in  the  rooms  of  the 
North  Bennet  Street  Industrial  School,  which  were  kindly  offered 
to  the  children  of  the  public  schools  in  the  neighborhood.  Fifty 
well-grown  plants  —  Geraniums,  Fuchsias,  Tradescantias,  and 
Abutilons  — were  presented  by  the  children,  who  came  again  later 
in  the  day  for  them.  One  plant  of  Acacia  Farnesiana,  raised  by  an 
invalid  girl,  was  well-grown  and  handsome.  Had  it  been  in  flower, 
it  would  have  had  double  the  prize. 

Owing  to  either  the  poverty  or  indifference  of  parents,  some  of 
the  plants  requiring  to  be  shifted  from  the  two  and  one-half  inch 
pots  in  which  the  florist  sold  them,  had  been  buried  in  ten-inch 
pots,  "  because  it  was  all  there  was  in  the  house."  The  Commit-  - 
tee  sent  for  a  few  four-iuch  pots,  and  shifted  them,  thus  giving  a 
lesson  in  thoroughness  to  the  children,  who  watched  the  process 
with  great  interest. 

In  the  past  three  years  your  Committee  had  experienced  diffi- 


REPORT   OF   COMMITTEE    OX   WINDOW   GARDENING.       311 

culties  in  securing  opportunities  for  exliibitious  in  the  liall  of  this 
Society,  without  encroaching  on  the  customary  claims  of  the 
otlier  Committees.  We  desired  to  secure  results,  not  troubles, 
and  therefore  held  our  exhibitions  in  such  church  parlors  or 
halls  as  were  offered ;  and  as  children  could  not  be  expected  to 
take  long  walks  twice  in  one  day,  —  and  ttie  only  holiday  they  had, 
—  that  plan  was  considered  excellent.  Endeavoring  this  year  not 
to  interfere  with  the  use  of  the  halls  for  the  Florists,  or  the  Fall 
Exhibitions,  we  decided  to  attempt  an  out-of-doors  exhibition  at 
Franklin  Park.  This  plan  received  the  approbation  of  all  in- 
terested. The  application  for  permission  to  assemble  in  the 
grounds,  so  well  adapted  for  the  purpose,  was  granted,  "  said  ex- 
hibition to  be  held  immediately  following  the  opening  of  the 
public  schools."  With  the  appointed  day  came  the  usual  fall 
rain,  and  so  tempestuous  was  it  that  it  might  well  have  been 
deemed  a  second  deluge.  The  Committee  were  on  hand  to  re- 
ceive and  arrange  the  five  hundred  plants,  each  in  four-inch  pots, 
in  excellent  condition  for  winter  growth  and  flowering.  Alas, 
for  the  plans  of  men,  which  "  gang  aft  agley  "  !  The  cars  ceased 
running  up  the  hill  to  the  entrance  of  the  Park.  The  man  whose 
services  had  been  granted  by  the  Commissioners  to  assist  in 
unloading,  failed  to  put  in  an  appearance.  The  work  was  delayed 
until  help  could  be  secured,  thus  adding  materially  to  the  ex- 
penses in  an  entirely  unforeseen  manner. 

After  considering  that  should  the  ctouds  roll  by.  as  they  did 
later  in  the  day,  the  condition  of  the  grass  would  utterly  pre- 
clude games  or  strolling  about  the  walks,  the  Committee  arranged 
for  a  postponement,  sent  the  children,  who  were  waiting  at  the 
car-station,  to  their  homes,  gave  a  fine  plant,  brought  by  a  school 
girl  from  the  extreme  North  end  of  Boston,  into  the  charge  of  the 
matron,  and  left  the  wet  grounds  in  season  to  advertise  in  the 
evening  papers  that  due  notice  of  the  postponement  would  be 
given  in  the  Sunday-schools  on  the  morrow. 

The  next  Saturday  came,  but  a  dreary  week  of  rain  and  steamy 
atmosphere  had  made  it  no  pleasanter  for  a  floral  show.  The 
plants,  which  had  been  grown  in  open  air  and  sunlight  for  six  or 
seven  weeks,  felt  the  change  to  a  cool,  dark  cellar,  closely  stowed 
in  the  boxes.  Their  appearance  cannot  be  adequately  described 
b}'  any  words  in  the  P^nglish  language  —  only  the  im:igination  can 
picture  their  wretched   condition.     The  successful  exhibitors   of 


312  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

Jul}'  and  August  had  notified  us  that  the}'  could  not  exhibit 
their  plants  if  they  were  to  carry  home  another,  and  their 
parents  Ihouglit  it  too  stormy  for  the  little  ones  to  come.  In 
spite  of  the  discouraging  weather,  all  the  plants  were  distributed 
to  glad  recipients.  Clergymen,  teachers  of  mission  schools,  and 
philanthropic  workers  among  the  occupants  of  cheerless  tene- 
ments, came  and  approved. 

In  March,  by  a  vote  of  the  Society,  action  on  a  paper  on 
"  Horticultural  Education  for  Children,"  read  by  Henry  L.  Clapp, 
Principal  of  the  George  Putnam  School,  Roxbury,  was  referred 
to  this  Committee. 

General  cooperation  throughout  the  State  among  pupils  of  the 
public  schools  was  desired  to  secure  the  object  in  view.  Cir- 
culars were  distributed  generally,  offering  prizes  for  the  best 
collections  of  dried  plants,  ferns,  or  grasses,  and  giving  all 
details  as  to  paper  suitable  for  the  work ;  and  the  proposition 
was  made  that  all  such  collections,  when  correctly  named,  if  not 
classified,  should  be  the  nucleus  of  a  town  herbarium.  Records 
of  the  flowers,  grasses,  ferns,  birds,  and  insects,  found  in  each 
town,  would  be  of  lasting  benefit. 

In  response  to  this,  two  collections  were  offered,  and  the  prize 
of  two  dollars  was  awarded  to  Gilman  H.  Hitchings  for  ferns,  and 
the  same  to  Phillips  Barry  for  flowers.  Please  notice  the  fact  that 
these  collections  were  cori-ectly  labelled  according  to  Gray,  and 
that  the  lads  were  under  thirteen  years  of  age.  Young  Barry  also 
received  the  first  prize  for  a  collection  of  native  flowers,  in  forty- 
nine  vases.  The  correct  naming  of  the  Asters  and  Solid.igos 
would  have  severely  taxed  the  botanical  ability  of  the  majority  of 
the  members  of  this  Society.  He  also  showed  four  plants  rarely 
grown  here.  On  the  label  of  a  pot  of  Sedum  honidulum,  I 
think,  was  this  notice:  "  The  bit  of  plant,  from  which  these  pots 
have  been  grown,  came  from  Europe  in  a  botanical  press.  I 
soaked  it  out  and  planted  it."  This  thoughtfulness  in  so  young 
a  lad  is  rarer  than  his  plants,  but  much  can  be  accomplished  by 
training  the  faculties  to  observe  details. 

Cordially  desiring  to  find  inexpensive  plants  easily  grown  in 
windows,  the  Chairman  attended,  at  some  sacrifice,  the  sessions 
of  the  Convention  of  American  Elorists  held  in  the  halls  of  this 
Society.  But  it  was  very  evident  that  the  writer  of  the  paper  adver- 
tised, and  his  fellow-members,  had  little  conception  of  the  needs 


REPORT    OF    COMMITTEE    ON    WINDOW    GARDENING.       313 

of  this  Comuiittee.  Palms,  Aspidistra,  Ficus  elastica,  and  Ferns 
are  easily  managed  by  a  gardener's  assistant  in  the  conservatory  or 
large  window  in  some  favored  sunny  locality.  They  are  expensive, 
too  large,  and  do  not  bear  bright-colored  blossoms.  Color  always 
carries  a  fascination  to  a  child.  Gifts  of  two  of  the  members  of 
this  Society,  comprising  a  valuable  Begonia  Rex,  Poinsettia,  and 
Solanum  cajisicastnan,  which,  on  account  of  their  size,  were  rele- 
gated to  older  raisers,  will  take  their  places  in  the  windows 
offered  for  exhibition  later  in  the  season  ;  which  windows  must 
not  be  subjected  to  a  sudden  fall  of  temperature  when  the  maid- 
of-all-work  opens  a  window,  or  the  neat  housekeeper  must  secure 
ventilation  and  thoroughly  air  the  apartment. 

The  more  hard}'  plants  —  Ivy,  Cactus,  Sedum,  and  Allium, 
with  Narcissus,  and  occasionally  a  pot  of  4Scilla  or  Oxalis,  wtll 
grown  —  will  eventually  lead  to  the  care  of  more  delicate  plants. 
This  is  what  your  Committee  hope  to  accomplish. 

Neither  cast  down  nor  discouraged,  we  ask  for  a  continuance 
of  your  cooperation.  A  real  enthusiasm  for  flowers  should  be 
divorced,  for  a  time  at  least,  from  the  consideration  of  the  money 
value  which  underlies  many  of  the  exhibitions  weekly  offered  in 
our  halls. 

If  the  Society  deems  the  encouragement  of  children  in  the  culture 
of  flowers  to  be  only  charitable  work,  we  would  ask  whether  much 
of  all  work  in  the  line  of  distribution  of  prizes  is  not  open  to  the 
same  criticism.  But  we  feel  sure  the  Societ\-  builded  better  than 
it  thought  when  it  assumed  the  formation  of  a  Committee  to  en- 
courage Window  Gardening.  Put  on  to  the  Committee  some  of 
the  younger  members  —  if  there  be  such  —  who  can  out  of  their 
experience  help  on  the  good  cause.  The  absence  of  active  young 
members  opens  the  question  :  AVhy  is  it  ?  Possiblj-  the  idea  is 
prevalent  in  the  community  that  membership  requires  a  business 
education  as  a  florist. 

Allow  the  Committee  the  services  of  the  paid  attendants  of  the 
Society  the  few  times  during  the  season  when  they  are  so 
needed.  If  we  can  vote  the  use  of  our  halls  for  days  at  a  time 
to  strangers  for  their  own  advantage,  do  in  justice  see  to  it  that 
the  funds  appropriated  for  this  Committee  are  not  encroached 
upon  by  such  needs.  At  every  meeting  we  hold  in  the  State 
the  Horticultural  Society  receives  heartily  expressed  recognition 
from  the    Chairman  and   the  Secretary  of   this  Committee.     We 


314  :MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICUIiTUEAL   SOCIETY. 

ask  that  the  Society,  through  its  Committee,  aid  schools  to  get 
this  plan  started,  feeling  sure  that  like  the  ones  at  Greenfield, 
and  Harvard  street,  Boston,  the}'  will  soon  become  self-sustain- 
ing. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

Henrietta  L.    T.  "Wolcott, 

Chairman^  for  the  Committee. 


REPORT 


STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE, 


FOR    THE    YEAR    1890. 


By  GEORGE  CRUICKSHANKS,  of  Fitchbcrg. 


The  work  of  the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Societ}'  for  the 
year  1890  is  completed,  but  not  so  the  influence  that  it  is  having 
on  the  Horticulture  of  this  countr}'.  The  sum  of  six  thousand  dol- 
lars was  appropriated  to  be  awarded  in  premiums  and  gratuities 
during  the  season. 

The  year  began  with  a  course  of  Essays  and  Discussions  on  sub- 
jects connected  with  the  work  of  the  Society,  as  follows  :  — 

January  11.  The  Horticulture  of  California,  hj  Benjamin  P. 
Ware,  Clifton. 

January  18.  Huckleberries  and  Blueberries,  —  Gaylussacia  and 
Vaccinium  sp.,  by  Dr.  E.  Lewis  Sturtevant,  Framingham. 

January  25.  Fruits  and  Flowers  of  Northern  Japan,  by  Wil- 
liam P.  Brooks,  Professor  of  Agriculture,  Massachusetts  Agricult- 
uial  College,  Amherst. 

February  1.  Galls  found  near  Boston,  by  Miss  Cora  H.  Clarke, 
Jamaica  Plain. 

February  8.   Chrysanthemums,  by  W.  A.  Manda,  Short  Hills,  N.J. 

February  15.  Cemeteries  and  Parks,  by  John  G.  Barker, 
Superintendent  of  Forest  Hills  Cemetery,  Jamaica  Plain. 

February  22.  The  Growth  and  Nutrition  of  Plants,  by  Profes- 
sor G.  H.  Whitcher,  Director  of  the  New  Hampshire  Experiment 
Station,  Hanover,  N.H. 

March  1.  Some  Aspects  of  the  Present  Forestry  Agitation,  by 
Joseph  T.  liothrock.  Professor  of  Botany  at  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  West  Chester,  Pa. 

March  8.     Heating  Cold  Frames  by  Hot  Water  or  Steam  ;    and 


316  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

Growing  Black  Hamburg  Grapes  under  Glass  that  is  otherwise 
used  in  Winter,  by  William  D.  Philbrick,  Editor  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Ploughman,  Boston. 

March  15.     Horticultural  Education  of  Children,  by  Henry  L. 
Clapp,  Principal  of  the  George  Putnam  School,  Roxbury. 
March  22.     Dahlias,  by  William  E.  Endicott,  Canton. 
March  29.     The  Tour  of  the  Grangers  in  California,  by  O.  B. 
Had  wen,  Worcester. 

These  essays  and  discussions  are  fully  reported,  and  published 
in  the  Transactions  of  the  Societ}'. 

The  Annual  Spring  Exhibition  opened  in  the  two  halls  of  the 
Society,  on  the  26th  of  March,  continuing  three  days,  and  rarely 
in  the  history  of  the  Society  has  a  more  beautiful  display  of 
flowei's  been  seen  at  that  season  of  the  year.  The  large  upper 
hall  presented  a  fine  appearance  ;  the  great  variet}'  of  plants  and 
flowers,  with  all  their  varied  colors,  being  so  arranged  as  to  show 
all  to  the  best  advantage.  The  lower  hall  was  devoted  to  the  dis- 
play of  Vegetables,  Fruits,  and  Greenhouse  and  Decorative  Plants  ; 
also  a  rare  collection  of  plants  from  the  Cambridge  Botanic  Gar- 
den, and  the  show  of  spring  flowering  bulbs — Hyacinths,  Tulips, 
Narcissus  and  Liliums  —  with  the  great  variety  of  colors  and  the 
sweet  odors  of  that  class.  There  were  also  the  Cytisus,  with  its 
bright  yellow  flowers  ;  the  Azaleas,  the  Cinerarias,  the  Cyclamens, 
and  the  Orchids.     All  the  vegetables  were  of  fine  quality. 

With  the  month  of  June  we  always  associate  the  fragrant  Rose 
and  the  aroma  of  the  Strawberry.  The  display  of  June  24  and 
25,  under  the  title  of  the  Rose  and  Strawberry  Exhibition,  was 
one  that  could  not  only  vie  with  all  its  predecessors,  but  in  some 
important  respects  outvied  them  all,  comprising  an  uncommonly 
large  and  brilliant  display  of  beautiful  flowers  and  delicious  fruits. 
In  these  particulars  this  exhibition  was,  perhaps,  in  a  fuller  sense 
than  some  in  the  past,  a  strictly  Rose  and  Strawberry  Show.  The 
upper  hall  was  devoted  to  the  floral,  and  the  lower  to  the  fruit  dis- 
play, and  each  claimed  its  due  proportion  of  the  attention  of  visi- 
tors and  admirers.  The  space  allotte'd  to  the  Rose  was  full,  and 
the  exhiI)ition  was  complete.  The  Rose  is  ever  making  advances- 
on  its  own  record,  both  in  excellence  and  variety. 

The  Annual  Exhibition  of  Plants  and  Flowers  was  held  in 
Music  Hall,  beginning  August  19,  and  continuing  four  days. 
This  far   surpassed  any  that  the  Society  has  ever   given.     One 


REPOllT    TO    STATE    BOAUD    OF    AGRICULTURE.  317 

could  well  fancy  himself  in  some  tmpical  forest  as  he  strolled 
among  Palms  over  twenty  feet  high,  with  large  Cycads  on  either 
hand,  and  the  great  platform  covered  with  Tree  Ferns,  Arecas, 
gavly  variegated  Crotous,  richly  colored  Dracaenas,  the  beautiful 
Anthuriuras,  the  Agapanthus,  Allamanda,  and  Ixoras.  On  the 
floor,  besides  the  larger  Palms,  Cycads,  Crotons,  Dracjenas,  etc., 
were  large  collections  of  other  plants,  including  the  fantastic 
Orchids,  the  majestic  Amazonian  Lily,  and  many  large  exotic 
shrubs,  both  of  blooming  and  of  ornamental  foliage  varieties. 

The  bronze  statue  of  Beethoven  never  before  looked  down  on 
such  a  magnificent  display  of  floral  beauty  in  Music  Hall.  The 
show  of  cut  flowers  was  large,  including  Petunias,  Tuberous  Be- 
gonias, Sweet  Peas,  Drummond  Phlox,  Zinnias,  Dahlias,  Gladioli, 
Gloxinias,  and  a  large  collection  of  hardy  herbaceous  plants.  One 
of  the  most  attractive  features  was  found  in  the  great  tanks  and 
tubs  containing  the  Nymphfiea  and  other  aquatic  plants,  among 
which  were  the  Egyptian  Lotus  and  the  Victoria  Regia.  Another 
interesting  display  was  that  of  the  floral  decoration  of  mantels  and 
tables  for  a  fashionable  dinner  party.  Much  interest  was  taken  in 
this  department  of  the  exhibition. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  never  before  has  so  choice  and  valuable  a 
collection  of  Stove  and  Greenhouse  Plants  been  brought  together 
in  this  country.  A  representative  of  one  of  the  leading  Botanic 
Gardens  in  England  was  present  and  expressed  strong  doubt  as 
to  whether  Great  Britain  could  show  so  many  rich  and  beautiful 
products  of  the  gardener's  skill  at  a  single  exhibition.  Never  was 
there  such  a  profusion  of  these  plants  shown  ;  they  overflowed  into 
the  corridors,  and  even  out  upon  the  sidewalks  leading  to  the  hall. 

No  previous  Annual  Exhibition  of  Fruits  and  Vegetables  made 
by  this  Society  has  presented  the  precise  counterpart  of  tliat  which 
opened  September  17.  It  filled  the  two  spacious  halls  with  the 
largest  and  most  varied  display  of  fruits  and  vegetables  ever  made 
at  an  exhibition  of  this  Societ}-.  The  upper  hall  was  devoted  to 
the  fruits,  and  the  lower  hall  to  vegetables.  The  Apples,  Pears, 
and  Peaches  were  of  large  size  and  fine  quality,  notwithstanding 
the  short  crop  in  many  sections  of  this  State.  The  show  of 
Grapes,  Native  and  Foreign,  was  large.  Several  bunches  of  the 
foreign  grapes  weighed  between  eight  and  nine  pounds  each.  A 
very  intcx-estiug  and  instructive  exhibit  was  made  by  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Agricultural  College,  under  the  charge  of    Professor 


318  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

S.  T.  JMaynard.  There  were  sixty  varieties  of  hardy  grapes, 
arranged  and  nunibeied  in  the  order  of  their  ripening ;  and  side 
by  side  were  placed  vines,  fruit,  and  foliage  of  several  sorts,  one 
free  from  all  diseases,  the  other  so  badly  affected  with  mildew  as 
to  be  worthless.  This  was  to  illustrate  the  value  of  spra3'ing  the 
vines  with  the  Bordeaux  Mixture  as  a  preventive  of  mildew  and 
other  diseases  of  the  grape.  The  Arnold  Arboretum  also  made  a 
fine  display  of  seventy-one  varieties  of  fruit-bearing  shrubs,  all  in 
fruit  or  flower.  Near  the  entrance  to  the  upper  hall  was  a  novelty 
at  these  exhibitions,  —  a  large  collection  of  preserved  fruits,  meats, 
and  vegetables  in  glass  jars  and  cans,  —  one  hundred  and  forty- 
three  kiuds  of  P^Uiilish  meats,  forty-five  of  German  goods,  and  a 
large  lot  of  French  goods  in  glass. 

The  Chrysanthemum  Show  opened  November  11,  and  continued 
four  days,  the  Queen  of  Autumn  flowers  being  shown  in  great  pro- 
fusion. It  was  admitted  by  all  to  have  been  unsurpassed  by  an}' 
exhibition  of  Chrysanthemums  ever  seen  in  Horticultural  Hall. 
The  lower  hall  was  devoted  to  the  cut  flowers,  which  were  fittingly 
crowned  by  the  collection  in  vases  on  the  platform.  The  upper 
hall  was  devoted  to  pot  plants,  which,  for  large  size,  variety  of 
color,  and  perfect  form  of  plants  and  flower,  has  not  been  equalled 
by  this  .Society.  The  Committee  in  charge  are  entitled  to  much 
credit  for  the  admirable  arrangement  of  the  tables  for  the  display 
of  cut  flowers  and  the  grouping  of  the  plants  in  pots.  New 
colors  are  added  from  year  to  year  ;  besides  the  pure  white  and  the 
clear  yellow  there  were  the  deep  violet-pink,  a  peculiar  lemon  cohjr 
with  violet  tips,  the  dark  crimson,  and  the  beautiful  Mrs.  Alpheus 
Hard}',  —  white,  with  its  feathery  covering.  A  large  number  of 
choice  seedlings  were  shown  for  the  first  time. 

When  we  recall  the  larger  exhibitions  of  1890,  beginning  with 
the  Spring  Show  in  March,  with  its  wealth  of  bloom,  followed  by  the 
Rose  and  Strawberry  Show  in  June,  with  its  grand  display  of  fruits 
and  flowers  ;  the  magnificent  Exhibition  of  Plants  and  Flowers  in 
Music  Hall,  in  August ;  the  large  Fruit  and  Vegetable  Show  in 
September  ;  and  closing  with  the  Grand  Exhibition  of  the  National 
Flower  of  China  and  Japan,  —  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  exhibitions 
of  1890  have  never  been  equalled  in  any  previous  year  in  the 
history  of  the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Societ}'. 

George   Cruickshanks, 

Delegate. 


BEPORT 

ON     THE 

STATE    EXPERIMENT    STATION, 

AT  AMHERST. 


Under  the  able  management  of  Professor  Goessmann  the  vari- 
ous work  more  especiall}'  related  to  agriculture  is  continued  as 
heretofore.  The  analyses  of  the  numerous  commercial  fertilizers  ; 
the  application  of  the  same  to  the  different  kinds  of  crops  ;  the 
different  methods  of  cultivation  ;  the  careful  testing  of  various 
rations  for  the  production  of  milk,  or  for  fattening  purposes^ ;  — 
these  arc  some  of  the  objects  which  are  receiving  attention. 
During  the  past  year  land  has  been  prepared  and  fruit  trees  of 
various  kinds  have  been  set,  with  reference  to  future  experiments. 
This  department  of  the  Station  has  already  exei'ted  a  most  bene- 
ficial influence  upon  the  Agriculture  of  the  State,  and  there  is  everv 
reason  to  expect  continued  good  results. 

The  work  entered  upon  by  Professor  Humphrey  will  be  of 
special  interest  to  liorticulturists.  Confining  himself  to  the  inves- 
tigation of  the  fungous  diseases  of  plants,  we  may  hope  that  such 
thorough  investigations  will  be  made  as  shall  reveal  the  nature  of 
the  diseases  and  suggest  practical  remedies.  It  is  reasonable  to 
expect  an  advance  of  knowledge  in  the  vegetable  kingdom  equiva- 
lent to  that  which  has  recently  startled  the  world  b}^  the  discov- 
eries of  Professor  Koch  in  the  animal  kingdom.  By  a  very  liberal 
grant  from  the  State,  an  admirable  plant-house,  together  with 
offices  and  laboratory,  has  been  erected  during  the  past  year. 
This  will  give  to  Professor  Humphrey  greatly  increased  facilities 
for  carrj'ing  forward  his  investigations  at  all  seasons  of  the  j'ear. 
For  some  time  past  he  has  had,  and  he  still  has,  in  hand  the  disease 
known  as  "  black-knot,"  most  prominent  upon  the  plum.  The  im- 
portance of  this  investigation  is  so  fully  realized  by  horticulturists 
that  we  shall  be  liable  to  be  impatient  for  results.     But  this  is 


320  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

work  which  requires  long  and  most  minute  observation,  and  we 
can  well  afford  to  be  patient,  if  we  can  be  assured  of  diligent  use 
of  the  facilities  now  furnished.  We  have  reason  to  believe  that 
an  era  of  progress  has  fairly  set  in.  The  general  government 
has  provided  ample  funds  for  the  employment  of  experts  in  the 
various  States,  and  though  some  of  the  work  may  not  be  of  the 
highest  order,  yet  it  cannot  be  doubted  that,  in  the  aggregate,  a 
great  amount  of  valuable  original  research  will  be  made  which  will 
be  of  inestimable  importance  to  the  nation.  Let  the  good  work  go 
forward,  aud  let  us  give  it  the  support  of  our  sympathy. 

William  C.  Strong, 
Member  of  the  Board  of  Control. 


REPORT 


COMMITIEE  ON  THE  LIBRARY, 


FOR    THE    YEAR    1890. 


Nothing  in  the  history  of  the  Library  during  the  present  year 
calls  for  much  remark.  As  usual  all  the  money  available  has  been 
expended.  The  number  of  books  added  from  the  income  of  the 
Stickney  Fund  has  probably  been  somewhat  less  than  usual,  be- 
cause the  Committee  had  an  opportunity,  earl^-  in  the  year,  to 
purchase  a  copy  of  Gallesio's  "Pomona  Italiana  "  at  a  price  ad- 
vantageous to  the  Society.  This  is  a  truly  magnificent  work,  and 
one  which  we  are  very  glad,  after  some  years  uf  waiting,  to  have 
obtained.  It  is  not  necessary  to  name  others  of  our  purchases, 
as  the}'  will  all  appear  in  the  list  appended  to  this  report;  but  in 
variety  they  will  be  found  about  as  usual-,  covering  the  whole  field 
from  Forestry-  to  Floriculture. 

During  the  year  the  books  have  been  rearranged  upon  a  system- 
atic plan,  a  change  long  desired  but  not  possible  until  the  recent 
addition  to  our  shelf-room.  A  glance  at  our  well-filled  cases 
will  show  that  the  relief  did  not  corue  too  soon  ;  another  glance 
will  show  that  even  now  many  shelves  have  a  back  row  of  books. 

The  botanical  and  horticultural  periodicals  have  been  continued 
as  in  former  3'ears.  These  are  p'aid  for  out  of  the  Society's  appro- 
priation, as  is  the  binding,  of  which  a  considerable  quantity  is  still 
in  arrears.  This  is  unavoidable,  for  the  work  of  arranging  for 
the  binder  such  books  as  Blanco's  "•  Flora  of  the  Philippines,"  and 
the  "Pomona  Italiana  "  just  mentioned,  takes  a  long  time  and  much 
study.  A  very  noticeable  feature  in  the  matter  presented  to  the 
Library  is  the  great  number  of  reports  of  Experiment  Stations  from 
almost  every  State  of  the  Union  and  from  Canada  ;  some  of  these 
are  virv  interesting  and  instructive. 


322  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

The  Catalogue  of  Plates  has  made  its  usual  progress,  and  has 
been  fouud  useful  by  many  searcliers.  A  high  testimonial  to  its 
value  is  the  fact  that  the  authorities  of  the  Botanic  Garden  of 
Harvard  University  have  desired  to  copy  it  in  part  for  their  own 
use. 

In  the  great  press  of  other  work,  little  has  been  done  on  the 
index  of  subjects  and  the  much-needed  catalogue'  of  books,  but 
we  hope  soon  to  make  a  fresh  beginning  upon  it. 

We  are  glad  to  know  that  the  use  of  the  Library  is  on  the  in- 
crease, and  we  welcome  all  interested  persons  to  the  use  of  it  in  the 
room,  whether  members  or  not,  for  it  would  be  disgracefully  illib- 
eral to  restrict  the  use  of  such  treasures  as  are  here  collected 
more  than  their  safety  requires. 

For  the  Committee, 

TV.  E.  Endicott, 

Chairman. 


IIEPORT    OF    THE    LIBRARY    C03IMITTEE.  323 


LIBRARY    ACCESSIONS. 

The  mensureiiieuts  of  the  books  iu  the  followhiir  lists  are  in 
inches  and  tenths  of  an  inch,  giving  first  the  height,  next  the 
thickness,  and  lastly  the  width.  When  a  pamphlet  is  less  than 
one-tenth  of  an  inch  in  thickness  the  place  of  that  dimension  is 
supplied  by  a  dash. 

Books  Purchased. 

Meager,  Leonard.     The  Compleat  English  Gardner :   or,  A  Sure  Guide  to 
Young     Planters     and     Gardners.       Tenth     edition.       Half     calf, 
7. 9 X. 7X6. 3,  pp.  8,  150;  24  plates.     London:  170+. 
Miller,  Philip.     The  Gardeners  and  Florists  Dictionary  :  or,  A  Complete 
System  of  Horticulture.      2  vols.     Full  calf,  7. 9X  1.5X5.,  pp.  xvi 
(dedication  and  preface) ;  the  rest  not  paged.     London  :  1724. 
Hitt,  [Tiiomas.]    The  Modern  Gardener;  or,  Universal  Kalendar.     Selected 
from  the  Diary  Manuscripts    of  the    late  Mr.   Hitt.     Revised,  cor- 
rected, etc.,  by  James  Meader.     Full  calf,  7.2X1.3X4.2,  pp.  532; 
13  plates.     London:  1771. 
Stevenson,  .     The  Gentleman  Gard'ner's  Director.     Being  Instruc- 
tions   for    Phmting    and    Sowing    Trees    and    Seeds,    etc.       With 
Directions    for    the    Management    of   Bees.     The    Second   edition. 
Full  calf,  G.6X  .7X4.,  pp.  ix,  273,  iii.     London  :  1744. 
Lawrence,    John,    A.M.        The    Clergyman's    Recreation:     Sliewing   the 
Pleasure  and  Profit  of  the  Art  of  Gardening.     In  two  parts.     Fifth 
edition.     (Also)  The  Fruit  Garden  Kalendar;  or,  a  summary  of  the 
Art  of  Managing  the  Fruit  Garden.    "Second  edition.     To  which  is 
added  an  Appendix  of  the  Usefulness  of  the  Barometer;  etc.     Full 
calf,  8.2X1.1X5.,  pp.    10,  84,   18,   115,  2,  2,  vi,  v,   149;    fi  plates, 
2  cuts.     London:   1717  and  1718. 
Quintinye,    Jean   de    la.      The    Compleat   Gard'ner :    or,    Directions   for 
Cultivating    and    right    ordering    of    Fruit- Gardens    and    Kitchen 
Gardens.     Abridged,    etc.,    by   George    London    and  Henry    Wise. 
Second   edition.       Full    calf,    7.9X1.1X4.7,    pp.   xxxv,   4,    309,   7; 
frontispiece  and  10  plates.     London  :  1699. 
Thompson,  Robert.     The  Gardener's  Assistant :  Practical  and  Scientific. 
New    edition,    revised   and  extended    by    Thomas    Moore,   F.L.S., 
assisted       by       eminent       practical       gardeners.        Green      cloth, 
10.5X3.3X6.8,  pp.  iv,  23,  Hi,  956;  32  plates,  colored  and  plain,  402 
cuts.     London  :  18S8. 
Henderson,     Peter.      Garden     and    Farm    Topics.      Dark    blue    cloth, 

7.6X  .8X5.,  pp.  244  ;  cuts.     New  York  :  1884. 
Hibberd,    Shirley.     The    Garden    Oracle   and    Floricultural    Year    Book. 
1890.     32d    year.      Boards,   green,   7. X. 5X4. 8,   pp.    172;   2    colored 
plates.     London :  1890. 


324  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Meader,  James.  The  Planter's  Guide :  or  Pleasure  Gardener's  Com- 
panion. Etc.,  etc.  Half  brown  morocco,  5.6X.6X11.,  pp.  7,  39,8; 
2  plates.     London:  1779. 

Royal  Horticultural  Society  of  London.  Journal.  New  series.  Vol.  IV. 
(Parts  13-16.)  Edited  by  the  Rev.  M.  J.  Berkeley,  M.A.,  F.L.S., 
F.R.H.S.,  and  W.  T.  Thiselton  Dyer,  B.A.,  B.Sc,  F.L.S.  Four 
pamphlets,  tea,  8.5X  .l-.2Xo.4,  pp.  ii,  xl,  274;  plates  v-ix, 
colored  and  plain  ;  cuts.     London  :  1873,  '74,  '74,  '77. 

The  Philadelphia  Florist  and  Horticultural  Journal.  Vols.  1-4,  bound 
in  2.  Black  cloth,  9.1X1.9X6.3.  Vol.  1,  pp.  376  ;  G  colored  plates  : 
—  Vol.  2,  pp.  392;  11  colored  plates:  — Vol.  3,  pp.  iv,  380;  10 
colored  plates:  —  Vol.  4,  pp.  288;  1  plain  and  8  colored  plates. 
Philadelphia:  n.  d.     [1852-1855?] 

Robinson,  W.  The  English  Flower  Garden.  Style,  Position,  and 
Arrangement;  followed  by  a  description  of  all  the  best  plants  for  it; 
their  culture  and  arrangement.  Forming  Vol.  I.  of  the  "  Garden 
CyclopEedia."  Second  edition.  Blue-green  cloth,  9.3X1.6X6.1, 
pp.  X,  832;  many  cuts.     London:  1889. 

D'Ombrain,  Rev.  H.  Honywood,  Editor.  The  Rosarian's  Year-Book  for 
1890.  Boards,  blue-gray,  7. IX. 4X5. 3,  pp.  vi,  67;  portrait. 
London  :  1890. 

Harkness,  John,  F.R.H.S.  Practical  Rose  Growing;  A  Guide  for 
Amateurs  in  the  Cultivation  of  the  Rose  for  Exhibition  and 
Decorative  Purposes.  Gray  paper,  7.3X.3X5.4,  pp.  v,  63;  3  cuts. 
Bradford,  Eng.  :  1889. 

Lyons,  J-  C.  A  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Management  of  Orchidaceous 
Plants,  with  a  monthly  calendar  of  work  to  be  done,  and  an  Alpha- 
betical Descriptive  Catalogue  of  upwards  of  one  thousand  species ; 
with  directions  for  their  growth  and  flowering.  Second  edition 
greatly  enlarged.  Dull  green  cloth,  8. IX. 7X5.,  pp.  xvi,  17-234; 
cuts.     Dublin  :  1845. 

Warner,  Robert,  F.L.S. ,  F.R.H.S.,  Benjamin  SamuelWilliams,  F.L.S. , 
F.R.H.S.,  Henry  Williams,  F.R.H.S.,  and  William  Hugh  Gower. 
The  Orchid  Album,  comprising  colored  figures  and  descriptions  of 
new,  rare,  and  beautiful  Orchidaceous  Plants.  Vol.  9,  parts  99- 
104.  Colored  plates  393-416,  and  descriptive  text.  London: 
[1890]. 

Sander,  F.  Reichenbachia.  —  Orchids  illustrated  and  described.  Vol.2, 
parts  7-12.  Half  green  morocco,  21.6X  2.  X  19.6,  pp.  57-106; 
colored  plates,  73-96.  Second  series.  Vol.  1,  parts  1  and  2.  pp.  iv, 
18;  8  colored  plates.  St.  Albans,  London,  Berlin,  Paris,  and 
Summit,  N.J.     [1890.] 

Linden,  J-,  Lucien  Linden,  and  £mile  Rodigas.  Lindenia.  —  Iconographie 
des  Orchidees.  Vol.  5,  1889,  parts  3-12.  Half  green  morocco, 
14.1X1.2X11.3,  pp.  21-102;  colored  plates,  201-240.  Vol.  6,  1890, 
parts  1-3,  pp.  28;  colored  plates,  241-252.     Gand  :  1889,  1890. 

Fitzgerald,  R.  D.,   F.L.S.     Australian  Orchids.     Vol.   2,  parts  2  and  3. 


REPORT    OF    THE    LIBRARY    CO^DIITTEE.  325 

Half  mottled  orange-colored  cloth,  19.4X.2X  13.5,  11  and  10  colored 
plates,  and  descriptive  text.     Sydney,  N.S.W.  :  1885  and  1888. 

Castle,  Lewis,  Editor.  The  Chrysanthemum  Annual.  1890.  Pamphlet, 
blue-green,  6.9X. 1X4. 5,  pp.  22;   1  portrait.     London  :  1890. 

SimkinS,  James.  The  Pansy:  and  How  to  Grow  and  Show  it;  with  the 
best  methods  of  Hybridization  with  a  view  to  improvement,  etc.,  etc. 
Blue  cloth,  7.3X.5X5.,  pp.  8,  112;  4  colored  plates,  13  cuts.  Bir- 
mingham &  London  :  1889. 

Qallesio,  Giorgio.  Pomona  Italiana,  ossia  trattato  degli  alberi  fruttiferi. 
3  volumes  (in  41  fasciculi).  Half  maroon  morocco,  19.5X2.5X14., 
1  plain  and  159  colored  plates.     Pisa:   1817-1834. 

(Also)  Gli  Agrumi  dei  Giardini  Botanico-Agrarii  di  Firenze  dis- 
tribuiti  methodicamente  in  un  Quadro  Sinottico,  etc.  pp.  12  ;  1  plate. 
Firenze:  1839.     [Bound  attheend  of  Vol.  3of  the  Pomonaltaliana.] 

Maund,  B.,  F.L.S.  Orchard  and  Garden  Fruits:  their  Description, 
History,  and  Management.  Green  cloth,  9. X. 5X7.3;  24  colored 
plates,  with  descriptive  text.     London  :  n.  d. 

French  Gardiner  :  instructing  how  to  cultivate  all  sorts  of  Fruit-trees,  and 
Herbs  for  the  Garden.  Together  with  directions  to  Dry,  and  Con- 
serve them  in  their  Natural.  Written  originally  in  French  and  now 
Translated  into  English.  By  John  Evelj'u,  Esquire.  Third  edition. 
Whereunto  is  annexed,  the  English  Vineyard  Vindicated  by  J.  Kose, 
etc.  :  with  a  Tract  of  the  making  and  ordering  of  Wines  in  France. 
Dark  maroon  cloth,  5. 7 X. 9X3. 8,  pp.  [G],  294,  48,  [16]  ;  3  plates. 
London  :  1G75. 

Bonavia,  E.,  M.D.  The  Cultivated  Oranges  and  Lemons,  etc.,  of  India 
and  Ceylon.  2  vols.  Blue-green  cloth.  Vol.  1,  8. 9X  1.6X5.5, 
pp.  xix,  384;  Vol.  2,  7.7x2.4X9.9,   259  plates.     London:   1890. 

Diel,  August  Friedrich  Adrian.  Versuch  einer  systematischen  Beschreibung 
in  Deutschland  vorhandener  Kernobstsorten.  21  volumes.  Boards, 
marbled  blue,  6.4X.5-.8X4.,  1  colored  plate  in  No.  8.  Frankfurt 
a.  M.  :   1799-1819. 

.     Systematisches  Verzeichniss  der  vorziiglichsten    in 

Deutschland  vorhandenen  Obstsorten,  mit  Bemerkungen  iiber 
Auswahl  Giite  und  Reifzeit  fiir  Liebhaber  bei  Obstanpflanzungen. 
Boards,  marbled  blue,  6.4  X -6X4.,  pp.  xvi,  159.  Frankfurt  a.  M.  : 
1818. 

• .     Sj'stematische  Beschreibung  der  vorziiglichsten  in 

Deutschland  vorhandenen  Kernobstsorten.  6  volumes.  Boards, 
marbled  blue,  G.4X.6-.8X4.,  1  colored  plate  in  each.  Stuttgart 
und  Tubingen,  1821-1832. 

Meyer,  H.,  Editor.  Generalregister  zu  Dr.  Aug.  Friedr.  Adr.  Diel's  Sys- 
tematischer  Beschreibung  der  vorziiglichsten  in  Deutschland  vor- 
handenen Kernobstsorten.  Dull  blue  paper,  9.7X.3X4.3,  pp.  130. 
Braunschweig :  1834. 

TrO'wbridg'e,  J.  M.  The  Cider  Makers'  Hand  Book.  A  Complete  Guide 
for  Making  and  Keeping  Pure  Cider.  Maroon  cloth,  7. 5 X. 6X5., 
pp.  119;   16  cuts.     New  York:  1890. 


326  jiAssAcirrsETTS  hoeticultural  society. 

ECvelyn],  J[ohn],  S.R.S.      (Author  of  the  Kalendarium.)     Acetaria.  — A 

Discourse  of  Sallets.     Boards,  marbled  brown,  6. oX. 6X4.,  pp.  [38], 

192,  [49].     London:  1699. 
Rustic  Furniture,  proper  for  Garden  Seats,  Summer  Houses,  Hermitages, 

Cottages,   etc.     Half  calf,  9.2X.5X5.9.     25  plates.    London,  n.  d. 

[1825?] 
Decorations  for  Parks  and  Gardens.     Designs  for  Gates,  Garden  Seats, 

etc.,    etc.        Half  sheep,    9. 4X. 7X6.1,    55    plates.      London,  n.  d. 

[1770?] 
Jager,    H.      Gartenkunst   und    Garten    sonst   und    jetzt.      Handbuch    fiir 

Gartner,  Architekten  und  Liebhaber.    Light  brown  cloth,  10. oX  1.3X 

7.2,  pp.  8,  iv,  529;  245  cuts.     Berlin  :  1888. 
Ne"whall,  Charles  S.     The   Trees   of  North-Eastern   America.     With  an 

Introductory  Note  by  Nath.  L.  Britton,  E.M.,  Ph.D.     Olive-green 

cloth,  9.5X1. X0.2,  pp.  xiv,  250;  cuts  116  and  a-t?.     New  York  and 

London:   1890. 
Boulger,  G.  S.,    P.L.S.,    F.G.S.     Familiar  Trees.     Second    series.    Gray 

cloth,  7.2X1.1X5.2,  pp.  xvi,   168;  40  colored  plates   by  W.  H.  J. 

Boot.     London,  Paris,  New  York,  and  Melbourne  :  n.  d. 
Brown,  J-  E.,  F.L.S.,  etc.     The  Forest  Flora  of  South  Australia.    Part  8. 

Half  red  cloth,   21. 8X  —  X17.,    5  colored    plates,    with   descriptive 

text.     Adelaide,  South  Australia,     n.  d.  [1890?] 
Cleghorn,    Hugh,   M.D.,  F.L.S.       The   Forests   and   Gardens   of  South 

India.     Half  green  calf,  7.8X1.8X5.,  pp.  xiv,  412;   map,  13  plates, 

17  cuts.     London  :  1861. 
Bradley,    R-     A   Survey  of  the    Ancient  Husbandry  and  Gardening,  Col- 
lected   from  Cato,  Varro,  Columella,  Virgil,  and   others,   the   most 

eminent  Writers  among  the   Greeks    and  Romans  :   etc.     Full  calf, 

7.9X1.2X4.9,  pp.  16,  373,  10;  4  plates.     London  :  1725. 
Prothero,  Rowland  E.     The  Pioneers  and  Progress  of  English  Farming. 

Dark  blue  cloth,  7.7X1.1X5.,  pp.  xiv,  290.     London  :  1888. 
Our  Country  Home.     Vol.  5.     Nos.   8,   9,  and   10.     Vol.  6,  Nos.  5,  6,  and 

7.     Pamphlets,  15. 3X—X  10.6.     New  York  :  November,  1888-Octo- 

ber,  1889. 
Miller,  Thomas.     English   Country   Life.      Consisting  of   Descriptions  of 

Rural    Habits,    Country    Scenery,    and   the    Seasons.       Half    calf, 

7.1X1.3X4.8,  pp.  xiii.  479;  cuts.     London:  18-59. 
Curiosities  of  Nature  and  Art  in   Husbandry  and  Gardening.     Full  calf, 

7. 5X. 9X4. 5,  pp.  352;  13  plates.     London:   1707. 
Griffiths,    A.  B.,  Ph.D.,    F.R.S.E.,  F.C.S.     Manures  and  their  Uses  :   a. 

Handbook    for    Farmers    and    Students.       Salmon-colored    cloth, 

7. 3X. 6X4.6,  pp.  xii,  159;  1  map,  12  cuts.     London:  1889. 
Lawes,    -SiV  J.  B.,    Bart.,  LL.D.,  F.R.S.,  and  Professor    J.  H.   Gilbert. 

LL.D.,    F.R.S.      On  the  present   Position  of  the  Question  of  the 

Sources  of  the  Nitrogen  of  Vegetation,  with  some  new  Results,  and 

preliminary   Notice  of  new    Lines    of  Investigation.      Buff  paper, 

11. 8X. 3X9.,  pp.  107.     London:  1889. 


REPORT    OF    THE    LIBRARY    COMMITTEE.  327 

"Wrightson,  John,  M.R.A.C.,  F.C.S.     Fallow  and  Fodder  Crops.     Green 

doth,  8.3X1. X5. 4;  pp.  xii,  276.     London:  1889. 
Royal  Airricultural  Society  of  England.     Journal. 

Second  Series.     Vol.  25,  Part  2.  — No.  50,  October,  1889.    pp.  viii, 
381-792,  xli-ccxxiv;  cuts. 

Third  Series.     Vol.  1,  Part  1.  — No.  1,   March  31,   1890.     pp.  iv, 
256,  Ixiv ;  cuts. 

Part  2. —  No.  2,  June  30,  1890.     pp.  viii,  iv,  257-472,  Ixvi-xcvi ; 
1  map,  6  cuts. 

Parts.— No.  3,  September  30,  1890.  pp.  iv.  473-672,  xcvii-clxxxiv; 
cuts. 

Four  parts,  blue  paper,  8. 4X. 7-1. 3X5. 5.  London:  [1889,1890.] 
Highland  and  Agricultural  Society  of  Scotland.  Transactions.  "With  an 
Abstract  of  the  Proceedings  at  Board  and  General  Meetings,  the 
Premiums  offered  by  the  Society  in  1889,  and  List  of  Members. 
Fifth  Series,  Vol.  1.  Blue  cloth,  9. X  1.2X5.6,  pp.  iv,  279,  65,  87, 
57,  iv  ;  cuts.     Edinburgli :  1889. 

Vol.11.     1890.     Blue  cloth,  9.x  1.4X5.7,  pp.    iv,  399,  62,  89,  iv; 
2  cuts.     Edinburgh  :   1890. 
Gibson,  W.     The  True  Method  of  Dieting  Horses.     Sheep,  7. 7X  .8X4.5, 

pp.  viii,  iv,  4,  236,  vii.     London:  1721. 
Church,  A.  H.,  M.A.  Oxon,  F.CS.,  F.I.C.     Food  Grains  of  India.    Brown 

cloth,  10.5X. 7X7.7,  pp.  xi,  180;   35  cuts.     London:  1886. 
Tropical  Agriculturist.     A  Monthly  Record  of  Information  for  Planters 
of  Tea,  Cofifee,   Cacao,  Cinchona,  Sugar,  Cotton,  Tobacco,    Palms, 
Spices,  Rubber,  Rice,  and  other  products   suited  for  Cultivation   in 
the    Tropics.     Vol.    8.     Green  cloth,    10.8X2.X7.3,   pp.    xvi,    868, 
also  supplementary  pages  on  Sales  of  Tea,   Coffee,  etc.     Colombo, 
Ceylon:  1889. 
Royle,  J.  Forbes,  M.D.,  F.R.S.     The    Fibrous  Plants   of  India,  fitted  for 
Cordage,  Clothing,  and  Paper.     With  an  Account  of  the  Cultivation 
and    Preparation  of  the  Flax,  Hemp,  and  tlieir  substitutes.     Light 
brown   cloth,    9.1X1.5X5.8,    pp.  xiv,  404.     London  and    Bombay: 
1855. 
Tinaehri  :  Being  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Agricultural  and  Commercial 
Society  of  British  Guiana.     New  series. 

Vol.  in,  Part  2,  December,  1889.     pp.  209-403;  5  plates. 
Vol.  IV,  Part   1,    June,  1890.     pp.    186. 

Two  parts,  light  blue-green  paper,  8.7X.7X5.5,  Demerara  and 
London:  1889,  1890. 
Todaro,  Augustino.  Hortus  Botanicus  Panorraitanus,  sive  plantae  novae 
vel  eriticae  quae  in  orto  botanico  Panormitano  coluntur,  etc.  Tomus 
secundus,  fasciculus  quintus.  (In  continuation.)  Magenta  paper, 
19.x  — X  13.3,  pp.  33-40;  plates  33,  34.  Panormi :  n.  d.  [1890?] 
Jacquin,  Nicolaus  Joseph.  Hortus  botanicus  Vindobonensis,  seu  plan- 
tarum  rariorum  quEe  in  horto  botanico  Vindolionensi  .  .  .  co- 
luntur.    Three  volumes  in  one.     Half  Russia,  19. 1X3. 3X  12.     Vol. 


328  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

1,  pp.  8,  44 ;   1    colored    plan  and  colored  plates    1-100. — Vol.2, 
pp.  2,  45-95,  ii;  colored  plates  101-200. —Vol.  3,  pp.  4,  52;  colored 
plates  1-100.     Vindobonae:   1770-1777. 
Tournefort,  Joseph  Pitton.     Institutiones  Rei  Herbariae.     Editio  altera, 
gallica   longe  auctior,  quingentis    circiter   tabulis    aeneis    adornata. 
3    vols,     bound    in    2,    including    the    Corollarium.       Parchment, 
9.6X2.3-2.9X7.2.     Vol.    1,  pp.    20,   fi97,   6,    1,  54,  5 ;  Vol.  2,  plates 
1-2.50,251-470,477-489.     Paris:  1700-1703. 
Plukenet,  Leonard,  M.D.     Opera  omnia  botanica,  in  sex  tomos   divisa; 
viz.,  I,  II,  III,  Phytographia ;    IV,  Almagestum    Botanicum;    V, 
Almagesti  Botanici  Mantissa;    VI,   Amaltheum  Botanicum.     6  vol- 
umes boundin  4.    Old  calf,  11.2X1.-2.1X8.3.    Vol.  1  (I,  II,  and  III), 
pp.4,  6;  328  plates.  — Vol.  2  (IV),  pp.  4,  5,402,  ii.  — Vol.  3  (V), 
pp.  4,  192,  28;  plates  329-350.  —Vol.  4  (VI),  pp.  5,  214,  11;  plates 
351-454.     Londini:  1691-1720. 
Theophrastos,  Eresios.     Theophrasti  Eresii  de  Historia  Plantarum  Libri 
Decern,  Greece.     Cum  Syllabo  Generuni  et  Specierum,  Glossario,  et 
Notis.     Curante  Joh.   Stackhouse.     2  vols.,  full   calf,   7.4X1.X4.9, 
pp.  Hi,  241,  and  509;  4  plates.     Oxonii :  1813,  1814, 
Hooker,   SirJ.'D.,    K.C.S.I.,    C.B.,    M.D.,    F.R.S.,    etc.     Icones    Plan- 
tarum ;  or  figures,  with  descriptive  characters  and  remarks,  of  new 
and  rare  plants,  selected  from  the  Kew  Herbarium.     Vols.  8  and  9. 
Buff  paper,  8. 8X. 4X5.5,  plates   1701-1900,   with   descriptive  text. 
London,  Edinburgh,  and  Berlin:  1887-1889. 
Baillon,  H.     Histoire  des  Plantes.    Monographie  des  Asclepiadacees,  Con- 
volvulacees,  Polemoniacees,  et  Boraginacees.      Blue  paper,  10.9 X 
.5X7.,  pp.  iv,  221-402;  cuts  157-300.     Paris:   1890. 
Baker,    J-  G.,    F.U.S.,  F.L.S.       Hand-book  of  the  Bromeliaceae.       Blue- 
green  cloth,  9.x. 7X5. 7,  pp.  ix,  243.     London  :   1889. 
Andre,    Ed.      Bromeliaceae    Andreanae.     Description  et  histoire  des   Bro- 
meliacees  recoltees  dans  la  Colombie,  TEcuador  et  le  Venezuela. 
Half  black   cloth,    12. 7X. 6X9. 7,    pp.    xi,    118;    40  plates.      Paris: 
n.  d.   [1889?] 
Bolus,  Harry,   F.L.S.     Orchids  of  the  Cape  Peninsula.       [Transactions  of 
the  South  African  Philosophical  Society.     Vol.  V.  —  parti.]     Buff 
paper,  9.8X.7X6.,  pp.  viii,  75-201;  36  plates,  colored  and  plain. 
Cape  Town :  1888. 
JaCObi,    G.    A.    von.     Versuch    zu    ciner    systematischen    Ordnung    der 
Agaveen.     4  pamphlets   [to  complete  the  work],  8.5-9.8X — X5.4- 
6.3,    pp.  4,  34;  297-315;  317-319,  12;   12.     Hamburg   &    Breslau : 

1854  to . 

Gray,  Asa.  Manual  of  the  Botany  of  the  Northern  United  States,  includ- 
ing the  district  East  of  the  Mississippi  and  North  of  North  Carolina 
and  Tennessee.  Sixth  edition,  revised  and  extended  westward  to 
the  100th  meridian,  by  Sereno  Watson  and  John  M.  Coulter.  Olive- 
brown  cloth,  8.4X1.5X5.4,  pp.  vi,  760;  25  plates,  with  descriptive 
text.     New  York  and  Chicago  :  1890.     [2  copies.] 


REPORT    OF    THE    LIBRARY    COMMITTEE.  329 

Hind,  W-  M.,  LL.D.,  assisted  by  tlie  late  Churchill  Babington,  D.D., 
F.L.S.  Tlie  Flora  of  Suffolk;  A  Topographical  Enumeration  of 
the  Plants  of  the  County,  showing  the  Results  of  Former  Observa- 
tions and  of  the  most  recent  Ilesearches.  With  an  Introductory 
Cliapter  of  the  Geology,  Climate,  etc.,  by  Wheelton  Hind.  Red 
cloth,  7.0X2.  X5. 2,  pp.  xxxiv,  508;   colored  map.     London:   1889. 

Painter,  Rev.  W.  II.  A  Contribution  to  the  Flora  of  Derbyshire.  Being 
an  account  of  the  Flowering  Plants,  Ferns,  and  Characea3  found  in 
the  County.  Olive-green  clotli,  9. X. 7X5. 8,  pp.  vii,  15G ;  colored 
map.     London  and  Derby  :  1889. 

Parnell,  Richard,  M.D.,  F.R.S.E.  The  Grasses  of  Britain.  Faded 
green  cloth,  10.  X2,X6.3,  pp.  xxvii,  v-xxi,  311 ;  142  plates.  Edinburgh 
and  London :   1845. 

Pratt,  .Vnne.  The  British  Grasses  and  Sedges.  Green  cloth,  9.2X.9X5.8, 
pp.  viii,  130;  colored  plates  238-272.     London:   [1859]. 

Parlatore,  Filippo.  Flora  Italiaua,  continuata  da  Teodoro  Caruel.  Vol. 
VIII,  Part  3.  Plumbaginacee,  per  Antonio  Mori;  Primulacee,  per 
Lodovico  Caldesi ;  Diospiracee,  Stiracacee,  Ericacee,  Vacciniacee, 
Pirolacee,  Monotropacee.  Blue  paper,  9. 2X. 5X0.1,  pp.  501-773. 
Firenze  :  Ottobre,  1889. 

Hooker,  SirJ-D.,  C.B.,  K.C.S.I.,  etc.  Assisted  by  various  botanists. 
The  Flora  of  British  India.  Vol.  5.  Chenopodiaceae  to  Orchides. 
Dark  blue-green  cloth,  8.9 X 2. X 5.5,  pp.  909,  10.     London:  1890. 

"Willkomm,  Maurice.  Illustrationes  Florae  Hispanic  insularumque  Ba- 
learium.  Livraison  XVI.  [In  continuation.]  Blue  paper,  14. 2X 
.1X10.2,  pp.  85-98;  plates  138-140.     Stuttgart:   1889. 

Pierre,  L.  Flore  Forestiere  de  la  Cochin-Chine,  lo^  fascicule.  Half  claret 
cloth,  22.x. 4X15.0,  plates 225-240  with  descriptive  text.  Paris  :  n.  d. 
[1890?] 

Mueller,  Ferd.  von,  K.C.M.G.,  M.  &  Ph.D.,  F.R.S.  Iconography  of 
the  Australian  Species  of  Acacia  and  cognate  Genera.  Decades  5- 
13.  Buff  paper,  12. IX. 2X9. 7,  10  plates  in  each.  Melbourne: 
1887,  1888. 

.     The  Plants  indigenous  to  the   Colony  of  Victoria.      2  vols. 

Half  green  morocco,  12.1X1.2-1.5X9.4.  Vol.  1,  Thalamiflor^. 
pp.  viii,  242;  plates  1-12,  and  supplementary  plates  1-11;  Vol. 
2,  Lithograms.  pp.  iii ;  plates  13-71,  and  suppl.  plates  12-18. 
London:  1800-1805. 

Hooker,  Joseph  Dalton,  M.D.,  R.N.,  F.R.S.,  and  L.S.,  etc.  Flora 
Novae  ZelandiaD.  Part  I,  Flowering  Plants;  Part  II,  Flowerless 
Plants.  2  vols.  Half  claret  morocco,  12.0X1.9X9.7,  pp.  xxxix, 
312,  and  378;  colored  plates,  — 70,  and  71-130.    London:  1853,  1855. 

"Wawra  v.  Pernsee,  Dr.  Heinrich.  Itinera  Principum  S.  Coburgi. 
Die  Botanische  Ausbeute  von  den  Reisen  ihrer  Hoheiten  der  Prinzen 
von  Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha.  Bearbeitet  und  herausgegeben  von 
Dr.  Giinther  V.  Beck.  Zweiter  theil.  Half  plum-colored  cloth,  14.  X 
1.1  X  10.8,  pp.  vi,  250;  18  plates,  colored  and  plain.     Wien  :  1888. 


330  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Bennett,  Alfred  W.,  M.A.,  B.Sc,    F.L.S.,    and  George  Murray,    F.L.S. 
A  handbook  of  Cryptogaraic   Botany.     Brown  cloth,  8. 3X  1.1x5.5, 
pp.  viii,  473;  382  cuts.     London  :  1889. 
Cooke,  it-  C.     Illustrations  of  British  Fungi  (Hymenomycetes).     To  serve 
as  an  Atlas  to  the  "  Hand  Book  of  British  Fungi,"  by  M.  C.  Cooke. 
Nos.    LXVI     to    LXXIV.      Blue-gray   paper,    9.X.2X6.,    colored 
plates  1035-1174.     London:  1888-1890. 
Torrey  Botanical  Club.     Bulletin.     Index   to   Vols.   7-16.     Compiled    by 
E.  G.  Britten.     Pamphlet,  tea,  9. X. IX 5. 8,  pp.  xx,  31.   New  York  : 
1890. 
Linnean  Society   of    London.     Proceedings.     Vol.  I.     Nov.,  1838-June, 
1848.      Vol.  II,  Xov.,  1848-June,    18.55.     2  vols,  in   1.     Half  green 
morocco,   8.5X2.3X5.5,  pp.  xv,  401,  and  .xiii,  448.      London:  1849, 
1855. 

.      Journal.      Botany.     Vol.  25,  No.   172,  pp.  307-483; 

plates  50-60,  colored   and   plain.     Vol.  26,    Nos.   174,  175,  pp.  121- 
316  ;  plates  3-6.     Vol.  27,  Nos.  181-184,  pp.  332 ;  8  plates,  29  cuts. 
7  parts,  blue  paper,  8.8X.2-.6X5.5.     London:  1890. 

.     Transactions.       Second  series.      Botany.      Vol.    Ill, 

Part  I.  Blue  paper,  11. 8X. 8X9. 2,  pp.  139;  2  maps,  48  plates. 
London:  1888. 
Sorauer,  Dr.  Paul.  Atlas  der  Pflanzenkrankheiten.  Parts  3  and  4.  Atlas, 
boards,  16. X. 2X10.1,  plates  17-24,  and  25-32.  Text,  pamphlets, 
lO.X  — X6.5,  pp.  13-18,  and  19-26.  Berlin  :  n.  d.  [1890?] 
Ormerod,  Eleanor  A.,  F.  R.  Met.  Soc,  etc.  Report  of  Observations  of 
Injurious  Insects  and  Common  Farm  Pests  during  the  year  1888, 
with  Methods  of  Prevention  and  Remedy.  Twelfth  Report.  Salmon- 
colored  paper,  9. 6X. 3X6.1,  pp.  vi,  130,  4:  1  plate,  cuts,  1  chart. 
London  :  1889. 

Report  .   .   .  during  the  year  1889.     Thirteenth  Report,     pp.  viii, 
130;   1  plate,  cuts.     London:  1890. 
Buckler,  William  (The  Late).     The  Larvje  of  the  British  Butterflies  and 
Moths.     Edited  by  H.  T.  Stainton,  F.R.S.     Vol.   III.     (The  con- 
cluding portion  of  the  Bombyces.)   Plum-colored  cloth,  8. 9X. 9X5.6, 
pp.  XV,  80;    colored  plates  xxxvi-liii,  with  descriptive  text.     [With 
a  List  of  the  OflBeers,  etc.,  of  the  Ray  Society,  and  of  the  Annual 
Volumes  issued  by  the  society,     pp.  31.]     London  :  1889. 
The  Naturalists*  Directory  for  1890.    Containing  the  Names,  Addresses, 
Special   Departments   of  Study,  etc.,  of  Amateur  and  Professional 
Naturaligts,  Chemists,  etc.,  etc.     Compiled  by  Samuel   E.  Cassino. 
Pamphlet,  fawn,  7. oX. 7X5.     pp.  viii,  215,  70.     Boston  :  1890. 
"Wheatley,  Henry  B.,  F.S..\.     How  to  Catalogue  a  Library.    Olive-green 
cloth,  7.1X. 9X4.5,  pp.  xii,  268.     New  York:   1889. 


EEPORT    OF    THE    LIBRARY    COMMITTEE.  331 


Books,  Etc.,  Received  by  Donation  and  Exchange. 

Meager,  Leonard.  The  New  Art  of  Gardeninsr,  with  the  Gardener's  Al- 
manack; containina:  The  true  Art  of  Gardeninfj  in  all  its  particulars. 
Half  calf,  6. 2X. 7X3.8,  pp.  iv,  164,  4,  6.  London:  n.  d.  [1697?] 
Mrs.  Edward  S.  Davis. 
Bailey,  Ij-  H.  Annals  of  Horticulture  in  North  America,  for  the  year 
1S81).  Claret-brown  cloth,  8.1  X  .9X5.4,  pp.  2,  249  ;  52  cuts.  New 
York  :  1890.     The  Author. 

— .     Tlie   Horticulturist's  Rule-Book.     A  Compendium  of  Useful 

Information    for    Fruit-Growers,    Truck-Gardeners,    Florists    and 
others.     Completed  to  the  close  of  the  year  1889.     Claret,  flexible 
cloth,  6. 5X. 6X4.5,  pp.  236.     New  York:  n.  d.     The  Author. 
Pitcher,  James  R.,   and  W.  A.    Manda.     Orchids    for  Beginners,  being   a 
Descriptive  List  with  Cultural   Directions   for  the  care  of  tiie  best 
Orchids,  suitable  for  Florists  or  Private  Gardeners.    Pamphlet,  buff, 
(;.7X— X5.2,  pp.  15.     Short  Hills,  New  Jersey:  1890.  The  Authors. 
The  Golden   Flower,   Chrysanthemum.     Verses    .  .  .    illustrated  with 
reproductions  of  studies  from  nature  in  water  color.     Lithographed 
and  printed  'oy  L.  Prang  &  Co.,   Publishers.     Old  rose  and  yellow 
cloth,  12. X. 9X10. 2,  pp.  9,  prologue   and  epilogue,    and   18   pp.  of 
verses  embellished  with  designs ;   16  colored  plates.    Boston:    n.  d. 
[1890.]     The  Publishers. 
"Wisconsin  Florists'  Club.     Premium  List  for  the  First  .Annual  Chrysan- 
themum  Show  and   Floral   Exhibition,  l^ov.  llth-13th,  1890.    Pam- 
phlet, 11.2X— X7.,  pp.  8.     The  Club. 
Chrysanthemum    Society,    The  National.     Annual   Report  and   Finan- 
cial   Statement.     Schedule    of  Prizes   for    1890.     Pamphlet,    fawn. 
8.3X.2X5.3,  pp.  iv,  84.     London  :n.-d.    C.  Harman  Payne,  Honor- 
ary Foreign  Corresponding  Secretary. 
Veitoh,  Harry,  F.R.H.S.,  F.L.S.      The  Hippeastrum  (Amaryllis).      [Re- 
printed from  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  Vol.  12, 
Part2.]    Pamphlet,  blue-gray,  8.4X—X5. 4,  pp.  12.     London:  1890. 
James  Veitch  &  Sons. 
Calla  Field,  as  grown  by  M.   E.  Walker   of  the    Central  Park  Floral  Co., 

Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  Pliotograph  of.     8.5X5.2. 
Krelage,  J-  H.     On  Polyanthus  Narcissus.     [Reprinted  from  the  Journal 
of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  Vol.  XII,   Part  2.]     Pamphlet, 
olive-buff,  8.4X— X5.5,  pp.  8.     The  Author. 
Lemoine,  F.      Les    Glaieuls   hybrides   rustiques.      Pamphlet,   blue-gray, 

<)..5X  —  X6.2,  pp.  26.  Nancy:  1890.  The  Author. 
G-artenflora.  Zeitschrift  fur  Garten-  und  Blumenkunde.  (Begriindet 
von  Eduard  Regel.)  38.  Jahrgang.  Herausgegeben  von  Prof.  Dr. 
L.  Wittmack  in  Berlin.  24  numbers.  Pamphlets,  yellow,  10. X. IX 7., 
1  plain  and  24  colored  plates,  97  cuts.  Berlin  :  1889.  The  Editor. 
Lawson,  William.  A  New  Orchard  &  Garden ;  or,  The  best  way  for 
Planting,  etc.  Half  calf,  7.7X. 4X5.8,  pp.  6,  102.  Cuts.  London: 
1C83.     Mrs.  Edward  S.  Davis. 


332  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETr. 

Kenrick    William.     The  New  American  Orchardist,  or  an   account  of  the 
most  valuable  varieties  of  Fruit,  adapted  to  cultivation  in  the  Cli- 
mate of  the  United  States,  from  the  latitude  of  25^  to  54°,  etc.,  also 
a  brief   description   of  the    most   ornamental  Forest  Trees,  Shrubs, 
Flowers,  etc.     Blue    cloth,    7.4X1.2X5.,  pp.  xxxvi,  25-424 ;    1    cut. 
Boston  :   1833.     The  family  of  C.  M.  Hovey. 
LaPomologie  Fran9aise.     Bulletin  de  la  Societe  Pomologique  de  France. 
Nos.  1-G,  1890.     6  pamphlets,    yellow,   9. 3X. 2X6.2,  pp.  407 ;   cuts. 
Lyon:   1890.     Louis  Cusin,  Secretaire  General. 
United  States  Special  Consular  Report.     Fruit    Culture   in    Foreign  Coun- 
tries.    Pamphlet,  terra-cotta,  8.9X1.2X5.7,  pp.  391-937,    xiii ;   cuts 
and  diagrams.     Washington :  1890.     Hon.   James  G.  Blaine,  Secre- 
tary of  State. 
[Victoria]  Department  of  Agriculture.     Bulletin  No.  5.     September,  1889. 
Proceedings  of  a  Convention  of  Fruit  Growers,  held    on   September 
19,  20,  and  21,  1889.     Pamphlet,   fawn-color,   8. 4X. 4X5.4,  pp.  159. 
Melbourne:  1890.     D.  Martin,  Secretary  of  Agriculture. 
Lombard,  A.  C,  Sons  of.     Review  of  Exports  of  Apples  from  America  to 
Europe.     Seasons    of    1888-89  and  1889-90.     2  broadside  circulars, 
11.X8.5.     Boston  :  1889, '90.     Messrs.  Lombard.     [2  copies  each.] 
Apple,  part  Baldwin  and  part  Russet,  Photograph  of.     6.4X4.2.     Professor 

John  Robinson. 
Fruit    Growers'    Association    of    Ontario.     Twenty-fir.<t    Annual    Report, 

1889.  Black  cloth,  9.8X.5X6.4,  pp.  xvi,  128;  5  portraits.  Toronto: 

1890.  L.  Wool verton.  Secretary.      [16  copies.] 

Fruit  Growers'  Association  and  International  Show  Society  of  Nova  Scotia. 
Transactions  and  Reports.  1888  and  1889.  Pamphlet,  fawn, 
8.5X4X5.7,  pp.  129,  113.  Halifax,  N.S.  :  1889.  C.  H.  R.  Starr, 
Secretary -Treasurer. 

American  Pomological  Society.  Proceedings  of  the  Twenty-second 
Session,  held  in  Ocala,  Florida,  February  20,  21,  22,  1889.  Pam- 
phlet, tea,  12.1  X. 5X9. 3,  pp.  171,  liv ;  1  portrait.  1889.  Benjamin 
G.  Smith,  Treasurer. 

Maine  state  Pomological  Society.  Transactions  for  the  year  1889. 
Edited  by  the  Secretary,  D.  H.  Knowlton.  Pamphlet,  yellow, 
9.1X. 3X5.7,  pp.  172;  cuts  and  portrait.  Augusta:  1890.  D.  H. 
Knowlton,  Secretary. 

Iowa  Agricultural  College,  Bulletin  of  the.  Revised  Notes  on  some  of  the 
Pears,  Cherries,  Plums,  Apricots,  Peaches,  Ornamental  Trees, 
Forest  Trees,  and  Shrubs,  which  have  been  tested  on  the  College 
grounds,  and  sent  out  fortrial,  during  the  past  ten  years.  Pamphlet, 
8.5X  — X5.7,  pp.  32.  Ames:  1890.  Professor  J.  L.  Budd. 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture.  Division  of  Pomology. 
Bulletin  No.  3.  Classification  and  Generic  Synopsis  of  the  Wild 
Grapes  of  North  America.  By  T.  V.  Munson.  Pamphlet,  tea, 
8.9X.1X5.7,  pp.  14.  Washington:  1890.  Hon.  J.  M.  Rusk, 
Secretary  of   Agriculture. 


REPORT    OF    THE    LIBRARY    COIVOIITTEE.  333 

Garfield,  Charles  W".  Asparagus.  Its  Culture  for  Home  and  Market. 
[Read  before  the  Micliigan  State  Horticultural  Society,  July,  1889.] 
Pamphlet,  8.2X— Xfi.5,  pp.  7.     The  Author. 

Rodigas,  I'^mile.  Une  visite  a  retahlissement  de  I'Horticulture  Interna- 
tionale (Linden)  au  Pare  Leopold,  a  Bruxelles.  Pamphlet,  green, 
U.4X.1X10.»,  pp.  16;  locuts.     Gand  :  n.  d.     [1890?]     The  Author, 

Parsons,  S-  B.  L;indscape  Gardening.  I.  Planting  a  small  plot  facing 
south.  II.  Planting  a  plot  300X-t80  ft.  facing  south.  [2  articles 
from  ShoppcU's  Modern  Houses.]  2  sheets,  14.7X1L3,  2  pp.  each; 
2  plans.     The  Author. 

Baltimore  Park  Commission.  Thirtieth  Annual  Report  to  the  Mayor  and 
City  Council  of  Baltimore,  for  the  year  ending  December  31,  1889. 
Pamplilet,  terra-cotta,  8.9X.1X5.7,  pp.  5fi.  Baltimore  :  1890.  The 
Commissioners. 

!MoTint  Auburn  Cemetery.  Fifty-eighth  A.nnual  Report.  January  1, 
1890.  Pamphlet,  drab,  9. IX— XG.,  pp.  20.  Boston:  1890.  The 
Proprietors  of  the  Cemetery. 

American  Cemetery  Superintendents,  Association  of.  Proceedings  of 
the  Third  Annual  Convention,  held  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  September  17, 
18,  and  19,  1889,  Pamphlet,  blue-gray,  8.7X.2X5.8,  pp.  110; 
frontispiece.     Akron,  0.  :  1889. 

Fourth  Annual  Corlvention.     Pamphlet,  olive-buff,  8. 5X — X5.8, 
pp.  47.     Chicago  :  1890.  John  G.  Barker,  President. 

Barker,  John  G.  What  Trees  and  Shrubs  are  the  most  desirable  for 
Cemetery  Decoration.  (Read  at  the  meeting  of  the  Association  of 
American  Cemetery  Superintendents,  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  Sept.  18, 
1889.)     Pamplilet,  8.8X— X6.,  pp.  8.     The  Author. 

Cook,  Moses.  The  Manner  of  Raising,  Ordering,  and  Improving  Forest 
and  Fruit  Trees,  and  how  to  plant,  make,  and  keep  Woods,  Walks, 
Avenues,  Lawns,  Hedges,  etc.,  1679.  [This  title  is  copied  from 
Quaritch's  Catalogue  No.  90,  No.  724,  as  the  title-page  to  our  copy 
is  wanting.  The  preface  to  our  copy  bears  the  date  Nov.  16,  1675.] 
Full  calf,  7.9 X. 8X6.1,  pp.  14,  204,  4;  4  plates.     J.  D.  W.  French. 

Scliurz,  Hon.  Carl.  The  Need  of  a  Rational  Forest  Policy  in  tlie  United 
States.  [An  Ad/lress  delivered  before  the  American  Forestry  Asso- 
ciation and  the  Pennsylvania  Forestry  Association,  at  Horticultural 
Hall,  Philadelphia,  Oct.  15,  1889.]  Pamphlet,  9.1X— X5.8,  pp. 
12.  Philadelphia:  n.  d.  Professor  J.  T.  Rothrock. 
Brown,  John  Crourabie,  LL.D.,  Compiler.  The  Forests  of  England 
and  the  Management  of  them  in  By-gone  Times.  Brown  cloth, 
7.7X.9X5.1,  pp.  xvi,  263,  8.     Edinburgh  :   1883.     The  Author. 

.     Introduction  to  the  Study   of  Modern   Forest   Economy. 

Brown  cloth,  7.6X.8X5.,   pp.    xii,   228,   viii,  6.     Edinburgh:  1884, 
The  Author, 
.     Forestry  in  Norway :  with  Notices  of  the  Physical  Geog- 
raphy of  the  Country.     Brown   cloth,  7.8X.9X5.,  pp.  16,  viii,  227. 
Edinburgh  :   1384.     The  Author. 


334  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

BrO'Wn,  John  Croumbie,  LL.D.,  Compiler.  Forests  and  Forestry  of 
Northern  Russia  and  hinds  beyond.  Brown  cloth,  7.7X  .9X5.,  pp.  IG, 
viii,  279.    Edinburgh  :  iSS-t.     The  Author. 

.     Forestry  in  tlie  Mining  Districts  of  tlie  Ural  Mountain-;  in 

Eastern  Russia.  Brown  clotli,  7. 7X. 7X5.,  pp.  llj,  viii,  182.  Edin- 
burgh:  1884.     The  Author. 

.     Forests  and  Forestry  in  Poland,  Lithuania,  the  Ukraine, 

and  the  Baltic  Provinces  of  Russia,  with  notices  of  the  Exports  of 
Timber  from  Memel,  Dantzig,  and  Riga.  Brown  cloth,  7.7X.1X5., 
I)p.  16,  viii,  276.     Edinburgh;  1885.     The  Autlior. 

.     Schools  of  Forestry  in  Germany,  with  Addenda   relative 

to  a  desiderated  British  National  School  of  Forestry.  Brown  cloth, 
7. 5X. 9X5.1,  pp.  16,  vii,  232;  1  table.  Edinburgh:  1887.  The  Au- 
thor. 

.     School  of  Forest  Engineers  in  Spain,  indicative  of  a  type 

for  a  British  National  School  of  Forestry.  Old  gold  cloth,  7.7X.fciX 
5.,  pp.  xii,  232,  •!.     Edinburgh:  1886.     The  Autlior. 

.     Hydrology  of  South  Africa;    or,  Details   of   the  Former 

Hydrographic  Condition  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  of  Causes 
of  its  present  Aridity,  with  suggestions  of  appropriate  Jieniedies  for 
this  aridity.  Green  cloth,  8.9  X. 9  X6. 6,  pp.  vii,  260.  London:  1875. 
The  Author. 

.     Water  Supply    of   South   Africa   and  Facilities    for  the 


Storage  of  it.     Green  cloth,  9.1X2.X5.6,  pp.  xvi,  651.     Edinburgh: 
1876.     The  Author. 
Smidth,    .T[ens]    H[ansen].      Arboretum    Scandinavicum.     Half  maroon 
calf,  6.6X. 6X4.9,  pp.  160.    Kjobenhavn  :  1831.     Charles  S.  Sargent. 
Forest  Leaves.     July  and  September,  1886;    April   and   November,  1887; 
Fel)ruary,  May,  June-July,  August-September    and    October,  1889. 
Pamphlets,  10. IX  —  X 7.6;  plates.    Philadelphia:  1886-89.   [Towards 
completing  the  set. J     Henry  M.  Fisher. 
EailX  et  Foiets,  Annuaire  des,  pour  1890.     Gray  flexible  linen,  6. X. 6X4., 
pp.  4,  346.     Paris:  1890.     Publishers  of  Revue  des  Eaux  et  Foiets. 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture.     Forestry  Division. 

Report  of  the  Chief  of- the  Division  for  the  year  1889.  Pamphlet, 
tea,  9.x. IX 5. 7,  pp.  iv,  273-330;  cuts.  Hon.  J.  M.  Rusk,  Secre- 
tary of  Agriculture. 

Bulletin  No.  -1.  Report  on  the  Substitution  of  Metal  for  Wood  in 
Railroad  Ties.  By  E.  E.  Russell  Tratman,  C.  E.  Together  with 
a  Discussion  on  Practicable  Economies  in  the  Use  of  Wood  for  Rail- 
way Purposes.  By  B.  E.  Fernow,  Chief  of  Forestry  Division. 
Pamphlet,  tea,  9.x. 7X5. 7,  pp.363;  30  plates.  Washington:  1890. 
Hon.  J.  M.  Rusk,  Secretary  of  Agriculture. 
American  Forestry  Association.  Appeal.  1  sheet,  ll.X 8.5.  Philadel- 
phia :  1890.  Professor  J.  T.  Rothrock. 
California  State  Board  of  Forestry,  Memorial  of  the.  Pamphlet,  pink, 
8.'.JX  —  X5.8,  pp.  7;  2  plates.     Professor  J.  T.  Kothrock. 


EEPOKT    OF    THE    LIBRARY    COMMITTEE.  335 

Chapais,    J.  C,    B.C.L.      The    Canadian    Forester's   Illustrated   Guide. 
Taniphlet,  fawn,  8.5X. 5X5.2,  pp.  199;   126  cuts.     Montreal:   1885. 
J.  1).  \V.  French. 
Perrault,  J.  X.     ]M6moire  sur  la  mise  en  coupe   reglee   du  Domaine   for- 
estier  de  la  Province  de  Quebec.     Presente  a  la  Reunion  du  2  Sep- 
tembre    1890.       [.Association   Forestiere    d'Anierique]      Pamplilet, 
8.2X— X5.4,  pp.  8.     J.  1).  W.  French. 
"Worcester  County  Horticultural  Society.     Schedule  of  Premiums  for  the 
year    1890.     Pamphlet,    yellow,    9. 4X.  1X5.8,  pp.  40.     Worcester: 
1890.     Edward  W.  Lincoln,  Secretary. 
Rhode  Island  Horticultural  Society.     Prizes  to  be  awarded  at  tlie  June 
and  November  Exhibitions,   1890.     Pamphlet,  4.5x— X6.U,  pp.  8. 
[Providence:  1890.]     Thomas  K.  Parker,  Corresponding  Secretary. 
Hartford    County  Horticultural  Society.     Programme  for  the  year  1890. 
Pamphlet,    9.X— X5.7,    pp.    8.     Hartford,  Conn.:   [1890.]     C.    H. 
Pember,  Secretary. 

.      Souvenir.     Chrysanthemum    Exhibition.     List    of 

Officers  and  Members.     Prizes  given  at  its  several    exhibitions   in 
1890,  etc.     Pamphlet,  9.  X. 1X5. 8,  pp.  57;  cuts.     Hartford,  Conn.  : 
1890.     C.  H.  Pember,  Secretary. 
Western  New  York  Horticultural  Society.     Proceedings  of  the    Thirty- 
fifth  Annual  Meeting,  held  at  Rochester,  January,  1890.     Pamphlet, 
terra-cotta,    9. IX. 4X5. 9,  pp.   192.       Rochester:   1890.     John  Hall, 
Secretary  and  Treasurer.* 
New  Jersey  State  Horticultural  Society.     Proceedings  at  the  Fifteenth 
Annual    Meeting,    held   at   Trenton,    N.J.,    Dec.   18    and    19,   1889. 
Pamphlet,  blue-gray,  9. IX. 4X5. 8,  pp.   224;    1    portrait.     Newark: 
[1890.]     E.  Williams,  Secretary, 
Pennsylvania  Horticultural  Society.     Programme  for  1890.     Pamphlet, 
blue,    9. 2X. 1X5.7,    pp.     18.-    Philadelphia:   n.    d.     Daniel   D.    L. 
Farson,  Secretary. 

.     Advance  Sheet,  giving  List  of  Premiums  for  the  Annual 

Spring  Exhibition  and  Bulb  Show,  March  17-20,  1891.     Pamphlet, 
9.2X — .5.8,  pp.  8.     D.  D.  L.  Farson,  Secretary. 
Ohio  State  Horticultural  Society.       Twenty-third  Annual  Report,  for  the 
year  1889-90.      Pamphlet,  olive,  9. GX. 5X6.5,  pp.  240  ;  cuts.     Co- 
lumbus:   1890.     W.  W.  Farnsworth,  Secretary. 
Columbus    (Ohio)    Horticultural    Society.      Journal.     Vol.  3,   1888,   and 
Vol.  4,  1889.     Dark  green   cloth,   9. IX. 7X5. 7,  pp.   2,   123,  ii,  and 
viii,  109,  ii;   2  plates  in  Vol.  4.     Columbus,  Ohio:  1889.     Vol.  5, 
parts  1-3,  March-September,  1890.    3  pamphlets,  blue,  9.X— X5.8, 
pp.  78;  6  plates,  cuts.     Columbus:     [1890.]     Clarence  M.   Weed, 
Secretary. 
Indiana  Horticultural  Society.     Transactions  for  the  year  1889,  being  the 
Proceedings  of  the  Twenty-ninth  Annual  Session,  held  at  Indian- 
apolis,  December,  1889.     Black  cloth,  9. X. 5X5.8,   pp.    214;  cuts. 
Indianapolis  :   1890.     C.  M.  Hobbs,  Secretary. 


336  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Illinois    State    Horticultural    Society.     Transactions    for   the    year   1889; 
being  the  Proceedings  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Annual  Meeting,  etc., 
etc.     New  series.     Vol.  23.     Green  cloth,   8.9X1.3X6.,  pp.  xviii, 
421;    1    portrait.      Alton:    1890.      A.    C.    Hammond,    Secretary. 
[5  copies.] 
"Wisconsin    State    Horticultural    Society.      Annual   Report.      Vol.    20. 
Black  cloth,  9. X. 9X5. 8,  pp.  257;  frontispiece  and  cuts.     Madison: 
1890.     The  Superintendent  of  Public  Property.      [6  copies.] 
Minnesota    State    Horticultural    Society.     Annual    Report   for   the   year 
1890.      Vol.    18.      Black    cloth,    9.4X1.  X<i.3,    pp.    395;    portrait, 
1  plate  and  9  cuts.     Minneapolis  :   1890.     Samuel  B.  Green,  Secre- 
tary.    [10  copies.] 
Missouri  State  Horticultural  Society.     Thirty-second  Annual  Report,  1889. 
Black  cloth,  9.4X1.3X6.2,  pp.  467,  ii ;  7  cuts,  1  map.     Jefferson 
City:    1890.     L.  A.  Goodman,  Secretary.     [Ten  copies.] 
Nebraska  State  Horticultural  Society.     Annual  Report  for  the  year  1889. 
Containing  the  Proceedings  of  the  Annual  and  Semi-Annual  Meetings 
held  during  the  year  1889.     Dark  plum-colored  cloth,  8.9X.7X5.9, 
pp.  294;  30  cuts.     Lincoln:   1889.^  F.  W.  Taylor,  President. 
Colorado  State  Horticultural  and  Forestry  Association.     Annual  Rt  port  for 
the  year  1889.     Vol.  5.     Maroon  cloth,  9.4  X  1.2X6.3,  pp.  621,  iv  ;   1 
portrait.     Denver :  1890.     Dr.  Ale.x.  Shaw,  Secretary.     [2  copies.] 
Oregon  State  Horticultural  Association.     Address  of  Dr.  J.  R.  Cardwell, 
President,  delivered  at  the  Annual  Meeting,  held  at  Portland,  Oregon, 
Jan.  14,  1890.    Pamphlet,  light  green,  7.X— X4.2,  pp.  12.    Portland  : 
1890.     The  Association. 
California  State  Board  of  Horticulture.     Annual  Report  for  1889.     Black 
cloth,  9.3X  1.2X6.,  pp.  536;  4  plates,  138  cuts.     Sacramento  :   1890. 
B.  M.  Lelong,  Secretary. 
Royal  Horticultural  Society.     Journal.     Edited  by  D.  Morris,  Esq.,  M.A., 
F.L.S.,  Treasurer;  and  the  Rev.  W.  Wilks,  M.A.,  Secretary. 
Vol.  11,  Part3,  October,  1889.     pp.  131-350,  xxxiii-xcii. 
Vol.  12,  Part  1,  March,  1890.     pp.  232,  xciii-cliv ;  cuts. 
Vol.  12,  Part  2,  July,  1890.     pp.  233-408,  Ivi;  21  cuts. 
Three  pamphlets,  blue-gray,  8.4X.6X5.5.    London:  [1889,  1890.] 
The  Society. 
Joly,  Charles.     Notes  sur  la  Societe  d'Horticulture  de  Londres  et  sur  la 
Societe  Pomologique  Americaine.     Pamphlet,  blue-gray,  8.5X — X 
5.4,  pp.  12.     Paris  :  1890.     The  Author. 
Soci^t^     nationale  d'Horticulture    de  France,  Journal    de    la.        3^  serie. 
Tome  12,  1890.    Half  claret  morocco,  9.2X1.8X5.5,  pp.  792.    Paris  : 
1890.     E.  Glatigny,  Librarian. 

.     Congres  d'Horticulture  de  1890  ii  Paris.     Regle- 

nient.  Pamphlet,  8.3X  — X5.3,  pp.  iv.  Paris:  1890.  The  Society. 
Society  centrale  d'Horticulture  du  departenient  dela  Seine-Inferieure,  Bul- 
letin de  la.  Tome  XXXP.  —  3^  et  4"^  cahiers  de  1889;  Tome  XXXIP. 
—  lef  et  2"=  cahiers  de  1890.  4  pamphlets,  lilac  color,  9.X.2X5.7, 
pp.  141-328,  and  1-200.     Rouen:   1890.     The  Society. 


REPORT    OF    THE    LIBRARY    COMMITTEE.  337 

Soci^t^  d'llorticulture  do  la  Sarthe,  Bulletin  de  la.  Tome  II.  1889,  —  2*, 
o«,  et  4<' trimestres  ;  ISI'O, —  1"  et  2"^  triinestres.  3 pamphlets,  orange- 
color,  8.8X  — X5.7,  pp.  i>(u-GC,2.     [Le  Mans:   1881),  1890.] 

R.  Societa  Toscana  di  Orticultura,  Bullettino  della.  Anno  XV.  1890. 
(Vol.  V.  della  2."  Serie.)  Half  brown  leather,  11. XI. 7X7. 6,  pp. 
384;  13  plates,  colored  and  plain,  cuts.  Firenze  :  1890.  The  So- 
ciety. 

Soci^t^  d'Horticulture  de  Geneve,  Bulletin  de  la.  SG^e  Annee.  1890.  12 
pamphlets,  pink,  9.4X  —  X6.2,  pp.  236;  plates  (1  colored)  and  cuts. 
Geneve  :   1890.     The  Society. 

Verzeichniss  derauf  derGrossen  Allgemeinen  Gartenbau-Ausstellungdes 
Vereins  zur  Boforderung  des  Gartenbaues  in  den  preussischen 
Staaten,  zu  Berlin  vom  j5.  April  bis  8.  ISIai  1890.  Pamphlet,  lilac, 
8.GX— X5.8,  pp.  X,  32.     Berlin  :  n.  d. 

Nachtrag  zuni  Programm  fiir  die  Grosse  Allgemeine  Gartenbau-Ausstel- 
lung  des  Vereins  zur  Bsforderung  des  Gartenbaues  in  den  Preus- 
sischen  Staaten  vom  25.  April  bis  5.  Mai  1890  .  .  .  zu  Berlin. 
Pamphlet,  pink,  9.8X—X6.6,  pp.  20.     Berlin:  1890. 

JacqXiin,  Nicholaus  Joseph.  Selectarum  stirpium  Americanarum  historia, 
in  qua  ad  Linneanum  sj'stema  determinatse  descriptseque  sistuntur 
plantas  illae  quas  in  insulis  Martinica,  Jamaica,  Domingo,  alii.-iqr.e 
et  in  vicinae  Continentis  parte,  observavit  rariores ;  adjectis  iconibus 
in  solo  natali  delineatis.  Half  calf,  14. 9X2. oX  10.,  pp.  [6],  7,  [5], 
284,  [14] ;  183  plates.     Vindobonse  :  1763.     Charles  S.  Sargent. 

Zuccarini,  Jos[eph],  Ger[hard].  Plantarum  novarum  vel  minus  cognita- 
rum  quEe  in  horto  botanico  herbarioque  regio  Monacensi  servantur, 
fasciculus  primus.  Also  Fasciculus  quartus  of  the  same.  Pam- 
phlets, tea,  10.1  X. 6X8.3,  pp.  219-254,  and  287-396;  plates  1-9  and 
12-17.      [Monachi:  1737-40.]     Charles  S.  Sargent. 

W  atson,  Sereno.     Contributions  to  American  Botany.     XVII. 

I.  Miscellaneous  notes  upon  North  American  Plants,  chiefly  of 
the  United  States,  with  Descriptions  of  New  Species. 

II.  Descriptions  of  New  Species  of  Plants,  from  Northern  Mex- 
ico, collected  chiefly  by  Mr.  C.  G.  Pringle,  in  1888  and  1889. 

[From  the  Proceedings  of  the  American  Academy  of  Arts  and 
Sciences,  Vol.  XXV.]  Pamphlet,  tea,  9.7X.1XG.2,  pp.  123-163, 
and  index.     [Issued  Sept.  25,  1890.]     The  Author. 

Britton,  N.  L.  A  List  of  the  State  and  Local  Floras  of  the  United  States 
and  British  America.  [Contributions  from  the  Herbarium  of  Col- 
umbia College. —  No.  14.]  [Reprinted  from  the  Annals  of  the  New 
York  Academy  of  Sciences.  Vol.  V.]  Pamphlet,  tea,  10. X -2X6.1, 
pp.  237-300.     [New  York:]   April,  1890.     The  Author. 

Halsted,  Professor  Byron  D.  Notes  upon  Stamens  of  Solanaceas.  [Extract 
from  the  Botanical  Gazette,  Vol.  XV.]  Pamphlet,  9.X  — X6.2,  pp. 
103-106;   1  plate.     Crawfordsville,  Ind.  :   1890.     The  Author. 

Macoun,  John,  M.A.,  F.L.S.,  F.R.S.C.  Catalogue  of  Canadian  Plants. 
Part  V.  —  Acrogens.     [Geological  and  Natural   History  Survey  of 


338  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Canada.]     Pamphlet,  gray,  IO.X.0X6.6,  pp.  iv,  249-428.  Montreal: 
1890.     The  Author. 
Pearson,  Wm.  Hy.     List  of  Canadian  Hepaticae.     [Geological  and  Xatural 
History  Survey  of  Canada.]     Pamphlet,  gray,  !).7X -1  X<5.5,  pp.  31 ; 
12  plates.     Montreal:  1890.     Prof.  John  Macoun. 
Britton,  N.  L.,  Ph.D.     Catalogue  of  Plants  found  in  New  Jersey.     [From 
the  Final  Report  of  the  State  Geologist.  Vol.  II.]     Half  green  mor- 
occo, 9.5X1.4X6.6,  pp.  27-642.     Trenton:  1889.     The  Author. 
Torrey  Botanical  Club.     Bulletin.    Edited  by  Nathaniel  Lord  Britton  and 
•    other  members    of  the  Club.     Vol.    17,   1890.     12    pamphlets,  tea, 
9.1X.1X5.8,  pp.  332;  plates  XCVIII-CX.     New  York  :   1890.     The 
Club. 
.    .    Index  to  Vols.  1-5.    January,  1870 -Decem- 
ber,  1874.     Unbound,  9.3X—X6.,  pp.   10.     Index  to  Vol.  6,  Janu- 
ary,   1875  -  December,    1879.      pp.    369-379.      New    York:    n.  d. 
The  Club. 
Edinburg"!!    Botanical    Society.     Transactions    and     Proceedings.     Vol. 
XIII,  Parts  II  and  III;  Vol.  XIV,  Parts  I,  II,  and  III  (complete); 
Vol.  XV,  Part  I ;    Vol.    XVI,  Part  I ;    Vol.    XVII,   Part    III.     8 
pamphlets,    tea   and    fawn   color,    8.8X.5-.9X5.6,    plates     IV-XX 
(1  colored)  ;  I-XIV  (including  III  b.) ;  I-IV;    I-XI ;  and  VII,  VIII. 
Edinburgh  :  1878-1SS9.     The  Society. 
Missouri  Botanical  Garden.     First  Annual  Report  of  the  Director.     1889. 
Pamphlet,  light  brown,  9.x— X 6.,  pp.  17.     St.  Louis  :   1890.     Wil- 
liam Trelease,  Director. 

.     Second  Announcement   concerning    Garden    Pupils. 

November,  1890.    Pamphlet,  fawn,  7.3 X  —  X5.3,  pp.  8.    [St.  Louis  : 
1890.]     William  Trelease,  Director. 
Ke'W   Royal    Botanic    Gardens.     Bulletin    of    Miscellaneous  Information, 
1889.     Half  green  cloth,  9. 3 X. 9X5. 9,  pp.  306;  1  plain  and  4  colored 
plates.     London  :    1889.     W.  T.  Thiselton  Dyer,  Director. 
Botanic  Garden,  Adelaide,  South  Australia.     Report  on  the  Progress  and 
Condition    during   the   year    1889,    by    R.    Schomburgk,  Dr.  Phil., 
Director.     Pamphlet,  fawn,    13.X— X8.3,  pp.  20.     Adelaide,  South 
Australia :  1890.     The  Director. 
Collier,  Dr.  Peter.       The  Future  of  Agriculture  in  the  United  States.     An 
Address  delivered  at  the  Agricultural  Fair  of  the   South  Jury  Dis- 
trict held  at  Ovid,  N.Y.,  September  3,  1890.     Pamphlet,  light   blue- 
green,  9.1X  — X5.8,  pp.  15.     The  Autlior. 
, .     How  to  Make  Dairying  More  Profitable.     An  Address  de- 
livered before  the  Holstein-Frie^ian  Association  of  America,  March 
19,  1890.     Pamphlet,  tea,  9.2X— X5.7,  pp.  15.     The  Author. 
Harris,  Joseph,  M.S.       (Moreton    Farm,    Monroe  County,    N.Y.)     Essay 
on  tlie  Use  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  for  Manure,  and  the  best  mode  of  its 
employment.     Pamphlet,  drab,  7.7X. 2X5.1,  pp.  96.     1890. 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture.     First  Report  of  the   Secretary 
of    Agriculture.      1889.     Black     cloth,     9.3X1.6X5.8,     pp.    560; 


REPORT    OF    THE    LIBRARY    COMMITTEE.  339 

43  plates,  colored  and  plain.  Washington :  1889.  Hon.  J.  M. 
Rusk.  Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

.     Report  of   the    Secretary  of  Agriculture.     1890. 

Pamphlet,  tea,  9. X. 1X5.7,  pp.  52.  Washington:  1890.  Hon.  J. 
M.  Rusk,  Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

.     Report   of  the    Superintendent   of   Gardens  and 

Grounds  for  the  year  1889.  Author's  edition.  From  the  Annual  Re- 
port of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  for  the  year  1889.  Pamphlet, 
tea,  9.x  — X5. 8,  pp.  109-134.  Hon.  J.  M.  Rusk,  Secretary  of 
Agriculture. 

.      Botanical    Division.      Special    Bulletin.      The 

Agricultural  Grasses  and  Forage  Plants  of  the  United  States;  and 
such  Foreign  kinds  as  have  been  introduced.  By  Dr.  Geo.  Vasey, 
Botanist;  with  an  Appendix  on  the  Chemical  Composition  of  Grasses, 
by  Clilford  Richardson,  and  a  glossary  of  terms  used  in  describing 
grasses.  Pamphlet,  tea,  9. X. 7X5.8,  pp.  148;  114  plates.  Wash- 
ington:  1889.     Hon.  J.  M.  Rusk,  Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

.      Section   of    Vegetable    Pathology.       Quarterly 

Bulletin.  The  Journal  of  Mycology  :  devoted  to  the  Study  of  Fungi, 
especially  in  their  relation  to  Plant  Diseases.  By  B.  T.  Galloway, 
Chief  of  the  Section.  Vol.  5,  No.  4,  December,  1889.  pp.  181- 
249;  plates  13  and  14.  Vol.  6,  Nos.  1  and  2,  March  and  Sep- 
tember, 1890.  pp.  87;  3  plates,  cuts.  Three  pamphlets,  tea, 
9.x. 1X5.8.  Washington:  1889,  1890.  Hon.  J.M.Rusk,  Secre- 
tary of  Agriculture. 

.     Division  of  Chemistry. 


Bulletin  No.  24.  Proceedings  of  the  Sixth  Annual  Convention  of 
the  Association  of  Official  Agricultural  Chemists,  held  .  .  .  Sep- 
tember, 1889.  Pamphlet,  tea,  9. X. 4X5. 7,  pp.  235.  Washington: 
1890. 

Bulletin  No.  25.  A  Popular  Treatise  on  the  Extent  and  Charac- 
ter of  Food  Adulterations.  By  Alex.  J.  Wedderburn,  Special 
Agent.     Pamphlet,  tea,  9.x. 1X5. 7,  pp.  61.     Washington:  1890. 

Bulletin  No.  26.  Record  of  Experiments  in  the  Production  of 
Sugar  from  Sorghum  in  1889,  etc.  By  H.  Wiley,  Chemist.  Pam- 
phlet, tea,  9. X. 2X5. 7,  pp.  112  ;   1  diagram.     Washington  :  1890. 

Bulletin   No.    27.      The    Sugar-Beet    Industry,    Culture    of    the 

Sugar-Beet  and  ]N[anufacture  of  the  Beet  Sugar.     By  H.  W.  Wiley, 

Chemist.     Pamphlet,    tea,    9. X. 7X5. 8,    pp.    262;     plates,    11  cuts. 

Washington :  1890.  Hon.  J.  M.  Rusk,  Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

.     Reports  of  the  Statistician.     New  Series. 

Nos.  69-79.  On  the  Crops  of  the  Year;  Numbers  and  Values  of 
Farm  Animals;  Distribution  and  Consumption  of  Corn  and  Wheat; 
Condition  of  Winter  Grain;  Condition  of  Farm  Animals;  Progress 
of  Cotton  Planting,  and  Wages  of  Farm  Labor;  Acreage  of  Wheat 
and  Cotton;  Condition  of  Cereal  Crops;  Area  of  Corn,  Potatoes,  and 
Tobacco ;    Condition   of    Growing   Crops ;     Condition    of  Crops    in 


340  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 


America  and  Europe ;  Yield  of  Grain  per  Acre ;  Yield  of  Crops  per 
Acre;  Freight  Rates  of  Transportation  Companies.  11  pamphlets, 
tea,  9.x.  1X5.8.     Washington:  1890. 

New  Series,  Miscellaneous.  Report  No.  1.  A  Report  on  Flax, 
Hemp,  Ramie,  and  Jute,  etc.  By  Charles  Richards  Dodge.  Pam- 
phlet, tea,  9.x. 2X5.7, pp.  104;  cuts.      Washington:  1890. 

Hon.  J.  M.  Rusk,  Secretary  of  Agriculture. 
.     Bureau  of  Animal  Industry. 

The  Animal  Parasites  of  Sheep.      By  Cooper  Curtice,  D.V.S., 
M.D.     Dark  brown  cloth,  9.2X.8X5.9,  pp.  222;  36  plates,  colored 
and   plain.     Washington :    1890.     Hon.    J.    M.    Rusk,    Secretary  of 
Agriculture. 
.     Office  of  Experiment  Stations. 

Experiment  Station  Record.  Vol.  1,  Nos.  2-6,  November,  1889,- 
July,  1890;  Vol.2,  Nos.  1-4,  August-November,  1890.  9  pam- 
phlets, blue-gray,  8.9X. 1X5.7.     Washington:  1889,  1890. 

Experiment  Station  Bulletin.  Nos.  3-6,  July,  1889,-May,  1890. 
(3.)  Report  of  a  Meeting  of  Horticulturists  of  the  Agricultural  Ex- 
periment Stations,  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  June  13,  14,  1889.  By 
A.  W.  Harris,  Assistant  Director.  (4  )  List  of  Horticulturists  of 
the  Agricultural  Experiment  Stations  in  the  United  States,  with  an 
outline  of  the  work  in  Horticulture  at  the  several  Stations. 
Prepared  by  W.  B.  Atwood.  (5.)  Organization  Lists  of  the  Agri- 
cultural Experiment  Stations,  and  Agricultural  Schools  and  Colleges 
in  the  United  States.  (6.)  List  of  Botanists  of  the  Agricultural 
Experiment  Stations  in  the  United  States,  with  an  Outline  of  the 
Work  in  Botany,  at  the  several  Stations.  4  pamphlets,  tea, 
9.x— X  5. 7.     Washington:  1889,  1890. 

Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  2.  Tlie  Work  of  the  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment Stations.     Pamphlet,  9. IX  — X5. 8.     Washington  :  1890. 

Miscellaneous  Bulletin  No.  2.  Proceedings  of  the  Third  Annual 
Convention  of  the  Association  of  American  Agricultural  Colleges 
and  Experiment  Stations,  held  at  Washington,  D.C.,  November  12- 
15,  1889.  Edited  by  A.  W.  Harris  and  H.  E.  Alvord.  Pamphlet, 
tea,  8. 9X. 2X5. 7.     Washington:  1890. 

Circular  No.  12.  Regarding  the  Library  and  Publications  of  the 
Office  of  Experiment  Stations.  Pamphlet,  tea,  9.X— X5.9. 
Washington:   1889.  Professor  W.  0.  Atwater,  Director. 


A^icultural  Experiment  Station  Bulletins  and  Annual  Reports  have 
been  received  from  the  Stations  in  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

Ontario  Department  of  Agriculture.  Bureau  of  Industries.  Bulletins  22- 
35.  Crops  and  Live-stock  in  Ontario,  etc.,  etc.  14  pamphlets, 
G.ix— X4.1.     Toronto  :  1888-1890.     A.  Blue,  Secretary. 

Maine  Board  of  Agriculture.  Thirty-third  Annual  Report  of  the  Secre- 
tary, for  the  year  1889-90.  Black  cloth,  9.5X1.6X6.,  pp.  v,  242, 
216,  176;  plates  and  cuts.  Augusta:  1890.  Z.  A.  Gilbert,  Secre- 
tary. 


REPORT    OF    THE    LIBRARY    COMMITTEE.  341 

Massachusetts  Board  of  Agriculture.  Thirty-seventh  Annual  Report 
of  the  Secretary,  together  with  the  Seventh  Annual  Report  of  the 
State  Experiment  Station,  1889.  Black  cloth,  9.1  X  1.8X.5. 7,  pp. 
xxiv,  383,  333;  8  plates,  2  maps.  Boston:  1890.  Hon.  William  R. 
Sessions,  Secretary.     [50  copies.] 

.     Crop  Reports  for  the  months  of  May  to  October,  1890. 

Bulletins  1-G.     Compiled  by  William  R.   Sessions,  Secretary  of  the 
Board    of  Agriculture.     6  pamphlets,  9.  X — X5.7.     Boston:   1890. 
The  Secretary. 
The    Farmer's    University.       (Massachusetts  Agricultural  College.)      A 
sheet  from  the  New  England  Homestead,  Aug.  24,  1889.     1  p.,  cuts 
and  portraits. 
Essex  Agricultural  Society.     Transactions  for  the  year  18S9,  and  Sixty- 
seventh    Annual   Address,  by   Charles    J.  Peabody ;  with  Premium 
list  for  1890.     Pamphlet,  tea,  9.  X. 5X5  7,  pp.  219.     Beverly,  Mass.  : 
1889.     The  Society. 
Hingham  Agricultural  and  Horticultural  Society.     Transactions  for  the 
year  1889.    Pamphlet,  fawn,  9. IX. 1X5. 8,  pp.  92.    Edmund  Hersey. 
Marshfield  Agricultural  and  Horticultural  Society.     Transactions  during 
the  year  1889.      With  the  List  of  Premiums  during  the  year  1890. 
Pamphlet,  tea,  9. X. IX 5. 8,  pp.  25,  19.     Plymouth:  1889. 
W^orcester  North  Agricultural  Society.     Transactions  for  the  year  1889, 
together  with  a  List  of  the    Committees   and   Premiums  for   1890. 
Pamphlet,  blue,  8.8X. 2X5. 8, pp.  90.  Fitchburg  :  1890.     The  Society. 
Census    of    Massachusetts:     1885.     Vol.   3,    Agricultural    Products    and 
Property.      Prepared   under  the   direction    of  Carroll    D.    Wright, 
Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Statistics  of  Labor.     Black  cloth,  10.1X2.3 
X7.,pp.  Ixii,  934.     Boston:  1887.     Bureau  of  Statistics. 
Rhode  Island   Society   for  the   Encouragement   of  Domestic  Industry. 
Seventieth  Anniversary.     Also  Premium  List  for  the  State  Fair  to 
be  held  at  Narragansett  Park,  September,  1890.     Pamphlet,  cream- 
color,  7.7X.5X5.2,  pp.  198;  3  portraits  and  cuts.    David  S.  Collins, 
Secretary  and  Treasurer. 
Connecticut  Board  of  Agriculture.      Twenty-second    Annual    Report    of 
the  Secretary,  1888.     With  Annual  Report  of  the  Connecticut  Agri- 
cultural Experiment  Station  for  1888,  and  the  First  Annual  Report 
of   the    Storrs    School    Agricultural    Experiment    Station.       Black 
cloth,    9.1X1.5XG.,    pp.    3^0,    vii,     1C6,    104,    13;     1    plate,     cuts. 
Hartford:  1888,  1889. 

Twenty-third  Annual  Report  of  the  Secretary,  1889.  With  Annual 
Report  of  the  Connecticut  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  for  1889, 
and  Second  Annual  Report  of  the  Storrs  School  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment Station,  1889.  Black  cloth,  9.  X  1.8X6.,  pp.  378,  vii,  280,  183, 
20;  3  plates,  13  cuts.  Hartford,  New  Haven,  and  Middletownt 
1889,  1890.  T.  S.  Gold.  Secretary. 

South  Carolina  State  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  Society.     Premium 
List  for  the  Twenty-second  Annual  Fair,  to  be  held  in  Columbia, 


342  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

S.  C,    November,    1890.     Pamphlet,    fawn,    9. 2 X. IX 5. 8,   pp.    46. 
Charleston  :  1890.     Thomas  W.  Holloway,  Secretary. 
Georgia  Department   of  Agriculture.      Circulars    124-133.     New  Series. 
Crop  Reports,  Analyses  of  Commercial  Fertilizers,  etc.  9  pamphlets, 
9.X  — X5.8.     Atlanta:   1890.     J.  T.  Henderson,  Commissioner. 
Louisiana  Department   of  Agriculture.     Circulars  1-5.     Series  of    1890. 
Reports  on  Yield  and  Condition  of  Crops,  etc.    January  to  October, 
1890.      Pamphlets,    9.X— X5.8,    pp.    93.      Baton    Rouge:    1890. 
T.  S.  Adams,  Commissioner. 
Texas  Agricultural  Bureau  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  Insurance, 
Statistics,    and   History.     Second  Annual  Report,   1888-89.     L.  L. 
Foster,  Commissioner.     Pamphlet,  fawn,  9.1  X. 8 X*).,  pp.  xxiii,  387; 
cuts.     Austin :   1890.     H.  W.  Nye. 
Iowa  State  Agricultural  Society.    Annual  Report  of  the  Board  of  Directors 
for  the  year  1889.     Black  cloth.  9.  X  1.7X6.6,  pp.  671.     Des  Moines  : 
1890.     John  R.  Shaffer,  Secretary. 
Nebraska  State  Board  of  Agriculture.     Annual  Report  for  the  year  1889. 
Prepared  byRobt.  W.  Furnas,  Secretary.      Black  cloth,  9. X. IX 6. 2, 
pp.  390;  cuts.     Lincoln:   1890.     Hon.  Robt.  W.  Furnas,  Secretary. 
[2  copies.] 
Sociedad  Rural  Argentina  Anales  de  la.    Vol.  24.     1890.      18  pamphlets, 
blue-gray,    10.8X— X7.3,   pp.    816.      Buenos   Aires:    1890.      The 
Society. 
Asociacion  Rural  del  Uruguay.     Vol.  19.     1890.     24  pamphlets,  10.3  X 

—  X 6.8,  pp.  586.  Montevideo:  1890.  The  Association. 
Massachusetts  Agricultural  College.  Twenty-seventh  Annual  Report. 
January,  1890.  Public  Document  No.  31.  Pamphlet,  blue, 
9.1X.2X5.8,  pp.  99;  frontispiece.  Boston  :  1890.  The  College. 
California,  University  of.  College  of  Agriculture.  Supplement  No.  1  to 
the  Report  of  the  Board  of  Regents.  Pamphlet,  salmon-color,  9.  IX 
— X5.9,  pp.  25;  cuts.  Sacramento:  1880.  E.  W.  Hilgard,  Direc- 
tor of  the  Experiment  Station. 

. .     Report   of   the  Professor  in  Charge  to  the 

Board  of  Regents,  being  a  part  of  the  Report  of  the  Regents  of  (he 
University.     1880.     Pamphlet,   tea,   9. IX. 2X5. 8,   pp.  108.     Sacra- 
mento :  1881.     E.  W.  Hilgard. 
Ward,    H.    Marshall,    M.A.,   F.R.S.,   F.L.S.     Diseases  of  Plants.     [Ro- 
mance  of  Science   Series.]     Dark   dull-green  cloth,   6.8X.9X4.7, 
pp.  iv,  196.     London,     n.  d.   [1890?]     Waldo  O.  Ross. 
Halsted,  Professor  Byron  D.     Rusts,  Smuts,  Ergots,  and  Rots.     Some  of 
the  Diseases  that  Seriously  Affect  Field  Crops,  Vegetables,  and  Fruit. 
Remedies  that  have  proved  successful.     [Address  before  the  New 
Jersey  Board  of  Agriculture,  at  Trenton,  Jan.  31,  1890.]    Pamphlet, 
blue-gray,  9.2X  — X5.7,  pp.  21  ;  4  plates.     The  Author. 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture.     Division  of  Entomology. 

Bulletin  No.  21.     Report  of  a  trip  to  Australia  made  under  direc- 
tion of  the  Entomologist  to  investigate  the  Natural  Enemies  of  the 


REPORT    OF    THE    LIBRARY    COMMITTEE.  343 

Fluted    Scale.     By   Albert    Koebele.     Pamphlet,  tea,    9.  X  — Xo.6, 
pp.  32  ;   IG  cuts.     Washington  :   1890. 

Bulletin  No.  22.  Reports  of  Observations  and  Experiments  in 
the  Practical  Work  of  the  Division,  made  under  the  direction  of  the 
Entomologist.  Pamphlet,  tea,  9. X. 2 X. 5. 7,  pp.  110.  Wasliington  : 
ls90.  Hon.  J.  M.  Husk,  Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

New  York,  Injurious  and  other  Insects  of  the  State  of.     Sixtii  Report. 
By  J.  A.  Lintner,  Ph.D.,  State  Entomologist.     [From  the  43d  Re- 
port of  the  New  York  State  Museum  of  Natural  History.]     Pam- 
phlet,   drab,   9. IX. 2X5. 8,  pp.    101-205;    25  cuts.       Albany:   1890. 
The  Author. 
Galls  of  Cynipidas.  —  Various  Galls.     Two  volumes  of  Photographs  taken 
by  Miss  Cora  H.  Clarke.     Half  Russia,  10.8X1. X9.1.     Miss  Clarke. 
New  York  IMicroscopical  Society.     Journal.     Vol.  6,  1890.     4  pamphlets, 
fawn,  9. 3X.  1X5.9,  pp.   122;    plates  21-25,  cuts.    New  York  :  1890. 
The  Society. 
Boston  Society  of  Natural  History.     Proceedings.     Vol.  23,  parts  3  and  4  ; 
Vol.  24,  parts  1-4.     6  pamphlets,  tea,  9. 8 X. 3— .9X6.1,  pp.  273-572, 
and  1-597;  8  and  9  plates,  cuts.     Boston:  1888-1890.    The  Society. 

.     Memoirs.     Vol.    4,   Nos.    1-9.     Pamphlets,    tea, 

ll.7X-.2-.4X9.,  pp.  472;  42  plates.     Boston:  October,  1885,-Sep- 
tember,  1890.     The  Society. 
"Worcester  Natural  History  Society.     Summer  Camp  for  Boys,  at  Lake 
Quinsigamond.     Prospectus  for  1890.     Pamphlet,  tea,  4.7X  —  X6.2, 
pp.  12.     Tiie  Society. 
Essex  Institute.     Bulletin.     Vol.  14,  Nos.  7-12,  July  to  December,  1882; 
Vol.    15,   1883,    1   colored   plate,    19    cuts;  Vol.  16,  1884;   Vol.  17, 
1885,  3  plates,   58  cuts;     Vol.    18,    1886,    1    colored   and  8    plain 
plates;  Vol.   19,    1887;    Vol.   20,-1888;  Vol.    21,    1889,    13   plates, 
colored  and  plain,  cuts;  Vol.  22,  1890,  Nos.  1,  2,  3;   1  plate.    Pam- 
phlets, 9. 7X. 2X6.1.    Salem:  1882-1890.    The  Institute. 
Elisha  Mitchell  Scientific  Society.     Journal.     1889.     Volume  6,  part  2, 
July  to  December,   1889.     Pamphlet,  light  tea,  9.  X. 3X5. 8,  pp.  41- 
161;    9  plates  and  cuts.     Raleigh,   N.    C.  :   1890.     Vol.   7,    part    1, 
January-June,  1890.     Pamphlet,  blue,  8.9X. 1X5. 7,  pp.  56  ;  2plates. 
Raleigh,  N.  C.  :   1890.     F.  P.  Venable,  Permanent  Secretary. 
Zoe  —  A    Biological   Journal.     Vol.  I,  Nos.  3-6.     May   to    August,    1890. 
Pamphlets,  olive,  lO.X  — X6.2,  pp.  65-192;  plates  2-6.     San  Fran- 
cisco: 1890.     Frank  H.  Vaslit,  Editor. 
Minnesota   Academy   of  Natural   Sciences.     Bulletin.     Vol.  Ill,  No.  I. 
Proceedings  and    Accompanying  Papers,  1883-86.     Pamphlet,  light 
brown,  9. 3X. 5X6.,  pp.  160;    2  plates.     Minneapolis  :  1889.     C.  W. 
Hall,  Editor. 
Saint  Louis  Academy  of  Sciences.     1890'.     Pamphlet,  coffee-color,  8.5X 

.2X5.8,  pp.  62.     The  Academy. 
Iowa  State  University.     Bulletin  from  the  Laboratories  of  Natural  History. 
Vol.  I,  Nos.  2,  3,  4;    Vol.11,  No.  1.  Pamphlets,  olive,  9.2X.3-.5X 


344  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

6.1,  pp.  97-304  and  98 ;  10  and  12  jilates,  with  descriptive  text.    Iowa 
City:  1889,  1890.     S.  Calvin  and  T.  H.  McBride,  Editors. 

Ottawa  Naturalist.  The  Transactions  of  the  Ottawa  Field  Naturalists' 
Club.  Vol.  3,  No.  4,  January  to  March,  1890.  pp.  117-159,  70-73 ; 
Vol.  4,  Nos.  1-9,  April  to  December,  1890.  pp.  164,  74-77;  1  map. 
Ottawa:  1890.     W.  A.  D.  Lees,  Librarian. 

Leopoldina.  Amtiiches  organ  der  Kaiserlichen  Leopoldino-Carolinischen 
Deutschen  Akademie  der  Naturforscher.  Herausgegeben  unter 
mitwirkung  der  sektionsvorstaende  von  dem  praesidenten  Dr.  C.  H. 
Knoblauch.  Fuenfundzwanzigstes  heft  —  Jahrgang  1889.  Pamphlet, 
blue,  12.5X.3X9.5,  pp.  220.     Halle  :  1889.     Dr.  C.  H.  Knoblauch. 

Smithsonian  Institution,  Fifth  Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  Etiinol- 
ogy  to  the  Secretary  of  the.  1883-84.  By  J.  W.  Powell,  Director. 
Dark  olive  cloth,  11.6X2.1X7.8,  pp.  liii,  564;  23  plates  and  maps, 
colored  and  plain;  76  cuts.  Washington:  1887.  Sixth  Annual  Re- 
port. 1884-85.  By  J.  W.  Powell,  Director,  pp.  Iviii,  675  ;  10  plates 
and  plans  and  546  cuts.     Washington  :  1888. 

Bibliography  of  the  Muskhogean  Languages.  By  James  Constan- 
tine  Pilling.  Pamphlet,  tea,  9. 7X. 2X6.2,  pp.  v,  114.  Washington  : 
1889. 

Bibliography  of  the  Iroqiioian  Languages.  By  James  Constantine 
Pilling.  Pamphlet,  tea,  10.  X.5X6.2,  pp.  vi,  208  ;  tables.  Wash- 
ington: 1888. 

Textile  Fabrics  of  Ancient  Peru.  By  William  H.  Holmes.  Pam- 
phlet, tea,  9.7X— X6.1.  pp.  17;   11  cuts.     Washington:  1889. 

The  Problem  of  the  Ohio  Mounds.  By  Cyrus  Thomas.  Pamphlet, 
tea,  9. 7 X. IX 6.,  pp.  54;  8  cuts.     Washington:  1889. 

The  Circular,  Square,  and  Octagonal  Earthworks  of  Ohio.  By 
Cyrus  Thomas.  Pamphlet,  tea,  8.9X.lXo.9,  pp.35;  11  plates,  5 
cuts.     Washington:   1889.  The  Institution. 

Texas  Geological  Survey.  First  Annual  Report.  1889.  Pamphlet,  fawn. 
10.2X1.2X6.8,  pp.  xc,  410;  plates  and  map.  Austin:  1890.  H. 
W.   Nye. 

United  States  Bureau  of  Education.  Special  Report  on  Public  Libraries. 
Part  II.  Rules  for  a  Dictionary  Catalogue.  By  Charles  A.  Cutter, 
Librarian  of  the  Boston  Athenasum.  Second  edition.  Pamphlet, 
tea,  8.9X. 3x5.7,  pp.  133.  Washington  :  1889.  W.  T.  Harris,  Com- 
missioner. 

Lawrence  (Mass.)  Free  Public  Library.  Eighteenth  Annual  Report  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  and  Report  of  the  Librarian.  1889.  Pamphlet, 
tea,  8.9X— X5.8,  pp.  32.  Lawrence:  1890.  F.  H.  Hedge,  Jr.,  Li- 
brarian. 

Salem  (Mass.)  Public  Library.  Address  of  Hon.  John  M  Raymond,  at  the 
Opening  of  the  Salem  Public  Library,  June  20,  1889.  Pamphlet, 
terracotta,  9.3X. 2X6.4,  pp.  62;  2  plates,  4  cuts,  and  plan.  Salem : 
1889.    The  Trustees. 


REPORT    OF    THE    LIBRARY    COMMITTEE.  345 

Salem  (Mass.)  Public  Library.  First  Report  of  the  Trustees.  December, 
1889.  Pamphlet,  terra-cotta,  9. 4X. 1X6.6,  pp.  18.  Salem  :  1890.  The 
Trustees. 
Astor  Library.  Forty-first  Annual  Report  of  the  Trustees,  for  the  year 
1889.  Pamphlet,  light  blue,  9.  X.  IX  5.8,  pp.  49.  New  York:  1890. 
The  Librarian. 

Quaritch,  Bernard.  Catalogue  of  Books  on  the  History,  Geography,  and 
of  the  Philology  of  America,  Australasia,  Asia,  Africa.  Red  cloth, 
8.7X1. Xo. 9,  pp.  2,  2747-3162.     London:  1886.     The  Author. 

Hanbury,  Frederick  J.,  F.L.S.  The  late  James  Backhouse.  A  Biogra- 
phical Sketch.  [Reprinted  from  the  "Journal  of  Botany"  for  De- 
cember, 1890.]  Pamphlet,  blue-gray,  8.5X  — Xo.6,  pp.  4;  portrait. 
[London  :  December,  1890.] 

Wisconsin  State  Historical  Society.  Proceedings  of  the  Thirty-seventh 
Annual  Meeting.  Pamphlet,  blue-gray,  8.9X.3X5.7,  pp.  113.  Mad- 
ison :  1890.     Reuben  G.  Thwaites,  Corresponding  Secretary. 

Kansas  State  Historical  Society.  Transactions,  embracing  the  Fifth 
and  Sixth  Biennial  Reports,  1886-1888,  etc.  Compiled  by  F.  G. 
A(iams,  Secretary.  Plum-colored  cloth,  9.3X1.8X6.7,  pp.  819. 
Topeka  :   1890.     The  Secretary. 

United  States  Bureau  of  Education.  Report  of  the  Commissioner  for 
the  year  1887-88.  Black  cloth,  9.1X2.8X5.8,  pp.  xiii,  1209. 
Washington  :  1889. 

.     Circulars  of  Information,  Nos.  2  and  3,  1889,  and 

Nos.   I,  2,  and  3,  1890.     5  pamphlets,  tea  and  blue-gray,  9.  X.2-.8 
X5.8.     Washington:  1889,  1890.     W.  T.  Harris,  Commissioner. 

.     Bulletins  No.  1,  1889,  and  No.   1,   1890.     2  pam- 


phlets, 8. 9X—X5. 8.  Washington:  1890.  W.  T.  Harris,  Commis- 
sioner. 

Bowdoin  College  and  Medical  School  of  Maine.  Catalogue.  1890-91. 
Pamphlet,  terra-cotta,  8.7X.1X5.8,  pp.  63.  Brunswick:  1890. 
The  College. 

Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology.  Twenty-fifth  Annual  Cata- 
logue of  the  Officers  and  Students,  with  a  Statement  of  tlie  Courses 
of  Instruction  and  a  List.of  the  Alumni.  1889-1890.  Pamphlet,  buff", 
9.x. 5X5. 8,   pp.   207;    2  plans.     Cambridge:    1889.     The  Iptitute. 

.     Twenty-fifth    Anniversary.     Commemorative  Address 

by  Augustus  Lowell,  Esq.,  at  the  Graduation  Exercises,  June  3, 
1890.     Pamphlet,  fawn,  9.1X  — X5.8,  pp.  24.     Cambridge:  1890. 

Cornell  University  Register.  1889-90.  [3d  edition.]  Pamphlet,  gray, 
7.6X. 5X5.1,  pp.  224.     Ithaca:  n.d.     The  University. 

Illinois,  University  of.  Catalogue  and  Circular.  1889-90.  Pamphlet, 
pearl-gray,  7.5X.3X5.2,  pp.  104;  4  plates.  Chicago:  1890.  Tlie 
University. 

Education  of  the  Colored  Race.  What  Texas  .  .  .  has  done  .  .  .  and  is 
.  .  .  doing  for  the  education  and  betterment  of  the  colored  race. 
Pamphlet,  9.2X— X6.1.     pp.  3.     H.  W.  Nye. 


346  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

United  States  Consular  Reports.  Nos.  110-119,  November,  1S89,  to 
August,  1890,  inclusive.  9  pamphlets,  blue,  9. X.3-l.lXo.7. 
Washington  :  1890.     Hon.  James  G.  Blaine,  Secretary  of  State. 

.     Index  to  Nos.  60-111   (Vols.  18  to  31).     1886-1889. 

Pamphlet,  blue,  8.9X. 4X5.7,  pp.   192.     Washington:  1890.     Hon. 
James  G.  Blaine,  Secretary  of  State. 

.       Special    Reports.       Cotton     Textiles     in    Foreign 

Countries.  —  Carpet  Manufacture  in  Foreign  Countries.  —  Malt  and 
Beer  in  Spanish  America.     3  pamphlets,  terra-cotta,  9.X.l-.oX5.7, 
pp.    1-237,  and    269-390.        Washington :     1890.      Hon.    James    G. 
Blaine,  Secretary  of  State. 
Interstate  Commerce  Commission.     Third  Annual  Report,  December  1, 
1889.     Dark  claretcloth,  9.2X1.2X5.9,  pp.  463.     Washington  :  1889. 
W.  G.  Veazey,  Commissioner. 
United  States  Department  of  the  Interior.     Statistics  of  the  Population 
of  the  United  States  at  the  Tenth  Census  (June  1,  1880).     Black 
cloth,   12. X3. 3X10.,  pp.  Ix,  961 ;    maps  and  charts.     Washington: 
1883.     Hon.  Wm.  Noble,  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 
.       Tenth   Census  of    the  United   States,     Com- 
pendium   of  the.     1880.      Revised  edition.     2  vols.       Black  cloth, 
9.2X1.9-2.6X6.,    pp.     Ixxvi,     1-924,    xxxix;     and     ix,    925-1771. 
Washington :   1885,   1888.     Hon.  Wm.  Noble,  Secretary  of  the  In- 
terior. 
Texas,  Statistics  and  Information  concerning  the  State  of.     Pamphlet,  red, 
7.5X.2X5.2,  pp.  93;   1  map.     H.  W.  Nye. 

,  Report  of  the  Comptroller  of  Public  Accounts  of  the  State  of.  for  the 

year  ending  August  31,   1889.     Black  cloth,  9.4X1.X6.1,  pp.  366. 
Austin  :  1890.     H.  W.  Nye. 

,  State  of.     Governor's  Message  and  Inaugural  Address.     Olive-brown 

cloth,  9.3X.2X6.,  pp.  23.     H.  W.  Nye. 

,  Biennial  Report  of  the  Secretary  of  State  of,    1888.     J.    M.    Moore, 

Secretary.     Pamphlet,   fawn,   9.2X.6X6.,  pp.  297.     Austin:   1889. 
II.  W.  Nye. 
Paris  Universal  Exposition,  1889.     Official  Catalogue  of  the  United  States 
Exhibit.     Red    cloth,    7.4X1.X4.8,  pp.  xliii,   271;   1    map.      Paris: 
1889.     U.  S.  Commission  to  the  Paris  Exposition. 
North.  Shore  of  Massachusetts  Bay.      12th  edition.     Pamphlet,  light  blue- 
green,    7. IX. 3X4.7,    pp.   103;    cuts,  maps.     Salem:   1890.     B.    D. 
Hill. 
Wootton.     [A  Description,  etc.,  from    Ashmead's    History  of  Delaware 
County,  Pennsylvania.]     Pamphlet,  5.3X— X3.4,  pp.  48.     D.  D.  L. 
Farson,  Secretary  of  the  Pennsylvania  Horticultural  Society. 
Grand  Rapids  as  it  is.     1890-1.     Published  by  the  Grand  Rapids  Board 
of  Trade.     Pamphlet,  green  and  white,  9. 2X. IX  12.1,  pp.  52;  cuts. 
Tlie  Board  of  Trade. 
L'Afrique    en    1890.     Notice    et    Carte.     (Carte    extrait    de   I'Atlas    de 
Geographie  moderne,  par  F.  Schrader,  F.  Prudent,  et  E.  Anthoine.) 


REPORT    OF    THE    LIBllARY    COMMITTEE.  347 

Taniphlet,  gray,  9.7X  — Xr).2,  pp.  32;   1  colored  map.     Paris:  1890. 
Charles  Joly. 
American  Congregational  Association.     Twenty-seventh    Annual    lleport 
of    the    Directors.       Pamphlet,    straw-color,    9.X— X5.9,    pp.    24. 
Boston:  1890.     The  Association. 


Periodicals   Purchased. 
English.  —  Gardeners'  Chronicle. 

Gardeners'  Magazine. 

Journal  of  Horticulture  and  Cottage  Gardener. 

The  Garden. 

Gardening  Illustrated. 

Horticultural  Times  and  Covent  Garden  Gazette. 

Curtis's  Botanical  Magazine. 

Journal  of  Botany. 

Grevillea. 
French.  —  Revue  Horticole. 

Revue  des  Eaux  et  For^ts. 

Journal  des  Roses. 
Belgian.  —  Illustration  Horticole. 

Revue  de  I'Horticulture  Beige  et  fitrangere. 

Journal  des  Orchidees. 
German.  —  Botanische  Zeitung. 
American. — Country  Gentleman. 

Garden  and  Forest. 

American  Naturalist. 

American  Journal  of  Science. 

Zoe. 


Periodicals  Received  in  Exchange. 
Canadian  Horticulturist. 
American  Garden. 
Popular  Gardening. 
Vick's  Illustrated  Monthly  Magazine. 
Horticultural  Art  Journal. 
American  Florist. 
Florists'  Exchange. 
Orchard  and  Garden. 
Green's  Fruit  Grower. 
Seed-Time  and  Harvest. 
Forest  Leaves. 
Botanical  Gazette. 
Pittonia. 


348  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

"West  American  Scientist. 
Maine  Farmer. 
New  England  Farmer. 
Massachusetts  Ploughman. 
American  Cultivator. 
New  England  Homestead. 
Our  Country  Home. 
American  Agriculturist. 
Rural  New-Yorker. 
American  Rural  Home. 
Farm  Journal. 

National  Stockman  and  Farmer. 
Germantown  Telegraph. 
Maryland  Farmer. 

Florida  Dispatch,  Farmer  and  Fruit  Grower. 
Prairie  Farmer. 
Orange  Judd  Farmer. 
The  Industrialist. 
Pacific  Rural  Press. 
Cottage  Hearth. 
Boston  Daily  Advertiser. 
Boston  Morning  Journal. 
Boston  Post. 
Boston  Daily  Glohe. 
Boston  Evening  Transcript. 
Boston  Daily  Evening  Traveller. 
,  Boston  Commonwealth. 

Boston  Times. 
New  York  Weekly  World. 
Jeffersonian  Republican. 


REPORT 


SECRETARY   AND  LIBRARIAN, 


FOK   THE    YEAR   1890. 


First,  as  Secretary.  At  the  date  of  my  last  report,  Part  II  of 
the  Transactions  for  1888  had  just  been  placed  iu  the  hands  of 
the  printer.  This  was  completed  as  speedily  as  possible,  and  it 
was  then  deemed  best  by  the  Committee  on  Pnblication  to  print 
next  the  first  part  for  1890,  leaving  the  Transactions  for  1889  to 
be  brought  up  afterwards,  which  was  accordingly  done,  and  the 
first  part  for  1889  has  since  been  published.  The  second  part  for 
that  year  is  nearly  ready  for  the  printer,  and  will  be  pushed  to 
completion  as  early  as  possible.  I  regret  exceedingly  that  with 
the  utmost  diligence  I  have  been  unable  to  wholly  fill  the  gap 
existing,  for  nothing  could  be  a  greater  relief  to  me  than  to  feel 
that  this  whole  matter  was  cleared  up  and  could  be  dismissed  from 
my  mind  until  it  is  time  to  go  to  work  oh  the  next  one. 

It  requii'os  no  argument  to  show  that  to  be  done  to  the  best 
advantage  the  work  on  the  Transactions  should  be  continuous, 
but  thus  far  it  has  been  impossible  to  command  such  time  for  this 
work.  I  wish  that  I,  or  any  of  those  who  equally  with  myself 
would  like  to  have  the  publications  of  the  Society  appear  more 
promptly,  could  devise  some  way  in  which  I  could  devote  my 
whole,  or  substantially  my  whole,  attention  to  them  until  they 
were  completed  ;  but  thus  far  this  has  not  been  effected,  but  on  the 
contrary  the  calls  on  my  time  in  other  directions  are  still  on  the 
increase.  As  an  instance,  I  may  mention  that  when  I  commenced 
editorial  work  on  the  Transactions,  the  Kose  and  Annual  Exhi- 
bitions of  the  Society  occupied  only  six  days,  the  Spring  and 
Chrysanthemum  exhibitions  being  then  merely  "  Saturday  shows  ;" 
but  the  time  devoted  to  "  all  day  "  exhibitions  gradually  crept  up 
to  twelve  days,  at   which  it  remained  until  the  present  season, 


350  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETr. 

when  four  more  clays  were  added.  Now,  it  is  impossible  to  count 
on  doing  any  editorial  work  during  these  exliibitious,  and  the 
subtraction  of  four  whole  days  from  the  time  which  can  be  given 
to  this  work  is  not  unim[)Oitant.  Moreover,  the  Committee  of 
Arrangements  have  this  year  held  twenty  meetings  (there  having 
never  been  more  than  nine  in  any  previous  year),  and  at  all  but 
one  of  these  I  have  been  present  and  made  the  record.  The 
gratifying  success  of  the  exhibitions  of  this  season  has  not  been 
attained  without  much  incidental  work  in  this  department ;  indeed, 
it  may  be  said  that  in  whatever  direction  the  operations  of  the 
Society  broaden,  additional  work  in  this  department  is  involved. 

Second,  as  to  the  Library.  When  my  last  report  was  presented 
the  work  of  systematically  rearranging  and  cataloguing  the  whole 
Library  was  before  us.  The  arrangement  and  classification  has 
now  been  completed,  and,  though  far  from  the  ideal,  is  certainly 
a  great  improvement  upon  the  past,  and  has  received  the  commen- 
dation of  those  best  qualified  to  judge.  All  the  books  on  anv 
given  subject  have  been  brought  together  as  far  as  space  permit- 
ted, though  it  has  been  impossible  to  carry  this  to  perfection 
without  wasting  too  much  space.  It  was,  however,  not  long 
before  the  progress  of  this  work  disclosed  the  fact  that  the  book- 
cases, witli  all  the  additions  recently  made,  are  not  more  than  suffi- 
cient properly  to  accommodate  the  books  we  now  possess  without 
any  allowance  for  their  increase.  It  is  true  that  some  empty 
shelves,  or  parts  of  shelves,  may  be  seen,  but  these  would  be  more 
than  filled  if  all  the  books  now  placed  behind  others  were  brought 
into  the  front  row.  By  properly  accommodating,  I  mean  allowing 
all  the  books  to  be  arranged  in  a  single  row  so  that  all  can  be 
seen  without  taking  out  books  in  front  of  them.  AVhen  books  are 
arranged  in  two  rows  on  a  shelf  the  usefulness  of  the  Library  is 
seriously  impaired  for  the  reason  that  many  readers  do  not  consult 
the  Catalogue,  and  do  not  know  that  a  book  is  in  the  Library  unless 
they  can  see  it  on  the  shelf.  But  with  all  existing  imi)erfectioiis  it 
is  a  great  satisfaction  to  know  that  for  the  first  time  for  years  we 
can  find  any  book  belonging  to  the  Library  without  going  out  of  this 
room,  and  I  trust  that  unless  some  extraordinaiy  addition  should  ■ 
be  made  to  the  Library,  we  may  be  able  to  accommodate  them  in 
this  room,  as  long  as  the  Society  shall  remain  in  this  building. 

After  the  books  were  arranged  a  count  was  made,  which  gave  a 
total  of  6,018   books   and  5,889   pamphlets.     The   last  previous 


KEPORT    OF    THE    SECRETARY    AND    LIBRARIAN.  351 

count  was  made  in  1884,  and  showed  4,800  books  and  1,350  pam- 
phlets. The  extraordinary  increase  in  pamphlets  is  due  to  the  large 
number  of  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  Bulletins  collected  ; 
to  a  large  number  of  pamphlets  contained  in  the  donation  from  the 
famih"  of  our  late  President,  Charles  M.  Hovey,  received  last 
year,  and  mentioned  in  my  last  report,  and  to  a  large  number 
received  as  a  donation  from  the  New  England  Historic  Genealogi- 
cal Societ}^  Besides  the  six  thousand  books  and  nearly  six 
thousand  pamphlets  previously  mentioned,  the  collection  of 
Nursery,  Seed,  and  Florists'  Catalogues  has  been  arranged  alpha- 
beticall}^,  and  after  rejecting  duplicates,  numbers  nearly  four 
thousand.  Among  them  are  some  of  the  earliest  catalogues  of  what 
is  now  the  house  of  Joseph  Breck  &  Sons,  established  in  1822,  and 
the  first  Seed  Catalogue  issued  by  Hovey  &  Co.,  in  1835, 

The  most  valuable  books  added  to  the  Library  this  year  are 
Gallesio's  "  Pomona  Italiaua  "  in  three  folio  volumes  with  colored 
plates  of  the  highest  excellence,  which  was  the  greatest  desider- 
atum in  the  pomological  department  of  the  Library,  and  Hooker's 
"Flora  Novae  Zelandiae,"  a  very  scarce  and  valuable  work,  which 
we  have  for  years  been  seeking  as  a  companion  to  the  ''  Flora  Ant- 
arctica" and  "  Flora  Tasmanise  "  of  the  same  author. 

The  work  of  cataloguing  the  Librai'y  was  begun  immediatel}' 
after  the  arrangement  was  completed.  The  first  thing  was  to 
change  the  shelf  numl)er  in  the  books,  and  the  greater  portion  of 
this  work  is  done.  The  next  work  will  be  to  write  on  cards  the 
name,  description,  and  shelf  number  of  each  book. 

In  my  report  for  1887  I  mentioned,  as  an  indication  of  the  rapid 
increase  of  books,  that  the  record  book  of  Library  Accessions 
(other  than  those  purchased  from  the  Stickney  Fund)  which  was 
begun  in  1867,  was  filled  in  October,  1882,  requiring  a  period  of 
nearh'^  sixteen  years.  Another  book  of  the  same  size  was  then 
procured,  which  was  filled  at  the  end  of  November,  1887,  a  period 
of  five  years,  showing  that  the  additions  to  the  Library  therein 
recorded  had  averaged  fully  three  times  as  many  as  in  the  first 
period.  A  third  book  of  the  same  size  has  now  been  filled  in 
three  years,  showing  that  the  rapidity  with  which  books  are  added 
to  the  Librar}',  by  donation  and  exchange,  continues  to  increase. 

Robert   Manning, 

Secretary  and  Librarian. 


TREASURER'S    REPORT, 


FOR  THE   YEAR   1890. 


Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society,  in  account  current  to  December 
31,  1S90,  with  W.  Wyllys  Gannett,  Treasurer  : 


1890.  Dr. 

Dec.  31.     To  amount  paid  on  account  of  the  Library 
during  1890,  viz.  : 
For  books,  periodicals,  and  binding      .       $300  00 
Income   of  Stickney  Fund,    expended 

for  books 700  00 

To  amount  paid  on  account  of  Furniture 

and  Exhibition  Ware  during  1890 
To  prizes  awarded  in  1889  and  paid  dur- 
ing 1890,  as  follows  : 
For  Plants  and  Flowers  .         .         .    $2,802  55 

Fruits 1,566  00 

Vegetables 937  00 

Gardens  and  Greenhouses       .         .         210  00 
Hunnewell  Rhododendron  prizes     .  105  00 

Special  Faxon  prizes       .         .         .  19  00 

Window  Gardening  prizes      .         .         300  00 


$1,000  00 


22  62 


5,939  55 


To  amount  paid  for  Salaries  in  1890 

«'  "        Extra  Assistance  in  Li- 

brary toward  bring- 
ing up  arrears  of 
work 

««  «•        Taxes  in  1890      . 

•«  "       Interest  on  mortgage 

$25,000  at  H% 

««  '«        City  Water  Rates 

Amounts  carried  over  .         .... 


$3,175  00 


473  00 

2,606  80 

1,062  50 

90  50 


$7,407  80       $6,962  17 


treasurer's  report.  353 


Amounts  brought 

over 

$7,407  80 

$6,962  17 

To  amount 

paid 

for  Stationery,     Printing, 
and  Postage    . 
Publications  and  Dis- 
cussions 

1,662  81 
164  75 

11 

11 
1 1 

Card      Catalogue      of 

Plates      . 
Expenses  of  Commit- 

100 00 

t 

It 

tee  of  Arrangements 
of  1890 

• 

Heating 

Lighting 

Labor,  including  Sala- 
ries of   Janitor  and 
Fireman 

Incidental      Expenses 

296  50 

476  86 

1,518  21 

1,444  02 

of  the  j'ear 

633  47 

15  7n^  io 

To    Investment   of   John    Lewis    Russell 

Fund  in  $1,000  Bond  of  Kansas  City, 

Clinton  &  Spr.  R.R.  5% 1,000  00 

To  Amount  paid  on  account  of  Mortgage, 

September  22,  1890  ......        10,000  00 

To  Interest  on  Funds  for  Prizes,  credited         .         .  1,892  72 


Total  Payments  of  1890        .         .         .     $33,559  31 
To    balance    account,      cash     on     hand, 

December  31,  1890 15,222  08 


$48,781  39 
1890.                                                      Cr. 
Jan.    1.      By  Balance  from  account  rendered  Decem- 
ber 31,  1889 $113,620  56 

Dec.  31.     By  Income  from  Building  in  1890,  viz.  : 

Rent  of  Stores       .         .         $17,475  00 
"      Halls         .         .  9,639  05 

$27,114  05 


By  Income  Mount  Auburn  Cemetery  for 

1890 5,360  44 

By  Receipts    from    Annual    Exhibitions, 

gross  amount      .         .  $4,645  78 

Less  Expenses        .         .  3,426  16 


By  Receipts  Admissions  and  Assessments 
of  members 
"         Massachusetts  State  Bounty, 


Amounts  carried  over $35,134  11    $10,620  56 


1,219 

62 

840 

00 

600 

00 

$35,134 

:   11 

354  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

I 

Amou7iis  brought  over $35,134  11    $10,G20  5G 

By  Interest  received  on  Bonds,      $422  50 
By  Interest  received  on  Depos- 
its in  Bank    .         .         .         .         183  00 

G05  50 


By  Bond   of  Illinois  Grand  Trunk  R.R., 

maturing  October,  1890,  and  collected,         500  00 
By  Receipts  from  sales  of  the  History  of 

the  Society 9  50 

By  Receipts  from  Marshall  B.  Faxon,  for 

Special  Prizes  of  1889  ....  19  00 

By  Interest  credited  the  following  Funds, 
against  charges  opposite : 
Samuel  Appleton  Fund,  $1,000, 

at  5%        .         .         .         .         $50  00 
John  A.  Lowell   Fund,  .$1,000-, 

at  5%        ....  50  00 

Theodore  Lyman  Fund,  $10,000, 

at  5%        .         .         .         .         550  00 
Josiah    Bradlee   Fund,    $1,000, 

at  5%        ....  50  00 

BenjaminV.  French  Fund,  §500, 

at  5%         ....  25  00 

H.  H.  Hunnewell  Fund,  $4,000, 

at  5%        .         .         .         .         200  00 
William      J.      Walker      Fund, 

$2,354.43,  at  5%       .         .  117  72 

Levi    Whitcomb     Fund,    $500, 

at  5%         ....  25  00 

Benjamin  B.  Davis  Fund,  $500, 

at  5%        ....  25  00 

Marshall      P.      Wilder     Fund, 

$1,000,  at  5%.         .         .  50  00 

John     Lewis     Russell      Fund, 

$1,000,  at  5%  ...  50  00 

Josiah  Stickney  Fund,  $12,000, 

amount    ....         700  00 


1,892  72 
$38,1  GO  83 


$48,781  39 
W.  WYLLYS  GANNETT,  Treasurer. 
Boston,  Decern   er  31,  1890. 

Audited  January  7,  1891. 


Frederick  L.  Ames,  j  Committee. 


.} 


treasurer's  report.  355 


MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 

Balance  Sheet,  December  31,  1890. 
ASSETS. 

Real  Estate,  Ledger  account  value          .         .         .  §250,000  00 

Furniture  and  Exhibition  Wares     ....  3,567  34- 

Library    29,628  72 

Stereotj'pe  Plates  and  Copies  of  History         .         .  278  00 

Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  R.R.  7%  Bonds  .  1,500  00 
Chicago,    BurUngton   &   Quincy   R.R.    4%  Bonds, 

§5,000,  cost 4,925  00 

Kansas  City,  Clinton  &  Springfield  R.R.  5%  Bond, 

§2,000,  cost 1,980  00 

Cash  on  hand  December  31,  1890   ....  15,22208 


§307,101  14 


LIABILITIES. 

Mortgage  on  Building §15,000  00 

Josiah  Stickney  Fund,  payable  in  1899  to  Harvard 

College 12,000  00 

Prize  Funds,  invested  in  Building,  viz.  : 

Samuel  Appleton  Fund,        §1,000  00 

John  A.  Lowell         " 

Theodore  Lyman      " 

Josiah  Bradlee  " 

Benjamin  V.  French  Fund, 

William  J.  Walker      " 

Levi  Whitcomb  " 

Benjamin  B.  Davis      " 

H.  H.  Hunnewell         " 

Prize   Funds,  invested  in  Bonds   as 
above : 
H.    H.    Hunnewell  Fund,  §1,500  00 
Marshall  P.  Wilder       "  1,000  00 

John  Lewis  Russell       "  1,000  00 

3,500  00 

23,854  43 

Prizes  of  1890  due  and  unpaid         ....         6,300  00 

57,154  43 

Surplus §249,946  71 

W.    WYLLYS    GANNETT, 

Treasurer. 


1,000  00 

11,000  00 

1,000  00 

500  00 

2,354  43 

500  00 

500  00 

2,500  00 

§20,354  43 

356  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 


Membership  Account,  December  31,  1890. 

Number  of  Life  Members  per  last  report  .         .         .       573 

"        added  during  1890      ' 12 

585 

Deceased  1889-1890 23 

5G2 

Number  of  Annual  Members  per  last  report     .         .         .       220 

"        added  during  1890 7 

227 

Deceased  1889-1890  .......  5 

Dropped  for  non-payment  of  dues 7 

—         12 

—      215 

Present  membership      .........     777 

Income  from  Membership  in  1890. 

12  Life  Members,  @  $30 $360  00 

7  Annual  Members,  @  $10 70  00 

Assessments  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         410  00 

§840  00 


MOUNT  AUBURN  CEMETERY. 


357 


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358  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 


Massachusetts  Horticultdkal  Society 

To    the    PROPRIEtORS    OF   THE    CeMETERX    OF    MoUNT    AcBURN,    Dr. 

For  one-fourth  part  of  the  following  expenditures,  for  grading  new  lands  for 
sale  during  the  year  1890  : 

Glen  Avenue. 


188  days,  men $423  00 

109|  days,  man  and  horse     .    .    .    .    .    411  56 


$834  56 


Birch  Avenue  to  Eagle  and  Cherry  Avenues. 


$56  25 

64  69 

$120  94 

$955  50 

25  days,  men 

17^  days,  man  and  horse 


One-fourth  part  of  $955.50  is $238  87 

Mount  Auburn,  December  31,  1890. 

I  certify  the  foregoing  to  be  a  true  copy  of  improvements  for  the  year 
1890,  rendered  by  the  Superintendent. 

H.  B.  MACKINTOSH, 

Treasurer. 


assacbusetts   liarticultural  Society. 


OFFICERS    j\?iD    STA.:XDi:\G    COJUJMITTBES    FOR   1891. 


President. 
WILLIAM  H.  SPOONER,  of  Jamaica  Plain. 

Vice-Presidents. 
CHARLES   H.  B.  BRECK,   of  Brighton.     FREDERICK  L.  AMES,  of  Xorth  Easton. 
BEr^fJAMTN"  G.  SMITH,  of  Cambridge.      NATHANIEL  T.  KIDDER,  of  Milton. 

Treasurer  and  Superintendent  of  the  Building. 
CHARLES  E.  RICHARD30K,  of   Cambridge. 

Secretary  and  Ijibrarian. 
ROBERT  MARKING,  of   Salem.* 

Recording   Secretary. 
ROBERT   MANXIXG,   of    Salem. 

Professor  of  Botany  and  Vegetable  Physiology. 

CHARLES  S.  SARGENT,  of   Brookline. 

Professor  of  Entomology. 
SAMUEL  H.  SCUDDER,  of  Cambridge. 

Delegate  to  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture. 
E.  W.  WOOD,  of  West  Newton. 

Delegate  to  the  Board  of  Control   of  the  State  Agricultural  Experiment 

Station. 

WILLIAM  C.   STRONG,   of  Waban. 

•  Communications  for  the  Secretary,  on  the  business  of  the  Society,  should  be  addressed 
to  him  at  Hortieiiltural  Hall,  Boston. 


360  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 


STANDING    COMMITTEES. 

Executive. 

The   President,  "WILLIAM  H.  SPOONER,  Chairman. 

The  Chairman  of  the  Finance  Committee,  H.  H.  HUNNEWELL,  FX  OFFICIO  ; 

WILLIAM  C.  STRONG,   FREDERICK  L.  AMES,  CHARLES  H.  B.  BRECK, 

JOHN  C.    HOVEY,  CHARLES  8.  SARGENT,  BENJAMIN  C.   CLARK, 

JAMES  F.  C.  HYDE. 

Finance. 

H.  HOLLIS  HUNNEWELL,  op  Boston,  Chairman. 

FREDERICK  L.  AMES.  WILLIAM  H.  SPOONER. 

Publication  and  Discussion. 
O.  B.  HADWEN,  op  Worcester,  Chairman. 
WILLIAM  H.  HUNT.  FRANCIS  H.  APPLETON. 

Establisliing  Prizes. 

CHAIRMAN  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  FRUITS.  Chairman. 

CHAIRMEN  OF  COMMITTEES    ON   PLANTS,  FLOWERS,  VEGETABLES,  AND 

GARDENS,  FX   OFFICIIS;    CHARLES  M.  ATKINSON, 

J.  WOODWARD  M^VNNING,  Jr. 

Library. 

■V\T:LLIAM  E.  EJ^DICOTT,  op  canton.  Chairman. 

THE  PROFESSOR  OF  BOTANY  AND  VEGETABLE  PHYSIOLOGY 

AND  THE  PROFESSOR  OF  ENTOMOLOGY,  EX  OFFICIIS; 

J.  D.  W.  FRENCH.  NATHANIEL  T.  KIDDER. 

FRANCIS  H.  APPLETON.  GEORGE  W.  HUMPHREY. 

•  Gardens. 

JOHN  G.  BARKER,  op  Jamaica  Plain,  Chairman. 
CHAIRMEN  OF  COMMITTEES  ON  FRUITS,  PLANTS,  FLOWERS,  AND  VEGE- 
TABLES, EX  OFFICIIS;  CHARLES  W.  ROSS, 
HENRY  W.  WILSON. 

Fruit. 
E.  W.  WOOD,  OP  West  Newton,  Chairman. 
BEXJAMIN  G.  SMITH.  O.  B.  IIADWEN.  SAMUEL  HARTWELL. 

CHARLES  F.  CURTIS.  WARREN  FENNO.  J.  WILLARD  HILL. 


OFFICERS    AND    STANDING    COMMITTEES.  361 


Flowers. 

ARTHUR  H.  FEWKES,   OF  Newton  Highlands,  Chairman. 
MICHAEL   U.  NORTON.  JOHN   II.   MOORE. 

WILLIAM  J.  STEWART.  E.  H.  HITCHINGS. 

Plants. 

FREDERICK  L.  HARRIS,  or  Welleslet,  Chairman. 
DAVID  ALLAN.  JAMES  COMLEY. 

AZELL  C.  BOWDITCH.  WILLIAM  ROBINSON. 

Vegetables. 

CHARLES  N.  BRACKETT,  of  Newton,  Chairman. 
CEPHAS  H.  BRACKETT.  VARNUM  FROST.  CHARLES  A.  LEARNED. 

P.  G.  HANSON.  JOHN  C.  HOVEY.  JOSEPH  H.  WOODFORD^ 


Committee  of  Arrangements. 

PATRICK  NORTON,  OF  Boston,  Chairman. 
CHAIRMEN    OF     COMMITTEES    ON    FRUITS,    PLANTS,     FLOWERS,     VEGE- 
TABLES, AND  GARDENS,  EX  OFFICJIS ; 
ROBERT  FARQUHAR. 


MEMBERS     FOR    LIFE. 


Members  of  the  Society  and  all  other  persons  ivho  may  know  of  deaths, 
changes  in  residence,  or  other  circumstances  showing  that  the  following  list 
is  inaccurate  in  any  particular,  will  confer  a  favor  by  promptly  communicat- 
ing to  the  Secretary  the  needed  corrections. 

Information,  or  any  clew  to  it,  is  especially  desired  in  regard  to  members 
whose  names  are  marked^  thus  f. 


Adams,  Lnther,  Brighton. 

Albro,  Charles,  Taunton. 

Alger,  R.  F.,  Becket. 

Allan,  David,  Mount  Auburn. 

Ames,  Frank  M.,  Canton. 

Ames,  Frederick  L.,  North  Easton. 

Ames,  George,  Boston. 

Ames,  Hon.  Oliver,  Boston. 

Ames,  Preston  Adams,  South  Hing- 

ham. 
Amory,  Charles,  Boston. 
Amory,  Frederick,  Boston. 
Anderson,  Alexander, West  Hinghara. 
Andrews,  Charles  L.,  Milton. 
Andrews,    Frank  W.,    Washington, 

D.  C. 
Andros,  Milton,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 
Appleton,  Edward,  Reading. 
Appleton,  Francis  H.,  Peabody. 
Appleton,  William  S.,  Boston. 
Atkins,  Edwin  F.,  Belmont. 
Augur,  P.  M.,  Middlefield,  Conn. 
Averj',  Edward,  Boston. 
Ayling,  Isaac,  M.D.,  Waltham. 

Bancroft,  John  C,  Boston. 
Banfield,  Francis  L.,  M.D.,  AYorces- 

ter. 
Barber,  J.  Wesley,  Newton.' 


Barnard,  James  M.,  Maiden. 
Barnard,  Robert  M.,  Everett. 
Barnard,  Samuel,  Belmont. 
Barnes,  Walter  S.,  Somerville. 
Barnes,  William  H.,  Boston. 
fBarney,  LeA'i  C,  Boston. 
Barratt,  James,  East  Pasadena,  Cal. 
Barrett,  Edwin  S.,  Concord. 
Bartlett,  Edmund,  Newburyport. 
Bates,  Amos,  Hingham. 
Bates,  Caleb,  Kingston. 
Beal,  Leander,  Boston. 
Beckford,  Daniel  R.,  Jr.,  Dedham. 
Beebe,  Franklin  H.,  Boston. 
Bell,  Joseph  H.,  Quinc}'. 
Berry,  James,  Brookline. 
Birchard,  Charles,  Framingham. 
Black,  James  W.,  Cambridge. 
Blake,  Arthur  W.,  Brookline. 
Blakemore,  John  E.,  Roslindale. 
Blanchard,  John  W.,  Dorchester. 
Blaney,  Henry,  Salem. 
Blinn,  Richard  D.,  Chicago,  111. 
Bliss,  William,  Boston. 
Bocher,  Prof.  Ferdinand,  Cambridge. 
Bockus,  Charles  E.,  Dorchester. 
Bond,  George  W.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Botume,  John,  Wyoming. 
Bouve,  Thomas  T.,  Boston. 


MEMBERS    FOR    LIFE. 


3G3 


Bowditch,  Azell  C,  Somervillo. 
Bowditcli,  Charles  P.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Bowditch,  William  E.,  Roxbury. 
Bowker,  William  H.,  Boston, 
Brackett,  Cephas  H.,  Brighton. 
Brackett,  Charles  N.j  Newton. 
Bresee,  Albert,  Ilubbardton,  Vt. 
Brewer,  Francis  W.,  Hingham. 
Brewer,  John  Reed,  Boston. 
fBrigham,  William  T. ,  Boston. 
Brimmer,  Martin,  Boston. 
Brintnall,  Benjamin,  Charlestown. 
Brooks,  Francis,  West  Medford. 
Brooks,  J.  Henry,  Milton. 
Brown,  Alfred  S.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Brown,  Charles  E.,  Yarmouth,  N.  S. 
Brown,  Edward  J.,  Weston. 
Brown,  George  Barnard,  Boston. 
Brown,  George  Bruce,  Framingham. 
Brown,  Jacob,  Woburn. 
Brownell,  E.  S.,  Essex  Junction,  Vt. 
Bruce,  Nathaniel  F.,  Billerica. 
Bullard,  John  R.,  Dedham. 
Bullard,  William  S.,  Boston. 
Burnett,  .Joseph,  Southborough. 
Burnham,  Thomas  O.  H.  P.,  Boston. 
Burr,  Fearing,  Hingham. 
Burr,  Matthew  H.,  Hingham. 
Buswell,  Edwin  W.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Buswell,  Frank  E.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Butler,  Aaron,  Wakefield. 
Butler,  Edward  K.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Butterfield,    William  P.,  East   Lex- 
ington. 

Cabot,  Edward  C,  Brookline. 
Cadness,  John,  Flushing,  N.  Y. 
Cains,  William,  South  Boston. 
Calder,  Augustus  P.,  Boston. 
Capen,  John,  Boston. 
Carlton,  Samuel  A.,  Boston. 
tCarruth,  Charles,  Boston. 
Carter,  Miss  Sabra,  Wilmington. 
Cartwright,  George,  Dedham. 
Chadbourne,    Marshall   W.,    Mount 

Auburn. 
Chamberlain,  Chauncey  W.,  Boston. 


Cbapin,  Nathaniel  G.,  Brookline. 
Chase,  Andrew  J.,  Lynn. 
Chase,  Daniel  E.,  Somerville. 
tChase,  George  B.,  Boston. 
Chase,  Hezekiah  S.,  Boston. 
Chase,  William  M.,  Baltimore,  Md. 
Cheney,  Benjamin  P.,  Boston. 
Child,  Francis  J.,  Cambridge. 
Child,  William  C,  Medford. 
Childs,  Nathaniel  R.,  Boston. 
Choate,  Charles  F.,  Cambridge. 
Claflin,  Hon.  William,  Newtonville. 
Clapp,  Edward  B.,  Dorchester. 
Clapp,  Hon.  Eugene  H.,  Roxbury. 
Clapp,  James  H.,  Dorchester. 
Clapp,  William  C,  Dorchester. 
Clark,  Benjamin  C,  Boston. 
Clark,  J.  Warren,  Rockville. 
fClark,  Orus,  Boston. 
Clarke,  Miss  Cora  H. ,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Clay,  Henry,  Dorchester. 
Cleary,  Lawrence,  West  Roxbury. 
Clement,  Asa,  Dracut. 
Cobb,  Albert  A.,  Brookline. 
Coburn,  Isaac  E.,  Everett. 
Codman,  Henry  Sargent,  Brookline. 
Codman,  James  M.,  Brookline. 
Codman,  Ogden,  Lincoln. 
Coffin,  G.  Winthrop,  West  Roxbury. 
Coffin,  William  E.,  Dorchester. 
CoUamore,  Miss  Helen,  Boston. 
Converse,  Elisha  S.,  Maiden. 
Converse,  Parker  L.,  Woburn. 
Coolidge,  Joshua,  Mount  Auburn. 
Copeland,  Franklin,  West  Dedham. 
Cowing,  Walter  H.,  West  Roxbury. 
Coy,  Samuel  I.,  Boston.   . 
Crosby,  George  E.,  West  Medford. 
Crowell,  Randall  H.,  Chelsea. 
Crowninshield,  BenjaminW.,  Boston. 
Cumniings,  John,  Woburn. 
Curtis,  Charles  F.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Curtis,  George  S.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Gushing,  Robert  M.,  Boston. 

fDaggett,  Henry  C,  Boston. 
Damon,  Samuel  G.,  Arlington. 


364 


MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 


Dana,  Charles  B.,  Wellesley. 
Davenport,  Edward,  Dorchester. 
Davenport,  George  E.,  Medford. 
Davenport,  Henry,  Boston. 
Dawson,  Jackson,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Day,  William  F.,  Roxbury. 
Dee,  Thomas  W.,  Mount  Auburn. 
Denny,  Clarence  H.,  Boston. 
Denton,  Eben,  Dorchester. 
Dewson,  Francis  A.,  Newtonville. 
Dexter,  F.  Gordon,  Boston. 
Dickerman,  George  H.,  Somerville. 
Dike,  Charles  C,  Stoneham. 
Dorr,  George,  Dorchester. 
Dove,  George  W.  W.,  Andover. 
Durant,  William,  Boston. 
Durfee,  George  B.,  Fall  River. 
Dutcher,  F.  J.,  Hopedale. 


Eaton,  Horace,  Cambridge. 
Eldridge,  E.  H.,  Roxbury. 
Ellicott,  Joseph  P.,  Boston. 
Elliott,  Mrs.  John  W.,  Boston, 
Elliott,  William  H.,  Brighton. 
Endicott,  William  E.,  Canton. 
Eustis,  William  C,  Hyde  Park. 
Everett,  William,  Dorchester. 
Ewell,  Warren,  Dorchester. 


Fairchild,  Charles,  Boston. 
Falconer,  William,  Glencove,  N.  Y. 
Farlow,  Lewis  H.,  Newton. 
Farquhar,  James  F.  M.,  Roslindale. 
Farquhar,  Robert,  Boston. 
Faxon,  John,  Quincy. 
Fenno,  J.  Brooks,  Boston. 
Fewkes,    Arthur   H.,   Newton  High- 
lands. 
Fisher,  David,  Montvale. 
Fisher,  James,  Roxbury. 
Fisher,  Warren,  Boston. 
Flagg,  Augustus,  Boston. 
Fleming,  Edwin,  West  Newton. 
Fletcher,  George  V.,  Belmont, 
Fletcher,  J.  Henry,  Belmont. 


Fletcher,  John  W.,  Chelsea. 
Flint,  David  B.,  Watertown. 
Flynt,  William  N. ,  Monson. 
Forster,  Edward  J.,  M.  D.,  Boston. 
Foster.Francis  C,  Cambridge. 
Fottler,  John,  Jr.,  Dorchester. 
Fowle,  George  W.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Fowle,  William  B.,  Auburndale. 
French,  Jonathan,  Boston. 
French,  J.  D.  Williams,  Boston. 


Galloupe,  Charles  W. ,  Swampscott. 
Galvin,  John,  West  Roxbury. 
fGardner,  Henry  N.,  Mount  Auburn. 
Gardner,  John  L.,  Brookline. 
Gibbs,  Wolcott,  M.D.,  Newport,  R.  L 
Gill,  George  B.,  Medford. 
Gillard,  William,  Atlantic. 
Gilmore,  E.  W.,  North  Easton. 
Gilson,  F.  Howard,  Reading. 
Glover,  Albert,  Boston. 
Glover,  Joseph  B.,  Boston. 
Goddard,  A.  Warren,  Brookline. 
Goddard,  Joseph,  Roxbury. 
Goddard,  Mrs.  Mary  T.,  Newton. 
Goodell,  L.  W.,  Dwight. 
Gorham,  James  L.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
fGoukl,  Samuel,  Boston. 
Gray,  James,  Wellesley. 
Gregory,  James  J.  H.,  Marblehead. 
Greig,  George,  Toronto,  Ontario. 
Grey,  Benjamin,  Maiden. 
Guild,  J.  Anson,  Brookline. 


Hadwen,  Obadiah  B.,  Worcester. 
Hall,  Edwin  A.,  Cambridgeport. 
Hall,  George  A.,  Chelsea. 
Hall,  George  R.,  Fort  George,  Fla. 
tHall,  John  R.,  Roxbury. 
Hall,  Lewis,  Cambridge. 
Hall,  Stephen  A.,  Revere. 
Hall,  William  F.,  Brookline. 
Halliday,  William  H.,  South  Boston. 
Hammond,    Gardiner  G.,  New  Lon- 
don, Conn. 


MEMBERS    FOR    LIFE. 


305 


Hammond,  George  W.,  Boston. 
Hammond,  Samuel,  Boston. 
Hanson,  P.  G.,  Woburn. 
Harding,  Charles  L.,  Cambridge. 
tHarding,  George  W.,  Arlington. 
Harding,  Louis  B.,  Stamford,  Ct. 
Hardy,  F.  D.,  Jr.,  Cambridgeport. 
Harrington,  Nathan  D.,  Soraerville. 
Harris,  Charles,  Cambridge, 
Harris,    Thaddeus     William,    A.M., 

Cambridge. 
Hart,  William  T.,  Boston. 
Hastings,  Levi  W.,  Brookline. 
Hathaway,  Seth  W.,  Marblehead.    . 
Hawken,  Mrs.  Thomas,  Salem. 
Hayes,  Daniel  F.,  Exeter,  N.  H. 
Hayes,  Francis  Brown,  Lexington. 
fHazeltine,  Hazen,  Boston. 
Hemenway,  Augustus,  Canton. 
Henshaw,  Joseph  P.  B.,  Boston. 
Heywood,  George,  Concord. 
Hilbourn,  A.  J.,  Boston. 
Hill,  John,  Stoneham. 
Hitchings,  E.  H.,  Maiden. 
Hittinger,  Jacob,  Belmont. 
Hoar,  Samuel,  Concord. 
Hodgkins,  John  E.,  Boston. 
Hollis,  George  W.,  Grantville. 
Hollis,  John  W.,  AUston. 
Holt,  Mrs.  Stephen  A.,  Winchester. 
Hooper,  Thomas,  Bridgewater. 
Horner,     Mrs.     Charlotte      N.     S., 

Georgetown. 
Horsford,  Miss  Kate,  Cambridge. 
Hovey,  Charles  H.,  East  Pasadena, 

Cal. 
Hovey,  John  C,  Cambridgeport. 
Hovey,  Stillman  S.,  Woburn. 
Hubbard,  Charles  T.,  Weston. 
Hubbard,  Gardner  G.,  Cambridge. 
Hubbard,  James  C,  Everett. 
Humphrey,  George  W.,  Dedham. 
Hunnewell,  Arthur,  Wellesley. 
Hunnewell,  H.  Hollis,  Wellesley. 
Hunnewell,  Walter,  Wellesley. 
Hunt,  Franklin,  Boston. 
Hunt,  William  H.,  Concord. 


Hyde,  James    F.  C,    Newton    High- 
lands. 

Jackson,  Charles  L.,  Cambridge. 
Jackson,  Robert  T.,  Dorchester. 
Janvrin,  William  S.,  Revere. 
Jeffries,  John,  Boston. 
Jenks,  Charles  W,,  Boston. 
Johnson,  J.  Frank,  Boston. 
Jose,  Edwin  H.,  Cambridgeport. 
Joyce,  Mrs.  E.  S.,  Medford. 

Kakas,  Edward,  West  Medford. 
Kelly,  George  B.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Kendall,  D.  S.,  Woodstock,  Ont. 
Kendall,  Edward,  Cambridgeport. 
Kendall,  Joseph  R.,  San  Francisco, 

Cal. 
Kendrick,  Mrs.  H.  P.,  Allston. 
Kennard,  Charles  W.,  Boston. 
Kennedy,  George  G..,  M.D.,  Milton. 
fKent,  John,  Charlestown. 
fKeyes,  E.  W.,  Denver,  Col. 
Keyes,  George,  Concord. 
Kidder,  Charles  A.,  Boston. 
Kidder,  Nathaniel  T.,  Milton. 
fKimball,  A.  P.,  Boston. 
King,  Franklin,  Dorchester. 
Kingman,  Abner  A.,  Brookline. 
Kingman,  C.  D.,  Middleborough. 
Kinney,  John  M.,  East  Warehara. 

Lancaster,  Charles  B.,  Newton. 
Lane,  John,  East  Bridgewater. 
Lawrence,  James,  Groton. 
fLawrence,  John,  Boston. 
Learned,  Charles  A.,  Arlington. 
Lee,  Charles  J.,  Dorchester. 
Lee,  Henry,  Boston. 
Leeson,  Joseph  R.,  Newton  Centre. 
Lemme,      Frederick,     North     Cam- 
bridge. 
Leuchars,  Robert  B.,  Boston. 
Lewis,  A.  S.,  Framingham. 
Lewis,  William  G.,  Framingham. 
Lincoln,  George,  Hingham. 
Lincoln,  Col.  Solomon,  Boston. 


306 


MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL,   SOCIETY. 


Little,  James  L.,  Jr.,  Brookline. 
Locke,  William  H.,  Belmont. 
Lockwood,  Rhodes,  Boston. 
tLoftus,  John  P.,  North  Easton. 
Lord,  George  C,  Newton. 
Loring,  Caleb  "W.,  Beverly  Farms. 
Loring,  George  B.,  Salem. 
Lovett,  George  L.,  West  Newton. 
fLowder,  John,  Watertown. 
Lowell,  Augustus,  Boston. 
Luke,  Elijah  H.,  Cambridgeport. 
Lunib,  William,  Boston. 
Lyman,  Theodore,  Brookline. 
Lyon,  Henry,  Charlestown. 

fMahoney,  John,  Boston. 
Mann,  James  F.,  Ipswich. 
Mann,  Jonathan,  Readville. 
Manning,  Jacob  W.,  Reading. 
Manning,  Mrs.  Lydia  B.,  Reading. 
Manning,  Robert,  Salem. 
Manning,  Warren  H.,  Brookline. 
Marshall,  Frederick  F.,  Chelsea. 
Martin,  John  S.,  Roxbury. 
Matthews,  Nathan,  Boston. 
McCarty,  Timothy,  Providence,  R.  I. 
McClure,  Jolin,  Revere. 
McWilliam,  George.  Whitinsville. 
Melvin,  James  C,  West  Newton. 
Merriam,  Herbert,  Weston. 
Merriam,  M.  H.,  Lexington. 
Merrifield,  William  T.,  Worcester. 
Merrill,  Hon.  Moody,  Roxbury. 
Metivier,  James,  Cambridge. 
Milmore,  Mrs.  Joseph,  Newton  Lower 

Falls. 
Minton,  James,  Boston. 
Moore,  John  H.,  Concord. 
Morrill,  Joseph,  Jr.,  Roxbury. 
tMorse,  Samuel  F.,  Boston. 
Morse,  William  A.,  Charlestown. 
Motley,  Thomas,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Mudge,  George  A.,  Portsmouth,  N.  H. 
fMunroe,  Otis,  Boston. 

Needham,  Daniel,  Groton. 
Nevins,  David,  Framingham. 


Newman,  John  R.,  Winchester. 
Newton,  Rev.  William  W.,  Pittsfield. 
Nickerson,  Albert  W.,  Marion. 
Nickerson,  George  A.,  Dedhara. 
Norton,  Charles  W.,  Allston. 
Nourse,  Benjamin  F.,  Boston. 

Oakman,   Hiram    A.,   North    Marsh- 
field. 
tOsgood,  James  Ripley,  Boston. 

Packer,  Charles  H.,  Boston. 
Paige,  Clifton  H.,  Boston. 
Ptilmer,  Julius  A.,  Jr.,  Boston. 
Park,  William  T.,  Boston. 
Parker,  Augustus,  Roxbury. 
Parkman,  Francis,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Partridge,  Horace,  North  Cambridge. 
Paul,  Alfred  W.,  Dighton. 
Peabody,  John  E.,  Boston. 
Peabody,  Col.  Oliver  W.,  Milton. 
Pearce,  John,  West  Roxbury. 
Peck,  Lucius  T.,  Dorchester. 
Peck,  O.  H.,  Denver,  Col. 
Peck,  William  G.,  Arlington. 
Peirce,  Silas,  Boston. 
Penniman,  A.  P.,  Waltham. 
Perkins,  Augustus  T.,  Boston. 
Perkins,  Edward  N.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Perkins,  William  P.,  Wayland. 
tPerry,  George  W.,  Maiden. 
Philbrick,  William  D.,Newton  Centre. 
Pierce,  Dean,  Brookline. 
Pierce,  Henry  L. ,  Boston. 
Pierce,  Samuel  B.,  Dorchester. 
Poor,  John  R.,  Boston. 
Porter,  Herbert,  Maiden. 
Potter,  Joseph  S.,  Arlington. 
Prang,  Louis,  Roxbury. 
Pratt,  Laban,  Dorchester. 
Pratt,  Lucius  G.,  West  Newton. 
Pratt,  Robert  M.,  Boston. 
Pratt,  William,  Winchester. 
Pray,  Mark  W.,  Boston. 
tPrescott,  Eben  C,  Boston. 
fPrescott,  William  G.,  Boston. 
Prescott,  William  G.,  Quincy. 


MEMBERS   FOR   LIFE. 


367 


Pringle,  Cyrus  G.,  Charjotte,  Vt. 
Proctor,  Thomas  P.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Prouty,  Gardner,  Littleton. 
Putnam,  Joshua  H.,  Brookline. 

Quinby,  Hosea  M.,  M.D.,  Worcester. 

Eand,    Miss   Elizabeth    L.,    Xe^vton 

Highlands. 
Eand,  Harry  S.,  North  Cambridge. 
Rand,  Oliver  J.,  Cambridgeport. 
Rawson,  Warren  W.,  Arlington. 
Ray,  James  F.,  Franklin. 
Ray,  James  P.,  Franklin. 
Ray,  Joseph  G.,  Franklin. 
Raymond,  Walter,  Cambridgeport. 
Reed,  George  W.,  Boston. 
Rice,  George  C,  Worcester. 
Richards,  John  J.,  Boston. 
Richardson,  Charles  E.,  Cambridge. 
Rinn,  J.  Ph.,  Boston. 
Ripley,  Charles,  Dorchester. 
Robbins,  I.  Gilbert,  Wakefield. 
tRobeson,  William  R.,  Boston. 
Robinson,  John,  Salem. 
Robinson,  Joseph  B.,  Allston. 
Ross,  Henry,  Newtonville. 
Ross,  M.  Denman,  Forest  Hills. 
Ross,  Waldo  0.,  Boston. 
Ruddick,  William    H.,  M.D.,  South 

Boston. 
Russell,  George,  Woburn. 
Russell,  Hon.  John  E.,  Leicester. 
Russell,  Walter,  Arlington. 

fSampson,  George  R.,  London,  Eng- 
land. 
Sanford,  Oliver  S.,  Hyde  Park. 
Sargent,  Charles  S.,  Brookline. 
Sargent,  .John  O.,  Lenox. 
Saville,  Richard  L.,  Brookline. 
Sawtelle,  Eli  A.,  Boston. 
Sawyer,  Timothy  T.,  Charlestown. 
tScott,  Charles,  Newton. 
Scudder,  Charles  W.,  Brookline. 
Sears,  J.  Montgomery,  Boston. 
Seaver,  Nathaniel,  East  Boston. 


Shaw,  Christopher  C,  Milford,  N.  H. 
Shimmin,  Charles  F.,  Boston. 
Shorey,  John  L.,  Lynn. 
Skinner,  Francis,  Boston. 
Smith,  Benjamin  G.,  Cambridge. 
Smith,  Calvin  W.,  Grantville. 
Smith,  Charles  H.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Smith,  Charles  S.,  Lincoln. 
Smith,  Chauncey,  Cambridge. 
Smith,  Edward  N.,  San  Francisco. 
Smith,  George  O.,  Boston. 
Smith,  James  H.,  Dedham. 
Smith,  Thomas  Page,  Waltham. 
Snow,  Eben,  Cambridge. 
Snow,  Miss  Salome  H.,  Brunswick, 

Me. 
Spaulding,  Edward,  West  Newton. 
Speare,  Alden,  Newton  Centre. 
Springall,  George,  Maiden. 
Stetson,  Nahum,  Bridgewater. 
Stewart,  William  J.,  Winchester. 
Stickney,  Rufus  B.,  Somerville. 
Stone,  Amos,  Charlestown. 
Stone,  Charles  W.,  Boston. 
Stone,  George  F.,  Chestnut  Hill. 
Stone,  Phineas  J.,  Charlestown. 
Strong,  William  C,  Waban. 
Sturgis,  Russell,  Manchester. 
Sturtevant,  E.  Lewis,  M.D.,    South 

Framingham. 
Surette,  Louis  A.,  Concord. 

Taft,  John  B.,  Cambridge. 
Tarbell,  George   G.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Taylor,  Horace  B.,  Boston. 
Temple,  Felker  L.,  Somerville. 
Thurlow,  Thomas  C.,West  Newbury. 
Tidd,  Marshall  M.,  Woburn. 
Tilton,  Stephen  W. ,  Roxbury. 
Todd,  John,  Hingham. 
Tolman,  Benjamin,  Concord. 
fTolman,  Miss  Harriet  S.,  Boston. 
Torrey,  Everett,  Charlestown. 
Tufts,  Arthur  W.,  Roxbury. 
fTurner,  JohnM.,  Dorchester. 
Turner,  Roswell  W.,  Dorchester. 
Turner,  Royal  W.,  Randolph. 


368 


MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICtTLTURAL    SOCIETY. 


Underwood,  William  J.,  Belmont. 

Vanderwocrd,  Charles,  Waltham. 
Vinal,  Miss  Mary  L.,  Somerville. 

"Wainwright,  William  L.,  Braintree. 
Wakefield,  E.  H.,  Cambridge. 
Walcott,  Henry  P.,  M.D.,  Cambridge. 
Wales,  George  O.,  Braintree. 
Walker,  Edward  C.  R.,  Roxbury. 
Walley,  Mrs.  W.  P.,  Boston. 
Walton,  Daniel  G.,  Wakefield. 
Wai'd,  Francis  Jackson,  Roxbury. 
Ward,  John,  Newton  Centre. 
Wardwell,  William  H.,  Brookline. 
Ware,  Benjamin  P.,  Clifton. 
AVarren,  George  W.,  Boston. 
Washburn,  Andrew,  Hyde  Park. 
Waters,  Edwin  P.,  Boston. 
Waters,  George  F.,  Boston. 
Watson,  Benjamin   M.,  Jr.,  Jamaica 

Plain. 
Watson,  Thomas  A.,  East  Braintree. 
Watts,  Isaac,  Waverly. 
Webber,  Aaron  D.,  Boston. 
Weld,  Christopher    Minot,    Jamaica 

Plain. 
Weld,  George  W. ,  Newport,  R.  I. 
Weld,  Moses  W.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Weld,  Richard  H.,  Boston. 
Weld,  William  G.,  Boston. 
West,  Mrs.  Maria  L.,  Neponset. 


Weston,  Leonard  W.,  Lincoln. 
Weston,  Seth,  Revere. 
Wheeler,  Frank,  Concord. 
Wheelwright,  A.  C,  Brookline. 
Whitcomb,  William  B.,  Medford. 
White,  Edward  A.,  Boston. 
White,  Francis  A.,  Brookline. 
White,  Joseph  H.,  Brookline. 
fWhitely,  Edward,  Cambridgeport. 
Whitten,  Charles  V.,  Dorchester. 
tWhytal, Thomas  G.,  New  York,N.Y. 
Wilbur,  George  B.,  West  Newton. 
AVilder,  Edward  Baker,  Dorchester. 
Wilder,  Henry  A.,  Maiden. 
Willard,  E.  W.,  Newport,  R.  I. 
Willcutt,  Levi  L.,  West  Roxbury. 
Williams,  Aaron  D.,  Boston. 
Williams,  Benjamin  B.,  Boston. 
Williams,  Philander,  Taunton. 
Willis,  George  W.,  Chelsea. 
Willis,  Joshua  C,  Roxbury, 
Wilson,  Col.  Henry  W.,  Boston. 
Wilson,  William  Power,  Boston. 
Winthrop,  Robert  C,  Jr.,  Boston. 
Wood,  Charles  G.,  Boston. 
Wood,  Luke  H.,  Marlborough. 
Wood,  R.  W.,  M.D.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Wood,  William  K.,  West  Newton. 
Woods,  Henry,  Boston. 
Woodward,  Royal,  Brookline. 
Wright,  George  C,  West  Acton. 
Wyman,  Oliver  B.,  Shrewsbury. 


ANNUAL    MEMBERS. 


Members  of  the  Society  and  all  other  persons  who  may  know  of  deaths, 
changes  of  residence,  or  other  circumstances  showing  that  the  following  list 
is  inaccurate  in  any  particular,  will  confer  a  favor  by  prornptly  communi- 
cating to  the  Secretary  the  needed  corrections. 


Abbot,  Samuel  L.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Abbott,  Allen  V.,  Boston. 
Allen,  Charles  L.,  Floral  Park,  N.  Y. 
Arnold,  Mrs.  AnnaE.,  Newton. 
Atkinson,  Charles  M.,  Brookline. 
Atkinson,  Edward,  Brookline. 
Atkinson,  William  B.,  Newburyport. 

Bacon,  Augustus,  Roxbury. 
Badlara,  William  H.,  Dorchester. 
Bard,  James,  Dorchester. 
Barker,  John  G.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Beard,  Edward  L.,  Cambridge. 
Beer,  Carl,  Bangor,  Maine. 
Benedict,  Washington  G.,  Boston. 
Bigelow,  Arthur  J.,  Marlborough. 
Bird,  John  L.,  Dorchester. 
Bliss,  Benjamin K. ,  East  Bridgewater. 
Bock,  William  A.,  Nortli  Cambridge. 
BoUes,  Matthew,  Boston. 
BoUes,  William  P.,  Roxbury. 
Bolton,  John  B.,  Somerville. 
Bowditch,  E.  F.,  Framingham. 
Bowditch,  James  H.,  Brookline. 
Bowker,  Albert,  East  Boston. 
Boyden,  Clarence  F.,  Taunton. 
Breck,  Charles  H.,  Newton. 
Breck,  Charles  H.  B.,  Brigliton. 
Brooks,  George,  Brookline. 
Brown,  David  H.,  West  Medford. 
Burley,  Edward,  Beverly. 
Butler,  Edward,  Wellesley. 


Carroll,  .James  T.,  Chelsea. 
Carter,  Miss  Maria  E.,  Woburn. 
Carter,  Mrs.  Sarah  D.  J., Wilmington. 
Chaffin,  John  C,  Newton. 
Chase,  Joseph  S.,  Maiden. 
Chase,  Leverett  M.,  Roxbury. 
Cheney,  Amos  P.,  Natick. 
Chubbuck,  Isaac  Y.,  Roxbury. 
Clapp,  Henry  L.,  Roxbury. 
Clark,  Joseph,  Manchester. 
Clark,  Theodore  M.,  Newtonville. 
Collins,  Frank  S.,  Maiden. 
Comley,  James,  Lexington. 
Coolidge,  David  H.,  Jr.,  Boston. 
Crafts,  William  A.,  Boston. 
Crosby,  J.  Allen,  .Jamaica  Plain. 
Curtis,  Joseph  H.,  Boston. 

Davenport,  Albert  M.,  Watertown. 
Davis,  Frederick,  Saxonville. 
Davis,  Frederick  S.,  West  Roxbury. 
Davis,  Thomas  M.,  Cambridgeport. 
De  Mar,  John  A.,  Brighton. 
Dolbear,  Mrs.  Alice  J.,  College  Hill. 
Doliber,  Thomas,  Brookline. 
Doran,  Enoch  E.,  Brookline. 
Doyle,  William  E.,  East  Cambridge. 
Duffley,  Daniel,  Brookline. 

Eaton,  Jacob,  Cambridgeport. 
Endicott,  Miss  Charlotte  M.,  Canton. 


370 


MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 


Faxon,  Edwin,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Faxon,  Marshall  B.,  Boston. 
Felton,  Arthur  W.,  West  Newton. 
Fenno,  Warren,  Revere. 
Fisher,  Sewall,  Framingham. 
Forbes,  William  H.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Foster,  Joshua  T.,  Medford. 
Frohock,  Iloscoe  R.,  Maiden. 
Frost,  Arteraas,  Belmont. 
Frost,  George,  West  Newton. 
Frost,  Varnum,  Belmont. 
Frost,  Warren  S.,  Belmont. 
Fuller,  T.  Otis,  Needham. 


Gibbon,  Mrs.  James  A.,  Brookline. 
Gilbert,  Samuel,  Boston. 
Gill,  Mrs.  E.  M.,  Medford. 
Gleason,  Herbert,  Maiden. 
Goddard,  Thomas,  Boston. 
Grant,  Charles  E.,  Concord. 
Guerineau,  Louis,  Cambridge. 


Haile,  Hon.  William  H.,  Springfield. 
Hall,  Charles  H.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Hall,  Stacy,  Boston. 
Hall,  William  T.,  Revere. 
Hamlin,  Delwin  A.,  AUston. 

Hanks,  Mrs.  C.  Stedman,  Boston. 
Hargraves,     William      J.,     Jamaica 
Plain. 

Harris,  Miss  Ellen  M.,  Jamaica  Plain. 

Harris,  Frederick  L.,  Wellesley. 

Hartwell,  Samuel,  Lincoln. 

Harwood,  George  S.,  Newton. 

Hersey,  Alfred  H.,  Hingham. 

Hersey,  Edmund,  Hingham. 

Hews,  Albert  H.,  North  Cambridge. 

Hill,  Benjamin  U.,  Peabody. 

Hill,  Edwin  S.,  Clarendon  Hills. 

Hill,  J.  Willard,  Belmont. 

Hobbs,  George  M.,  Boston. 

Hollis,  George,  South  Weymouth. 

Houghton,  George  S.,  Auburndale. 

Hunt,  Henry  C,  Newton. 

Huston,  Miss  Katharine W.,  Roxbury, 


Jameson,  G.  W.,  East  Lexington. 
Jordan,  Hon.  Jediah  P.,  Roxbury. 

Kendall,  Jonas,  Framingham. 
Kenrick,  Miss  Anna  C,  Newton. 
Kidder,  Francis  H.,  Medford. 

Lamprell,  Simon,  Marblehead. 
Lancaster,  Mrs.  E.  M.,  Roxbury. 
Langmaid,  Mrs.  Mary,  Somerville. 
Lawrence,  Henry  S.,  Roxbury. 
Lawrence,  Sidney,  East  Lexington. 
Lee,  Francis  H.,  Salem. 
Lombard,  Richard  T.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Loring,  Charles  G.,  Boston. 
Loring,  John  A.,  North  Andover. 
Lothrop,  David  W.,  West  Medford. 
Lothrop,  Thornton  K.,  Boston. 
Loud,  Mrs.  Mary  E.,  Chelsea. 
Lougee,  Miss  Susan  C,  Roxbury. 
Low,  Hon.  Aaron,  Essex. 
Lowell,  John,  Newton. 
Lunt,  William  W.,  Hingham. 

Manda,  W.  A.,  Short  Hills,  N.  J. 

Manning,  A.  Chandler,  Reading. 

Manning,  J.  Woodward,  Reading. 

Markoe,  George  F.  H.,  Roxbury. 

Martin,  William  J.,  Milton. 

Maxwell, 'Charles  E.,  Boston. 

May,  F.  W.  G.,  Boston. 

McDermott,  Andrew,  Roxbury. 

Mcintosh,  Aaron  S.,  Roxbury. 

McLaren,  Anthony,  Forest  Hills. 

Meriam,  Horatio  C,  D.M.D.,  Salem. 

Merrill,  Jolm  Jay,  Roxbury. 

Merrill,  Capt.  S.  A.,  AVollaston 
Heights. 

Muzzey,  Rev.  Arteraas  B.,  Cam- 
bridge. 

Nightingale,    Rev.    Crawford,    Dor- 
chester. 
Norton,  Michael  H.,  Boston. 
Norton,  Patrick,  Boston. 

Olmsted,  Frederick  Law,  Brookline. 


ANNUAL    MEMBERS. 


371 


Park,  William  D.,  Boston. 
Parker,  George  A.,  Halifax. 
Parker,  John,  Medford. 
Peirce,  George  H.,  Concord. 
Peirce,  Herbert  H.  D.,  Canlbridge. 
Petremant,  Kobert,  Dorchester. 
Pitcher,  James  R.,  Short  Hills,  N.J. 
Plimpton,  Willard  P.,  West  Newton. 
Power,  Charles  J.,    South    Framing- 
ham. 
Prichard,  Joseph  V.,  Boston. 
Purdie,  George  A.,  Wellesley  Hills. 
Putnam,  Charles  A.,  Salem. 

Randall,  Macey,  Stoughton. 
Rich,  William  E.  C,  Roxbury. 
Rich,  William  P.,  Chelsea. 
Richards,  Mrs.  P.  D.,  West  Medford. 
Richardson,  Horace,  M.D.,   Boston. 
Robbins,  Oliver  R. ,  Weston. 
Robinson,  William,  North  Easton. 
Ross,  Charles  W.,  Newtonville. 

Safford,  Nathaniel  F.,  Milton. 

Saunders,  Miss  Mary  T.,  Salem. 

Sawtell,  J.  M.,  Fitchburg. 

Schmitt,  George  A.,  Boston. 

Scott,  Augustus  E.,  Lexington. 

Scudder,  Samuel  H.,  Cambridge. 

Seaver,  Edwin  P.,  LL.D.,  Newton 
Highlands. 

Sharpies,  Stephen  P.,  Cambridge. 

Shattuck,  Frederick  R.,  Roxbury. 

Shedd,  Abraham  B.,  Waltham. 

Sheppard,  Edwin,  LowelL 

Snow,  Eugene  A.,  Melrose. 

Snow,  Francis  B.,  Dorchester. 

Southworth,  Edward,  Quincy. 

Spencer,  Aaron  W.,  Boston. 

Spooner,  William  H.,  Jamaica  Plain. 

Squire,  Miss  Esther  A.,  North  Cam- 
bridge. 

Squire,  John  P.,  Arlington. 

Stearns,  Mrs.  Charles  A.,  East 
Watertown. 

Stearns,  Charles  H.,  Brookline. 

Stone,  Samuel  G.,  Charlestown. 


Storer,  Charles,  Natick. 

Story,  Miss  Sarah  W.,  Brighton. 

Swan,  Cliarles  W.,  M.D.,  Boston. 

Tailby,  Joseph,  Wellesley. 

Talbot,  Josiah  W.,  Norwood. 

Teel,  William  H.,  West  Acton. 

Terry,  Rev.  Calvin,  North  Wey- 
mouth. 

Tobey,  S.  Edwin,  Boston. 

Torrey,  Bradford,  Boston. 

Tousey,  Prof.  William  G.,  College 
Hill. 

Turner,  Nathaniel  W.,  Boston. 

Vaughan,  J.  C,  Chicago,  111. 

Walker,  William  P.,  Somerville. 

Way,  John  M.,  Roxbury. 

Welch,  Patrick,  Dorchester. 

Wellington,  Miss  Caroline,  East 
Lexington. 

Wells,  Benjamin  T.,  Newton. 

Weston,  Mrs.  L.  P.,  Danvers. 

Wheatland,  Henry,  M.D.,  Salem. 

Wheeler,  James,  Brookline. 

White,  George  A.,  Roxbury. 

White,  W.  Henry,  Lowell. 

Whitney,  Joel,  Winchester. 

Whiton,  Starkes,  Hingham  Centre. 

Wliittier,  Hon.  Charles,  Roxbury. 

Wilcox,  George  D.,  M.D.,  Provi- 
dence, R.  I. 

Wilmarth,  Henry  D.,  Jamaica  Plain. 

Wilson,  B.  Osgood,  Watertown. 

Wilson,  George  W.,  Maiden. 

Winter,  William  C,  Mansfield. 

Wolcott,  Mrs.  Henrietta  L.  T.,  Ded- 
ham. 

Wood,  Mrs.  Anna  D.,  West  Newton. 

Wood,  E.  W.,  West  Newton. 

Woodford,  Josepli  H.,  Boston. 
•  Worthington,  Roland,  Roxbury. 

Young,  E.  Bentley,  Boston. 

Zirngiebel,  Denys,  Needham. 


372  INIASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTUEAL   SOCIETY. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  CONSTITUTION  AND  BY-LAWS. 


SECTION  XXVI.  —  Life  Members. 

The  payment  of  thirty  dollars  shall  constitute  a  Life  Membership,  and 
exempt  the  member  from  all  future  assessments ;  and  any  member  having 
once  paid  an  admission  fee  may  become  a  Life  Member  by  the  payment  of 
twenty  dollars  in  addition  thereto. 

SECTION  XXVIL — Admission  Fee  and  Annual  Assessment. 

Everj"^  subscription  member,  before  he  receives  his  diploma,  or  exercises 
the  privileges  of  a  member,  shall  pay  the  sum  of  ten  dollars  as  an  admission 
fee,  and  shall  be  subject  afterwards  to  an  annual  assessment  of  two  dollars. 

SECTION  XXIX.  —  Discontinuance  of  Membebship. 

Any  member  who  shall  neglect  for  the  space  of  two  years  to  pay  his  annual 

ssessment  shall  cease  to  be  a  member  of  the  Society,  and  the  Treasurer 

shall  erase  his  name  from  the  List  of  Members.    Any  member  may  withdraw 

from  the  Society,  on  giving  notice  to  the  Treasurer  and  paying  the  amount 

due  from  him  to  the  Society. 

The  attention  of  Annual  Members  is  particularly  called  to  Section  XXIX. 


HONORARY    MEMBERS. 


Membeys  and  correspondents  of  the  Society  and  all  other  persons  who  may 
linow  of  deaths,  changes  of  residence,  or  other  circumstances  showing  that 
the  following  list  is  iiiaccurate  in  any  particular,  will  confer  a  favor  by 
promptly  communicating  to  the  Secretary  the  needed  corrections. 

Information,  or  any  clew  to  it,  is  especially  desired  in  regard  to  Joseph 
Maxwell,  elected  in  1830,  and  George  W.  Smith,  elected  in  1851.  The  names 
of  those  known  to  he  deceased  are  marked  with  a  star. 


♦Benjamin  Abbott,  LL.D.,  Exeter,  N.  H. 

*JoHX  Abbott,  Brunswick,  Me. 

*HoN.  John  Quincy  Adajis,  LL.D.,  late   President  of  the  United   States, 
Quincy. 

♦Professor  Louis  Agassiz,  Cambridge. 

*\ViLLiAM  T.  Aiton,  late  Curator  of  the  Royal  Gardens,  Kew,  England. 

♦Thomas  Allen,  late  President    of    the    St.  Louis    Horticultural  Society, 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  Pittsfield,  Mass. 

♦Hon.  Samuel  Appleton,  Boston. 

♦Hon.  James  Arnold,  New  Bedford. 

♦Edward  Nathaniel  Bancroft,  M.D.,  late    President  of  the  Horticultural 
and  Agricultural  Society  of  Jamaica. 

♦Hon.  Philip  P.  Barbour,  Virginia. 

♦Don  Angel  Calderon  de  la   Barca,   late    Spanish    Minister    at    Wash- 
ington. 

♦Robert  Barclay,  Bury  Hill,  Dorking,  Surrey,  England. 

♦James  Beekman,  New  York. 

♦L'Abb^  Berlese,  Paris. 

♦Nicholas  Biddle,  Philadelphia. 

♦Dr.  Jacob  Bigelow,  Boston. 

♦Mrs.  Lucy  Bigelow,  Medford. 

♦Le  Chevalier  Soulange  Bodin,  late  Secretaire  General    de    la    Societe 
d'Horticulture  de  Paris. 
Hon.  George  S.  Boutwell,  Groton. 

♦Josiah  Bradlee,  Boston. 

♦Hon.  George  N.  Briggs,  Pittsfield. 

♦Hon.  James  Buchanan,  late  President  of  the  United   States,    Lancaster, 
Pa. 


374  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

*HoN.  Jesse    Buel,  late  President    of  the  Albany  Horticultural    Society, 

Albany,  N.  Y. 
*Hox.  Edmund  Bdrke,  late  Commissioner  of  Patents,  Washington,  D.  C. 
*AuGUSTiN  Ptramcs  de  Candolle,  Geneva,  Switzerland. 
*HoN.  Horace   Capron,  late  U.  S.  Commissioner  of   Agriculture,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 

♦Commodore  Isaac  Chauncey,  U.  S.  Navy,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

*Ward  Chipman,  late  Chief  Justice  of  New  Brunswick,  St.  John. 

♦Lewis  Clapier,  Philadelphia. 

*HoN.  Henry  Clay,  Lexington,  Ky. 

H.  W.  S.  Cleveland,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

♦Admiral  Sir  Isaac  Coffin,  Bart.,  England. 

♦Zaccheus    Collins,    late    President    of    the    Pennsylvania    Horticultural 
Society,  Philadelphia. 

*RoswELL  L.  Colt,  Paterson,  N.  J. 

♦Caleb   Cope,   late   President  of  the  Pennsylvania  Horticultural    Society, 
Philadelphia. 

♦William  Coxe,  Burlington,  N.  J. 

♦John  P.  Cushing,  Watertown. 

♦Charles  W.  Dabney,  late  U.  S.  Consul,  Fayal,  Azores. 

♦Hon.  John  Davis,  LL.D.,  Boston. 

♦Sir  Humphry  Davy,  London. 

♦Gen.  Henry  Alexander  Scammel  Dearborn,  Roxbury. 

♦James    Dickson,    late    Vice-President   of    the    Horticultural    Society    of 
London. 

♦Mrs.  Dorothy  Dix,  Boston. 

♦Capt.  Jesse  D.  Elliot,  U.  S.  Navy. 

♦Hon.  Stephen  Elliot,  LL.D.,  Charleston,  S.  C. 

♦Hon.    Henry   L.    Ellsworth,   late   Commissioner   of  Patents,    Washing- 
ton, D.  C. 

♦Allyn  Charles  Evanson,  late  Secretary  of  the  King's  County  Agricult- 
ural Society.  St.  John,  N.  B. 

♦Hon.  Edward  Everett,  LL.D.,  Boston. 

♦Hon,  Horace  Everett,  Vermont. 

♦F.  Faldermann,  late  Curator  of  the  Imperial  Botanic  Garden,  St.  Peters- 
burg. 

♦Hon.  Millard  Fillmore,  late  President  of  the  United  States,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

♦Dr.  F.  E.  Fischer,  late   Professor   of   Botany  at   the    Imperial    Botanic 
Garden,  St.  Petersburg,  Russia. 

♦Hon.  Theodore  Frelinghuysen,  late  President  of  the  American  Agricult- 
ural Society,  New  Brunswick,  N.  J. 

♦Joseph    Gales,   Jr.,    late   Vice-President   of    the   Horticultural    Society, 
Washington,  D.  C. 

♦George  Gibbs,  New  York. 

♦Stephen  Girard,  Philadelphia. 

♦Hon.  Robert  T.  Goldsborough,  Talbot  County,  Md. 

♦Ephraim  Goodale,  South  Orrington,  Me. 


HONORARY    MEMBERS.  375 

♦Mrs.  Rebecca  Gore,  Waltham. 

♦Hon.  John  Greig,  late  President  of  the  Domestic  Horticultural  Society, 

Canandaigua,  N.  Y. 
♦Mrs.  Mary  Griffith,  Charlieshope,  N.  J. 
♦Gen.  William  Henrt   Harrison,    late    President   of   the   United    States, 

North  Bend,  0. 
♦S.  P.  Hildreth,  M.D.,  Marietta,  O. 

♦Thomas  Hopkirk,  late  President  of  tlie  Glasgow  Horticultural  Society. 
♦David    Hosack,    M.D.,    late    President    of  the   New   York   Horticultural 

Society. 
♦Lewis  Hunt,  Huntsburg,  O. 
♦Joseph  R.  Ingersoll,  late    President  of   the   Pennsylvania  Horticultural 

Society,  Piiiladelphia. 
♦Gen.  Andrew  Jackson,   late  President  of  the  United  States,    Nashville, 

Tenn. 
♦Mrs.  Martha  Johonnot,  Salem. 

♦Jared  Potter  Kirtland,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  East  Rockport,  O. 
♦Thomas  Andrew  Knight,  late  President  of  the    Horticultural   Society  of 

London. 
♦Gen.  La  Fayette,  La  Grange,  France. 

♦Le  Comte  de  Lasteyrie,  late  Vice-President  of  the  Horticultural  Society 
of  Paris. 
Major  L.  A.  Hcguet-Latour,  M.  P.,  Montreal,  Can. 
♦Baron  Justus  Liebig,  Giessen,  Germany. 
♦Professor  John  Lindley,  late  Secretary  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society, 

London. 
♦Franklin  Litchfield,  late  U.  S.  Consul  at  Puerto  Cabello,  Venezuela. 
♦Joshua  Longstreth,  Philadelphia. 
♦Nicholas  Longworth,  Cincinnati,  O. 

♦Jacob  Lorillard,  late  President  of  the  New  York  Horticultural  Society. 
♦John  Claudius  Loudon,  London. 
♦Hon.  John  A.  Lowell,  Boston. 

♦Baron  Charles  Ferdinand  Henry  von  Ludwig,  late  Vice-President  of 
the    South   African  Literary  and    Scientific    Institution,    Cape  Town, 
Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
♦Hon.  Theodore  Lyman,  Brookline. 
Col.  Theodore  Lyman,  Brookline. 
♦Hon.  James  Madison,  late  President  of  the  United  States,  Montpelier,  Va. 
♦Mrs.  Charlotte  Maryatt,  Wimbledon,  near  London. 
Joseph  Maxwell,  Rio  Janeiro. 

♦D.   Smith  McCauley,  late  U.  S.  Consul-General  at  Tripoli,  Philadelphia. 
♦Hon.  Isaac  McKim,  late  President  of  the  Horticultural  Society  of  Mary- 
land, Baltimore. 
Rev.  James  H.  Means,  Dorcliester. 
♦James  Mease,  M.l).,  Philadelphia. 
♦Lewis  John  Mentens,  Brussels,  Belgium. 
♦Hon.  Charles  F.  Mercer,  Virginia. 


376  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

♦Francois  Andr:6  Michaux,  Paris. 
Donald  G.  Mitchell,  New  Haven,  Conn. 
*Samuel  L.  Mitchill,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  New  York. 

*HoN.  James  Monroe,  late  President  of  tiie  United  States,  Oak  Hill,  Va. 
*Alfred  S.  Monson,  M.D.,    late  President  of  the  New  Haven  Horticultural 

Society,  New  Haven,  Conn. 
*HoN.  A.  N.  MoRiN,  Montreal,  Can. 
♦Theodore  Mosselmann,  Antwerp,  Belgium. 

Baron  R.  Von  Osten  Sacken,  Heidelberg,  Germany. 
*  Baron  Ottenfels,  late  Austrian  Minister  to  the  Ottoman  Porte. 
*JoHN  Palmer,  Calcutta. 
*HoN.  Joel  Parker,  LL.D.,  Cambridge. 

Samuel  B.  Parsons,  Flushing,  N.  Y. 
*HoN.  Thomas  H.  Perkins,  Brookline. 

*Antoine  Poiteau,  late  Professor  in  the  Institut  Horticole  de  Fromont. 
*HoN.   James  K.  Polk,  late  President    of    the   United   States,   Nashville, 

Tenn. 
*John  Hare  Powel,  Powelton,  Pa. 
♦Henry  Pratt,  Philadelphia. 
*\ViLLiAM  Prince,  Flushing,  N.  Y. 
*Rev.  George  Putnam,  D.D.,  Roxbury. 

*CoL.  Joel  Rathbone,  late  President  of  the  Albany  and  Rensselaer  Horti- 
cultural Society,  Albany,  N.  Y. 
♦Archibald   John,    Earl   of  Rosebery,  late   President   of   the    Caledonian 

Horticultural  Society. 
♦Joseph  Sabine,  late  Secretary  of  the  Horticultural  Society  of  London. 
♦Don  Ramon  de  la  Sagra,  Havana,  Cuba. 
♦Henrt  Winthrop  Sargent,  Fishkill,  N.  Y. 
♦Sir  Walter  Scott,  Abbotsford,  Scotland. 

♦John  Shepherd,  late  Curator  of  the  Botanic  Garden,  Liverpool,  England. 
♦John  S.  Skinner,  late  Editor  of  the   American  Farmer,  Baltimore,  Md. 

George  W.  Smith,  Boston. 
♦Stephen    H.    Smith,    late  President  of   the   Rhode   Island   Horticultural 

Society. 
♦Hon.  Charles  Sumner,  Boston. 
♦Hon.  John  Taliaferro,  Virginia. 
♦Gen.  James  Talmadge,    late   President  of  the   American  Institute,    New 

York. 
♦Gen.    Zachart    Taylor,    late    President    of   the    United    States,   Baton 

Rouge,  La. 
♦James  Thacher,  M.  D.,  Plymouth. 
John  J.  Thomas,  Union  Springs,  N.Y. 
♦James  W.  Thompson,  M.D.,  Wilmington,  Del. 
♦Grant  Thorburn,  New  York. 
♦M.  Du  Petit  Thouars,  Paris. 
♦Le  Vicomte  Hericart   De  Thury,    late   President   of  the    Horticultural 

Society  of  Paris. 


HONORARY    MEMBERS.  377 

♦MoNS.  TouGARD,    late   President   of  the    Horticultural    Society  of  Kouen, 
France. 

*Gen.  Nathan  Towson,  late  President  of  the  Horticultural  Society,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 

*HoN.  John  Tyler,  late  President  of  the  United  States,  Williamsburg,  Va. 

*Rev.  Joseph  Ttso,  Wallingford,  England. 

*HoN.  Martin  Van  Buren,  late  President  of  the  United   States,   Kinder- 
hook,  N.  Y. 

♦Federal  Vanderbdrg,  M.D.,  New  York. 

*Jean  Baptiste  Van  Mons,  M.D.,  Brussels,  Belgium. 

*Gen.  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

♦Joseph  R.  Van  Zandt,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

♦Benjamin  Vaughan,  M.D.,  Hallowell,  Me. 

♦Petty  Vaughan,  London. 

♦Rev.  N.  Villenedve,  Montreal,  Can. 

♦Pierre  Philippe  Andr6  Vilmorin,  Paris. 

♦James  Wadsworth,  Geneseo,  N.  Y. 

♦Nathaniel  Wallich,  M.D.,  late  Curator  of  the  Botanic  Garden,  Calcutta. 

♦Malthds  a.  Ward,  M.D.,  lata  Prof essor  in  Franklin  College,  Athens,  Ga. 

♦Hon.  Daniel  Webster,  Marshfield. 

♦Hon.  John  Welles,  Boston. 

♦Jeremiah  Wilkinson,  Cumberland,  R.  I. 
Hon.  Robert  C.  Winthrop,  Boston. 

♦Frederick  Wolcott,  Litchfield,  Conn. 

♦AsHTON  Yates,  Liverpool,  England. 

♦Lawrence  Young,  late  President  of  the  Kentucky  Horticultural  Society, 
Louisville. 


CORRESPONDING   MEMBERS 


Members  mid  correspondents  of  the  Society  and  all  other  persons  who  may 
know  of  deaths,  changes  of  residence,  or  other  circumstances  shoiving  that 
the  following  list  is  inaccurate  in  any  particular,  will  confer  a  favor  by 
promptly  reporting  to  the  Secretary  the  needed  corrections. 

Inform,ation,  or  any  clew  to  it,  is  especially  desired  in  regard  to  Alexander 
Burton,  elected  in  1829,  S.  Reynolds,  M.D.,  1832,  and  Francis  Sumraerest, 
1833.     The  names  of  those  known  to  be  deceased  are  marked  with  a  star. 


*JoHN  Adlum,  Georgetown,  D.  C. 

*DoN  Francisco  Aguilar  t  Leal,  late  U.  S.  Vice-Consul  at  Maldonado, 

Banda  Oriental  del  Uruguay. 
*MoNS.  Alfroy,   Lieusaint,  France. 

*James  T.   Allan,    late    President   of   the   Nebraska    State    Horticultural 
Society,  Omaha. 

A.  B.  Allen,  New  York. 
*Rev.  Thomas  D.  Anderson,  D.D.,  South  Boston. 

i^DouARD  Andr^,  Redacteur  en  chef  de  la  Revue  Horticole,  Paris,  France. 
*Thomas  Appleton,  late  U.  S.  Consul  at  Leghorn,  Italy. 
*CoL.  Thomas  Aspinwall,  late  U.  S.  Consul  at  London,  Brookline. 

P.  M.  Augur,  State  Pomologist,  Middlefield,  Cotin. 

Professor  L.  H.  Bailey,  Jr.,  Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  N.  Y. 
*IsAAC  Cox  Barnet,  late  U.  S.  Consul  at  Paris. 
*Patrick  Barry,  late  Vice-President  of  the  American  Pomological  Society, 

Rochester,  N.  Y. 
♦Augustine  Baumann,  Bolwiller,  Alsace. 
*EuGENE  Achille  Baumann,  Rahway,  N.  J. 
♦Joseph  Bernard  Baumann,  Bolwiller,  Alsace. 

Napoleon  Baumann,  Bolwiller,  Alsace. 

D.  W.  Beadle,  St.  Catherine's,  Ontario. 

Professor  William  J.  Beal,  Lansing,  Michigan. 
*Noel  J.  Becar,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

*Edward  Beck,  Worton  College,  Isleworth,  near  London. 
*Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beeciier,  Peekskill,  N.  Y. 
*Louis  fioouARD  Berckmans,  Rome,  Ga. 

Prosper  J.  Berckmans,  Augusta,  Ga. 


CORRESPONDING    MEMBERS.  379 

Charles     E.    Bessf.y,   Ph.D.,   Industrial   College   of     the   University   of 
Nebraska,  Lincoln. 
♦Alexander  Bivort,    late    Secretary  of  the   Societe   Van   Mons,   Fleurus, 

Belgium. 
*Tripet  Le  Blanc,  Paris. 
Dr.  Ch.  Bolle,  Berlin,  Prussia. 
♦Charles  D.  Bragdon,  Pulaski,  Oswego  Co.,  N.  Y. 
♦William  D.  Brinckl^,  M.D.,  Philadelphia. 

♦George  Brown,  late  U.  S.  Commissioner  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  Beverly. 
♦John  W.  Brown,  Fort  Gaines,  Ga. 
♦Dr.  Nehemiah  Brush,  East  Florida. 

♦Arthur  Bryant,  Sr.  ,   late  President  of  the   Illinois    State  Horticultural 
Society,  Princeton. 
Professor  J.  L.  Budd,  Secretary  of  the  Iowa  Horticultural  Society,  Ames. 
♦Robert  Buist,  Philadelphia. 
♦Dr.  E.  W.   Bull,  Hartford,  Conn. 
William  Bull,  Chelsea,  England. 
♦Rev.  Robert  Burnet,  Ex-President  of  the  Ontario  Fruit  Growers'  Asso- 
ciation, Milton. 
Alexander  Burton,  United  States  Consul  at  Cadiz,  Spain,  Philadelphia. 
IsiDOR  Bush,  Busliberg,  Jefferson  Co.,  Mo. 
George  W.  Campbell,  President  of  the  Ohio  State  Horticultural  Society, 

Delaware,  O. 
♦Francis  G.  Carnes,  New  York. 
♦Col.  Robert  Carr,  Philadelphia. 
♦Rev.  John  O.  Choules,  D.D.,  Newport,  R.  I. 
♦Rev.  Henry  Colman,  Boston. 
♦James  Colvill,  Chelsea,  England. 
Maxime  Cornu,  Directeur  du  Jardin  des  Plantes,  Paris,  France. 
Benjamin  E.  Cotting,  M.D.,  Boston. 
♦Samuel  L.  Dana,  M.D.,  Lowell. 
*J.  Decaisne,  late  Professeur  de  Culture  au  Museum  d'Histoire  Naturelle, 

Jardin  des  Plantes,  Paris. 
♦James  Deering,  Portland,  Me. 
♦H.  F.  Dickehut. 

♦Sir  C.  Wentworth  Dilke,  Bart.,  London. 
♦Hon.  Allen  AV".  Dodge,  Hamilton. 
Rev.    H.   Honywood   D'Ombrain,     Westwell   Vicarage,    Ashford,    Kent, 

England. 
Robert  Douglas,  Waukegan,  111. 
♦Andrew  Jackson  Downing,  Newburg,  N.  Y. 
♦Charles  Downing,  Newburg,  N.  Y. 
W.  T.  Thiselton  Dyer,  C.M.G.,  F.R.S.,  Director   of  the  Royal   Botanic 

Gardens,  Kew,  England. 
Parker  Earle,  President  of  the  American  Horticultural  Society,  Cobden, 
111. 


380  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

*F.    R.    Elliott,   late    Secretary   of    the   American   Pomological    Society, 

Cleveland,  O. 
George  Ellwanger,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Hexry  John  Elwes,  F.L.S.,  F.Z.S.,  Preston  Hall,  Cirencester,  England. 
*George  B.  Emerson,  LL.D.,  Winlhrop. 
*Ebenezer  Emmons,  M.D.,  Williamstown. 
*Andrew  H.   Ernst,  Cincinnati,  O. 

William  G.  Farlow,  M.D.,  Professor   of  Cryptogamic  Botany,  Harvard 
University,  Cambridge. 
*Nathaniel  Fellows,  Cuba. 
*Henry  J.  Finn,  Newport,  R.  I. 
*WiLLARD  C.  Flagg,  Lite  Secretary  of  the  American  Pomological  Society, 

Moro,  111. 
*MiCHAEL  Flot,  late  Vice-President  of  the  New  York  Horticultural  Society, 

New  York. 
*JoHN  Fox,  Washington,  D.  C. 
*HoN.  Rcssell  Freeman,  Sandwich. 

Andrew  S.  Fuller,  Ridgewood,  N.  J. 
*Henrt  Weld  Fuller,  Roxbury. 

Hon.  Robert  W.  Fdrnas,  President  of  the  Nebraska  State  Horticultural 
Society,  Brownville. 
*A0GusTiN   Gande,   late   President   of  the    Horticultural    Society,    Depart- 
ment of  the  Sarthe,  France. 
*RoBERT  H.  Gardiner,  Gardiner,  Me. 
*Benjamin  Gardner,  late  U.  S.  Consul  at  Palermo,  Sicily. 
*Capt.  James  T.  Gerry,  U.  S.  Navy. 

*Charles  Gibb,  late  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Fruit  Growers'  Associa- 
tion, Abbottsford,  Quebec. 
♦Abraham  P.  Gibson,  late  U.  S.  Consul  at  St.  Petersburg. 
*R.  Glendinning,  Chiswick,  near  London. 
Professor  George  L.  Goodale,  Cambridge. 

Charles  A.  Goessmann,  Ph.D.,  Director  of  the  State  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment Station,  Amherst. 
*George  W.  Gordon,  late  U.  S.  Consul  at  Rio  Janeiro,  Boston. 
*Professor  Asa  Gray,  Cambridge. 
Obadiah  B.  Hadwen,  Ex-President  of  the  Worcester  County  Horticultural 
Society,  Worcester. 
♦Charles  Henry  Hall,  New  York. 

♦Abraham  Halsey,  late  Corresponding  Secretary  of  tiie  New  York  Horti- 
cultural Society,  New  York. 
*Dr.  Charles  C.  Hamilton,  late  President  of  the  Fruit  Growers'  Associa- 
tion and  International  Show  Society  of  Nova  Scotia,  Cornwallis. 
*Rev.  Thaddeus  Mason   Harris,  D.D.,  Dorchester. 
♦Thaddeus  William  Harris,  M.D.,  Cambridge. 
♦John  Hay,  late  Architect  of  the  Caledonian  Horticultural  Society. 
♦Bernard  Henry,  late  U.  S.  Consul  at  Gibraltar,  Philadelphia. 


CORRESPONDING    MEMBERS.  381 

Ur.  F.  M.  Hexamer,  Editor  of  tlie  American  Agriculturist,  New  Rochelle, 
N.  Y. 
♦Shirley  Hibberd,  Editor  of  the  Gardeners'  Magazine,  London. 
*J.  J.  Hitchcock,  Baltimore. 

Robert  Hogg,  LL.D.,  Editor  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  London. 
*Thomas  Hogg,  New  York. 

Thomas  Hogg,  New  York. 

J.  C.  Holding,  Ex-Treasurer  and   Secretary  of  the  Cape  of  Good   Hope 
Agricultural  Society,  Cape  Town,  Africa. 

Rev.  S.  Reynolds  Hole,  Rochester,  England. 

Sir  Joseph  Hooker,  K.C.S.L,  Tlie  Camp,  Sunningdale,  England. 

Josiah  Hoopes,  West  Chester,  Pa. 

Professor  E.  N.  Horsford,  Cambridge. 

J.  Host,  Superintendent  of  the  Botanic  Garden,  Trinidad. 
*Sanford  Howard,  Chicago,  111. 

*Dr.  WiLLiAii  M.  Howsley,  late  President  of  the  Kansas  State  Horticult- 
ural Society,  Leavenworth. 
*IsAAC  Hunter,  Baltimore,  Md. 
*Isaac  Hurd,  Cincinnati,  0. 

George  Husmann,  Napa,  Cal. 
♦Professor  Isaac  W.  Jackson,  Union  College,  Schenectady,  N.  Y. 
♦Thomas  P.  James,  Cambridge. 
♦Edward  Jarvis,  M.D.,  Dorchester. 

John  W.  P.  Jenks,  Middleborough. 

William  J.  Johnson,  M.D.,  Fort  Gaines,  Ga. 

Charles  Joly,  Vice-President  of  the   Societe  d'Horticulture   de   France, 
Paris. 

Dr.  George  King,  Superintendent  of  the  Royal  Botanic  Garden,  Calcutta. 
♦Samuel  Kneeland,  M.D.,  Boston. 
♦MoNs.  Laffay,  St.  Cloud,  near  Paris,  France. 

♦David  Landreth,  late  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Pennsylvania  Horti- 
cultural Society,  Bristol. 
♦Charles  C.  Langdon,  Mobile,  Ala. 

Professor  William  R.  Lazenby,  Secretary  of  the  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment Station,  Columbus,  O. 
♦Dr.  William  LeBaron,  late  State  Entomologist,  Geneva,  111. 

Max  Leichtlin,  Baden-Baden,  Germany. 

G.  F.  B.   Leighton,  President  of  the  Norfolk  Horticultural  and  Pomologi- 
cal  Society,  Norfolk,  Va. 

Victor  Lemoine,  Nancy,  France. 
♦E.   S.  H.  Leonard,  M.D.,  Providence,  R.  I. 
♦Andr6  Leroy,  Author  of  the  Dictionnaire  de  Pomologie,  Angers,  France. 

J.  Linden,  Ghent,  Belgium. 
♦Hon.  George  Lunt,  Scituate. 

T.  T.  Lyon,  President  of  the  Michigan  Horticultural  Society,  Grand  Haven. 
♦F.  W.  Maco^dray',  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Dr.  p.  MacOwan,   Director  of  the  Botanic  Garden,  Cape  Town,  Africa. 


382  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

*James  J.  Mapes,  LL.D.,  Newark,  N.  J. 

*A.  Mas,    late   President   of    the    Horticultural    Society,   Bourg-en-Bresse, 
France. 
Dr.   Maxwell  T.  Masteks,  Editor  of  the  Gardeners'  Chronicle,  London. 
♦James  Maury,  late  U.  S.  Consul  at  Liverpool,  England. 
George  Maw,  Benthall,  Kinley,  Surrey,  England. 
C.  J.  de  Maximowicz,  St.  Petersburg,  Russia. 
T.  C.  Maxwell,  Geneva,  N.  Y. 
*  William  Sharp  McLeat,  New  York. 

*James  McNab,  late  Curator  of  the  Botanic  Garden,  Edinburgh,  Scotland. 
Thomas  Meehan,  Germantown,  Pa. 
*Allan  Melvill,  New  York. 
*JoHN  Miller,  M.D.,  late  Secretary  of  the    Horticultural  and  Agricultural 

Society  of  Jamaica. 
♦Stephen  Mills,  Flushing,  N.  Y. 

♦Charles  M'Intosh,  Dalkeith  Palace,  near  Edinburgh. 
♦Joseph  E.  Mitchell,    late   President   of  the   Pennsylvania   Horticultural 
Society,  Philadelphia. 
Dr.  Charles  Mohr,  Mobile,  Ala. 
♦Giuseppe  Monarchini,  M.D.,  Canea,  Isle  of  Candia. 
♦£douard  Morren,  Editor  of  the  Belgique  Horticole,  Liege,  Belgium. 
D.    Morris,    F.L.S.,  Assistant    Director  of   the  Royal  Botanic  Gardens, 

Kew,  England. 
Ch.  Naudin,  Antibes,  France. 
♦Horatio  Newhall,  M.D.,  Galena,  111. 
George  Nicholson,  Curator  of  the  Royal  Botanic  Gardens,  Kew,  England. 
♦David  W.  Offlet,  late  U.  S.  Consular  Agent  at  Smyrna,  Turkey. 
♦James  Ombrosi,  late  U.  S.  Consul  at  Florence,  Italy. 
♦John  J.  Palmer,  New  York. 
♦Victor  Paquet,  Paris. 

♦John  W.  Parker,  late  U.  S.  Consul  at  Amsterdam,  Holland. 
♦Andre  Parmentier,   Brookl3'n,  N.  Y. 

William  Paul,   Waltliain  Cross,  London,  N. 
♦Sir  Joseph  Paxton,  M.P.,  Chatsworth,  England. 
♦John  L.  Patson,  late  U.  S.  Consul  at  Messina,  Sicily. 
Professor  D.  P.  Penh  allow.  Director  of  the  Botanic  Garden,  Montreal, 
Can. 
♦Commodore  Matthew  C.   Perry,  U.  S.  Navy,  Charlestown. 
♦David  Porter,  late  U.  S.  Charge  d'Affaires  at  the  Ottoman  Porte,  Con- 
stantinople. 
♦Alfred  Stratton  Prince,  Flushing,  N.  Y. 
♦William  Robert  Prince,  Flushing,  N.  Y. 
P.  T.  QuiNN,  Newark,  N.  J. 
♦Rev.  W.  F.  Radclyffe,  London,  England. 
♦William  Foster  Redding,  Baltimore,  Md. 
D.  Redmond,  Ocean  Springs,  Miss.  . 

Dr.  Edward  Regel,  St.  Petersburg,  Russia. 


CORRESPONDING    MEMBERS.  383 

S.  Reynolds,  M.D.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y. 
♦John  H.  Richards,  M.D.,  Illinois. 

Dr.  T.  G.  Richardson,  University  of  Louisiana,  New  Orleans,  La. 
Charles  V.  Riley,  Entomologist  to  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture, 
Washington,  D.  C. 
*MoNS.  J.  RiNZ,  Jr.,  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  Germany. 
♦Thomas  Rivers,  Sawbridgeworth,  Herts,  England. 

William  Robinson,  P^ditor  of  The  Garden,  London. 
♦Bernhard  Roeser,  M.D.,  Bamberg,  Bavaria. 
*Dr.  J.  Smith  Rogers,  New  York. 
*Capt.  William  S.  Rogers,  U.  S.  Navy. 
*Thomas  Rotch,  Philadelphia. 
*George  R.  Rdssell,  Roxbury. 
John  B.  Russell,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 
*Rev.  John  Lewis  Russell,  Salem. 

William  Saunders,  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 
♦William  Shaler,  late  U.  S.  Consul-General  at  Havana,  Cuba. 
♦Henry  Shaav,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
♦William  Shaw,  New  York. 
♦Caleb  R.  Smith,  Burlington,  N.  J. 
♦Daniel  D.  Smith,  Burlington,  N.  J. 

♦Gideon  B.  Smith,  late  Editor  of  the  American  Farmer,  Baltimore,  Md. 
♦John  Jay  Smith,  Germantown,  Pa. 
♦Horatio  Sprague,  late  U.  S.  Consul  at  Gibraltar. 
Robert  W.  Starr,  Port  William,  N.  S. 
Dr.  Joseph  Stayman,  Leavenworth,  Kan. 

♦Capt.  Thomas  Holdup  Stevens,  II.  S.  Navy,  Middletown,  Conn. 
William  A.  Stiles,  Editor  of  Garden  and  Forest,  Deckertown,  N.  J. 
♦William  Fox  Strangeway',  late  British  Secretary  of  Legation  at  Naples, 

Italy. 
*Dr.  J.  Strentzel,  Martinez,  Cal. 
♦Judge  E.  B.  Strong,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 
♦James  P.  Sturgis,  Canton,  Ciiina. 
William  Summer,  Pomaria,  S.  C. 
Francis  Summerest. 
♦Professor   Michele   Tenore,  late   Director   of  the   Botanic   Garden   at 

Naples,  Italy. 
♦James  Englebert  Teschemacher,  Boston. 
♦Robert  Thompson,  Chiswick,  near  London. 
♦George  C.  Thorburn,  New  York. 
♦Professor  George  Thurber,  Editor  of  the  American  Agriculturist,  New 

York. 
♦John  Tilson,  Jr.,  Edwardsville,  111. 

♦Cav.  Doct.  ViNCENzo   TiNEO,  -  late  Director   of  the   Botanic    Garden   at 
Palermo. 
Dr.  Melchior  Treub,  Director  of  the  Botanic  Garden,  Buitenzorg,  Java. 
♦Llther  Tucker,  late  Editor  of  The  Cultivator,  Albany,  N.  Y. 


^84      MASSACHUSETTS  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 

*Caret  Trso,  Wallingford,  England. 
*Louis  Van  Houtte,  Ghent,  Belgium. 
*Alexander  Vattemare,  Paris. 
H.  J.  Veitch,  Chelsea,  England. 

Henrt  Vilmorin,    Secretaire   de  la  Societe   Nationale   d'Agriculture    de 
France,  Paris. 
*Emilien  de  Wael,  late  Secretary  of  the  Horticultural  Society,  Antwerp, 

Belgium. 
*JoHN  A.   Warder,    M.D.,  late  President  of  the  Ohio  State  Horticultural 
Society,  North  Bend,  0. 
.Anthony  Waterer,  Knapp  Hill,  near  Woking,  Surrey,  England. 
Sereno  Watson,  Ph.D.,  Cambridge. 
*J.   Ambrose  Wight,  late  Editor  of  the  Prairie  Farmer,  Chicago,  III. 
*Benjamin  Samcel  Williams,  Upper  Holloway,  London,  N. 
*Professor  John  Wilson,  Edinburgh  University,  Scotland. 
*  William  Wilson,  New  York. 
*HoN.  J.  F.  WiNGATE,  Bath,  Me. 
*Gen.  Joshua  Wingate,  Portland,  Me. 
*JosEPH  Augustus   Winthrop,  Charleston,  S.  C. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Business  Meeting,  April  5,  IS'jO;    no  quorum 211 

Business  Meeting,  May  3;  Letters  from  Hon.  Heniy  L.  Dawes  and  the  Hing- 

ham  Agricultural  and  Horticultural  Society,  p.  211;  Six  Members  elected      .  212 

Business  Meeting,  June  7;  Moss  for  Rose  Boxes,  p.  212;  Additional  Appropria- 
tion aslied  by  Window  Gardening  Committee,  212;  Letter  on  the  Improve- 
ment of  the  Potato,  by  Dr.  Robert  P.  Harris,  212-215;  Four  Members 
elected 215 

Business  Meeting,  July  5;  Appropriation  for  Window  Gardening  Committee, 
p.  215;  Amendment  to  Constitution  and  By-Laws,  proposed,  215,  216;  Com- 
mittee of  Arrangements  authorized  to  hire  Music  Hall,  216;  Four  Members 
elected 216 

Business  Meeting,  August  2;  Memorial  of  Patrick  Barry,  pp.  216-218;  Dele- 
gates to  Convention  concerning  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  218;  Moss 
for  Rose  Boxes,  218;  Society  of  American  Florists  and  Association  of  Cem- 
etery Superintendents  to  be  admitted  to  Exhibition,  219;  Committee  to 
nominate  Officers,  219;  Invitation  from  the  Gardeners  and  Florists'  Club, 
219;  Thanks  to  John  Croumbie  Brown,  for  Books 219 

Business  Meeting,  September  6;  Report  of  Nominating  Committee  presented, 
p.  219;  Thanks  voted  to  Contributors  of  Special  Prizes,  220;  Acknowledg- 
ment of  Memorial  of  Patrick  Barry,  220;  Thanks  from  the  Society  of 
American  Florists  and  the  Barnstable  Agricultural  Society,  220;  Thanks 
voted  to  the  City  Government  and  the  Press 220 

Business  Meeting,  October  4;  Annual  Election,- pp.  221,222;  Member  added 
to  Committee  on  Large  or  Interesting  Trees,  221;  Amendment  to  Constitu- 
tion and  By-Laws  adopted,  221;  Additional  Appropriation  for  Committee 
on  Plants  and  Flowers,  221;  Letter  from  the  Oxford  Agricultural  Society, 
221;  ilember  elected 222 

Business  Meeting,  November  1;  Appropriation  for  Prizes  for  1891,  p.  222; 
Diploma  Plate,  222;  Vacancies  in  Committee  on  Plants,  222,  223;  Two 
Members  elected 223 

Business  Meeting,  December  6;  Decease  of  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes  announced, 
p.  223;  Schedule  for  1891  adopted,  223;  Vacancies  in  Committee  on  Plants 
filled,  223,  224;  Vote  concerning  Diploma,  224;  Reports  of  Committee  on 
Plants  and  Flowers  and  Committee  on  Fruits  read,  224;  Further  Time 
granted  to  Committee  on  Vegetables,  224;  Library  Committee  authorized 
to  employ  assistance,  224;  Thanks  from  Association  of  American  Ceme- 
tery Superintendents,  224;  Four  Members  elected      224 

Business  Meeting,  December  20;  Decease  of  Warren  Heustis  announced,  p. 
225;  Reports  of  Committees  on  Vegetables,  Library,  and  Window  Garden- 
ing read,  225;  Reports  of  Member  of  Board  of  Control  and  Secretary  and 
Librarian  read,  225;  Partial  Report  of  Committee  of  Arrangements  read, 
225;  Committee  on  Memorial  of  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  225;  Classifica- 
tion of  Horticultural  Department  of  World's  Columbian  Exhibition,  225, 
226;  Preservation  of  Beautiful  and  Historical  Places 226 


11  CONTENTS. 


Report  of  the  Committee  on  Plants  and  Floweks;  Introduction,  pp.  227, 
228;  Weekly  Exhibitions,  228,  229,  230,231,  232,  235;  Spring  Exhibition, 
229,  230;  May  Exhibition,  230;  Rhododendron  Show,  230,  231;  Rose  Ex. 
hibition,  231,  232;  Annual  Exhibition,  233,234;  Chrysanlhennira  Exhibition, 

234,235;  Prizes  and  Gratuities  awarded 237-255 

Report  of  the   Committee  on  Fruits,  pp.  256-259;   Prizes  and   Gratuities 

awarded 260-276 

Report  of  the  Committee  on  Vegetables,  pp.  277-2S1;  Prizes  and  Gratui- 
ties awarded 282-293 

Report  of  the  Committee  on  Gardens;  Introduction,  pp.  294-297;  Orchid 
House  of  E.  W.  Gilmore,  297-299;  Residence  of  Robert  M.  Pratt,  299-302 ; 
Forcing  Houses  of  Hittiuger  Brothers,  302,  303;  Market  Strawberry  Garden 
of   Samuel  Barnard,  303;    Amateur  Strawberry    Garden  of  B.  M.  Smith, 

303-305 ;  Awards .  305 

Report  of  the  Committee  of  Arrangements 306,  307 

Report  of  the  Committee  on  Window  Gardening 308-314 

Report  to  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture 31.5-318 

Report  on  the  State  Experiment  Station 319,  320 

Report  of  the  Committee  on  the  Library,  pp.  321,  322;  Library  Ac- 
cessions,—  Books  purchased,  323-330;  Books,  etc.,  received  by  Donation 
and   Exchange,    331-347;  Periodicals   purchased,   347;  Periodicals   received 

in  Exchange 347,  348 

Report  of  the  Secretary  and  Librarian 349-351 

Report  of  the  Treasurer 352-356 

Report  of  the  Finance  Committee 354 

Mount  Auburn  Cemetery 357,  358 

Officers  and  Standing  Committees  for  1891 359-361 

Members  of  the  Society;  Life,  pp,  362-368;  Annual,  369-371 ;  Honorary,  373- 

377;  Corresponding 378-384 

Extract  from  the  Constitution  and  By-Laws 372 


TRANSACTIONS 


as$acj)iisct{$  Jorliciiltural  ^ocietg, 


FOR  THE  YEAR  1891. 


PART   I. 


BOSTON: 
PRINTED    FOR    THE    SOCIETY. 

1891. 


The  following  papers  and  discussions  have  been  circulated  to 
some  extent  in  the  form  of  slips  reprinted  from  the  reports  made 
by  the  Secretary  of  the  Society  in  the  Boston  Transcript.  As  here 
presented,  the  papers  are  printed  in  full,  and  the  discussions  are 
not  only  much  fuller  than  in  the  weekly  reports,  but,  where  it 
appeared  necessary,  have  been  carefulh'  revised  b}'  the  speakers. 

The  Committee  on  Publication  and  Discussion  take  this  oppor- 
tunity to  repeat  what  they  have  before  stated,  that  the  Society 
is  not  to  be  held  responsible  for  the  certainty  of  the  statements, 
the  correctness  of  the  opinions,  or  the  accuracy  of  the  nomemcla- 
ture  in  the  papers  and  discussions  now  or  heretofore  published,  all 
of  which  must  rest  on  the  credit  or  judgment  of  the  respective 
writers  or  speakers,  the  Society  undertaking  only  to  present  these 
papers  and  discussions,  or  the  substance  of  them,  correctly. 

O.  B.  Had  WEN,  '\     Committee  on 

William  H.  Hunt,  V  Puhlication  and 

Fran'cis  H.  Appletox,    J       Discussion. 


TRANSACTIONS 


OF    THE 


assatltusdtis  p0i1inilt«tiil  ^mltiv. 


BUSINESS  MEETING. 


Saturday,  January  3,  1891. 

A  duly  notified  stated  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at 
eleven  o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spoonee,  in  the  chair. 

This  being  the  commencement  of  the  term  of  office  of  the  new^ 
board  of  officers  and  standing  Committees,  the  President  delivered 
an  appropriate  annual  address  as  follows : 

Address  of  President  Spooner. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Massachusetts  Horticnltund 
Society: — Another  j'ear  has  passed,  and  we  meet  to  exchange 
friendly  wishes  for  that  which  is  before  us,  and  to  recall  with 
pleasure  the  successes  in  which  we  have  all  felt  so  much  interest 
during  the  months  that  have  left  their  treasures  with  us.  Three  of  our 
principal  exhibitions  were  remarkably  fine  ;  that  in  March,  of  bulbs^ 
which  were  of  high  merit,  and  notably  the  Aimual  Show  of  Plants^ 
which,  even  in  the  sultry  mouth  of  August,  aroused  great  enthu- 
siasm among  the  lovers  of  the  beautiful,  long  to  be  remembered. 
The  meeting  of  the  National  Society  of  Florists,  at  that  time, 
furnished  a  pleasant  stimulus  to  our  efforts  in  this  direction,  and 
the  opportunity  was  certainly  improved  to  the  fullest  extent.  The 
members  of  that  .Societ}',  representing  the  most  intelligent  cultiva- 
tors of  the  country  and  so  strongly  influencing  its  commercial 
floral  industries,  were  visitors  who  added  greatl}'^  to  the  zest  of  the 
occasion,  and  the  Committees  having  all  arrangements  in  charge 
deserved  high  praise  for  their  untiring  energy  in  bringing  together 
so  large  a  number  of  exhibitors  with  their  magnificent  collections- 


b         MASSACHUSETTS  HORTICULTUKAL  SOCIETY. 

of  plants.  Such  opportunities  as  this  furnish  a  good  test  of  our 
capabilities,  and  show  what  we  have  acquired ;  each  member  is 
ready  to  do  his  best,  and  those  who  visited  Music  Hall  during  the 
August  exhibition  will  need  no  reminder  of  the  beautiful  result. 

In  a  financial  point  of  view,  the  Chrysanthemum  Show  in 
November  was  by  far  the  best  of  its  kind  ever  held  by  the 
Society,  and  fully  emphasized  the  fact  that  the  public  appreciate  a 
good  exhibition  if  it  presents  something  out  of  the  regular  course, 
and  is  not  a  mere  repetition  of  its  predecessors. 

A  gratifying  improvement  has  been  apparent  also  in  the  weekly 
shows  of  the  season,  man}'  of  them  being  of  remarkable  excel- 
lence and  giving  the  best  incentive  to  our  exhibitors  to  keep  up  the 
standard,  each  one  striving  still  further  to  excel. 

One  of  our  members  has  suggested  the  value  of  membership  in 
our  Society,  and  how  much  he  has  enjoyed  its  privileges ;  instead 
of  a  membership  of  eight  hundred,  we  ought  to  have  on  our  list 
twice  that  number.  Can  we  not  each  endeavor  to  bring  in  one  or 
more  new  names  to  the  list? 

I  am  glad  to  notice  by  the  report  of  the  Library  Committee,  a 
more  general  use  of  the  books.  Our  privileges  in  this  respect  are 
extensive ;  we  have  one  of  the  finest  libraries  of  its  kind  in  the 
world ;  the  rooms  are  pleasant  and  convenient,  and  it  would  be 
advantageous  to  promote  social  interchange  and  increase  mutual 
interest  in  this  beautiful  science.  These  privileges  not  being 
restricted  to  members,  and  the  competition  for  prizes  being  open, 
to  all,  the  liberality  of  the  city  and  of  the  Commonwealth  towards 
our  Society  is  repaid  in  kind. 

And  this  leads  me  to  emphasize  the  importance  of  the  meetings 
for  discussion,  as  a  branch  of  our  work  which  deserves  more 
attention  from  memliers,  and  which  ought  to  attract  public  interest 
also.  The  papers  read  here  are  from  practical  and  scientific  men, 
upon  subjects  relating  to  practical  Horticulture  and  Agriculture, 
and  they  deserve  fuller  notice  by  the  press,  which  I  hope  our 
Committee  may  make  arrangements  to  insure.  The  Chairman  of 
the  Committee  says  the  Tkansactions  will  in  time  become  an 
eucycloptvdia  of  practical  Horticulture.  The  delays  which  have 
occurred  in  preparing  these  transactions  have  been  unavoidable, 
owing  to  repairs  being  made  in  the  halls  and  library,  during  1889, 
necessitating  frequent  interruptions  to  our  Secretary's  labors. 


ADDKE8S    or    TKESIDENT    SPOONER.  7 

From  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Window  Gardening  we 
learn  thtii  its  work  has  been  actively  continned,  with  a|)parent 
success,  showing"  a  gain  in  its  missionary  efforts  which  renders  it 
worthy  of  continned  sni)))ort;  its  inflnences  tend  to  increased 
information  on  the  snl)ject  of  our  art,  and  ultimately  perhaps  to 
an  increase  of  our  membership. 

I  desire  to  call  your  attention  to  the  AVorld's  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion, to  be  held  in  Chicago,  in  1893, —  a  national  celebration  of 
such  magnitude  that  it  should  receive  the  support  of  all.  Horti- 
culture should  be  fully  represented  in  all  its  branches,  in  a  distinct 
department,  as  such  an  Exposition  could  not  be  complete  without 
this  beautiful  feature.  Its  large  commercial  importance  justly 
entitles  it  to  proper  representation,  and  I  trust  that  our  Society  as 
one  of  the  oldest,  will  take  measures  at  an  early  day  to  secure  the 
opportunity  of  showing  some,  at  least,  of  the  achievements  of 
Massachusetts  Horticulture. 

This  Society  has  a  representation  in  the  State  Board  of  Agricul- 
ture, and  receives  its  annual  bounty ;  as  the  Board  holds  an 
annual  meeting  of  several  days'  duration  in  different  counties  of 
the  State  it  would  be  an  appropriate  act  of  courtesy  on  the  part  of 
our  Society  to  extend  an  invitation  to  the  Board  to  hold  its  next 
meeting  in  Boston,  with  the  free  use  of  our  halls  for  the  purpose. 

During  the  year  the  Societ}"  has  lost  from  its  memliership,  by 
death : 

John  S.  Farlow,  of  Newton,  an  amateur  cultivator  on  his  large 
estate,  and  a  frequent  and  valued  contributor  to  our  exhibitions. 
Mr.  Farlow  left  by  his  will,  a  conditional  bequest  to  this  Society. 

George  Hill,  of  Arlington,  one  of  our  strong  members,  a  man 
of  sterling  character ;  an  exhibitor  whose  products  were  of  the 
finest  and  whose  place  here  will  not  easily  be  filled. 

Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  widow  of  our  late  President,  who  was 
a  large  and  constant  contrilnitor  to  our  exhibitions,  continuing  to 
encourage  the  pursuits  in  which  her  husband  had  shown  so  much 
energy. 

Warren  Heustis,  of  Belmont,  even  within  a  few  days  has  been 
stricken  suddenly  from  among  us,  and  will  be  greatly  missed.  He 
has  been  a  valuable  contributor  in  the  department  of  fruits  and 
vegetables,  and  a  most  successful  amateur  rose  cultivator. 

Stiles  Frost,  of  Newton  and  Hermann  Grundel,  of  Roxbury, 
were   also  members  of  long  standing  and  of  undoubted   ability. 


8  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Also,  Dr.  Henry  J.  Bigelow,  who  became  a  member  of  our  Society 
only  a  few  months  before  his  death. 

The  vacant  spaces  left  in  our  ranks  admonish  us  that  we  need  to 
train  up  recruits  for  active  membership.  I  am  more  forcibly  im- 
pelled to  urge  this  by  the  discovery,  from  reference  to  the  records  of 
membership,  that  less  than  one-half  as  many  persons  Avere  admitted 
as  members  of  our  Society  during  1890,  as  there  were  in  1889.  It 
is,  therefore,  noticeable  that  while  our  exhibitions  have  greatly 
advanced  in  merit,  our  members  have  not  proportionately  increased, 
though  it  should,  in  justice,  be  said  that  the  large  accession  in  1889, 
was  chiefly  due  to  the  efforts  of  one  member. 

The  finances  of  the  Society  are  in  a  prosperous  condition  ;  the 
stores  are  under  favorable  leases,  and  the  halls  have  been  in  fre- 
quent demand  during  the  year,  yielding  good  returns  with  judicious 
management.  During  the  past  year  $10,000  has  been  paid  on  the 
mortgage  debt,  leaving  a  balance  of  $15,000  to  be  paid,  and  we 
have  in  the  Sinking  Fund  the  sum  of  S5,000.  The  John  Lewis 
Russell  fund,  of  $1,000,  is  permanently  invested. 

No  expenditures  of  importance  have  been  made  upon  the  build- 
ing, but  some  repairs  to  portions  of  the  premises  need  immediate 
attention.  The  Treasurer's  report,  which  is  delayed  for  examina- 
tion, will  show  gross  receipts  for  the  year  of  $4:8,781.39,  including 
a  balance  on  hand  January  1,  1890,  of  $10, 620. 55.  The  total 
expenditures  have  been  $33,559.31,  leaving  a  balance  of  cash  ou 
chand  December  31,  1890,  of  $15,222.08.  There  has  been  received 
from  Mount  Auburn  Cemetery  $5,360.44,  included  in  the  above 
amount. 

Joseph  H.  Woodford,  from  the  Committee  appointed  at  the  last 
meeting  to  prepare  a  memorial  of  the  late  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes, 
reported  the  following,  which  was  unanimously  adopted : 

The  Committee  to  prepare  resolutions  ou  the  death  of  Mrs. 
Francis  B.  Hayes  report  the  following  : 

It  is  with  feelings  of  deep  sorrow  that  we  record  the  death  of 
our  associate,  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  which  sad  event  occurred 
ou  the  20th  of  November,  1890,  after  an  illness  of  a  few  months' 
duration.  Mrs.  Hayes  was  a  woman  of  great  aetivit}',  very 
hospitable  and  social  in  her  domestic  life,  and  remarkably  sym- 
pathetic and  benevolent  toward  the  suffering  and  needy.  She  took 
lip  the  grand  work  of  Horticulture  immediately  after  the  death  of 
her  good   husband,   our    late    President,    and    continued    it   with 


MEMORIAL    OF    :M1{S.    FHANCIS    B.    IIAYE.S.  \f 

unabated  energy  until  the  day  of  her  death,  being  all  the  time  a 
constant  and  valued  contributor  to  the  exhibitions  of  our  Society. 

"We  cannot,  therefore,  permit  the  great  loss  that  has  befallen  us 
to  pass  by  without  recording  our  appreciation  of  her  many  virtues 
and  the  great  satisfaction  she  alwa^'s  experienced  in  contributing 
so  often  to  the  cultivation  of  the  social  element  in  our  Society. 
Therefore  : 

Resolved,  That  by  the  death  of  Mrs.  Hayes  our  Society  has 
lost  one  of  its  most  valued  members,  ever  active  in  promoting  the 
advancement  of  horticulture  by  her  grand  exhibitions  at  her  own 
beautiful  home  in  Lexington  and  in  our  halls,  and  by  the  great 
interest  she  always  manifested  in  the  social  enjoyments  of  our 
Society. 

Resolved,  That  we  will  cherish  the  memory  of  her  noble  deeds,  her 
unselfish  spirit,  and  her  devotion  to  the  interests  of  horticulture. 

Resolved,  That  we  tender  to  her  afflicted  family  our  sincere 
sjmipathy  in  this  time  of  their  great  bereavement. 

Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  entered  on  the  records  of 
our  Society,  and  that  a  cop}^  thereof  be  forwarded  to  the  family 
by  our  Secretary. 

Mrs.  E.  M.  Gill,  ^ 

Mrs.  a.  D.  Wood,         v  Committee. 

Joseph  H.  Woodford,  1 

John  G.  Barker,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Gardens, 
reported  the  awards  made  by  that  Committee  for  the  year  1890. 
The  report  was  accepted  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Pul;)li- 
cation,  and  it  was  voted  that  further  time  be  granted  the  Garden 
Commitee  to  complete  their  report. 

The  President,  as  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee, 
reported  a  recommendation  that  the  Society  make  the  folloAving 
appropriations  for  the  j-ear  1891  : 

For  the  Committee  on  AVindow  Gardening,  this  sum  to 
cover  all  incidental  expenses  of  the  Committee  and  to 
be  paid  through  the  regular  channels,    .  .  .  82.50 

For  the  Library  Committee,  for  the  purchase  of  maga- 
zines and  newspapers,  binding  of  books,  and  incidental 
expenses  of  the  Committee,  ....  ;^00 


10  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

For  the  same  Committee,  to  continue  the  Card  Catalogue 

of  Pktes glOO 

For  the  Committee  of  Arrangements,  this  sum  to  cover 

all  extraordinary  expenses  of  said  Committee.       .  300 

For  the  Committee  on  Publication  and  Discussion,  includ- 
ing the  income  of  the  John  Lewis  Russell  fund,     .  300 

For  the  compensation  of  the  Secretary  and  Librarian,  1,500 

These  appropriations  were  uuauimously  voted. 

The  appropriation  of  §6,800,  for  Prizes  and  Gratuities  for  the 
year  1891,  recommended  by  the  Executive  Committee  at  the  meet- 
ing on  the  first  Saturday  in  November,  came  up  for  final  action 
and  was  unanimously  voted. 

The  Executive  Committee  also  reported  approval  of  the  addi- 
tional appropriation  for  the  Flower  Committee  of  1890,  voted  by 
the  Society  at  the  meeting  on  the  first  Saturday  in  October,  with 
the  substitution  of  8272,  in  the  place  of  S300,  as  it  appeared  from 
the  Report  of  the  Committee  that  the  lesser  amount  is  sufficient. 
This  appropriation  also  was  voted. 

The  Executive  Committee  also  reported  the  appointment  of 
Charles  E.  Richardson  as  Treasurer  and  Superintendent  of  the 
Building,  and  Robert  Manning  as  Secretary  and  Librarian. 

The  Executive  Committee  also  reported,  in  regard  to  the  Circu- 
lars concerning  the  Preservation  of  Beautiful  and  Historical 
Places  in  Massachusetts,  referred  to  that  Committee  by  the  Society 
at  its  last  meeting,  a  recommendation  that  the  Society'  pass  the 
following  vote : 

Voted,  That  this  Societ}'  expresses  its  hearty  approval  of  the 
movement  for  the  Preservation  of  Beautiful  and  Historical  Places 
in  Massachusetts,  and  will  cooperate  therein,  and  that  a  request  be 
made  that  this  Society  be  named  in  the  act  of  incorporation  to  be 
asked  for,  for  this  purpose,  and  that  the  Society  be  represented 
by  the  President  at  such  hearings  as  may  be  held  at  the  State 
House  on  the  subject. 

This  vote  was  unanimously  passed. 

Joseph  H.  Woodford  moved  that  the  Chairmen  of  the  Commit- 
tees on  Plants,  Flowers,  Fruits,  and  Vegetables  Ite  paid  8100  each, 
per  annum.     This  motion  was  withdrawn  by  the  mover  in  favor  of 


AXXOIXCE.MENT    BY    COMMITTEE    OX    DISCUSSION.  11 

a  motion  by  Ex-President  AValcott,  that  a  Special  Committee  l)e 
appointed  to  consider  tlie  subject  of  compensation  of  committees. 
The  hitter  motion  was  carried,  and  tlie  chair  ai)pointed  as  the 
Committee,  Joseph  H.  AVoodford,  Henry  P.  Walcott,  and  Charles 
II.  B.  Breck. 

On  motion  of  E.  W.  "Wood,  it  was  voted  to  invite  the  State 
Board  of  Agriculture  to  hold  its  Annual  Meeting,  in  December 
next,  in  the  City  of  Boston ;  and  to  offer  the  free  use  of  the 
Society's  Halls  for  that  purpose,  and  that  the  Secretar}^  communi- 
cate this  invitation  to  the  Board  of  Agriculture. 

On  motion  of  Charles  N.  Brackett,  the  Chair  appointed  Mr. 
Brackett,  Varnum  Frost,  and  Charles  F.  Curtis  a  Committee  to 
prepare  a  memorial  of  the  late  "Warren  Heustis. 

On  motion  of  Charles  N.  Brackett,  the  Chair  appointed  Mr. 
Brackett,  Joseph  H.  Woodford,  and  E.  W.  "Wood  a  Committee  to 
nominate  a  candidate  to  fill  the  vacancy  in  the  Committee  on 
Vegetables,  caused  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Heustis. 

On  motion  of  I.  Gilbert  Bobbins,  it  was  voted  that  tlie  President 
appoint  a  committee  of  seven  members,  to  revise  the  Constitution 
and  By-Laws  of  the  Society.  The  President  stated  that  he  would 
repoi't  the  Committee  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Society. 

O.  B.  Hadwen,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Publication  and 
Discussion,  announced  that  the  Schedule  of  Prizes  and  Programme 
of  Meetings  for  Discussion  were  ready,  and  that  a  copy  would  be 
mailed  to  every  member  of  the  Society ;  also  that  the  first  of  the 
Meetings  for  Discussion  would  be  held  on  the  next  Saturday, 
when  H.  E.  Van  Deman,  Pomologist  to  the  United  States  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  would  speak  on  the  work  of  his  Division. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  January  10. 


BUSINESS   MEETING. 

Saturday,  January  10,   1891. 

An  adjourned   meeting  of   the   Society  was    holden   at   eleven 
o'clock,  the  President,  "William  H.  Spooxer,  in  the  chair. 


12  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Charles  N.  Brackett,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  appointed  at 
the  last  meeting  to  give  expression  to  the  feelings  of  the  Society 
on  the  death  of  TTarren  Heustis,  presented^  the  following  report, 
which  was  unanimously  adopted. 

The  Committee  appointed  to  prepare  a  memorial  of  the  late 
Warren  Heustis  report  the  following : 

The  intelligence  of  the  death  of  Warren  Heustis,  which  occurred 
on  Wednesda}',  December  17,  came  to  us  like  one  of  those  unex- 
pected and  startling  calamities  which  occasionally  arrest  our 
thoughts,  and  remind  us  how  true  it  is  that  "  in  the  midst  of  life 
we  are  in  death."  Suddenly  and  without  premonition,  in  the 
fulness  of  his  sti-eugth,,  he  has  been  called  from  the  scene  of  his 
earthly  labors  which  he  has  so  long  dignified  and  adorned. 

For  thirty  years  he  has  been  a  constant  and  valued  contributor 
of  Fruits,  Flowers,  and  Vegetables  at  our  exhibitions,  has  been 
frequently  called  to  sei"%'e  on  important  committees,  and  at  tlie 
time  of  his  death  was  a  member  of  the  Vegetable  Committee, 
having  served  in  that  capacity  for  eight  successive  years.  He  was 
a  very  successful  cultivator,  and  was  the  orginator  of  the  famous 
Belmont  seedling  strawberr}-.  Mr.  Heustis  was  also  very  fond  of 
flowers,  particularly  the  Rose,  the  love  for  which  amounted,  with 
him,  almost  to  a  passion.  He  was  a  man  widely  known  from  the 
interest  which  he  took  in  agTiculture  and  all  that  pertains  to  its 
kindred  arts.  His  circle  of  friends  was  large  and  his  loss  will  be 
greatl}^  lamented.  He  Avas  gentle  and  unassuming  in  his  manners, 
discriminating  and  sound  in  his  judgment,  and  firm  in  his  opinions, 
though  he  never  pressed  them  upon  his  listeners.  He  always  advo- 
cated what  he  believed  to  be  right  and  just,  without  fear  or  favor 
to  anj'.  He  was  fond  of  rural  life  and  found  his  chief  enjoyment 
in  the  bosom  of  his  family  and  in  the  congenial  occupations  of  liis 
farm. 

It  falls  to  the  lot  of  few  men  to  enjoy  in  this  life  a  greater 
measure  of  respect  and  confidence  than  Mr.  Heustis  secured  from 
those  around  him,  and  now  that  he  has  gone  he  leaves  behind  the 
precious  memory  of  an  eminently  pure,  useful,  and  honored  life. 

In  view  of  his  long  and  useful  services  to  this  Society,  his  many 
excellences  as  a  man,  and  the  interest  he  has  always  manifested 
in  the  welfare  of  our  association,  the  Massachusetts  Horticultural 
Society  desires  to  place  on  record  its  appreciation  of  his  services 
and  its  high  respect  for  his  character  and  memory.     Therefore, 


.MEMORIAL    OF    WAKIJF.X    IIEX^STIS.  13 

Resolved.  That  iu  the  decease  of  Mr.  Heustis  there  has  been 
removed  from  our  circle  an  active  and  devoted  friend  of  Horticul- 
ture, whose  interest  iu  the  work  of  the  Society  continued  through 
a  long  and  active  life,  and  ceased  onh'  with  its  close. 

Resolved,  That  these  proceedings  be  entered  on  the  records  of 
the  Society,  and  that  a  copy  thereof  be  sent  to  the  family  of  the 
deceased  with  the  assurance  of  our  warmest  sympath}-  in  tJieir 
great  afHiction. 

C.  N.  Brackett,  ^ 

Varxum  Frost,      >  Committee. 

C.  F.  Curtis,         ) 

The  Chair  announced  the  Committee  on  the  Revision  of  the 
Constitution  and  By-Laws  provided  for  at  the  last  meeting,  as 
follows : 

I.  Gilbert  Robbixs,  Leverett  M.  Chase, 

Fraxcis  H.  Appletox,  Johx  G.  Barker, 

Hexry  W.  AVilsox,  O.  B.  Hadwex, 

Robert  Maxxixg. 

On  motion  of  Ex-President  "William  C.  Strong,  it  was  voted 
that  the  President  be  added  to  the  Committee  as  Chaii'man. 

On  motion  of  E.  H.  Hitchiugs,  it  was  voted  that  agreeably  to 
the  rules  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture  three  pi'izes  of  SlO,  88, 
and  ^^^1  be  given  for  the  best  reports  of  awarding  committees,  and 
that  the  Committee  on  Publication  and  Discussion  l)e  requested  to 
award  these  prizes. 

The  Annual  Report  of  the  Treasurer,  for  the  j^ear  1890, 
approved  by  the  Finance  Committee,  was  read  by  the  vSecretary, 
accepted,  and  ordered  to  be  placed  on  file. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  January  17. 

MEETING   FOR    DISCUSSION. 

The  "Work  of   the   Pomological  Divisiox  of  the  Uxited 
States  Departmext  of  Agricultire. 

By  H.  E.  Vak  Deman,  Poaiologist,  Washington,  D.  C. 

In  accepting  the  veiy  cordial  invitation  to  address  3'ou  on  this 
occasion  I  feel  both  honored  and  gratified  at  being  able  to  meet 
with  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  useful  Horticultural  Societies  in 


14  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

the  country.  Tlie  subject  suggested  by  your  Committee  is  the 
work  which  is  phiced  in  my  official  cliarge  as  chief  of  the  Pomolog- 
ical  Division  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  and 
as  I  understand  it,  this  is  to  be  suggestive  of  a  discussion  of  the 
subject  in  general  at  this  time.  I  do  so  with  the  more  pleasure  as 
I  feel  sure  that  ideas  will  be  advanced  and  criticisms  made  which 
will  doubtless  result  in  good  to  the  cause  of  Pomology.  It  is  not 
necessary  that  my  paper  should  be  long,  but  rather  that  I  merely 
touch  upon  some  of  the  leading  thoughts  in  connection  with  the 
work. 

It  is  but  little  more  than  four  years  since  the  establishment  of 
this  Division  and  the  appropriations  for  its  use  have  thus  far  been 
so  very  small  that  it  has  not  been  possible  fulh'  to  execute  many 
plans  begun,  nor  prudent  to  inaugurate  others  that  I  have  long 
had  in  mind.  The  original  purpose  of  its  institution  and  organi- 
zation was  to  do  work  that  cannot  in  the  nature  of  things  be  done  by 
the  pomological  and  horticultural  societies  of  the  country ;  and  this 
has  been  closely  followed.  It  is  our  constant  effort  to  supplement 
and  assist  wherever  and  whenever  possible  and  thus  further  the 
good  cause  which  ennobles  manhood,  elevates  our  purposes  and 
makes  more  delightful  the  realities  of  every  day  life.  The  good 
done  to  the  world  by  Mr.  Ephraim  W.  Bull,  of  your  State,  in 
placing  before  the  public  the  Concord  grape,  will  never  be  more 
than  slightly  appreciated.  It  has  not  only  made  that  variety 
plentiful  and  cheap  in  the  markets  but  it  has  brought  the  high- 
priced  and  higher  flavored  Delaware  and  Catawba  within  the  reach 
of  the  huml)lest  daily  laborer  who  toils  in  the  factory  or  at  the 
forge.  If  the  Pomological  Division  can  be  the  means  of  bringing 
from  obscurity  some  fruit  of  even  less  value  than  the  Concord 
grape  it  certainly  will  not  have  existed  in  vain. 

Among  the  things  that  we  are  trying  to  do  is  the  investigation  of 
the  wild  fruits.  No  part  of  either  temperate  zone  is  so  richly 
endowed  by  nature  with  wild  fruits  of  such  intrinsic  value  and  so 
susceptible  of  improvement  as  the  United  States,  and  yet  we  have 
only  begun  their  improvement.  Thr  cultivation  of  only  four  of 
the  twenty-live  species  of  our  wild  grapes  has  been  attempted  and 
this  in  a  limited  degree. 

For  three  years  past  Professor  T.  V.  Munsou,  of  Denisou, 
Texas,  has  been  working  in  conjunction  with  the  Division  in 
preparing  a  monograph  which  shall  cover  the  entire  genus  Vitis,  as 


rOMOLOCJICAL  DniSIOX  U.   S.    DEl'T.   OF  A(;iHCrLTll!E.        15 

found  growing  Avild  in  North  America.  Already  a  preliminar}' 
report  has  been  issued  upon  this  subject,  which  I  presume  has 
been  received  by  all  the  members  of  this  Society.  The  Avork  upon 
tlie  complete  monograph  is  progressing,  but  it  is  necessarily  very 
slow,  as  the  preparation  of  the  illustrations  is  exceedingly  ditticult 
and  the  field  work  necessar}'  also  requires  much  time.  At  the 
present  time  we  are  nearly  ready  for  publication,  and  the  greatest 
obstacle  we  meet  is  in  obtaining  the  necessary  appropriations  to 
defray  the  cost  of  publication.  All  the  species  will  be  represented 
of  life  size  and  in  life  colors,  including  the  fruit,  wood,  leaves, 
flowers,  seeds,  etc.,  so  that  any  person  of  ordinary  intelligence  may 
identify  such  of  the  wild  grapes  as  may  grow  in  his  vicinity.  The 
text  will  contain  not  only  accurate  scientific  descriptions,  but 
cultural  notes  and  suggestions  as  to  the  hybridization,  etc.,  for  the 
purpose  of  enabling  those  who  desire  to  experiment  to  proceed 
more  intelligently  than  without  such  aid. 

The  berries  have,  so  far,  yielded  the  most  easily  to  the  hand  of 
man,  but  the  tree  fruits  are  also  well  worthy  of  more  attention 
than  has  been  bestowed.  The  whole  genus  Prunus,  as  represented 
in  North  America  has  been  only  recently  and  l)ut  slightly 
improved,  and  this  merely  by  the  selection  of  chance  wildings. 
The  few  native  plums  thus  o])tained  give  promise  of  much  greater 
tilings  in  the  future,  and  to  this  end  it  is  my  purpose  to  monograph 
this  genus  and  not  onh'  describe  and  illu^strate  each  native  species 
but  try  to  show  what  might  be  done  by  crossing  them  with  each 
other  and  possibly  with  the  common  cultivated  plum  of  Europe, 
P.  domestica. 

When  we  think  of  it,  it  is  really  surprising  how  little  is  known 
of  even  our  commonest  fruits.  Who  can  tell  the  season  of  the 
Baldwin  apple  in  Massachusetts,  Ohio,  Tennessee,  and  Texas ;  or 
when  the  Concord  grape  will  ripen  in  northern  Michigan,  Kansas, 
and  Florida  ?  If  ten  of  the  leading  strawberries  ripen  in  Connec- 
ticut in  a  certain  order  will  they  do  the  same  in  Virginia  and 
California?  Why  are  the  same  varieties  of  the  orange  thicker- 
skinned  and  more  acid  in  flavor  grown  in  California  than  in 
Florida?  These  are  only  specimens  of  thousands  of  such  ques- 
tions which  are  not  only  of  interest  to  the  scientific  pomologist  but 
which  would  be  of  practical  value  to  the  grower  if  answered 
from  relial)le  data.  A  beginning  has  been  made,  as  no  doubt 
nearly  all  of  you  know,  by  issuing  circulars  calling  for  information 


1()  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

which  will  enable  us  to  prepare  special  reports  upon  the  apple  and 
the  small  fruits.  Unfortunately  the  season  was  unfavorable  to  the 
apple  last  year,  over  a  large  part  of  the  country,  and  it  will  be 
necessary  to  issue  another  circular  this  year  on  the  same  subject, 
a.s  it  would  be  unwise  to  attempt  a  publication  Avithout  comprehen- 
sive information,  and  this  it  has  not  been  possible  for  our  corres- 
pondents to  give  during  the  past  year. 

The  other  fruits  are  to  be  treated  in  a  similar  way  if  my 
purposes  are  carried  into  effect.  All  this  requires  much  thought 
in  preparing  the  questions  and  collating  the  returns  and  getting 
them  into  readable  shape.  The  time  and  skilled  labor  necessary 
in  accomplishing  this  is  expensive  and  could  not  be  borne  by  any 
of  the  state  or  national  societies,  and  as  it  is  public  work  it  should 
be  paid  for  out  of  the  public  funds.  What  more  legitimate  use 
could  lie  made  of  the  taxes  paid  by  horticulturists?  The  mere 
clerical  work  is  a  burden  that  only  the  general  government  can 
and  should  bear.  It  has  been  my  invariable  rule  in  selecting 
clerks,  to  emplo}'  oi^ly  such  as  have  a  natural  inclination  to  pomol- 
ogy combined  with  a  reasonable  amount  of  education  acquired 
both  in  the  class  room  and  in  the  field  of  practice,  that  they  may 
know  what  they  do  and  also  be  in  love  witli  their  work.  So  far, 
all  the  six  persons  employed  in  the  Pomological  Division  have 
been  reared  in,  and  taken  from  the  country,  and  so  far  as  I  control 
the  Division  there  will  be  none  other. 

The  employment  of  special  agents  outside  the  office  has  onh' 
been  possible  in  a  few  cases  but  they  have  been  eminently  useful 
in  gathering  facts.  At  present,  Mr.  John  S.  Harris,  of  Minne- 
sota, is  investigating  the  hardy  fruits  of  the  Northwest  and 
the  Russian  apples  in  particular ;  also  Mr.  T.  T.  Lyon,  of  Michi- 
gan, whom  you  all  know  as  an  able  pomologist,  is  a  regular 
employe  of  the  Division,  and  at  the  present  is  visiting  the  state 
horticultural  societies  of  the  West,  to  assist  in  naming  their  fruits, 
participate  in  their  discussions,  and  endeavor  to  arrange  a  system 
of  reciprocitj'  between  the  national,  state,  and  local  societies  and 
the  Pomological  Division.  It  is  hoped  that  by  this  latter  means,  in 
due  time,  much  good  may  be  done  directly  to  the  fruit  growers  by 
collecting  and  disseminating  information  through  our  reports  and 
otherwise.  It  is  especially  desired  to  cooperate  witli  the  societies 
in  all  possible  ways  and  if  anything  can  be  done  in  this  direction 
with  and  for  j^our  State,  I  trust  it  will  be  brought  about. 


I'O.MOLOCilC'AL  DIVISION   U.   8.   DEl'T.  OF  AOKICULTUKE.        17 

The  proper  nainiui>'  of  fruits  is  a  matter  wliich  deinaiuls  our 
most  strenuous  ami  intelliiieut  efforts.  Confusion  abounds  in  the 
field  of  praclieal  poui()l(»<2,y,  and  if  i)roper  skill  and  authority  cau 
be  brought  to  bear  in  an  opposite  direction,  who  will  not  be  glad? 
Your  venerated  Wilder,  whom  we  all  love  to  honor,  did  all  he 
could  to  simi)lify  names  and  eliminate  synonymes  from  the  nomen- 
clature of  fruits.  The  reform  which  the  American  Pomological 
Society  has  commenced  is  an  outgrowth  of  his  views,  and  is  well 
worth}'  of  extensive  application.  I  have  delivered  before  the 
American  Nurserymen's  Association  a  strong  appeal  to  have  that 
body  take  some  action  which  shall  lead  unrser^anen  to  adopt  in 
their  catalogues  the  approved  names,  and  thus  carry  into  effect 
that  which  the  American  Pomological  Society  has  so  ably  begun. 
In  fact,  if  the  uurserj'men  do  not  do  it  no  one  cau.  Thej^  are  the 
teachers  of  the  public  in  this  regard. 

The  Nurserymen's  Association  in  their  meeting  in  Chicago,  in 
June,  1889,  accepted  the  truth  of  the  charge  that  nurserymen 
often  misinform  the  public  as  to  the  true  names  of  fruits  (and  the 
same  is  perhaps  true  of  flowers)  ;  but  they  thought  the  task  of 
reform  too  great  and  no  plan  was  adopted.  Of  course,  whatever 
is  done  must  be  largely  or  entirely  advisory  and  not  dictatorial, 
and  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  the  rules  and  corrections  of  the 
American  Pomological  Society  into  practical  application  I  have 
promised  to  arrange  to  have  every  fruit  catalogue  corrected  in  my 
office,  so  as  to  accord  with  the  above  idea,  and  return  it  to  the 
nurseryman  for  his  approval  and  final  adoption.  Thus  would 
progress  be  made  and  simplicity  and  uniformity  rule  where  chaos 
now  is.  It  would,  however,  remain  to  be  seen  whether  the 
nurserjnneu  would  accept  the  corrections  as  authoritative.  If  any 
one  can  suggest  a  better  plan  I  shall  most  gladly  use  my  best 
efforts  to  advance  it. 

One  of  the  most  arduous  tasks  which  I  have  to  perform  in  the 
course  of  my  official  duties  is  the  naming  of  varieties  which  are 
sent  in  for  identification  from  all  parts  of  the  country.  Within 
the  past  year  more  than  ten  thousand  such  specimens  have  been 
received  and  passed  upon  and  I  am  happy  to  say  that  in  nearly  all 
cases  it  has  been  possible  to  make  satisfactory  answers.  How 
much  of  such  work  has  been  done  by  Downing,  Warder,  and 
many  others  at  their  own  cost  of  time ;  and  often  of  express  bills, 
small  individually,  but  large  in  the  aggregate,  to  say  nothing  of 
2 


18  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

postage.  We  have  the  free  iise  of  the  mails,  and  not  only  letters 
but  packages  of  specimens  go  under  (jnr  frank.  I  liave  on  hand 
boxes  and  franks  which  will  be  sent  to  any  person  requesting 
them,  thus  enabling  him  to  forward  any  specimens  appertaining  to 
to  pomology  which  he  may  think  of  interest  or  may  desire  to  have 
identified. 

One  of  the  first  things  which  I  attempted  otticially  was  to- 
arrange  and  have  adopted  by  the  state  horticultural  societies, 
especially  those  near  each  other  or  having  common  interests,  a 
system  of  holding  their  regular  meetings  in  succession.  It  is 
evident  that  such  an  arrangement  can  be  onl}^  beneficial,  as  persons 
wishing  to  attend  the  meetings  of  neighboring  States  can  do  so, 
whereas,  if  they  met  at  the  same  time  this  would  not  be  possible. 
It  also  affords  opportunit}"  for  several  societies  to  engage  the 
services  of  the  same  lecturer,  whose  abilities  may  l»e  of  such  a 
character  that  his  presence  is  needed  in  more  than  one  State.  I 
am  happy  to  say  that  with  few  exceptions  this  plan  met  with 
approval.  In  a  few  cases  it  was  necessary  to  have  the  legislatures 
pass  special  amendatory  acts  and  in  others  the  constitution  of  the 
society  had  to  be  changed. 

In  the  course  of  our  official  work  we  obtain  information  concern- 
ing a  great  many  mew  seedling  fruits  that  have  never  been  heard 
of  except  in  their  native  localities.  There  are  many  others  which 
might  have  been  found  had  we  been  a  big  to  make  th(£  necessary 
investigations,.  To  bring  these  from  obscurity  and  place  them 
where  they  will  be  tested  is  a  work  that  all  will  agree  should  be 
performed.  In  many  cases  very  little  expense  would  be  necessary 
either  in  the  way  of  time  or  money. 

I  have  long  endeavored  to  secure  an  ai)propriation  that  shall 
enable  me  not  only  to  collect  and  distribute  tltese  nameless  fniits, 
thus  placing  them  where  they  may  be  of  some  use  to  the  world, 
but  to  purchase  scions,  cuttings,  plants,  etc.,  of  fruits  that  are 
already  someAvhat  known,  and  distribute  them  in  places  where 
they  may  be  likely  to  prove  valuable.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  so 
far  my  efforts  have  been  wholly  in  vain.  The  representatives  of 
the  people  in  Congress  are  their  publie  servants,  elected  for  the 
especial  jjurpose  of  serving  their  constituents,  and  it  certainly 
would  hv  in  no  wise  improper  for  the  fruit  growers  of  this  country 
to  suggest,  and  perhaps  even  deuiniid.  that  something  of  the  kind 
just  mentioned  be  done. 


I'O.MOLtHilf'AI,   l)I\  ISION   V.   S.    DEl'T,   OF  AOUICULTI  UK.        19" " 

It  is  with  great  i)lea.siire  that  I  can  state  that  withui  \h:\  past 
few  years  I  have  been  able  to  introduce  from  foreiii'u  eoua- 
tries  several  iViiits  which  have  never  appeared  on  this  side  the 
great  oceans  except  in  their  manufactured  forms,  and  which  give 
promise  of  success  in  tliis  country.  Among  these  I  might  name 
the  Citron  of  commerce,  whicli  until  within  the  past  year  has  only 
been  represented  by  an  occasional  seedling  tree  in  the  southern 
parts  of  Florida  and  California.  Not  one  ounce  of  American 
preserved  citi'on  is  to  be  found,  and  yet  there  is  no  good  reason 
why  all  that  is  needed  by  our  pecjple  may  not  be  grown  withiu  the' 
United  States.  Thirteen  of  the  very  choicest  named  varieties- 
were  procured  from  Palermo  and  Catania,  on  the  Island  of  Sicily, 
and  from  Naples  on  the  mainland  of  Italy.  These  were  budded 
from  bearing  trees  at  my  special  order  given  through  the  Depart- 
ment of  State.  Other  varieties  have  been  ordered  from  Bastia,  on 
the  Island  of  Corsica,  where,  it  is  said,  the  very  best  citrous  are 
grown  and  shipped  to  Leghoi'u,  where  they  are  preserved  and 
whence  the  product  is  sent  to  market. 

It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  in  the  southern  parts  of 
California,  Arizona,  NeAv  Mexico,  and  Texas  there  are  millions  of 
acres  which  can  be  made  to  produce  Dates  of  as  good  quality  as- 
those  grown  in  Arabia  and  Persia.  Relieving  this  I  sent  to  the  ■ 
date  growing  regions  fm'  rooted  suckers  from  the  best  named 
varieties  in  existence,  and  within  less  than  one  year  from  the  date 
of  this  order,  which  was  also  given  through  the  Department  of 
State,  sixty-three  plants  were  safely  landed  on  our  shores,  and  are 
now  planted  in  the  region  before  mentioned,  without  the  loss  of  a; 
single  one.  In  due  time  it  is  expected  that  others  will  be  received. 
All  former  efforts  to  secure  rooted  suckers  of  the  date  have  failed, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  they  Avere  not  planted  in  tubs  of  earth 
and  well  established  and  then  sent  in  this  condition.  All  the  dates 
growing  in  the  United  States,  previous  to  this  importation,  are 
seedlings,  and,  as  is  the  case  with  other  fruits,  there  is  no  certainty 
as  to  what  variety  of  fruit  will  be  produced  in  this  way ;  and  not 
only  this,  but  as  the  date  is  a  dioecious  tree  there  is  no  certainty 
as  to  which  sex  will  be  produced.  One  case,  in  Florida,  has  come 
under  my  notice,  in  which  five  trees  were  carefully  watched  until 
the}^  grew  to  large  size,  when  all  proved  to  be  males.  Aside 
from  this,  it  is  certainly  advisable,  if  we  begin  the  culture  of  the 
date   as  an  article  of  commerce,  to  begin  w^here  the  Arabs,  the 


20  MASSACHUSETTS    HOKTICULTUKAL    SOCIETY. 

Persians,  and  the  Syrians  left  off.  by  procurina;  the  varieties  which 
have  come  down  to  tliem  throngh  thonsands  of  years  of  careful 
selections. 

The  Mango  is  anotlier  fruit  which  has  until  recently  been  repre- 
sented on  this  continent  only  by  a  few  seedling  trees,  but  I  have 
procured  from  India  grafted  plants  of  a  number  of  their  ver}' 
choicest  varieties.  These  are  now  in  southern  Florida,  where  they 
are  being  propagated  on  young  seedlings,  and  when  ready  for 
distribution  they  will  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  those  Avho  are  likely 
to  succeed  with  them. 

There  is  not  a  pound  of  Filberts  in  any  of  the  stores  of  the 
United  States  that  has  not  been  imported,  and  it  has  occurred  to 
me  that  our  own  people  might  produce  Avhat  our  markets  demand, 
if  the  original  stock  were  placed  in  their  hands.  With  this  pur- 
pose in  view  I  have  endeavored  to  procure  from  Europe  and  the 
British  Islands  plants  and  fresh  nuts  that  a  thorough  test  may  be 
made  as  to  their  adaptability  to  this  country.  The  Puget  Sound 
region  seems  to  be  a  suitable  place  for  this  experiment,  as  the 
climatic  conditions  are  fully  as  good  as  those  in  Kent,  England, 
where  a  large  part  of  the  filberts  found  in  our  markets  are  pro- 
duced, and  I  think  the  soil  is  better.  There  are  doubtless  other 
places  where  they  will  succeed  quite  well.  These  are  onl}'  a  part 
■of  the  new  fruits  which  I  have  already  been  able  to  procure 
through  our  foreign  consuls  ;  and  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  sa}' 
in  this  connection  that,  although  some  critical  persons  may  think 
that  our  foreign  representatives  are  gentlemen  of  only  political 
a1)ilities,  I  have  been  convinced  by  numerous  practical  demonstra- 
tions that,  as  a  rule,  they  are  wide  awake  to  the  industrial  interests 
of  this  country.  In  every  case  in  which  I  have  niade  application 
to  them  through  the  Secretary  of  State,  I  have  been  able  to  secure 
just  what  was  desired  or  to  get  information  that  it  was  imprac- 
ticable to  do  so. 

It  may  seem  to  some  persons  that  the  central  part  of  our 
-country  has  been  overlooked  in  the  procuring  of  these  foreign 
fruits,  but  I  assure  you  that  this  is  not  the  case.  Europe  is  the 
principal  field  which  can  be  worked  to  obtain  such  fruits  as  will 
endure  the  climate  of  a  large  part  of  our  country,  and  it  has  been 
gone  over  and  over  for  centuries  past  and  very  little  remains  there 
worthy  of  introduction.  Asia  presents  a  much  better  opportunity, 
and  if  possible  we  may  yet  be  able  to  get  many  valuable  things 


rOMOLCHilCAL  DIVISIO.V  U.   S.   DEl'T.   OF  AGKICLLTLUE.        21 

from  there.  Allow  nie  to  say  in  this  couiiectiou  that  although  it 
may  seem  a  special  favor  to  Florida,  California,  or  Oregon  to  give 
them  a  fruit  which  they  alone  can  grow,  it  is,  nevertheless,  a 
benefit  to  the  whole  country.  Does  the  grower  of  the  Washington 
Navel  orange  at  Riverside.  California,  monopolize  its  good  quali- 
ties, or  does  the  citizen  of  Boston  share  with  him?  If  the 
Alphonse  mango,  which  is  the  delight  of  the  resident  of  India,  as 
he  sips  its  sweet  juices  on  the  veranda  of  his  bungalow,  can  be 
gi-own  at  Lake  Worth,  Florida,  will  not  the  express  ti-aiu  land  it  in 
New  York  or  ^Minneapolis  in  good  condition,  and  thus  l)ring  the 
ends  of  the  earth  together?  In  these  days  of  rapid  and  safe 
transit  for  tender  fruits,  all  sections  of  the  country  can  be  supplied 
with  such  things  as  before  were  denied  to  all  except  those  who 
lived  in  the  favored  regions  where  they  grew. 

Tlie  field  opens  as  the  work  progresses.  The  Division  of 
Pomology  is  now  firmly  established  as  a  part  of  the  government 
service  and  I  trust  that  it  may  serve  the  fruit  growers  of  our  whole 
country  in  a  satisfactory  manner.  Upon  them,  in  jtart.  lies  the 
burden  of  responsibility  as  to  its  conduct,  and  I  frankly  invita 
criticisms  and  suggestions  which  shall  lead  us  forward. 

Discrssiox. 

O.  B.  Hadwen  was  much  gratified  to,  hear  Mr.  ^'an  Deman's 
statement  of  the  work  of  the  Pomological  Division  of  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture.  It  is  a  matter  of  surjirise  to 
many  to  learn  how  vast  is  the  amount  of  fruit,  and  how  almost 
innumerable  are  the  varieties  now  grown  in  our  country.  It  is  a 
leading  object  of  this  Society  to  encourage  the  production  and 
general  introduction  of  new  fruits  and  vegetables,  but  perhaps  we 
have  been  remiss  in  bringing  into  notice  some  excellent  new  fruits. 
Fair  specimens  of  new  seedlings  can  be  produced  in  five  years, 
but  we  cannot  depend  upon  their  good  qualities  being  established 
without  several  years  of  trial.  He  declared  his  belief  in  a  definite 
terai  of  life  in  fruits  as  in  other  organic  forms,  and  in  this  respect 
some  new  fruits  have  too  short  a  term  of  life  to  be  of  much  value. 

E.  W.  Wood  was  interested  in  the  paper  just  read,  but  he  did 
not  think  it  affected  New  England.  The  work  of  introducing  new- 
fruits  here  depends  largeW  upon  amateurs,  as  those  who  grow  fruit 
for  market  do  not  find  it  profitable   to  go  outside  of  the  standard 


.22  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

kinds.  The  three  apples  most  grown  here  for  sale  are  natives  of 
Massachusetts.  He  holds  as  an  axiom  that  varieties  of  fruits 
most  profitably  grown  for  market  succeed  best  in  the  places  where 
they  originate.  Alluding  to  the  Concord  grape,  he  said  he  was 
convinced  that  this  improvement  upon  the  wild  grape  came  from  a 
native.  No  grape  crossed  with  foreign  varieties  is  desh'able  for 
market  purposes.  The  Concord  is  almost  as  reliable  as  any  other 
fruit,  except  when  the  season  is  very  backward.  The  Wordeu  is 
somewhat  earlier  and  is  more  popular.  There  is  one  advantage  in 
growing  new  small  fruits  in  that  they  can  be  tested  sooner. 

Professor  L.  R.  Taft,  Horticulturist  at  the  Michigan  Agricul- 
tural College,  expressed  great  pleasure  at  being  present  at  this 
meeting.  He  was  very  glad  to  hear  from  Professor  Van  Deman 
how  well  the  work  of  the  Department  is  being  amplified  in  all 
directions,  and  that  the  Division  of  Pomology  is  making  such 
progi-ess,  especially  in  fruits  for  the  different  climates  of  the 
United  States.  Through  these  efforts  he  hoped  some  new  varieties 
would  be  found  that  would  prove  valuable  for  Northern  Michigan. 
His  state,  he  said,  is  an  empire  in  itself,  extending  five  hundred 
miles  from  its  southeast  extremity  to  its  northwest,  and  it  is  a 
hard  matter  to  find  fruits  suited  to  all  its  phases  of  soil  and 
climate.  While  the  common  standard  varieties  succeed  admirably 
in  the  southern  half  of  the  state,  and  in  almost  any  section  border- 
ing on  the  lakes,  ironclad  sorts  are  needed  for  the  northern  penin- 
sula, and  for  some  fifteen  counties  in  the  southern. 

The  Michigan  Agricultural  College  has  been  testing  fruits  of 
various  kinds,  and  has  found  some  Russian  apples  which  are 
•certainly  hardy  and  are  said  to  be  productive  and  to  furnish 
fruit  of  large  size  and  high  quality.  These  tests  were  made  at 
various  sub-stations  in  northern  Michigan,  the  principal  one  being 
-at  Grayling,  Crawford  County,  where  some  fifty  varieties  of 
apples,  besides  pears,  plums,  and  cherries  have  been  planted.  At 
the  College  they  have  just  planted  an  experimental  orchard  of  five 
hundred  varieties  of  apples,  pears,  plums,  cherries,  and  peaches, 
and  there  are  very  complete  collections  of  the  newer  varieties  of 
small  fruits.  In  addition  to  a  number  of  sub-stations  in  southern 
Michigan,  the  station  has  at  South  Haven  what  is  known  as  the 
Lake  Shore  suit-station,  conducted  by  T.  T.  Lyon,  President  of  th-e 
Michigan  State  Horticultural  Societ}',  and  a  special  agent  of  the 
Division  of   Poniolou^v. 


I'oMoi.ociK'AL  DiNisiox  V.  s.  DKiT.  OF  A(;i;irrLTri;K.      2'd 

In  Strawln'i'r'u's.  n  very  extciukMl  list  of  vnrit'tics  luis  bcni  tfstcd. 
soiiu'  of  which  appi'ni'i'd  ri'iiiarkalilv  successful.  The  speaker 
mentioned  liuhacli's  No.  .')  (pistillate),  as  takinii"  a  liiuh  rank,  but 
ivciuiring  rich  soil  and  good  culture;  Haverland  (i)istillate),  as 
very  prolific;  Parker  Earle  (bisexual),  from  Texas,  as  an  excellent 
sort;   and  "Warfield  (pistillate),  as  in  the  front  rank  at  present. 

The  work  of  the  Experiment  Station  in  Michigan  is  in  charge  of 
the  President  and  six  members  of  the  faculty  of  the  Michigan 
Agricultural  College,  each  of  whom  is  responsible  for  the  work 
done  in  his  own  department. 

As  few  persons  are  familiar  with  the  scope  of  an  Agricultural 
College,  he  wished  to  say  that  in  addition  to  the  instruction  given 
by  lectures  and  otherwise,  in  agriculture,  horticulture,  veterinary 
science,  etc.,  the  students  receive  a  thorough  training  in  the 
natural  sciences,  mathematics,  languages,  and  literature  ;  and  even 
if  they  do  not  become  farmers  it  will  be  of  value  to  them  in  auj'^ 
calling.  For  an}^  practical  business  life,  or  even  for  the  profes- 
sional man,  a  course  at  some  agricultural  college,  like  those  of 
Massachusetts  and  Michigan,  will  be  more  valuable  than  one  at 
Harvard  or  Yale. 

A  unique  feature  of  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College  is  that 
every  student  is  required  to  work  two  or  three  houi's  each  day, 
either  on  the  farm  or  in  the  gardens,  and  thus  practically  work  out 
the  subjects  taught  in  the  class  room. 

William  C.  Strong  said  he  had  enjoyed  the  paper  very  much. 
He  was  glad  to  be  so  fully  informed  concerning  the  work  and 
methods  of  the  Pomological  Division  of  the  Agricultural  Depart- 
ment at  Washington,  and  he  thought  it  would  be  well  for  us  to 
consider  ways  and  means  by  which  to  forward  that  work.  It 
interested  him  to  know  that  there  is  a  central  authority  looking 
over  the  whole  field,  to  gather  in  and  disseminate  information  in 
all  the  divisions  of  this  Department  of  our  government.  Such  an 
agenc}'  can  do  very  much  to  improve  as  well  as  to  increase  pro- 
duction, and  thereb}'  largely  promote  the  welfare  and  happiness  of 
the  people.  As  an  example,  how  much  more  abundant  oranges 
are  now  than  formerly.  This  is  a  fruit  which  can  be  produced 
easily, —  perhaps  more  easih"  in  this  country  tiian  in  any  other. 
Through  the  lal)ors  of  this  Division  of  Pomology  Ave  ma^^  expect 
better  knowledge  of  how  to  improve  the  quality  and  quantit}'  of 
our  present  fruits,   and  also  the  successful   introduction  of  other 


24  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTirULTUlJ.O.    S0CIP:TY. 

fruits,  such  as  the  maugo,  etc.,  whicli  are  now  ahuost  unkuoTvn  as 
products  of  our  own  country. 

Benjamin  G.  Smith  did  not  agree  with  Mr.  Wood.  He  differed 
with  him  in  regard  to  the  Rogers  Hybrids  for  amateurs.  He  has 
fifty-five  varieties  of  grapes,  inchiding  the  Wilder,  Barry,  Salem, 
etc.  He  wished  to  speak  a  word  of  encouragement  to  amateurs 
'as  to  the  treatment  of  choice  varieties  of  grapes.  He  always 
covers  his  vines  in  the  winter,  first  pruning  severely ;  Init  if  these 
vines  are  neglected  they  will  certainly  mildew.  He  had  tested 
fifty-four  varieties  of  choice  grapes,  and  his  final  decision  is  that, 
all  things  considered,  Moore's  Early  is  the  best  for  general  culture. 

Samuel  Hartwell  said  that  he  has  perhaps  twenty  varieties  of 
grapes,  but  not  more  than  four  or  five  of  them  are  profitable  to 
grow  for  market.  Moore's  Early  is  most  profitable,  as  every  grape 
in  a  bunch  will  ripen.  The  Worden  is  a  very  fine  grape  but  it 
will  not  ripen  so  evenly.  Purple  grapes  sell  better  than  white 
varieties.  The  Hayes,  Esther,  and  Pocklington  are  fine  sorts  ;  the 
Niagara  is  inclined  to  dr}'  rot,  and  the  Brighton,  Amber  Queen, 
and  August  Giant,  are  liable  to  mildew.  Some  white  grapes,  the 
Niagara  for  instance,  come  to  maturity  later  and  command  prices 
less  than  half  that  of  Moore's  Early.  He  intends  to  plant  the 
Woi'den  between  these  white  grapes  and  as  the  new  plants  come 
on  will  cut  out  the  old  and  less  desirable  white  ones.  He  pro- 
nounced the  Gravenstein  to  be  the  queen  of  fall  apples ;  every  one 
is  perfect  and  fit  for  market.  He  was  pleased  with  the  Red 
Bietigheimer  —  for  cooking  only  —  its  size  and  quality  holding  it 
very  much  in  favor.  Oldenburg  is  very  productive.  The  Baldwin 
originated  in  this  state  long  ago,  and  it  seems  to  be  deteriorating  a 
little. 

William  H.  Hunt  was  very  nmch  pleased  to  know  what  the 
Agricultural  Department  is  doing.  His  own  experience  with 
grapes  had  been  similar  to  that  of  Mr.  Hartwell.  The  statement 
that  fruits  succeed  better  in  the  neighliorhood  of  the  place  where 
they  originate  is  true  to  a  certain  extent,  although  there  are  many 
exceptions,  of  which  the  Gravenstein  apple  and  Bartlott  pear  are 
conspicuous  examples. 

Mr.  Strong  asked  if  we  an-  not  liable  to  carry  the  question  of 
color  a  little  too  far.  We  sliould  give  the  black  a  fair  chance, 
but  should  it  have  preference  over  the  white?  The  reason  might 
be.  in  some  degree,  that  we  do  not  produce  as  fine  bunches  of  Avhite 


BLACK    AND    WTUTK    (iKAI'ES. FILUKia-S.  25^ 

orapos  as  of  black  and   this  may  partly  aeeount  for  tlie  preftTonce 
in  the  market. 

Mr.  AVood  said  he  has  in  his  grape  house  eighteen  foreign  grape 
vines,  with  one  Golden  Hamburg  at  the  end  of  the  row  of  seven- 
teen colored.  When  he  sends  the  crop  to  market,  he  finds  the  one 
white  grape  vine  has  supplied  (juite  as  large  a  proportion  of  the 
fruit  of  that  color  as  is  desired. 

Mr.  Strong  said  that  he  formerly  grew  the  Muscat  of  Alexan- 
dria and  always  got  the  first  prize  for  it.  The  Golden  Hamburg, 
however,  is  not  of  as  high  quality  as  the  Muscat  of  Alexandria. 

Mr.  Wood  considered  the  Golden  Hamburg  as  good  as  the 
Black  Haml)urg  or  Wilmot's  Hamburg.  "He  had  found  tliat  wiiite 
currants  do  not  sell  as  well  as  the  red  varieties. 

Mr.  Van  Deman  held  that  the  reason  Avhite  grapes  are  less 
profitable  than  dark  colored  fruit,  lies  in  the  fact  that  although 
white  ones  do  not  bruise  au}^  more  than  the  others  they  show  their 
bruises  more,  and  look  damaged  while  the  dark  ones  appear  fair. 
This  inference  is  based  upon  statements  of  dealers, —  wholesale 
and  retail.  In  Florida  they  are  planting  the  Niagara  grape  by  ten 
acre  lots  to  supply  the  demand  for  this  fruit.  Some  are  sold  to 
wealthy  persons  at  high  prices  to  make  a  fine  show  on  their  tables, 
but  the  general  market  does  not  seem  to  want  them  in  large  quan- 
tities. As  to  quality  they  are  quite  as  good  as  many  dark 
varieties. 

Richard  P.  Walsh,  who  had  had  fifty-five  years'  experience  in 
gardening,  said  that  while  located  about  twenty  miles  south  of 
Boston,  and  ten  miles  from  the  sea,  he  received,  with  other  trees 
and  shrubs  from  a  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  nursery,  a  Purple  Hazel, 
grafted  upon  a  plain  hazel  stock.  The  latter  was  very  thrifty  and 
threw  out  suckers,  which  were  at  first  cut  away,  but  as  the  green 
mingled  with  the  purple  foliage  was  a  pleasing  combination  both 
Avere  allowed  to  grow.  After  two  years  the  purple  was  choked 
out,  and  then  the  stock  produced  nuts  which  proved  it  to  he  the  true 
Filbert,  Corylus  Avellana,  and  a  crop  of  nuts  was  gathered  each 
succeeding  year  thereafter.  From  his  observations  of  both  stock 
and  scion,  he  was  convinced  that  they  were  both  perfectly  hardy 
there.  He  said  they  could  be  grown  in  hedge-rows,  and  required 
but  little  cultivation,  and  he  was  confident  that  they  would  succeed 
in  the  neighhood  of  Boston. 

Robert  Manning  said  that  a  few  years  ago  he  set  out  several 
fill)ert  bushes,  one  of  which  produced  fruit  last  year.      He  showed 


2()  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTUKAL    SOCIETY. 

some  of  the  nuts  at  the  Aiiiuial  Exhibition  of  Fruits  last  Septem- 
ber. The  plants  seemed  perfectly  hardy,  and  the  success  of  the 
experiment  was  encouraging,  though  one  of  the  bushes  had  been 
injured  by  what  he  thought  was  probably  the  same  fungus  which 
has  done  so  much  damage  in  England. 

•  Mr.  Van  Deman's  paper  was  listened  to  with  close  attention  and 
a  vote  of  thanks  to  him  for  his  interesting  lecture  was  unanimously 
passed. 

The  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Publication  and  Discussion 
announced  that  on  the  next  Saturday,  P>x-President  William  C. 
Strong,  of  Xewton  Highlands,  would  present  a  paper  upon 
*'  Evergreen  Trees." 


BUSINESS   MEETING. 

Saturday,  January  17,   1801. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at  eleven 
o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.   Spooner,  in  the  chair. 

M.  B.  Faxon,  Secretary  of  the  Committee  on  AVindow  Garden- 
ing, read  the  tinaucial  portion  of  the  report  of  that  Committee, 
which  was  accepted  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Publication. 

E.  W.  Wood,  from  the  Committee  of  Arrangements,  to  which 
was  referred  a  circular  from  the  Michigan  Horticultural  Society,  in 
regard  to  the  classification  of  the  Horticultural  Department  of  the 
World's  Columbian  Fair,  reported  a  recommendation  that  this 
Society  approve  the  classification  recommended  by  the  Michigan 
Society.  The  report  was  accepted  and  the  recommendation  was 
adopted. 

Francis  H.  Api)leton,  from  the  Committee  on  Publication,  to 
which  was  referred  the  subject  of  the  Society's  Diploma,  reported 
a  recommendation  that  copies  be  made  by  the  lieliotype  process. 
The  report  was  accei)ted  and  the  recommendation  was  adopted. 

Adjourned  to  Saturdav,  Jamiary  24. 


EVEKGKEEN    THEK8.  27 

MEETING   FOR   DISCUSSION. 

EVERGRKKN    TrEES. 
Hy  William  C.  Strong,  Newton  Highlands. 

In  assigning  this  subject  for  discussion,  it  is  presumable  that 
our  C'onuuittee  intended  to  limit  the  list  to  such  trees  as  are  hardy 
and  adapted  to  this  latitude.  What  are  commonly  called  the 
broad-leaved  evergreen  trees,  such  as  the  American  Holly,  tlie 
Kalmia  latifolia,  and  Rhododendrons,  would  properly  come  within 
tliis  list,  but  the  field  is  too  broad  to  lie  covered  in  the  time  allowed 
for  tliis  session.  Therefore,  with  the  single  allusion  to  the  bright, 
fresh,  polished  green  foliage  of  the  Kuhnia,  which  sliould  l)e  more 
appreciated  for  its  fine  winter  effect,  I  propose  to  confine  my 
remarks  to  such  of  the  conifers  as  seem  to  be  of  promise  for 
culture  in  New  England.  Looking  back  but  a  few  years,  we 
should  find  this  list  tpiite  limited  in  numbers.  But  a  marked 
advance  has  been  made  within  the  present  generation,  including 
numerous  and  valuable  introductions  from  the  western  coast  of  our 
own  continent,  as  well  as  from  Japan  and  other  countries,  so  that 
we  now  have  a  largely  increased  number,  and  also  very  distinct 
colorings  and  habits  of  growth.  What  an  immense  gain  it  is  to 
us  that  in  our  cold,  desolate  winters,  we  can  vary  and  enliven  the 
evergreen  effect  by  tlie  addition  of  the.  glaucous  sheen  of  some  of 
the  newer  Firs,  with  the  richer  green  of  the  Nordmann,  the 
distinct  form  and  color  of  the  Sciadopitys,  or  the  varying  grace, 
in  form  and  color,  of  the  family  of  Retinosporas !  By  a  judicious 
use  of  such  material  as  we  now  have,  a  warmth  and  variety  of 
A-erdure  and  a  diversity  of  outline  may  be  given  to  a  landscape,  or 
to  a  country  home,  far  surpassing  the  possibilities  of  a  few  years 
ago.  In  saying  this  it  is  not  to  be  inferred  that  the  older  kinds  are 
to  be  displaced,  or  even  reduced  to  a  subordinate  rank.  They  are 
still  the  basis  of  all  good  work  in  planting,  but  they  are  happily 
supplemented  b}-  recent  varieties  of  differing  forms  and  colors,  so 
that  much  richer  and  more  pleasing  effects  can  now  be  produced. 
Let  us  In'iefly  mention  some  of  the  indispensable  older  kinds. 

Our  native  AVliite  Spruce  {Picea  alba),  often  called  Blue 
Spruce,  is  one  of  the  hardiest  and  most  pleasing  of  conifers.  Its 
conical,  thick-set  shape,  and  its  light  and  more  or  less  glaucous  foliage 
render  it  alwavs  a  favorite.      Thouoh  not  so  long;-lived  or  so  valu- 


28  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

able  for  timber  as  the  nearly  related  species,  the  Black  Spruce 
(Picea  nigra),  it  is  far  more  desirable  for  ornamental  purposes 
and  should  be  in  every  collection.  Individual  seedlings  can  often 
be  found  which  are  quite  distinct  in  form  and  color,  Maxwell's 
Golden  being  a  good  example. 

The  Norway  Spruce  (Picea  excel sa),  though  a  foreigner,  has  yet 
become  so  common  and  is  so  perfectly  at  home  with  us  that  Ave 
have  come  to  regard  it  "  as  to  the  manor  born."  However  common 
and  perhaps  formal  and  monotonous  when  repeated  in  num- 
bers, it  is  yet  so  hardy  and  vigorous  in  nearl}^  all  soils ;  so  tine 
in  single  specimens,  with  graceful,  pendulous  branches  sweeping 
to  the  ground ;  so  well  adapted  for  hedge-rows  or  shelter  l)elts, — 
in  short  it  has  so  many  good  qualities  that  it  is  not  out-ranked  by 
any  other  conifer,  for  landscape  work.  It  varies  considerably  in 
hal)it  and  we  have  these  sports  perpetuated  in  such  distinct  forms 
as  P.  inverta  and  P.  pendula,  or  in  grotesque  habit  like  P.  mon- 
strosa,  or  as  a  dwarf  like  P.  Clanhrasiliana,  P.  Gregoriana,  and 
P.  pygmcea. 

Our  White  Pine  (Pinus  strobus)  is  probably  the  most  profitable 
of  all  trees  for  timber,  in  our  light  soils.  It  does  not  thrive  in  a 
wet  soil.  But  we  have  thousands  of  acres  of  comparativeh'  waste 
land  which  should  be  planted  with  this  species,  and  it  would  be  a 
wise  economy  to  give  government  encouragement  to  this  industry. 
For  decorative  purposes  the  White  Pine  is  also  valuable,  its  soft, 
silvery  green  foliage  furnishing  a  pleasing  contrast  with  the  more 
rugged  and  darker  growth  of  other  species. 

The  Bhotan  Pine  {Pinns  excelsa)  has  longer,  more  graceful  and 
drooping  leaves  than  the  White  Pine,  but  it  is  liable  to  blasting  of 
its  leader  and  its  branches.  In  other  respects  it  is  vigorous  and 
hardy  and  its  superior  beauty  entitles  it  to  an  attempt  to  overcome 
this  tendency. 

The  Austrian,  the  Scotch,  and  the  Cembran  or  Swiss  Stone 
Pines  are  each  well-deserving  the  general  use  which  they  receive. 
They  will  not  vie  with  the  White  Pine  for  timber  use,  though  in 
conditions  where  the  older  growth  continues  healtliy  they  will 
liave  value  in  this  respect. 

The  Red  Pine  {Pinvs  resinosa),  often,  but  incorrectly,  called 
Norway  Pine,  is  a  very  hardy,  native  tree  wliicii  flourishes  in  a 
dry,  sandy  soil,  from  the  IMiddle  States  into  Canada.  Jij  abounds 
in  resin,  is  of  value  for  timl)er,  and  deserves  a  place  in  a  collection^ 
as  an  ornaniental  tree. 


KVEHGKEEX    TIJEES.  29 

Our  Pitch  Pine  {Plnns  rigida),  though  veiy  luudy  and  free- 
growino",  is  scarcely  deserving  a  i)lace  in  cultivation,  in  comparison 
Avith  better  varieties. 

Our  native  Hemlock,  Tanga  (Abies)  Caiiadeyisis,  when  planted  in 
exposed  positions  is  very  apt  to  suffer  from  the  winter  winds.  If 
it  were  a  recently  introducetl  novelty  it  would  be  pronounced  one 
of  the  most  graceful  and  beautiful  of  conifers,  but  too  tender  for 
ordinary  positions.  Yet  it  is  in  fact  one  of  the  commonest 
timber- trees  of  New  P^ngland  and  Canada.  This  shows  to  what  a 
degree  hardiness  depends  upon  proper  conditions  and  how  careful 
we  should  Ije  to  make  sure  that  these  conditions  are  complied  with, 
before  we  pronounce  judgment  upon  the  question  of  hardiness. 

Of  the  Silver  Fir  tribe,  now  classed  as  Abies,  {Sapini  of  Veitch) 
the  native  Balsam  Fir  is  the  only  variety  which  may  be  said  to  be 
common  in  New  England.  Young  specimens  are  very  beautiful, 
especially  in  the  northern  sections  of  its  growth.  But  it  is  sub- 
ject to  diseases  in  this  vicinity,  is  short-lived,  and  must  give  place 
to  much  more  desirable  varieties  of  this  class  of  Silver  Firs,  of 
receut  introduction.  A  dAvarf  Balsam  Fir,  named  Hudsonica  by 
Dr.  Engelmann,  is  found  in  the  White  Mountain  region  and  in 
Maine,  which  is  quite  prostrate  in  growth,  and  roots  from  its 
branches  like   the  prostrate  Juniper. 

The  various  forms  of  the  Arl)or  Vitse  {Thuja  occidenta lis)  are 
in  frequent  use  and  are  essential  in  all  collections.  The  so-called 
Siberian  variety  is  given  by  Veitch  as  Thuja  plicatu,  coming  from 
the  ueighl)orhood  of  Nootka  Sound  and  Siberia.  Hoopes,  how- 
ever, quoting  from  '' Gordon's  Pinetum "  considers  it  as  having 
originated  at  Ware's  Coventry  nursery  and  therefore  to  be  called 
T.  Warea)ia.  In  the  latter  case  it  is  to  be  regarded  as  but  a  fixed 
variation  from  T.  occidentalism  differing  mainly  in  hardiness  and 
-compactness  of  growth,  qualities  wliich  make  it  very  desirable  for 
many  purposes. 

The  Savin  {Juiii2)erus  Virginiana)^  varying  much  in  form,  color, 
and  habit  of  growth  in  different  seedlings  and  often  very  attrac- 
tive, will  complete  the  list  of  conifers  in  common  use  up  to  a 
comparatively  recent  date. 

I  will  now  mention  some  of  the  more  desirable  additions  which 
have  been  made  within  the  past  feAV  years,  without  any  attempt  at 
a  complete  list,  and  will  then  pass  to  consider  a  few  points  in 
culture,  which  I  deem  to  be  important. 


30  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICl'LTUEAL    SOCIETY. 

The  Silver  Firs  will  rauk  as  among  the  most  desu'ablei  orna- 
mental trees.  The  European  Silver  Fir  (Abies  pectinnta)  is 
scarcely  hartly  with  us,  exce>i)t  in  protected  places,  but  the  closely 
allied  Nordmauniava  is  quite  iKirdy  and  thrives  well,  with  the 
single  fault  of  liability  to  lose  its  leader.  Its  stately  habit  and 
dark,  rich,  glossy  green  foliage  render  it  one  of  the  handsomest 
of  conifers. 

Abies  concolor  is  a  more  recently  introduced  fir  from  Colorado, 
its  type  in  the  Sierras  af  California  being  known  under  the  names 
of  Insiocarpa  and  Loiviaiia.  Its  name  concolor  implies  the  like 
silvery  color  on  the  upper  and  under  sides  of  the  leaf.  It  is  one 
of  the  stateliest  trees  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  retains  its 
beautiful  color  iu  old  age.  As  the  type  from  Colorado  seems  to 
be  quite  hardy  and  to  be  suited  to  our  climate,  it  bids  fair  to 
become  one  of  the  most  useful  and  desirable  of  the  recent  intro- 
ductions. A  magnificent  specimen  may  be  seen  at  "Wellesley  in 
the  collection  of  Mr.  Hunnewell. 

In  the  same  collection  is  a  fine  specimen  of  the  Japan  Silver  Fir 
(Abies  brachy phiflla ) .  It  proves  to  be  one  of  the  hardiest  and  hand- 
somest of  Firs,  its  two  under  silver  lines  being  quite  conspicuous. 

Abies  Cilicica  is  reported  as  not  accommodating  itself  to  the 
climate  of  England.  It  has  done  well  in  this  country,  however,  a 
good  example  of  it  being  also  in  Mr.  Hunnewell's  collection.  Thi^ 
is  proof  that  some  varieties  may  be  better  suited  to  our  climate  and 
therefore  more  hardy  than  even  in  England.  It  is  only  by  trial 
under  various  conditions  that  we  can  determine  hardiness.  This 
rule  will  apply  to  the  three  following  firs  of  our  northwest  coast. 

The  great  Silver  Fir  (A.  (/rcnidis)  attains  to  the  height  of  two 
hundred  feet  and  upwards,  along  the  Eraser  River  and  Vancouver's 
Island,  and  at  altitudes  of  four  thousand  feet.  Its  branches  are 
slender  and  less  thickly  set  than  iu  most,  and  hence  it  has  a  light, 
graceful,  and  airy  appearance  which  is  very  desirable. 

Abies  amabilis  is  reported  by  Professor  Sargent  as  growing 
freely  ou  the  Cascade  ]\^untains  and  as  far  north  as  the  Eraser 
River  in  British  Columbia,  and  as  the  most  beautiful  of  the  genus 
with  which  he  is  acquainted.  As  it  grows  at  altitudes  of  four 
thousand  to  five  thousand  feet  in  this  northern  latitude  we  are  not 
without  hope  that  it  may  be  domesticated  with  us. 

Abies  nobilis  has  a  more  southern  range,  growing  in  Oregon  and 
California  to  the  same  immense  height,  and  being  very  conspicuous 
for  its  deep,  glaucous-green,  thick-set,  crowded  foliage. 


KVKIKJKEEN    THEES.  31 

These  three  magnificent  firs  have  a  monntaiu  liabitat  and  it  is 
too  early  to  speak  decisively  of  their  fitness  for  onr  climate,  Imt 
they  are  eminenth'  worthy  of  careful  trial. 

The  Douglas  Fir  {P.-iewJotsuga  Douglasii)  or  false  Hemlock  is 
another  giant  of  the  northwest,  being  a  principal  tree  of  the  vast 
forests  of  British  Columbia,  and  attaining  a  height  of  two  hundred 
and  even  three  hundred  feet.  It  has  had  extended  trial  and  may 
be  pronounced  hardj^  and  decidedly  ornamental,  when  planted  in  a 
moderately  dry  soil.  The  type  from  Colorado  has  never  suffered 
from  the  winter  with  me. 

I  am  not  aware  wjiat  trial  has  been  made  with  Tsuga  Alberticuia. 
the  Hemlock  of  British  Columbia.  The  type  is  distinguished  from 
our  common  Hemlock  only  by  its  more  robust  and  rapid  growth  and 
spreading  branches.  It  succeeds  well  in  England,  and  coming 
from  such  northern  limits  it  is  reasonable  to  hope  it  will  prove 
more  hardy  and  desirable  than  T.  Canadensis. 

Of  the  family  known  as  Spruces,  now  classed  as  Piceas,  decidedly 
the  most  promising  recent  introduction  is  Picea  puvgens.  It  has 
also  been  known  as  P.  Eiigelmanni  and  P.  Parryana.  It  has  a 
wide  habitat,  extending  from  New  Mexico  to  the  head  waters  of 
the  Columbia  Eiver,  its  Colorado  ty^pe  being  found  to  be  perfectly 
hardy  and  suited  to  our  climate.  Its  growth  is  stiff,  very  thickly 
covered  with  rigid,  very  sharp  pointed  leaves,  from  which  it 
derives  its  name.  It  varies  considerably  in  color  from  deep  green 
to  steel  blue,  or  lightest  silver.  Its  remarkable  color  and  regular 
outline  render  it  one  of  the  best  of  conifers  for  the  lawn.  Fine 
specimens  of  this  tree  ma}'^  be  seen  at  the  Arnold  Arboretum,  and 
also  on  the  estates  of  Professor  Sargent  and  Mr.  Huuuewell. 

Menzies's  Spruce  {Picea  Menziesii)  is  a  tree  somewhat  similar  to 
the  last,  though  less  in  degree  of  characteristics.  It  deserves  a 
place  in  a  collection. 

The  Oriental  Spruce  ( Picea  orientnlis)  of  the  Caucasian  region  is 
quite  hardy  with  us,  its  foliage  being  of  a  bright,  gloss}^  green  and 
its  slender  branelilets  giving  it  a  distinct  pointed  outline. 

Of  the  Pine  family  I  will  mention  only  the  Corean  pine  (Pinus 
Koraiensis)  as  being  specially  useful  for  decoration.  It  has  long, 
glossy  green  foliage,  silvery  within  ;  its  habit  is  compact,  divid- 
ing into  numerous  branches  when  altout  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  high, 
rendering  it  most  suitable  for  positions  where  taller  varieties  would 
be  undesirable. 


■32  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

The  Umbrella  Pine  of  Japau,  as  it  is  commonly  called  {Scia- 
dopitys  verticiUata) ,  is  the  most  distinct  of  all  the  additions  to  our 
list  of  hardy  conifers.  It  is  remarkable  not  less  for  its  form  and 
habit  than  for  the  length  and  color  of  its  leaves,  which  spread  out 
like  the  ribs  of  a  parasol.  It  has  gained  in  reputation  for  hardi- 
ness, especially  if  somewhat  sheltered,  and  since  its  effect  is  so 
distinct  and  excellent  it  will  douljtless  become  very  popular.  Its 
habitat  is  limited  to  a  mountain  in  the  Island  of  Nippon.  l)ut  it  is 
being  cultivated  and  distributed  1»y  the  Japanese,  as  also  in  Europe 
flud  in  this  country. 

To  the  Japanese  we  are  also  indebted  for  the  introduction  of  the 
fainily  of  Retinosporas.  This  has  now  come  to  be  a  numerous 
and  important  class,  owing  to  the  many  garden  sports  from  the 
two  original  Japanese  forms,  obtusa  and  pisiferu.  Most  of  these 
are  quite  hardy  in  a  moist  and  not  too  exposed  situation.  They 
are  of  moderate  size,  or  low  growing,  with  the  exception  oi  obtuau 
and  2}isiftra,  and  since  they  give  great  variety  in  color  and  form  they 
are  much  in  use  for  garden  work.  We  have  the  graceful,  pendu- 
lous growth  of  Jilifera  ;  the  soft,  silvery  dew  of  squarrusn  ;  the  rich 
green  of  plumosa;  and  the  bright,  golden  colors  of  obtusa  aurea 
and  pisifera  aurea.  For  decorative  purposes  they  are  important 
acquisitions. 

From  the  same  prolific  source,  the  Islands  of  Japan,  we  have 
received  the  Thujopsis  dulabrata,  a  beautiful  tree,  resembling  the 
Thujas,  as  its  name  implies,  with  short,  thick,  imbricated  leaves, 
dark  green  above  and  glaucous  beneath.  It  forms  a  conical  tree 
from  fort}'  to  fifty  feet  high,  with  extending  pendulous  branches 
sweeping  to  the  ground.  Though  not  generally  distributed,  it  has 
proved  hardy  in  several  exposures  and  it  well  deserves  extended 
trial. 

Of  the  Junipers  we  may  mention  Cracovia  as  a  desirable, 
hardy,  erect,  rol)ust  variety  of  Juniperus  coniviunis,  and  also  J. 
Virginiana  glauca  as  specially  fine  in  color  and  form. 

"Without  dwelling  longer  ui)on  the  list  of  varieties  let  us  pass  to 
consider  some  points  in  culture.  First  of  all  I  wish  to  speak  of 
the 

Time  fok  Planting. — The  impression  prevails  that  there  is  more 
risk  of  loss  in  transplanting  evergreen  trees  than  deciduous  trees. 
This  is  undoubtedly  true  when  trees  of  considerable  size  are  taken. 
The  verv  name  indicates  that  these  trees   are  ahvavs  in  full  leaf. 


EVERGREEN    TREES.  33 

Consequently  there  is  an  immediate  draft  upon  the  resources  of  the 
tree,  after  phintino;.  It  is  essential,  therefore,  that  there  should 
be  iunnediate  root  action,  to  supply  this  demand.  It  is  then  self- 
evident  that  the  fall  is  not  a  favorable  time  for  this  work. 
Undoubtedly  tliore  are  many  instances  where  trees,  with  more  or 
less  eai'th,  have  been  removed  late  in  the  fall,  and  have  lived. 
But  in  our  cold  climate  there  is  little  or  no  root  action  from 
November  until  May,  and  hence  the  tax  upon  the  tree  late  planted 
and  exposed  to  the  dr^'ing  winds  of  winter  and  early  spring  is  xevy 
great,  and  frequentl}'  fatal.  There  is  a  very  general  agreement 
among  planters  that  earl}'  spring  is  also  an  objectionable  time. 
The  ground  in  March  and  April  is  usually  wet  and  cold  and  the 
root  action  must  necessarily  be  very  sluggish  and  insutlicient  to 
sui)i)ly  the  increasing  demand  from  evaporation. 

But  in  the  month  of  Ma}'  the  ground  has  become  warmer  and 
all  the  organs  of  the  tree  are  excited  into  activity.  It  has  been 
found  by  uniform  experience  that  a  most  suitable  time  for  removal 
is  just  as  the  buds  begin  to  swell  and  indications  of  returning  life 
appear.  There  is  sap  enough  stored  in  the  tree  to  sustain  it  until 
the  speedy  action  of  the  roots  will  continue  the  supply.  Conse- 
quently the  great  bulk  of  this  work  is  confined  in  our  latitude  to 
the  month  of  May.  It  is  unfortunate  that  this  large  work  is  con- 
fined within  the  narrow  limit  of  this  busy  mouth.  There  is  also 
a  more  serious  objection  that  the  inevitable  check  consequent  upon 
removal  occurs  just  at  the  time  when  the  tree  is  coming  into  its 
active  growth.  It  is,  therefore,  to  be  expected  that  this  growth 
will  be  enfeebled  and  the  appearance  of  the  tree  affected,  for  the 
first  year.  If  a  hot,  dry  spell  occurs  in  June,  the  evaporation 
from  the  young  growth  is  excessive  and  losses  frequently  occur. 
Still  we  must  repeat  that  Ma}'  is  the  month  for  removals.  Is  it 
the  only  month?  For  many  j'ears  past  I  have  advocated  the 
mouth  of  August  as  a  most  suital)le  time.  As  an  extensive 
experience  has  confirmed  this  opinion  and  as  considerable  adverse 
criticism  has  l)een  advanced,  I  desire  to  state  the  case  with  some 
fulness,  in  the  hope  that,  so  far  from  misleading  the  public,  I  may 
help,  by  extending  the  time  for  doing  this  useful  work,  to  contri- 
bute a  real  advantage  in  the  adornment  of  our  homes  and  of  the 
landscape. 

In  the  year  1871,  I  owned  a  nursery  plantation  of  about  forty 
thousand  Spruces,  Arlior  Vita?s,  Pines,  and  Hemlocks,  of  varying 
3 


34  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

sizes,  from  two  to  six  feet  in  height.  As  I  desired  to  convert  the 
land  on  wliieli  they  stood  into  an  ice  pond,  I  decided  to  remove  the 
trees  dnring  tlie  month  of  August,  to  a  lot  a1»out  half  a  mile 
distant.  It  was  a  large  experiment,  but  I  reasoned  that  the 
conifers  make  their  growth  by  the  first  of  July,  and  the  rest  of 
the  season  is  spent  in  maturing  the  wood,  so  far  as  the  tops  are 
concerned.  But  the  roots  on  the  contrary  are  in  a  condition  for 
active  growth  throughout  the  season,  and  especially  so  if  placed  in 
a  new  and  mellow  soil.  The  ground  is  warm  in  August,  and  when 
newly  stirred  is  friable  and  in  excellent  condition  to  encourage 
quick  root  action.  As  the  year's  growth  of  wood  is  fairly  well 
matured  by  the  'tenth  of  the  month,  the  tax  from  evaporation  is 
only  moderate  and  this  is  met  b}'  the  night  dews  and  the  moisture 
which  usually  occurs  with  the  dog-days.  Upon  theory  then  the 
trees  should  easily  sustain  the  shock  of  transplanting  and  speedily 
commence  the  formation  of  roots,  which  should  have  a  firm  hold 
in  the  soil  before  the  ground  freezes.  The  August  and  subsequent 
fall  of  my  ex})eriment  proved  to  be  exce})tionally  liot  and  dry  ;  indeed 
so  severe  was  the  heat  and  drought  that  our  late  President,  Joseph 
Breck,  predicted  a  total  failure.  I  hesitate  to  mention  the  facts 
as  a  precedent,  yet  it  is  true  that  in  the  face  of  a  broiling  August 
and  early  September  sun,  for  week  after  Aveek  the  trees  were 
transferred,  without  the  aid  of  any  water  or  mulch  to  assist  them. 
In  November  following,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  taking  up  several 
of  the  trees  and  showing  to  ]Mr.  Breck  the  very  abundant  forma- 
tion of  new  roots.  The  warm,  fioury  condition  of  the  soil  was 
conducive  to  this  growth.  A  wet  fall  would  not  have  been  as 
favorable.  But  the  new  lot  was  on  a  northern,  exposed  slope  and 
the  prophecy  was  that  the  Avinds  of  the  following  winter  would 
ruin  the  trees.  Any  one  who  had  seen  the  new  roots  would  know 
that  there  was  little  danger  of  this  result.  The  following  summer 
showed  as  fine  a  field  of  newly  planted  trees  as  I  have  ever  seen, 
with  less  than  five  per  cent  of  loss,  as  I  now  recollect.  The 
success  w^as  so  complete,  on  so  large  a  scale,  and  under  what  would 
be  considered  adverse  circumstances,  that  I  have  ever  since  con- 
sidered the  question  as  settled.  It  has  l)een  my  custom  in  subse- 
quent years  both  to  transplant  myself,  in  August,  and  also  to  sell 
trees,  as  ordered,  and  the  results  so  far  as  I  know  have  been 
uniformly  satisfactory.  Indeed,  I  have  removed  at  this  season 
trees  of  larger  size  than  I  should  care  to  take  in  ]\Iav.     And  these 


evki;<;i;kkn    ikkks.  ;?5 

■were  trees  which  had  sto(xl  so  loiio-  without  previous  removal  that 
a  hirge  percentaiie  of  k)ss  should  have  ])een  expected,  yet  it  has 
been  an  aiireeal)le  surprise  to  nie  to  liud  uiuch  less  loss  than  1  liave 
ever  iiad  Avith  sucli  trees  in  ]May.  Nor  is  this  all.  The  orowth 
of  the  following  summer  has  uniformly  been  better  than  with  trees 
planted  in  ]May.  Pines,  spruces,  and  other  varieties  stretch  away 
as  if  they  liad  not  been  stirred.  In  Auoust.  IHSi),  T  planted  a 
hundred  Norway  Spruces,  which  Avere  al)0ut  eight  feet  high,  in 
a  hedge-row  and  not  one  of  them  failed.  At  the  same  time  I 
removed  over  three  hundred  Picea  pioiyens  and  P.seudotsuga  which 
were  from  two  to  four  feet  high  and  lost  only  one,  and  this 
one  was  evidently  in  feeble  health  when  taken.  Last  August  I 
transplanted  about  fifteen  hundred  Picea  pnngens  and  other  kinds 
and  they  were  as  usual,  without  a  single  exception,  so  fresh  looking 
in  Xovember,  that  I  invited  our  Garden  Connnittee  to  inspect 
them,  with  the  purpose  of  showing  the  new  roots,  but  the  early 
freeze  prevented  the  visit.  I  am  confident  that  next  summer's 
growth  will  show  much  more  vigor  than  could  possil)ly  be  expected 
if  the  trees  had  been  planted  in  May.  And  I  will  allow  any 
failures  to  stand  in  the  lot  until  the  first  of  August  next,  so  that, 
any  one  who  desires  can  see  what  liability  to  winter-killing  there- 
may  be.  I  do  not  anticipate  any.  Let  it  be  distinctly  understood, 
tliat  this  is  August  and  not  fall  planting  —  not  later  than  Septem- 
ber l.j  —  which  I  recommend. 

But  I  hear  it  said  that  all  this  applies  to  removals  for  short 
distances  and  with  special  care  and  favorable  weather.  As  to 
weather  I  have  tried  all  sorts,  from  excessive  wet  to  excessive  dry, 
with  uniform  success,  though  a  medium  is  of  course  the  best..  As 
to  special  care,  this  should  always  be  given, —  no  more  in  August 
than  in  May.  And  in  regard  to  distance,  it  is  to  be  said  that  it  i&. 
difficult  to  send  large  sizes  long  distances,  at  any  season.  They 
are  liable  to  heat  when  packed  in  boxes  and  also  to  become 
exhausted  by  evaporation  during  the  time  required  for  transit  and 
before  the  roots  can  become  re-established.  Hence  it  is  always 
best  to  procure  conifers  of  local  gTowth,  where  this  can  be  done, 
especially  if  they  are  to  be  of  some  size.  Undoubtedly  early 
spring  is  the  best  time  for  importing  this  stock  from  Europe,  the 
lial)ility  of  heating  being  less  at  this  season.  Care  should  be 
taken,  however,  not  to  plant  until  the  ground  becomes  warm.  But 
I  have  sent  sizeable  trees  as  far  as  Mount  Desert,  and  varioua, 


3(i  3IASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

other  distances,  in  August,  with  excelleut  results.  lu  the  early 
part  of  September,  1X.S!»,  I  received  a  lot  of  wild  seedlinos  picked 
up  in  the  latter  part  of  the  previous  August,  from  the  high  alti- 
tudes of  the  Rock}^  Mountains.  From  such  wild  stock,  with 
growth  more  or  less  stunted,  we  expect,  as  a  matter  of  course,  that 
there  w^ll  be  much  greater  loss  than  from  nursery-grown  trees. 
Last  August  I  inspected  this  stock,  after  it  had  been  planted  a 
jear,  and  the  following  results  were  shown  : 

Out  of  2,800  Pi<  ea  pungevs  received,  2,330  were  alive. 

Out  of  3,220  Picea  concolor  received,  2,389  were  alive. 

Out  of  500  Pseudotsxtga  Donghisii  received,  355  were  alive. 

I  must  also  in  candor  mention  another  lot  of  1,000  P.  pungens 
of  larger  size,  averaging  about  a  foot  and  a  half,  received  from 
another  collector,  and  a  good  deal  stunted,  of  which  there  has 
been  a  loss  of  a  little  over  one-half.  I  do  not,  however,  consider 
this  last  lot  a  fair  example.  It  appears  then  that  the  loss  on  the 
first  lot  of  P.  pungens  was  about  sixteen  per  cent  and  on  the 
■concolor  and  Douglas  Fir,  about  twentj'-five  per  cent.  It  has 
been  my  experience  that  these  last  mentioned  tAvo  firs  do  not 
transplant  as  surely  as  the  Spruce.  It  is  my  opinion  that  Picea 
■alba  taken  from  the  pastures  of  Maine  in  May  Avould  not  give 
better  results  than  were  shown  by  P.  pungens  which  travelled 
twenty-five  hundred  miles  in  August. 

An  extensive  experience  covering  a  period  of  over  twenty  years 
leads  me  then  to  this  general  opinion  that  in  cases  where  conifers 
«an  have  quick  transit  it  is  safer  to  remove  in  August  than  iu 
3Iay.  Especially  is  this  true  with  large  sized  trees,  like  Spruces 
from  eight  to  ten  feet  high,  where  distance  does  not  forbid  taking 
them  iu  wagons.  In  all  cases  the  growth  of  the  first  season  after 
transplanting  will  show  a  marked  contrast  in  favor  of  the  August 
planted  tree.  If  this  opinion  is  sustained  by  the  experience  of 
others  it  will  prove  to  be  a  most  important  advantage  iu  extending 
the  time  of  planting  to  more  than  double  its  usual  narrow  limits, 
and  to  a  season  when  there  is  more  leisure  than  in  the  hurry  of 
spring  time.  Tliis  subject  appears  to  me  to  be  of  such  importance 
that  I  am  willing  to  bear  the  brunt  of  sharp  adverse  criticism  until 
the  truth  can  be  demonstrated. 

Cui.Ti  HE. —  I  will  close  with  a  few  lirief  suggestions  in  reference 
to  culture.  It  is  wise  to  consider  the  habitat  of  each  specimen 
iind  endeavor  to  supply  similar  conditions  of  soil  and  exposure,  so 


KVEIUJHEKN    TIIKF.S.  37 

far  as  is  in  our  power.  Because  a  tree  succumbs  in  a  given  case, 
it  will  not  do  to  pronounce  its  varietj^  unsuited  to  our  climate. 
Forests  of  timber  trees  of  the  Hemlock  flourish  far  to  the  north  of 
us  and  yet  the  Hemlock  is  undoubtedly  too  tender  for  exposed 
positions  in  this  vicinity.  We  should  provide  sheltering  wind- 
breaks for  plants  of  doubtful  hardiness.  On  the  other  hand  we 
would  not  naturally  select  a  too  warm  and  sunny  position  for  such 
dubious  Firs  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  as  amabilis,  nobilis,  and 
grandis.  We  should  infer  that  they  would  receive  too  nuich 
winter  excitement  and  that  a  protected,  but  cooler  and  perhaps 
northern  slope  would  secure  more  nearly  favoring  conditions.  It 
is  obvious  that  the  Pines  will  take  the  lighter  soils ;  the  Spruces, 
Firs,  and  Junipers  choosing  the  intermediate,  while  the  Retiuos- 
poras  and  Thujas  will  thrive  in  even  a  wet  soil,  though  by  no 
means  preferring  this  condition.  Though  there  are  increasing, 
evidences  of  the  hardiness  of  the  Sciadopitys,  yet  I  have  observed 
that  in  full  exposure  to  the  winter  sun  its  foliage  is  liable  to  lose 
its  fresh,  green  color  and  to  become  brown.  Specimens  looking 
north  and  shaded  from  the  sun  do  not  have  this  appearance. 
There  can  be  no  question  that  the  rich  and  varied  colors  of  some 
of  the  newer  varieties  depend  in  a  considerable  degree  upon  the 
nourishment  received  from  the  soil.  You  have  observed  the  deep, 
luxuriant  color  of  the  Purple  Beech  under  high  culture,  in  contrast 
with  the  dull  brown  of  the  same  tree,  in  a  poor  soil.  Similar 
results  may  be  expected  with  conifers.  It  is  an  exploded  idea 
that  they  will  not  endure  enrichment.  Fresh  horse  manure  is 
undoubtedly  too  hot  for  the  surface  roots,  if  applied  in  (juantityy 
but  cooler  composts  will  heighten  colors  to  a  surprising  degree. 
Youthful  vigor  may  also  be  thus  restored  to  older  trees.  I  have 
found  that  the  silvery  sheen  of  the  Picea  puvgevs  may  be  greatly 
increased  if  removed  from  a  lieavy  soil  to  a  floury,  well-enriched 
loam. 

We  are  but  beginning  to  appreciate  how  well-deserving  of  the 
highest  cultivation  are  these  enduring  products  of  Nature.  They 
are  not  limited  to  a  brief  glory  of  inflorescence ;  they  are  not  con- 
fined even  to  an  entire  season.  They  are  ever-verdant,  furnishing 
a  cool  and  varying  shade  in  the  heat  of  summer,  and  a  sheltering 
warmth  and  cheerfulness,  which  can  brighten  and  glorify  even  a 
winter  landscape. 

AVhat  a  curious,  strange,  wise  device,  that  these  trees  should 
have  been  so  constructed  that  their  leaves  can  endure  the  freezing; 


38  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

of  generally  two  and  in  one  case,  at  least,  the  Finns  uristata,  of 
sixteen  winters,  without  losing  their  vitality  I  And  the  form  of 
the  leaves  is  such  as  to  offer  as  little  resistance  as  is  possible  to  the 
winds  and  the  snows.  Surely  the  wisdom  and  the  goodness  of 
the  Creator  are  seen  in  this  as  in  all  His  Avorks.  Conifers  were 
created— not  evolved. 

Discussion. 

Charles  S.  Harrison,  of  Franklin,  Nebraska,  said  that  in  the 
west  great  interest  is  being  awakened  in  conifers.  There  their 
■cultivation  is  beset  with  serious  difficulties.  The  air  of  the  west- 
•ern  plains  registers  only  about  50°  of  moisture  against  90°  in  the 
Atlantic  States.  For  this  reason  many  eastern  evergreens  fail 
■entirely.  There  is  no  use  in  planting  the  White,  Black,  or  Noi'way 
•Spruce  near  the  100th  meridian.  He  had  spent  hundreds  of 
-dollars  in  finding  out  what  he  could  not  do. 

The  Pinus  ponderosa  is  a  graceful,  hardy,  heroic  tree.  It  does 
well  anywhere  west  of  the  Missouri  River.  In  form  it  resembles 
"the  Austrian  Pine,  but  is  of  a  deeper  green  and  finer  form.  It  has 
long  glossy  needles,  and  when  in  a  thrifty  condition  is  crowned 
with  massive  plumes,  which  render  it  very  attractive.  On  his 
■grounds,  though  the  mercury  averaged  100°  in  the  shade  for  over 
two  months  and  the  American  siroccos  blew  like  a  blast  of  death, 
:aud  though  the  rainfall  for  the  year  was  only  seven  inches,  making 
it  impossible  for  any  water  to  reach  the  roots, —  in  spite  of  all  this, 
these  trees  made  a  growth  of  a  foot  and  more.  They  thrive  in  the 
foothills  of  the  Rockies,  where  their  roots  ma}'  not  be  wet  for 
years.  If  pressed  too  hard  by  the  drought,  tliey  will  drop  two- 
thirds  of  their  needles,  and  by  thus  taking  in  sail  will  live  on. 
'These  trees  which  have  been  tested  in  the  east  have  been  from  the 
dry,  hot  foothills.  He  thought  that  if  brought  from  an  altitude  of 
nine  thousand  feet,  where  they  lie  much  of  the  time  under  the  snow, 
they  could  be  made  to  succeed.  The  Douglas  Spruce,  he  thought 
would  be  the  most  thrifty  of  all  the  evergreens.  It  is  so  in  the 
^eastern  nursei'ies  and  on  his  own  grounds.  He  saw  it  in  the  yard 
■of  D.  Hill,  of  Dundee,  where  the  ground  was  unfavorable,  and  it 
was  by  far  the  thriftiest  tree  on  the  place.  B.  E.  Fernow,  our 
Chief  of  the  Forestry  Division  of  the  l- nited  States  Department  of 
Agriculture,  says  he  saw  on  the  western  slope  the  greatest  burden 
of  timber  on  earth,  of  this  tree.       In   tlic   liiuiicr  altitudes  it  often 


E\  KKCUKKN    TKKES.  89 

puts  oil  :i  .silviT  typr.  and  in  tlu-  distance  looks  like  Picea  pungens. 
It  has  a  wide  diversity  of  form  and  foliage;  some  trees  have  short 
needles  like  the  hemlock :  others  have  needles  of  great  length ; 
some  trees  have  a  graceful,  pendulous  habit ;  others  are  more  rigid. 
The  deeper  colors  with  silver  tints  will  be  very  attractive.  But 
from  long  oliservatiou  Mr.  Harrison  believes  that  the  Abies  con- 
color  will  l)e  the  tree  of  the  future.  Henry  Ross,  Superintendent 
of  Newton  Cemetery,  and  Mr.  Hunnewell  have  some  fine  specimens 
gi'owing,  but  even  from  these  one  can  hardly  conceive  of  the 
beauty  and  attractiveness  they  present  in  their  mountain  home. 
While  in  old  age  both  the  pungens  and  the  Evgelmanni  revert  to 
the  green  and  lose  the  silver,  the  concolor  retains  its  unique  beauty 
down  to  its  death. 

]\Ir.  Harrison  said  he  had  seen  massive  trees  half  dead,  with 
limbs  3'et  alive,  robed  in  all  the  beauty  of  youth.  You  can  pick 
out  a  grove  of  these  trees  miles  away,  from  their  rich  contrast 
with  the  neighlioring  green.  He  would  like  to  show  the  meeting  a 
grove  in  the  fruiting  season.  Here  is  one  tree  of  richest  sheen  — 
silver  and  sapphire  —  the  new  growth  being  soft  green.  On  the 
under  side  of  the  limits  are  deep  purple  blossoms.  The  cones  are 
purple  also  and  are  massed  in  large  numbers  on  the  to*p  of  the  tree. 
The  next  tree  of  the  same  rich  color,  strange  to  say,  has  cones  and 
blossoms  of  light  green.  He  had  seen  two  Imnches  from  the  same 
stump,  with  this  diversity  of  color.  To  add  to  the  effect  a  gum 
exudes  from  the  cone,  clear  as  crystal,  which  sparkles  in  the  sun- 
light. Now  stand  back  and  let  the  breeze  and  the  light  play  upon 
the  branches,  and  mingle  all  the  rich  colors,  and  you  have  a  scene 
worth  crossing  a  continent  to  behold.  These  trees  are  somewhat 
hard  to  transplant,  though  T.  C.  Thurlow  and  ^y.  C.  Strong  have 
made  about  seventy-flve  per  cent  of  trees  direct  from  the  moun- 
tains live. 

Mr.  Harrison  spoke  of  the  adaptability  of  the  soil  and  climate 
of  Massachusetts  to  the  conifers.  He  wondered  that  there  is  so 
little  attention  paid  to  beautif^^ing  the  home  and  the  farm  when 
such  facilities  were  offered.  It  is  a  shame  so  many  old  farms  are 
deserted,  and  a  further  shame  that  man}'  now  worked  are  almost 
as  bleak  and  dreary  as  a  western  prairie,  when  a  little  effort  would 
make  them  charming  elysiums.  In  the  west  one  has  great  diffi- 
culty in  starting  the  evergreens,  but  where  once  established  they 
are  doing  well.      Last  spring  the  speaker  planted  over  fifty  pounds 


40        MASSACHUSETTS  HORTICULTUKAL  SOCIETY. 

of  Rocky  Mountain  seeds,  and  thought  that  if  Job,  out  on  the 
borders  of  the  Arabian  desert,  had  attempted  to  raise  conifers  from 
seed  and  succeeded,  he  woi;ld  have  added  to  his  reputation  for 
patience.  In  planting  seeds  of  conifers  in  the  west  one  must 
observe  the  conditions  of  nature.  First,  have  a  screen  to  shut  out 
over  half  the  light,  and  cover  the  seeds  with  fine  sand ;  but  that  is 
not  enough.  Heat  and  damp  both  attack  the  crown  of  the  delicate 
plants  and  therefore  they  must  be  defended  as  in  the  forests  bj' 
moss  or  coarse  leaf  mould.  The  plants,  growing  up  through  this, 
are  protected  so  that  some  beds  are  defended  even  against  a 
raging  sirocco  of  110°  in  the  shade. 

Mr.  Harrison  thought  that  the  best  waj  to  secure  the  finest 
colored  trees  would  be  to  select  them  where  they  grow  by  thou- 
sands in  the  mountains.  For  instance,  in  raising  Picea  praigens 
from  the  seed,  away  from  its  native  hal)itat,  it  does  not  average 
as  well  for  color  as  those  mountain  grown.  He  spoke  of  the 
difficulty  of  having  these  trees,  when  shipped  from  the  mountains, 
retain  their  color.  This  will  sweat  out  in  transit  and  the  planter 
will  often  think  he  has  been  defrauded  when  the  very  choicest 
specimens  have  been  sent.  Rich  ground  and  good  cultivation  will, 
however,  in  a*  year  or  so  restore  the  color  to  more  than  its  original 
beauty.  He  said  also  that  there  is  otherwise  a  marked 
change  for  the  better  under  cultivation, —  the  needles  become  much 
longer  and  the  color  much  brighter.  Of  cours,e  the  sheen  is  dimmed 
by  winter  weather,  but  is  restored  to  its  marvellous  beauty  in  the 
growing  season. 

Regarding  autumn  planting,—  if  he  lived  east  he  would  practice 
it,  but  uot  in  the  dry  air.  of  the  west.  He  read  Mr.  Strong's 
article  in  "Garden  and  Forest"  while  in  Neliraska,  and  dropping 
the  paper  went  out  and  planted  three  hundred  trees,  most  of  which 
died.  But  he  concluded  to  charge  it  to  the  climate  vnUier  than  to 
Mr.  Strong,  for  tliat  gentlemiin  certainly  liad  had  wonderful  success, 
and  his  advice  in  the  matter  had  been  largely  followed  by  nurser}'- 
men  east,  and  as  far  west  as  the  Missouri  Kiver.  He  said  that  the 
planting  of  evergreens  is  now  receiving  much  attention  on  the 
plains  and  that  the  west  would  vie  with  tlie  east  in  making  our 
whole  country  beautiful  in  forest,  lawn,  :ind  landseai)e. 

Jackson  Dawson  held  that  evergreens  covild  be  transplanted  at 
any  time  in  the  year  if  proper  care  is  given  to  the  trees.  Twelve 
vears  agolMr.  l*;uil,  of  London,  liad  ;in  order  to  furnisli  several  car- 


EVERGREEN    TIJE?:S.  41 

loads  of  evergreens,  and  plant  them  in  fair-grounds  forty  to  fifty 
miles  away.      A  car-load  was  dug  up,  packed,  transported  to  the 
fair-grounds,  and  replanted.      By  such  instalments  the  order  was 
filled  in  May.      Before  the  end  of  June  all  these  trees  had  to  be 
cleared  from  the  fair-grounds ;    therefore   the   same  process  was 
repeated  and  the  trees  were  replaced  in  Mr.  Paul's  nursery  grounds, 
without  the  loss  of  a  single  one ;  indeed  they  made  a   fair  growth 
that  season.     Mr.  Dawson  thought  well  of  home-planting  of  ever- 
greens in  August,  but  he  did  not  think  it  proV»al)le  that  a  case  of 
evergreens  could  he  transported  fifty  to  one  hundred  miles  at  that 
season  and  come  out  well.      If  they  did  not  suffer  from  dr^'ing  of 
the  roots  while  out  of  the  ground,  a  fungus  would  probably  Ije 
developed  Avhich  would  destroy  tliem.      He  believed  the  best  time 
to  plant  them  was  when  the  l)uds  are  swelling,  or  after  they  have 
completed   their  term  of  growth.       There  are  two  sets  of  roots 
formed  in  each  year ;   the  first  just  after  starting  to  grow  in  the 
spring  ;  the  other  in  the  summer,  after  the  short  season  of  rest.     If 
a  seedling  or  small  plant  is  potted  in  July  it  will  throw  out  new 
roots  in  two  weeks,  which  illustrates  this  law  of  the  whole  family. 
Mr.  Dawson's  first  work,  after  his  return  from  the  war  in  1864, 
was  the  removal  of  one  thousand  Arbor  Vit«  ti'ees,  from  six  to 
twelve  feet  high,  which  had  to  be  done  between  the  second  of  Juue 
and  the  second  or  third  of  July.     They  are  all  healthy  plants  today. 
In  1885,  three  hundred  and  fift}'  white  .pine  trees  were  procured  in 
November  in  order  to  have  them  ready  for  use  iu  the  following 
spring.     They  were  heeled  iu  and  covered  with  leaves,  which  kept 
them   moist,  and  prevented    heaving   by   frost.      They   were    all 
planted  out  in  the  spring  Avithout  loss.     Not  only  conifers  Init  all 
other  evergreens  are  realh^  easier  to  transplant  because  the  roots 
are   always  in   action,  and  loss  from  transplanting  arises  chiefly 
from  the  careless,  hap-hazard  manner  in  which  the  work  is  generally 
performed.     Phius  ponderosa  is  a  good  tree  iu  parts  of  the  west,  but 
it  does  not  appear  to  succeed  here.      He  started  to  grow  pine  and 
spruce  seeds  from  western  localities  witli  good  success.     He  planted 
out  twelve  or  fourteen  hundred  seedlings  of  P.  ponderosa  from  the 
collection,  but  they  have  gradualh'  died  out ;  a  fungus  attacked  the 
bark,  and  eventually  destroyed  them.      There   is   a   tree    in    the 
Botanic  Garden  at  Cambridge,  grown  from  native  Colorado  seed, 
which  is   a    good   plant.      Pseudotsnga    taxifoUa    has    sometimes 
been  called   Pseudolsuga   Douglasii,    and  Abies  Doiiglasii ;    Avhen 


42  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

l)rought  from  Colorado,  it  is  hard}-,  but  if  seed  is  brought  from 
California  tlie  plants  prove  too  tender  for  this  region.  There  is 
a  ver}'  beautiful  false  hemlock  —  a  new  form  of  Pseudotsuga  taxi- 
Jolia,  introduced  by  Robert  Douglas,  of  AVaukegau,  111.,  which 
is  a  perfect  weeping  tree,  and  seems  to  be  a  most  desirable  acqui- 
sition. Abies  sub-alpina,  a  species  brought  from  Mount  Shasta,  is 
perfectly  hard3%  but  is  not  a  strong  growing  tree  in  Massachusetts. 
Abies  Eiigdtnanni  is  a  promising  but  rather  slow  growing  tree.  It 
is  more  compact  and  more  conical  than  A.  alba^  and  a  specimen  in 
the  Arnold  Arboretum,  now  seventeen  or  more  years  old,  has 
never  shown  sunburn  or  scald.  A.  concolor  from  Colorado  and 
Utah  stands  our  climate  well  and  is  one  of  our  best  evergreens  — 
^rel•y  beautiful  and  valuable.  Mr.  Dawson  fears  that  Ficea 
puiigens  will  not  realize  all  that  was  hoped  for  it,  as  a  fungus 
has  attacked  the  leaves  of  several  trees ;  but  they  Avere  growing 
upon  rather  poor  soil,  and  the  fungus  may  not  become  general 
under  more  favorable  conditions. 

Jacob  ^Y.  Manning  said  that  in  1872  ten  Rock}'  Mountain 
evergreen  conifers  were  added  to  his  collection,  including  Finns 
Jlexilis,  F.  ponderosa,  F.  coutorta,  F.  Murrayana,  Abies  Donglasii, 
A.  pungeiis^  Ficea  concolor,  and  some  others.  J.  T.  Allan,  of 
Omaha,  then  Secretary  of  the  State  Horticultural  Society  of 
Nebraska,  collected  in  that  season  about  50,000  of  these  trees,  in 
the  Colorado  spurs  of  the  Rocky  Mountains ;  and  exhibited  ten 
of  them,  in  tubs,  in  Boston,  in  September  of  1873,  at  one  of  the 
most  successful  meetings  ever  held  bj'  the  American  Pomological 
♦Society.  These  trees  were  presented  to  Mr.  Manning  b}'  the 
■owner  at  that  time,  and  they  were  planted  in  the  Reading  nurseries. 
Abies  puiigens,  A.  Doughisii,  and  Ficea  cmcolor  were  successful, 
iind  were  subsequentl}' sent  out  to  some  customer  who  could  not  l)e 
identified  afterwards.  The  speaker  has  ever  since  regretti'd  their 
sale,  as  the}-  were  about  the  first  trees  of  the  kinds  that  were 
planted  in  New  England.  Mr.  Manning  next  l)ecame  interested  in 
sixty-two  Abies  pangens  which  Avere  growing  in  the  Botanic  Gar- 
den at  Cambridge.  It  was  in  the  year  Professor  Charles  S. 
Sargent  became  Director  tiiere.  The  gardener  in  charge  notified 
Mr.  Manning,  that  autunni,  that  it  was  proposed  to  sell  those 
trees,  and  he  then  thought  one  hundred  dollars  a  fair  valuation  for 
the  lot.     At  that  time  they  had  no  reputation  here  for  excellence  in 


K^  KlUiHEEN    THEKS.  43 

auy  respect ;  therefore  there  w:is  no  deinuud  for  Kocky  Mouutuiii 
trees,  but  Professor  Saroeiit  said  that  if  they  were  iu  Englaud  they 
would  eomniand  a  guinea  apiece.  Later  ou  they  Avere  distributed 
to  various  poiuts  arouud  Boston,  some  l)eing  sent  to  Fori'st  Hills 
Cemetery  and  the  Bussey  Institution,  and  some  planted  in  private 
grounds.  They  have  served  as  object  lessons  in  beauty  of  form, 
color,  and  character,  and  have  created  a  desire  and  demand  for 
specimen  plants  of  those  hnving  the  silvery  green  foliage.  After 
it  was  Avell  known  that  the  lieautiful  evergreen  trees  of  California 
would  not  succeed  in  New  England,  full  twenty  years  elapsed 
before  it  was  learned  that  the  same  species  taken  from  their  native 
forests  iu  Colorado,  or  grown  from  seed  brought  from  that  region, 
were  hardy  in  the  East.  While  either  trees,  or  seeds  from  trees, 
•of  the  same  varieties  grown  upon  the  Pacific  coast  ranges  in 
California,  uniformly  failed  here,  both  trees  and  seeds  which 
were  carried  from  California  to  Englaud  were  growu  successfully 
tliere,  but  if  brought  from  thence  to  New  England  they  just  as 
uniformly  failed.  But  those  sixty-two  trees  before  mentioned  as 
doing  well  in  the  Botanic  Garden  in  Cambridge,  were  raised  in 
Englaud,  from  seed  grown  in  Colorado,  and  were  imported  into 
this  country  when  quite  small.  This  discovery,  if  not  new,  was 
an  important  factor  in  leading  to  the  present  demand  for  Rocky 
Mountain  trees.  Their  number  now  in  sight  here  can  l>e  counted 
l)y  hundreds  of  thousands,  in  seed-bed  stock  and  larger  growth. 
Thus  the  Douglas  Spruce,  concolor,  pungens,  and  Engelmcmni,  are 
l)ecoming  more  and  more  common  in  nui'series,  and  desirable  iu 
collections  of  trees,  and  their  names  are  found  easier  to  speak. 

F.  L.  Temple  said  that  the  most  valuable  sorts  of  new  evergreen 
trees  in  this  latitude,  are  those  we  get  from  the  region  of  which 
Mr.  Harrison  had  so  eloquently  spoken  to  us.  Most  of  the 
conifers  of  Europe  and  Asia  are  already  well  known  to  us,  and  we 
know  pretty  well  what  can  be  expected  of  them  here.  We  cauuot 
expect  much  more  of  special  value,  from  those  sources,  unless,  it 
may  be,  in  the  way  of  new  varieties  of  the  species  which  we 
already  have.  He  had  cherished  very  great  hopes  of  the  future 
usefulness  of  the  Ficea  pnngens  iu  this  latitude,  and  had  been 
enthusiastic  in  its  propagation,  but,  while  the  blue  form  iu  the 
young  trees  is  wonderfully  beautiful,  it  appears  to  be  a  fact  that 
none  of  the  full  grown  trees,  even  in  its  native  hal)itat,  hold  the 
full    blue  color    so    attractive   in   the   vounoer  trees.       The   plain. 


44  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

greeu  form  of  it  is  oue  of  the  least  beautiful  of  all  our  conifers^ 
aud  he  had  seen  it  used  by  the  thousand  in  an  English  nursery,  in 
trees  from  two  to  four  feet  high,  to  fill  in  roadways,  as  the  greeu 
trees  could  not  be  sold  there  at  any  price. 

He  thought  Picea  pungens,  in  its  blue  forms,  would  always  be 
used  largely  for  ornamental  planting,  but  it  is  well  to  know  the 
truth,  which  seems  to  be  that  its  duration,  as  a  blue  tree,  is  only 
for  a  period  of,  say  thirty  to  forty  years.  He  is  more  aud  more 
convinced,  however,  that  we  have,  in  Abies  concolor^  a  tree  of  the 
very  first  rank  as  to  permanent  color  and  beaiity,  and  which  is 
destined  to  come  into  popular  favor  and  be  very  largely  planted  to 
give  a  rich  touch  of  unusual  color  to  our  masses  of  evergreen  trees 
in  ornamental  plantations.  Its  great  scarcity  and  high  price  are 
the  only  obstacles  to  its  immediate  use  in  large  quantities,  and  a 
supply  will  soon  be  grown  to  meet  the  demand.  The  curious  fact 
of  this  tree  having  the  upper  side  of  its  foliage  of  the  same  beau- 
tiful, silvery  l)lue  as  the  under  side,  makes  this  superb  silvei"  fir 
the  most  strikingly  effective  tree,  even  to  casual  ol)servers,  of  any 
species  whatever  now  known  to  our  gardens. 

On  the  question  of  transplanting  evergreens,  Mr.  Temple  agreed 
pretty  closely  with  Mr.  Strong,  although  he  believed  that  the  larger 
portion  of  losses  sustained  in  this  work  are  due  more  to  careless 
digging  and  packing,  aud  lack  of  attention  afterward,  than  to  the 
supposed  difficulties  from  planting  at  a  wrong  time  of  the  year. 
Another  serious  fault  in  such  changes  is  the  inattention  to  proper 
selection  of  ground.  Many  trees  set  in  moist  ground  live  and 
thrive,  which  if  on  a  high  and  dry  place  would  surely  die.  In  Mr. 
Temple's  own  grounds  he  has  thousands  of  Balsam  Fir  and  White 
Spruce  trees,  put  in  between  September  20  and  the  iiiiddlr  of 
October,  which  with  few  exceptions  rooted  well. 

Mr.  Dawson  did  not  fully  agree  with  ]\Ir.  Tem])le  in  regard  to 
evergreens  from  the  old  world.  He  considered  Abies  VeitcliU  as 
the  very  best  we  have  so  far  as  lie  had  seen  them.  A.  Sachaliensis, 
A.  bracliyphylla^  A.  Cilicica,  A.  Mariesii,  and  A.  CepJialonica,  he 
esteemed  liiglily  desirable.  Of  the  pines  he  named  Pimis  Koraien- 
sis^  P.  mnnticola,  and  P.  Pence,  and  of  the  firs,  Picea  omorika,  P. 
AJaneyisis,  and  P.  polita,  —  all  of  a  promising  character.  Ever- 
greens may  attain  a  good  growth  in  a  sand-bank,  in  from  one 
hundred  to  two  hundred  years,  but  when  we  plant  them  for  orna- 
ment the  ground  nmst  l)e  in  the  best  condition  in  order  to  have 
them  make  their  urowtli  in  our  own  dav  and  generation. 


E\  i:i;(ii;EEN    twees.  45 

Bt'ujaiuin  CJ.  8iiiitli  tiskod  what  fertilizers  are  best  to  use  for 
evergreens. 

Mv.  DaAvsoii  replied  that  any  good  manure  can  be  used.  Cow 
manure  is  preferable  on  high,  dry  land,  —  in  fact  anj^where  except 
on  low.  wet  places. 

Echnund  Herse}'  regarded  the  Hemlock  as  the  most  hardy  and 
i"eliable,  as  well  as  the  most  beautiful  evergreen  tree  we  have.  On 
his  land  he  has  no  other  tree  of  this  family  that  will  endure  the 
extremes  of  our  climate  so  well.  He  has  them  in  positions 
exposed  to  the  ocean  blasts  and  the  north  and  northwest  winds, 
iind  they  have  sustained  no  injury  during  the  last  thirt}^  j^ears, 
while  some  of  his  Eed  Cedars,  with  the  same  exposure,  and  even 
in  more  sheltered  places,  have  been  winter-killed.  The  hemlock 
makes  one  of  the  most  beautiful  hedges,  and  it  can  be  trimmed  in 
a  manner  to  make  a  thick,  close  hedge  to  the  ground,  leaving  no 
•open  space  even  after  a  period  of  thirty  years. 

Mr.  Dawson  said  there  are  no  other  evergreens  in  Massa- 
chusetts—  perhaps  in  the  world  — so  fine  as  the  Hemlock  and 
White  Pine.  The  hemlock  loves  moisture,  as  from  a  brook  at  its 
foot,  but  not  to  stand  in  decidedly  wet  land.  It  Avill  thrive  if  it 
has  an  eastern,  northeastern,  or  even  north  or  northwestern  expo- 
sure, better  than  with  a  south  or  southwestern  aspect.  He 
considered  both  as  among  our  most  noble  and  valuable  trees. 

Mr.  Manning  agreed  with  Mr.  Dawson  and  Mr.  Hersey  as  to 
the  hardiness  of  the  hemlock.  He  referred  to  a  certain  slope  or 
steep  hillside,  in  the  Arnold  Arboretum,  at  West  Roxbur}-,  Avhich 
is  well  covered  with  a  grove  of  fine  specimens ;  also  to  the 
shore  of  Lake  Kenoza,  upon  the  grounds  of  the  late  Dr.  James  R. 
Nichols,  at  Haverhill,  and  the  east  shore  of  Spot  Pond  in  Med- 
ford  and  Stoneham.  One  of  the  noblest  specimens  of  this  tree 
known  to  him,  is  still  growing  in  the  west  part  of  Wilmington  ; 
it  is  five  feet  in  diameter,  eighty  feet  high,  and  spreads  its  branches 
over  a  diameter  of  sixty  feet.  The  hemlock  prefers  a  cool,  damp 
soil,  but  grows  well  on  any  deep  soil  in  his  own  grounds,  even 
where  the  winds  have  ample  sweep.  In  transplanting  the  hemlock 
or  any  other  species  of  conifer,  drying  between  the  digging  up 
and  replanting  should  not  be  allowed.  According  to  his  knowl- 
edge and  experience  the  best  thirty  days  in  the  whole  year  for 
moving  any  conifers,  in  this  latitude,  are  from  April  20  to  May  20. 
He  has  long  l)een  known  as  an  "evergreen"  man,  and  has  practised 
close  pruning  of  hedges  and  single  specimens,  but  he  is  convinced 


46  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTlTIfAL    SOCIETY. 

that  a  better  hedge  and  a  far  more  lastiug  one  cau  be  secured  by 
a  general  shortening-in  of  the  shoots,  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of 
the  hedge,  than  by  close  shaving  to  a  line,  and  the  same  principle 
will  apply  to  belts  specimen  trees.  Contracting  the  growth  of 
these  hemlocks  may  be  ver}^  well  where  room  is  lacking  to  allow  of 
more  natural  growth  and  expansion  of  the  trees,  but  otherAvise 
their  liealth  and  beauty  are  promoted  by  more  liberal  treatment. 

E.  PI.  Hitchings  spoke  of  riding  from  Dedham  to  Boston,  over 
the  Dedham  Brancli  Railroad  some  tifty  years  ago,  when  he  heard 
a  fellow  passenger  call  attention  to  a  group  of  evergreens,  saying 
that  they  always  gave  him  pain,  for  they  reminded  him  of  the 
Stoics,  as  they  appeared  so  utterly  indifferent  to  storms  and  all 
other  surrounding  circumstances.  Mr.  Hitchings,  on  the  contrary, 
appreciated  their  many  excellent  qualities  and  enjoyed  them 
exceedingly.  He  mentioned  a  fine,  double  stemmed  hemlock 
standing  in  West  Dedham,  which,  for  its  beauty  and  nol)le  appear- 
ance, was  worth  a  walk  out  there  to  see. 

Mr.  Dawson  alluded  to  Mr.  Manning's  remarks  on  Hemlocks  for 
hedges,  and  asked  his  views  concerning  the  Arbor  Vitae  and  other 
evergreens  for  that  purpose,  and  their  treatment. 

Mr.  Manning  said  that  among  all  our  trees  there  is  no  other  so 
well  adapted  to  use  for  a  common  hedge  plant  as  the  American 
Arbor  Vitj¥.  It  is  one  of  our  hardiest  plants  if  well  grown  in 
soil  suitable  for  cultivation  ;  it  can  be  dug  up,  and  transplanted 
with  great  ease,  and  will  endure  more  hardship  than  almost  any 
other  coniferous  tree.  If  breaks  occur  in  a  hedge  of  it,  even  if 
twelve  feet  high,  the  places  can  be  filled  in  with  trees  of  the  same 
size  from  the  nursery  rows  and  will  soon  be  restored.  He  had 
two  thousand  arl»or  vitivs,  from  live  to  eight  feet  high,  which  stood 
thickh'  in  nursery  rows,  and  were  transplanted  to  form  a  hedge 
along  a  driveway  upon  his  grounds,  and  oidy  live  of  them  died. 
This  hedge  was  pruned  for  eight  years ;  then  three  hundred  feet  of 
it,  making  two  carloads,  was  removed  to  Centre  Harbor,  N.  H., 
and  planted.  Now,  in  1891,  it  is  one  of  the  best  hedges  in 
New  Hampshire.  In  another  case  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of 
arbor  vita*  hedge,  eight  feet  high,  which  had  been  set  from  eight 
to  twelve  years,  was  taken  up,  carried  from  Reading  to  Lynn, 
and  planted  there  in  May,  1890,  and  nearly  every  tree  of  it  is 
alive  today.  In  the  years  1872  and  1883  —  eleven  years  apart  — 
evergreen  trees,  and  notably  hedges,  were  sufferers  from  winter- 
killing to  a  remarkable  extent.      But  the  dead  trees  were  mostly 


EVEHCJUEKN    TKKES.  47 

fouiul  wluTi'  till'  soil  was  very  tliiii.  over  uimvl'L  oi-  a  li'(l;uv,  or 
wliere  tlu'v  wi'rr  Icick  of  ;\  liank-wuU  —  that  is  al)ove  it  —  all 
Iteing  least  sui)plie(l  with  the  moisture  necessary.  l»ut  few  died 
which  stood  in  deep,  moist  soil.  That  most  hardy  native  tree,, 
so  widely  spread  over  our  country,  the  Red  Cedar  {.Tunipcnis 
Vmjinianfi),  also  dies  more  numerously  when  in  dry,  rocky  situa- 
tions. In  the  latter  fatal  year,  I'S.s;],  many  of  our  native  forest 
trees  died  —  lariie  white  pines,  oaks,  etc.  This  disastrous  effect 
was  in  each  case  caused  b}'  the  prolonged  summer  and  autunm 
drought  of  the  preceding  j^ear,  followed  by  an  open  winter,  with 
little  rain,  not  nnich  snow,  many  periods  of  intense  cold,  and 
frequent  extreme  cold  winds  occurring  during  the  winter  and  early 
spring,  and  therefore  very  deep  freezing  of  the  ground.  These 
influences  greatly  weakened  the  vital  force  of  all  trees,  as  well  as 
other  vegetation,  before  the  winter  set  in,  and  the  unusual  winter 
weather  overtaxed  the  life  force  and  produced  the  fatal  results 
recorded.  After  the  winter-killing  of  1872,  some  wn-iters  declared 
that  the  arbor  vita^  was  not  a  fit  plant  to  use  for  hedges  in  dry  or 
open  situations ;  that  its  native  habitat  was  damp,  shady  forests. 
It  is  found  in  damp,  even  swampy,  places,  but  it  is  also  found 
near  by,  growing  on  the  dryest  rocky  upland,  from  seeds  sown  by 
Nature,  which  have  been  wafted  l)y  the  wind  to  points  perhaps 
many  rods  from  the  trees  on  which  they  grew.  In  fact,  we  have 
no  other  tree,  either  native  or  foreign,  adapted  to  so  great  a  range 
of  soils  and  other  conditions  as  the  American  arbor  vitic,  nor  one 
that  will  endure  more  neglect  or  abuse.  In  connection  with  the 
statement  of  the  winter-killing  of  evergreen  and  other  trees  iu 
1.S72  and  1883,  it  should  be  added  that  no  trees  were  killed  in 
places  where  the  early  snows  fell  and  remained  on  the  ground 
through  the  winter. 

Mr.  Dawson  said  he  believed  it  was  one  duty  of  the  Society  to 
instruct  the  people  in  horticultural  knowledge,  and  the  object  of 
his  questions  put  to  Mr.  Manning  was  to  draw  out  from  him  some 
of  the  facts  relating  to  the  choice  of  hedge  plants  and  the  necessity 
of  a  proper  selection  and  preparation  of  the  ground  before  plant- 
ing the  hedge,  in  order  to  ensure  the  permanence  of  benefits  for 
which  one  does  the  work.  He  was  pleased  with  the  replies  to  his 
questions,  and  hoped  they  would  prove  valuable  to  those  present. 

Mr.  Temple  believed  that  the  reason  why  the  Arltor  \'itie  is  used 
so  much  is  its  cheapness,  its  easy  transplanting,  and  its  beautiful 
appearance  when  grown  in  a  deep,  moist  soil.      He  considered  it 


48  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

the  least  valua1)le  of  all  the  everjiTeen  trees  in  New  Englaiid.  The 
Red  Cedar  will  flourish  in  lioht  soils.  The  White  Piue  is  desirable 
when  it  can  be  allowed  to  grow  naturally.  The  AVhite  Spruce  in 
man}'  cases  is  most  beautiful,  especially  at  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet 
in  height. 

Mr.  Manning  esteemed  the  White  Pine  as  lieautiful  as  any  of 
our  evergreens.  He  did  not  approve  of  the  close  pruning  to  which 
many  subject  it,  but  said  he  bad  a  belt  of  these  trees,  planted  in 
18G!),  which  had  been  "  shortened-in  "  each  year,  about  the  tenth 
of  June,  when  the  new  growth  is  tender  and  easily  broken  with  the 
fingers.  Buds  soon  start  out  just  back  of  the  break  and  thicken 
up  the  outline  beautifully.  No  other  tree  shows  so  complete  a  leaf- 
surface  as  this  pine  when  pruned  in  this  wa}',  whether  a  hedge, 
belt,  or  single  tree.  Of  other  species,  the  Norway  Spruce  has 
been  a  universal  benefactor,  although  an  imported  tree.  Fifty 
years  ago  it  was  almost  unknown  here.  The  White  Spruce  is  a 
native  of  our  northern  forests,  from  Nova  Scotia  to  the  Black 
Hills.  Thirty-five  years  ago  it  was  scarcel}'  recognized  b}'  our 
American  planters.  It  is  specially  adapted  for  use  on  the  sea-shore, 
and  may  be  seen  close  down  to  the  rocky  shores  along  the  coast  of 
Maine.  The  Red  Pine  is  a  native  of  New  England.  The  Scotch 
and  Austrian  Pines  are  foreign  trees  but  are  desiral)le.  All 
these  can  be  shortened-in  when  the  new  growth  is  succulent.  The 
Retinosporas  are  rich  in  foliage  as  evergreen  trees,  liut  to  show  to 
best  advantage  they  require  shortening-in,  or  they  will  disclose  the 
dead  inner  leaves. 

Benjamin  G.  Smith  spoke  of  a  plantation  of  evergreens  in  his 
grounds  made  fort}'  years  ago.  It  included  White  Pines,  Scotch 
Pines,  Hemlocks,  Norway  Spruces,  and  others.  The  white  pines 
and  hemlocks  are  still  nourishing,  and  have  attained  the  altitude  of 
from  forty-five  to  sixty  feet.  The  Scotch  pines  and  Norway 
spruces  liave  nearly  all  failed. 

The  reading  of  the  essay  engaged  the  attention  of  the  audience, 
by  whom  it  was  highly  appreciated,  and  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr. 
Strong  for  his  interesting  and  vnliialtle  lecture  was  unanimously- 
passed. 

The  President  announced  that  on  the  next  Saturday  a  paper  on 
"  Roses,"  by  John  N.  May,  of  Summit,  N.  J.,  one  of  the  most 
extensive  and  most  successful  growers  of  that  flower,  avouUI  be 
read  by  the  author. 


rosp:s.  49 

BUSINESS   MEETING. 

Saturday,  January  24,   1891. 

All   adjourned  meeting  of   the   Society  was   holden   at   eleven 
o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.   Spooner,  in  the  chair. 
No  business  being  brought  before  the  meeting  it 
Adjourned  to  Saturday.  January  31. 

MEETING   FOE    DISCUSSION. 
Roses. 

By  John  N.  May,  Summit,  IV.  J. 

Having  been  requested  by  your  Committee  to  read  a  paper  on 
this  subject,  I  have  iu  the  foUoTviug  pages  endeavored  to  say 
enough  at  any  rate  to  open  a  discussion  whereby  I  trust  to  learn 
more  than  I  can  ever  hope  to  teach  by  anything  that  I  can  say. 
This  subject  has  been  so  well  and  al)ly  presented  to  this  body  so 
many  times  before,  by  men  much  better  informed  and  more  able 
to  present  it  to  you  intelligently  than  myself,  that  I  feel  that  I  am 
almost  an  intruder  here,  and  Avould  certainly  much  rather  be  a 
listener  than  a  talker  on  the  subject;  however,  I  will  give  my 
experience  with  the  Rose,  and  trust  you  Avill  be  lenient  with  your 
criticisms. 

The  word  Roses  conveys  to  the  rosarian  a  volume.  It  opens 
an  immense  field  for  discussion.  The  subject  of  raising  new 
varieties  alone,  could  be  made  most  interesting  if  handled  as  it 
deserves  to  be,  but  at  this  time  I  fear  that  it  would  hardly  be  iu 
place,  neither  do  I  think  that  I  could  under  any  circumstances  do 
justice  to  this  branch,  though  I  certainly  hope  in  the  very  near 
future  to  see  American  seedlings  rank  with  the  finest  productions 
of  the  world,  as  we  have  every  advantage  for  producing  them, — 
summers  that  will  ripen  the  seeds  as  well  as  any  other  in  the  world 
if  not  better ;  varied  soils  and  climates,  suitable  for  all  classes  of 
this  large  family,  and  lastly  an  appreciative  public  ever  readj'  to 
admire  and  to  buy  them. 

This,  the  queen  of  all  flowers,  has  always  reigned  supreme  for 
me,  and  will  till  the  end  of  time.  My  first  experience  with  the 
rose  dates  from  the  time  I  was  eight  and  a  half  years  old,  when  I 
4 


50  MASSACHUSETTS    HOKTICULTUltAL    SOCIETY. 

borrowed  (Avithout  permission)  three  eyes  of  Souvenir  de  la 
Malmaison,  then  a  new  rose.  1  am  sorry  to  have  to  confess  it  at 
tliis  late  day,  but  a  clear  confession,  it  is'  said,  is  good  for  the 
soul ;  anyway,  having  watched  an  elder  brother  doing  considerable 
budding,  and  wishing  to  try  my  hand  at  it,  I  borrowed,  as  above 
stated,  three  eyes  from  my  father's  garden  and  took  them  to  a 
neighboring  hedge,  where  I  found  a  Avild  rose  on  which  I  budded 
them.  One  of  them  grew  and  the  next  season  produced  three  fine 
flowers,  and  from  that  day  on,  the  rose  (and  this  variety  in  particu- 
lar) has  always  held  a  charm  for  me. 

During  all  these  years  I  have  seen  many,  very  many,  changes  in 
them,  though  some  of  the  varieties  that  were  then  in  their  glory 
have  not  yet  been  eclipsed  and  still  retain  their  places  in  the  front 
rank.  Among  these  are  General  Jacqueminot,  Geant  des  Bat- 
ailles,  and  man}'  others  too  numerous  to  mention  here.  Among 
the  Tea  roses,  Niphetos,  Lamarque,  Gloire  de  Dijon,  and  others 
still  rank  as  first  favorites ;  the  same  may  be  said  of  all  the 
other  branches  of  this  family.  But  no  one  can  gainsay  that  many 
great  improvements  in  the  family  have  been  introduced  within  the 
last  ten  or  twenty  years ;  take,  for  instance,  the  maguificen't 
Ulrich  Briinner,  INIrs.  John  Laing,  p]arl  of  Dufferin,  T.  W.  Girdle- 
stone,  and  man}'  others  of  the  same  family.  Among  the  Teas, 
the  most  graceful  of  all,  com])ining,  as  this  class  does,  elegance  of 
form,  beautiful  color,  and  fragrance,  stand  preeminently  Catherine 
Mermet  and  her  offspring.  The  Bride,  the  latter  today  recognized 
all  over  the  civilized  world  as  the  finest  white  Tea  rose  in  cultiva- 
tion ;  and  of  this  year's  introduction,  the  glorious  Waban  now 
before  you,  and  its  mother  and  sister  grown  and  produced  at  the 
celebrated  Waban  Conservatories  here  in  your  own  State.  These 
clearly  demonstrate  the  fact  that  the  cultivation  of  the  rose  has 
wonderfully  advanced  within  the  last  decade. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  at  this  time  to  give  a  few  remarks  on 
the  cultivation  of  the  rose  here.  Twenty  years  ago  the  principal 
roses  grown  for  our  markets  were  Bon  Sil^ne,  Safrano,  Lamarque, 
and  a  few  others  of  like  character.  The  only  roses  of  any  size 
then  grown  were  Mar^chal  Niel  and  Cornelia  Cook;  today  they 
are  almost  entirely  supplanted  by  much  superior  varieties,  such  as 
you  now  see  before  you,  and  many  others  of  a  like  size  and 
beauty.  To  attain  this  end  considerable  skill  has  been  brought  to 
bear  on  their  cultivation.      Twenty  years  ago  possibly  five  thou- 


ROSES.  51 

sand  roses  per  (.laj'  vras  the  limit  of  the  supply  for  New  York 
City;  now  us  many  as  fifty  thousand  per  day  can  often  be  found 
there,  and,  according  to  m}'  own  estimate,  based  on  the  most 
careful  calculation.  I  think  I  am  quite  within  the  limit  in  sayingthat 
it  often  reaches,  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  uearl}'  one  hundred 
thousand  per  day,  which  speaks  volumes  for  the  growth,  advance- 
ment, refinement  in  taste,  and  development  of  horticulture.  Ta 
meet  the  demands  of  the  public  many  changes  in  the  cultivation 
have  been  brought  about ;  where  from  the  old  system  one  rose  was 
cut,  ten  at  the  present  time  are  cut  from  the  same  space.  Perhaps 
you  will  ask  how  this  has  been  brought  about ;  my  answer  is, 
largely  by  superior  cultivation.  Formerly  they  were  all  grown  on 
the  solid  bed  of  the  greenhouse ;  now  they  are  grown  on  raised 
benches,  beds,  etc.,  and  with  the  greatly  improved  style  of  green- 
houses now  at  their  command,  growers  are  enabled  to  produce 
large  quantities  with  little  expense  compared  to  that  formerly 
involved.  . 

AYhen  I  began  cultivating  roses  under  this  s^'stem  many  gTowere 
predicted  failure ;  today  ninety  per  cent  of  the  florists  in  this 
country  are  growing  their  roses  on  this  principle,  with,  of  course, 
some  modifications  which  experience  lias  taught.  It  was  formerly 
the  practice  to  plant  a  house  of  Tea  roses  and  grow  them  on  for 
years  till  the}'  actually  died  from  ovenvork;  now  the  general 
practice  is  to  replant  fine,  healthy,  new  stock  every  year,  or.  at 
most,  every  two  years.  Originally  the  prevailing  idea  was  that 
the  roses  must  have  a  deep,  rich  border  ranging  from  twelve  to 
twenty-four  inches  in  depth  to  produce  good  roses ;  now  the  finest 
roses  in  the  country  are  produced  on  benches,  etc.,  with  from  two 
and  a  half  to  four  inches  of  soil.  To  keep  plants  in  such  a 
shallow  Ijench  constantly  bearing  they  must,  of  course,  have 
liberal  treatment.  After  they  are  planted,  say  in  July,  and  get 
fairly  started  into  gi'owth,  thej'  need  a  mulching  of  the  best  manure 
they  can  have.  This  induces  surface  root  action,  and  these  roots 
should  never  be  disturbed.  In  the  course  of  eight  or  ten  weeks  the 
plants  will  have  absorbed  the  coat  of  mulching.  Our  practice  is  to 
give  then  a  light  dressing  of  pure,  fine,  ground  bone,  covering  it  with 
another  thin  coat  of  manure.  This  is  feeding  the  plants  where  it 
will  do  the  most  good  and,  at  the  same  time  keep  their  roots  where 
they  get  all  the  benefit  of  the  fresh  air  cu-culating  through  the 
house.     This  process  is  repeated  as  often  as  required,  and  where 


52  MASSACHUSETTS    HOllTICLXTUliAL    SOCIETY. 

the  plants  are  growing  very  strongly  the  application  of  other 
stimulants,  such  as  liquid  manure,  nitrate  of  soda,  etc.,  is  of  great 
benefit  to  them,  provided,  of  course,  that  due  care  is  used  in  their 
application.  To  apph'  such  strong  stimulants  injudiciously, 
simply  means  ruin  not  only  to  the  flowers  but  to  the  plants  also.  I 
do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  more  plants  have  been  killed  by  over- 
feeding than  by  all  other  causes  put  together.  One  thing  should 
always  be  borne  in  mind  in  reference  to  plant  life,  and  that  is  that 
it  is  almost  identical  with  animal  life  so  far  as  their  requirements 
go.  To  maintain  a  plant  in  health  and  vigor  requires  careful 
and  judicious  feeding,  just  as  an  animal  does,  and  the  harder  it 
works  the  more  cai-e  it  requires.  Those  who  ti-eat  their  plants  or 
animals  otherwise  than  reasonably  will  pay  dearly  for  their  pains, 
and  reap  the  harvest  for  which  they  have  sown. 

Possiblj'  some  may  doubt  the  soundness  of  such  a  doctrine  and 
say,  as  many  have  said  to  me,  "  How  can  you  reconcile  this  state- 
ment with  our  practice  of  growing  roses  in  the  open  ground,  where 
we  use  immense  quantities  of  manure,  and  the  more  we  use  the 
better  our  roses  grow  and  bloom  ?"  Very  true,  they  do,  but  the 
conditions  are  so  totally  different  that  there  can  he  no  comparison 
whatever.  In  the  open  ground,  the  action  of  the  air,  the  wonderful 
poAver  of  absorption  by  the  soil  of  unlimited  depth,  rains,  dews 
b}'  night,  and  sun  by  day,  all  tend  to  produce  such  a  vast 
difference  from  the  conditions  of  a  greenhouse  where  every  drop 
of  Avater  or  particle  of  manure  has  to  be  brought  into  direct 
contact  with  the  roots  of  the  plants,  that  it  would  seem  almost  an 
absurdity  to  make  an}-  comparison  whatever. 

For  the  successful  cultivation  of  the  rose  under  glass  there  are 
a  few  simple  rules  to  follow :  first,  to  procure  a  suitable  soil, 
which  should  be,  if  possible,  fresh  sod  from  an  old  pasture ;  that 
having  pleutj'  of  grass  root  fibre  in  it  is  generally  the  best.  If 
very  heavy  the  addition  of  a  liberal  proportion  of  sharp  sand  will 
improve  it,  but  if  of  a  very  light,  sandy  character  the  addition  of 
some  soil  of  a  claj'ej'  nature  will  be  beneficial  for  most  roses. 
When  carting  together  in  the  spring  mix  one  part  of  good,  clean 
cow  manure  to  six,  eight,  or  ten  of  soil,  according  to  the  quality  of 
the  soil.  Turn  it  over  two  or  three  times  and  it  is  read}'  to  put 
into  the  rose  house. 

The  next  thing  is  good,  strong,  clean  and  healthy  plants,  for 
without  such  no  one  need  expect  the  best  results ;  and  the  next  is 


ROSES.  53 

to  keep  the  house,  after  the  roses  i\\\'  planted,  in  good  condition 
as  long  as  they  are  in  it.  which  nu'ans  all  the  year  round.  This  is 
more  important  than  many  suppose,  as  no  plant  can  reasonably  be 
expected  to  thrive  where  dirt,  mud,  and  decaying  vegetable  matter 
are  allowed  to  lie  unmoli'sted  for  weeks  or  months  together. 

Lastly,  we  come  to  the  watering  and  general  care  of  the  plants. 
Ou  the  subject  of  watering  there  is  a  wide  diversity'  of  opinion, 
mainly  brought  about  by  the  different  conditions  of  soil.  The 
only  safe  guide  is  a  careful  study  of  the  nature  of  the  soil  one  has 
to  deal  with,  using  Avater  in  proportion'  to  its  requirements.  As  a 
general  rule,  a  rose  in  full  growth  should  never  be  allowed  to- 
become  dust  drj',  neither  should  the  soil  be  flooded  with  water  till 
it  becomes  almost  of  the  nature  of  mud,  but  for  nearlj'  all  soils  it  is 
lietter  to  water  the  plants  immediately  when  the  soil  shows  the 
least  indication  of  getting  solid  or  turning  slightly  light  in  color. 

For  the  general  care  and  management  I  am  afraid  I  should  tire 
you  all  out  if  I  even  attempted  to  describe  it  in  detail,  Init  even  if 
I  did  not  do  that  I  think  it  entirely  unnecessary  here — as  much  so 
as  it  would  be  for  a  stranger  to  go  to  Rome  and  tell  the  Romans 
what  to  do ;  but  in  conclusion  permit  me  to  say  that  although  I 
firmly  believe  that  in  the  past  twenty  years  gi'eater  strides  have 
been  made  in  the  cultivation  of  the  rose  than  was  ever  done  in 
double  that  .time  previously,  yet  I  certainly  think  that  much 
greater  advancement  will  be  made  in  the  next  ten  years  than 
has  been  done  in  the  past  twenty.  Evidence  of  this  is  ver}^  clear 
to  au}^  one  visiting  the  different  parts  of  this  country,  and  I  trust 
that  after  we  have  all  passed  away  the  "Queen  of  Flowers"  will 
still  have  as  great  a  charm  for  our  successors  as  she  has  for  us. 
Long  may  she  reign  supreme,  and  this  hospitable  city  remain  the 
seat  of  her  throne,  to  which  pilgrims  will  ever  come  from  all  over 
this  broad  land  to  do  homage  to  her  majesty  in  all  her  golden, 
glory  ! 

Discussion. 

Michael  H.  Norton  asked  whether  Mr.  3Iay  found  a  read}'  sale 
for  his  roses,  and  for  what  class.  There  is  no  difficulty  here  irt 
selling  first-class  roses. 

^Iv.  Maj'  replied  that  there  is  no  difficult}'  in  disposing  of  such 
roses  as  those  on  the  table,  though  you  cannot  always  get  the  best 
prices  for  them.     There  is  no  question  that  roses  and  other  flowers' 


54  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL,    SOCIETY. 

are  a  luxury  which  eauuot  be  afforded  In'  all.  He  had  seeu 
37,000  roses  of  first  quality  iu  the  market  at  nine  o'clock,  aud  at 
eleven  o'clock  ouly  3,000  of  them  were  left.  A  3'ear  ago  roses 
brought  from  fifteeu  to  twenty-five  dollars  per  hundred,  aud  this 
year  not  much  more  than  one-half  as  much.  When  the  market  is 
overstocked,  the  second  quality  have  to  be  sold  to  street  fakirs, 
and  some  one  gets  the  advantage.  For  his  part,  said  the  speaker, 
he  would  never  see  a  flower  consigned  to  the  ash  barrel,  but  would 
rather  have  surplus  flowers  sent  to  the  hospitals,  etc.  He  would 
like  to  have  ways  and  means  by  which  growers  could  dispose  of 
.their  surplus  stock  profitably ;  one  way  to  prevent  an  overstock  is 
to  groAv  better  flowers.  Nothing  injures  the  flower  market  more 
than  to  have  a  lady  bu}'  flowers  from  twenty-four  to  forty-eight 
hours  old,  and  which  fall  to  pieces  soon  after  she  gets  them  home. 

Patrick  Norton  said  that  Boston  people  like  good  roses,  and 
send  the  second  quality  to  New  York.  He  thought  there  was  no 
place  in  the  country  where  so  man}'  floAver  stores  and  flowers  could 
be  seen  in  the  same  space  as  in  Tremont  street.  He  inquired  of 
Mr.  May  what  are  the  most  profitable  varieties  of  roses  and 
suggested  tlie  names  of  'Ma  Capucine  and  Mme.  de  Watteville. 

Mr.  May  said  there  is  no  room  in  New  York  for  poor  roses. 
Which  are  most  profitable  depends  very  much  on  who  raises  them. 
Ma  Capucine  is  one  of  the  most  lovely,  and  brings  in  the  most 
money  by  twenty-five  per  cent.  They  have  been  a  little  disap- 
pointed in  getting  the  Wal)au  iu  New  York ;  it  has  not  been 
shown  to  the  public  in  that  city,  though  they  have  it  in  Orange, 
N.  J.,  and  the  ladies  admired  it  very  much.  Florists  from  New 
York  who  saw  it  in  its  home  were  very  favorably  impressed 
with  it. 

President  Spooner  suggested  that  iuforuiation  was  desired  upon 
the  best  selection  of  Hybrid  Perpetual  roses  for  forcing  —  such 
as  Ulrich  Briinner  —  and  asked  Mr.  May's  vicAvs  upon  that 
department  of  the  business. 

Mr.  May  said  that  the  New  York  market  is  a  ticklish  place. 
General  Jacqueminot  was  most  popular  for  several  3'ears,  and  then 
ladies  took  a  notion  to  yellow  roses,  aud  when  the  tide  turned 
again  in  favor  of  red  roses,  a  neighbor  of  his  who  had  hung  on 
to  his  old  favorite  (Jacqueminot)  was  the  only  one  who  hud  red 
roses.  Ulrich  Briinner  has  always  been  in  demand  in  Xcw  York, 
but    not    quite    so   mncli    tills    year   as   in    previous    years.       One 


uosES.  55 

groAvtT,  who  li:i(l  :i  liiu'  hoiijsc.  found  soiiic  (litliciilly  in  sellinii' 
tbeni.  From  tlu'  middle  of  Jjuiuan"  onward  there  is  no  difficulty 
in  selling  really  line  specimens  of  this  variet}',  but  they  must  have 
stems  two  or  three  feet  long  and  the  flowers  must  be  four  or  five 
inches  in  diameter.  ]Mrs.  .lohu  Laiug  is  one  of  the  most  popular 
roses  iu  New  York ;  it  is  fragrant  and  sure  blooming,  but  cannot 
be  forced  for  Christmas  without  having  a  considerable  portion  of 
the  crop  come  deformed  and  short  stemmed. 

Patrick  Norton  said  that  the  Ulrich  Briiuuer  rose  finds  a  good 
market  iu  Boston. 

President  Spooner  said   that  the  Ulrich  Briiuuer  is  fine  in  the. 
garden. 

William  C.  Strong  inquired  how  benches  answered  for  forcing 
hardy  roses.  His  experience  had  been  with  them  planted  in  solid 
beds,  two,  three,  or  four  j^ears,  and  he  doubted  whether  it  would 
pay  to  plant  ever}'  year. 

Mr.  May  said  that  the  trouble  comes  here :  if  ladies  get  a  fair 
rose  today  they  want  one  earlier  next  year,  and  these  roses  cannot 
be  forced  earty  in  a  solid  bed,  though  for  March  blooming  it  will 
do,  and  they  will  last  for  years.  He  had  seen  a  greenhouse  eigh- 
teen feet  wide  and  two  hundred  and  ten  feet  long,  filled  with 
General  Jacqueminots  planted  eight  or  nine  years,  where  237  buds 
were  counted  in  a  space  tn-o  feet  square,  and  37,300  buds  were 
cut  from  that  house  as  one  crop. 

William  J.  Stewart  inquired  what"  Mr.  May's  experience  had 
been  in  the  introduction  of  new  roses. 

Mr.  May  said  that  twenty-five  years  ago  he  was  growing  roses  in 
England,  and  they  used  then  to  get  their  new  varieties  mostl}' 
from  France.  One  autumn  lie  went  over  to  France  and  visited  M. 
Pernet,  one  of  the  great  rose  growers,  who  showed  him  several 
new  varieties  to  be  sent  to  England,  and  some  others,  inferior  to 
them,  which  were  thought  good  enough  for  the  American  market. 
Two  years  ago  he  paid  a  French  grower  five  hundred  and  thirty 
dollars  for  new  roses,  at  five  dollars  per  plant,  and  they  all  went 
on  to  the  rubbish  heap  in  six  months.  Once  in  a  while  we  strike 
such  a  gem  as  Catherine  Mermet,  the  finest  of  all  Tea  roses,  but 
ninety-nine  per  cent  of  what  we  import  are  useless  for  our 
purpose  in  this  countr}-. 

President  Spooner  inquired  of  Mr.  May  as  to  the  value  of 
Magna  Charta  as  a  rose  for  forcing  in  New  York,  and  what  are 
better. 


50  MASSACHUSETTS    HOETICULTl'KAL    SOCIETY. 

Mr.  May  replied  thtit  two  roses,  Auna  Alexieff  and  Heiuricli 
Schultheis,  are  better,  aud  that  the  former  although  almost  as  old 
as  himself  is  still,  as  grown  around  New  York,  most  prolific  for 
early  forcing.  Heinrich  Schultheis  is  one  of  the  finest  of  all  for 
this  purpose,  though  discarded  in  France  and  England.  It  is 
every  way  superior  to  Magna  Charta,  which  goes  off  in  color  when 
forced  and  has  failed  to  come  early.  Mr.  Asnnis,  one  of  the  best 
New  York  growers,  has  failed  with  Magna  Charta  for  very  early, 
l)ut  has  fine  ones  coming  on  now. 

President  Spooner  said  that  Heinrich  Schultheis  is  very  fine  in 
the  garden.  Anna  Alexieff  is  not  so  good  in  the  garden,  bein<> 
too  short-petalled  ;   its  only  merit  is  its  earliuess. 

Patrick  Norton  asked  Mr.  May  what  Tea-  rose  he  considered 
most  profitable. 

Mr.  May  said  that  of  Tea  roses  without  any  admixture.  The 
Bride  is  unquestionably  the  best.  Of  h3'brid  Teas,  the  Duchess 
of  Albany  is  best;  it  is  of  magnificent  color,  clean  all  the  way 
through,  and  fragrant.  If  too  much  heat  is  given,  it  becomes 
purple. 

John  G.  Barker  had  hoped  for  a  paper  on  the  rose  as  a  bedder : 
he  was  more  and  more  impressed  Avith  the  view  that  we  can  make 
our  gardens  more  beautiful  with  more  flowering  and  fewer  foliage 
plants.  He  had  a  bed  last  season  planted  with  La  France  roses, 
surrounded  with  Hermosas  and  Aggrippiuas ;  it  was  not  as  satis- 
factory as  he  hoped,  but  the  field  is  still  open. 

President  Spooner  mentioned  among  the  newer  roses  Gloire  de 
Margottin,  of  dazzling  red  color,  and  Gloire  de  Lyonnaise,  of 
lemon  color,  but  a  Hybrid  Tea  rather  than  a  Remontant.  He 
then  asked  Mr.  May  how  they  ranked  for  forcing. 

Mr.  May  said  that  he  felt  nuich  enthusiasm  over  the  Gloire  de 
Margottin  when  first  sent  out ;  it  is  of  a  most  glorious  color.  As 
regards  forcing,  he  was  rather  disappointed  with  it.  It  has  a  weak 
stem  but  is  one  of  the  finest  for  sunnner  bedding.  All  like  the 
color.     Gloire  de  Lyonnaise  was  a  disappointment  to  him. 

Mr.  Barker  asked  Mr.  May  if  he  Avould  reconunend  planting  La 
France  on  its  own  roots,  or  would  prefer  budded  or  grafted 
plants. 

Mr.  May  replied  that  he  is  a  great  advocate  of  roses  on  their 
own  roots.  If  a  plant  of  La  France  on  its  own  roots  is  killed 
down   it  will   sprout   again   from   tlie   root,  but  you  cannot  get  so 


ROSES.  57 

large  a  plant  the  first  yeav  as  if  grafted.  If  a  lady  sets  out  a 
dozen  plants  on  their  own  roots  she  will  have  good  bushes  a  dozen 
years  hence,  Init  if  she  sets  out  grafted  plants  slie  will  have  in  two 
years  a  lot  of  Mauetti  stocks.  A  neighbor  of  the  speaker 
planted  thirteen  years  ago  twenty-five  La  France  on  their  own 
roots ;  they  are  now  six  feet  high,  and  last  July  he  cut  two  hun- 
dred flowers  from  them.  The  great  difficulty  we  find  with  much 
the  larger  portion  of  the  public  is  that  they  do  not  understand  tlie 
difference  between  the  suckers  from  the  Manetti  stocks  and  shoots 
from  the  graft ;  hence  it  is  much  l)etter  to  give  them  plants  that 
will  not  be  ruined  by  suckers. 

Frederick  L.  Harris  said  that  if  we  import  roses  budded  low  down 
and  plant  them  deep,  they  Avill  stand  our  climate  well  and  in  one 
year  give  more  flowers  than  plants  on  their  own  roots  will  give  in 
two  years.  Once  in  a  while  we  get  suckers  from  the  stock,  but 
anyone  who  studies  the  character  of  the  shoots  can  remove  them. 
The  speaker  would  not  recommend  purchasers  to  buy  anj'^  roses 
budded  on  stems  five  or  six  inches  high. 

President  Spooner  said  that  he  is  a  strong  advocate  for 
budded  roses,  if  they  are  budded  in  the  right  place  and  properly 
grown.  They  should  be  planted  so  as  to  have  the  stock  three  or 
four  inches  beneath  the  surface,  and  the  bark  should  be  raised  a 
little  on  each  side  to  enable  them  to  emit  roots  more  readily  ;  you 
will  then  get  a  better  plant  in  one  year  than  in  three  or  four  years 
if  the}'  are  on  their  own  roots.  The  Mauetti  stock  is  the  best  for 
light  soils ;  the  brier  sends  up  too  man}'  suckers.  All  the  best 
roses  that  come  to  our  shows  are  from  budded  stocks.  He  does 
not  want  to  wait  four  or  five  years  to  get  a  strong  plant. 

Among  the  best  summer  roses  are  La  France,  and,  for  later, 
Fisher  Holmes  or  Prince  Arthur  (the  last  named  a  seedling  from 
General  Jacqueminot).  Heinrich  Schultheis,  and  Lady  Helen 
SteAvart.  For  white.  Merveille  de  Lyon  and  Mabel  Morrison. 
Gloire  de  Lyonnaise  throws  up  fine  shoots.  ]Madame  Victor 
Verdier  is  a  grand  garden  rose.  Alfred  Colomb  is  of  globular 
form  and  high-scented.  3Ime.  Isaac  Pereire.  a  Hybrid  Bourbon, 
is  a  good  climbing  variety.  Earl  Dufferin  has  a  full  flower  and  is 
destined  to  be  one  of  the  best.  Marshal  P.  Wilder  is  too  much 
like  Alfred  Colomb.  Mme.  Montet  is  a  free  flowering  variety  and 
of  very  fine  color.  Mme.  Gabriel  Luizet  is  very  desirable  for  this 
purpose.  Mrs.  John  Laing  is  almost  as  free  flowering  as  General 
Jacqueminot. 


58  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Mrs.  H.  L.  T.  Wolcott  asked  the  president  if  wbeu  budded 
plauts  are  set  out  as  recommended  by  him,  you  do  not  vhtually 
have  a  plant  on  its  own  roots  after  a  year  or  two,  to  which  he 
answered,  "  3'es."  Mx's.  Wolcott  went  on  to  say  that  a  good  while 
ago  she  planted  budded  roses  under  the  direction  of  the  late 
Hermann  Gruudel,  who  advised  her  to  lay  them  down  so  that  they 
would  root  from  tlie  grafts,  and  she  saw  them  twenty  years  after- 
wards, and  never  saw  better  bushes  or  a  better  show  of  flowers. 

John  S.  Martin  said  that  when  he  wished  for  bedding  roses 
many  years  ago,  he  asked  Ex-President  C.  M.  Hovey,  as  to  the 
relative  value  of  those  on  their  own  roots,  and  those  budded  on  a 
stronger  stock.  His  answer  was  :  "-Never  buy  budded  roses  to 
plant  in  the  garden."  and  Mr.  Martin  now  thought  that  was  the 
better  rule. 

Patrick  Norton  said  that  while  La  France  is  considered  a 
good  rose,  the  Duchess  of  Albany  is  higher  colored,  and  he 
advised  those  present  to  recommend  to  their  friends  to  give  it  a 
trial  for  outside  cultivation. 

On  motion  of  "William  C.  Strong  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  IMay 
for  his  instructive  and  valuable  lecture  was  unanimously  passed. 

O.  B.  Hadwen,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Discussion 
announced  for  the  next  Saturday,  a  paper  upon  "Insects  and 
Fungi  Injuring  Our  Fruits,  and  Remedies  Considered,"  to  be 
read  by  the  author,  Samuel  T.  Maynard,  Professor  of  Horticul- 
ture at  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College,  Amherst. 


BUSINESS  MEETING. 

Satlrday,  January  31,  IS'.ll. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  was  hoUlen  at  eleven 
o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spoonkk,  in  tlie  chair. 

E.  H.  Hitchings  moved  that  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed 
bj'  the  Chair  to  nominate  a  Committee  on  "Window  Gardening,  of 
seven  members.  The  motion  was  carried,  and  the  Chair  appointed, 
as  the  Nominating  Committee,  Nathaniel  T.  Kidder.  Artliur  H. 
FcAvkes.  and  Joseph  H.  AVoodford. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  February  7,  181)1. 


REMEDIES    FOll    INSECTS    AND    FUNGI    INJURING    FRUITS.     59 

MEETING  FOR  DTSCTSSTOX. 

IXSKCTS      AND      FlXOI      Ixjl  RING       OIR       FlU  ITS,      WITH       ReMEDIKS 

Considered. 

By  Samuel  T.  JIaynabd,  Professor  of  Botany  and  Horticulture  in  the  Massachu- 
setts Agricultural  College,  Amherst.  ^ 

At  this  season  of  the  ^^ear  fruit  growers,  market  gardeners,  and 
farmers  are  making  their  plans  for  the  work  of  the  coming  season, 
and  in  their  estimate  of  the  income  they  hope  to  derive  from  their 
crops,  they  reason,  perhaps,  something  like  this  :  One  has  one 
hundred  apple  trees  or  one  thousand  grape  vines,  and  if  the  apple 
ti-ees  are  twenty  years  old  they  should  yield  at  least  three  barrels 
per  tree,  or  the  vines,  if  five  years  old  or  more,  should  yield  ten 
pounds  per  vine,  or  a  total  of  ten  thousand  pounds,  and  reckoning 
the  prices  at  the  average  for  a  decade  he  gets  upon  paper  very 
satisfactory  returns. 

But  how  many  of  us  make  our  plaus  for  the  coming  year  with 
any  degree  of  certainty  that  the  results  will  give  us  eveu  a  fair 
return  for  labor  and  interest  on  the  capital  invested?  AVe  know 
too  well  from  bitter  experience  the  chances  the  crops  must  run  with 
frosts,  with  storm  and  wind,  with  drought  and  wet,  and  al)0ve  all 
with  insects  and  the  many  l)lights,  rusts,  mildews,  rots,  and  smuts, 
thai  feed  upon  and  destroy  the  plants  we  cultivate. 

We  have  the  authority  of  the  Entomological  Bureau  of  the 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  for  the  statement  that 
the  loss  by  insect  depredations  to  the  farming  interests,  including 
all  its  branches,  for  the  past  year  amounts  to  four  hundred  millions 
of  dollars.  This  almost  inconceivable  amount  of  money  from  the 
destruction  of  our  crops  in  one  year  I  Yet  who  that  has  experi- 
enced the  loss  of  his  grape  crop  liy  mildew  or  rot,  his  apples  1)}' 
the  scab,  his  pears  by  the  scab  and  blight,  his  plums  by  the  Itlack 
wart  and  rotting  of  the  fruit,  his  cherries  and  peaches  by  rotting  of 
tlie  fruit,  his  strawberries  by  the  leaf  blight,  his  potatoes  by  the 
potato  rot,  his  oats  and  grasses  b}'  the  rust,  his  cabbage  crop 
b}'  the  club  root,  his  celery  bj-  the  leaf  blight,  his  lettuce  by  the 
mildew,  and  his  cuttings  and  plants  under  glass  by  damping  off, 
will  doubt  that  our  losses  are  often  as  great  from  parasitic  or 
fungous  plant  growths  as  from  insects,  if  not  greater  I 

It  is  seldom  that  we  get  a  crop  of  any  kind  without  a  valiant 
fight  for  it.  Fortuuatel}'  we  have  learned  to  feel  that  we  are 
greater  than  the  foes  that  assail  us,  and  that  with  each  new  insect 


60  :massachusett8  horticultural  society. 

or  fuugous  pest  soon  comes  a  remed}'  with  which  we  may  protect 
ourselves  if  we  will. 

AVheu  the  Colorado  potato  beetle  first  made  its  appearance  amoug 
us  we  thought  we  must  give  up  this  important  crop,  but  now  we 
find  that  by  proper  vigilance  the  crop  can  be  successfully  and 
profitably  grown.  So  when  we  are  almost  discouraged  in  our 
attempts  to  grow  fruit  or  other  farm  or  garden  crops,  relief  seems 
near  us  and  we  feel  sure  that  we  shall  be  able  to  combat  all  foes. 

It  is  to  the  consideration  of  some  of  the  most  injurious  insect  and 
fungous  enemies  and  their  destruction  that  I  invite  your  attention 
this  morning. 

In  the  growth  of  the  apple  we  have  to  contend  Avith  the  Codling 
Moth  {Carpocapsa  pomonella),  the  Canker  AVorm  {Anisopteryx 
vernata),  the  Tent  Caterpillar  {Clisiocamjya  Americana),  the 
Apple  Maggot  {Tripeta  pomonella) ,  and  the  Plum  Curculio  {Cono- 
trachelus  nenuphar)  among  the  insects,  and  the  Apple  Scab 
(Fusicladium  dendriticum) ,  which  also  produces  the  Leaf  Blight, 
among  the  fungi. 

With  the  pear  we  must  contend  with  the  Codling  Moth,  the  Plum 
Cnrculio,  and  the  pear  tree  Psylla  {PsyUa  pyri)  among  the  insects, 
and  the  pear  leaf  blights  {Entomosporum  macnlatuni  and  Fusi- 
cladium p^ri/<()i  :iiid  the  so-called  Fire  Blight  (Micrococcus  amy- 
lovnrus) . 

The  plum  is  attacked  by  the  Plum  C'urculio  —  about  the  only 
insect  seriously  injurious  to  it  —  and  the  Plum  AYart  or  Black  Knot 
(Ploivrightia  morbosa),  the  Leaf  Blight  (Puccinia  prunispinosce) , 
and  the  Brown  Rot  of  the  fruit  {Monilia  fracligenea) . 

The  peach  is  injured  by  the  Borer  {u^geria  exitiosa).  the  Plum 
Curculio,  and  the  Brown  Rot  of  the  fruit. 

With  the  cherry  the  Plum  Curculio  is  very  injurious  and  the  Rose- 
bug  {Macrodactylis  suhspinosa)  sometimes  destroys  the  leaves. 

The  grape  perhaps  has  the  greatest  numV)er  of  fungous  foes, 
and  among  the  most  injurious  are  the  Powdery  Mildew  [Peronospnra 
oiticola),  whicli  is  also  the  cause  of  the  Brown  Rot;  the  Black  Rot 
(Lcestedia  Bidwillii)  and  the  Rose-bug  and  Phylloxera  (Phylloxera 
vastatrix)  among  insects. 

The  strawberry  is  injured  by  the  Leaf  Blight  ( Sphcerella  fragarice) 
and  the  Crown  Borer  (Tyloderma  fragarice) . 

For  the  destruction  of  the  larger  number  of  this  great  host  we 
have  two  remedies,  the  arsenites  for  the  insects  and  copper  salt  in 
solution  for  the  funui. 


i;i:>iKi)iKs  Foi{  iNspx'Ts  and  Fr\(a  injuuixg  fkiits.    61 

Perhaps  we  can  best  get  at  the  most  appiovi'd  iiiethods  of  using 
them  Ity  considering  the  enemies  of  each  fiuit  liy  themselves. 

The  AiTLE. — The  codling  moth  lays  its  eggs  in  the  blossom  end 
of  the  apple  soon  after  the  petals  fall  and  continues  to  lay  them  for 
u  period  of  perhaps  two  weeks  or  more.  In  some  seasons  and  in 
some  sections  a  second  brood  of  eggs  is  laid  by  the  perfected 
insects  from  the  first  brood. 

The  tent  caterpillar  and  the  canker-worm  feed  upon  the  foliage, 
beginning  to  work  as  soon  as  the  leaves  unfold,  while  the  plum 
eurculio  feeds  upon  the  foliage  and  perhaps  the  fruit,  laj'iug  its 
eggs  in  the  crescent  shaped  cut  it  makes  in  the  skin. 

These  pests  may  all  be  destroyed  by  the  use  of  the  arsenites — 
Paris  green,  Loudon  purple,  and  white  arsenic.  To  destroy'  the 
tent  caterpillar  and  the  canker  worm  Ave  must  make  the  application 
just  as  soon  as  the  leaves  unfold,  and  for  the  codling  moth  and  the 
eurculio  as  soon  as  the  petals  drop. 

These  applications  must  be  made  at  intervals  of  from  one  week 
to  twenty  days,  according  to  the  weather.  If  there  should  be  no 
rain  after  the  first  application  for  the  tent  caterpillar  and  canker- 
worm,  another  application  Avill  not  prol>ably  he  needed  until  the  one 
made  to  destroy  the  plum  eurculio  and  the  codling  moth ;  then  the 
applications  should  be  made  at  intervals  of  from  ten  to  fifteen  days, 
up  to  the  first  of  July. 

During  this  time  we  must  also  be  combatting  the  fungous 
growths,  which  under  favorable  conditions  may  begin  work  very 
early  in  the  season.  The  apple  scab  is  a  minute  plant  that  grows 
upon  the  surface  of  the  apple  leaf  and  fruit,  and,  while  uot  pene- 
trating the  tissues  very  deeply,  stops  the  growth  at  the  point 
attacked  and  we  have  distorted  or  gnarly  apples  resulting  from  its 
early  attack ;  or  scabby,  spotted  apples  when  it  appears  later  in  the 
season.  Its  effect  upou  the  leaf  is,  if  in  large  numbers,  to  destroy 
its  functions  and  it  soon  falls,  or  if  onl}'  a  few  are  found  on  a  leaf 
it  simply  looks  a  little  yellow  and  the  whole  tree  has  an  unhealthy 
appearance. 

This  fungous  growth,  like  most  other  parasites  attacking  our 
fruits,  develops  under  conditions  of  warmth  and  moisture.  The 
spores  or  seeds,  which  are  produced  in  large  numbers,  are 
so  minute  that  they  may  be  carried  long  distances  b}"  slight  move- 
ments of  the  air,  and  coming  in  contact  with  their  host  plant,  the 
apple,  under  favorable  conditions  they  grow  very  quickly. 


G2  MASSACHTSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

lu  a  cool  dry  seasou,  there  is  very  little  development  of  rusts^ 
blights,  and  scabs,  so  desti'uctive  in  a  moist  warm  one.  For  the 
past  two  years  fuugi  of  all  kinds  have  developed  in  large  nnmbers^ 
and  many  kinds  of  plants  have  been  seriously  if  not  permanently 
injured  by  their  attacks. 

Tlie  past  season  the  apple  scab  was  so  abundant  that  many  ti'ees 
which  blossomed  and  set  a  large  crop  of  fruit  were  so  injured  In'  it, 
that  they  could  not  perfect  their  crop.  Upon  a  large  tree  in  front 
of  the  house  I  occupy,  so  much  of  the  scab  appeared  that  the 
leaves  were  dropping  nearly  all  sunnner  and  the  lawn  had  to  be 
raked  several  times  to  get  rid  of  the  litter. 

To  desti'oy  this  parasite,  solutions  of  copper  have  been  found 
effectual,  either  in  the  form  of  the  Bordeaux  mixture,  ammoniacal 
carbonate  of  copper,  or  simple  carbonate  of  copper  solutions.* 

While  alone  the  ammoniacal  carbonate  of  copper  has  proved  the 
most  effectual,  unfortunately  it  cannot  be  used  with  Paris  green  or 
other  arsenites,  and  if  we  wish  to  reduce  the  cost  of  the  remedy  for 
both  insect  and  fungous  pests  to  the  lowest  figures  —  and  all  know 
how  little  margin  for  profit  there  is  even  when  we  do  not  have  this 
difficulty  to  contend  with  —  we  must  combine  the  two  remedies  and 
apply  them  at  one  operation.  AVith  the  Bordeaux  mixture  and 
the  simple  carbonate  of  copper  solution  we  can  do  this,  and  without 
danger  of  injury-  to  the  foliage. 

It  has  been  found  by  experiments  made  at  several  of  the  state 
stations  that  Paris  green  and  copper  solutions  can  be  used  with 
lime  mixtures  at  the  rate  of  from  1  lb.  to  100  gallons  of  the  mix- 
ture, to  1  lb.  to  50  gallons,  without  injury,  some  even  claiming  as 
eoucenti'ated  a  mixture  as  1  lb.  to  25  gallons.  AVe  also  know  that 
neither  Paris  green  nor  sulphate  of  copper  solutions  can  be  safely 
used  upon  the  foliage  of  our  fruit  trees,  in  the  degree  of  concentra- 
tion required  to  destroy  the  above  mentioned  foes,  without  serious 
injury  to  the  foliage. 

I  am  confident  that  the  reason  why  the  use  of  Paris  green  has 
been  so  unsuccessful  in  many  cases  for  the  destruction  of  insect 
life,  is  that  we  have  been  unable  to  use  it  in  a  form  concentrated 
enough  to  reach  all  parts  of  the  plants  without  injur}-.  This  will 
also  apply,  in  a  measure,  to  the  fungicides. 

For  the  purpose  of  destroying  both  insect  and  fungous  pests  we 
must  make  an  application  of  the  simple   solution  of  sulphate  of 

•See  formulae,  page  65. 


KK.MEDIES    roiJ    INSECTS    AND    FUNdl    IN-HKINCJ    FRUITS.       63 

copper,  called  l)y  the  French  eau  celeste,  to  the  t\vig>;  and  branches 
before  the  leaves  appear,  to  destroy  any  germs  of  the  scab  that 
may  be  lodged  in  the  crevices  of  the  bark ;  then  as  soon  as  the 
leaves  have  unfolded  the  lime  and  Paris  green  mixture  must  be 
applieil  for  tlie  tent  caterpillar  and  the  canker-worm,  aiul  as  soon 
as  the  petals  have  fallen  tlie  second  application  should  be  made 
for  the  codling  moth  and  plum  curculio.  This  application  must  be 
repeated  at  the  proper  intervals  —  of  one  week  to  twenty  days  — 
according  to  the  weather,  until  the  first  of  July.  After  this,  the 
Paris  green  not  being  needed,  the  ammoniacal  carbonate  of  copper 
may  be  used.  The  latter  application  is  to  be  preferred  from  the 
fact  that  it  does  not  disfigure  the  fruit,  while  if  the  Bordeaux  mix- 
ture is  used  late  in  the  season,  it  adheres  to  the  fruit  so  as  to  injure 
its  sale  unless  washed.  No  substance  has  been  found  that  can  be 
used  in  this  way  and  at  the  same  time  for  the  apple  maggot,  a 
little  insect  that -in  many  localities  and  upon  some  varieties,  is 
doing  more  injury  even  than  the  codling  motli.  The  destruction  of 
the  fruit  before  the  maggot  escapes  is  the  oul}'  remedy  yet  suggested 
that  promises  to  be  of  any  value. 

The  Pear. — The  insects  attacking  the  pear  that  can  be  destroyed 
by  the  arsenites  are  the  codling  moth  and  the  plum  curculio,  and 
the  fungi  that  can  be  killed  by  copper  solutions  are  the  pear  leaf 
blight  (Micrococcus  aviylovorous,  Burrill),  and  the  pear  scab 
(Fusicladinvi  p^?«»?tHi).  The  pear  leaf  blight  is  another  parasitic 
plant  somewhat  like  the  apple  scab,  but  more  minute  and  perhaps 
working  deeper  into  the  tissues  of  the  leaf,  often  causing  all  the 
leaves  to  drop  from  the  trees.  This  fungus  also  causes  the  scab 
and  cracking  of  the  fruit  so  common  on  the  White  Doyenne  and 
Flemish  Beauty.  For  the  insects  Paris  green  is  effectual,  and  the 
Bordeaux  mixture  has  proved  as  efficient  for  the  pear  fungus  as 
for  the  apple  scab.  While  the  fire-blight  (so-called)  is  not  of  such 
a  nature  as  to  be  affected  by  the  outward  applications  of  fungicides 
after  it  has  attacked  the  tree,  we  believe  that  this  mixture  will 
destroy  any  germs  with  which  it  comes  in  contact,  and  that  b}'  care- 
ful attention  to  the  proper  condition  of  soil,  manuring,  and  cultiva- 
tion we  may  very  largely  overcome  this  most  destructive  disease. 

The  Pll'm. —  The  plum  curculio,  the  black  wart  of  the  tree,  and 
the  rotting  of  the  fruit  have  been  found  to  succumb  to  the  Bordeaux 
mixtui'e  and  Paris  green. 

The  only  trees  on  the  college  grounds  upon  which  the  fruit  was 
not  stung  by  the  curculio  or  that  did  not  rot  as  soon  as  it  approached 


■64  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

maturity,  were  those  treated  witli  tlie  above  eonibiuatiou,  tiuil  as 
other  stations  report  similarly  favorable  results  we  feel  warranted 
in  urging  its  general  use.  The  sulphate  of  copper  solution  should 
be  applied  to  the  branches  before  the  leaves  unfold,  to  destro}'  any 
germs  or  spores  of  the  leaf  blight  or  plum  wart  that  may  be  present, 
and  then  from  the  time  the  blossoms  fall  until  the  first  of  July  the 
combined  mixture  should  be  used.  After  this,  either  the  Bor- 
deaux mixture  or  the  ammouiacal  carbonate  of  copper  alone  may 
be  used.  The  latter  will  probabh'  be  the  most  satisfactory^  as  it 
does  not  disfigure  the  fruit. 

The  plum  wart  we  feel  sure  was  largely  prevented  from  develop- 
ing liy  this  treatment,  but  the  few  warts  that  may  secure  a  hold  on 
the  branches  can  certainly  be  destroyed  by  the  kerosene  paste.* 
This"  should  be  applied  with  a  brush  in  order  to  keep  it  from  the 
new  bark,  which  it  would  destroy. 

The  Grape. —  In  the  college  vineyard  the  past  season  the  l)ene- 
fits  derived  from  the  use  of  the  Bordeaux  mixture  —  and  we  have 
like  reports  from  others  wherever  used  —  Avere  such  that  there  seems 
to  be  but  little  doubt  that  this  is  a  reliable  remedy  for  about  all  of 
the  fungous  diseases  of  the  vine.  The  great  objection  to  its  use  is 
that  it  remains  upon  the  fruit  when  ripe  if  applied  late  in  the  season. 
But  after  the  work  of  the  rose  bug  has  ceased  I  see  no  reason  why 
the  ammouiacal  carbonate  of  copper  may  not  be  used  with  equal 
etfect. 

In  our  experiments  the  destruction  of  the  rose-bug  by  the  use  of 
Paris  green  was  not  fully  demonstrated,  but  other  reports  are  more 
positive ;  and  from  the  light  we  did  gain  by  our  work  we  believe 
that,  liy  the  use  of  a  more  concentrated  solution,  which  it  has  been 
proved  we  can  apply  with  the  Bordeaux  mixture,  this  troulilesome 
pest  must  succumb  to  this  treatment. 

The  sulphate  of  copper  solution  was  applied  to  the  vines  before 
the  leaves  unfolded  and  the  Bordeaux  mixture  at  intervals  of  from 
one  to  three  weeks  up  to  July  28th.  Paris  green  was  used  only 
from  the  time  the  rose  bugs  made  their  appearance  to  about  the 
first  of  July. 

The  Strawberkv. — During  the  spring  and  early  sunnner,  straw-- 
berry  leaves  in  some  localities  are  seriously  injured  by  a  small 
brown  beetle  that  feeds  upon  them.  This  little  beetle  is  the  crown 
borer,  the  larvtt  of  which  are  at  work  during  the  summer  eating 

*See  formulae,  page  65. 


KEMEinES    FOR    INSECTS    AND    FUNGI    INJURING    FKUITS.      65 

the  crowu  of  the  phint  and  the  larger  roots.  A  serious  disease, 
known  as  the  leaf  blight,  also  attacks  the  foliage  at  about  the  time 
the  fruit  ripens,  and  when  both  of  these  agencies  are  at  work  it  is  a 
ditlic'ult  matter  to  get  rid  of  the  trouble.  It  is  thought  that  Paris 
green  will  destroy  the  crowu  borer,  and  it  is  certain  that  the  Bor- 
deaux mixture  will  lessen  the  iujury  caused  by  the  blight,  if  not 
wholl}'  prevent  it. 

An  application  of  the  combined  mixture  should  be  made  as  soon 
as  the  leaves  begin  to  increase  in  growth  in  the  spring,  and  another 
a  little  while  before  the  l)lossoms  open.  Neither  the  Paris  green 
nor  the  Bordeaux  mixture  can  be  safely  applied  again  uutil  after 
the  fruit  is  gathered.  By  this  time  the  crown  borers  have  ceased 
their  work  and  only  the  latter  need  be  used  until  August,  when  the 
beetles  again  appear  and  Paris  green  must  again  be  used. 

The  cutting  and  burning  of  the  leaves  of  the  old  strawberry  bed 
or  their  destruction  by  dilute  sulphuric  acid,  as  recommended  by 
some,  is  undoubtedly  valuable,  but  the  Bordeaux  mixture  is 
thought  more  effectual.  If  one  fears  to  use  the  Paris  green, 
hellebore  may  be  used,  as  it  is  reported  as  being  an  effectual 
remedy. 

Fungicide  Formulae. —  Bordeaux  Mixture.  Dissolve  6  lbs.  of 
sulphate  of  copper  in  2  gallons  of  hot  water ;  slake  4  lbs.  of  fresh 
lime  in  water  enough  to  make  a  tliin  lime  wash ;  when  both  are 
cooled  pour  together,  stirring  thoroughly ;  then  dilute  to  22  gallons 
and  it  is  ready  to  apph'. 

Ammoniacal  Carbonate  of  Copper.  Dissolve  3  oz.  of  precipi- 
tated carbonate  of  copper  in  1  quart  of  ammonia  (strength  22° 
Baum6),  and  dilute  with  22  gallons  of  water. 

Eau  Celeste.  Dissolve  1  lb.  of  sulphate  of  copper  in  25  gallons 
of  water. 

Modified  Eau  Celeste.  2  lbs.  of  sulphate  of  copper,  2i  lbs. 
of  carbonate  of  soda,  1^  pints  of  ammonia  (22°Baume),  and  22 
gallons  of  water. 

Kerosene  Emulsion.  1  lb.  of  common  soap  dissolved  in  hot  water, 
1  gallon  of  kerosene ;  stir  or  churn  together  until  a  smooth  butter- 
like substance  is  formed ;   then  dilute  with  25  to  50  parts  of  water. 

Kerosene  Paste.  Mix  kerosene  with  any  fine,  dry  material  or 
pigment,  forming  a  thin  paste  or  paint ;   apph"  with  a  small  brush. 

Insecticides. —  In  the  discussion  of  insecticides  I  have  men- 
tioned only  Paris  green,  from  the  fact  that  reports  from  all  sources 
5 


66  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

agree  that  it  is  less  iujurious  to  plant  foliage  tliau  London  purple, 
and  white  arsenic  is  unquestionably  too  dangerous  a  material  to 
have  about,  from  its  color  not  being  distinguishable  from  that  of 
many  harmless  substances. 

Pumps. —  Many  forms  of  pumps  are  now  to  be  found  in  the 
market  adapted  to  applying  the  fungicides  and  insecticides  men- 
tioned. Of  those  most  in  use  perhaps  the  ••  Field's  Perfection,'' 
made  at  Lockport,  X.  Y.,  the  "  Gould,"  made  at  Seneca  Falls, 
N.  Y.,  the  "Douglas,"  made  at  Middletown,  Conn.,  and  the 
"Nixon,"  made  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  are  among  the  best.  These  are 
made  to  be  attached  to  a  cask  which  is  mounted  on  a  stone  boat  or 
wagon.  The  knapsack  pumps  which  are  serviceable  for  small 
garden  plots  and  small  vineA'ards  would  be  more  useful  if  some 
means  were  provided  for  filling  Avithout  removing  from' the  back 
every  time.  The  "Excelsior,"  recently  advertised  by  "William 
Stahl,  of  Quincy,  111.,  is  made,  I  understand,  after  the  design  sent 
out  hy  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture.  This  is  con- 
structed after  the  pattern  of  those  used  by  the  French  in  treating 
their  vineyards,  but  will  not  be  largely  used  by  Americans  when  "the 
horse  can  be  made  to  do  the  heavy  work  of  carrying  the  liquids.* 

XozzLES. —  A  nozzle  to  distribute  such  liquids  as  the  Bordeaux 
mixture  must  have  an  adjustable  opening  at  the  end.  Among 
those  to  be  found  in  our  markets  are  the  "Perfection,"  sent 
with  the  Field  pump,  the  "Nixon,"  the  "Cyclone,"  and  the 
"  Vermorel."  Professor  Bailey,  of  Cornell  University,  has  con- 
trived a  clamp  which  is  attached  to  the  end  of  a  common  rubber 
hose,  by  the  pressure  of  which  the  size  of  the  opening  is  quickly 
adjusted.  Whatever  nozzle  is  used  it  is  found  that  it  nuist  be 
attached  to  a  long  pole  to  distribute  the  liquid  most  evenl}"  at  the 
top  of  large  trees. 

Notes. —  Many  interesting  facts  have  been  brought  out  in  tlie 
work  of  the  Experiment  Stations  of  the  country  which  could  not 
be  referred  to  in  tlie  previous  discussion,  and  I  therefore  intro- 
duce them  here,  condensed  under  the  heading  of  "  Notes." 

It  seems  pretty  well  settled  that,  of  the  arsenites,  Paris  green 
gives  the  best  results  as  an  insecticide. 

That  the  longer  the  mixture  stands  the  greater  is  the  injury  from 
soluble  arsenic. 

•Since   this  paper  was  read  further  tiial  of  the  Stahl  or  Excelsior  pumps  has 
proved  that  some  of  then?,  at  least,  are  of  no  value. 


KK.MKDIKS    r()l{    INSECTS    AM)    FlNiil     I  N.IIUINC    FlU  lis.       67 

That  tlio  i)e:u'lK  pliiiii.  and  fherry  are  more  susceptiltle  to  injury 
than  the  apple  and  ix'ar. 

That  the  injury  varies  with  the  variety,  some  being  much  more 
susceptible  to  injury  than  others. 

That  the  leaves  when  young  are  less  injured  than  when  fully 
developed,  and  those  on  Aveak  trees  more  than  those  on  vigorous, 
healthy  ones.  Young  leaves  are  covered  with  a  natural  bloom, 
which  wears  off  as  they  increase  in  size  and  their  tissues  become 
more  toughened. 

That  Paris  green  cannot  be  used  alone  with  safety  stronger  than 
1  lb.  to  350  gallons,  but  with  lime  mixtures  it  may  be  safely  used 
at  the  ifite  of  1  lb.  to  from  100  to  25  gallons  of  water. 

That  the  foliage  is  most  injured  when  kept  constantly  Avet  by 
light  rains  or  foggy  weather,  Init  that  heavy  rains  lessen  the 
injury,  the  least  harm  being  done  in  pleasant  weather  when  the 
liquid  dries  off  most  rapidly. 

That  the  time  of  da}'  when  the  application  of  either  insecti- 
cides or  fungicides  is  made  is  unimportant. 

The  conclusions  of  this  paper  I  have  arrived  at  after  a  careful 
sununary  of  the  experiments  made  at  the  College  and  a  careful  study 
of  those  of  all  of  the  stations  of  the  countrj^  and  I  feel  confident 
that  as  soon  as  we  master  the  details  of  the  application  of  the  two- 
great  remedies,  Paris  green  and  the  copper  solutions,  so  as  to  under- 
stand the  exact  time  to  apply  them  and  the  quantity  to  use  uudei' 
var^'ing  conditions,  we  shall  be  able  to  control  the  insects  and  fungi 
attacking  our  fruits  as  well  as  we  now  control  the  "  potato  bug." 

Professor  Maynard's  essay  was  illustrated  by  many  mounted 
specimens  of  fungi  which  destroy  fruit  plants;  also  by  several 
forms  of  nozzles  made  for  use  in  applying  liquid  fungicides  and 
insecticides  to  infected  trees,  shrubs,  etc.  The  reading  commanded 
the  close  attention  of  a  larger  audience  than  had  l)een  present  at 
any  preceding  meeting  this  season. 

DiscrssiON. 

William  D.  Philbrick  questioned  the  essayist  concerning  the 
disease  affecting  the  violet. 

Professor  Mayuard  replied  that  the  violet  disease  is  unques- 
tionably of  fungous  origin  ;  that  we  often  find  masses  of  dust-like 
spores  upon  d^'ing  and  dead  leaves,  but  it  cannot  be  determined 
from  this  fact  alone  whether  that  fungus  caused  the  disease  which 
destroyed  the  leaf.  Mildews  of  this  character  generally  develop 
on  decaying  matter. 


€8  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

.    Mr.  Philbriok  asked  whether  it   could  be   easily   decided  what 
fungus  causes  the  disease  and  how  it  is  disseminated. 

Professor  Ma3'nard  replied  that  two  species  of  fungus  are  found 
on  the  leaves  of  violets,  but  apparentl}'  the  disease  is  caused 
mainly  by  one.  The  spores  when  mature  are  exceedinglj'  minute  — 
so  light  as  to  be  thrown  off  by  the  slightest  motion  of  the  leaf,  and 
remaining  suspended  in  the  air  a  long  time  they  are  widely  distrib- 
uted by  the  varying  currents  of  the  wind. 

Benjamin  P.  Ware  asked  if  he  understood  the  essayist  ariglit, 
that  one  pound  of  Paris  green  to  three  hundred  aud  fifty  gallons  of 
water  was  generally  the  proper  mixture  to  destroy  insects  without 
injury  to  the  foliage  of  trees.  In  his  trials  of  this  remedy  he  had 
used  only  sixty  gallons  of  water  to  one  pound  of  Paris  green,  and 
Jiad  seen  no  injury  come  to  the  trees. 

Professor  Mayuard  said  there  are  many  reasons  for  variations  in 
experience  —  different  conditions  of  seasons,  the  weather,  the 
quality  of  the  Paris  green,  and  the  chemical  character  of  the 
water.  He  had  found  that  one  pound  of  Paris  green  to  three 
hundred  and  fifty  gallons  of  water  had  given  fairly  good  results 
•on  an  average.  In  some  cases  injury  had  been  done  to  the  leaves 
by  that  mixture,  but  numerous  experiments,  and  analj^ses  of  the 
compound  as  prepared  at  different  times,  had  led  to  the  adoption 
of  that  formula.  If  the  mixture  stands  a  while  unused,  some  of 
the  arsenic  may  be  dissolved  in  the  water  and  thus  render  it 
unsafe. 

Mr.  Ware  said  he  had  tried  to  get  pure  Paris  green.  Possibly 
what  he  had  used  might  have  been  adulterated,  inasmuch  as  the 
large  quantity  used  did  no  harm  to  the  trees,  but  it  destroyed  the 
insects.  He  had  supposed  that  Paris  green  was  insoluble,  and 
that  in  the  mixture  it  was  only  held  in  suspension. 

Professor  Mayuard  said  that  water  might  contain  some 
ammonia,  which  would  tend  to  free  a  portion  of  the  arsenic ;  this 
would  dissolve  readily  in  the  water  and  the  mixture  would  become 
harmful. 

President  Spooner  referred  to  the  Black  Spot  fungus  {Actiiio- 
nema  rosoe,  Fr.)  which  appeared  on  the  rose  leaves  in  the  Durfee 
Plant  House,  on  the  Agricultural  College  grounds  at  Amherst, 
as  reported  in  Bulletin  No.  6  of  the  Hatch  Experiment  Station, 
and  asked  about  the  sequel  of  the  treatment  with  the  eau  celeste 
compound. 


REMEDIES    FOR    INSECTS    AM)    ITXiJI    INJIUINC;    FIJI  ITS.      69 

Professor  Maj'nard  did  not  kuow  that  any  black  spot  on  the 
rose  leaves  had  appeared  in  the  Durfee  Plant  House  since  the  use 
of  evaporated  sulphur  was  adopted.  He  believed  the  fungus  wa& 
entirely  destroyed  by  that  treatment. 

William  C.  Strong  called  for  further  information  as  to  the 
treatment  of  the  Black  Wart  with  kerosene. 

Professor  Maynard  said  that  the  black  wart  should  hv  treated 
at  once  upon  discovering  its  presence,  by  an  application-  of  the 
Bordeaux  mixture,  and  followed  up  by  another  application  of  the 
same  remedy  every  two  weeks,  as  a  new  crop  of  the  fungus  spores 
(Ploiorightia  morbosa)  will  generalh'  mature  in  that  time,  and 
continued  until  no  evidence  of  fresh  spores  can  be  found.  If 
applied  in  the  spring,  the  eau  celeste  liquid  will  destroy'  these 
germs,  but  if  they  become  established  the  knife  will  have  to  be 
used,  and  the  wounds  thus  made  should  be  covered  with  a  coat  of 
paste,  composed  of  some  ochre  or  whiting,  or  any  other  of  the 
dry,  earthy  pigments,  mixed  thoroughly  with  kerosene  to  a  con- 
sistency that  can  be  readily  spread  with  a  brush  over  the  exposed 
surface  without  running  beyond  the  limits  of  the  wound.  This 
would  protect  the  surface  from  atmospheric  action,  kill  the  wart, 
and  prevent  the  development  of  an}-  fresh  spores  which  might  fall 
upon  it.  He  had  visited  a  plum  orchard  in  Lancaster,  which  was 
literally  breaking  down  from  the  development  of  black  wart.  In 
that  case  nothing  could  be  done  but  cut  off  all  the  tops.  Should 
a  dressing  of  hen  manure  and  ashes  be  applied  to  the  land  the  trees 
would,  iu  due  time,  produce  new  and  health}'  tops.  Allusion  was 
also  made  to  the  wild  choke  cherry  as  a  much  neglected  propagator 
or  nursery  of  the  black  wart. 

Nathaniel  T.  Kidder  called  attention  to  Professor  Maynard's 
remark  about  the  wild  cherry  trees,  which  are  infected  with  not 
only  black  wart  but  sundry  insect  pests.  He  wished  to  impress 
this  fact  upon  the  minds  of  all  present,  and  would  like  to  encour- 
age a  war  of  extermination  against  the  wild  cherry  because  of  its 
availability  for  the  multiplication  of  these  enemies  to  fruit  produc- 
tion. 

Mr.  Strong  asked  about  the  extent  to  which  cutting  out  the 
black  wart  should  be  carried. 

Professor  Maynard  said  the  diseased  portion  should  be  cut  out 
clean.  The  rootlets  (mycelium)  penetrate  deeply  into  the  wood,, 
and  if  not  all  removed  the  disease  continues  to  extend ;  therefore 
a  pai'tial  cutting  is  a  waste  of  time. 


70  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

Mr.  Strong  thought  that  if  that  were  the  case,  prevention,  if 
possible,  would  be  much  better  than  cure. 

F.  L.  Temple  inquired  if  the  fungicides  are  not  injurious  to 
the  trees. 

Professor  Mayuard  replied  that  it  is  only  when  the  remedies 
/fire  too  strong  that  any  harm  is  done  to  the  trees. 

Mr.  Temple  related  an  experience  in  treating  Prunus  Americana 
with  salt.  The  ])lack  wart  was  cut  out  and  the  wound  covered 
with  cloth  which  was  first  dipped  in  pickle  from  a  pork  barrel. 
The  wetting  was  repeated  often  and  followed  up  several  weeks 
•with  such  good  effect  that  the  trees  were  kept  in  bearing  condition 
for  years  by  this  method. 

Mr.  Philbrick  spoke  of  a  rust  which  had  affected  the  leaves  of 
maple  trees  over  a  considerable  area  in  this  State,  and  asked  for 
information  about  it. 

Professor  Majmard  replied  that  the  rusts  or  lilights  of  many 
forest  trees  are  of  similar  nature  to  the  apple  scab,  and  referred  to 
the  "Journal  of  Mycology,"  Vol.  2,  page  13,  1886,  where  the  rust 
mentioned  l)y  ]Mr.  Philbrick  is  shown  to  be  caused  by  Phyllosticta 
acericola,  which  was  found  in  New  England  in  1874,  and  in 
various  other  parts  of  the  United  States  at  sundry  dates  since ; 
that  it  attacked  Maples,  and  that  other  somewhat  similar  fungi 
affected  Poplar  trees  and  some  other  sorts.  The  effect  of  their 
presence  in  all  cases  is  much  like  that  of  the  apple  scab. 

AYilliam  H.  Hunt  asked  if  white  arsenic  is  just  as  good  as  the 
crude  form  for  use  as  a  remed3\ 

Professor  Maynard  replied  that  white  arsenic  is  just  as  effica- 
cious as  the  other  forms  mentioned ;  but  if  the  preparation  were 
allowed  to  stand  a  while  after  being  mixed,  the  arsenic,  by  the 
evaporation  of  the  liquid,  would  become  very  much  stronger  in 
proportion  and  the  longer  it  remained  unused  the  greater  would  be 
the  proportion  of  arsenic.  Tlien,  if  used  again  without  the 
necessary  addition  of  Avater,  it  would  be  liable  to  injure  the  plants, 
and  might  destroy  all  the  foliage.  But  another  objection  to  the 
use  of  white  arsenic  for  this  purpose  is  that  it  bears  so  close  a 
resemblance  to  otlier  and  harmless  substances  that  there  is  danger  iu 
having  it  about  the  house,  where  it  may  be  used  in  place  of  one  of 
those,  and  produce  fatal  effects.  Paris  green  mixtures  also 
become  injurious  by  standing  unused,  and  the  more  so  in  propor- 
tion to  the  time  thev  staud. 


1{f:mki)1ks  Foi;  ixsects  and  rrxoi  injiking  fijiits.    71 

Francis  II.  Appleton  asked  if  tlie  blight  on  \nrch  trees  is  of 
insect  or  fungus  origin. 

Professor  Maynard  said  tliat  many  birches  turned  brown  last 
autumn  from  the  work  of  a  minute  insect  which  is  protected  by 
a  shell,  probalily  of  its  own  making.  This  enemy  has  increased 
to  alnindance  during  the  last  tn'O  years,  but  has  not  yet  been 
identified.  Its  work  was  manifest  generally  through  the  eastern 
part  of  the  State,  but  not  so  much  in  the  western  counties.  He 
would  suggest  that  probably  Paris  green  would  destroy  the  worms 
attacking  the  birch  trees. 

Mr.  Strong  asked  if  the  remedy'  would  be  adapted  to  rid  the 
trees  of  the  red  spider  which  now  destroj^s  their  beauty. 

Professor  Maynard  thought  the  sulphur  and  lime  solution  would 
sutHce  to  remove  the  red  spider.  It  punctures  the  leaves  and 
sucks  out  the  sap.  Arseuites  destroy  oul\-  those  insects  which  eat 
the  foliage,  but  the  kerosene  emulsion,  the  formula  for  which  is 
given  in  the  essay,  might  also  be  an  effective  remedy'  for  the  insect 
injuring  the  Ini'ch. 

O.  B.  Hadweu  had  noticed  the  discoloration  of  white  birches  at 
the  north  of  "Worcester,  and  beyond  Concord,  X.  H.,  and  west  to 
near  Springfield,  but  not  mi;ch  at  more  southern  points.  If  the 
ravages  of  the  new  comer  keep  on,  great  injury  will  be  done  to 
our  fine  cut-leaved  birch  trees. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  discussion  a  vote  of  thauks  to  Profes- 
sor Maynard  for  his  able,  interesting,  and  ver}^  instructive  essay 
was  unanimously  passed. 

The  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Publication  and  Discussion 
announced,  for  the  next  Saturday,  a  paper  upon  '•  Chrj'santhe- 
mums."  by  John  Thorpe,  of  Pearl  River.  X.  Y. 


BUSIXESS   MEETIXG. 

Saturday,  February  7.   18(U. 

An    adjourned  meeting  of   the   Society  was   holden    at   eleven 
o'clock,  the  President.  Williax  H.   Spooner,  in  the  chair. 


72  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

The  Conniiittee  appointed  at  the  hist  meetiug  to  uomiiiate  a 
Committee  on  Window  Gardening,  reported  the  names  of  the 
following  members  : — 

Mrs.  Henrietta  L.  T.  AVolcott,  Chairman, 
E.  H.  Hitchings,  Edmund  Hersey, 

Henr}'  L.  Clapp,  George  A,  Parker, 

M.  B.  Faxon,  Miss  Mary  L.  Vinal. 

The  report  was  accepted  and  the  persons  named  therein  were 
unanimously  elected. 

The  Committee  appointed  on  the  3d  of  January  to  nominate  a 
candidate  to  fill  the  vacancy  in  the  Committee  on  Vegetables, 
reported  the  name  of  Joseph  H.  "Woodford,  who  was  unanimously 
elected. 

The  following  named  persons  having  been  recommended  by  the. 
Executive  Committee  for  membership  in  the  Society  were  upon 
ballot  duly  elected. 

William  P.  Pakk,  of  West  Boxford, 

Warren  Howard  Heustis,  of  Belmont, 

Charles  W.  Prescott,  of  Concord, 

Charles  E.  Weld,  of  Roslindale. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  Fel)ruary  14. 

MEETING  FOR  DISCUSSION. 

Chrvsantiiemums. 

By  John    Thorpe,    President   of   the    American    Chrysautheiuum    Society, 
Pearl  River,  N.  Y. 

If  it  had  been  predicted  ten  years  ago  that  the  Chrysanthemum 
would  attain  to  the  position  it  now  holds,  it  would  have  been  said 
that  such  a  thing  was  impossible.  Let  us  for  a  moment  look  about 
for  the  cause  of  the  cluTsanthemum's  popularity.  It  did  not  come 
in  a  night,  a  week,  or  a  year,  but  it  has  taken  twenty  years  to  bring- 
about  what  we  are  enjoying  tod;iy. 

When  Robert  Fortune  sent  to  England  his  first  consignment 
from  Japan  it  was  there  that  the  first  spark  was  kindled.  An 
intelligent  minority  were  far-seeing  and  wise  enough  not  to  be  dis- 
heartened or  put  down  l)y  the  many  who  were  wedded  to  the 
paucity  of  form  and  color  possessed  by  the  puritanical  varieties  of 


CIIRYSAXTHEMIBIS.  7S 

that  day.  FmtlK'nnore,  that  uuuority  was  not  confined  to  one 
house,  one  city,  or  one  continent.  Many  members  of  your  Society — 
the  greatest  horticultural  society  in  the  world — happily  belonged  to 
Fortune's  minority,  one  of  the  most  prominent  being  your  P2x- 
President,  Dr.  Henry  P.  Walcott.  It  was  the  work  of  time,  love, 
and  the  expenditure  of  much  money,  to  spread  before  the  people 
the  feast  which  they  uow  annually  enjoy,  but  everything  comes  to 
him  who  waits. 

It  is  but  a  few  years  since  chrysanthemum  shows  were  unknown 
except  perhaps  in  your  city.  New  York,  and  Philadelphia.  The 
numerous  exhibitions  held  last  season,  numbering  nearly  fifty,  are 
proof  of  the  progress  the  chrysanthenuim  is  making. 

I  do  not  intend  to  give  you  the  routine  of  general  cultivation,  as 
I  am  sure  many  of  3'ou  know  how  to  grow  chrysanthemums  better 
than  I  do.  But  there  are  a  few  points  to  which  I  desire  to  call 
your  attention. 

One  is,  never  neglect  a  chrysanthemum.  This  ought  to  be 
written  very  plainly  on  every  plant.  No  plant  can  be  as  success- 
fully cultivated  in  as  many  forms ;  it  matters  not  whether  the 
plants  are  gi'own  as  massive  specimens,  tall  standards,  or  on 
1)enches  a  few  inches  apart.  If  they  receive  the  proper  atteutiou 
the  result  is  always  commensurate.  The  thousands  of  plants  that 
are  now  required  to  produce  fine  flowers  for  sale  have  brought 
about  a  system  differing  entirely  from  that  followed  previously. 

The  plants  are  grown  continuouslj^  under  glass  and  are  treated 
as  follows.  Good,  strong  cuttings  are  rooted  in  May.  The 
plants  are  potted  into  thumbs,  from  thumbs  into  three-inch,  and 
from  three-inch  into  five-inch  pots.  In  June  or  the  early  part  of 
July  they  are  planted  in  benches,  from  sixteen  to  twenty-four 
inches  apart,  according  to  size,  the  soil  being  the  same  as  for  roses 
and  from  four  to  six  inches  deep.  They  are  pinched  back  so  as  to 
give  from  four  to  six  shoots,  carefully  trained  and  well  supported, 
syi'inged  often,  and  watered  carefully.  Air  is  given  at  all  times, 
provided  no  draught  is  created.  The  buds  are  selected  at  the  end 
of  August  or  the  beginning  of  September,  one  bud  to  each  shoot; 
the  rest  of  the  buds  are  rul)bed  off,  and  all  superfluous  wood  is 
removed.  As  the  plants  grow  the}"  are  tied,  and  as  soon  as  the 
buds  are  well  in  sight  the  feeding  with  liquid  manure  commences. 
It  is  necessary  to  state  that  such  plants  require  at  least  five  feet  of 
head  room  ;  otherwise  they  have  to  be  bent  down. 


74  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

Some  cultivators  do  away  with  benches  altogether,  and  plant  in 
the  ground.  Others  do  not  plant  until  August,  using  smaller 
plants,  which  they  place  closer  together  —  often  not  more  than  six 
inches  apart.  During  the  tiowering  season  air  is  kept  on  at  all 
times,  and  fire  heat  enough  to  keep  the  temperature  at  fifty  degrees 
at  night. 

The  grouping  and  classification  of  varieties  is  now  in  a  somewhat 
ambiguous  and  unsatisfactor}'  state,  but  is  worthy  of  serious  atten- 
tion. Exactly  how  to  bring  about  what  is  required  is  a  difficult 
matter,  owing  to  the  continual  addition  of  new  forms  and  the 
merging  of  one  section  into  another,  thus  often  obliterating  the 
lines  of  demarcation. 

Perhaps  as  a  temporary  relief  the  best  thing  to  do  is  to  accept 
the  classification  (as  far  as  it  goes)  of  the  National  Chrysanthemum 
Society  of  England,  which  is  as  follows : 

Section  I.  Incurved,  of  which  George  Glenny  and  Queen  of 
England  are  the  type. 

Section  II.      Japanese.      This    is    divided    into    three    groups: 
Flat  petals  ;  type,  Peter  the  Great. 
Petals  quilled ;  type,  Bronze  Dragon. 
Petals  fluted ;  type,  Cossack. 

Japanese    incurved.     Type,  Comte  de    Germiny. 
Japanese  reflexed.     Type,  Elaine. 
Reflexed.     Type,  King  of  Crimsons. 
Large  Anemones.     Type,  Georges  Sand. 
Japanese  Anemones.     Type,  Fabian  de  Mediana. 
Pompons.     Type,  Bob. 
Section  IX.     Pompon  Anemones.     Tj'pe,  Antonius. 
Section  X.     Single  Flowers. 

But  this  does  not  cover  all  tlie  ground;  ^Irs.  Hardy  and  her 
type  have  no  place,  neither  has  Violet  Rose  nor  Ada  Spaulding. 

The  raising  and  distribution  of  seedlings  has  assumed  propor- 
tions bej'ond  conception,  from  which  we  may  expect  startling 
results.  Of  American  raised  seedlings  to  be  distributed  this  spring, 
the  number  is  over  one  hundred  and  twenty.  Taking  into  account 
the  number  distributed  last  year,  out  of  which  tiiere  are  at  least 
fourteen  that  rank  among  the  ver}'  finest,  we  may  expect  that  at 
least  twenty-four  of  this  year's  introduction  will  be  among  tlu'  best 
at  next  flowering  time. 

It  is  lioped  that  due  care  will  lie  exercised  in  the  awarding  of 
medals  and  in  the  urantinu'  of  certificates,  now  that   there  are  so 


Grou] 

l'   1- 

(( 

2. 

a 

3. 

vSection 

III. 

vSection 

IV. 

Section 

V. 

Section 

VI. 

Section 

VII. 

Section 

VIII 

CHKYSANTIIEJIUMS. 


75 


many  to  select  from.  A  rule  should  also  be  made  absolute,  that 
neither  a  medal  nor  certificate  shall  be  given  to  any  seedling  unless 
it  is  named,  and  that  this  name  is  not  to  be  changed.  The  giving 
of  medals  and  certificates  to  seedlings  bearing  numbers  only,  is  cal- 
culated to  mislead  and  confuse.  I  do  not  wish  it  to  be  understood 
that  I  object  to  the  exhibition  of  seedlings  under  numbers  -when 
they  are  placed  there  for  exhibition  only,  but  as  soon  as  they  enter 
into  any  competition  let  them  be  properly  named. 

It  is  also  hoped  that  in  making  awards  to  seedlings  neither 
Anemones,  Pompons,  nor  any  other  type  will  lie  overlooked  or  dis- 
carded, as  it  is  in  the  varied  forms  that  so  much  interest  lies. 

It  has  l)een  asked  whether  very  early  kinds  are  desirable.  My 
reply  is  that  with  one  or  two  exceptions  the  very  early  varieties  we 
now  have  are  not  of  great  merit.  Tliey  lack  either  vigor,  distinct- 
ness, or  brilliancy,  all  of  which  they  should  possess  as  decorative 
plants.  But  suppose  we  have  presented  to  us  a  group  of  robust, 
compact  growth,  briglit  and  decidedly  healthy  foliage,  flowers  of 
the  type  of  and  as  large  as  President  Hyde,  and  in  desirable  colors, 
flowering  from  the  fifteenth  of  September  —  Avhat  could  l)e  more 
attractive?  VTe  are  promised  such  a  group  and  they  will  be  heartily 
welcome. 

Just  as  long  as  there  are  produced  new  types  and  new  shades  of 
color,  just  so  long  will  the  interest  in  the  cultivation  of  the  chr^'san- 
themum  be  kept  up.  We  have  but  to -recall  the  interest  which  that 
beautiful  variety,  Mrs.  Hardy,  and  her  followers  created.  Now  we 
are  evolving  a  type  which  is  certain  to  create  further  interest.  Its 
distinctive  characteristics  are  the  marked  extension  of  the  ray 
florets  beyond  the  body  outlines  of  the  flower.  Examples  are 
Violet  Rose,  Ada  vSpaulding,  and  Flora  Macdouald.  The  ligulate 
petals  are  broad,  numerous,  and  incurving.  Perhaps  a  good  name 
for  this  type  would  be  "American."  Yet  another  type,  the  original 
of  which  is  Laciniatum,  one  of  Fortune's  importations  from  Japan, 
is  being  developed  in  all  colors  and  in  the  largest  sizes.  Still 
another  form,  distinct  in  every  particular,  is  one  where  the  flowers 
present  two  distinct  surfaces,  the  upper  surface  being  composed 
of  broad  reflexed  petals,  and  the  lower  surface  being  a  mass  of 
narrow  segments  which  extend  from  either  side  of  the  base  of  each 
floret.  These  are  only  a  few  of  the  newer  forms  waiting  to  be 
brought  forth. 

That  there  is  a  constant  addition  to  the  already  numerous  shades 
and  tones  is  known  t6  close  observers.     The  pink  shades  are  each 


76  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTUKAL    SOCIETY. 

year  beeomiDg  clearer ;  the  reds  and  crimsons  are  getting  lirighter. 
The  once  undefined  shades  of  purple  are  decidedly  more  brilliant 
and  effective.  As  to  yellows  and  white  we  are  yearly  presented 
with  something  different  from  what  we  previously  had. 

Coming  now  to  the  possibility  of  a  Ijlue  chrysanthemum,  let  me 
say  that  I  am  convinced  Ave  shall  have  shades  of  blue  as  certainly 
as  we  now  have  blue  shades  in  pansies.  It  is  within  the  memory 
of  a  great  many  of  us  when  there  were  neitlier  red  nor  blue  shades 
as  presented  in  the  pansies  of  today. 

Grave  doubts  have  been  expressed  whether  actual  cross-fertiliza- 
tion has  ever  been  accomplished  artificialh"  in  chrysanthemums. 
I  can  say  without  the  shadow  of  a  doubt  that  it  has  been,  but  I  do 
not  saj'  that  every  variety  can  be  so  crossed.  All  flowers  intended 
to  be  fertilized  must  have  their  petals  clipped  off  close  to  the  stigma 
before  the  flower  opens.  This  admits  of  the  development  not  only 
of  the  stigmas  but  of  the  ovary  also.  Some  varieties  will  be  found 
entirely  sterile  ;  Grandiflorum  has  never  yet  given  me  a  single  seed, 
and,  so  far  as  I  am  able  to  tell,  the  pollen  grains  are  sterile  also. 
"Where  cross-fertilization  is  carefullj'  and  successfully  done,  fewer 
seedlings  give  better  results. 

The  possibilities  to  be  obtained  by  selection  are  just  as  great 
with  the  chrysanthemum  as  with  any  other  class  of  plants  or 
animals.  In  fact,  wherever  seedlings  are  raised  it  is  by  selection 
that  we  retain  any  varieties,  whether  they  be  large  flowered  or  small, 
tall  plants  or  dwarf.  It  is  by  selection  that  after  a  few  generations 
each  raiser  creates  a  standard  of  his  own,  bj^  which  his  productions 
are  known.  It  is  simply  this  :  You  have  different  material  and 
different  ideas  from  mine  ;   conseipioutly  the  result  must  be  different. 

From  a  strictly  commercial  point  of  view  the  chrysanthemum  has 
become  of  national  importance. 

The  annual  sale  of  plants  is  now  over  a  million.  The  number  of 
cut  flowers  that  were  sold  in  open  market  last  year  is  almost 
incredible,  man}'  of  the  best  flowers  realizing  fifty  dollars  per 
hundred  at  wholesale.  Some  of  the  large  growers  around  New 
York  had  as  many^  as  fifty  thousand  flowers  in  sight  at  one  time, 
averaging  a  great  deal  better  in  quality  than  many  of  the  winning 
flowers  that  were  to  be  seen  on  the  exhilntion  tables  Init  a  few 
years  ago. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  chrysanthenmm  flowers  interfere  with 
the  sale  of  roses  and  carnations,  but  I  notice  tlmt  imthiug  interferes 
with  chrysanthemums  in  their  season. 


CHHYSAXTIIKMrMS.  77 


Discission. 


Leverett  IM.  Chase  asked  about  the  character  of  the  uew,  early 
l)loomiug  varieties  advertised  in  Europe,  particularly  those  raised 
by  M.  Delaux,  in  France;  also  how  they  thrive  in  America, — a 
point  of  importance  to  those  who  have  no  greenhouse. 

INIr.  Thorpe  replied  that  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  the  earl}^ 
flowering  varieties  raised  in  Europe  have  not  given  satisfaction 
here,  owing  to  their  being  unable  to  withstand  the  excessive  heat 
of  our  summer.  It  is  reasonable  to  expect  that  a  few  of  the 
many  early  varieties  offered  b}'  Delaux,  will  succeed  here,  but  how 
many  will  have  to  be  proved  by  trial.  The  moist  and  temperate 
climate  of  France  and  England,  where  chrysanthemums  do  well 
out  of  doors,  is  very  different  from  ours.  If  we  desire  to  succeed 
in  raising  a  series  of  earlj^  flowering  varieties  to  withstand  the 
variations  and  vicissitudes  of  our  climate,  we  must  raise  our  oavu 
seedlings  and  save  none  but  those  that  stand  the  ordeal  to  which 
they  are  subjected  here.  In  other  words  they  must  be  to  the 
manor  born. 

M.  Delaux  claims  for  his  set  that  they  will  begin  to  flower  as 
•earl}^  as  the  fifteenth  of  July.  "We  have  already  several  pompons 
that  would  flower  by  that  date  provided  that  they  could  be  made 
to  grow.  The  speaker  thought  that  what  we  require  is  a  series, 
beginning  to  flower  not  earlier  than  the  first  of  September,  having 
the  characteristics  mentioned  in  the  essay.  M.  C.  Nichols  is  a  vari- 
ety having  some  of  these  good  points  ;  it  is  a  sturdy  grower  and  has 
thick,  leathery  leaves  ;  the  flowers  are  of  medium  size,  rather  unde- 
cided in  color,  and  bloom  about  the  fifth  of  October.  Harvest  Queen 
is  a  good  white,  as  is  also  Mile.  Lacroix ;  these  flower  about  the 
fifteenth  of  October.  The  flowers  of  the  last  two  are  much  better 
when  grown  under  glass. 

Richard  T.  Lombard  inquired  what  Japanese  variet}^  Mr. 
Thorpe  esteemed  the  best  for  cut  flowers,  for  market. 

Mr.  Thorpe  said  that  depended  on  what  color  was  desired.  If 
white,  he  named  Jessica.  The  best  yellow  is  Rohallion,  blooming 
the  tenth  of  October,  followed  b}^  Gloriosum,  about  the  fifteenth. 
It  is  astonishing  how  much  difference  five  days  make. 

In  reply  to  a  question  as  to  what  variety  remains  longest  in 
perfection,  Mr.  Thorpe  said  that  it  depends  on  the  time  of  the  3'ear. 
The  duration  of  bloom  varies  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  days. 
By  judicious  selection  and  special  cultivation  chrysanthemums  can 


78  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

be  had  in  bloom  from  the  first  of  January  to  the  last  of  December. 
Probably  the  blooms  will  not  all  be  np  to  first-class  gi'ade  as  to- 
form,  size,  color,  and  quality,  as  when  flowered  iu  th.e  autumn, 
but  they  will  possess  enough  good  points  to  make  them  acceptable. 
For  ten  years  he  had  never  been  without  chrysanthemum  flowers. 
We  have  to  remember  that  they  are  herbaceous  plants  which  after 
they  start  to  grow  keep  on  until  they  have  produced  buds,  flowers, 
aud  —  if  they  are  natural — seeds,  which  completes  their  work. 
But  he  did  not  think  much  was  gained  by  interfering  with  their 
natural  time  of  flowering ;  as  we  know  that  strawberries  are  best 
iu  June,  so  chrysanthemums  are  best  in  November. 

Presideut  Spoouer  spoke  of  the  practice  of  awarding  medals  or 

other  prizes  for  seedlings,  upon  the  exhibition  of  their  first  flowers, 

and  asked  Mr.  Thorpe  if  he  thought  it  wise  to  do  so,  or  better  to 

postpone  the  awards  until  after  a  trial  of  two  j^ears  or  longer  had 

■  proved  the  real  merits  of  the  new  variety. 

Mr.  Thorpe  replied  that  the  first  year  his  seedling,  Mrs.  Cleve- 
land, flowered,  he  thought  it  a  capital  prize.  It  was  propagated 
aud  sold  the  following  spring,  but  when  it  flowered  the  second 
year,  instead  of  proving  itself  a  gem  of  the  first  water,  it  came 
down  as  low  as  third  class.  Yes,  seedlings  should  alwaj's  be 
tested  more  than  one  season,  and  no  prize  should  be  awarded  to 
any  until  its  superiority  in  character  and  habit  is  full}'  established. 
He  said  also  that  it  is  unwise  for  a  grower  to  offer  to  the  public 
any  new  plant  or  flower  until  its  merits  are  shown  to  be  greater 
than  those  of  existing  kinds,  especially  where  varieties  are  so 
numerous  and  in  many  cases  so  excellent. 

E.  W.  Wood  congratulated  the  company  present  upon  this 
opportunity  to  hear  what  Mr.  Thorpe  had  to  say  upon  this  subject. 
The  essayist  was  the  man  of  all  men  in  this  country  who  could  tell 
us  most  about  chrj'sauthemums,  their  propagation  and  culture,  the 
production  of  new  varieties,  the  selection  of  varieties  for  special 
purposes,  and  all  other  important  pouits.  His  paper  gave  but 
little  of  wliat  he  knows  about  this  matter.  All  he  knows  could 
not  be  told  in  one  lecture.  We  know  that  great  progress  has  been 
made  recently  in  the  improvement  of  the  chrysanthemum.  The 
enthusiasm  aroused  in  this  work  extends  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific,  and  in  view  of  late  successes  there  is  no  prospect  of  its 
decline  in  the  near  future.  The  great  imi)rovement  of  these  plants 
has  involved  clianges  in  the  methods  of  their  culture  as  great  as 
are  the  changes  in  their  character  and  the  use  made  of  them.     To 


(MIKYSANrilKMlMS.  7& 

iiu'i't  new  nMiuiivuu'uts  of  nuirket  :uul  exhibition  liotli  tlio  plants 
aud  flowers  will,  to  ;i  laru-ely  iuereased  extent,  l)e  t>rown  wholly 
under  glass.  But  as  in  the  past  the  ehrysanthenuun  has  been 
mosth'  grown  in  the  open  air,  for  home  use  in  house  and  garden 
decoration,  we  sliall  like  to  eontinue  that  custom,  and  trust  it  will  be 
continued.  For  this  jturpose  smaller  plants  in  larger  numbers  — 
each  of  which  will  remain  in  bloom  from  two  to  three  weeks — will 
allow  us  great  variety,  improved  quality,  and  largely  increased 
enjoyment.  In  conclusion  Mr.  Wood  asked  Mr.  Thorpe  about  the 
insect  pest  which  prevents  the  perfect  development  of  many 
chrysanthemum  plants  and  flowers. 

Mr.  Thorpe  said  that  Professor  C.  V.  Riley,  of  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture,  had  taken  a  great  deal  of 
interest  in  the  investigation  of  this  insect,  which  attacks  not  only 
chrysanthemums,  but  asters,  golden  rods,  and  other  composites. 
The  female  stings  the  plant  when  she  deposits  her  eggs,  causing  a 
disorganization  of  the  sap  which  is  shown  by  numerous  ex- 
crescences. The  best  remedy  he  knew  of  is  a  solution  of  one 
ounce  of  bitter  aloes  in  four  gallons  of  water,  with  which  to  syringe 
the  plants  twice  a  week,  from  the  first  of  July  to  the  middle  of 
August. 

In  answer  to  another  question,  Mr.  Thorpe  said  that  if  one 
desires  to  grow  plants  in  the  open  ground,  to  be  shifted  into  pots 
for  late  blooming  in  the  house,  it  is  necessary  to  select  such  varie- 
ties as  can  be  Avell  grown  out  of  doors, —  those  having  a  compact 
habit  and  bright,  clean,  healthy  foliage  that  does  not  suffer  from 
the  attacks  of  either  white  mildew  or  black  rust.  This  black  rust 
is  a  Perouospora,  closely  allied  to  the  potato  fungus.  Ada  Spauld- 
iug,  H.  E.  Widener,  and  Violet  Rose,  are  kinds  having  many  good 
aud  desirable  qualities  as  mentioned  before. 

There  are  many  of  the  finest,  old  style,  incurved  flowers, — 
which  have  representatives  in  Queen  of  England,  Mrs.  Shipman, 
and  Princess  of  Wales  —  that  do  not  succeed  at  all  well  here, 
while  in  England  they  are  most  popular  and  give  great  satisfac- 
tion. He  had  yet  to  see  a  really  first  class  dozen  of  these  kinds 
iu  America.  They  have  suitable  conditions  over  there  to  make 
perfect  flowers  on  these  varieties,  which  we  have  not  here,  and  the 
difficult}^  must  be  climatic,  as  we  have  as  much  skill  and  as  good 
appliances  as  the  growers  of  any  country. 

In  reply  to  the  question  whether  there  had  been  twenty-four 
Chinese  incurved  flowers  shown  in  America,  that  would  rank  ia 


so  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Euglaud  as  first  class,  Mr.  Thorpe  did  not  believe  there  had 
been  twenty-four  flowers  shpAvn  here  in  one  stand  that  would  rank 
in  England  as  second  or  scarcely  third  class.  In  regard  to  speci- 
men plants  of  the  old  incurved  kind,  he  said  that  they  were  not 
equal  in  quality  to  the  cut  flowers  of  that  famous  variety.  Mrs. 
Eundle  and  her  two  sports,  which  alwa\'s  appear  in  competitive 
groups.  In  six  varieties  there  are  generally  two  out  of  the  three 
Rundles,  and  when  nine  or  more  varieties  are  exhibited  it  is 
almost  a  certainty  that  all  the  Rundle  varieties  are  shown  among 
them. 

A  question  was  asked  where  were  the  best  twelve  Japanese 
varieties  originated,  —  in  Japan,  America,  France,  or  England? 
Mr.  Thorpe  replied  that  at  this  date  probably  the  best  twelve  were 
direct  importations  from  Japan,  but  added,  that  by  next  year,  or 
the  year  after  at  the  farthest,  twenty-four  American-raised  seed- 
lings will  be  in  cultivation  that  will  beat  an  equal  number  from 
iiny  other  country.  From  the  fact  that  there  are  so  many  engaged 
in  raising  seedlings,  and  also  because  the  standard  of  require- 
ments has  been  raised  so  high,  there  are  now  a  great  many  seed- 
lings on  probation.  If  thej  prove  to  be  as  good  as  Avhen  seen  last 
season,  they  will  give  us  these  additional  good  varieties. 

In  reply  to  the  question,  what  are  the  very  best  late  kinds,  to 
have  in  flower  at  Christmas,  Mr.  Thorpe  named  Mrs.  Humph- 
reys, Ethel,  Mrs.  H.  J.  Jones,  and  Governor  of  Guernsey,  as 
ordinarily  late  flowering  kinds ;  but  it  depends  a  great  deal  upon 
the  manipulation  of  the  plants.  For  instance,  if  the  plants  are 
allowed  to  become  very  drj'  in  August,  and  the  wood  ripens,  they 
Avill  flower  the  middle  of  November ;  but  if  they  are  kept  growing 
and  the  wood  remains  soft  several  weeks  later,  they  will  flower  in 
December.  The  question  is  not  so  much  when  the  cuttings  are 
taken,  as  it  is  how  continuously  they  are  kept  gi-owing,  from  the 
time  the}'  are  rooted,  up  to,  say  eight  weeks  before  they  are 
required  to  be  in  flower.  Perhaps  it  would  be  better  to  take  cut- 
tings of  late  flowering  kinds  later,  rather  than  very  early. 

Michael  H.  Norton  asked  for  a  list  of  names  of  the  best  half 
dozen  varieties  for  market. 

Mr.  Thorpe  said  he  would  not  attempt  that.  He  would  prefer 
to  name  one  hundred  —  he  did  name  fifty  or  more  —  and  would 
leave  the  more  select  choice  to  his  questioner,  who  would  doubtless 
-want  them  coming  into  the  market  from  September  1 ,  to  January 
1,    consisting  of  all   the  popular  colors,   such  as  yellow,   white. 


CHRYSANTHEAILM.S.  81 

pink,  bronze,  and  red,  and  also  a  few  fancy,  or  parti-colored 
varieties.  Then,  as  has  been  observed,  ehr3'sauthemum  flowers 
last  about  fifteen  daj^s,  and  as  the  tern)  from  the  first  of  September 
to  the  first  of  Jauuarj',  is  four  months,  or  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  days,  it  would  take  eight  varieties  of  one  color  alone  to 
cover  the  time.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  for  the  five  self-colors 
above  named,  at  least  forty  kinds  are  required  to  meet  the  demand, 
and  if  parti-colored  varieties  are  added,  the  number  will  be 
increased  proportionately.  Mr.  Thorpe  then  gave  the  following 
lists  —  all  of  Japanese  tj'pes  —  as  being  of  great  merit  for  market 
purposes  during  tlie  period  named.     Those  of  French  origin  were : 

Alcyon,  LTncomparable, 

Belle  Paule,  Madame  C.  Audiguier, 

Boule  d'Or,  Margot, 

Ceres,  M.  Bernard, 

fitoile  de  Lyon,  Roi  des  Japouais, 

Jeanne  Delaux,  Tal  d'Andorre. 

Next  came  as  many  of  the  English  varieties : 

Carew  Underwood,  Martha  Hardiug, 

Elaine,  Mr.  Matthews, 

Eynsford  White,  Mrs.  F.  Jameson, 

Fair  Maid  of  Guernsey,  Sta'ustead  Surprise, 

James  Salter,  Sunflower, 

Joseph  Mahood,  "William  Ro])insou. 

The  list  of  imported  Japanese  varieties  included  : 

Christmas  Eve,  Louis  Boehmer, 

Comte  de  Germiny,  Mr.  H.  Canuell, 

E.  G.  Hill,  Mrs.  Alpheus  Hardy, 

G.  F.  Moseman,  Robert  Bottomle}', 

Kioto,  Volunteer, 

Lilian  B.  Bird,  ^y.  H.  Lincoln. 

The  following  American  list  was  given  : 

Ada  Spaulding,  Maudus, 

Carrie  Denu}',  Minnie  Wauamaker, 

Cyclone,  Miss  Mary  Wheeler, 

Excellent,  Mrs.  Bowen, 

G.  P.  Rawson,  Mrs.  M.  J.  Thomas, 

Harry  E.  Widener,  Violet  Rose. 
6 


82  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Ill  reply  to  a  question  as  to  the  possibility  of  producing  a  blue 
cMTsauthemum,  Mr.  Thorpe  said  that  a  blue  chrysanthemum  was 
exhibited  at  Philadelphia,  but  unfortunately  it  was  made  of  paper. 
However,  he  full}'  Ijelieved  that  we  should  live  to  see  a  genuine 
blue  chr3'santhemum.  The  old  botanists  declared  that  we  could 
not  have  blue,  yellow,  and  red  in  the  same  species  of  plant.  But 
we  have  blue,  yellow,  and  red  hj-acinths,  and  he  saw  no  good 
reason  why  we  should  not  get  the  same  colors  in  the  chrysanthe- 
mum. How  limited  were  the  original  colors  of  the  chrysanthemum 
floAvers  I  They  were  a  pale  yellow,  white,  and  a  very  weak  lilac 
shade ;  and  from  these  have  been  elaborated  all  the  colors  and 
shades  we  now  enjo}'  in  this  flower.  This  has  been  accomplished 
by  very  slow  and  persistent  work,  in  selection  and  cross-fertiliza- 
tion, and  in  the  fixing  of  sports.  Notice  how  intensified  have 
become  the  yellows  and  how  many  shades  there  are.  The  lilac 
has  become  pink,  of  pure  shading.  Then  as  to  red,  CuUingfordii 
oftentimes,  when  the  flowers  are  closely  shaded,  presents  us  with 
ueaii}'  a  pure  tone  of  red.  The  most  pronounced  purple  we  have 
today  is  a  "sport"  from  the  lightly  tipped,  incurved  Princess  of 
"Wales.  It  is  named  Violet  Tomlin  and  is  really  purple.  Now  we 
cannot  get  purple  without  blue,  and  to  those  who  are  hard  at  work 
in  the  field  of  development,  a  blue  chrysanthemum  would  not  be 
a  very  great  surprise.  Raisers  of  seedlings  frequently  see  signs 
of  a  "  new  departure  "  four  or  five  years  before  it  actually  takes 
place.  The  blue  chrysanthemum  may  first  be  obtained  from  a 
sport. 

Joseph  Clark  asked  if  the  continual  cross-fertilizing  and  high 
culture  required  to  produce  the  large  flowers  now  exhibited  does 
not  injure  the  constitution  of  the  plants. 

Mr.  Thorpe  said  he  did  not  believe  that  the  constitution  of  the 
chrj^santhemum  had  been  impau'ed  by  continual  cross-fertilization. 
On  the  contrary  the  American  .raised  seedlings  of  the  past  three 
3'ears  have  decidedly  more  vigorous  habits  than  those  of  previous 
years.  The  principal  cause  of  this  is  that  our  raisers  of  seedlings 
have  now  reached  a  point  where  they  will  throw  awa}'  all  weakly 
seedlings,  except  such  as  shoAv  some  new  features  which  it  is 
desirable  to  develop  in  future  generations.  When  his  seedlings 
are  about  four  months  old,  then  being  generally  iu  three  inch  pots, 
he  discards  all  plants  of  puny  growth  and  constitutional  weakness, 
thus  doing  away  with  all  tlie  bother  of  nursing  them,  and  often 
the  temptation  to  keep  a  weakling  when  in  flower. 


CIllJVSANTIlK.Mr.M.s.  83 

Rev.  A.  H.  ^luzzey,  said  we  were  told  that  ^Ir.  Thorpe  had 
devoted  uiany  years  to  the  cultivation  of  the  chrysantlu'inuiii ;  we 
expected,  therefore,  to  learu  from  him  a  i>reat  deal,  and  we  had 
not  been  disappointed.  It  had  been  shown  tliat  he  had  devoted 
his  attention  and  lalior  to  one  flower;  had  thoroughly  studied  its 
naturt'.  its  needs,  and  its  capaliilities ;  and  in  its  treatment  and 
development  he  has  been  preeminently  successful.  In  his  showing 
here  today  we  see  what  can  be  done  l)y  taking  such  a  course  ia 
an}'  department  of  our  work.  If  one  would  succeed  in  horticul- 
ture, floriculture,  or  pomology,  let  him  select  some  one  object,  fix 
his  mind  on  it,  study  it  from  every  stand-point  and  master  it.  Let 
it  be  in  the  spirit  this  man  has  shown  today  ;  being  fully  informed, 
he  is  ready  to  respond  to  all  questions,  on  every  point  of  his 
subject.  Should  our  members  generally  adopt  this  system,  how- 
ever well  we  have  done  in  the  past,  we  should  in  a  few  years 
become  a  new  Society.  Let  us  always  remember  that  patience  is 
genius,  and  persistency  is  success  in  any  undertaking. 

George  Hollis  asked.  Is  the  degeneracy  of  plants  inherent  in 
them,  or  is  it  the  result  of  the  treatment  they  receive  at  the  hands 
of  the  grower? 

Mr.  Thorpe  replied  that  he  believed  all  plants  —  just  like 
ourselves  —  have  a  natural  period  of  existence,  provided  always 
that  they  are  surrounded  b}'  natural  environments.  The  chrj'san- 
themum  is  an  herbaceous  plant  fulfilling-  the  purpose  of  its  being 
in  one  year's  growth,  and  its  constitution  is  generallj-  not  ouly 
equal  to  its  needs,  but  somewhat  in  excess.  This  enables  us  to 
multiply  plants  by  cuttings,  a  method  which  is  simply  an  extension 
of  the  life  of  the  parent  plant,  and  not  a  complete  renewal  of  it  as 
in  propagation  by  seeds.  Plants  not  raised  in  America,  and- 
which  are  propagated  here  only  by  cuttings,  must  have  alb  the 
weaknesses  of  the  original  stock,  with  a  shorter  prospective 
existence.  These  remarks  apply  to  plants  that  are  to  be  used  as 
garden  plants, —  where  no  more  artificial  protection  is  given,  tliaa 
is  provided  for  a  geranium  or  other  summer  flowering  plant.  On 
the  other  hand,  in  the  raising  of  American  seedlings  for  a  given 
purpose  —  as  for  instance,  to  produce  a  thoroughly  reliable  race- 
of  garden  plants  —  we  will  suppose  that  at  any  time  during  May 
five  hundred  seedlings  are  planted  in  the  open  ground  and  are 
given  fairly  good  cultivation.  There  will  come  a  time  when  some 
of  these  plants  Avill  begin  to  weaken,  that  is,  they  will  make  no 
further  progress,  and  as  the  trying  summer  lengthens  many  others 


SA  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICLXTURAL    SOCIETY. 

will  drop  bebiud.  until — probably  at  the  eud  of  September  —  your 
five  huudred  seedliugs  have  dwindled  to  only  fifty  healthy  and 
vigorous  plants.  It  will  be  these  fifty  then,  that  have  the  consti- 
tution and  the  vigor  you  desire  to  propagate.  He  had  often  said  that 
we  ought  to  raise  American  seedling  plants  for  American  gardens. 
A  great  many  of  the  European  novelties  of  all  kinds  of  plants  are 
failures  here.  It  is  not  that  they  are  worthless,  but  because  the 
conditions  to  Avhich  they  are  subjected  here  are  not  to  their  lilving. 

Mr.  Hollis  further  inquired,  if  the  best  liealth  of  stock  is  to  be 
maintained,  which  course  is  best  to  pursue  in  propagation ;  to 
take  cuttings  from  a  plant  which  has  Ijeen  forced  to  its  highest 
capabilities  in  order  to  produce  large  specimen  blooms,  or  from 
another  plant  of  the  same  variety  which  has  received  only  such 
culture  as  will  ensure  merely  good  ordinary  flowers? 

Mr.  Thorpe  said  his  experience  had  afforded  him  such  positive 
proof  as  to  the  growth  of  chrj'santhemums.  that  he  believes  that 
when  cuttings  are  taken  at  a  fairly  early  time,  it  makes  no  differ- 
ence whether  they  are  cut  from  a  strong  plant  or  a  Aveak  one, 
provided  alwaj^s  that  they  are  properly  treated  afterwai'ds.  A 
cutting  no  thicker  than  a  knitting-needle,  if  well  cared  for  from 
the  start,  should  be  as  strong  at  tn^o  months  later  date  as  one  that 
was  originally  as  large  as  a  pencil.  Some  believe  that  permitting 
a  plant  to  produce  only  a  few  flowers  tends  to  strengthen  the 
plant.  The  fact  is,  it  costs  the  plant  less  effort  to  elaborate  one 
flower  than  it  does  to  perfect  fifty.  If  a  plant  is  allowed  to  carry 
all  its  flowers  without  disbudding,  what  a  task  it  has.  A  single 
shoot  of  some  varieties  has  as  many  as  fortj"  buds  formed,  and 
when  we  consider  that  each  floAver  when  open  carries  from  one 
hundred  and  fort}-  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  florets,  we  can  perceiA'e 
that  the  strain  on  the  plant  is  a  verA'  seA'ere  one. 

Michael  H.  Norton  expressed  his  pleasure  that  he  had  been 
present  and  heard  the  A'ery  able  and  instructive  lecture,  and  he 
moA'ed  a  A'ote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Thorpe,  Avhich  was  uuanimousl}' 
passed. 

The  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Publication  and  Discussion" 
announced  for  the  next  Saturday-,  a  paper  upon  "  Small  Fruits, 
particularly  the  Strawberry,"  by  P.  M.  Augur,  State  Pomologist, 
Middlefield,  Conn. 


EErORTS    OF    AWA1JI)IN(;    Cc  )AI.MnTi:KS.  85 

BUSINESS  MEETING. 

Satihday,  February  14,  1801. 

An  adjourned  nieetiuo-  of  the  Society  was  holdeu  at  eleven 
o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spooner,  in  the  chair. 

Joseph  H.  Woodford,  Chairman,  presented  the  following  report: 
The  Committee,  appointed   to  report  recommendation  of  com- 
pensation for  the  various  Committees  on  Exhibitions,  report  : 

One  hundi'ed  dollars  to  each  of  the  six  Chairmen,  and  one 
dollar  each  for  other  members  Avhenever  they  attend  as  required 
by  the  Schedule ;  an  account  to  be  kept  by  the  Chairman. 

J.  H.  Woodford,      ^ 

H.  P.  Walcott,          y  Committee^ 

C.  H.  B.  Breck,        j 

The  Report  was  unanimously  adopted. 

O.  B.  Hadwen,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Publication  and 
Discussion  to  which  was  referred  the  award  of  prizes  for  the  best 
reports  of  awarding  Committees,  presented  the  following  report: 

The  First  Prize  to  Joseph  H.  Woodford,  for  the  Report  of  the 
Committee  on  Plants  and  Flowers. 

The  Second  Prize  to  Charles  N.  Brackett,  for  the  Report  of  the 
Committee  on  Vegetables. 

The  Third  Prize  to  E.  W.  Wood,  for  the  Report  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Fruits. 

The  report  was  unanimously  adopted. 

The  .Secretary  announced  the  receipt  of  a  letter  from  the 
Secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  accepting  the  invita- 
tion to  hold  its  winter  meeting  in  the  Society's  Halls,  and  stating 
that  the  meeting  would  be  held  on  the  first,  second,  and  third  days 
of  December  next. 

Adjourned  to  Saturdaj^,  February  21. 


86  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICLXTURAL    SOCIETY. 

MEETING  FOR  DISCUSSION. 
Thk  Strawberry  and  Its    Culture;     Theories    and    Methods, 

By  p.  M.  AucuK,  Connecticut  State  Pomologist,  Middlefleld,  Conn. 

The  time  was  when  the  Strawberry  was  regarded  as  a  hixury 
for  occasioual  use  oul}' ;  now  it  is  justly  considered  a  necessity. 
So  much  so  is  it,  that  a  faihire  of  the  strawberry  crop  would  be 
considered  almost  as  deplorable  as  a  potato  famine,  at  least 
during  the  season  when  we  usually  have  them.  Formerly  a  few 
crates  answered  tlie  demand  in  any  one  market ;  now  the  daily 
supply  of  our  principal  cities  requires  long,  ponderous  trains  of 
cars,  loaded  with  this  most  delicious  earlj'  summer  fruit.  No 
apology,  therefore,  is  needed  for  devoting  our  thoughts  todaj-  to 
the  consideration  of  the  current  theories  and  approved  methods 
now  practiced  in  the  highest  strawberry  culture. 

In  noting  the  progress  in  this  line,  which  has  been  made  during 
our  recollection,  Ave  see  a  change  as  great  as  that  between  the  little 
packet  ship  of  our  boyhood  days,  and  the  great  palatial  ocean 
steamer  of  todaj'.  Again,  when  we  compare  a  quart  of  selected 
strawberries,  of  the  best  type  we  knew  sixty  years  ago,  with  the 
fine  exhibition  berries  of  the  Sharpless,  Belmont,  and  Jewell,  as 
they  appear  on  your  exhibition  tables  from  year  to  j^ear,  we  are 
indeed  amazed ;  and  yet  this  is  only  in  harmony  with  the  rate  of 
progress  we  observe  in  almost  every  department  of  human  effort. 

Therefore,  standing  as  we  now  do  on  the  threshold  of  the  last 
decade  of  the  nineteenth  century,  let  us  look  forward  and  see 
where  lie  the  opportunities  for  higher  development  and  more 
•complete  success  in  this  interesting  department  of  horticulture. 

First,  then,  let  us  consider  the  subject  of  culture  as  having  a 
most  important  bearing  on  strawberry  production,  and  being  a 
most  important  factor  in  achieving  it.  If  we  turn  to  mechanics 
for  an  illustration  we  find  that  the  same  metal,  under  different 
methods  of  handling,  may  be  made  into  either  a  stone-hammer  or  a 
watch-spring — the  latter,  of  course,  requiring  a  far  higher  degree 
of  skill  than  the  former,  with  a  consequent  higher  value.  So  also 
ft  given  piece  of  laud  may  under  a  certain  management  yield  a 
crop  of  potatoes  worth  out'  hundred  dollars;  the  same  land  may 
under  very  different  management  yield  a  crop  of  strawberries 
worth  ten  times  as  much.      Let  it  not  be  inferred  from  this  that 


TiiK  sti;a-\\i',ki;i;v  and  its  rrLTruE.  87 

:i  strawhorry  crop  iiiay  lie  rcuanlt'd  as  necessarily  wortli  ten  times 
as  niiich  as  a  good  potato  crop.  This  depends  upon  circuni- 
stauces.  The  chances  are,  however,  that  under  good  management 
the  strawberry  at  its  maximum  will  far  exceed  the  potato  in  value. 

The  question  then  comes:  ''What  are  the  conditions,  culture, 
and  surroundings  needed  for  the  highest  results  in  strawberry 
productions? 

First,  the  soil.  A  very  sandy  soil  is  least  desirable  ;  a  strong, 
retentive  loam,  well  handled,  the  best.  Taking  the  latter  as  our 
beau  ideal,  let  us  consider  the  best  mode  of  management.  We 
are  aware  that  such  soils  have  a  tendency  to  become  too  heavy  and 
compact ;  in  a  ver}'  wet  season  they  may  be  soggy  with  water, 
and  in  extreme  drought  be  hard  and  cracked.  To  avei't  the 
former  tendency  by  removing  surplus  water,  artificial  draining  is 
ueeessar}',  and  at  the  same  time  it  will  give  aeration  and  good 
mechanical  condition  to  the  soil :  these  are  prime  conditions  never 
to  be  overlooked. 

As  the  soil  is  the  home  of  the  plant,  in  order  to  achieve  the  best 
results  all  the  conditions  must  l)e  most  favorable.  The  soil  also 
being  Nature's  grand  laboratory,  we  must  remove  all  obstacles  to 
her  work,  at  the  same  time  carefully  supplying  every  requisite 
condition  for  speedy  and  most  effective  operations. 

We  will  suppose  a  soil  of  good  natural  fertility  but  a  little  heavy 
and  tenacious.  We  will  give  thorough  drainage  by  placing  under- 
drains  thirty  feet  apart  and  three  ftet  below  the  surface,  to  be 
laid  on  perfect  grades  running  directly  down  the  slope.  The  effect 
of  these  will  be  to  render  the  soil  less  adhesive  and  more  porous 
and  friable. 

For  the  immediate  improvement  of  this  soil  both  in  fertility' 
and  mechanical  condition  preparatory  to  a  strawbeiTy  crop,  sup- 
posing it  to  have  been  preceded  b}'  a  cultivated  crop,  apply  from 
twenty-five  to  fort}'  cords  of  grain-fed  horse  manure,  well 
fermented  but  not  burned.  Let  this  be  plowed  in  nine  inches 
deep,  plowing  across  the  drains,  following  in  each  furrow  with  a 
sub-soil  plow  running  nine  inches  deeper,  thus  breaking  the  soil 
half-way  down  to  the  drains. 

This  operation  will  secure  aeration  from  above  and  from  below, 
and  with  the  fertilizing  and  mechanical  effect  of  the  horse  manure 
intermixed  in  the  soil  Avill  furnish  a  most  congenial  home  for  the 
strawberry,  and   furthermore  we  believe  that  decomposition   and 


S8  MASSACHrSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

niti'ificatiou  will  go  ou  eoujoiutly,  through  the  agency  of  micro- 
organisms, the  whole  becoming  more  digestible  and  available  for 
superb  growtli  and  magnificent  fruitage  of  the  plants.  Again, 
such  a  soil  so  treated  is  in  condition  to  withstand  extreme  vicissi- 
tudes of  wet  and  drought  better  than  any  other ;  easily  letting  off 
surplus  water  through  the  drains  and  as  easily  drawing  moisture 
through  its  numerous  capillaries  from  the  water  table  beneath. 
The  way  in  which  lettuce  growers  prepare  their  beds  is  an  ideal 
way  to  prepare  ground  for  strawberries. 

Having  a  soil  prepared  as  described,  and  nicely  pulverized,  plant 
according  to  some  definite  system.  Usually  planters  adopt  the 
matted-row  plan,  setting  the  plants  at  varying  distances  accord- 
ing to  the  variety  and  the  intent  of  the  grower.  "\Ye  follow  that 
plan  too,  to  a  considerable  extent,  because  of  the  demand  of  the 
public  for  plants,  having  a  double  object, — plants  and  fruit.  But 
from  the  stand-point  of  fruit  production  alone  we  should  discard 
the  matted-row  sj^stem  as  both  unphilosophical  and  unwise.  What 
grower  would  plant  corn  in  the  matted-row  to  secure  good  ears, 
or  beets  in  the  matted-row  to  secure  good  roots  ?  Cobbett,  the  old 
English  gardener,  said,  "  one  or  two  cucumber  plants  in  a  hill  are 
better  than  more,  and  with  fifty  plants  in  a  hill  you  get  no 
cucumbers."  Unneeessar}-  strawberry  plants  in  a  bed  are  as 
injurious  as  weeds.  The  maximum  yield  of  a  well  developed 
strawberry  plant  may  without  doubt  be  placed  as  high  as  two 
quarts ;  I  have  excellent  proof  of  this  from  my  own  experience. 
But  this  cannot  be  reached  without  space  for  full  development. 

For  spring  planting  for  fruit  alone,  I  know  of  no  better  plan 
than  to  set  in  rows  three  feet  apart  and  one  and  one-half  feet  in' 
the  row,  allowing  each  spring-set  plant  to  throw  one  strong  runner 
on  each  side,  rooting  a  single  plant  opposite  the  intervening  space, 
thus : — 

/^ 
a 

\b 

a,  representing  the  spring-set  plants,  and  b,  the  new  plants  from 
runners,  so  that  each  plant  in  the  trio  a,  b,  6,  will  stand  at  a 
corner  of  a  triangle.  This  method  of  planting  is  particularly 
adapted  to  the  Jewell. 

For  July  planting  select  strong  young  plants  and  plant  in  rows 
two  feet  apart  and  one  and  a  half  feet   in  the  row.      If  trying  for 


/'^ 

A 

/* 

a 

a 

0 

\b 

^b 

\i 

THE    STKAWHKiniV    AM)    ITS    CULTURE.  b^ 

the  groatost  luunbor  of  bushels  I  would  plant  a  foot  and  a  half 
apart  each  way.  Just  after  a  rain  each  plant  can  bo  taken  up 
with  a  ball  of  earth  adhering.  Iloe  frequently  and  keep  all 
runners  nipped  otT.  Cover  with  coarse  hay  as  soon  as  the  ground 
is  well  frozen,  removing  as  soon  as  the  ground  ceases  to  freeze  iu 
spring.  Then  give  a  shallow  hoeing,  and  when  the  fruit  begins  ta 
color  mulch  sutliciently  to  conserve  moisture  and  keep  the  fruit 
clean.  By  the  last  of  May  such  plants  should  touch  each  other 
both  ways  and  yield  on  an  average  one  quart  per  plant  in  June ; 
thus  showmg  a  possible  yield  of  472  bushels  per  acre  for  the  July 
planting,  or  313  bushels  for  the  previous  spring  planting,  the  young 
plants  b,  having  higher  possibilities  than  the  older  plants  a.  I  do 
not  intend  to  convey  the  idea  that  everyone  everywhere  can  achieve 
such  a  result,  but  simply  that  it  is  possible,  with  all  the  conditions 
favorable,  as  we  have  ample  proof  to  demonstrate.  Fruit  of  the 
best  quality  is  never  rejected  in  the  market. 

Before  leaving  the  matter  of  culture,  allow^  me  to  say  that  in  all  the 
processes  of  stirring  the  soil,  unnecessary  tramping  of  the  ground  by 
either  teams  or  men  should  be  avoided.  In  any  horticultural  oper- 
ation there  should  be  convenient  paths  for  travel  exclusively,  and  no 
man  or  team  should  go  elsewhere  than  in  the  paths  when  it  can  be 
avoided.  Man}'  men  in  hoeing  and  weeding,  by  frequent  and 
unnecessary  stepping  actually  do  more  harm  than  good.  Imple- 
ments for  horse  and  man  should  be  so  constructed  as  to  do  the 
most  woi'k  possible  with  a  single  passage  or  movement,  and  should 
also  be  as  light  as  possible,  compatible  with  strength  and 
efiiciency. 

To  go  into  all  the  minutiw  of  mode  or  frequency  of  culture,  I 
think  unnecessary  before  an  audience  of  experts,  such  as  is  con- 
vened here. 

How  shall  we  avoid  deterioration  of  varieties,  and  keep  our 
stock  good  for  continuous  vigor,  health,  and  productiveness  ?  We 
may  justly  regard  this  as  one  of  the  most  important  points  con- 
nected Avith  this  subject ;  and  how  to  improve  our  stock  is  a 
question  of  paramount  importance. 

The  principles  involved  in  developing  and  improving  fine  stock 
in  the  animal  econonn',  hold  with  equal  force  iu  the  vegetable 
kingdom.  Hence,  only  plants  having  all  the  good  points  we 
desire  to  carry  or  to  develop  further,  should  be  selected  for  our 
stock-beds,  and  if  we  see  at  any  time  a  plant  void  of  these,  it 
should  at  once  be  pulled  out  and  discarded. 


90  MASSACHUSETT,^    HORTICULTr'RAL    SOCIETY. 

Agaiu,  plants  which  have  once  fruited  heavily  should  not  lie 
used  for  propagatiou,  either  for  home  beds  or  for  market,  as  they 
have,  of  course,  decreased  vitality,  and  the  use  of  such  plants 
would  ensure  speed}'  degeneracy. 

AVhen  some  one  point  in  an  otherwise  valuable  variety  is  lack- 
ing, as  for  instance  in  the  Jewell  a  disposition  to  throw  runners 
freely,  this  characteristic  may  be  greath'  changed  l)y  marking 
those  plants  which  are  all  right  in  this  respect,  and  using  only 
their  progeny  for  stock  plants.  Some  of  our  best  fruit  growers, 
among  whom  is  T.  T.  Lyon,  the  respected  President  of  the  Michi- 
gan Horticultural  Society,  however,  do  not  regard  this  trait  as 
wholly  objectionable,  inasmuch  as  the  tendency  of  a  plant  to 
concentrate  Nature's  powers  on  itself,  rather  than  in  profuse 
multiplication,  lies  right  in  the  line  of  extreme  fruitfulness.  The 
Crescent  and  Haviland  make  runners  too  freely.  But  where  slow 
propagatiou  is  manifestly  a  fault,  it  can  be  remedied  by  choosing 
plants  of  good  vigor,  struck  as  late  as  September  or  Octolter, 
rather  than  heavier  plants  struck  in  July,  which  are  crowded  with 
fruit  germs  and  hence  have  the  preponderant  tendency  toward 
heav}'  fruitage  rather  than  propagatiou.  A  plant  that  has  the 
germs  of  two  hundred  berries  is  less  fit  for  propagation  than  one 
that  has  fewer  germs.  I  formerlj'  made  a  mistake  in  sending  out 
large  plants,  but  I  did  it  ignorantly.  So  where  there  is  any  lack 
in  any  habit  of  an  otherwise  valuable  variety,  it  can  in  time  be 
greatly  modified  by  the  judicious  selection  of  plants  for  the 
stock-bed.  To  the  lack  of  such  care  in  the  management  of 
varieties,  and  to  injudicious  propagatiou,  is  to  be  charged  the 
running  out  of  varieties  once  highly  esteemed.  If  we  select  weak 
runners  indiscriminate!}'  for  propagation  we  shall  run  down  the 
character  of  the  variety.  The  purchasing  public  are  largely 
responsible  for  this,  inasmuch  as  they  will  buy  the  most  carelessly 
grown  plants,  at  ruinoush'  low  rates,  when  at  double  the  price 
they  would  secure  carefully  grown  plants  of  high  value.  The 
same  thing  is  true,  to  quite  as  great  an  extent,  in  regard  to  the 
propagation  and  sale  of  fruit-bearing  nursery  trees,  which 
accounts  for  the  very  uneven  and  miserable  orchards  we  see  all  ■ 
about  the  countrj'.  "We  should  prefer  for  trees  the  best  seedlings 
from  the  best  developed  seeds  before  the  feeble  stocks  from  cider 
pomace,  and  they  should  be  grafted  at  the  collar,  and  the  vicious 
practice  of  cutting  up  roots  should  be  avoided. 


riiK  s^l;A^\  r.KKKV  and  its  crLTUitE.  91 

You  will  oxcusc  nil'  if  I  nlltulc  to  experionce  and  observatiou 
somewhat,  as  I  pass  along. 

A  cleroyman  with  decided  horticultural  tastes,  said  to  me  a  few 
years  since,  '*I  raised  a  nice  crop  of  beans  on  my  land  while 
getting  it  stocked  with  strawberry  plants."  You  have  often  seen 
iu  the  agricultural  press,  notices  of  similar  import,  how  some  one 
or  other  raised  a  fine  crop  of  beets,  spinach,  peas  or  some  other 
vegetable,  and  at  the  same  time  was  stocking  his  ground  with 
strawberry  plants  for  the  succeeding  year.  Of  course  I  do  not 
dispute  that  something  of  that  kind  can  be  done  with  a  measure  of 
success.  With  land  of  exceptional  fertility  it  may  be  wise,  but  as 
a  rule  I  doubt  the  wisdom  of  so  doing.  A  crop  of  early  peas 
may  precede  the  setting  of  plants  in  Jul}',  provided  that  a  new 
ploughiug  up  is  given,  and  there  is  no  lack  of  fertility  iu  the  soil. 
We  are  never  to  forget  that  our  strawberrj^  crop  is  more  than  half 
raised  the  preceding  year,  and  the  question  is  pertinent.  Which 
is  better,  a  half  crop  of  strawberries  and  a  half  crop  of  something 
else,  or  a  full  crop  of  berries?  As  an  instance  of  high  culture 
and  its  results,  I  will  mention  a  case  where  three  successive  cover- 
ings of  good  manure  were  ploughed  in  on  one  acre  and  fourteen 
rods  of  laud,  and  iu  July  strawberry  plants  were  set.  When  the 
berries  were  ripe  many  of  them  brought  forty  cents  per  quart,  and 
the  total  receipts  for  the  crop  Avere  81,800.  The  secret  of  this 
success  was  that  the  laud  was  full  of  manure  and  the  best  possible 
culture  was  given  throughout. 

The  apostle's  utterauce,  "This  one  thing  I  do,"  is  a  good 
motto  for  a  given  piece  of  land,  for  the  time  being. 

Varieties  and  Theik  Manac^emekt. —  The  varieties  of  straw- 
berries offered  to  and  planted  by  the  public  are  numerous,  and  it 
would  be  beyond  the  limits  of  this  paper  to  go  much  into  detail  in 
their  description. 

The  Wilson  was  once  every  man's  berry ;  the  Crescent  was 
called  the  lazy  man's  berry,  possibly  because  —  as  was  sometimes 
said  —  it  would  run  outward  and  take  care  of  itself,  and  perhaps 
there  is  some  ti'uth  iu  that.  The  Haviland  is  with  us  much  after 
the  style  of  the  Crescent.  They  are  all  rather  too  small  to  be 
satisfactory. 

The  Black  Defiance,  Hervey  Davis,  Gold.  Henderson,  and 
Wilder,  are  all  claimants  for  high  quality,  but  lack  sufficient 
productiveness  to  lie  found  largely  in  the  market. 


92  3IA8SACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

On  our  grouuds  the  Middlefield,  Sharpless,  Bubaeh's  No.  5,  iiud 
Jewell,  take  the  lead,  the  last  two  being  specially  adapted  to 
hill-culture  or  the  triple-roAv  culture  on  rich  soil. 

For  a  soil  of  onh'  moderate  fertilit}'  the  Crescent,  Havilaud,  or 
Middlefield,  would  be  better  adapted,  the  others  requiring 
richer  soil  and  better  culture.  The  law  of  adaptation  has  appli- 
cation here ;  you  would  not  use  a  seventy-four  pounder  with  only 
an  ounce  of  powder,  neither  a  pistol  with  a  mammoth  charge. 

As  a  rule  we  have  found  pistillate  varieties  most  productive 
when  properly  matched  with  suitable  bi-sexuals,  as  we  must  have 
pollen  for  the  best  blooms  if  we  wish  to  have  perfect  fruit.  Thus 
three  or  four  rows  of  the  Jewell,  with  the  Sharpless  on  one  side 
and  the  Belmont  on  the  other,  we  consider  well  matched.  Like- 
wise the  Jersey  Queen  with  the  Cumberland  on  one  side  and  the 
Charles  Downing  on  the  other  have  produced  immensely.  The 
Belmont  is  a  valuable  match  for  the  Jewell,  because  it  furnishes 
pollen  even  to  the  latest  bloom. 

I  am  strongly  of  the  opinion  that  cross-fertilization  for  the 
Sharpless  or  any  other  bi-sexual  variety  is  better  than  to  depend 
on  its  own  pollen,  believing  that  plants,  like  animals,  have  a  stronger 
affinit}'  for  a  different  strain  of  blood  (so  to  speak,)  from  their  own. 

Production  of  New  Varieties. —  The  fact  that  varieties  do 
decline  is  a  reason  why  we  should  make  intelligent  effort  to  pro- 
duce new  and  better  varieties.  A  few  thoughts  on  this  subject 
may  not  be  out  of  place. 

The  mother  variety  from  which  the  seed  is  taken  should  be  a 
pistillate,  chosen  for  its  good  points,  with  a  good  male  parent  in 
close  proximity,  in  which  case  a  true  cross  is  well-nigh  inevitable. 

A  more  precise  method  of  procedure  in  crossing  varieties  is  the 
following  which  was  a  favorite  plan  with  the  venerable  Seth 
Boyden  of  honored  memory.  Set  four  bi-sexual  plants  of  a  select 
variety  in  a  small  frame,  thus  :  — 


a 

X 

a 

a 

a 

as  at  a,  a,  a,  «,  uml  iu  the  center,  x,  set  a  well  chosen  plant  of  the 
desired  pistillate  variety'  for  the  mother  plant.  Let  all  these 
plants  be  forced  to  their  highest  development,  especialh'  the 
mother  plant  x.  Just  before  the  lilooming  season  cover  tlie  frame 
with  a  sash  to  prevent  insects  from  bringing  foreign  pollen. 


THE    STKAWBKUUY    AM)    ITS    CULTIRK.  93 

Remove  early  from  the  plaut  x",  all  but  three  or  four  principal 
fruit  stalks,  so  that  the  strength  of  its  vital  forces  shall  be  concen- 
trated in  them. 

As  soon  as  the  most  important  blooms  on  x  open,  remove  the 
sash,  and  fertilize  with  pollen  from  a,  o,  a,  a,  using  a  camels'  hair 
brush.  It  is  better  to  fertilize  in  two  or  three  successive  opera- 
tions, to  ensure  completeness  of  the  work.  Then  replace  the 
sash,  which  should  be  removed  permanently  as  soon  as  the  fruit  is 
well  set,  two  days  after  fertilization  l)eing  sufficient.  The  finest  of 
these  cross-fertilized  berries  only  should  be  used  for  seed.  At 
perfect  maturit}'  luash  the  berries  and  wash  out  the  chosen  seed, 
place  the  seed  on  ice  a  few  days,  then  sow  in  a  box  placed  in  a 
-greenhouse  or  conservatory  and  when  the  plants  attain  sufficient 
size  transplant  to  the  open  ground.  These  plants  with  good  atten- 
tion and  culture  will  be  large  enough  to  stand  the  winter  well,  with 
suitable  mulching,  and  will  speedily  lie  in  bearing  condition. 

To  all  intelligent  amateurs,  to  invalids,  to  ladies  of  horticultural 
tastes,  and  especially  to  youth  of  either  sex,  there  is  a  fascination 
about  this  work,  that  is  not  only  captivating,  but  also  thoroughly 
elevating.  As  a  recreation  of  absorbing  interest,  it  is  almost 
without  a  parallel.  The  possibility  of  a  high  degree  of  success, 
is  sufficient  inducement  to  encourage  the  undertaking. 

The  principles  involved  in  choosing  parent  varieties  are :  first, 
to  choose  those  having  as  many  strong  points  as  possible  in 
common.  Second,  when  the  mother  variet}^  lacks  in  some  one 
essential,  select  the  male  parent  having  that  missing  quality  most 
fully.  In  short,  aggregate  in  the  prospective  progeny  as  many 
strong  points  as  are  attainable.  Of  course  we  cannot  sum  up  all 
the  good  points  of  both  parents  and  knoio  we  have  that  aggregate, 
but  possibilities  lie  in  that  direction.  As  already  intimated  speci- 
men berries  for  seed  should  be  the  very  largest,  finest,  and  of  ideal 
form  and  development ;  and  yet  the  seeds  from  a  single  berry  will 
produce  a  progeny  of  the  widest  variation,  but  in  this  variation 
lies  the  hope  of  improvement. 

The  momentum  of  high  culture  and  favoring  circumstances  adds 
much  to  the  possibilities  for  improvement  in  the  new  seedlings. 
I  believe  we  can  so  combine  the  forces  of  t«'0  varieties  as  to  get 
valuable  results  if  properly  handled.  Circumstances  of  heredity 
will  have  effect ;  hence  we  cannot  predict  exactly  what  the  final 
progeny  will  be.      "We  want  a  Bartlett  pear  a  month  earlier  than 


94  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

vre  now  have,  and  also  a  pear  of  tine  quality  ripening  in  March, 
and  I  think  we  shall  obtain  them ;  there  is  encouragement  to  make 
the  attempt  to  gain  them,  in  the  fact  that  we  need  them.  These 
are  illustrations  of  the  improvements  which  sliould  be  sought  in 
raising  new  strawberries.  Furthermore,  I  believe  that  new  varieties 
as  parents  are  more  impressible  —  so  to  speak  —  than  old  varieties, 
and  will  engender  changes  more  readily,  and  that  cross-fertilizatioa 
and  environment  will  effect  them  more  surely. 

The  points  of  importance  in  a  new  variet}',  are  : 

First,  vigor,  healthfulness,  and  large  feeding  capacity. 

Second,  a  large  flower,  with  a  strong  cone,  whether  pistillate  or 
bi-sexual. 

Third,  great  productiveness. 

Fourth,  good  quality' . 

Fifth,  good  size,  form,  and  color. 

Sixth,  sufficient  firmness  to  keep  well  and  ship  well. 

A  variety  with  small  leaves,  and  profuse  in  throwing  runners, 
will  usually  produce  small  berries  and  stands  a  small  chance  of 
being  retained. 

A  strong  plant  with  a  large,  dark  colored,  leathery  leaf  throwing 
heavy  runners,  indicates  a  strong  root-sj'stem  and  large  fruit. 

A  light  colored  leaf  is  nsually  more  tender  and  more  sul)ject  to 
disease  than  a  dark  one. 

All  who  raise  strawberry  seedlings  will  understand  that  the 
rejected  plants  will  probably  be  largely  in  the  majority.  ]\Iauy 
•ma}^  properly  be  rejected  while  j^et  in  the  seed  bed.  Mr.  Boyden 
said  that  as  soon  as  the  plant  had  three  or  four  leaves  he  could 
select  all  tliat  he  wanted  to  retain  for  testing.  The  lot  of  seed- 
lings comprising  the  Jewell  luimbered  up  to  500,  but  only  a  little 
more  than  400  were  retained  to  test.  The  more  promising  should 
be  planted  out  in  rows,  staked,  and  numbered,  so  that  notes  can 
easily  be  taken  at  blooming  and  at  fruiting  from  year  to  year  if 
required. 

Although  we  may  have  to  reject  ultimately  499  varieties  out  of 
500,  yet  the  possibility  of  that  one  choice  variet}'  will  give  zest  to 
the  most  painstaking  efforts  in  this  direction.  That  the  near 
future  is  to  give  us  varieties  of  superior  excellence,  I  have  no 
doubt. 

The  Raspbekhy  am>  the  BLACKHERin'. —  With  them  as  with 
the  strawberry,  the  tendenc}"  is  to  over-crowding. 


TUK    STHAWHEKIIV    AM)    ITS    (TLTIUE.  95 

The  laiul  should  be  prepared  as  we  have  it  for  the  strawl)erry  ; 
the  more  manure  the  better.  Plaut  strong  pUmts  of  the  raspberry 
six  feet  b}'  six  feet;  the  blackberry  eight  feet  by  six  feet. 

When  the  canes  reach  three  and  one-half  feet,  nip  oft"  tlie  tips  ; 
this  will  give  strong  laterals,  and  when  those  reach  one  and  a  half 
feet,  clip  them.  Such  plants  so  treated  should  yield  an  enormous 
crop  of  large  berries.  Few  are  aware  of  the  possibilities  of  such 
plants. 

Every  farmer,  laborer,  mechanic,  artisan,  or  professional  man, 
may  have  these  summer  fruits  in  great  al)undance.  They  not 
only  afford  a  rich  luxury  for  the  table,  but  the  sauitar}-  eft'ect  of 
such  fruits  is  too  important  to  be  overlooked.  AVe  hope  the  time 
is  not  far  distant  when  every  household  may  realize  the  advantage 
of  an  ample  home  garden  abouudiug  with  choice  vegetables,  fruits, 
and  flowers. 

AVe  are  fully  aware  of  the  abiding  interest  this  Society  takes  in 
encouraging  efforts  to  produce  new  and  valuable  varieties.  This 
is  in  harmony  with  the  progressive  age  in  which  we  live.  Progress 
in  ever}'  other  department  of  industry  is  surely  made.  Horticul- 
ture, Floriculture,  and  Pomology  should  iu  no  wise  be  behind. 

The  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society  has  a  record  of  which 
it  may  justly  feel  proud,  being  recognized,  the  world  over,  as  in 
the  front  rank  of  intelligent,  progressive  eft'ort.  We  feel  assured 
that  the  future  of  this  Society  will  be  in.  full  accord  with  the  past, 
and  that  the  j'ounger  members,  and  those  who  shall  from  time  to 
time  be  elected  to  so  honored  a  membership,  will  strive  faithfully 
to  keep  up  the  high  standard  so  well  sustained  by  their  seniors, 
and  by  those  well  remembered  pioneers  who  have  gone  before. 

Discussion. 

William  D.  Philbrick  called  attention  to  Mr.  Augur's  directions 
as  to  a  closed  frame  of  plants  for  hybridization,  and  asked  how  the 
frame  was  to  be  ventilated  during  the  period  of  fertilization. 

Mr.  Augur  replied  that  if  the  plants  were  protected  from  pollen- 
laden  insects  from  the  time  the  flowers  were  ready  to  open,  and 
until  the  third  day  after  the  hand-fertilization  was  completed,  the 
seed  could  not  be  affected  by  any  other  pollen.  The  frame  could  be 
protected  from  insect  intruders  by  a  gauze  covering  during  that 
period,  if  it  was  necessary  to  lift  the  sash  meantime  for  ventila- 
tion. 


"96  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Rev.  Calviu  Terry  asked  for  iuformatiou  about  a  prize  bed  of 
Jewell  strawberries,  grown  b}'  Mr.  Augur. 

Mr.  Augur  stated  that  one  twenty-eighth  of  an  acre  of  land  was 
prepared  as  recommended  in  the  essay,  and  planted  to  the  Jewell 
strawberry,  with  occasional  rows  of  Sharpless,  Charles  Downing, 
and  other  bi-sexual  varieties  to  fertilize  them.  A  committee  from 
New  York  visited  the  grounds  in  June,  when  they  requested  that  a 
record  of  the  plat  be  kept  for  subsequent  reference.  The  crop 
gathered  averaged  over  one  quart  to  each  plant  and  there  was  not 
a  plant  missing  from  the  entire  plat  at  that  time,  a  reserve  bed, 
from  which  a  few  plants  were  drawn  to  fill  vacancies,  having  been 
kept.  No  difference  was  observed  in  the  fruit  to  indicate  that 
fertilization  Avas  due  to  different  bi-sexual  varieties.  The  fruit 
measured  was  gathered  from  only  the  Jewell  plants. 

Mr.  Augur  spoke  a  word  of  caution  against  planting  straw- 
berries in  grass  land  just  broken  up,  as  it  is  apt  to  be  infested 
with  the  larvffi  of  the  May  beetle.  He  once  ploughed  up  a  piece 
of  grass  land  and  planted  it  Avith  strawberries,  so  many  of  which 
were  destroyed  by  the  May  beetle  that  the  whole  bed  was  ploughed 
up.  He  likes  to  have  grass  land  broken  up  two  years  before 
planting  the  strawberries. 

S.  H.  Warren  asked  if  the  lecturer  thought  it  as  important,  as 
most  writers  state,  that  staminate  varieties  must  be  set  near  pistil- 
late kinds,  in  order  to  have  the  latter  produce  perfect  fruit.  He 
said  he  had  cultivated  strawberries  thirty-five  years,  and  had 
picked  ver}' nearly  perfect  fruit  fi'om  Jewell  plants  (pistillate)  in 
October,  where  there  had  been  no  staminate  variety  in  bloom 
anywhere  around  so  far  as  his  knowledge  extended. 

Mr.  Augur  said  that  no  variety  of  straAvberr}'  produces  flowers 
absolutely  destitute  of  stamens.  He  has  had  a  plat  of  JcAvell 
plants  left  OA'er,  Avhich  gaA'e  many  l)erries,  but  they  Avere  imper- 
fect;  also,  some  years  the  Crescent  has  yielded  quite  a  crop  alone. 
But  we  must  not  presume  to  depend  upon  self-pollenizing  in 
pistillate  A'arieties.  He  desired  to  add  a  Avord  on  the  utility  of 
bees  and  other  insects  in  pollenizing  the  floAvers  of  strawberries 
and  other  fruits.  He  stated  tliat  by  a  Avise  provision  of  Nature, 
at  the  time  the  pollen-grains  ripen,  a  saccharine  substance  exudes 
within  the  flower  and  attracts  the  insects  which,  while  busily 
gathering  sweets,  are  unconsciously  made  the  agents  for  the  more 
complete  pollenization  of  tlie  pistils  Avhich  otherAA-ise  might  remain 
undeveloped. 


THE    STRA^MJERKY    AND    ITS    CULTURE.  97 

Mr.  "NVarreu  had  fouiicl  that  the  Jewell  requires  more  water  than 
auy  other  variety,  and  that  when  grown  on  laud  moister  than  the 
average  garden  soil  it  throws  out  plent}'  of  runners.  He  asked 
the  lecturer  if  he  took  but  one  crop  of  fruit  from  one  setting  of 
plants. 

Mr.  Augur  replied  that  time  is  mone}',  and  he  was  very  decided 
that  it  requires  too  much  time  and  labor  to  weed  an  old  bed ; 
besides,  the  second  crop  is  alwaj^'s  much  inferior  to  the  first. 
Therefore,  it  does  not  pay.  He  preferred  to  alternate  with  other 
crops. 

Mr.  Warreu  asked  whether  planting  in  hills  is  preferable  to 
planting  in  beds. 

Mr.  Augur  thought  he  had  better  success  as  respects  the  fruit 
when  he  planted  in  hills  than  in  matted  beds.  In  the  first  case  he 
got  more  and  better  fruit ;  in  the  second  he  got  some  fruit,  but 
mauy  more  new  plants,  for  which  he  has  always  a  large  demand. 

E.  AV.  Wood  remarked  that  we  have  had  this  lecture  to  teach  us 
about  the  varieties  of  the  strawberry,  and  the  theories  and  best 
methods  of  practice  in  its  propagation  and  culture.  The  essayist 
had  given  us  so  much  to  think  about,  that  others  see  no  necessity 
for  talking.  He  is  one  who  has  done  more  than  any  other  person 
to  develop  this  fruit,  and  show  its  capabilities.  TVe  notice  that 
most  varieties  do  not  long  continue  to  be  generally  grown.  Mauy 
that  were  very  popular  not  long  ago  are  not  now  seen  on  our 
exhibition  tables  ;  in  fact  during  the  last  ten  years  almost  every  old 
variety  has  disappeared.  The  speaker  did  not  know  where  to  go 
now  to  find  au}'  plants  of  La  Constaute,  Wilder,  or  Hervej'  Davis, 
although  some  were  shown  here  less  than  two  years  ago.  Taking 
the  experience  of  the  past  as  a  guide,  it  would  appear  that  we 
must  depend  upon  new  seedlings  for  renewal  of  our  plants.  How 
manj'  will  carefully  carry  out  the  methods  Mr.  Augur  has 
described  to  us  today?  We  want  an  earlier  kind  than  May  King 
if  possi])le,  and  larger  also.  The  uew  strawberry  producers  have 
been  concentrating  their  efforts  on  the  increase  of  size  regardless 
of  quality.  The  market  demands  the  largest  and  best  looking 
fruit;  consequently  this  is  sold  at  the  highest  price,  while 
medium  and  smaller  varieties  have  to  be  sold  at  about  half  price, 
although  they  are  of  a  far  better  quality  and  more  productive. 
While  they  are  not  profitable  for  the  market,  they  are  preferable 
for  the  home  garden,  as  they   produce   enough   for  the   amateur. 


98  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Mr.  Augur's  mode  of  growing  plants  for  fruit  is  correct  for  him, 
but  few  large  growers  would  cultivate  them  in  that  form.  The 
Sharpless  or  Belmont  would  give  enough  work  to  keep  off  their 
numerous  ruuuers.  The  Belmont  is  quite  productive  of  fruit  even 
when  grown  pretty  thick.  The  only  objection  to  the  Jewell  is  that 
it  does  not  produce  runners  freely ;  but  it  is  the  most  prolific  in 
fruit,  and  it  is  best  grown  in  beds.  We  have  thought  the  growers 
at  Belmont,  manured  pretty  freely  when  using  twenty-five  cords  to 
the  acre  for  three  crops,  but  the  speaker  took  a  long  breath 
when  the  lecturer  told  of  using  forty  cords  to  the  acre.  He  spoke 
of  an  Arlington  market-gardener  having  24,000  feet  of  land,  on 
Avhich  he  set  strawberr}"  plants  in  rows  five  feet  apart  and  eighteen 
inches  apart  in  the  row*.  Egyptian  beets  were  then  set  fourteen 
inches  apart  as  an  extra  crop  and  the  gardener  claimed  that  he  got 
as  many  strawberries  as  if  no  beets  had  been  growing  there.  The 
next  year  his  crop  of  strawberries  brought  $800,  and  he  also 
received  886  in  prizes.  The  speaker  thought  the  matted  row 
sj'stem  of  planting  strawberries  the  best. 

Mr.  "Warren  inquired  if  the  plants  wintered  as  well  in  hills,  or 
in  beds  where  the  runners  have  been  cut  off,  as  they  did  in  matted 
rows.  His  own  opinion  was  that  the  plants  in  the  first  two  cases 
were  more  likely  to  be  thrown  out  of  the  ground  by  frost,  but  in 
the  matted  beds  they  were  not  so  much  exposed. 

Mr.  Augur  answered  that  he  likes  to  cover  the  plants  pretty 
well  during  the  winter,  and  uses  from  two  to  three  tons  of  coarse 
hay  per  acre  for  that  purpose.  The  plants  do  not  suffer  at  all 
when  thus  protected,  while  plants  exposed  are  more  or  less 
injured  by  alternate  freezing  and  thawing.  He  stated  further  that 
he  accepted  Mr,  Wood's  idea  of  matted  rows,  provided  they  are 
not  allowed  to  become  too  much  matted.  With  any  variety  he 
would  set  the  plants  three  feet  apart,  which  would  allow  sufficient 
room  for  all  needed  new  plants.  This  seems  to  call  for  a  great 
deal  of  work,  in  preparing  the  ground,  but  that  is  done  rapidly. 

O.  B.  Hadwen  said  that  he  had  been  very  much  interested  in  all 
he  had  heard  at  this  meeting.  Mr.  Augur  has  shown  us  how  he 
cultivates  strawberries,  and  what  the  best  culture  produces.  Mr. 
Wood  has  told  us  of  the  liberal  use  of  manure,  from  twenty-five 
to  forty  cords  per  acre,  and  that  the  latter  figure  seems  an  extraor- 
dinary amount.  He  could  tell  of  an  experience  far  exceeding 
that.       A    gentleman   in   Connecticut,   who   is   alile    to   do    as   he 


TlIK    STKAWHKUKY    AM)    ITS    CULTURE.  99' 

pleases,  toUl  him  that  he  used  one  huiidred  cords  of  uiuiiui'e  i)er 
acre,  for  strawberries,  and  in  addition  had  applied  li<iuitl  dressing 
which  was  obtained  by  leaching"  a  quantity  of  other  manure.  The 
effect  of  such  treatment  was  astonishing.  Plants  set  in  August 
had  made  such  a  growth  by  the  end  of  September,  that  a  half 
Inishel  measure  could  not  be  put  over  one  of  them.  Similar  treat- 
ment was  applied  to  melons  and  other  crops  with  equally  surpris- 
ing results.  Mr.  Hadwen  also  spoke  of  the  longevity  of  varieties 
of  the  strawberry,  saying  that  with  the  exception  of  our  native 
and  tlie  Alpine  strawberry,  all  those  he  knew  in  his  boyhood  are 
now  lost  to  sight.  Perhaps  Hovey's  Seedling  had  the  longest  life 
of  any  cultivated  variety  —  about  forty  years.  The  type  of  this 
berry  changed  in  form  both  of  leaf  and  fruit,  even  in  Mr.  Hovey's 
own  grounds.  In  1840  the  price  of  Hovey's  Seedling  plants  was 
twenty-five  cents  each.  The  Wilson  held  out  only  thirty  years, 
and  most  others  have  had  but  a  short  career.  The  essayist  had  a 
great  opportunity  and  knowing  very  well  how  to  improve  it,  had 
accomplished  a  valuable  service  to  all  growers  of  this  fruit.  The 
speaker  was  convinced  that  we  must  depend  on  new  seedlings  for 
future  use. 

Hon.  Aaron  Low  being  called  upon  said  that  many  of  the 
lecturer's  points  agreed  with  his  owu  experience.  He  bought 
Belmont  plants  aud  set  them  on  clay  ground,  and  planted  Jewells 
alongside  to  grow  runners.  The  Belmont  made  many  runners  and, 
the  bed  was  the  handsomest  of  that  variety  he  ever  saw,  but  many 
of  the  berries  were  imperfect.  The  Jewell  plants  were  a  great 
success,  but  he  thought  a  cross  produced  from  Jewell  and  Belmont 
would  be  very  desirable.  He  believed  Mr.  Augur's  theories  about 
cross-fertilization  for  new  varieties  are  correct,  but  that  a  great 
deal  of  experience  is  needed  before  one  can  expect  much  success 
iu  such  operations.  He  was  convinced  that  after  a  flower  has 
been  fertilized  by  hand,  bees  cannot  affect  it  very  much.  Iu 
regard  to  producing  new  varieties  of  potatoes,  he  believed  it 
could  be  done  only  by  planting  the  natural  seed  balls,  as  that  is 
the  way  Nature  multiplies  varieties  in  vegetables.  The  tuber  of 
a  potato  is  not  the  seed,  although  the  variety  can  be  propagated  by 
the  eyes  of  the  tuber  as  it  can  by  cuttings  of  the  green  stalk,  as 
many  other  kinds  of  plants  can  be  multiplied.  New  varieties 
must  be  produced  by  cross-fertilization  of  the  flowers,  and  plant- 
ing the  seed  produced  from  those  flowers.      As  there  will  be  great 


100  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

variation  iu  the  general  characteristics  of  the  seedlings  thus 
obtained,  the  operator  should  select  such  as  show  the  greatest 
development  of  the  essential  points  desired  in  the  new  varieties  to 
be  brought  out.  From  these,  bj'  careful  selection  and  traiuiug  for 
a  few  years,  the  much  desired  new  variet3%  superior  to  all  others 
will  be  established,  and  by  continually  using  the  best  specimens  as 
seed-stock,  it  can  be  maintained  pure,  avoiding  the  natural 
tendency  to  go  back  to  the  form  of  one  or  the  other  parent.  In 
producing  new  varieties  of  corn  there  is  but  little  trouble,  the 
fertilizing  pollen  is  so  readily  carried  by  the  wind  and  falls  upon 
the  silk  of  different  varieties.  Thus  crosses  are  being  made 
continually  from  the  kinds  planted  near  each  other.  But  to 
pei'manently  establish  any  desired  point  in  quality  or  character 
requires  years  of  careful  experiment,  training  and  watchfulness, 
as  all  such  crosses  have  a  natural  tendency  to  "sport,"  and  if  not 
grown  at  a  long  distance  from  all  other  varieties,  they  are  liable  to 
accidental  cross-fertilization. 

Mr.  Augur  desired  to  state  in  regard  to  heavily  manuring  laud, 
that  he  had  never  put  fort}'^  cords  of  such  manure  as  he  recom- 
mended upon  one  acre,  but  it  was  only  because  he  could  not  get  it. 

Mr.  Warren  stated  that  he  had  invented  a  machine  for  cutting 
off  sti'awberi'y  runners.  It  consists  of  an  iron  finger  which 
passes  under  the  runners,  and  a  circular  knife  —  worked  by  the 
wheel  on  which  the  machine  is  carried  —  which  cuts  off  the  runners 
as  fast  as  they  are  gathered  up  by  the  finger  and  as  fast  as  a  man 
would  walk.  It  is  to  be  used  after  the  runners  have  generally 
struck  roots,  but  he  had  not  used  it  very  much  of  late  as  he 
thought  the  plants  did  not  winter  as  well  if  so  cut  just  before  the 
colder  season  came  on. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Hadwen,  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  essayist  for 
his  interesting  and  instructive  paper,  was  unanimously  passed. 

The  announcement  for  the  next  Saturday  was  a  lecture  upon 
"The  Geographical  Distribution  of  Plants,"  by  W.  F.  Ganong, 
Instructor  in  Botany,  Harvard  University,  Cambridge. 


THE    GEOGRAPHICAL    DISTRIBUTION    OF    PLANTS.  101 

BUSINESS   MEETING. 

Saturday,   P'ebruary  21,   1891. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at  eleven 
o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.   Spooner,  in  the  chair. 

The  following  report  was  presented  and  accepted  : 
The  various  Committees  have  voted  to   postpone  the  P^xhibitiou 
of  March  25,  26,  and  27,  to  March  31,  and  April  1,  2,  and  3,  as 
the  first-named  dates  occur  in  the  week  preceding  Easter,  when 
plants  and  flowers  will  be  scarce. 

Patrick  Norton, 

E.  W.  Wood, 

F.  L.  Harris, 
C.  N.  Brackett, 
Arthur  H.  Fewkes, 
John  G.  Barker. 

Horticultural  Hall,  Boston. 
February  14,  18!tl. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  February  28. 

MEETING  FOR  DISCUSSION. 
The  Geographical  Distribution  of  Plants. 

By  W.  F.  Gaxoxg,  Instructor  in  Botany,  Harvard  University,  Cambridge. 

The  subject  I  am  to  present  to  you  this  morning,  as  you  may 
perceive  from  its  title,  is  not  horticultural.  A  Botanist  trained  in 
the  methods  of  scientific  Botany  today,  does  not  necessarily  know 
much,  or  anything,  of  those  practical  details  so  essential  to  the 
successful  pursuit  of  the  most  delightful  of  avocations — that  which 
is  the  province  and  pleasure  of  the  members  of  this  Society.  Yet 
Horticulture  ought  to  be,  and  is,  a  broadening  study,  and  I  am 
sure  that  a  short  excursion  into  fields  of  more  abstract  science  will 
have  more  than  a  passing  interest  for  you. 

Certainly  the  field  to  which  I  invite  you  is  broad  enough  and 
scientific  enough,  being  no  less  in  extent  than  the  earth's  whole 
surface,  and  the  laws  which  govern  the   position  upon   it  of  every 


102  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

living  plant.  I  fear,  should  we  attempt  to  cover  in  detail  so  great 
a  territory  tliat  we  should  not  have  ranged  verj'  far  before  all  of 
vay  allotted  time  and  your  patience  would  be  exhausted ;  and  we 
shall  therefore  do  well  to  concentrate  our  energies  upon  the  charac- 
teristics of  its  salient  points. 

It  is  undoubtedly  the  case,  that  the  point  of  view  from  which  the 
Horticulturist  regards  the  Plant,  is  very  different  from  that  of  the 
professional  Botanist.  For  the  former,  the  plant  has  its  highest 
interest  in  its  adaptability,  actual  and  possible,  to  the  necessities 
and  enjoyments,  both  bodih'  and  mental,  of  mankind ;  and  its  sus- 
ceptibility to  indefinite  improvement  along  these  lines  is  one  of  its 
greatest  charms.  But  to  the  scientific  or  philosophical  naturalist, 
the  plant  is  more  of  au  abstraction.  It  chiefly  interests  him  for 
what  it  represents  of  natural  laws  and  phenomena.  He  regards  it 
as  a  being,  filling  a  most  important  place  in  nature  by  virtue  of  its 
very  perfect  adaptability  to  the  conditions  of  that  place,  and  each 
of  its  parts  exists  for  a  similar  reason.  The  root  is  an  organ  for 
the  absorption  of  liquids  from  the  soil,  the  leaf  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  organic  from  inorganic  materials,  and  the  stem  to  bring 
these  two  into  proper  relationships  with  each  other  and  with  their 
suiToundings.  The  flower  is  but  a  higlily-perfected  device  for 
securing  the  co-operation  of  two  parents  in  the  production  of  off- 
spring ;  the  fruit  is  the  agency  b}^  which  is  secured  the  necessary  ripen- 
ing and  wide  scattering  of  the  seed,  and  the  seed  itself  is  but  a  spe- 
cialization of  tlie  plant  structure  for  holding  the  life  of  the  species 
for  a  time  in  suspension,  so  to  speak,  to  enable  it  to  continue  exist- 
ence over  certain  unfavorable  periods.  And  these  organs  have  their 
immense  variety  of  forms  simpW  to  fit  them  better  to  perform  these 
functions,  under  the  different  conditions  to  which  they  are  subjected. 
That  they  are  useful  to  man,  or  that  they  have  beauty  to  delight 
xis,  is,  from  this  point  of  view,  but  incidental ;  and  is  either  but 
the  happj'  coincidence  of  our  own  needs  and  tastes  with  what  is 
best  for  the  plant,  or  else  the  result  of  the  gradual  adaptation  in 
times  past  of  our  own  needs  and  tastes  to  what  there  is  in  nature 
best  adapted  to  supply  or  gratify  them.  The  plant  is  the  creation 
of  its  ancestrj^  and  its  surroundings,  and  represents  the  resultant 
of  innumerable  influences  acting  upon  it  from  these  tT\-o  sources. 
The  plant,  indeed,  from  the  scientific  point  of  view,  represents  the 
meeting  point,  or  focus  of  an  infinite  number  of  forces  or  influences 
acting  upon  it  from  varying  directions  and  witli  varying  intensity, 


THE    (JEOGHAPHKAL    DISTRIBUTIOX    OF    PLANTS.  103 

and  tliis  focus  or  resultant  is  to  the  forces  ver}'  much  wliat  its 
centre  of  gnivity  is  to  a  complexly  irregular  liod}'.  It  represents  a 
most  delicately  adjusted  lialance  of  conditions — a  state  of  uiistal)le 
equilibrium,  which  may  be  altered  by  the  slightest  change  in  any  one 
of  the  forces ;  and  the  jilant  must  become  something  different  just 
in  proportion  to  the  intensity  of  the  change.  These  influences  are 
none  the  less  real  because  so  minute,  and  their  study  is  the  study 
of  plant  life.  To  complete  our  conception  of  this  kind  of  study, 
it  must  be  added  that  the  scientific  botanist  believes,  in  his  working 
hours  at  least,  in  the  uniform  immutability  of  those  series  of  con- 
catenations of  events  which  we  call  the  laws  of  Nature  ;  and  more- 
over, leaving  the  unknowable  for  the  use  of  the  metaphysician,  he 
acts  upon  the  belief  that  all  things  in  nature  are  knowable,  can 
we  but  sufficiently  refine  our  methods  of  investigation. 

Now  the  point  of  these  observations  lies  in  the  application  thereof 
to  our  present  subject.  Each  and  every  plant  has  its  place  on  the 
earth's  face  fixed  by  a  tremendously  complex  set  of  influences, 
some  strong,  some  weak ;  some  acting  through  heredity,  some  from 
environment ;  some  from  this,  some  from  that ;  the  end  and  result 
of  all  of  them  being  to  make  the  plant  just  what  it  is,  and  to  place 
it  just  where  it  is ;  and  any  change  in  any  of  these  influences  will 
disturb  the  balance,  move  the  focus,  and  cause  a  corresponding 
change  in  the  plant,  which  will  vary  directly  as  the  influence.  And 
in  this  brief  survey  of  the  field  we  can  but  consider  the  broader 
pencils  or  groups  of  forces  determining  the  geographical  distribu- 
tion of  plants,  taking  time  to  resolve  none  of  them  into  lesser 
groups,  much  less  into  smaller  details. 

The  great  controlling  or  limiting  phj^sical  agencies  in  distribu- 
tion then  are  these : 

I.     Heat  and  moisture,  or  in  other  words,  climate. 

II.     The  past  geological  history  of  places. 

And  this  is  true  not  only  of  great  areas,  but  as  well  of  the  most  lim- 
ited, and  there  is  not  a  square  mile  of  land  in  New  England  which 
will  not  furnish  illustrations  of  this  principle.  The  main  cause  which 
confines  the  Cactus  to  the  desert  and  the  great  Aroids  to  the  damp 
forests,  is  the  same,  but  in  lesser  degree,  which  places  on  our  dry- 
est  knolls  our  Saxifrage  and  P^verlasting,  and  in  our  marshy  pools 
our  Iris  and  Calla.  It  is  but  the  same  cause  in  different  degree 
which  allows  the  low  Arctic  herbs  to  exist  upon  the  Himalaj^a, 
and  the  white  Potentilla  upon  our  own  most  exposed  and  coldest 


104  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

shores.  Aud  the  extremes  of  these  conditions  are  represented  on 
the  one  hand  by  the  frigid  barrenness  of  the  Arctic  zone,  and  on 
the  other  by  the  rank  luxuriance  of  the  Middle  Tropics,  and  there  is 
every  gradation  between.  It  is  true  that  other  influences  are  at 
work  also, — prevailing  character  of  the  soil,  abundance  and  kind  of 
enemies,  etc.,  but  heat  and  moisture  are  undoubtedly  the  most  impor- 
tant of  all  those  which  belong  to  the  physical  surroundings. 

Now  the  distribution  of  heat  over  the  earth's  surface  is  deter- 
mined by  several  conditions,  amongst  which  the  most  important 
are  these  : 

(1)  Other  things  being  equal,  the  greatest  quantity  of  heat  is 
received  from  the  sun  by  the  earth  at  the  equator,  and  the  amount 
diminishes  regularly  towards  the  poles,  the  whole  being  subject  to 
regular  variations  owing  to  the  movement  of  the  earth  placing  the 
the  sun  alternately  north  and  south  of  the  equator.  It  is  plain 
that,  were  it  not  for  the  disturbing  effects  to  lie  mentioned  below, 
the  earth  would  be  divided  into  great  latitudinal  zones  of  tempera- 
ture of  uniform  In-eadth,  to  which  vegetation  would  tend  to  corres- 
pond, and  our  problem  from  this  point  of  view  would  be  greatly 
simplified. 

But  (2)  the  relative  distribution  of  land  and  water  powerfully 
affects  these  zones.  This  includes  the  influence  of  cold  and  warm 
currents,  whose  effects  are  marked  enough.  I^verybody  knows  how 
the  Gulf  Stream  raises  the  mean  annual  temperature  of  North- 
western I^urope,  or  how  the  great  Japanese  current  raises  that  of 
British  Columbia  and  Alaska.  And  on  the  contrary  we  are  very 
sensible  ourselves  of  the  way  in  which  the  cold  Labrador  current 
keeps  our  mean  annual  temperature  reduced  below  that  to  which 
our  latitude  entitles  us.  Again  the  principle  that  great  masses  of 
water  are  equalizers  of  temperature,  and  that  great  masses  of  land 
permit  of  extremes,  is  one  of  much  importance ;  and  abundant 
illustration  will  occur  to  all  in  the  case  of  the  extreme  range  of 
temperature  to  which  the  cities  of  the  central  states  are  subjected 
as  compared  with  the  much  smaller  range  of  the  mercury  in  the 
seaport  towns.*  And  its  importance  becomes  still  more  manifest 
when  we  compare  the  well-known  evenness  of  the  temperature  range 
of  oceanic  islands,  with  the  conditions  prevailing  at  Yakutsk  in 
Siberia,  which  lies  well  within  the  greatest  body  of  land  in  the  world 


*The  cliraate  of  Boston  does  not  afford  a  fair  illustration.  It  is  so  near  the  Cape 
Cod  Peninsula,  which  is  the  great  natural  boundary  between  the  colder  northern  and 
warmer  southern  waters,  that  it  is  exi)osed  to  a  set  of  very  unusual  conditions. 


THE    GEOGRAPHICAL    DISTRIBUTION    OF    PLANTS.  105 

and  which  has  tlie  greatest  extremes  of  temperature  of  auy  pU\ce 
iu  which  observations  of  this  kiml  have  been  made. 

(3)  The  height  of  land  above  the  sea-level  alwaj's  causes,  ceteris 
paribus,  a  direct  variation  in  temperature,  this  falling  as  the  height 
increases,  and  of  course  rising  as  the  height  diminishes.  From 
this  cause  it  happens  that  we  find  upon  high  mountains,  a  series  of 
stages  in  the  vegetation,  the  characters  of  which  indicate  succes- 
sively colder  and  colder  zones.  And  usually,  as  all  botanists  know, 
the  vegetation  of  these  successive  zones  of  altitude  corresponds 
closely  to  the  vegetation  of  those  places  farther  north,  which  at  or 
near  the  sea  level  have  the  same  mean  of  temperature ;  in  other 
words  we  have  zones  of  altitude  corresponding  very  exactly  to  zones 
of  latitude,  and  wherever  the  late  geological  history  of  a  region  has 
permitted  of  it,  the  vegetation  of  these  two  kinds  of  zones  corres- 
ponds not  only  in  general  characteristics,  but  is  composed  of 
identically  the  same  genera  and  species.  Hence  it  is  that  we  find 
arctic  plants  upon  the  Alps  and  Rockies,  sub-alpiue  plants  upon 
the  White  mountains,  and  Antarctic  plants  upon  the  Andes — a 
subject  soon  to  be  referred  to  again. 

The  influence  of  the  first  of  these  conditions,  must  be  prodigiously 
altered  by  the  second  and  third,  and  the  effect  will  be  to  make  the 
zones  of  temperature  extremely  irregular.  Humboldt  invented  a 
verj'  simple  method  of  graphicall}"  representing  the  boundary  lines 
of  these  zones ;  that  of  drawing  upou  a  map  isotherms  or  isother- 
mal lines  ;  and  any  map  upon  which  these  are  drawn  will  show  very 
clearly  the  effect  of  the  second  and  third  of  the  conditions  mentioned 
upon  the  first.  And  it  is  important  to  notice  that  all  of  these  con- 
ditions operate  as  well  upon  a  small  as  upon  a  large  scale,  though 
in  diminished  degree,  and  therefore  distinguishable  with  more  diffi- 
culty. 

It  is  necessary  to  note,  in  connection  with  this  subject  of  tem- 
perature, that  the  whole  matter  is  complicated  somewhat  by  the 
fact  that  the  distribution  of  plants  depends  quite  as  much  upou  the 
average  temperature  of  the  growing  and  reproducing  mouths  as 
upon  the  average  annual  temperature — perhaps,  indeed,  a  good  deal 
more.  This  serves  to  explain  those  cases  iu  which  grains  will 
thrive  iu  regions  very  far  north  of  where,  from  their  mean  annual 
temperature,  we  should  expect ;  this  seems  to  occur  wherever  the 
actual  average  temperature  of  the  actual  growing  time  is  high,  even 
though  that  of  the  remainder  of  the  year  is  disproportionately  low,  as 


106  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

happens  in  parts  of  northwestern  Enrope  and  of  the  Canadian 
northwest. 

The  distribution  of  moisture  depends  of  course  chiefly  upon 
rainfall,  which  in  turn  depends  upon  meteorological  conditions  of 
which  the  discussion  is  not  in  place  here.  It  is  enough  for  our 
present  purpose  to  note  that  in  general  the  tropics  hare  the  greatest 
rainfall  and  that  there  it  is  extremely  regular.  All  readers  of  Mr. 
Wallace's  remarkable  book,  "Tropical  Nature,"  will  remember  his 
most  graphic  account  of  tropical  rains  and  their  effect  upon  tropical 
vegetation.  "With  an  abundance  of  evenly  distributed  solar  heat 
and  an  abundance  of  evenly  distributed  moisture,  it  is  no  wonder 
that  tropical  forests  are  so  luxuriant.  Just  outside  of  the  trop- 
ics comes  a  great  rainless  belt  which  includes  nearly  all  of  the 
desert  regions  of  the  earth,  and  beyond  this  again,  both  north  and 
south  of  the  equator,  we  come  to  the  regions  of  varialile  rainfall, 
with  which  purely  local  conditions  have  so  much  to  do,  and  passing 
which  we  come  to  true  Arctic  conditions.  Amongst  the  important 
local  causes  influencing  rainfall  in  the  temperate  regions  are  the 
proximit}'  of  the  sea,  direction  of  the  prevailing  winds,  and  the 
presence  or  absence  of  mountain  ranges.  The  latter  always  tend 
to  cause  precipitation  on  themselves,  and  between  themselves  and 
the  sea,  and  to  shut  off  from  the  blessings  of  the  rain  the  region  on 
the  side  away  from  the  sea.  It  is,  for  instance,  owing  to  the 
presence  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  and  Cascade  ranges  that  the  region 
to  the  west  has  so  much  more  abundant  a  rainfall  than  has  the  re- 
gion on  the  east  of  them.  Upon  this  side  of  the  continent,  the  Alle- 
ghanies  are  not  high  enough  to  produce  more  than  a  partial  effect 
in  this  direction. 

And  secondly  among  the  controlling"  agencies  in  distribution  comes 
the  geological  history  of  plants :  geological  historj'  in  this  connec- 
tion means  simply  the  story  of  the  changes  in  the  distribution  of 
land  and  water  in  past  times  as  compared  with  the  present — and  the 
consequeut  migrations  plants  have  been  forced  to  make,  not  always 
into  regions  the  most  favorable  to  them.  Hence  it  has  come  to 
pass  that  plants  toda}'  are  not  all  placed  on  the  earth's  surface  just 
where  the  conditions  are  most  favorable  to  them,  and  many  of  therri 
when  introduced  into  new  lands,  often  find  there  conditions  more 
congenial  than  in  their  old  homes.  But  geological  histor}'  is  of 
more  importance  as  a  distributing  agency,  and  we  shall  in  a  few 
moments  consider  it  in  that  connection. 

Now  these  two,    I  must  ask  von  to  notice  asain,  are  the  limitins: 


THE    GEO(rRAl'lIICAL    DISTRIBUTION    OF    PLANTS.  107 

or  controlling  agencies ;  they  are  not  the  distributing  agencies. 
And  the}'  are  the  controlling  agencies  for  this  reason  :  every  species 
of  plant,  withont  exception,  has  certain  definite  maximum  and 
minimum  points  both  of  temperature  and  moisture  within  the  range 
of  which  it  can  live,  outside  of  which  it  must  perish  ;  and  moreover 
each  has  within  those  limits  a  certain  optimum  point  of  temperature 
and  optimum  quantity  of  moisture  at  which  it  flourishes  best,  and 
each  plant,  other  things  being  equal,  could  flourish  anywhere  on  the 
earth's  surface  where  these  best  conditions  are  realized,  were  the 
field  open  for  it  and  couhl  it  hut  get  there.  But  that  is  the  great  if ; 
plants  have  comparatively  very  small  powers  of  travelling  them- 
selves, and  geological  history,  with  its  forced  migrations,  has  driven 
them  into  the  regions  where  we  find  them  and  kept  them  out  of 
others  to  which  they  are  equally  well  fitted.  You  can  understand 
better  now  what  I  meant  at  the  beginning  when  I  said  that  a  plant 
is  the  creation  of  its  history  and  its  surroundings,  and  that  these 
have  operated  to  make  it  just  what  it  is  and  to  place  it  just  where 
it  is.  And  I  trust  you  will  understand  it  still  better  before  I  shall 
have  finished  this  lecture. 

These  being  the  limiting  agencies,  we  are  now  prepared  to  look 
at  the  distributing  agencies  and  to  note  what  effects  have  been  pro- 
duced on  vegetation  by  their  combined  action.  These  distributing 
agencies  are  three  : — 

I.    Natural  methods  of  dissemination. 
TI.     Influence  of  man,  direct  and  indirect. 

III.  Geological  changes  —  the  changes  which  have  in  past  times 
compelled  groups  of  plants  to  migrate  from  place  to  place. 

The  first  and  second  of  these  deal  chiefly  with  single  species, 
and  are  therefore  of  less  significance.  The  third  has  to  do  with 
great  masses  of  species  historically  connected,  or  Floras. 

The  subject  of  the  natural  dissemination  or  scattering  of  seeds  is 
one  of  the  most  interesting  topics  in  botany,  and  I  am  sure  a  pre- 
sentation of  it  would  prove  of  great  interest  to  you. 

Plants  have  developed  the  most  remarkable  devises  to  secure  a 
wide  scattering  for  their  seeds.  But  their  bearing  upon  our  present 
subject  is  limited  by  the  fact  that  these  devices  are  rarely  adapted 
to  carry  the  species  beyond  a  limited  distance,  and  very  rarely 
indeed  are  they  of  a  character  to  enable  the  plant  to  surmount  the 
natural  barriers  imposed  by  mountain  ranges  or  wide  seas.  Of  the 
exceptions  one  of  the  most  important  is  found  in  the  coconut. 
This  fruit  has  a  thick  but  very  light  coating,  which  is  unusually 


108  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

resistant  to  the  action  of  salt  water.  The  pahn  whieii  bears  it  fre- 
quents the  sea  margin,  and  the  fruits  falling  into  the  water  are 
carried  immense  distances  by  the  action  of  winds  and  currents. 
Hence  the  coco  palm  is  one  of  the  first  plants  to  appear  upon  coral 
islands,  and  it  has  even  been  said  to  be  the  only  palm  tree  common 
to  both  hemispheres.  Again,  there  are  certain  species  of  which  the 
seeds  or  fruits  have  developed  plumes  or  tufts  of  fine  hairs  which 
make  the  total  bulk  of  the  seed  or  fruit  very  large  in  proportion  to  its 
weight,  thus  enabling  the  wind  to  carry  it  very  long  distances. 
Such  is  the  case  with  many  Composita?,  as  for  instance  the  dande- 
lion, the  plumose  fruit  of  which  is  known  to  everybody.  This  can 
be  carried  by  the  wind  for  hundreds  of  miles,  and  hence  is  widely 
scattered  over  North  America  and  Europe,  and  very  probably  much 
beyond  these  limits.  And  many  other  instances  of  a  like  character 
could  be  cited.  A  most  interesting  and  important  branch  of  this 
inquiry  is  concerned  with  the  natural  return  of  plants  to  localities 
from  which  climatic  changes  have  driven  them.  Thus  the  glacial 
ice-sheet  drove  all  plants  before  it  to  the  South,  but  when  it  in  turn 
retreated  back  to  its  home  in  the  frozen  North,  these  plants  tended 
to  follow  it  and  re-occupy  their  old  haunts.  Now  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  those  plants  having  methods  of  rapid  dissemi- 
nation and  therefore  an  advantage  over  their  less  fortunate  relatives, 
travelled  more  quickl}'  and  occupied  the  ground,  and  that  the  slower 
moving  forms  are  still  with  ditticnlty  making  their  way  back  whence 
they  came.  This  seems  to  be  well  illustrated  by  the  trees.  The 
forms  which  have  light-winged  seeds  easily  scattered  b}^  the  wind, 
such  as  birches  and  willows,  extend  very  far  north,  and  the  same  is 
true  in  lesser  degree  of  the  elms  and  maples.  But  the  heav}^  seeded 
trees  like  beeches,  oaks,  chestnuts,  etc.,  are  not  so  far  advanced  as 
their  constitutions  will  allow,  and  they  are  slowl}'  but  steadily 
moving  north,  a  point  which  is  well  argued  by  Professor  Shaler  of 
Cambridge.  And  the  extremely  different  rate  of  the  natural  spread 
in  this  way  of  the  various  species,  when  a  new  land  connection  is 
formed  with  another  district,  must  be  taken  into  account  in  all  these 
studies. 

Another  method  of  securing  dissemination,  of  wide  prevalence  and 
effectiveness,  is  found  in  those  fruits  which  by  bright  colors  are 
made  conspicuous,  and  by  juicy  pulp  palatable  to  birds  or  animals — 
a  very  large  class,  including  nearly  all  of  our  edible  fruits.  In  such 
cases  the  seeds  are  swallowed  Avith  the  fruit  and  being  provided 


tup:  geographical  distribution  of  plants.        109 

usually  with  indigestible  coatings  are  carried  long  distances,  ofttinies, 
before  they  are  left  by  their  carriers.  The  widest  distribution  by 
this  agency  is  undoubtedly  secured  through  the  birds,  for  birds  can 
cover  a  much  greater  area  within  a  limited  time  after  a  meal  than 
can  animals,  and  moreover  they  can  pass  readily  over  those  natural 
barriers  —  hill  ranges  and  smaller  arms  of  the  sea  —  which  animals 
cannot.  But  we  must  not  over-estimate  the  importance  of  this 
agency,  for  birds  of  the  longest  tlight  are  generally  carnivorous, 
and  can  only  occasionally  and  accidentally  get  some  seeds  into 
their  crops  when  other  birds  are  their  prey.  Still  a  wide  dissemi- 
nation of  certain  species  is  secured  in  this  way,  and  some  of  our 
edible  berries  are  good  examples.  Those  seeds  which  cling  to  the 
hair  or  wool  of  animals  also  secure  some  scattering  in  this  waj% 
but  it  is  limited,  as  mammals  do  not  as  a  rule  range  as  far  as 
birds.  There  is  one  peculiar  case,  however,  in  which  a  certain  very 
modest  species  is  believed  to  be  the  most  widely  distributed  in  the 
world  (for  modesty  is  no  liar  to  success  in  the  vegetable  kingdom), 
and  this  has  been  brought  about  by  the  agency  of  Inrds.  That  is 
the  case  of  our  very  common  water-shield,  Brasenia  peltata  ^  which 
is  scattered  Avidely  not  only  in  North  America,  but  is  found  also  in 
ponds  in  Asia,  Africa,  and  Australia.  As  the  species  has  not  an 
edible  fruit,  it  is  supposed  that  the  ver}^  sticky  fruits  cling  to  the 
feet  of  aquatic  birds  and  are  hence  carried  over  greater  distances 
than  would  be  possible  in  the  case  of  edible  fruits  of  the  ordinary 
kinds.  In  all  of  these  cases  of  course  the  distribution  is  ultimately 
limited  by  the  purely  ph3"sical  conditions  of  which  we  have  spoken, 
and  the  competition  from  the  forms  already  occupying  the  ground 
to  which  the  new  seed  is  carried. 

The  next  great  influence  that  we  must  consider  is  that  of  man. 
Man  is  always  prone  to  over-estimate  his  own  importance,  and 
this  applies  with  particular  emphasis  to  his  relation  to  the  remainder 
of  Organic  Nature.  His  influence  upon  the  Plant  Kingdom  has 
been  far  less  than  appears  at  first  sight,  and  almost  uniformly  un- 
favorable, and  it  is  a  fact  that  the  remainder  of  the  world  would  get 
along  better  if  he  were  to  drop  out  of  it  altogether.  We  have  to  a 
slight  extent  altered  nature ;  I  doubt  if  we  have  improved  it. 

The  direct  influence  of  man  in  carrying  plants  from  place  to 
place  will  occur  to  you  first.  But  this  includes  for  the  most  part 
forms  cultivated  for  food  or  for  ornament,  and  the  majority  of 
them,    if   left  to   themselves   in  their  new  homes  would   soon  be 


110  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

exterminated,  and  hence  produce  no  lasting  effect  upon  plant  distri- 
bution. Such  is  the  case  with  grains  and  most  European  garden 
flowers  introduced  into  this  country,  which  rapidh'  die  out  as  soon 
as  cultivation  ceases.  Cultivation  largely  consists  in  keeping  away 
from  a  plant  its  natural  enemies ;  and  most  plants  when  carried  la 
a  new  home  cannot,  unaided,  compete  with  the  native  forms,  Avhose 
constitutions  have  been  acclimatized  by  centuries  of  residence. 
Hence  the  transfer  from  place  to  place  by  man,  however  extensive 
it  may  be,  of  plants  which  could  not  exist  in  the  new  region  with- 
out his  constant  care,  has  but  little  to  do  with  our  present  subject. 
But  there  are  some  plants  which  he  transfers,  generally  unintention- 
ally, which  often  find  in  their  new  homes  conditions  favorable  to 
their  rapid  growth  and  spread ;  and  they  frequently  make  them- 
selves at  home  to  such  an  extent  that  they  become  great  nuisances. 
Such  are  most  of  our  weeds.  As  is  well  known,  nearly  every 
troublesopie  weed  in  our  own  regions,  for  instance,  has  been  intro- 
duced either  from  Europe  or  from  the  open  lands  of  the  West. 
The  reason  for  this  appears  to  lie  in  the  direction  pointed  out 
by  our  greatest  botanical  philosopher,  the  late  Asa  Graj'.  The 
native  weeds  are  all  forms  which  have  developed  in  or  with  the 
woods,  and  when  the  latter  were  removed  in  the  processes  of 
cultivation,  the}'  found  conditions  to  which  the}'  were  unaccus- 
tomed and  for  which  their  constitutions  were  but  poorly  fitted. 
The  European  accidentally  introduced  forms,  however,  after  their 
centuries  of  struggle  with  European  civilization,  hardy  and  self- 
reliant  as  our  own  street  urchins,  found  here  a  field  not  only 
just  such  as  they  were  adapted  to,  but  occupied  by  no  forms  which 
could  offer  them  vigorous  competition.  Hence,  they  multiplied 
and  occupied  the  earth.  In  a  lesser  degree  the  conditions  were 
favorable  to  plants  from  the  west  accustomed  to  open  ground.  It 
is  along  these  lines  that  man  has  produced  his  greatest  effects 
upon  plant  distribution.  You  notice  that  we  are  considering  now 
the  question  from  the  Naturalist's  stand-point,  not  from  the  Horti- 
culturist's. To  the  latter  the  transfer  of  Cinchona  from  South 
America  to  India,  of  Eucalyptus  from  Australia  to  California,  of 
the  Maize  to  Europe  and  China,  is  a  large  matter  in  comparison 
with  his  accidental  transfer  of  a  few  troublesome  or  ugly  weeds 
from  the  old  world  to  the  new ;  but  to  the  naturalist  the  question 
of  the  weeds  is  of  as  much  if  not  more  interest  and  importance, — 
certainly  it  is  to  the  organic  world  which  the  naturalist  ought 
honestly  to  study. 


THE    (iEOCiRArillCAL    DISTRIBUTION    OF    I'LAXTS.  Ill 

In  fact,  the  cases  in  which  man  has  produced  any  considerable 
effect  upon  the  vegetation  or  flora  of  a  region  are  extremely  few, 
and  the  effect  is  nearly  always  destructive.  He  often  clears  aAvay 
an  entire  forest  leaving  in  its  place  hideous,  naked  barrenness,  but 
where  has  he  made  a  wilderness  to  blossom  as  the  rose, —  with 
wild  plants  which  could  sustain  themselves  after  his  watchful  care 
is  removed?  The  Island  of  St.  Helena  is  a  case  in  point,  in 
which  by  the  combined  action  of  the  axe  and  of  introduced 
browsing  animals,  principally  goats,  a  rich  vegetation,  peculiar  to 
that  island,  has  been  nearly  exterminated  from  off  the  face  of  the 
earth. 

And  now  we  approach  that  part  of  our  subject  which  I  am  sure 
wiU  prove  the  most  interesting  to  you, —  the  distribution  of  the 
great  floras  of  the  earth.  A  flora  is  simply  a  great  group  of 
plants  which  have  had  a  common  history.  There  is  no  fact  better 
established  in  geology  than  that  -the  earth's  crust  is  not  stable  but 
is  constantly  undergoing  extensive  elevations  and  subsidences ; 
this  brings  it  to  pass  that  land  and  water  surfaces  are  not  constant 
but  changing,  and  that  many  regions  now  separated  by  the  sea 
have  in  former  times  been  connected,  and  many  now  connected 
have  but  lately  become  so.  These  changes  have  forced  vegetation 
to  perform  migrations  which  have  been  small  or  extensive,  slow  or 
rapid,  just  in  proportion  to  the  change,  and  these  have  been 
accompanied  by  great  changes  in  climate,  including  even  such 
extreme  conditions  as  prevailed  in  the  glacial  period. 

In  looking  at  the  Distribution  of  Plants  in  a  broad  way,  the 
first  feature  to  strike  attention  is  the  constancy  with  which  upon 
higher  mountains  we  find  plants  characteristic  of  regions  far  to  the 
north  of  them  in  the  northern  hemisphere,  and  far  to  the  south  of 
them  in  the  southern  —  and  in  all  cases  cut  off  from  their  brethren 
by  many  valleys  and  plains  occupied  by  totally  distinct  species. 
Thus,  upon  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the  Alps,  the  Himalayas,  and 
others,  are  little  herbaceous  plants  which  are  found  growing  at  the 
sea  level  around  the  Arctic  ocean.  Farther  down  these  mountains 
come  plants  which  grow  in  more  southern  parts  of  Alaska, 
Labrador,  northern  Scandinavia,  and  Siberia.  Now  it  is  plain 
why  they  can  live  there  —  the  conditions  of  heat  and  moisture 
upon  the  mountain  side  and  at  the  sea  level  farther  north,  are 
similar,  as  we  have  seen ;  but  how  did  the  plants  get  upon  the 
mountains  from  the   North?      The    natural   means    of    spread  of 


112  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICtTLTURAL    SOCIETY. 

the  species  themselves  is  hardly  ever  sutficieut  to  explain  this. 
But  the  solution  is  undoubtedly  found  in  late  geological  historj'. 
In  the  glacial  period,  geologically  very  late,  as  you  know,  there 
descended  from  the  north  a  great  ice  sheet  of  enormous  thickness, 
which  drove  all  vegetation  before  it.  It  came  so  far  down  that 
Arctic  plants  were  driven  to  the  south  of  the  region  in  which  we 
are  now  living  and  arctic  plants  flourished  all  across  the  United 
States  just  south  of  a  line  from  about  40°  north  latitude  on  the 
Atlantic  coast,  running  diagonally  north- wes toward,  and  in  corres- 
ponding regions  in  the  eastern  hemisphere.  Along  the  high 
mountain  ranges  these  plants  extended  much  farther  south,  finding 
upon  them  their  natural  conditions  of  heat  and  moisture.  Then 
the  ice-sheet  retreated  ;  the  arctic  plants  followed  it,  and  they  in 
turn  were  followed  b}'  the  north  temperate, —  they  by  the  warm 
temperate,  and  so  on,  each  tending  to  return  to  its  own  latitudes. 
But  along  the  high  mountains  the 'conditions  did  not  change  much, 
and  the  arctic  plants  found  upon  them,  as  they  find  todaj^,  congen- 
ial homes,  where  the  species  of  the  lowlands  could  not  compete 
with  them.  In  the  valleys,  however,  the  more  southern  species 
were  more  at  home  and  soon  drove  out  the  arctic  intruders.  So 
wide-spread  and  definite  was  this  agency  that  there  has  not  been  a 
mountain  range  explored  in  the  northern  hemisphere  upon  which 
traces  of  these  arctic  plants  have  not  been  found ;  moreover,  the 
lower  ranges,  those,  like  our  own  White  Mountains,  not  high 
enough  to  reach  the  line  of  perpetual  snow,  have  not  the  extreme 
arctic  forms  upon  their  tops,  but  sub-arctic  or  very  cold  temperate 
forms,  and  these  extend  south  along  the  hill  ranges,  ascending  as 
they  go.  A  very  interesting  point  in  connection  with  this  is  the 
fact  that  in  the  glacial  period  some  of  the  arctic  and  sub-arctic 
forms  managed  to  cross  the  equator  along  the  highest  mountain 
chains  of  the  old  and  new  world  and  establish  themselves  in  the 
southern  hemisphere,  and  are  there  found  on  the  mountains  at  the 
present  day.  Hence  we  have  a  great  natural  group  of  plants 
called  the  Arclic-alpine  Flora,  consisting  chiefly  of  low  herbs,  the 
distribution  of  which  is  all  around  the  northern  part  of  the 
northern  hemisphere  upon  the  shores  of  the  Arctic  ocean,  aiid 
southward  upon  nearly  all  mountains  high  enough  to  reach  the 
limit  of  perpetual  snow,  and  even  extending  sparingly  on  the  great 
ranges  into  the  southern  hemisphere,  at  length  reaching  the  sea 
level  near  the  Antarctic  ocean. 


THE    GEOGRArHICAL    DISTRIIJUTIOX    OF    PLANTS.  113 

Secondly,  in  the  Southern  hemisphere,  we  have  a  very  simi- 
h\r,  though  much  less  abundant  Anlarciic-alpine  Flora,  which 
is  found  near  the  sea  level  on  the  islands  of  the  southern  ocean, 
and  extends  northward  upon  the  mountains  of  Ghili,  Australia, 
Tasmania,  and  New  Zealand,  and  even  up  to  Borneo.  The 
phenomena  of  distribution  of  this  Flora  are  so  similar  to  what  is 
found  in  the  Northern  hemisphere  that  it  is  believed  its  distribu- 
tion can  be  best  explained  by  a  southern  glacial  period. 

Proceeding  next  to  Temperate  regions,  we  find  a  most  marked 
contrast  between  the  northern  and  southern  hemispheres.      In  the 
former  we  find  the  plants,  the  ordinary  trees,  shrubs,  and  herbs 
which   we    all  know,  all  across    Europe,  Asia,  and  America,  are 
much  alike  in  character,  and  the  differences  between  the  plants  of 
different  regions  is  rather  one  of  relative  richness  or  poverty  in 
forms  than  of  differences  in  the  forms  tliemselves, —  a  point  which 
I  will  refer  to" again  immediately.      Hence,  with  the  exception  of  a 
specially  rich  assemblage  in  the  Caucasian  and  Western  Meditera- 
neau  region,   all  the  plants  of  the  northern  temperate  zone  are 
grouped   into   one   Plora    called    the    Intermediate   or    Temperate 
Flora,  and  the  rich  exception  of  which  I  speak  is  appropriately 
called  the  Mediterraneo  Caucasian  Flora.      This  latter  is  exceed- 
ingly rich  in  species,  six-sevenths  of  those  of  Europe  belonging  to 
it.     Now  the  uniformity  of  this  Northern  Temperate  Flora  is  very 
fully  explained  b}^  what  is  known  of  its  history.      Around  the 
Arctic  ocean,  at  several  points,  in  Greenland,  Spitzbergen,  Siberia, 
and  other  places,  there  are  found   abundant   fossil   deposits    of 
plants    in    Tertiary   rocks,    which    fossils    are    undoubtedly    the 
remains  of  the  ancestors  of  our  living  north  temperate  vegetation. 
Not  only  are  the  species  of  fossil  and  living  forms  very  similar, 
but  in  manj'  cases  they  appear  to  be  identical.      Our  North  Tem- 
perate Flora  then,  in  the  Tertiary  Period,  lived  and  flourished  all 
around  the  Arctic  circle  and  within  it,  and  probably  extended  to 
the  pole  itself.      Then  great  climatic  changes  drove  it  southward, 
and  it  peopled  all  f^urope,  Asia,  and  America  with  a  similar  flora. 
This  was  subsequently  driven  to  the  south  by  the  Glacial  period, 
as   we   have   noticed,  and   in   the   changes    attendant   upon    that 
process  and  its  return  northward,  parts  of  it  suffered  severely. 
Thus,  in  Europe,  this  flora  is  for  the  most  part  a  poor  one,  having 
far  fewer  species  than  our  own.      This  is  explained  doubtless  by 
the  fact  that  in  Europe  the  mountain  ranges  run  east  and  west, 


114  ^lASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

and  as  the  glacial  sheet  advanced  southward,  the  plants  of  central 
Europe  were  caught  between  it  and  the  increasing  local  glaciers 
from  the  Pyrenees,  Alps,  Apennines,  and  Caucasus ;  there 
being  little  chance  for  escape  mau}^  of  the  forms  were  extermi- 
nated, particularly  those  not  having  natural  means  of  wide 
dissemination.  And  many  of  those  which  escaped  the  icy  jaws  of 
the  glaciers  were  pushed  across  the  Mediterranean.  This  they 
were  unable  to  recross  when  the  glacial  ice-sheet  retreated,  and  but 
few  of  the  exiled  forms  could  return  to  their  homes  again.  That 
this  was  the  true  course  of  events  is  rendered  nearly  certain  by 
the  fact  that  these  missing  forms  are  found  fossil  in  late  deposits 
in  central  Europe,  showing  that  they  existed  there  anterior  to  the 
Glacial  epoch.  Central  Asia  has  to  some  extent  suffered  in  a 
similar  way,  and  Greenland  has  its  flora  swept  off  into  the  deep 
sea,  and  it  has  not  now  the  plants  to  which  the  climate  of  its 
southern  part  entitles  it.  But  the  conditions  Avere  very  different  in 
eastern  America,  and  in  eastern  Asia.  Here  the  mountain  ranges 
run  north  and  south,  or  nearly  so,  and  in  Asia  the  great  ranges 
end  before  they  reach  the  sea.  Thus  a  free  passage  was  open 
along  which  the  plants  travelled  south  out  of  harm's  way,  and 
north  again  when  the  enemy  had  retreated.  Hence  the  floras  of 
eastern  America  and  eastern  Asia  are  both  exceedingly  rich  in 
species  and  most  strikingly  alike,  each  having  preserved  nearly  all 
of  its  species  through  the  vicissitudes  of  glacial  times. 

But  why  is  not  the  flora  of  western  America  rich  and  like  that 
of  eastern  America?  This  question  is  not  so  easy  to  answer.  It 
is  true  the  Rockies  run  north  and  south ;  why  were  not  all  the 
western  plants  preserved?  Several  causes  have  doubtless  con- 
tributed to  destroy  them,  one  of  which  is  the  extreme  narrowness  of 
the  region  west  of  the  great  mountains,  and,  hence,  the  crowding 
and  extermination  of  some  species,  and  another  the  fact  that  the  very 
uniform  climate  of  California  is  not  so  favorable  to  the  northern 
species,  accustomed  to  more  variable  conditions,  as  it  is  to  the 
more  southern  forms  of  Mexico ;  and  these  latter  have  travelled 
in  large  numbers  into  California  and  possibly  by  direct  competi- 
tion have  exterminated  some  species.  Certain  other  geological 
conditions  have  doubtless  contributed  somewhat  to  the  same  end. 
But  the  fact  remains  that  like  that  of  Europe,  the  flora  of  the 
Californian  region  is  poor  in  temperate  species,  while  those  of 
eastern  America  and  Japan  are  rich  and  nuich  alike. 


THE  oe(1(;rapiiical  nisTniiu'Tiox  of  plants.        115 

In  tbe  southern  hemisphere,  "we  find  a  very  different  state  of 
things.  There  the  great  continents,  separate  from  each  other  from 
a  most  remote  period,  possess  floras  strikingly  distinct  from  each 
other,  so  that  it  is  necessary  to  assign  to  each  great  body  of  land 
its  own  distinct  Flora.     This  gives  us 

The  Australian  Flora,  showing  some  slight  traces  of  connection 
with  the  region  to  the  north  of  it  and  with  New  Zealand.  Aus- 
tralia has  been  so  long  separated  from  the  other  bodies  of  laud, 
that  its  flora  has  had  time  for  a  great  deviation  from  that  of  other 
countries.  Indeed  it  is  notorious  for  its  uulikeuess  to  that  of  any 
other  country. 

Next  the  Andean  Flora,  that  of  South  America,  which  shows 
some  very  slight  connection  with  that  of  New  Zealand  and 
Australia. 

Then  the  Mexico^Califoryiian,  which  extends  up  the  west  coast 
of  America  from  Chili  to  Mexico  and  even  iuto  California,  being 
the  source  of  many  of  our  present  Calif ornian  species. 

Lastly  the  South  African  is  very  rich  in  species  and  remarkably 
varied.  And  just  as  our  North  Temperate  plants  have  representa- 
tives far  south  of  them  on  the  mountains,  so  these  Southern  Floras 
have  some  of  their  members  on  mountains  away  to  the  North.  ' '  The 
plants  of  Fuegia  extend  northward  along  the  Andes,  ascending  as 
they  advance.  Australian  genera  reappear  in  Borneo  and  even 
cross  to  China  and  Japan.  New  Zealand  forms  are  on  the 
mountains  of  New  Caledonia  ;  South  African  in  the  Lake  Region  of 
Africa,  in  North  Africa,  and  even  to  the  Canaries  and  Asia  Minor." 
And  in  all  these  cases,  the  southern,  like  the  northern,  forms  ascend 
the  mountains  as  they  approach  the  equator,  and  descend  toward 
the  sea  level  after  they  have  crossed  it. 

Now  what  is  the  history  of  these  widely  separated  regions? 
There  seems  every  probability  that  in  times  far  back  all  these 
floras  came,  not  from  the  south  but  from  the  north ;  and  the 
time  when  they  had  a  common  home  there  is  so  remote  that  the 
floras  have  had  time  to  diverge  greatly.  That  this  is  the  correct 
view  is  sustained  by  the  fact  that  these  southern  floras  are  much 
more  like  those  immediately  to  the  north  of  them  than  they  are 
like  one  another ;  that  there  is  no  evidence  of  a  southern  continent 
from  which  they  could  have  come ;  that  while  most  peculiar 
species  of  the  South  have  relatives  either  living  or  fossil  in  the 
North  none  of  the  northern  forms  have  fossil  relations  in  the 
South. 


116  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Lastly  come  the  tropical  floras,  characterized  by  great  abundance 
of  all  kinds  of  vegetation  and  with  a  preponderance  of  succulent 
moisture-loving  plants.  Of  these  there  are  three,  markedly  dis- 
tinct, if  "we  consider  the  relationships  of  the  plants  of  which  they 
are  composed  ;  very  similar  if  we  consider  their  general  appearance. 
They  are 

The  American,  reaching  its  highest  development  in  the  Valley  of 
the  Amazon.  It  is  excessively  rich  in  species  and  luxuriant  in 
growth.     Secondly  comes 

The  African,  still  imperfectly  known  but  also  very  rich.  Many 
■of  its  general  physical  characteristics  have  been  vividly  sketched 
for  us   in  Mr.  Stanley's  latest  work.     And  third  is 

The  Indo-Malayan,  including  India  and  all  the  East  Indian 
Archipelago  with  the  Malay  Peninsula,  and  extending  even  to 
Australia  and  Japan. 

The  relationships  of  these  three  are  sufficiently  well-known  to 
indicate  that  while  they  differ  much  from  each  other,  they  are 
more  alike  than  are  the  floras  of  the  South  Temperate  Zone  which 
we  have  considered, —  a  fact  tending  to  show  that  the  former  may 
have  been  connected  with  each  other  more  recently  than  the  latter. 
From  this  the  step  is  but  a  short  one  to  the  theory  some  years  ago 
propounded  by  an  English  naturalist,  that  all  the  floras  and,  there- 
fore, all  the  plants  of  the  earth  have  originated  in  the  northern 
hemisphere,  and  that  they  have  spread  southward  in  successive 
great  waves,  the  more  southern  and  older  floras  being  the  most 
ancient  of  these,  and  the  more  northern  floras  later  in  time. 

And  in  conclusion,  to  sum  up  the  whole  matter,  I  hope  I  have 
shown  you  that  while  the  causes  controlling  the  Distribution  of 
Plants  are  many  and  rendered  exceedingly  complex  b}'  their 
interaction,  we  can  separate  out  the  principal  agencies  and  trace  their 
effects ;  that  the  agencies  limiting  distribution  are  the  needs  of 
plants  with  reference  to  the  amounts  of  heat  and  moisture  to  which 
the}"  have  respectively  become  adapted,  and  also  by  the  past 
history  of  each  plant  placing  it  in  some  one  region,  and  not  in  all 
to  which  it  is  adapted ;  and  finally  that  the  active  distributing 
agent,  aside  from  the  comparatively  feeble  efforts  of  the  plants 
themselves  and  man's  insignificant  effects,  has  been  the  successive 
migrations  compelled  by  past  climatic  and  geological  changes,  and 
that  these  migrations  have  resulted  in  the  distribution  of  all  plants 
over  the  earth's  surface  into  those  definite  groups  or  floras  which 


THE    GEOGKArHICATv    DISTRIBUTION    OF    PLANTS.  117 

Tve  have  just  considered, — which  groups  probably  all  came  in  a 
series  of  great  waves  from  the  north. 

Discussion. 

William  C.  Strong  said  the  lecturer  had  spoken  of  the  transpor- 
tation of  plants  by  glacial  action  and  of  the  gradual  distribution 
of  species,  and  asked  him  whether  he  regarded  the  law  of  evolution 
as  applicable  to  plants  in  such  manner  as  to  increase  their  hardi- 
ness, enabling  seedlings  of  species  belonging  in  the  flora  of  a 
warm  climate,  ultimately,  by  a  long  process,  to  become  inured  to  a 
colder  climate. 

Mr.  Ganong  replied  that  the  gradual  modification  of  the 
character  and  habits  of  plants  was  so  general  and  so  necessary  ta 
fit  them  to  their  surroundings  in  localities  where  they  may  be 
placed  either  b}"  design  or  seeming  accident,  that  the  known  facts 
could  not  be  explained  without  supposing  it,  and  it  may  be  taken, 
to  start  with,  as  almost  axiomatic. 

F.  L.  Temple  inquired  whether  the  plants  that  were  driven 
south,  by  the  glaciers,  far  into  the  tropical  zone  and  had  returned, 
by  Nature's  slow  process,  to  their  original  home,  were  then  iden- 
tical with  their  ancestors  growing  thei'e  in  pre-glacial  times. 

Mr.  Ganong  replied  that  practical!}'  they  were  identical ;  that, 
although  somewhat  modified  by  the  various  influences  to  which 
they  had  been  exposed  during  their  absence,  the  intervening  time 
had  not  been  long  enough  to  extinguish  the  characteristics  of  the 
species,  some  of  which  indeed  are  very  old  and  are  found  fossil  in 
the  Tertiary  strata. 

Mr.  Temple  asked  the  reason  that  plants  brought  from  the 
southern  extremity  of  South  America  will  not  live  here  in  our 
climate,  or  in  the  degree  of  latitude  north,  corresponding  to  their 
native  habitat. 

Mr.  Ganong  suggested  that  if  plants  were  rightly  selected  in. 
Fuegia  they  might  live  here.  But  the  chances  are  against  it  in. 
such  cases,  unless  a  gradual  acclimatization  can  be  effected.  Special 
conditions,  other  than  those  mentioned  of  moisture  and  tempera- 
ture, even  if  so  slight  as  to  be  invisible  or  unknown  to  us,  may 
become,  in  the  case  of  wild  plants,  of  vital  importance  in  the  face 
of  the  intense  competition  between  species  each  striving  to  occupy 
as  much  ground  as  possible.  The  native  plants  are  in  possession 
and  the  foreigners  are  not  sufficiently  adapted  to  our  climate  to 


1  1  8  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

cope  with  them.  In  case  of  cultivated  plants,  difference  iu  condi- 
tions of  moisture,  etc.,  may  be  so  different  here  as  to  prevent 
their  growing  even  under  cultivation.  The  great  evenness  of  the 
Fuegian  climate  and  the  great  extremes  of  our  own,  prevent  many 
plants  acclimatized  to  the  former,  from  living  in  New  England.  This 
is  proven  by  the  fact  that  certain  plants  from  the  southern  part  of 
South  America  will  grow  on  our  Pacific  coast,  where  the  climate 
is  much  more  even  than  our  own. 

Mr.  Strong  spoke  of  the  lecture  as  one  of  great  interest,  and 
said  that  its  full  value  will  be  better  appreciated  when  it  comes  to 
us  in  print.  We  may  not  understand  the  bearings  of  so  profound 
a  subject,  or  be  able  to  discuss  it  upon  the  simple  hearing.  He 
then  moved  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Ganong  for  his  instructive 
lecture,  which  motion  was  unanimously  adopted. 

O.  B.  Hadwen,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Publication  and 
Discussion,  announced  for  the  next  Saturday  a  paper  on  "School 
Insti'uctiou  in  Horticulture  and  its  Advantages,"  by  Dr.  Charles 
C.  Rounds,  Principal  of  the  State  Normal  School,  Plymouth,  N.H. 


BUSINESS   MEETING. 

Saturday,  February  28,  1891. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at  eleven 
o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spooner,  in  the  chair. 

No  business  being  brought  before  the  meeting,  it  adjourned  to 
Saturday,  March  7. 

MEETING  FOR  DISCUSSION. 

The  Study  of  Horticulture  in  the  Public    Schools. 

Ky  Dr.  Charles  C.  Roixds,  Principal  of  the  State  Normal  School,  Plymouth,  N.H. 

Dr.  Rounds  prefaced  his  essaj^  by  the  remark  that  he  was  not  a 
horticulturist  nor  a  naturalist,  but  that  what  he  should  sa}'  would  he 
spoken  out  of  the  depths  of  his  feeling  of  his  own  needs  in  youth, 
and  of  the  needs   of   tlie   children   of   the   present  da}'.       If   his 


THE    STl  DY    OF    I lOKTK  TLTrHE    IN    PUBLIC    SCHOOLS.     119 

message  should  prove  not  exactly  litted  to  the  needs  of  the  mem- 
bers of  this  Society,  the  defect  must  be  attributed  to  his  want  of 
technical  knowledge.     He  then  read  his  lecture,  as  follows : 

The  demands  so  earnestly  and  widely  made  for  revision  of 
courses  of  study,  from  the  lowest  class  in  the  primary  school  to 
the  university,  is  not  a  freak.  These  demands  are  to  be  met,  they 
nuist  be  calml}'  considered,  and  reasonable  claims  must  be 
granted.  There  can  be  no  fixed  course  of  study  best  for  all 
persons  and  in  all  times.  Revisions  are  compelled  by  changes  in 
the  circumstances  of  the  individual,  by  new  demands  which  new 
times  make  upon  the  citizen,  by  discoveries  in  science  and  the 
arts,  by  new  social  and  civil  conditions  ;  and  educational  systems 
must  be  judged,  not  by  their  fitness  to  meet  conditions  which  have 
passed  awaj^,  but  by  their  adjustment  to  the  demands  of  their  own 
time. 

If  the  tremendous  inertia  of  whatever  has  become  institutional 
be  borne  in  mind,  there  need  be  little  apprehension  of  wide-spread 
disaster  from  too  rapid  or  too  radical  changes  in  courses  of  study, 
though  such  apprehension  is  not  unnatural  to  those  whose  field  of 
view  is  limited.  The  realized  dreams  of  the  wildest  visionary 
could  hardly  effect  so  great  a  change  in  the  schools  of  the  present 
day  as  has  been  effected  in  passing  to  the  great  University  of 
1891,  from  the  Harvard  College  of  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  where  it  was  prescribed  that  "when  any  scholar  is  able 
to  read  Tulh'^  or  any  like  classical  Latin  author  ex  temjwre,  and 
make  and  speak  true  Latin  in  verse  and  prose,  and  decline 
perfectly  the  paradigms  of  nouns  and  verbs  in  the  Greek  tongue, 
then  may  he  be  admitted  to  the  college,  nor  shall  any  claim 
admission  before  such  qualification;"  when  the  conversational 
use  of  Latin  was  obligatory  upon  all  within  the  limits  of  the 
college,  in  place  of  the  mother  tongue,  which  was  "  to  be  used  under 
no  pretext  whatever,  unless  required  in  public  exercises;"  when  it 
was  ordered  that  "ever}' scholar  that  on  proof  is  found  able  to  read 
the  originals  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  into  the  Latin 
tongue,  and  to  resolve  them  logically,  withal  being  of  godly  life 
and  conversation,  and  at  any  public  act  hath  the  approbation  of 
the  overseers  and  master  of  the  college,  is  fit  to  be  dignified  with 
his  first  degree." 

The  immense  changes  that  have  been  effected  in  the  higher 
education  since  the  year  1800,  are  well  known  to  those  now  living. 


120  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

The  elder  Silliman,  elected  professor  of  chemistry  at  Yale,  in 
1801,  visited  Professor  Maclean,  a  yoiino-  Scotch  medical  grad- 
uate at  Princeton,  and  there  for  the  first  time  witnessed  a  chemical 
experiment.  Professor  Cleveland,  called  to  teach  science  at 
Bowdoin,  took  a  small  box  of  mineralogical  specimens  to  Philadel- 
phia to  find  a  man  to  name  them.  Elective  studies  were  adopted 
at  Harvard  in  1824,  "against  the  judgment  of  the  faculty." 
"With  the  advent  of  Louis  Agassiz,  in  1848,  Professor  Picker- 
ing's Physical  Laboratory  at  Harvard,  in  1867,  the  general 
extension  of  laboratory'  work  in  chemistry,  and  later  in  biology, 
we  have  the  laboratory  method  firmly  fixed  in  science  teaching, 
and  slowly  making  its  way  downward. 

The  common  school  of  the  early  part  of  the  ceutur}-,  I  need  not 
describe.  Some  here  probably  knew  it  by  personal  experience. — 
more  by  tradition.  Its  type  still  survives  in  the  back  districts, 
though  it  would  hardly  be  recognized  in  what  we  should  now  style 
the  model  school.  Yet  it  may  be  doubted  whether  in  its  best  form 
the  transformation  has  been  so  complete  as  in  the  higher  institu- 
tions, and  whether  the  common  school  of  the  present  day  furnishes 
so  complete  a  solution  of  the  prol>lems  present  to  the  people  of  the 
time  as  did  the  school  of  the  earlier  day. 

All  the  conditions  which  have  been  enumerated  as  compelling 
revision  of  studies  have  l>een  found  prevailing  with  constantly  increas- 
ing force  for  the  last  half  century.  Population  is  rapidly  passing 
from  countr}'  to  city ;  the  urban  population  of  Massachusetts  is 
now  seventy  per  cent  of  the  total.  John  Ericson,  who  died  so 
recently  in  New  York,  was  a  working  mechanical  engineer  in  Eng- 
land, at  the  birth  of  the  railway  system,  and  a  competitor  for 
the  prize  offered  for  the  first  locomotive  engine.  Henry  and 
Morse  made  the  telegraph  possible  and  actual  in  the  second 
quarter  of  the  century,  and  Edison  is  still  in  tlie  prime  of  his 
mal•^'ellous  powers. 

The  discoveries  and  inventions  which  have  so  increased  the 
power  of  production  and  communication,  have  correspondingly 
increased  the  powers  of  intelligence.  In  the  morning  paper  we 
read  the  most  recent  histoi'y  of  remote  countries ;  combinations  of 
forces  in  all  departments  of  human  action  are  speedily  made  on  the 
most  extended  scale,  and  the  range  of  the  exertion  of  directive  power 
is  only  limited  by  the  powers  of  the  individual  mind.  There  is  great 
significance  in  the  statement  of  Francis  Galton,  that  the  average 


THE    STUDY    ()F    HORTICULTURE    IX    PUBLIC    SCHOOLS.     1:^1 

iutcUeet  of  the  present  day  is  not  equal  to  the  problems  presented 
to  it.  This  cannot  be  from  a  diminution  of  natural  mental 
capacity,  but  from  some  failure  in  training. 

It  is  a  legitimate  subject  of  inquiry,  even  though  there  be  no 
ground  for  present  apprehension,  whether  there  are  any  but 
educational  forms  to  remove  the  possibility  of  the  world's  seeing 
repeated  the  supremacy  of  the  few  and  the  subservience  of 
millions  marked  by  the  ruins  in  the  valleys  of  the  Euphrates  and 
the  Nile. 

The  educational  and  social  ferment  of  the  present  day  is  a 
necessary  result  of  the  instinctive  effort  to  adapt  one's  self  to  the 
universe  in  which  he  is  placed,  an  effort  which  becomes  intelligent 
and  volitional  so  far  as  the  true  relations  to  that  universe  are 
clearly  perceived.  Mighty  civilizations  have  flourished  and  have 
then  been  overwhelmed  and  lost  in  the  revolutions  and  destruction 
of  empires.  To  trace  the  causes  of  their  triumph  and  decadence 
is  a  legitimate  exercise  of  the  intellect,  but  this  exercise  is  one  of 
the  luxuries  of  scholarship.  Something  else  is  needed  to  make  a 
people  citizens  of  their  own  time  and  participants  in  the  culture  of 
their  own  generation.  However  many  lost  arts  there  may  have 
been ;  whatever  the  character  of  the  sciences  the  knowledge  of 
which  may  have  disappeared,  the  sciences  and  the  arts  —  not  the 
art  —  which  mainl}^  give  shape  and  direction  to  the  civilization  of 
the  present  day,  are  the  growth  of  the  last  one  hundred  years,  and 
most  of  the  education  which  possesses  real  power  at  the  present 
day  is  new  education.  There  are  only  degrees  of  newness.  As  a 
necessary  result  of  the  newness  of  scientific  and  practical  culture, 
there  are  gaps  to  fill  out  in  the  system, —  there  is  imperative 
demand  for  improvement  in  method. 

In  this  general  discussion  it  has  been  my  purpose  to  emphasize 
the  fact  that  the  question  which  the  Horticultural  Society  this  day 
raises  is  a  part  of  that  larger  question  of  educational  advance  now 
moving  the  thought  of  the  world.  And  now  I  would  state  some 
grounds  for  the  conviction  that  the  introduction  of  the  study  of 
horticulture  into  the  common  school  course  will  supph^  a  force  still 
lacking  in  our  means  of  culture ;  that  such  introduction  is  easilj' 
practicable  in  country  and  city  schools,  and  that  there  is  good 
reason  to  believe  that  such  an  extension  of  the  course  of  study 
will  sers'e,  in  some  measure  at  least,  to  palliate,  when  it  does  not 
remove,  economic,  moral,  and  social  ills,  the  existence  of  which 
we  deplore. 


122  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

As  a  rule  uew  studies  are  introduced  iuto  courses  of  study  on 
the  ground  of  their  practical  value,  and  they  maintain  their 
ground  therein  unquestioned  so  far  as  they  prove  efficient  as 
means  of  culture.  Passing  over  for  the  present  the  discussion  of 
the  practical  value  of  the  study  of  horticulture,  I  will  crave  your 
forbearance  for  a  brief  discussion,  somewhat  technical  —  I  fear 
somewhat  drj'  —  of  the  s^jecial  culture  to  be  gained  from  the  study, 
and  of  its  true  place  in  a  system  of  education. 

In  libraries  we  have  the  garnered  results  of  the  wisdom  of  the 
ages.  If  Roseukrantz  be  right  in  his  statement  that  it  is  the 
end  of  education  to  build  up  in  the  mind  of  the  pupil  a  picture  of 
the  universe  as  mature  minds  have  painted  it,  the  library  may 
suffice ;  if  it  be  the  true  expression,  as  I  must  believe,  that  the 
aim  should  be  to  build  up  a  picture  of  the  universe  as  God  has 
made  it,  we  must  supplement  the  study  of  the  word  by  the  study 
of  the  thing — the  library  by  the  universe  itself.  It  is  not  the  fixed 
forms  of  things  alone  which  must  be  studied,  but  the  powers  by 
which  things  are  produced  and  maintained,  and  the  processes 
through  which  these  powers  work.  If  the  thing  is  a  pause  in  the 
Divine  thought,  the  process  is  the  Divine  thought  in  working. 

It  is  but  a  low  type  of  mental  exercise,  yet  an  essential  one, 
which  consists  in  the  mere  transference  to  the  memory  of  words 
and  of  notions  of  things.  Real  thinking  is  a  more  complex 
process,  and  knowledge  is  the  result  of  thinking  in  a  larger  sense. 
The  mind  grows  only  hy  exercise,  and  care  must  be  taken  that  it 
be  exercised  in  the  right  way  and  in  all  essential  ways.  All 
processes  of  thought  consist  in  the  separation  of  wholes  into  their 
constituent  parts,  or  the  combination  of  parts  into  a  whole. 
Since  all  thinking  deals  with  real  things  or  with  previously 
acquired  ideas,  we  have,  as  the  essential  forms  of  thought,  analy- 
sis and  synthesis,  dealing  directly  with  real  things  or  with  previously 
acquired  ideas,  or,  in  other  words,  real  and  ideal  analysis  and 
s^'nthesis.  To  illustrate  from  your  own  special  field: — in  passing 
from  the  real  plant  as  a  whole  to  the  observation  of  its  parts,  the 
process  is  one  of  real  analysis ;  in  following  the  development  of 
the  plant  from  the  seed,  the  process  is  one  of  real  synthesis.  If 
the  mind,  reproducing  previouslj-  acquired  ideas  of  similar  plants, 
drops  specific  differences  and  combines  common  features  to  form 
ideas  of  genus,  order,  etc.,  it  is  engaged  in  ideal  analysis,  as 
soins:  from  the  concrete  thins:  to  the  abstract  idea  ;    if  the  mind. 


THE    STUDY    OF    HORTICULTURE    FN    PUBLIC    SCHOOLS.     123 

Starting  from  the  general  abstract  idea,  plants  adds  to  it  the  ideas 
of  class  peculiarities  in  order  —  the  process  of  the  botanist  in 
classification — the  process  is  one  of  ideal  synthesis. 

This  sketch  covers  in  outline  the  field  of  intellectual  education, 
and  an  educational  system  must  supply  the  appropriate  subject  for 
each  of  these  classes  of  mental  exercise.  All  are  essential  to 
complete  culture,  and  each  has  its  appropriate  place  and  peculiar 
efficiency.  Every  mind  must  start  with  the  real,  and  most  will 
find  here  their  appropriate  field  of  exercise.  Only  philosophers 
and  scientists  work  easily  in  the  the  ideal  region,  and  it  has  been 
the  bane  of  our  education  that  abstractions  have  for  so  long  ruled 
the  field,  and  have  been  the  main  exercise  of  minds  but  poorly 
prepared  to  deal  with  them. 

If  it  were  enough  to  study  one  branch  of  science,  if  the  object 
were  merely  to  illustrate  a  process  of  thought,  the  work  of  the 
teacher  would  be  simple  indeed,  and  the  years  of  study  might  be 
few.  It  does  not  require  argument  to  prove  that  the  study  of  all 
the  forces  acting  through  matter  is  essential  to  anything  like  com- 
plete culture  ;  hence  the  divisions  of  physics  according  to  the  forces 
considered.  In  addition  to  the  physical  forces,  vital  forces,  as 
acting  in  plant  and  animal,  must  be  studied  for  essential 
knowledge  and  also  for  discipline.  The  predominance,  in  our 
courses  of  study,  of  the  study  of  the  animal  organism,  is 
probably  due  to  the  interest  excited  by  the  evolution  theory. 
There  are  apparently  insuperable  obstacles  to  the  general  teaching 
•of  this  department  of  biology  in  the  common  school.  It  requires 
a  training  and  skill  bej^ond  the  reach  of  most  teachers ;  the  subject 
in  some  of  its  aspects  is  repulsive  to  many  children,  and  the 
study  of  the  processes  and  laws  of  the  development  of  animal 
life  is  often  unfit  and  impossible  for  the  child.  The  knowledge 
of  facts  alone,  however  interesting  and  important  in  themselves, 
is  not  science,  which  must  always  sweep  full  circle.  The  astron- 
omer studies  the  laws  of  planetary  motion  by  comparing  the 
■observations  of  past  centuries  with  his  own.  The  geologist 
deduces  the  laws  of  his  science  from  comparison  of  stone  records 
reaching  through  the  vast  periods  of  geologic  time ;  the  biologist 
traces  the  laws  of  animal  development  through  successive  genera- 
tions. In  the  study  of  the  plant  the  circuit  of  development  may 
be  complete  in  one  season ;  modifications  are  easily  produced  and 
observed,  and  the  subject  is  at  all  times  and  stages  beautiful. 


124  :massachusett8  horticlxtural  society. 

To  recapitulate  : — The  four  essential  processes  of  thought  —  real 
and  ideal  analysis  and  synthesis  —  must  all  be  made  subjects  of 
exercise  in  a  system  of  education.  If  man  is  to  be  at  home  in 
the  world  which  he  inhabits,  he  must  know  not  merely  things, — 
he  must  also  be  trained  to  observe  the  action  of  the  classes  of 
forces  by  which  things  are  produced.  The  study  of  physical 
forces  must  be  supplemented  by  the  study  of  these  as  combined 
with  life  forces  in  the  study  of  plant  or  animal.  The  laboratory 
method  must  be  adopted.  The  biological  laboratory  is  often 
impossible  ;  the  garden  is  the  botanical  laboratory. 

Can  the  means  of  such  teaching  be  supplied  ?  I  must  leave  it 
for  you,  gentlemen,  to  decide  how  much  good  ground  is  essential 
to  the  school  garden.  There  is  surely  ground  enough  in  the 
country,  and  attached  to  the  city  school  there  may  be.  I  found  a 
fine  collection  of  plants  on  the  roof  of  a  school  house  built  for 
the  poor  of  East  London,  the  boy's  playground  being  also  on  the 
roof,  and  those  who  have  seen  the  beautiful  flower  garden  on 
the  roof  of  the  market  house  on  Princess  street  in  Edinburgh,, 
will  have  a  vivid  idea  of  the  possibilities  in  this  field. 

Is  such  an  extension  to  school  work  anywhere  found?  Yes, 
and  as  part  of  a  national  system,  I  will  read  the  course  in  horti- 
culture prescribed  by  law  for  the  common  schools  of  France, 
and  the  course  by  which  teachers  are  to  be  prepared  in  the  Normal 
Schools  for  the  direction  of  this  work.  In  France,  whatever  is  to 
be  in  the  education  of  the  people  must  be  in  the  normal  schools. 
The  problem  of  manual  labor  was  solved  there  by  putting  it  into 
the  normal  schools. 

Horticulture  takes  a  place  beside  agriculture  in  the  courses  of 
study  of  the  normal  schools  and  of  the  elementary  or  common 
schools.  The  course  for  the  third  year  of  the  normal  schools  for 
male  teachers  lays  doAvn  the  following  as  the  subjects  treated, 
under  the  title,  Fr%ut  and  Vegetable  Horticulture. 

1 .  The  site  (for  garden)  ;  preparation  of  the  soil ;  planting. 

2.  Special  culture  of  trees  and  shrubs:  The  vine,  the  peach 
tree,  the  cherry  tree,  the  plum  tree,  the  pear  tree,  the  apple  tree, 
the  rose,  etc. 

3.  Grafting. 

4.  The  vegetable  garden.  The  teacher  will  give  special  atten- 
tion to  the  modes  of  cultivation  and  the  varieties  of  plants  most 
important  in  the  section  of  country  in  which  the  school  is  located- 


THE    STUDY    OF    lIORTICrLTlRE    IN    PUBLIC    SCHOOLS.      125 

lu  the  uorinal  schools  for  female  teachers,  the  instruction  in 
horticulture  constitutes  a  part  of  the  course  in  domestic  economy 
for  the  second  year,  and  the  subjects  are  treated  in  the  following 
order : 

The  Garden. —  General  arrangement  of  the  garden:  walks, 
borders,  walls,  trellises,  garden  work  and  use  of  the  various 
garden  tools. 

The  Fruit  Garden. —  General  principles  of  the  culture  of  fruit 
trees,  with  application  to  the  varieties  best  suited  to  the  region. 
Diseases  of  fruit  trees.     Destruction  of  noxious  animals. 

The  Vegetable  Garden. —  Varieties,  cultivation,  and  harvest- 
ing" of  vegetables.  Harvesting,  sorting,  keeping  of  grains. 
Forced  cultivation  —  the  hot-bed,  the  frame,  the  bell-glass. 

The  Cultivation  of  Flowers, —  For  ornament  or  for  the  making 
of  perfumes. 

The  course  for  the  elementary  schools  is  in  general  as  follows  : 

Primary  Course. —  (Pupils  7  to  9  years  of  age.)  Fundamen- 
tal ideas  gained  in  the  school  garden. 

Middle  Course. —  (Pupils  9  to  11  years  of  age.)  The  instruc- 
tion bears  upon  the  elements  of  agriculture  :  principal  kinds  of 
soil,  fertilizers,  tools,  etc. 

Superior  Course. —  (Pupils  11  to  13  years  of  age.)  Horti- 
■culture  :  principal  processes  of  multiplication  of  the  most  useful 
vegetables.     Arboriculture ;  grafting^. 

The  completeness  and  comprehensiveness  of  the  course  in  the 
young  ladies'  normal  schools  is  especialW  noteworthy.  In  the 
normal  schools  for  young  men  there  is  also  a  course  in  agriculture, 
and  when  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  in  each  of  the  eighty-six  depart- 
ments of  France  there  is  a  normal  school  for  young  men  and  also 
one  for  young  women ;  that  the  education  of  the  common  people 
is  a  national  concern ;  that  the  schools  are  in  session  for  more 
than  ten  months  in  the  year ;  that  the  courses  of  study  are  pre- 
scribed by  the  superior  council  of  public  instruction ;  that  school 
attendance  is  compulsory  from  the  age  of  seven  to  fourteen,  and 
that  trained  teachers  must  be  employed,  the  prosperity,  the 
contentment,  and  the  patriotism,  of  the  country  people  of  France 
can  be  understood. 

The  care  taken  to  prepare  teachers  in  France  for  instruction  in  this 
line  may  be  shown  by  some  extracts  from  a  report  by  M.  Boutan, 
Inspector-General  of  Public  Instruction ;    speaking  for  a  commis- 


12()  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICUI.TUR.y:.    SOCIETY. 

sion  of  iuquiry  regarding  instriictiou  in  phj'sical  aud  natural 
sciences,  he  says: —  ....  "The  garden  of  the  Normal 
School  should  alwa3'S  have  a  nursery  of  fruit  trees,  and  a  square 
reserved  which  we  will  call  the  school  of  Botany.  The  pupils  will 
themselves  graft  the  trees  in  the  nursery  from  their  entry  into  the 
school,  under  the  direction  of  a  capable  gardener ;  they  will  thus 
learn  during  their  three  years'  course,  to  train  the  trees  of  the 
garden.  They  will  familiarize  themselves  with  the  most  usual 
processes  of  pruning,  and,  without  a  great  effort  of  memory,  they 
will  come  to  know  the  species  of  fruit  ti'ees  which  succeed  best  in 
the  region, —  those  which,  for  the  general  good,  should  be  propa- 
gated and  made  known.  Later,  when  the  Normal  pupil  has 
become  a  teacher  in  a  rural  community,  and  shall  have  a  garden, 
he  will  take  to  the  school  some  of  the  trees  which  he  had  formerly 
grafted,  aud  will  transplant  them  into  his  little  orchard.  We 
wish,  in  short,  to  reach  this  result  —  that  the  teacher's  garden  may 
be  the  best  kept  garden  of  the  town,  that  it  may  serve  as  a  type 
and  example.  Our  country"  people  are  opposed  to  all  ideas  of 
reform  aud  of  progress  when  presented  as  theory  aud  pure  science, 
j^et  they  will  become  zealous  imitators  and  obedient  disciples  when 
example  is  added  to  precept — when  they  are  presented  with  results 
obtained, —  with  palpable  facts.  If  the  teacher  obtains  fine  fruits 
and  good  vegetables  in  his  garden,  we  are  sure  that  the  farmers  of 
the  neighborhood  will  not  delay  in  adopting  his  processes ;  that 
they  will  take  his  advice ;  that  they  will  ask  him  for  grafts,  and 
that  soon,  and  without  the  need  of  any  other  propaganda,  good 
processes  of  arboriculture  will  become  general.  "We  can  cite 
several  departmeuts  in  which,  thanks  to  the  happy  initiative  of  the 
teachers,  the  wealth  of  the  country  has  increased  from  year  to 
year,  and  from  which  the  exportation  of  fine  fruit  has  become  the 
source  of  considerable  profit. 

"  The  little  school  of  botau}',  during  all  the  pleasant  season,  will 
furnish  to  the  teachers  and  pupils  the  living  plants  necessary  for 
lessons  aud  for  practical  work. 

' '  TVhat  we  have  just  said  regarding  arboriculture  applies  as  Avell 
to  market  gardening.  It  is  no  more  ditficult,  in  a  soil  properly 
prepared,  to  produce  good  vegetables  than  good  fruits.  It  is 
always  during  his  residence  in  the  Normal  school  that  the  future 
teacher  will  become  acquainted  with  the  traditions  of  intelligent 
practice.      We  note,  as  excellent  to  adopt,  the  custom  followed  in 


THE    STUDY    OF    HORTICULTURE    IN    rUHLIC    SCHOOLS.      127 

some  of  the  establishments  which  we  have  visited,  of  dividiug  the 
pupils,  for  garden  work,  into  several  groups.  Each  group, 
instead  of  devoting  itself  to  labor  without  a  result,  continues  to 
the  end  the  kind  of  cultivation  which  it  has  commenced.  It 
passes  then  to  a  different  kind  of  cultivation,  and  follows  this, 
too,  from  the  sowing  of  the  seed  to  the  harvest.  Following  this 
course  each  group,  during  the  three  years'  study,  can  become 
acquainted  with  all  the  processes  relating  to  the  cultivation  of  the 
difTerent  products  of  the  market  garden. 

"  This  important  question  has  been  discussed  b}^  the  commission  : 
Shall  the  professor  of  agriculture  be  asked  to  consider  horticulture, 
properly  so  called,  as  annexed  to  his  course,  or  must  the  teaching 
of  horticulture  be  given  to  a  special  teacher?  The  decision  was 
unanimous  for  the  second  plan,  for  this  reason  :  many  teachers  of 
agriculture,  very  able  as  agriculturists  and  as  chemists,  cannot 
give  good  instruction  in  horticulture ;  they  have  never  thoroughly 
studied  it ;  they  have  never  practised  it.  The  pruning  and  train- 
ing of  trees  is  known  to  them  only  in  theory ;  market  gardening  is 
but  little  less  strange.  Their  only  resource,  if  required  to  give 
this  instruction,  would  be  to  place  a  book  in  the  hands  of  the 
pupil,  and  to  explain  the  book.  The  final,  inevitable  result  would 
be  that  instruction  in  horticulture,  which  we  wish  to  see  prosper  in 
the  Normal  schools,  would  be  sacrificed. 

"Hence,  w^e  demand  that  a  master-gardener  be  attached  to  each 
Normal  school." 

The  school  study  of  agriculture  and  horticulture  is  not  peculiar 
to  France  among  the  continental  nations,  but  in  several  others  it 
receives  prominent  recognition,  how^ever  strange  this  may  seem  to 
America. 

In  this  we  have  another  illustration  of  our  educational  poverty 
as  regards  our  contributions  to  educational  theory  and  practice. 
Manual  training  in  our  schools  took  its  real  start  from  the  exhibit 
of  the  Moscow^  Technical  School  at  Philadelphia  in  1876,  the 
great  value  of  the  theory  and  method  of  which  was  at  once  recog- 
nized by  President  Runkle,  of  your  Institute  of  Technology,  and 
others ;  for  the  present  form  of  manual  training  in  the  common 
school  we  look  to  Sweden,  and  the  adaptation  of  the  Swedish 
"  .Sloyd"  to  the  primary  school  is  now  brought  to  us  by  two  sisters 
—  one  I  believe  in  Chicago  and  one  in  Boston  —  from  Helsingfors 
in  far  away  Finland. 


128  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

For  ph3'sical  traiuiug  iu  school,  Boston  has  adopted  the  Swedish 
system  as  the  best ;  aud  the  name  of  kindergarten,  and  of  its 
author,  Froebel,  alike  show  its  origin.  Until  America  can  show 
one  important  contribution  of  its  own,  there  should  be  no  objec- 
tion to  the  adoption  of  one  more  educational  feature  from  abroad. 

The  economic  advantages  have  been  briefly  stated  iu  the  French 
report  from  which  I  have  quoted. 

The  physical  advantages  in  furnishing  relief  from  the  stress  and 
strain  aud  a  remedy  for  the  dangers  of  school  life  aud  work,  as 
well  as  of  sedentary  occupations,  are  patent.  Like  advantages 
may  be  expected  from  the  furnishing  of  needed  changes  in  the 
food  aud  hours  and  habits  of  life,  of  many  of  our  people.  One 
advantage  of  the  study  of  horticulture  iu  our  schools  would  be 
that  it  might  change  the  hours  of  the  active  life  of  each  day,  even 
in  our  cities,  by  substituting  morning  hours  for  those  of  the  late 
evening.  On  a  larger  field  the  benefit  would  be  felt,  in  its  trans- 
formation, in  some  important  respects,  of  the  character  of  country 
life. 

The  transference  of  population  from  country  to  cit}'  is  one  of 
the  most  marked  characteristics  of  modern  civilization.  Accord- 
ing to  the  last  United  States  census  the  urban  population  of 
Massachusetts  is,  as  before  remarked,  now  seventy  per  ceut  of  the 
total.  Many  of  our  States  are  apprehensive  of  their  future  in 
view  of  the  large  and  increasing  number  of  abandoned  farms. 
Often  sadder  thau  the  abandoned  farm  are  the  abandoned  parents 
who  are  going  down  to  death  alone  on  the  old  place.  It  is  b}'  no 
meaus  always  true  that  the  children  who  have  gone  from  country 
to  cit}'  have  bettered  their  fortunes  by  the  removal ;  too  often  they 
have  bankrupted  fortune  and  morals  alike.  Yet  flight  was  and  is 
inevitable, —  it  is  an  instinctive  attempt  to  save  the  soul  alive. 
To  the  bright  boy  and  girl  on  the  country  farm  comes  day  by  day 
wonderful  music  from  the  wondrous  world  beyond  the  horizon's 
bar.  In  former  days  the  lumbering  stage  coach  brought  news  — 
a  little  —  from  abroad,  as  it  had  slowly  travelled  the  length  of  the 
land  aud  been  slowly  wafted  across  the  seas.  Now  the  express 
train,  the  ocean  racer,  and  the  magic  wire  over  the  mountains  and 
under  the  seas,  make  the  whole  world  kin,  and  iuflame  the 
imagination  of  the  youthful  watchers  iu  the  valley  and  on  the 
hillside.  The  magazine  comes  with  its  reproductions  of  art,  aud 
its  revelations  of   the   beauty   which  cities   have   to   show.      The 


THE  STUDY  or  ironTirT-LTiRE  IX  rrnLic  schools.   129 

summer  traveller  and  the  summer  boarder  come  to  disturb  the 
dreams  of  the  country  maiden,  and  to  emphasize  the  contrast 
between  the  actual  and  the  ideal.  With  awakened  intelligence  and 
quickened  taste  the  mind  reaches  out  for  appropriate  stimulus  as  the 
flower  turns  toward  the  sun.  And  this  actual  life,  so  full  of  toil, 
so  bare  of  charm  —  the  home  with  no  adornment  within  or 
without  —  you  know  it,  for  in  j-our  travels  you  must  have  seen  it. 
In  a  daj^'s  ride  across  country  so  rarely  can  one  see  around  the 
country  house  any  hint  of  garden  in  the  true  sense  of  the  term, 
that  when  once  seen  the  sight  will  sigualize  that  day's  journey. 

The  summer  homes  of  those  who  with  more  ample  means  seek 
gratification  of  the  innate  love  for  the  real  delights  of  country  life, 
are  marvels  of  beauty ;  but  these  being  the  creation  of  wealth  and 
taste  are  quite  bej'ond  the  reach  of  those  who  live  on  in  the  same 
old  way,  for  lack  of  the  training  which  is  so  easily  attainable  and 
so  strangely  withheld. 

For  another  reason  are  the  farms  abandoned  :  their  cultivation 
has  become  unprofitable.  Under  proper  cultivation  we  know  that 
fields  are  fertile  after  centuries  of  culture ;  many  of  our  farms 
liave  had  their  wealth  exhausted  in  three  generations.  The 
colleges  of  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts,  with  their  four 
years'  courses  of  scientific  study,  do  not  meet  this  necessity. 
The  people  are  not  given  in  the  common  schools  even  the  stones 
of  scientific  culture.  A  large  proportron  of  the  farmers  in  this 
country  have  not  learned  that  fertilizers  can  be  taken  up  by  crops 
only  when  in  solution.  They  allow  the  rain  to  leach  away  all  the 
virtue  of  the  stock  of  manure,  and  put  the  sticks  and  straw  upon 
their  lands.  In  the  country  school  not  even  the  simplest  laws  of 
plant  growth  are  taught.  When  in  the  academy  or  high  school 
some  most  elementary  knowledge  of  botany  is  offered  to  the  few 
who  reach  these  schools,  the  study  usually  covers  only  a  part  of  the 
field.  In  our  schools  it  is  geuerallj'^  the  case  that  botany  is  taught 
only  in  the  spring ;  fruits  are  not  studied  at  all,  and  the  best 
methods  of  preserving  them  are  unknown.  Some  seeds  are 
sprouted  in  the  school-room  to  illustrate  the  process  of  germina- 
tion. The  school  grounds  are  never  desecrated  by  the  growing  of 
plants ;  the  kind  and  preparation  of  the  soil,  the  selection  and 
action  of  fertilizers,  climatic  conditions  and  their  influences,  the 
selection  and  use  of  tools,  and  the  actual  manipulations  of  the  art, 


130  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

remain  to  most  of  our  farmers  mysteries  still,  and  generation 
follows  generation  in  the  same  dull  round. 

The  facts  few  will  deny ;  the  results  we  must  deplore ;  relief 
must  be  sought  and  found,  if  not  on  this  line  then  on  some  other, 
but  what? 

The  economic  advantages  which  would  be  derived  from  a  wider 
diffusion  of  horticultural  knowledge  and  a  better  horticultural 
practice  need  not  be  detailed  before  this  audience.  The  physical 
advantages  which  pupils  in  school  would  derive  from  spending 
some  time  each  day  in  these  out-door  lessons  and  exercises,  it 
needs  no  ai*gument  to  enforce,  and  if  thus  a  love  for  the  garden 
and  its  better  and  finer  products  could  become  wide-spread,  there 
must  result  an  influence  of  infinite  value  upon  the  habits  and 
lives  of  our  people. 

Above  and  beyond  all  this,  however,  there  are  relations  to  the 
higher  life  of  man  which  should  not  be  left  out  of  the  account. 
In  the  physical  laboratorj^  the  scientist  deals  with  forces  almost 
entirely  under  his  control ;  in  the  garden  the  thoughtful  pupil  sees 
himself  working  with  forces  beyond  his  control, —  forces  running 
toward  grand,  harmonious,  beautiful,  beneficent  ends,  on  lines 
laid  down  by  an  intelligence  infinitely  beyond  his  own.  If  the 
"  uudevout  astronomer  is  mad,"  the  gardener  who  cannot  discern 
the  spiritual  significance,  the  infinite  suggestions,  of  that  with 
which  he  deals,  must  be  akin  to  the  clod  he  turns.  There  is  some- 
thing in  the  culture  and  study  of  plants  that  carries  the  mind 
outward  and  upward  toward  the  Infinite.  I  shall  never  forget  the 
look,  deep  beyond  his  years,  of  a  little  boy,  nuich  in  love  with 
plants,  as  he  broke  in  upon  the  conversation  in  the  garden,  as  the 
sun  was  setting,  with  the  question,  '*Do  not  plants  think?  I 
thought  they  did."  That  boy,  before  taking  any  lessons  in  botany- 
had  three  hundred  specimens  in  his  herbarium.  The  bo}'  has 
become  a  man,  and  a  lawyer  in  New  York,  but  his  love  for 
Nature  is  as  strong  as  ever,  and  his  vacation  rambles  and  studies 
keep  his  thoughts  fresh  and  young. 

The  beauty  and  the  grandeur  of  natural  scenery  are  beyond  the 
appreciation  of  many ;  they  often  appeal  to  us  with  a  power  which 
exhausts  while  it  uplifts  ;  we  can  read  their  deepest  meaning  only 
in  our  rarest  moods.  An  added  meaning  and  an  added  grace  is 
given  to  Nature  by  the  skilful  and  loving  hand. 

In  the  course  of  study  in  our  common  schools  no  provision  has 
been  made  hitherto  for  cultivating    a    taste    for    natural    beaut3\ 


TIIK    STUDY    or    lIOKTltULTlKK    IN     I'lBLIC    SCllOULS.      131 

Although  wide  districts  of  our  country  have  been  occupied  for 
generations  by  farmers  and  their  families,  mau}'  of  these  dwellers 
in  the  midst  of  our  uiost  beautiful,  and  even  grand  scenery,  have  been 
quite  unaware  that  it  possesses  such  characteristics.  A  cultivated 
citizen  of  Philadelphia  discovered  North  Conway,  and  his  an- 
nouncement of  its  charms  led  to  its  becoming  a  fashionable 
resort  for  summer  boarders.  A  party  of  summer  tourists  wander- 
ing over  the  White  Mountain  district  noticed  at  one  homestead 
that  the  barn  was  so  placed  as  to  completely  prevent  the  house 
from  coumianding  a  view  of  Mount  Washington.  The  farmer, 
on  being  asked  why  his  barn  was  thus  located,  replied:  "When 
that  barn  was  built  Mount  Washington  hadn't  been  discovered." 
The  cultivation,  in  the  rising  generation,  of  appreciation  of  the 
beautiful  in  Nature  and  art  would  add  greatly  to  their  capacity  to 
perform  better  work  in  every  vocation,  especially  rural,  as  well  as 
to  their  ability  to  see  and  enjoy  the  charms,  not  only  of  fine  produc- 
tions of  art,  and  of  beautiful  and  grand  scenery,  but  of  all  created 
things.  Furthermore,  their  development  in  this  direction  would 
exert  a  reflex  influence  upon  the  present  generation  and  thus 
increase  the  happiness  of  the  Avhole  race. 

We  read  in  the  beginning  of  the  divine  record  that  God  planted' 
a  garden  eastward  in  P^den, —  and  that  he  placed  man  therein  to 
keep  and  to  dress  it.  On  the  cross  the  Saviour  of  mankind  said 
to  the  penitent,  "This  day  shalt  thou  be- with  me  in  Paradise," — 
a  pleasure  garden.  Were  there  more  gardens  along  the  way,  the 
course  through  this  world  to  a  beautiful  hereafter  would  be 
straighter  and  smoother. 

Dr.  Rounds  remarked  during  his  lecture  that  by  the  exten- 
sion of  courses  of  instruction  in  natural  science  to  young  women,, 
the  fact  has  been  recognized  that  it  is  a  study  entirely  appro- 
priate for  them. 

It  is  remarkable  that,  so  far  as  he  knows,  farming  and  garden- 
ing are  the  only  occupations  carried  on  for  fun.  Wealthy  men  go 
back  to  their  homes  or  farms  in  the  country  and  spend  money 
for  beauty,  but  merchants  and  teachers  do  not  go  back  to  their 
occupations. 

If  we  take  a  piece  of  natural  scenery  and  work  it  up  by  the  aid 
of  man    and  it  is  controlled  by  man,  a  new  life  is  given  it. 

Whatever  may  be  said  in  the  city  we  know  that  in  times  of 
trouble  help  is  sought  from  the  country.     Solitude  makes  a  coun- 


132  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

try  boy  thoughtful  if  he  has  the  capacity  for  thought.  He  is 
brought  in  contact  with  a  power  beyoud  his  reach.  The  deepest 
religious  sense  of  the  world  is  connected  with  comnmniou  with 
nature. 

Discrssiox. 

Rev.  A.  B.  Muzzey  said  that  if  the  presentation  of  this  subject 
had  taken  hold  of  others  as  it  had  of  him,  it  was  a  happy  circum- 
stance that  they  could  attend  this  meeting.  When  he  saw  this 
subject  in  the  list  for  the  season,  he  thought  it  the  best  of  them 
all ;  it  strikes  at  the  root  of  all  the  operations  of  this  Society. 
He  would  throw  no  discredit  on  those  who  follow  the  business  of 
horticulture  for  profit ;  but  he  was  amazed  to  see  how  much  some 
men  care  for  the  accumulation  of  money  while  they  care  nothing 
for  beauty.  They  appear  not  to  comprehend  the  love  of  Nature. 
He  stood  not  long  since  talking  with  a  man  successful  in  business 
and  possessing  a  large  property,  and  expressed  to  him  his  admira- 
tion for  a  fine  orange  tree  full  of  fruit,  near  which  they  stood. 
The  man  replied  that  he  thought  the  oranges  could  be  raised  for 
seventeen  cents  apiece.  Now  that  man  could  not  see  anything  in 
the  plant  beyond  its  market  price ;  l>ut  his  remark  gave  the 
speaker  a  shock  from  which  he  had  as  yet  hardly  recovered.  He 
would  have  every  child  so  educated  as  to  be  able  to  appreciate 
beauty,  especially  the  beauty  of  Nature,  from  that  in  the  com- 
monest things  around  us,  up  to  the  beauty  and  grandeur  displayed 
in  the  order  and  glory  of  the  heavenly  bodies.  How  can  a  mature 
person  see  nothing  in  the  objects  around  him  but  their  pecuniary 
value  ?  He  was  glad  to  have  lived  to  see  a  special  effort  made  to 
interest  children  in  gardening,  but  even  yet  there  is  not  enougli 
interest  taken  in  it.  The  love  of  beauty  should  be  called  forth  and 
developed  in  the  rising  generation.  The  young  no  less  than  the 
middle-aged  of  the  present  time  should  be  led  to  put  their  hearts 
into  this  work,  as  one  of  the  most  effective  means  of  elevating 
the  present,  as  well  as  coming,  generations.  It  should  be  done 
unitedly,  and  by  all  means  and  methods,  up  to  calling  the 
attention  of  government  to  the  matter.  While  children  should  be 
trained  intellectuall}^  we  ought  no  longer  to  neglect  a  culture  of 
the  love  and  appreciation  of  the  beautiful. 

Henry  L.  Clapp  asked,  What  is  the  object  of  these  discussions? 
If  not  intended  as  a  means  of  education  he  did  not  know    their 


TIIK    STIDV    OF    lIOKTirULTURE    IN    I'lHLIC    SCHOOLS.      133 

purpose.  It  has  been  said,  "If  you  would  teacli  art,  Boston  is  a 
good  place  to  begin";  but  how  about  horticultural  education? 
We  are  a  Society  with  a  large  property  aud  a  large  income,  of 
which  a  round  sum  is  annually  offered  and  paid  out  in  prizes.  In 
view  of  this  many  people  come  here  and  take  prizes  year  after 
year,  and  yet,  when  it  is  proposed  to  spend  any  money  to  instruct 
children  in  horticulture,  they  say  this  is  not  a  charitable  institution. 
He  believed  that  Boston  is  the  place  to  begin  the  work  of  teaching 
children  horticulture,  and  not  only  the  theories,  but  the  practical 
art  of  it ;  and  that  this  Society  is  the  most  proper  organization 
to  initiate  that  work.  In  reply  to  a  question  b}^  the  President,  as 
to  whether  the  Sloyd  system  should  not  include  horticulture,  Mr. 
Clapp  said  that  the  Sloyd  system  pertains  solely  to  working  in 
wood,  with  the  object  of  gaining  dollars  and  cents  at  the  end  of  it, 
and  from  its  adoption  would  come  only  danger  of  suppressing 
horticulture. 

Leverett  M.  Chase  was  pleased  with  the  suliject  presented  and 
gratified  by  the  essayist's  method  of  treating  it.  He  stated  that 
the  movement  in  this  matter,  commenced  by  this  Societ3%  had 
resulted  in  an  application  to  the  City  Government  to  have  the 
arable  portion  of  the  school  grounds  put  in  charge  of  the  City 
Forester,  and  the  question  would  come  up  before  the  City  Council 
very  soon.  He  would  ask  the  aid  of  others  here.  It  is  painful  to 
know  that  so  much  thought  is  given  to  getting  money,  or  devoted 
to  material  things,  and  to  see  how  far  the  infinite  energies  of  the 
.soul  are  wasted.  While  these  things  are  not  to  be  despised,  they 
should  not  take  the  first  and  best  thought.  There  is  too  little 
thought  bestowed  upon  spiritual  welfare  —  upon  the  cultivation  of 
soul  life,  that  it  may  be  elevated  aud  that  we  may  ])e  the  better 
fitted  for  this  life  and  for  the  life  to  come. 

Caleb  Bates  remarked  tiiat  being  past  three  score  years  and  ten, 
he  was  neariug  the  end,  but  always  felt  an  interest  in  the  proceed- 
ings of  these  meetings  ;  that  he  did  not  know  when  he  came  here 
today  what  was  to  be  heard,  and  would  have  liked  to  have  a  few 
moments  to  collect  his  thoughts ;  but  he  saw  by  the  remarks  of 
the  last  speaker  that  the  audience  felt  the  elevating  tone  of  the 
essay,  which  had  affected  him  greatly  and  he  would  like  to  say 
what  was  unusual  in  meetings  of  this  character.  All  are  willing 
to  acknowledge  that  all  the  natural  things  in  our  gardens  were 
made  by  God,  and  therefore  must  be  images  of  principles  in  the 


134  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Diviue  Mind,  aud  the  original  must  be  in  the  Paradisiacal  garden, 
and  what  we  see  here  are  but  imperfect  clay  models  of  the  original. 
Thus  if  we  put  aside  old  blinding  dogmas  we  could  look  through 
these  things  right  into  the  spiritual  world  and  see  in  a  degree 
the  things  to  which  the}'  correspond. 

By  correspondence  our  growth  is  represented  in  the  first  Psalm 
as  the  growth  of  a  tree  ;  a  godly  man  as  a  thrifty  tree  growing 
by  a  river,  and  depicted  as  a  well-developed  being,  able  to  appre- 
ciate the  good,  the  true,  and  the  beautiful ;  but  the  ungodlv 
are  not  so,  but  are  like  the  chaff,  undeveloped.  Were  the  j^ouug 
taught  the  art  of  horticulture,  the  love  of  nature  thereby  engen- 
dered would  be  elevating,  helpful  in  cultivating  the  faculty  of 
appreciation,  and  would  sometime  enable  them  to  see  and  love  the 
good,  thus  preparing  them  for  the  better  world. 

Rev.  Calvin  Terry  was  much  interested  in  the  essay ;  it  pointed 
in  the  right  direction.  In  former  times  it  was  common  talk  that 
people  did  not  need  much  book-learning  to  become  farmers.  Now  it 
Tvould  sometimes  seem  that  a  farmer  to  be  successful,  needed 
all  the  wisdom  and  all  the  learning  in  the  world.  But  of  all  the 
branches  taught  there  are  none  that  give  breadth  and  solidity  to 
character  like  these  horticultural  studies.  He  said  the  Life  of 
George  Washington  was  one  of  the  first  books  he  read,  that  he 
remembered.  Everybody  has  read  or  heard  tlie  story  of  George 
and  his  little  hatchet,  but  he  would  call  attention  to  another. 
George  once  found  in  the  garden,  his  own  name,  growing  up  out 
of  the  soil,  and  ran  to  his  father  for  an  explanation  of  the  wonder. 
This  was  given  in  a  religious  lesson,  illustrating  the  beauty  and 
wisdom  of  Divine  planning,  as  well  as  its  necessity,  and  the 
omnipotent  power  of  God  as  displayed  in  all  things.  Such 
experiences  in  his  childhood  did  more  to  make  the  immortal 
Washington,  than  all  the  political  influence  that  was  exerted  in  his 
favor.  Everything  that  has  life  in  it  thinks  after  its  fashion,  for 
God  is  in  it,  and  he  is  all  thought.  "All  things  in  Nature  are 
beautiful  types  to  the  soul  that  reads  them." 

"Cities  groAv  west,"  but  the  speaker  was  happy  to  say  that 
he  had  always  grown  toward  the  east.  In  his  garden  there  is 
nothing  to  intercept  the  rays  of  the  rising  sun,  and  he  liked 
to  be  there  and  see  their  first  glimmerings.  He  wished  that  all 
children  could  be  taught  to  appreciate  the  first  hour  of  morning 
with   all    its    fresh    beauty,    music,   and  brightness.      He    thought 


THE    STUDV    OF    HOirnCTLTrKE    I\    ITHLIC    SCHOOLS.      135 

such  ohihlrt'U,  whoii  grown  to  mature  years,  would  not  V)e  apt  to 
run  aw'ay  with  the  funds  of  saviugs  banks,  or  other  trusts ;  for 
tliey  would  see  God  in  everything  and  be  impressed  always  with 
the  thought,   "Thou  God  seest  me,"  and  would  not  dare  to  sin. 

Mr.  Clapp  said  that  he  had  been  interested  in  all  the  preceding 
discussion,  but  was  far  .more  interested  in  the  work  of  educating 
the  people  in  horticulture ;  that  one  stroke  of  work  in  that  direction 
was  worth  nvore  than  all  the  expressions  of  theory  that  could  be 
uttered.  The  saying  that  this  Society  is  not  a  charitable  institu- 
tion may  he  true,  but  it  is  an  educational  organization,  and  he 
would  suggest  that  if  the  Society  should  spend  a  thousand  dollars 
in  establishing  scliool  gardens  it  would  do  more  to  promote  the 
objects  for  which  it  was  founded  than  could  be  accomplished  in  any 
other  way. 

Dr.  Rounds  held  u})  two  small  books  published  in  Paris,  costing 
to  import,  one  thirty  cents,  the  other  forty  cents.  One,  a  first-book 
of  agriculture  and  horticulture,  "  Le  Petit  Agronome,"  was  a  text- 
book for  the  elementary  school.  It  treats  of  soils  and  their  man- 
agement, of  plants  and  the  modes  of  cultivation,  of  domestic 
animals,  their  hygienic  treatment  and  their  diseases,  and  of 
various  other  matters  of  great  importance  to  the  farmer.  The 
other  book  was  a  story  of  country  life,  showing  the  sure  reward 
which  comes  to  the  boy  who  by  industry  and  frugality  makes  the 
most  of  his  opportunity  on  the  farm,  and  the  miserable  loss  which 
attends  the  opposite  course.  One  of  the  characters  in  the  story, 
M.  Barron,  after  accumulating  a  fortune  in  business  in  Paris, 
attempts  the  rdle  of  gentleman  farmer,  and  wastes  his  capital  in 
experiments  which  a  practical  knowledge  of  farming  would  have 
prevented.  His  wife  and  daughters  scorn  the  duties  of  the  new 
position,  and  persist  in  continuing  in  the  country  the  employments 
and  the  styles  of  Paris.  The  inevitable  result,  financial  ruin, 
speedily  follows.  This  little  book  is  illustrated  with  a  hundred 
and  sixty  engravings,  and  weaves  into  the  interesting  story  of  life 
on  the  farm  a  systematic  treatment  of  rural  economy,  and  presents 
a  course  of  illustrated  object  lessons  on  the  plants,  insects,  and 
animals  which  the  farmer  needs  to  know.  He  knew  of  no  books 
within  the  reach  of  our  schools  of  the  character  of  these,  or 
approximating  to  them.  There  is  nothing  in  our  common  schools 
adapted  to  give  a  love  for  country  life  or  such  knowledge  as  the 
farmer  needs.      On  the  contrarv,  our  teaching  tends  almost  exclu- 


136  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

sively  towards  mercantile  pursuits.  Nearly  all  the  practical  proV)- 
lems  in  our  arithmetics  are  mercantile, —  there  is  hardly  ever  one 
relating  to  manufacturing,  and  it  maj'  be  said  never  one  relating 
to  agriculture.  The  examples  in  the  text-books  on  book-keeping 
are  drawn  from  the  store,  the  bank,  and  the  railroad.  It  is  easj' 
to  see  that  with  such  text-books  the  school  training  and  general 
instruction  now  given  must  tend  strongly  to  draw  our  youth  away 
from  the  farm,  the  garden,  and  Nature,  notwithstanding  the 
almost  universal  natural  inclination  of  childhood  to  enjoy  working 
in  the  soil  and  seeing  and  cultivating  flowers  and  other  crops. 
Under  these  circumstances  there  exists  a  great  need  that  a  strong 
movement  be  made  to  secure  the  introduction  into  the  schools, 
of  a  newly  arranged  course  of  study,  in  which  the  interests  of 
agriculture  and  horticulture  should  have  the  full  share  of  attention 
to  which  their  relative  importance  entitles  them. 

William  H.  Bowker  alluded  to  the  query,  Is  it  expedient  to  put 
more  into  the  curriculum  of  our  schools  ?  and  then  declared  he  was 
heartily  in  sympathy  with  Dr.  Rounds,  and  not  at  all  so  with  the 
objection  that  the  school  course  is  already  crowded.  He  had 
with  him  at  his  farm  last  summer,  two  bright  Boston  boys,  now 
going  through  the  Latin  School ;  one  his  own  son,  the  other  the  son 
of  a  city  friend.  He  was  one  daj-  going  over  the  farm  with  them, 
accompanied  also  by  five  English  bo^'s  —  sons  of  his  foreman  —  of 
whom  two  were  of  the  same  ages  as  the  American  boj's.  As  they 
passed  along  he  would  ask  questions  about  various  objects  they 
saw, —  plants,  rocks,  water,  air,  etc.  The  Boston-taught  boys 
knew  nothing  about  them,  but  the  P^nglish  lads  answered  nearly 
every  question.  He  then  asked  the  names  of  the  capitals  of  the 
countries  of  South  America, —  also  questions  about  the  regions  in 
Africa  in  which  Stanley  had  travelled  so  widely.  The  New  Eng- 
land boys  were  quite  ready  to  give  answer  to  these  questions,  of 
Avhich  the  English  boj's  had  not  been  taught.  They  had,  however, 
been  taught  to  observe  and  study  Nature, —  the  things  they  could 
see ;  the  Boston  boys,  on  the  contrary  had  not  been  taught  to 
study  things  around  them,  but  to  stud}'  about  things  distant  from 
them.  Even  our  country-bred  boy  or  man  does  not  appreciate  the 
great  resources  of  the  countr}'  for  enjoyment ;  beautiful  scenery 
in  combination, —  mines  of  knowledge  and  exquisite  pleasure  if 
studied  in  detail.  He  was  glad  to  hear  of  a  proposed  course 
of  training  in  "art  appreciation,"  and  believed  it  would  be  well  to 


THE    STUDY    OF    HOKl'ICULTURE    IN    PUBLIC    S(M1()()LS.     137 

introduce  such  a  course  into  agricultural  colleges  and  also  into 
other  higber  institutions  of  learning.  Indeed,  be  approved  the 
idea  of  Mr.  Clapp,  that  this  Society  should  appropriate  money 
to  begin  such  training  among  the  school  children.  He  once 
offered  to  pay  the  Boston  boys  to  make  collections  of  bugs  and 
plants  to  learn  about  them,  and  soon  found  that  a  little  girl  of  four 
years  had  developed  an  interest  iu  the  pursuit,  and  followed  the 
example  of  her  elders.  He  asked  why  can  we  uot  teach  the 
children  of  this  country  to  know  the  common  things  around  them 
before  we  try  to  teach  them  abstract  principles. 

In  reply  to  Mr.  Bowker,  Mr.  Clapp  said  there  was  no  need  of 
taking  out  any  studies  in  the  present  course  of  instruction  in 
Boston  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  horticulture,  because  tlu' 
School  Board  had  directed  that  two  hours  each  week  should  be 
given  to  the  study  of  natural  history  in  the  three  lower  grades  of 
the  grammar  schools.  The  time  had  uot  been  spent  as  directed, 
but  had  been  given  to  those  studies  which  seemed  more  likely  to 
result  in  dollars  and  cents. 

Mr.  Chase  said  that  examination  papers  contain  uo  reference  to 
these  studies.  Our  system  of  education  pushes  the  attention 
of  children  to  the  outward  and  downward,  toward  the  getting  of 
money.  Our  boys  are  brought  up  to  worship  the  "almighty 
dollar."  We  must  educate  the  people  better,  giving  more  atten- 
tion to  observation  of  the  beautiful  and  sublime,  as  well  as  the 
useful  in  the  world  of  Nature.  He  remembered  that  when 
making  the  passage  over  Lake  Champlain,  there  were  a  man  and 
his  wife  iu  the  party.  The  gentleman  took  a  good  position  for 
observations  of  the  fine  scenery  and  any  other  attractions  which 
were  visible,  while  the  lady  established  herself  in  a  comfortable 
seat,  and  devoted  her  attention  exclusively  to  a  ten-cent  Beadle 
novel.  She  was  fashionably  dressed,  and  had  the  air  of  one 
whose  husband  was  a  successful  money  catcher,  but  so  far  as 
any  pleasure  or  other  benefit  which  the  trip  afforded  her  was  con- 
cerned, she  might  as  well  have  been  at  home  or  in  an  attic  parlor 
of  a  sixteen-story  hotel  in  the  city,  with  the  book  in  which  her 
mind  was  wholly  absorbed.  We  are,  as  a  people,  getting  developed 
in  body  and  mind  by  pursuing  low  roads.  Most  of  our  people 
seem  to  prefer  to  amass  money  enough  to  spoil  their  children, 
instead  of  so  educating  and  training  them  as  to  fit  them  to  make 
an  independent   living    for   themselves.     As    a    consequence,  the 


138  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

children  think,  "  Fatlier  has  moue}^  enough,"  and  therefore  thej' 
will  do  no  work.  Labor  is  the  primal  blessing,  and  although 
the  speaker  believed  in  teaching  arithmetic  and  the  other  useful 
branches  in  the  school  course,  he  would  have  more  time  given  to 
out-door  culture,  as  in  the  French,  German,  and  Swiss  schools. 
Upon  the  introduction  of  School  Gardens,  it  might  be  necessary 
to  call  the  first  boy  to  take  a  lesson  in  it,  but  the  next  boy  would 
go  right  in.  Boys  should  not  be  taught  as  if  they  were  all  to 
be  college  professors.  Now,  when  they  go  to  Harvard,  they  are 
not  examined  to  see  what  they  know  about  plants,  but  about  Greek 
exceptions. 

Dr.  Rounds  referred  to  the  French  system  again.  The  school 
authorities  there,  decide  what  the  branches  taught  in  each  school 
shall  be,  and  assign  a  certain  proportion  of  time  for  each.  A 
place  in  the  programme  must  be  found  for  each,  and  it  is  found. 
It  is  no  infliction  upon  the  pupils  of  a  French  school  to  say  ' '  Now 
we  will  go  into  the  garden."  More  time  is  given  to  school  work 
there  than  here,  but  the  pressure  is  not  so  great  and  the  children 
are  not  over-taxed  under  this  system.  If  horticulture  and  manual 
training  are  introduced  into  our  American  schools,  they  could 
be  added  to  the  course  as  rewards  of  merit.  He  could  not 
believe  it  would  be  any  worse  for  our  boj's  to  be  busy  in  the 
school  grounds  than  to  be  standing  around  the  streets.  As  matters 
now  stand  he  could  see  no  way  to  effect  this  object  except  to 
convert  the  school  committee,  and  get  them  to  say  that  a  certain 
portion  of  time  shall  be  given  to  these  studies,  and  see  that  it  is 
done,  for  they  are  quite  as  important  as  true  discount  or  common 
multiples. 

Mr.  Clapp  said  that  our  educational  institutions  and  business 
enterprises  gave  foreigners  the  impression  that  if  they  came  to 
this  countrj',  the}'  should  be  pretty  sure  to  get  rich,  and,  therefore, 
they  came  here  every  year  by  hundreds  of  thousands.  He  added 
that  our  national  emblem  is  the  American  eagle,  bearing  in  his 
beak  a  ribbon  upon  which  is  written  "E  Pluribus  Uuum,"  which 
means  little  or  nothing  to  foreigners ;  but  if  the  inscription  should 
be  changed  to  "The  Land  of  the  Almighty  Dollar,"  it  would  be" 
full  of  significance  to  them.  The  ruling  ambition,  prevailing 
everywhere  in  this  country,  that  children  shall  be  educated  so  as 
to  earn  their  living  as  soon  as  possible  in  the  first  place,  and  make 
as    much   money  as   possible   afterward,    is   so  strong  that   most 


THE    STUDY    OF    in^RTICULTURE    IN    PURLIC    SCHOOLS.     139 

teachers  are  intlueuced  to  spend  the  time  Avisely  set  apart  b}' 
the  School  Board  for  natural  history  work,  upon  other  studies, 
more  in  line  with  mercenar}'  motives.  So  they  do  not  carry  out 
the  authorized  programme. 

Herbert  H.  Bates,  being  called  upon,  said  he  had  been  much 
interested  in  all  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting.  He  thought  Dr. 
Rounds  struck  the  riglit  chord  when  he  said  that  in  gardening  we 
are  dealing  with  forces  over  which  we  have  no  control.  To 
correct  a  misunderstanding  —  as  he  was  introduced  as  teachei'  of 
physical  sciences  in  Cambridge  —  he  said  there  was  no  provision  in 
the  course  of  study  for  teaching  elementary  science  in  the  schools 
of  Cambridge.  But  there  is  in  Boston,  although  it  seems  that  it 
is  not  observed. 

Dr.  Rounds  remarked  that  new  buildings  were  being  erected  for 
the  State  Normal  School  of  which  he  is  the  Principal,  and  he 
hoped  to  succeed  in  persuading  the  Trustees  to  allow  one  portion 
of  the  property  to  be  used  in  the  interest  of  horticulture.  He  had 
no  doubt  time  would  be  found  for  teaching  the  branches  in  that 
department.  How  beautiful  it  would  be  if  we  could  generally 
have  provision  made  for  school  grounds  of  sufficient  extent,  which 
in  time  Avould  form  school  parks.  He  then  referred  to  the  Reform 
School  at  Red  Wing,  Goodhue  County,  Minn.  The  grounds  of 
this  institution  are  ample,  and  are  enclosed  by  a  substantial  fence, 
but  the  gates  are  never  locked,  and  there  is  no  appearance  of  a 
prison  about  the  premises,  yet  there  is  seldom  any  trouble  from 
efforts  to  run  away.  The  inmates,  both  boys  and  girls,  are 
trained  in  horticulture,  and  such  is  the  interest  they  take  in  their 
duties  that  they  find  the  establishment  a  very  happy  home.  They 
boast  that  in  one  department  of  the  work,  the  production  of 
plants,  their  sales  amounted  to  $1,500  in  one  season.  A  fire 
occurred  there  some  time  ago,  which  caused  great  excitement  among 
the  inmates,  and  they  ran  about  in  wild  confusion  at  first,  and 
people  who  came  to  assist  in  extinguishing  the  flames,  declared 
that  these  young  prisoners  were  escaping ;  but  the  Superintend- 
ent said :  ''We  must  put  out  the  fire  the  first  thing."  After  the 
flames  were  sulxlued,  the  roll  was  called  and  not  one  of  the 
number  was  missing.  Of  course  hereditary  influences  are  often 
manifested,  but  such  is  the  effect  of  the  system  of  treatment 
while  there,  that,  as  the  records  show,  less  than  ten  per  cent  of 
the  graduates    fall    into  the  hands   of    the    law  after  leaving  the 


140  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

school,  although  without  this  training  not  ten  per  cent  woukl 
be  able  to  avoid  that  fate.  As  much  time  is  given  to  training 
them  to  work  as  to  book  instruction,  but  the  elevating  influences 
of  the  institution  are  educational  and  prove  very  advantageous 
and  beneficial  to  every  one  sent  there.  Dr.  Rounds  eonsidei'ed 
it  a  model  of  its  kind. 

0.  B.  Hadwen  moved  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Dr.  Rounds  for  the 
valuable  lecture  he  had  delivered  Itefore  the  Society,  which  was 
unanimously  passed. 

The  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Publication  and  Discussion 
announced  for  the  next  Saturday,  a  lecture,  under  the  John  Lewis 
Russell  Fund,  on  "Diseases  of  Trees  Likely  to  Follow  Mechanical 
Injuries,''  by  William  G.  Farlow,  Professor  of  Cryptogamic  Bot- 
any, Harvard  University,  Cambridge. 


BUSINESS   MEETING. 

Saturday,   March  7,   1891. 

An    adjourned   meeting  of    the   Society  was    holden    at    eleven 
o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.   Spooner,  in  the  chair. 
No  business  being  brought  before  the  meeting  it 
Adjourned  to  Saturday,  March  14. 

MEETING  FOR  DISCUSSION. 

Diseases  of    Trees  Likely  to  Follow  Mechanical  Ixjiries. 

By  William   G.  Farlow,   M.  D.,  Professor  of   Cryptogamic   Botany  in   Harvard 
University,  Cambridge. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen: — On  several  occasions  you  have 
listened  to  addresses  on  the  subject  of  diseases  of  plants  and  the 
nature  of  blight,  mildew,  rust,  and  smut,  and  the  habits  of 
the  fungi  which  cause  them  must  now  be  more  or  less  familiar  to 
you  all.  I,  therefore,  shall  not  attempt,  today,  to  speak  in  detail 
of  any  of  the  diseases  just  mentioned,  l)ut  I  am  glad  that  I  have 
been  able  to  accept  your  invitation  to  address  you  at  this  particu- 
lar time,  because  there  is  anotlu'r  sul>ject  of  great  importance,  as 


DISEASES    OF    TREES    LIKELY    TO    FOLLOW    IX.TURIES.       141 

it  seems  to  me,  especially  for  the  people  of  Massachusetts,  on 
which  there  is  wide-spread  ignorance  and  general  indifference.  If 
I  can  succeed,  even  to  a  small  extent,  in  diminishing  popular 
ignorance  of  the  matter  to  be  discussed  here^  it  is  to  lie  hoped 
that  the  present  indifference  will  gi-adually  disappear,  for,  as  has 
been  the  case  hitherto,  the  members  of  this  Society  can  be  trusted 
to  do  missionary  work  in  arousing  the  public  to  a  sense  of  what 
should  be  done  to  remove  existing  evils. 

As  far  as  the  diseases  of  fruit  trees  and  garden  plants  are 
concerned,  the  public  have  their  ej'es  open  and  they  require  little 
urging  to  lead  them  to  seek  proper  means  for  checking  the  growth 
of  the  fungus-parasites  which  affect  the  pocket  by  injuring  the 
crops,  or  diminish  our  .'esthetic  enjoyment  by  disfiguring  our  gar- 
dens and  greenhouses.  But  with  regard  to  our  shade  trees  and 
forest  trees  there  is  general  indifference  and,  although  what  I  have 
to  say  may  appear  to  be  more  appropriate  for  a  forestry  associa- 
tion than  a  horticultural  society,  I  have  confidence  that  my  hearers 
will  allow  me  to  use  the  word  horticulture  in  a  large  sense,  and  will 
recognize  that  this  community  looks  to  them  as  the  authorized 
promoters  of  all  that  tends  to  the  welfare,  not  only  of  fruits  and 
flowers,  but  also  of  our  shade  trees,  which,  if  well  cared  for,  are 
both  beautiful  and  useful. 

It  is  a  mistaken  notion  that  shade  trees  do  not  need  care  and 
protection.  Nevertheless  most  persons  believe  that,  unless  a  tree 
is  to  bear  marketable  fruit,  it  can  be  left  to  take  care  of  itself. 
Those  who  live  in  the  remoter  country  districts  might  perhaps  be 
pardoned  for  holding  this  belief ;  but  those  of  us  who  live  in 
thickly  settled  towns  ought  to  know  by  this  time  that  the  life  of 
shade  trees,  exposed  as  they  are  to  the  unfavorable  or  even  inju- 
rious conditions  of  the  soil  and  atmosphere  of  manufacturing 
districts,  is  a  precarious  one.  We  have  all  seen  the  older  trees 
killed  off,  and  know  that  with  each  succeeding  generation  the 
younger  trees  are  inferior  to  the  older,  for  those  which  escape 
the  injurious  action  of  the  soil  and  air  are  too  often  injured  y^y  the 
wilful  violence  of  men. 

Theoretically,  if  one  is  asked  what  the  trees  in  our  streets  are 
good  for,  he  would  say,  to  serve  as  shade  in  summer  and  to 
beautify  the  town  at  all  seasons.  Practically,  however,  many 
people  believe  that  the  great  use  of  the  trees  is  to  serve  as 
supports  for  telegraph  wires,  as  ladders  for  telephone  workmen,  or 


142  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

as  coiiveuieut  places  for  fasteuiug  horses.  lu  short,  that  a  tree 
should  be  so  treated  that  it  may  develop  a  symmetrical  form  and 
luxuriant  foliage  is  nobody's  business,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  it 
is  assumed  that  it  is  the  right  of  every  one  to  fasten  his  horse  to- 
any  tree  he  pleases  or  to  use  the  branches  as  supports  for  wires. 
The  march  of  improvement,  as  it  is  called,  never  respects  the 
trees.  If  a  sidewalk  is  to  be  widened,  down  go  the  trees,  or  their 
roots  are  chopped  off  in  such  a  way  as  to  injure  them.  If  some 
enterprising  man  wishes  to  build  a  new  house  on  the  site  of  an  old 
one,  the  old  house  is  sold  for  a  song  and  is  moved  off  to  some 
distant  part  of  the  town,  being  dragged  along  through  narrow 
streets  crushing  and  maiming  the  trees  on  the  way,  just  as  if  these 
public  ornaments  were  of  no  account  compared  with  private  gain. 
In  fact,  it  sometimes  seems  as  if  a  good  many  people  believed 
that  one  could  not  do  anything  to  a  tree  which  really  would  injure 
it,  and  that  a  tree  is  so  constituted  that  it  can  grow  on  in  spite  of 
all  obstacles. 

We  should  begin  by  recognizing  that  a  tree  is  a  living  thing 
which  is  not  only  readily  affected  by  the  soil  and  atmosphere,  but 
is  also  sensitive  to  mechanical  injuries  to  a  degree  which  might  not 
at  first  be  suspected.  An  animal  tells  us  by  its  actions  when  it 
has  been  injured.  We  know  the  injuries  done  to  trees  only  by  the 
after  effects,  which  may  not  be  evident  for  mouths  or  even  a  few 
years,  and  it  is  my  special  purpose  today  to  call  3'our  attention  to 
some  of  the  injurious  effects  which  follow  mechanical  injuries. 
The  subject  is  rather  complicated  and  implies  some  knowledge  of 
the  microscopic  structure  of  trunks  and  branches,  but  I  sliall 
endeavor  to  avoid  technicalities  as  far  as  possible. 

Before  we  can  understand  the  harm  done  by  mechanical  injuries 
we  must  first  consider  briefly  the  normal  structure  of  the  trunk. 
If  we  examine  with  a  microscope  a  cross-section  of  a  very  young 
twig,  we  find  that  the  surface  is  composed  of  a  single  layer  of 
thin,  colorless  cells  called  the  epidermis,  beneath  which  are  several 
layers  of  larger  cells,  many  of  which  contain  green  coloring 
matter.  Then  come  the  vascular  bundles  arranged  in  a  ring, 
although  they  are  not  really  in  contact  with  one  another  but  are 
separated  by  what  we  may  call  the  rays,  which  pass  from  the  pith 
to  the  outer  green  cells,  and  are  composed  of  cells  not  unlike 
the  latter  in  shape,  that  is,  spherical  or  polyhedral,  or  some 
simple    modification    of    these    forms.       A    longitudinal    section 


DISEASES    OF    TREES    LIKELY    TO    FOLLOW    INJURIES.       143 

through  the  vascular  buudles  shows  that  the  cells  of  which  they 
are  composed  are,  iu  great  part,  very  much  elongated,  so  that 
they  maj'  be  called  fibres,  ducts,  or  vessels.  When  seeu  in  cross- 
section,  each  vascular  bundle  is  wedge-shaped,  and,  if  carefully 
examined,  is  found  to  consist  of  an  outer  and  an  inner  part ;  that 
is,  in  respect  to  the  circumference  of  the  tree.  The  inner  portion 
develops  into  the  bard  wood  of  the  stem,  while  the  outer  part 
becomes  a  portion  of  what,  for  want  of  a  better  expression,  we 
may  call  the  inner  bark,  or  bast.  Between  the  outer  and  inner 
parts  of  the  vascular  bundle  is  a  thin  layer  of  small,  colorless, 
brick-shaped  cells,  the  cambium.  The  cambium  is  the  most 
important  part  of  the  stem,  since  its  cells  during  the  season  of 
growth  are  constantly  forming  new  wood  cells  on  the  inner  side, 
while  those  on  the  outer  side  are  forming  new  cells  of  the  inner 
bark.  The  cambium  itself  does  not  vary  much  in  thickness  at 
different  ages,  and,  extending  continuously  throughout  the  length 
of  the  stem,  forms  the  circumference  of  a  cylinder  whose  diameter 
increases  from  year  to  year.  It  is  important  to  bear  in  mind  that 
it  is  essentially  the  cambium  which  is  the  growing  formative  part 
of  the  stem,  whereas  the  wood  cells  formed  constantly  on  its  inner 
side  soon  cease  to  grow  and,  although  their  walls  become  thick 
and  hard,  the  cell  contents  disappear,  so  that  the  cells  of  the  hard 
wood  are  practically  dead  and  unable  to  produce  new  cells.  They 
form  a  series  of  hard  tubes  very  important  iu  the  economy  of  the 
plant,  by  giving  strength  and  rigidity  and  serving  as  means  of 
passage  to  liquids  and  gases. 

We  must  consider  especiall}'  the  action  of  the  epidermis  and  the 
cambium.  As  has  been  said,  the  colorless  epidermal  cells  differ 
from  the  cells  beneath  them  in  being  thinner  and  flatter.  The 
latter  include  the  chemicalh'  active  cells  which  in  the  younger 
parts  of  plants  transform  the  food  elements  into  special  substances 
of  use  to  the  plant. 

The  epidermal  cells,  on  the  other  hand,  form  merely  a  thin, 
protective  membrane.  The}'  serve  in  the  first  place  to  check 
evaporation  and,  furthermore,  their  outer  wall  is  usually  trans- 
formed into  a  cuticle  which  is  nearly  impervious  to  water  and 
is  unaffected  b^^  a  good  many  substances  which  would  injure  the 
walls  of  ordinary  cells.  An  important  property  for  us  to  consider 
iu  this  connection  is  their  ability  to  resist  the  growth  of  the 
mycelium  of  many  fungi,  which,  when  the  epidermis  is  removed, 


144  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

are  able  to  make  their  way  to  the  more  delicate  aud  succulent  cells 
beneath,  a  point  to  which  I  shall  refer  later. 

As  the  cambium  constantly  increases  in  circumference  and  the 
new  wood  and  inner  bark  increase  correspondinglj-  in  bulk,  it  is 
plain  that  the  epidermis,  unless  endowed  with  the  power  of 
increasing  in  circumference,  must  soon  be  n.ptured,  thus  exposing 
the  more  delicate  cells  beneath.  The  epidermis  does  not  possess 
this  poAver  except  to  a  very  limited  extent,  but  to  avoid  the 
danger  which  must  follow  an  exposure  of  the  sub-epidermal  cells 
to  the  air  after  the  rupture  of  the  epidermis,  which  must  inevitably 
take  place  earl}^  in  the  life  of  a  plant,  nature  makes  provision  for 
the  transformation  of  the  sub-epidermal  cells  into  a  zone  of  cork 
cells,  which  act  as  a  protective  sheath  after  the  epidermis  proper  is 
ruptured.  The  way  in  which  cork  cells  are  formed  is  seen  on  a 
small  scale  when  a  potato  tuber  is  cut  in  halves.  The  wounded 
cells  shrivel  and  die,  but  the  more  or  less  spherical  cells  beneath 
become  divided  into  a  series  of  thinner,  flatter  cells  by  the  forma- 
tion of  uew  cell  walls  parallel  to  the  cut  surface,  and  the  walls 
themselves  become  tough  and  resistent.  The  epidermis  of  the 
stems  and  branches  in  reality  remains  intact  but  a  short  time, 
usually  only  one  3'ear,  and  then  is  ruptured  and  soon  disappears ; 
but,  meanwhile,  the  sub-epidermal  cells,  having  been  changed  into 
a  series  of  cork  cells  like  those  mentioned  in  the  cut  potato  but  on 
a  larger  scale,  form  a  new  protective  covering  which  replaces  the 
epidermis.  Furthermore,  the  new  cork  layer  itself  is  only  to  a 
moderate  extent  capable  of  extension,  and  as  the  inner  parts  of 
the  stem  continue  to  increase  it  is  in  turn  ruptured,  and  the  breaks 
are  closed  bj'  the  formation  of  a  second  laj^er  of  cork  cells 
beneath.  This  process  is  repeated  indefinitely,  so  that  in  stems 
several  years  old,  we  have  what  is  in  popular  language  called  the 
bark,  composed  of  several  different  layers  of  cork  cells  more  and 
more  split  up  and  cracked  externally. 

If  we  now  recognize  the  structure  of  the  normal  stem  or  trunk 
in  its  essential  points,  we  can  next  consider  the  primary  effects  of 
wounds.  In  the  first  place,  whenever  a  trunk  or  branch  is 
wounded,  no  matter  whether  l)y  the  action  of  wind  or  snow,  by 
the  bites  of  animals,  by  pruning,  or  l)y  wilful  violence  of  man, 
nature  itself  attempts  to  heal  the  wound  if  possible.  If  the 
wound  is  not  too  great,  it  heals  l)y  natural  processes,  but  many 
wounds  are  so  large  or  so  severe  that  even  in  the  course  of  several 


DISEASES    OF    TREES    LIKELY    TO    FOLLOW    INJURIES.        145 

years  nature  cannot  close  them.  In  such  wounds  disease  is  likely 
to  arise,  which  will  infect  the  whole  tree,  unless  man  comes  to  the 
aid  of  nature.  Let  us  then  consider  the  question  of  the  manner 
in  which  nature  acts  and  to  what  extent.  The  two  natural  protec- 
tive processes  when  trunks  and  branches  are  wounded  are  the 
formation  of  tork  ,"£lls  and  the  formation  of  a  callus.  The  two 
processes  may  go  on  -together.  If  the  wound  is  slight,  as  when 
the  outer  bark  is  scraped  or  gnawed  off,  so  as  to  expose  the  more 
delicate  cells  beneath,  a  new  formation  of  cork  may  be  sufficient 
to  close  the  wound.  But  when,  as  is  very  frequently  the  case, 
both  the  outer  and  inner  bark  are  torn  away,  exposing  the  wood, 
or  when  a  good  sized  branch  is  cut  off  or  broken  off,  the  healing 
process  is  quite  different.  You  have  frequently  seen  the  scars  left 
when  branches  have  been  cut  away  and  know  that  the  edges  of  the 
wound  swell  and  form  a  thick,  rounded  rim  which  in  course  of 
time  seems  to  contract  around  the  wound,  and,  if  the  wound  is 
of  moderate  size,  finally  covers  it.  This  thickened  rim  is  what 
is  called  the  callus,  and  it  originates  mainly  in  the  cambium  which 
was  exposed  when  the  wound  was  made,  and  to  some  extent  in 
the  adjacent  cells  of  the  inner  bark. 

To  understand  what  takes  place  it  will  be  best  for  us  to  suppose 
a  simple  case  of  wounding,  such  as  that  of  a  branch  six  inches  in 
diameter,  let  us  say,  which  has  been  carefully  sawn  across  so  as 
not  to  loosen  the  attachment  of  the  bark  to  the  wood.  The 
greater  part  of  the  exposed  surface  here  would  consist  of  the  wood 
proper  with  a  comparatively  narrow  circle  of  the  coarse  outer 
bark  and  the  more  delicate  inner  bark.  Between  the  wood  and 
the  bark  is,  of  course,  the  cambium,  represented  by  the  circum- 
ference of  a  circle  quite  insignificant  in  thickness  compared  either 
with  the  bark  or  the  wood. 

Of  the  exposed  parts  the  wood  itself  is  practically  unable  to 
take  any  active  part  in  the  process  of  healing.  It  presents  a 
series  of  open  tubes,  which  are  incapable  of  producing  new  cells. 
The  cells  of  the  cambium  and,  to  a  less  extent,  those  of  the  inner 
bark  and  of  the  rays  which  lie  near  the  cambium,  are  able  to 
produce  new  cells,  and  hence,  in  the  case  we  have  chosen  as  an 
illusti'ation,  there  would  arise  a  ring  of  new  growth  just  around 
the  wood  and  beneath  the  bark.  This  raised  ring  of  new  growth 
is  the  beginning  of  the  callus. 
10 


146  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  where  the  cambium  is  exposed  in 
wonucls,  it  produces  new  cells  more  vigorously  than  the  cambium 
of  uninjured  stems.  The  reason  for  this,  at  first  sight,  anomalous 
state  of  things  Avill  be  easily  understood  if  we  call  to  mind  the 
tension  of  any  normal  trunk.  A  trunk  may  be  regarded  as  a 
cylinder  composed  of  a  solid  axis  of  Avood  whose  circumference  is 
formed  of  the  actively  growing  cambium  encircled  by  the  inner 
and  outer  bark,  which  taken  together  we  may  now,  for  con- 
venience's sake,  call  the  cortex.  The  different  parts  of  this 
compound  cylinder  grow  under  different  tensions.  On  the  one 
hand,  the  inner  parts,  as  they  grow,  exert  a  strong  outward 
pressure  on  the  cortex,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  the  cortex  acts 
as  a  sheath  which  exerts  a  strong  pressure  on  the  parts  within. 
That  when  the  normal  pressure  is  interfered  with,  the  relative 
growth  of  the  different  parts  of  the  stem  is  changed,  is  well  sliown 
if  a  slit  is  made  through  the  cortex  to  the  region  of  the  cambium. 
The  cells  of  the  cambium  thus  freed  from  pressure  from  without 
grow  more  rapidly  than  before  in  the  direction  of  the  slit,  so  that 
the  wound  thus  made  is  rapidl}^  filled  by  the  new  cells  thus  formed, 
and  the  new  growth  may  even  be  so  great  as  to  more  than  till  the 
gap,  and  cause  a  slight  protuberance  on  the  wounded  side. 
Furthermore,  when  the  tension  of  the  cambium  is  relieved  by  the 
removal  of  the  cortex,  its  function  of  producing  new  wood  cells 
on  its  inner  side  is  altered,  and  microscopic  examination  of  the 
new  wood  formed  in  wounds  shows  that  the  wood  cells  are  shorter, 
and  the  vessels  decidedly  less  numerous  than  in  normal  wood. 

The  description  which  I  have  given  of  the  wa}'  in  which  the 
callus  arises,  although  you  may  perhaps  think  it  somewhat  compli- 
cated for  a  popular  lecture  like  the  present,  is,  in  realit}',  a  brief 
attempt  to  sketch  the  process  in  its  main  points  onl}^  omitting 
many  details  which  are  of  interest  to  specialists.  AYhat  I  have 
described  is  the  normal  mode  in  which  the  healing  process  begins, 
and  is  to  be  seen  in  those  seasons  of  the  year  when  the  cambium 
cells  are  active.  During  the  colder  months  of  the  year,  however, 
the  cambium  is  in  a  dormant  condition,  and  if  wounds  occur  at 
such  seasons,  the  cambium  is  not  able  to  form  a  callus  at  once, 
and  the  process  just  described  does  not  begin  until  the  season  of 
plant  growth  returns.  Meanwliile  the  exposed  parts  will  probably 
have  been  more  or  less  affected  by  weathering,  and  the  closing  of 
the  wound   by  natural  processes  is  made  more  difficult.      In  the 


DISEASES    OF    TREES    LIKELY    TO    FOLLOW    IX.IlIMEs.        147 

case  of  largo  woiiuds  the  callus  continues  to  increase  and  overlap 
more  and  more  the  old  exposed  wood,  but  its  activitj^  diminishes 
from  year  to  year.  As  soon  as  the  callus  ring  has  begun  to  form, 
its  outer  cells  undergo  the  cork-trausformation,  and  thus  the  delicate 
cambium  cells  are  soon  covered  with  a  protective  bark  similar  ta 
the  normal  bark  of  the  stem,  and,  as  this  bark  increases  in  thick- 
ness, it  exerts  an  increasing  pressure  on  the  cambium  cells 
beneath,  which  sufficiently  explains  why  the,  at  first,  luxuriant 
production  of  new  camlnum  cells  gradually  diminishes.  The 
function  of  the  cambium  in  the  normal  trunk,  you  will  recollect,  is 
to  produce  new  wood  cells  on  its  inner  surface  and  new  bast  cells 
on  its  outer  surface,  and  the  same  function  is  retained  when  it 
grows  into  a  callus.  "We  find,  therefore,  that  in  the  callus  itself 
new  layers  of  wood  are  formed  and  overlap  the  old  wood,  and,  if 
the  process  goes  on  long  enough,  it  happens  that  the  old  wood  is 
entirely  covered  by  new  layers  of  wood  and  a  cortex  somewhat 
similar  to  that  of  the  uninjured  trunk. 

So  far,  we  have  supposed  that  we  were  dealing  with  a  wound 
made  by  cutting  directly  across  a  branch.  What  is  true  in  this 
case  is  essentiallj'  true  of  other  wounds,  and  we  cannot  noAv  stop 
to  consider  in  detail  the  innumerable  modifications  depending  on 
the  form  of  the  wound.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  more  frequently 
happens,  as  when  branches  are  broken  by  the  wind  or  snow  or  by 
external  violence  of  any  kind,  that  the  wound  is  irregular  or 
splintered,  and  in  such  cases  the  cortex  is  often  torn  awaj'  from 
the  branch  below  the  wound  and  the  cambium  is  crushed  or  injured. 
Consequently  the  healing  process  is  very  much  hindered.  Again, 
when  ti'ees  grow  thickly  together,  or  for  other  reasons,  the  lower 
branches  often  die  and  break  off  at  a  certain  distance  from  the 
main  trunk.  In  such  cases  the  stumps  of  the  branches  ver}-  often 
die  and  remain  projecting  as  dead  plugs  or  pegs.  This  is  in  part 
owing  to  the  disturbed  nutrition  of  the  stumps,  a  subject  toa 
complicated  to  be  described  here.  The  fact  is  evident,  however, 
that  such  pegs  do  not  heal  over  but  rot  away,  and  must  be  consid- 
ered open  wounds. 

Up  to  this  point  I  have  dwelt  upon  the  nature  of  wounds  and 
the  healing  process  adopted  by  nature,  and  you  will  now  ask.  Why 
are  all  these  elaborate  changes  necessary?  What  is  the  harm  if  a 
wound  does  not  heal  over?  As  a  rule  it  is  safe  to  sa}^  that  the 
provisions  of  nature  are  alwaj^s  adapted   to  some  special  end.  and 


148  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

"we  should  naturally  infer  that,  since  nature  always  does  her  best 
to  heal  wounds,  it  must  be  because  the  plant  would  otherwise 
suffer.  Experience  certainly  shows  that  open  wounds  are  danger- 
ous in  plants  as  they  are  in  animals,  although  I  Avould  not  go  so 
far  as  to  say  that  they  are  inevitably  dangerous.  There  is  no 
•doubt,  however,  that  in  most  cases  they  are  dangerous.  Every 
surgeon  recognizes  the  dangers  attending  open  wounds  in  animals, 
and,  before  the  days  of  the  antiseptic  treatment,  the  dangerous 
and  often  fatal  results  of  operations  were  due  in  many  cases  to 
the  entrance  of  germs  from  the  air  into  the  system  through  open 
wounds.  In  the  same  waj^  wounds  of  plants  are  dangerous, 
although  a  fatal  result  may  not  be  reached  before  the  expiration  of 
several  years.  Naturally  the  intact  epidermis  of  the  younger 
parts  of  plants  and  the  corky  bark  of  the  older  branches  and 
trunks  prevent  the  access  of  the  spores  and  mycelium  of  fungus 
parasites  to  the  more  sensitive  tissues  beneath.  Where  the  bark 
-has  been  removed,  they  may  and  often  do  work  their  way  into  the 
interior,  and  cause,  at  first,  a  local  and,  later  on,  a  general  decay 
of  the  trunk.  The  fungi  which  are  the  agents  of  destruction  in 
such  cases  are  not  the  rots,  smuts,  or  mildews,  which  affect  rather 
herbaceous  plants  than  trees,  but  fungi  of  the  toadstool  family. 
Those  of  3^ou  who  have  watched  the  larger  wounds  of  trees  must 
have  often  seen  clusters  of  toadstools  of  different  kinds  growing 
out  of  the  wounds.  They  are  most  frequently  seen  in  the  warmer 
mouths,  but  there  are  a  few  species  which  are  to  be  found  even  in 
the  mild  weeks  which  sometimes  come  in  midwinter.  Besides  the 
fleshy  toadstools  there  are  many  species  of  punk-fungi,  belonging 
technically  to  the  same  family  as  the  toadstools,  which  infest 
wounds,  and  they  are  so  tough  aud  hard  that  they  can  be  found 
throughout  the  year. 

The  question  might  arise  Avhether  these  toadstools  aud  punk- 
fungi  grow  in  wounds  because  the  exposed  wood  is  already  dead 
and  therefore  furnishes  food  for  the  fungi,  or  whether,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  death  and  decay  of  the  wood  are  brought  about  by 
the  presence  of  the  fungi.  In  a  certain  sense  both  these  questions 
may  be  answered  in  the  athrmative.  When  the  exposed  wood 
dies,  it  furnishes  a  soil  in  which  the  spores  of  the  toadstools  aud 
punk-fungi  can  germinate  and  grow,  and  it  is  also  true  that  when 
they  have  once  begun  to  grow,  many  species  are  able  to  make 
their  way  dowjiward  and  upward  into  the   health}'  parts   of  the 


DISEASES    OF    TKEES    LIKEEY    TO    FOLLOW    ENJLTIEES.       149 

branches  and  cause  them  to  rot.  It  is  a  very  common  experience 
that  the  rotting  which  began  in  a  wound  gradually  extends  to  the 
main  trunk,  so  that  although  the  bark,  except  where  the  wound 
exists,  appears  to  be  perfectly  sound,  on  cutting  the  tree  down, 
the  whole  trunk  is  found  to  be  rotten  or  hollow. 

What  happens,  except  in  very  small  wounds  which  heal  at  once, 
is  as  follows :  The  porous  wood  takes  up  moisture  from  the  air  in 
greater  or  less  amount  according  to  the  season,  but  in  almost  all 
cases  enough  to  cause  the  outer  exposed  part  to  decay  in  the 
course  of  from  a  few  weeks  to  a  few  months.  Not  onl}^  is  water 
absorbed  from  rains  and  mists  but  dust  and  other  organic  sub- 
stances gradually  collect  on  the  surface  and  there  is  thus  formed  a 
sort  of  soil,  in  a  thin  layer  to  be  sure,  but  enough  to  support,  at 
first,  the  growth  of  bacteria,  which  help  on  the  decay  of  the  solid 
parts,  and,  later,  offer  a  favorable  field  for  the  germination  of  the 
spores  of  toadstools.  A  ver}'  small  amount  of  damp  soil  is  suffi- 
cient to  start  the  growth  of  these  toadstool- fungi.  Their  spores, 
when  they  germinate,  give  out  a  series  of  branching  threads,  the 
mycelium.  The  threads  gain  sti'eugth  as  they  grow,  and,  in  a 
good  many  species,  they  at  length  acquire  the  power  of  dissolving^ 
the  walls  of  the  sound  plant  cells,  even  if  they  do  not  in  the 
beginning  possess  this  power.  Aided  by  the  increased  moisture, 
which  is  favored  by  the  presence  of  a  damp,  earthy  layer  on  the 
surface  of  the  wound,  the  destructive  threads  make  their  way 
slowly  along  the  interior  of  the  trunk,  the  process  of  destruction 
causing  an  increase  of  moisture  and  sliminess,  which  only  makes 
the  ultimate  destruction  of  the  hitherto  sound  wood  the  more 
certain.  While  all  this  is  going  on  within  the  trunk  there  ma}'  be 
no  definite  indication  on  the  outside  of  the  harm  done.  The  toad- 
stools, as  we  call  them,  are  the  fructification  of  the  fungi,  of  Avhich 
the  threads  are  the  organs  of  A'egetatiou,  and  it  is  not  until  after 
the  latter  have  attained  a  somewhat  advanced  development  that  the 
toadstools  themselves  appear  on  the  surface.  Their  appearance 
almost  invariably  indicates  not  that  trouble  ma}'  be  expected,  but 
that  the  disease  has  already  made  considerable  progress. 

The  toadstools  and  punk-fungi,  of  which  I  have  spoken,  are 
usually  not  limited  in  their  growth  to  any  one  species  of  tree,  but 
may  grow  on  a  good  many  different  kinds.  There  are  some  species, 
however,  which  attack  only  particular  kinds  of  trees,  and  among 
the  number  are  forms  which  are  more  virulent  and  rapid  in  their 


150  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

action,  especially  those  that  attack  the  roots  Avhen  they  are 
wouiuled.  It  is  not  my  pnrpose,  nor  would  the  limited  time  allow 
me,  to  give  an  account  of  these  special  parasites.  Enough,  how- 
ever, has  been  said  to  demonstrate  the  danger  of  open  wounds 
and  the  necessity  of  aiding  Nature  in  her  efforts  to  heal  them.  In 
the  natural  course  of  events  many  wounds  must  occur  from  the 
violent  action  of  the  wind  and  snow,  and  we  should  do  what  we 
can  to  remedy  them.  But  it  is  perhaps  more  to  the  purpose  that, 
recognizing  the  danger,  we  should  use  our  influence  to  prevent  the 
avoidable  and  wilful  maiming  of  our  shade  trees  by  careless  and 
ignorant  people. 

As  far  as  the  treatment  of  wounds  is  concerned,  our  object 
should  be  to  coveT  the  exposed  surfaces,  so  that  moisture,  which 
would  cause  them  to  rot,  may  be  excluded,  and  that  the  spores  of 
fungus  parasites  may  not  find  an  entrance.  A  useful  hint  as  to 
to  what  should  be  done  is  given  us  by  nature  herself.  In  some 
respects  the  coniferous  trees  suffer  less  from  wounds  than  other 
trees.  The  reason  is  that  in  the  wood  of  conifers  there  are  canals 
or  passages  which  contain  resinous  substances,  and  when  the 
ATOod  of  such  trees  is  wounded  they  exude  and  form  a  close 
varnish  of  resin  over  the  exposed  surfaces,  Avhich  are  thus  kept 
dry  and  protected  from  weathering.  As  a  result,  the  wood  is  less 
likely  to  rot  than  in  the  case  of  other  trees  whose  wood  contains 
no  resin.  In  trees  of  the  latter  description,  when  wounds  occur 
b}'  accident  or  design,  the  indication,  to  use  a  medical  expression, 
is  to  coat  the  cut  surface  with  tar  or  some  similar  substance. 
There  are  several  practical  considerations  to  be  borne  in  mind  in 
applying  the  tar.  If  the  wounded  surface  is  rough  and  splintered, 
it  should  in  the  first  place  be  made  as  smooth  as  possible,  and 
where  branches  have  been  broken  off  a  few  inches  from  the  axis 
from  which  they  sprung,  they  should  be  sawn  off  close  down  to 
the  main  axis. 

AYhen  branches  are  to  be  pruned,  it  is  of  importance  that  it 
should  be  done  at  the  right  season.  It  might  be  inferred  from 
what  was  said  previously  that  the  summer  months  would  be  the 
best  time,  because  the  cambium  is  then  active  and  the  callus' 
begins  to  form  at  once.  There  are,  however,  other  points  to  be 
considered.  Unless  the  branch  is  small,  it  will  take  several  years 
for  the  callus  to  cover  the  whole  wound,  and,  meanwhile,  the 
exposed  wood  may  rot  unless  well  coated  with  tar.     The  important 


DISEASES    OF    TKEES    UKELV    TO    FOLLOW    LN.IURIES.       151 

question  then  is  not  so  niueli  to  select  the  season  when  tlie  cam- 
bium is  most  active  as  that  when  the  coating  can  be  most  securely 
applied.  During  the  warmer  months  the  cut  surface  is  kept  moist 
because  the  cells  are  then  more  succulent  than  in  late  autumn  aucl 
early  winter,  and  it  is  not  ahvays  easy  to  apply  the  tar  closely 
under  such  circumstances.  The  pruning  of  deciduous  trees 
should,  when  possible,  be  performed  in  the  late  autumn  or  even  in 
early  winter,  rather  than  in  summer,  since  the  tar  then  adheres 
better.  Another  important  point  is  to  saw  off  the  branches  carefully, 
so  that  the  cortex  ma}'  not  be  torn  away  from  the  wood,  leaving 
the  latter  projecting.  This  is  always  a  more  or  less  difficult 
matter,  because  unless  the  cut  is  made  in  a  horizontal  direction, 
which  is  seldom  the  case,  the  weight  of  the  branch  itself,  during 
the  process  of  sawing,  tends  to  tear  away  the  cortex  on  the  lower 
side  of  the  cut.  Where  it  is  possible,  the  branch  should  be 
propped  up  during  the  cutting,  and  special  care  should  be  taken 
that  there  is  no  tearing  of  the  cortex  on  the  lower  side.  Even 
under  favorable  conditions,  a  pocket  is  apt  to  be  formed  on  the 
lower  side  of  the  Avound,  and  the  application  of  tar  at  this  point 
should  be  made  with  great  care,  since  wounds  are  almost  always 
vertical  or  oblique  rather  than  horizontal,  and  rain  and  moisture 
naturally  collect  at  the  lowest  point  of  the  wound,  just  where  the 
pocket  is  unfortunately  made  in  cutting.  It  is  evident  that  too 
great  care  cannot  be  taken  in  covering  this  part  thoroughly. 

After  this  sketch  of  the  nature  of  wounds  and  of  the  danger 
with  which  the  life  of  trees  is  threatened,  I  trust  that  what  I  have 
said  in  regard  to  treatment  will  appear  rational  and  practical.  I 
must  not,  however,  close  my  remarks  ou  this  subject  without 
uttering  an  emphatic  protest  against  the  Avay  in  which  the  shade 
trees  of  our  cities  and  towns  are  treated.  The  responsibility  rests 
not  only  with  those  who,  perhaps  unintentionally  and  ignorantly; 
are  directly  guilty  of  what  an  enlightened  public  opinion  should 
regard  as  vandalism ;  but  it  rests  in  part  on  ourselves,  if  we  do 
not  in  all  possible  ways  seek  to  give  to  the  public,  information,  and 
attempt  by  all  legal  means  to  secure  the  enforcement  of  such 
regulations  as  shall  assure  proper  protection  for  our  trees.  As  it 
is,  the  care  of  the  trees  in  our  public  grounds,  parks,  and  streets 
is  too  often  placed  in  the  hands  of  those  who  are  ignorant  of  the 
principles  of  vegetable  physiology,  and  their  efforts  to  prune  and 
€ut  down  trees  are  guided  only  by  what  seems  to  them  temporary 


152  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

conveuieuce,  or  by  what  commends  itself  to  their  not  infrequently 
perverted  sense  of  the  beautiful.  When  the  whim  seizes  them 
and  they  wish  to  get  rid  of  a  stately  tree,  it  is  only  uecessai-y  for 
them  to  say  that  it  is  rotten,  and  dangerous  because  likelj"  to  fall. 
Many  times  I  have  seen  trees  whose  shade  could  ill  be  spared,  cut 
down  because  their  trunks  were  rotten,  when  examination  after 
they  were  felled,  showed  that  they  were  sound  and  would  have 
lasted  many  years.  It  ought  to  be  considered  a  crime  to  cut  down  a 
handsome  tree — certainly  in  public  grounds — unless  compelled  by 
absolute  necessity.  When  it  is  thought  necessary  for  the  public 
safety  to  destroy  animals  supposed  to  be  suffering  from  contagious 
diseases,  there  is,  at  least,  a  consultation,  and  the  opinion  of 
experts  is  asked.  I  hope  that  the  time  will  come  when  it  will  not 
be  allowed  to  cut  down  trees  Avhich  are  public  property,  except  on 
the  advice  of  those  whose  training  entitles  them  to  be  called 
experts. 

If  one  is  amazed  sometimes  at  the  abuses  of  trees  on  the  part 
of  those  who  are  their  authorized  guardians,  it  must  be  admitted 
that  the  poor  condition  of  our  trees  is  principally  due  to  the  reck- 
lessness of  the  public.  The  streets  of  Boston  and  the  suburban 
towns  are  notoriously  narrow,  as  are  also  the  sidewalks,  and  in 
consequence  the  trees  are  more  subject  to  injury  than  in  regions 
where  the  streets  are  wider.  In  most  of  our  streets  the  trees  are 
very  near  the  edge  of  the  sidewalk,  if  they  do  not  project  into  the 
street  itself.  Those  on  the  corners  of  the  streets  are  almost  sure 
to  be  grazed  by  passing  vehicles,  and  as  wagon  after  wagon 
passes  along,  the  grinding  process  is  kept  up  until  the  wood  is 
exposed.  It  is  perhaps  fortunate  that  such  trees  are  short-lived, 
for  the}^  become  very  unsightly,  and  when  they  die,  the  curbstone 
can  be  replaced  as  often  as  is  necessary. 

Walk  along  any  of  our  streets  where  the  trees  are  placed  on  the 
edge  of  the  sidewalk  and  notice  the  effects  due  to  our  general 
negligence.  In  some  instances  3'ou  will  find  that  the  house-owners 
have  placed  guards  around  the  trunks,  and  the  trees  are  symmet- 
rical and  have  attained  a  good  size.  But  in  most  cases,  they  have 
been  left  to  take  care  of  themselves.  Bright  and  early  the  milk- 
man comes  along  and  jumps  off  with  his  can,  leaving  his  horse  to 
make  a  scanty  breakfast  by  gnawing  the  bark  of  the  nearest  tree. 
Later  on  come  the  butcher  and  the  grocer,  whose  horses  lunch 
upon  what  was  left  by  their  predecessor,  inflicting  an  amount  of 


DISEASES    OF   TREES    LIKELY    TO    FOLLOW    INJURIES.       153 

damage  to  the  tree  limited  oul}^  by  the  length  of  time  which  their 
owners  are  pleased  to  spend  in  conversation  with  the  girls  in  the 
kitchen.  Last  of  all  comes,  perhaps,  the  doctor,  whose  visits,  if 
they  are  not  freqnent,  are  proportionally  long.  He,  at  least, 
ought  to  know  that  trees  cannot  be  wounded  with  impunit3%  No 
wonder  that  the  bark  is  not  only  soon  removed  and  the  wood 
exposed,  but  since  the  horse  is  an  animal  which  prefers  the  softer 
bark  to  the  harder  wood,  the  fresh  borders  of  the  wound  are 
repeatedly  attacked  until  deformities  of  enormous  size  are  pro- 
duced, and  apart  from  the  danger  of  fungus  groAvths,  the  nutrition 
of  the  tree  is  seriously  deranged.  A  visit  to  Oxford  Street, 
Cambridge,  where  on  one  side  of  the  street  the  trees  have  not 
been  protected,  and  wounds  more  than  two  feet  long  have  been 
made  by  horses,  will  show  that  I  am  not  exaggerating.  If  I 
mention  this  particular  street,  it  is  because  I  have  to  pass  through 
it  every  day.     Other  equally  bad  instances  might  be  named. 

Surely  there  can  be  no  excuse  for  such  senseless  and  wholesale 
violence,  especially  since  the  remedy  is  so  simple  and  so  inex- 
pensive. The  trees  planted  along  the  streets  are  not  the  private 
property  of  the  house-owners,  with  which  they  can  do  what  they 
please.  The  public  has  the  right  to  demand  that  the  trees  be 
properly  guarded  and  protected,  since  otherwise  it  is  not  pos- 
sible to  secure  the  requisite  shade  in  summer.  But  apart  from 
the  public  rights  in  the  matter,  it  is  for  private  advantage  as  well 
that  our  trees  should  be  kept  in  good  condition,  since  the  attrac- 
tiveness of  any  street  as  a  place  of  residence  depends  largely 
upon  the  beauty  of  the  trees.  Not  a  few  of  our  New  England 
towns  owe  their  prosperity  as  summer  resorts  to  the  arching  elms 
and  well-rounded  maples,  whose  loss  no  money  could  replace.  It 
would  be  both  just  and  wise  for  every  thickly  settled  town  and 
village  to  have  laws  compelling  house-owners  to  place  proper  and 
sufficient  guards  round  the  trunks  of  trees  growing  b}'  the  road- 
sides, or  if  it  be  considered  inexpedient  to  place  this  apparently 
slight  burden  on  private  individuals,  it  is  at  least  the  duty  of 
municipal  and  town  governments  to  provide  guards  and  railings  at 
the  public  expense.  It  is  strange  that  there  should  be  any  person 
who  lives  in  his  own  house,  who  would  not  willingly  do  all  he  can 
to  beautify  it  by  keeping  the  trees  near  it  in  the  best  condition. 
But,  unfortunately,  there  are  many  such  persons.  Where  houses 
are  rented,  the  tenant  is  naturally  little  inclined  to  any  expenditure 


154  MASSACHU."^ETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

however  small,  for  the  benefit  of  the  laudlord,  and  the  latter  is 
less  inclined  to  spend  nionej'  Adhere  he  does  not  see  that  he  is 
getting  a  direct  benefit  for  himself.  To  let  the  trees  become 
shabby  or  go  to  utter  destruction  is  a  short-sighted  policy  for  any 
individual  or  community. 

In  short,  an  effort  should  be  made  to  secure  legislation  which 
shall  make  compulsory  the  placing  of  guards  around  trees  in 
exposed  places.  Furthermore,  the  care  of  the  trees  in  public 
grounds  should  be  entrusted  only  to  persons  specially  trained  for 
the  purpose.  An  engineer  may  be  admirably  qualified  to  construct 
good  roads,  but  it  does  not,  therefore,  follow  that  he  knows  how 
to  manage  trees,  and  even  those  who  have  attained  great  skill  in 
the  cultivation  of  flowers  and  the  arrangement  of  flower-beds  are 
not  necessarily  the  best  persons  to  look  after  trees.  The  desirable 
legislation  can  probablj^  be  secured  just  as  soon  as  the  public 
understand  why  it  is  desirable  and  necessary.  It  is  all  very  well 
to  talk  about  the  protection  of  forests  and  the  formation  of 
national  parks  in  distant  states.  But  we  have  our  own  forests, 
which  are  the  trees  in  our  streets  and  public  grounds,  and  before 
turning  our  eyes  in  other  directions  we  had  better  see  what  is 
needed  at  home.  It  devolves  upon  you,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  so 
to  educate  the  public  in  this  matter  that  they  shall  soon  learn  to 
recognize  that  a  tree  is  something  to  be  respected  and  protected. 
It  is  not  enough  that  we  erect  commemorative  tablets  before  a  few 
historical  trees,  and  take  strangers  to  see,  not  so  nuich  the  trees  as 
the  tablets.  Historical  association  may  lend  an  additional 
interest,  but  every  well-developed  tree  has  that  within  itself  which 
should  command  our  respect  and  admiration, —  its  beaut}"  and  its 
utility. 

The  lecture  was  illustrated  by  views,  thrown  upon  a  screen,  of 
wounds  caused  by  the  gnawing  of  horses ;  specimens  of  skilful, 
and  of  careless  pruning;  stumps  of  broken  branches,  etc.,  show- 
ing the  progress  at  different  stages  of  Nature's  efforts  to  heal 
them.  Several  kinds  of  fungi  which  are  found  upon  and  in  Such 
wounds  were  also  shown,  with  the  method  of  their  growth  and 
appearance  at  different  stages  of  development.  This  exhibition 
included  front,  side,  and  sectional  views,  which,  with  Professor 
Farlow's  explanations,  afforded  a  very  clear  and  complete  idea  of 
the  subject. 


DISEASES    OF    TREES    LIKELY    TO    FOLLOW    INJURIES.       155 


Discussion. 

Rev.  Calviu  Terry  said  that  lie  appreciated  the  subject  of  this 
lecture.  From  what  the  speaker  had  told  us  the  logical  couclusiou 
"would  appear  to  be  that  special  legislatiou  is  necessary.  There 
should  be  a  special  Board  of  Commissioners  in  each  town  as  well 
as  city,  who  should  have  entire  control  —  with  due  regard  to  the 
rights  and  wishes  of  the  abutters  —  of  all  ornamental  trees  and 
shrubbery'  in  the  streets  and  public  grounds.  Such  officers  should 
be  experts,  or  persons  who  are  well  fitted  bj^  education  and  exper- 
ience acceptably  to  discharge  the  duties  of  that  oflice.  At  present 
these  matters  are  mostly  left  to  the  discretion  and  mercy  of  the 
knights  of  the  pick  and  shovel,  who  know  little  or  nothing  of 
the  needs  of  such  plants  and  are  more  apt  to  damage  than  to 
protect  them.  He  spoke  from  sad  experience, — he  could  not 
forget  his  feelings  when  he  reached  home  on  one  occasion  and 
found  some  of  his  trees  seriously  damaged  and  permanently 
disfigured. 

O.  B.  Hadwen  said  that  he  had  been  delighted  with  the  lecture, 
as  he  appreciated  highly  the  importance  of  protecting  and  taking 
good  care  of  trees.  He  had  been  one  of  the  Park  Commissioners 
of  Worcester  since  1867,  and  with  his  colleagues  had  had  manj^ 
encounters  with  the  Commissioners  of  Streets,  whose  workmen 
seem  determined  to  injure  trees  which  impede  their  progress  iu 
setting  curbstones.  However,  they  have  improved  somewhat,  as 
there  is  less  damage  done  now  than  in  former  times.  Referring  to 
injuries  from  other  causes,  he  spoke  of  a  fine  tree  that  was  consid- 
erably burned  on  one  side  daring  a  conflagration  in  1842.  The 
tree  was  about  two  feet  in  diameter  and  in  vigorous  growth  at  that 
time,  and  directly  began  the  work  of  repair.  This  has  been 
continued  ever  since  and  the  wound  is  nearly  closed  over  although 
there  is  a  cavity  behind  the  new  growth.  It  bids  fan-  to  live  many 
years,  and  he  thought  it  a  rare  instance  of  such  restoration.  The 
speaker  recommended  that  when  private  citizens  set  trees  in  front 
of  theii"  premises,  they  put  them  within  their  own  lines,  in  order  to 
retain  control  of  them,  and  avoid  a  great  deal  of  annoj'ance  from 
man}'  sources.  Trees  add  largely  to  the  beauty  of  our  villages  as 
well  as  cities,  and  the  people  take  pride  iu  such  adornments,  but 
they  need  protection  and  should  have  it. 


156  MASSACPIUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL,    SOCIETY. 

Leverett  M.  Chase  had  beeu  much  pleased  with  the  lecture.  He 
felt  a  deep  interest  iu  the  subject  aud  believed  there  was  need  of 
some  action  to  educate  the  people  up  to  a  love  for  trees  that  will 
ensure  their  protection.  In  foreign  countries  he  had  seen  with 
delight  the  trees  which  adorn  the  streets ;  not  only  ornamental 
varieties,  but  rows  of  fruit  trees,  the  fruit  of  which  the  owners  can 
gather,  their  rights  being  protected  aud  respected,  even  by 
mischievous  boys  who  take  delight  in  stealing  fruit.  Often  certain 
trees  are  marked  to  show  that  the  public  are  welcome  to  their 
fruit.  The  protection  of  owners'  rights  is  an  encouragement  to 
the  extension  of  such  planting  upon  the  streets.  As  a  contrast 
to  this  system,  he  cited  a  case  in  this  city,  where  a  man  bought  an 
old  barn,  for  fifteen  dollars,  and  moved  it  three-fourths  of  a  mile, 
over  streets  lined  with  old  shade  trees.  Of  these,  thirty-one  were 
mutilated  more  or  less ;  in  one  case,  a  branch  about  eight  inches 
in  diameter  was  cut  off,  disfiguring  that  tree  greatly  aud  perma- 
nentl}'.  The  aggregate  damage  on  that  route  amounted  to  very 
man}'  times  the  value  of  the  building,  and  all  might  have  been 
prevented  had  the  authorities  in  that  case  received  a  right  educa- 
tion, and  possessed  a  true  appreciation  of  all  the   circumstances^ 

The  selection  of  trees  for  street  planting  is  also  very  important. 
Mr.  Chase  said  his  favorite  was  the  maple :  and  among  others, 
he  liked  the  American  elm  and  birches.  He  would  have  all  prun- 
ing of  trees  done  by  trained  men.  Ignorance  of  proper  times  and 
methods  of  doing  this  work  causes  the  destruction  of  many  fine 
trees  and  shrubs.  By  pruning  fruit  trees  without  due  regaixl  to 
the  time  of  year  and  also  to  the  balance  between  roots  and  foliage 
—  the  latter  serving  as  both  lungs  and  stomachs  —  not  only  the 
quality  and  quantity  of  fruit  has  often  been  diminished,  but  many 
valuable  trees  have  been  destroyed.  ~\Ve,  as  a  people,  are  far 
behind  the  ancients  in  love  and  reverence  for  trees.  Xerxes 
placed  golden  ornaments  upon  a  fine  plane  tree,  and  detailed  a 
guard  to  protect  it  while  his  army  was  passing  by,  in  order  ta 
secure  its  preservation  as  an  ornament,  and  its  grateful  shade  for 
that  place  in  coming  time.  Even  in  the  old  mythology  we  often 
read  that  trees  and  gi'oves  were  held  sacred,  and  the  gods  are  repre- 
sented as  punishing  those  who  wantonly  destroyed,  and  rewarding 
those  who  strove  to  save  or  protect,  these  vahied  productions  of 
Nature.  The  cases  of  Erisichthon  and  Rhwcus  were  cited  as 
illustrations  which  perhaps  were  not  wholly  embodiments  of  mere 


DISEASES    OF    TREES    LIKELY    TO    FOLLOW    INJLTRIES.      157 

fancy.  The  speaker  believed  that  we  have  need  of  oruamental  trees 
to  promote  the  best  moral  and  esthetic  development  of  the  people. 

Mr.  Hadwen,  in  answer  to  an  inquirj^,  stated  that  the  "Worcester 
Park  Commission  consists  of  five  members,  each  holding  his  office 
five  years.  One  member  is  elected  ^ach  year,  and  all  serve 
withont  pay.  Some  members  have  been  re-elected  contiunouslj^ 
for  a  long  time,  while  others  have  served  bnt  one  or  two  terms. 
As  a  rnle  thej'^  take  a  strong  interest  in  their  duties,  which 
include  the  planting  and  care  of  trees  in  streets,  and  the  control 
and  direction  in  the  management  of  the  parks  of  the  cit}',  which 
are  now  ten  in  number.  They  must  be  consulted  if  a  building  is 
to  be  moved  on  any  street ;  and  if  au}-  action  of  the  street  com- 
missioners interferes  with  their  department,  the  former  must 
respect  the  suggestions  of  the  park  commissioners.  He  said  that 
Ex-Governor  Lincoln  had  a  high  regard  for  the  trees  in  the  streets, 
and  on  one  occasion,  when  he  saw  a  stranger  about  to  tie  his  horse 
to  a  ti'ee,  he  remonstrated.  The  stranger  said  his  business  was 
urgent  and  that  he  had  no  time  to  find  different  accommodations, 
whereupon  Mr.  Lincoln  proposed  to  hold  the  horse  while  its  owner 
was  engaged,  and  he  did  so,  thus  preventing  the  injury  to  the 
tree,  which  had  been  threatened. 

William  C.  Strong  thought  it  was  apparent  that  we  ought  all  to 
labor  to  get  Park  Commissions  in  our  own  towns.  He  then 
asked  the  lecturer  about  washes  for  exposed  places  where  branches 
had  been  cut  off,  or  accidental  wounds  made  upon  the  stem  of  a 
tree.  He  had  used  a  compound  of  wax  and  alcohol,  and  inquired 
if  alcohol  was  injurious  to  the  trees. 

Professor  Farlow  said  that  a  mixture  of  grafting  wax  and 
alcohol,  so  proportioned  that  upon  its  application  the  wax  would 
harden  at  once,  he  should  consider  good,  and  that  the  alcohol  in 
■such  a  compound  could  not  of  itself  be  injurious.  He  recom- 
mended pine  tar,  although  some  other  preparations  might  serve  the 
purpose  as  well. 

Robert  Manning  considered  tar  poisonous  to  trees.  His  father 
used  a  mixture  of  tar  and  red  ochre,  but  his  observation  was  that 
it  injured  the  trees  —  mostly  pear — to  which  it  was  applied.  For 
his  own  use  he  pi'eferred  a  paint  of  linseed  oil,  which  he  believed 
harmless  and  quite  as  serviceable  as  any  other  yet  named.  Yellow 
ochre  had  proved  very  effectual  in  preserving  the  wood,  but  he 
liked  to  have  the  paint  as  near  the  color  of  the  bark  as  possible, 
and  used  lead  as  a  basis. 


158  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICtTLTURAL   SOCIETY. 

Mr.  .Strong  did  not  approve  of  paint  or  shellac,  and  believed  tar 
to  be  injurious.  He  had  used  grafting  wax  dissolved  in  alcohol, 
with  good  effect,  but  would  like  to  find  a  better  compound  for  the 
purpose. 

Jacob  W.  Manning  said  that  in  training  young  trees  for  plant- 
ing in  streets  he  would  advise  pruning  the  lower  branches  away  to 
ten  or  twelve  feet  from  the  ground,  rather  than  allow,  as  Ave 
sometimes  see  in  older  trees,  large  branches  to  start  out  from  five 
to  seven  feet  from  the  ground,  which  eventually  have  to  be  cut 
away,  not  only  destrojnng  all  beauty  of  form,  but  leaving  a 
wound  that  may  never  be  healed.  He  thought  the  American  elm 
one  of  the  very  best  trees  we  have  for  street  planting. 

Mr.  Hadweu  was  called  upon  to  answer  the  question :  AVhat  is 
the  best  time  to  prune  apple  trees?  In  reply  he  said  playfully 
""VYhen  your  saw  is  sharp."  For  young  trees  any  time  that  they 
appear  to  need  it  is  suitable ;  but  for  fruit-bearing  trees  he  should 
prefer  to  do  it  in  April  or  May,  when  the  branches  are  more  readily 
bent  without  breaking.  The  older  the  trees,  the  more  surely  they 
should  not  be  pruned  in  autumn.  When  pruning  in  May  great 
care  must  be  taken  not  to  start  the  bark  from  the  wood,  and, 
as  one  safeguard  in  this  respect,  it  is  always  better  to  cut  the 
under  side  of  a  branch  before  cutting  the  upper  side.  To  the 
question:  ." AVill  not  spring  pruning  damage  buds?"  he  replied 
that  if  the  workmen  are  careful  no  harm  need  be  done. 

Mr.  Chase  said  he  thought  the  lecture  was  one  of  the  most 
interesting  and  valuable  we  have  heard  this  season  and  moved  a 
vote  of  thanks  to  Professor  Farlow,  which  was  passed  unani- 
mously. 

Mr.  Hadwen  announced  that  on  the  next  Saturday,  Charles  L. 
Allen,  of  Floral  Park,  N.  Y.,  would  read  a  paper  upon  the 
"Scientific  Education  of  Gardeners." 


BUSINESS   MEETING. 

Saturday,  March  14, 1891. 

An    adjourned   meeting   of   the    Society   was    holden  at  eleven 
o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spooxer,  in  the  chair. 
No  business  being  brought  before  the  meeting  it 
Adjourned  to  Saturday,  March  21. 


Till-:    SCIENTIFIC    EDUCATION    OF    GAUUENERS.  \d\) 

MEETING  FOR  DISCUSSION. 
The  Scientific  Education  of  Gardeners. 

By  Charles  Linn.kus  Allex,  Floral  Park,  N.  Y. 

Edueatiou  is  the  developmeut  of  the  human  faculties  and  the 
traiuiug  of  them  in  such  a  manner  that  all  the  forces  of  the 
intellect  act  in  harmony  in  whatever  direction  reason  or  taste 
dictates.  Education,  when  united  with  industry-  and  perseverance, 
enables  a  man  to  reach  the  highest  social,  political,  professional, 
or  business  position. 

All  that  there  is  or  can  be  gained  in  life  is  proportionate  to  the 
development  and  application  of  our  natural  gifts.  As  a  rule, 
intelligence,  the  fruit  of  education,  combined  with  industry, 
invariably  wins ;  while  ignorance  as  surely  fails  in  solving  the 
great  problem  of  life, —  how  to  secure  success.  This  principle  is 
universal  in  its  application.  It  applies  to  all  men  and  to  all  con- 
ditions of  life.  It  does  not  affect  the  principle  that  some  men  of 
rare  intelligence  do  not  succeed  in  business,  or  that  some  ciuite 
illiterate  or  ignorant  men  are  prosperous.  There  are  many  causes 
of  failure  other  than  educational,  but  there  is  one  fact  which  can- 
not be  disputed,  namely,  that  no  business  ever  prospered  unless 
talent,  trained  or  untrained,  stood  at  the  helm.  The  occa- 
sional success  of  a  man  in  business  who  rarely  reads  and  never 
writes  anything  more  than  sometimes  to  sign  his  name,  shows  us 
a  man  of  natural  talent  who  would  have  been  a  power  for  good  in 
the  land  had  his  mind  been  properly  educated  or  disciplined.  The 
well  educated  man  is,  relatively,  a  great  many  men,  for,  besides 
his  own  natural  resources,  he  has  the  experiences  and  observations 
of  other  men  to  guide  him.  It  is  onlj^  the  liberal-minded  man  who 
will  profit  by  the  experience  of  others ;  he  learns  both  b}'  their 
successes  and  failures: 

The  greater  our  natural  abilities,  the  more  important  it  is  that 
they  should  be  properly  trained.  Talent  should  be  wisely 
directed.  Untrained  talent  is  a  dangerous  element ;  it  is  like  a 
spirited  but  unbroken  horse,  quite  as  liable  to  go  wrong  as  right. 
Confucius  said,  "  Learning  Avithout  thought  is  labor  lost.  Thought 
without  learning  is  perilous."  This  truism  frequently  confronts  us 
in  our  business  relations.  That  all  men  should  be  educated  in 
order  to  develop  their  full  capabilities,  does  not  admit  of  a  doubt, 
the  only  difference  in  opinion  being  as  to  the  degree. 


160  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICtHLTURAL    SOCIETY. 

The  subject  for  diseussiou  today  is  "The  Scientific  Education 
of  Gardeners."  The  term  "scientific"  seems  to  stagger  many 
men,  particularly  our  practical  gardeners,  who,  as  a  class,  are  men 
of  great  natural  shrewdness  and  superior  ability,  close  observers, 
and  men  of  keen  perception,  with  an  innate  love  of  the  beautiful  in 
form  and  color  —  men  whose  noble  instincts  make  them  liberal  to  a 
fault.  Such  men  are  quite  apt  to  think  there  is  a  conflict  between 
science  and  practice.  This  is  a  great  mistake.  The}"  are  simply 
cause  and  effect.  The  general  impression  appears  to  be  that 
science  is  a  degree  in  the  scale  of  knowledge  that  is  only  conferred 
by  some  institution  of  learning ;  that  scientific  men  dwell  in  a 
peculiar  atmosphere  and  possess  some  hidden  facts  not  easily 
attained.  Let  us  refer  to  AVebster  for  a  true  definition  of  the 
word : 

"1.  Knowledge;  penetrating  and  comprehensive  information; 
skill;  experience,  and  the  like. 

"2.  The  comprehension  and  understanding  of  truth,  or  facts; 
investigation  of  truth  for  its  own  sake ;  pursuit  of  pure  knowl- 
edge. 

"3.  Truth  ascertained  ;  that  which  is  known." 
A  simple  definition  of  the  word  "science"  would  be,  exact  fact, 
which  is  alike  applicable  to  industry,  general  intelligence,  order, 
manhood,  and  correct  business  habits.  The  only  difference 
between  a  scientific  and  any  other  fact  is,  that  the  one  is  exact, 
methodical,  punctual,  and  critical;  the  other  not.*  This  difference 
is  seen  also  between  two  gardeners  having  the  same  general  outfit 
as  to  appliances,  and  tools  or  implements ;  the  one  has  everything 
orderly  and  in  its  place ;  the  other,  everything  in  a  heap. 

With  these  simple  definitions  of  science,  let  us  make  a  few 
applications  in  the  order  named,  first  stating  that  when  a  3'oung 
man  chooses  an  occupation  for  life,  he  should  have  three  distinct 
objects  in  view :  First,  to  establish  himself  in  business  that  will 
with  industry  and  ecofeomy  provide  him  with  a  home  and  a  compe- 
tence in  old  age ;  second,  to  be  a  leader  in  whatever  profession  or 
business  he  may  choose,  honored  and  respected  b}^  all  men ;  and 
lastly,  to  pursue  some  line  of  thought  or  study  allied  to  his  busi- 
ness, the  influence  of  which  will  make  old  age  beautiful  through  the 
pleasant  memories  of  a  life  well  spent. 

Success  is,  or  should  be,  the  warp  and  woof  of  ever}-  j'oung 
man's  ambition.     He  naturally  wants  to  tread  the  path  that  is  the 


THE    SCIENTIFIC    EDUCATION    OF    GARDENERS.  161 

shortest  and  most  direct  to  wealth,  honor,  and  distinction.  There 
is  not  a  young  man  of  fair  intelligence  and  with  an  ambition  that 
knows  no  failure,  avIio  will  not  be  ten  times  more  likely  to  succeed 
in  the  horticultural  field  than  in  any  oilier  walk  in  life.  He  will, 
moreover,  satisfy  all  the  desires  of  his  ambition.  It  is  to  be 
supposed  that  he  has  no  capital  at  the  start  other  than  strength 
and  determination,  and  these  are  all  that  will  be  required  if  he  is 
scientific  in  liis  methods.  If  wise  he  will  consider  well  every  step ; 
he  will  estimate  the  chances  of  success  and  the  possibilities  of  fail- 
ure. Because  the  life  of  the  gardener  is  one  of  toil,  he  should 
not  be  discouraged  and  get  enamored  with  city  life.  The  excite- 
ment that  evolves  from  the  whirl  of  active  business,  and  the  honors 
that  are  shown  those  who  attain  high  distinction  in  their  profession, 
are  trul}-  fascinating,  but  we  would  caution  every  young  man 
against  indulging  in  hopes  that  so  rarely  ripen  to  fruition. 

If  a  gardener  wishes  to  reach  distinction,  he  must  become 
scientific  in  everything  that  relates  to  his  business.  His  industry 
must  be  proverbial ;  he  must  never  be  in  haste,  but  never  idle. 
To  accomplish  the  most  in  a  given  space  of  time  with  the  least 
possible  expenditure  of  labor  is  the  science  of  industry.  His 
intelligence  should  know  no  limit.  There  is  no  other  field  so 
broad  or  so  beautifully  diversified  as  the  garden.  A  thorough 
knowledge  of  plants  and  their  requirements  is  the  key  to  success. 
The  old  truism  that  "knowledge  is  power"  is  more  plainly 
exemplified  in  tlie  life  of  the  gardener  than  in  any  other  calling. 
No  man  who  commences  to  build  up  a  business  career  without 
capital,  will  be  so  greatly  benefited  by  a  complete  knowledge  of 
his  work  as  he.  A  gardener  who  has  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  every  plant  he  handles,  has  an  education  that  his  employer 
covets  ;  it  brings  them  together  in  harmony  ;  they  converse  freely 
over  a  favorite  plant  upon  terms  of  human  equality.  The  more 
the  gardener  knows,  if  he  is  willing  to  impart  it,  the  more  impor- 
tant he  is  to  the  position  he  fills,  and  the  greater  will  be  his 
chances  for  advancement.  Many  gardeners  get  a  very  wrong 
impression  when  they  enter  upon  a  new  situation.  They  feel  as 
though  interests  instead  of  being  mutual  are  antagonistic,  that 
the  conditions  are  as  master  and  servant,  while  such  a  feeling 
never  enters  the  employer's  mind, —  that  is  if  he  is  a  man  and  has 
a  garden  to  gi-atify  a  love  for  the  beautiful  —  and  I  pity  the 
gardener  who  has  charge  of  a  place  where  flowers  are  only  grown 
11 


102  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

as  external  evideuces  of  wealth.  Flowers  should  never  bloom,  or 
fruit  ripen,  for  such  men,  for  they  have  not  the  slightest  apprecia- 
tion of  the  gardener's  work  and  worth,  or  the  respect  they  owe 
their  fellow  man.  The  gardener's  home  is  with  the  man  who  has  a 
bond  of  sympathy  in  his  heart,  rather  than  sympathy  only  with  his 
own  wealth.  Many  gardeners  get  to  feel  that  the  owner  of  a  place 
has  no  right  to  do  as  he  likes  with  his  own, — that  if  he  wants  a 
flower  or  fruit  for  a  friend  it  must  be  taken  only  with  the  gardeu- 
ei''s  consent.  We  know  this  feeling  is  common,  but  we  do  not 
think  it  is  by  any  means  general. 

Every  true  lover  of  flowers,  and  the  gardener  more  than  all 
others,  knows  that  they  who  see  a  flower  only  with  their  eyes  see 
but  little  of  its  real  beauty.  It  must  be  seen  through  the  under- 
standing to  be  appreciated.  It  is  the  life  in  the  plant  that  is  truly 
beautiful.  Each  and  every  plant  is  a  teacher,  and  they  who 
understand  "plant  talk,"  can  impart  to  others  information  far 
more  fascinating  than  the  work  of  the  poet's  imagination.  Let  the 
gardener  make  it  a  rule  to  show  his  emploj'er,  every  time  he  enters 
the  conservatory,  some  of  the  hidden  beauties  of  the  plants, — some 
fact  in  relation  to  the  phenomena  of  plant  life ;  how  it  feels  and 
understands ;  let  him  point  out  those  wondrous  facts  with  which 
his  mind  is  stored,  as  though  he  were  a  brother  or  a  friend,  and 
there  will  soon  be  established  a  mutual  and  endearing  friendship. 
This  is  the  scientific  way  of  managing  an  employer  and  it  is  a  sure 
stepping-stone  to  success.  There  are  but  few  gardeners  filling 
responsible  positions  in  our  country,  who,  if  they  will  unite  with 
this  disposition  habits  of  industr}^,  integrity,  and  good  nature,  will 
not  find  in  their  employers  never  failing  friends, —  friends  who 
will  gladly  assist  them,  if  need  be,  in  establishing  a  business  of 
their  own. 

The  opposite  of  this  is  too  often  the  case.  We  have  known 
instances  where  conservatories  have  been  sold  and  places  given  up 
because  the  owner  and  the  gardener  could  not  work  together  in 
harmony.  Now  we  do  not  for  a  moment  think  the  gardener 
intends  a  wrong, —  far  from  it:  it  is  simply  a  mistaken  idea  of  his 
rights  and  duties  and  if  it  were  not  for  this,  there  would  be  man}- 
more  employers  than  there  are  now. 

There  is  a  science  in  manhood  and  honor  with  which  the  gar- 
dener should  become  familiar.  As  facts  are  scientific,  we  wish  to 
state  a  few  very  plain  ones  that  every  one  can  apply  to  himself  or 


THE    SCIENTIFIC    EDUCATION    OF    GAKDEXEK8.  1 62P 

rojoct.   according'   to    the    facts    iu    the    case.       It    is   the    almost 
universal  practice  in  some  countries,  and  sadly  too  common  in  thiSy 
for  gardeners, —  and  they  are  not  a  particle  different  from  other 
employes,  to  expect,  yes,  to  demand,  a  commission  on  all  pur- 
chases made  for  their  employers.      This  method  of  getting  extra 
compensation  from  an  employer,  without  his  knowledge,  is  a  sad 
injury  to  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  honorable  pi'ofessions  that 
man  ever  followed  —  that  of   the  gardener  —  not  only  in  the  break- 
ing down  of  manhood  and  common  honesty,  which  entails  the  loss, 
of  character,  but  in  creating  a  lack  of  confidence  on  the  part  of  the 
employer  which  will  not  permit  him  to  make  the  advancement  in 
wages  and   position  that  he  would   otherwise   be  glad  to  make. 
Some  of  the  English  seedsmen  have  repeatedly  told  me  that  most 
of   the  head  gardeners    in    that   country    bought,    annually,  fifty 
times  more  seeds,  in  value,  than  the}'  could  possiblj'  use,  simply  to 
get  the  commission.      Our  observation  shows  that  this  practice  i& 
on  the  increase  in  this  country.      We  have  been   asked   for  the 
commission   frequently,   the  parties  claiming  it  as  a  right,  saying 
"all  seedsmen  allow  it."      But  all  do  not.      No  man  Avorthy  the 
name  of  seedsman  will  compound  a  fraud  of  this  kind  and  no  man- 
worthy  of  the  name  of  gardener  would  do  otherwise  than  reject  an 
offer  which  would  disgrace  himself  and  cast  a  blight  on  the  whole 
fraternity.      We  know  many  gardeners  who  feel  keenl}^  the  dis- 
grace  heaped   upon   them   by   their   dishonorable    associates.     A 
gentleman  who  owus  a  large  place  recently  told  me  that  he  shcRilcC 
be  glad  to  give  me  his  order  but  he  dared  not,  for  if  he  did  his- 
garden  would  be  ruined  for  the  season.     He  knew  wh}'  seeds  were 
bought  elsewhere   and  said  it  was   cheapest   to   keep   quiet   and 
submit  to  the  imposition,  and  further,  that  but  for  this  he  would 
largely  extend  his  area  of  glass, —  in  fact  would  be  glad  to  start  a 
commercial  place  and  give  his  gardener  the  lion's  share  of   the 
profit,  but  he  could  not  trust  a  man  who  would  practice  such  little 
irregularities.      Now,  I  do  not  think  a   large  proportion  of   our 
gardeners  are  dishonest  in  this  respect,   but  the  few  work  great 
injury  to  the  whole.      It  should  not  be  so,  but  it  is,  and  the  young: 
gardener  looking  for  success  in  his  profession  should  reject  with 
righteous  indignation  all  emoluments  of  this  chai'acter,  which,  I 
am  sorry  to  sa}',  will  be  freely  tendered  him. 

But  to  return  to  the  question  of   practical  education.      Where 
can  it  be  obtained  ?      Taking  it  for  granted  that  a  voung  man  has 


164  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTUEAL    SOCIETY. 

fit  the  start  a  fair  rudimentary  education,  the  garden  is  the  school 
to  attend,  where  every  plant,  animal,  and  insect  is  a  teacher. 
These  must  all  be  learned ;  they  are  the  elements  of  that  education 
■which  will  lead  to  distinction.  As  science  is  the  exact  knowledge 
of  things,  here  are  the  objects  to  be  learned  and  loved.  These 
terms  should  be  reversed  in  the  order  given,  because  if  the  object 
is  not  loved  it  can  never  be  thoroughly  learned.  And  we  would 
say  here  that  if  a  young  man  does  not  love  the  garden  and  all 
therein,  he  should  enter  some  other  profession,  for  there  is  no  more 
pitiable  object  in  life  than  a  man  following  a  profession  that  he 
does  not  enjoy. 

Systematic  Iwtau}"  need  not  necessarily  enter  largely  into  the 
gardener's  education,  but  though  he  can  do  without  it  he  will 
he  far  more  proficient  with  it.  A  genuine  love  for  plants  will 
create  in  him  a  desire  for  a  knowledge  of  their  systematic  order 
and  arrangement ;  he  will  then  seek  that  information  as  a  pleasant 
pastime,  rather  than  as  a  branch  of  his  education.  The  phenom- 
ena of  plant  life  are  far  more  important  to  understand  in  order  to 
know  the  plant's  necessities ;  why  and  how  plants  grow,  how  they 
feed  and  what  they  feed  upon ;  the  cause  of  failure  as  well  as 
success.  The  gardener  is  the  only  man  who  knows  how  to  develop 
a  plant  to  its  greatest  perfection  ;  how  to  improve  upon  old  tN'pes 
and  create  new  ones.  He  does  not  want  to  learn  from  the 
professor ;  on  the  contrary,  he  should  compel  the  professor  to 
learn  from  him.  As  a  rule,  professors  are  not  scientists ;  they  are 
simply  the  distributors  of  the  facts  termed  ''scientific,"  that  have 
been  obtained  by  the  observations  and  experiments  of  other  men. 
The  scientific  man  is  he  who  has  discovered  some  fact  not  pre- 
viously known,  and  can  reduce  it  to  practice.  And  among  our 
sj'stematic,  intelligent  gardeners  more  of  such  men  will  be  fouud 
than  in  any  other  walk  in  life.  Their  operations  are  so  varied  that 
they  come  in  contact  with  more  obstacles  that  are  to  be  overcome, 
than  any  other  class  of  men.  They  are  compelled  from  the  very 
nature  of  their  business  to  know  more.  The  mechanic  of  today 
learns  but  a  small  part  of  one  branch  of  his  business,  and  this  is 
being  coustantl}'  repeated  without  the  slightest  variation.  He  is  a 
part  of  a  machine.  The  gardener  must,  in  a  great  measure,  be  gov- 
erned by  the  elements,  which  are  very  capricious  ;  he  must  perfectlj' 
understand  all  the  conditions  of  soil  and  climate  and  be  governed 
accordingly.      Impossibilities  are  not  unfrequently  required   at  his 


THE    SCIENTIFIC    EDUCATIOX    OF    GARDENERS.  165 

bauds  aud  should  he  nieutiou  the  elenieuts  as  opposing  forces,  it 
would  not  always  be  accepted  as  a  valid  excuse  for  the  failure  of 
a  crop. 

"While  gardeners,  through  methods  strictly  scientific,  have 
succeeded  in  producing  more  novel  forms  or  t^'pes  in  vegetable, 
fruit,  or  flower  thau  all  other  men,  they  rarely  profit  from  it 
financially  as  well  as  they  ought,  because  they  are  not  S3'stematic 
iu  business  methods.  They  do  not  apply  their  gifts  to  their  own 
profit;  they  let  other  men  reap  where  thej''  have  sown. 

Let  us  state  a  few  facts  in  support  of  this  assertion.  Nearly 
every  prominent  seedsman  iu  our  country  annually  sends  out  some 
"novelty"  in  plant,  fruit,  vegetable,  or  flower.  The  seeds  or 
plants  of  these  are  sold  at  no  small  profit.  From  whence  does  he 
obtain  these  valuable  acquisitions?  Invariably  from  the  gardener^ 
whose  keen  discrimination  has  detected  some  little  variation  in. 
form,  color,  or  marking  of  a  flower ;  either  a  sport,  a  chance  seed- 
ling, or.  perhaps  the  result  of  systematic  cross-fertilization.  He 
may  have  discovered  a  plant  remarkable  for  its  vigor,  and  with 
flowers  larger,  of  more  substance,  and  of  a  deeper  color,  than 
the  type.  He  selects  the  seeds  from  these  aud,  by  careful,, 
systematic  selection,  after  years  of  patient,  pleasant  industry,, 
establishes  a  type  of  superior  merit.  And  W'hat  is  the  result?  He 
shows  the  fruits  of  his  industr}'  at  an  exhibition  and  is  justly 
proud  of  the  certificate  or  medal  he  has  earned.  His  favorite 
seedsman  gets  the  stock  for  a  mere  song  and  creates  a  sensation 
by  the  introduction  of  a  "novelty"  and  makes  a  good  profit,  which 
the  gardener  should  share  but  rarel}'^  does.  \Ye  have  known  very 
many  instances  of  this  kind ;  in  fact  have  profited  by  them,  and 
we  can  truly  say  that  we  do  not  know  of  an  instance  (and  we  have 
followed  seed  growing  for  many  years)  where  a  seedsman  ever 
originated  any  one  of  the  new  varieties  of  vegetables  or  flowers 
Avhich  he  has  disseminated.  It  is  the  gardener,  or  agriculturist,  to 
whom  we  are  indebted  for  all  that  is  valuable  in  the  way  of  new 
varieties. 

The  same  is  true  of  scientific  knowledge  in  its  relation  to  plant 
culture,  growth,  or  development.  We  are  indebted  to  the  gar- 
dener for  all  the  facts  pertaining  to  these  subjects,  Avhich  the 
professional  scientists  are  teaching.  Practical  knowledge  can  be 
gained  from  no  other  source.  If  a  man  wants  the  real  knowledge 
of  plants,  he  must  go  to  the  garden  and  learn  it  of  the  plant.     He 


166  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

'must  be  a  gardener.  It  matters  uot  whether  he  is  to  teach  the  art 
or  practise  it ;  the  garden  is  the  school  and  Nature  the  head 
teacher.  However  much  the  science  may  be  disseminated  after- 
wards, it  is  born  in  the  garden  and  cradled  by  the  gardener. 

A  man  may  be  proficient  in  systematic  botany ;  his  herbarium 
may  be  complete ;  and  yet  he  may  not  truly  know  orchids  or 
«onions.  There  is  a  great  difference  between  Tcnowivg  a  thing  and 
Jcnowing  about  it.  To  know  is  to  be  educated ;  to  do  is  to  be 
scientific.  A  man  is  not  necessarily  a  musician  because  he  can 
render  perfectly  one  of  Beethoven's  symphonies.  He  rrnxy  be  only 
a  performer  or  imitator.  A  musician  is  he  who  has  assisted  in 
perfecting  the  modulation  of  sound.  So  too,  a  man  is  not  a 
gardener  who  simply  talks  al)out  the  garden  and  describes  the 
plants.  He  may  kuow  their  luimes  and  origin  without  knowing 
them.  He  is  not  a  scientific  gardener  who  can  repeat  every  word 
of  some  scientific  treatise  on  gardening.  The  scientific  gardener 
is  the  one  who,  through  his  owu  observation  and  industry,  has 
gained  some  facts  in  regard  to  plants  and  their  culture,  or  devel- 
oped some  forms,  uot  previously  known.  He  is  a  man  who  can 
make  a  garden  and  have  in  it  all  that  is  desired  in  the  greatest 
perfection.     Such  gardeners  teach  our  professors. 

If  a  man  should  call  upon  one  of  the  professors  of  botany  or 
horticulture  at  Harvard,  the  fountain  head  of  education,  and  make 
some  inquiry  regarding  trees,  he  would  soon  be  filled  to  overflow- 
ing with  the  contents  of  their  text-books  and  he  would  very  likely 
exclaim,  " I  do  not  want  the  tree  in  the  abstract;  I  want  it  on  the 
lawn,  in  the  orchard,  or  by  the  roadside."  The  professor  would 
then  say,  "if  trees  are  what  you  want,  go  to  the  Arnold  Arbore- 
tum and  see  Dawson.  He  knows  them  all ;  they  sing  for  him  and 
talk  to  him  in  their  way.  He  knows  their  language  because  he  is 
in  sympathy  with  them.  Every  fibre  of  a  tree  is  a  musical  chord 
that  is  in  harmony  with  his  nature.  A  seemingly  lifeless  branch 
will  bud  for  him  when  it  would  not  live  for  another."  If  a  man 
wanted  roses,  he  would  be  directed  to  Moore  of  Concord,  or 
Wood  of  Natick.  If  chrysanthemums,  he  would  be  directed  to 
Dr.  Walcott.  If  orchids  were  desired,  he  would  be  told  to  visit 
Eobinson  or  Allan.  If  he  wanted  lessons  in  landscape  pictures 
combined  with  everything  else  relating  to  horticulture,  he  would 
be  advised  to  take  the  first  train  for  Wellesley  and  have  a  chat 
with  Harris,  who  knows  vegetables,  fruits,  flowers,  as  well  as  trees 


THE    8CIKXTIFIC    EDUCATION    OF    GAUDEXEKS.  167 

of  all  kinds,  ami  can  make  of  tliein  pictures  with  which,  for  real 
beauty,  uothing  in  the  way  of  art  can  compare.  He  knows  all 
about  them  while  we  only  know  what  he  has  done. 

So  miH'h  to  show  that  the  professor  is  dependent  ui)on  the 
gardener  for  scientific  truths,  and  the  gardener  is  entirely  indepen- 
dent of  the  professor. 

The  gardener  should  be  educated  not  only  up  to  the  times  but 
far  ahead.  The  plants  of  forty  years  ago  have  no  place  in  the 
garden  of  today ;  while  those  of  a  hundred  years  ago  may  have, 
as  novelties.  Change,  the  universal  law  of  Nature,  is  the  order 
of  the  da}'.  This  is  not  due  to  fickle  caprice,  but  is  neeessar}'  to 
satisf}'  the  increasing  demand  for  the  beautiful, —  a  demand  that 
is  imperative  and  exacting.  Not  that  we  tire  of  old  forms  or 
colors  in  the  flowers,  or  the  delicious  qualities  of  our  vegetables 
and  fruits ;  but  the  spirit  of  progress  which  marks  this  era  is 
reaching  far  and  wide  for  the  perfection  in  development  that 
knows  no  limit.  This  spirit  should  stimulate  the  gardener  to  more 
constant,  sj'stematic,  and  noble  effort  in  his  profession.  It  is  to 
him  and  to  him  alone  that  we  are  indebted  for  the  garden  of  today 
in  contrast  to  that  of  Mty  years  ago.  In  thiS  country,  flowers 
were  then  regarded  as  luxuries ;  today  they  are  necessities.  The 
desire  for  a  good  garden  is  now  so  nearly  universal  that  the  excep- 
tion only  proves  the  rule ;  and  there  can  be  no  gardens  without 
gardeners.  Some  of  the  best — at  least  the  most  enthusiastic  — 
are  amateurs,  and  to  them  we  are  largely  indebted  not  only  for  the 
improvement  in  floral  forms  but  for  the  development  of  taste  that 
makes  gardening  a  profitable  profession.  Though  amateurs,  many 
of  them  are  wealthy,  but  still  they  are  gardeners  if  they  love  and 
work  in  the  garden,  and  if  there  is  one  influence  more  powerful 
than  another  in  removing  that  distinction  in  society  which  wealth 
creates,  it  is  a  love  for  and  a  common  interest  in  the  beautiful. 
This  love  united  with  other  elements  of  character,  will  bring  into 
harmony  all  classes  of  men  having  congenial  tastes,  and  cause 
them  to  become  warm  and  congenial  friends.  These  signs  of 
human  equality  rarely  appear  in  any  other  walk  in  life.  There  is 
no  bond  of  affection  between  a  merchant  and  his  clerks,  manufac- 
turers and  their  emploj'^es,  such  as  is  frequently  seen  between  the 
owner  of  the  garden  and  the  toiler  in  it. 

The  gardener,  whether  private  or  commercial,  should  always  be 
on  the  alert  for  something  new.      His  success  will  be  proportioned 


168  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

to  his  clevelopmeut  of  uew  and  rare  forms.  He  who  introduces  a 
new  rose,  if  it  has  merits  not  ah'eady  possessed  by  others,  and  if 
it  be  the  result  of  the  hibor  of  his  own  head  and  hands,  has  estab- 
lished an  enviable  reputation  which  is  quite  as  important,  in  a 
business  way,  as  the  direct  profit  that  will  accrue  from  its  intro- 
duction. There  never  was  a  time  when  wealth  contributed  so 
liberallj^  to  taste  as  the  present.  Any  new  floral  form,  of  merit,  is 
eagerl}^  sought  and  liberally  paid  for ;  it  matters  not  whether  it  be 
superior  to  existing  forms  —  if  it  has  distinctive  characteristics  it 
will  find  a  place  in  ever}'  garden  and  add  to  the  fame  of  the 
originator. 

But  the  old  should  not  be  neglected  for  the  new.  The  perpetua- 
tion of  old  varieties  is  quite  as  important  as  the  development  of 
the  new  ones  and,  perhaps,  more  so.  All  depends  upon  the  skill 
of  the  gardener  in  getting  from  the  plant  all  that  it  is  capable  of 
producing.  There  is,  oftentimes,  more  difference  between  a 
variety  perfectly  developed  and  the  same  neglected,  than  between 
an  old  and  a  new,  though  similar,  variety.  The  scientific  gardener 
will  make  the  old  appear  as  new  because  of  perfect  culture,  while 
the  unscientific  ga'rdeuer  will  make  the  new  appear  old  from  care- 
lessness and  neglect. 

System,  which  carries  with  it  order  and  neatness,  is  a  good 
working  capital  for  any  gardener.  A  neat  garden  is  almost 
invariably  a  good  garden,  and  the  manager  of  such  an  one  is  sure 
to  be  successful.  The  plants  he  grows  will  bring  twice  as  much  in 
the  market  as  those  from  the  sloven's  hand.  All  that  makes  a 
plant  valuable  is  its  beauty,  and  beauty  is  never  associated  with 
filth.  I  would,  therefore,  urge  every  gardener,  amateur  or  profes- 
sional, private  or  commercial,  to  encourage  and  stinuilate  a  love 
for  the  beautiful ;  it  is  an  antidote  for  all  the  asperities  of  life ;  it 
softens  the  hours  of  labor  and  sweetens  the  acerbities  of  our 
natures.  A  study  of  the  beautiful,  whether  in  the  plant,  the  tree, 
or  the  flower;  whether  in  the  conservatory  or  the  vegetable 
garden ;  in  field  or  wood ;  in  fact  wherever  found,  will  have  a 
tendency  to  elevate  and  strengthen  and  refine  character  and  mater- 
ially assist  in  promoting  happiness.  The  gardener,  more  than  any 
other  man,  is  a  child  of  Nature,  whose  gifts,  united  with  his 
industry,  his  experience  and  observation,  will  make  old  age 
beautiful  and  pleasant.  The  love  of  the  beautiful  never  wearies 
nor    urows    old ;     on    the    ct)ntrarv    it    increases    with    our    vears. 


THE    SCIENTIFIC    EDUCATION    OF    GARDENERS.  ICD 

When  the  active  duties  of  life  are  over,  the  gardeuer  has  a  rich 
fund  of  enjoyment  and  constant  companionship  in  the  plants  he 
loves. 

I  would  sa}'  in  conclusion  that  financial  success  in  life  is  within 
the  reach  of  every  gardener  who  will  truly  and  nobly  seek  it. 
There  is  room  and  opportunity  for  all.  There  is  abundance  of 
work  for  those  who  are  anxious  to  find  it.  Our  country  is  broad 
and  rich  and  made  richer  ever}-  day  by  those  who  are  willing  to 
work.  A  small  business  can  be  started  with  but  little  capital 
other  than  energy,  industry,  and  intelligence,  united  with  sound 
morality,  that  will  rapidly  elevate  a  man  to  a  comfortable  and 
honorable  position.  The  lower  walks  of  horticulture  may  be  full 
to  overflowing,  but  in  the  language  of  your  great  statesman, 
"There  is  plant}'  of  room  up  here."  In  this  country,  where  men 
are  measured  by  their  worth,  and  not  by  the  accident  of  birth, 
distinction  only  comes  to  those  who  work  for  it,  and  there  are  no 
men  more  likely  to  reach  it,  than  well-informed,  honest,  and 
industrious  gardeners. 

Discrssiox. 

F.  L.  Temple  asked  what  ought  to  be  done  to  stimulate  the 
production  of  new  varieties  of  hardy  trees  and  shrubs.  He 
thought  the  efforts  to  improve  our  stock  of  plants  have  been  for  a 
long  time  directed  to  bench  or  bedding  plants  almost  exclusively, 
and  he  felt  that  there  is  need  of  a  cTiange  to  things  of  greater 
permanence,  which  are  far  more  valuable  than  any  other  class  of 
plants. 

Mr.  Allen  said  that  through  this  country  young  people  are 
mostly  uneducated  in  regard  to  plants,  and  until  they  are  properly 
instructed  in  this  direction,  knowledge  and  taste  in  relation  to 
these  things  cannot  become  general.  Today  the  followers  of 
fashion  in  New  York  would  as  soon  wear  a  caulifloAver  as  a 
Cattleya,  if  it  were  only  fashionable.  A  man  came  to  him  once 
with  a  large  order  for  forced  ox-eye  daisies,  and  willingly  paid 
seventy-five  dollars  per  day  for  three  weeks,  during  which  time  the 
suppl}"  was  furnished.  It  was  merely  caprice  which  made  the 
flowers  valuable.  As  soon  as  the  people  become  educated  to  see 
something  beautiful  in  plants  besides  color,  trees  and  shrubs  will 
be  better  appreciated.  In  the  old  countries,  they  cultivate  old 
flowers  because   they  love   them.      Plants  that  were  pictured   in 


170  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

1G12,  are  just  as  much  prized  over  there  today,  as  they  were 
iu  those  old  times.  When  the  people  are  educated  aright  they  can 
see  as  much  to  admire  in  a  well  grown  plant,  even  without  a 
bloom,  as  in  a  fine  flower. 

Jackson  Dawson  remarked  that  a  new  plant  receives  the  same 
expression  of  approval  from  this  Society,  if  it  shows  any  superi- 
ority over  the  older  varieties,  Avhatever  class  it  may  represent. 
He  wanted  to  call  attention  to  the  greater  length  of  time  required 
to  get  satisfactory  results  when  one  attempts  to  produce  a  new  and 
decidedly  superior  rhododendron  or  other  shrub,  and  especiallj^  a 
tree,  compared  with  the  time  required  in  such  attempts  with 
herbaceous  plants,  and  particularly  with  annuals.  In  the  former 
case  the  work  covers  a  term  of  from  three  or  four  years  to  perhaps 
ten  years,  while  in  the  latter  one  year  may  complete  it.  But,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  bedding  plant  is  in  perfection  in  a  year  or  two, 
while  the  shrub  or  tree  will  not  onlj'  continue  many  years,  or 
perhaps  a  lifetime,  but  will  increase  in  beauty  and  value  every 
year.  Moreover  this  work  must  be  done  b}^  a  person  who  has  had 
a  thorough  training  in  gardening  operations,  and  who  has  a 
natural  taste  for  such  work.  Societies  do  not  look  at  these  things 
from  this  point  of  view,  and,  therefore,  do  not  appreciate  them  as 
they  deserve. 

Mr.  Allen  agreed  with  Mr.  Temple's  view,  that  the  Massachu- 
setts Horticultural  Societ}"  should  recognize  plant  values  iu 
proportion  to  tlieir  cost.  He  added  that  he  should  like  to  live  to 
see  the  time  when  the  producer  of  a  valuable  new  variety'  of  tree 
or  shrub  —  a  choice  azalea  for  instance  —  will  be  paid  liberalh'  for 
the  skill  and  knowledge  as  well  as  the  time  devoted  to  bringing  it 
out. 

Mr.  Temple  thought  that  the  horticultural  societies  of  this 
country  had,  during  the  past  twenty-five  years,  given  too  nuich  of 
their  attention  to  the  improvement  of  annuals  and  greenhouse 
plants,  and  too  little  to  the  production  of  better  trees,  shrubs,  or 
permanent  things  generally.  He  believed  that  these  societies  had 
lost  influence  by  that  course.  There  is  no  firm  iu  this  couutr}'^ 
doing  the  work  for  us  that  Lemoine  is  doing  in  France,  or  John 
Laing  in  England.  Almost  nothing  is  done  here  to  encourage 
effort  iu  that  direction.  All  can  see  fine  roses,  and  many  appre- 
ciate them ;  but  hardy  things  of  high  value  are  either  not  seen,  or 
if  seen  are  not  understood.      But  few  prizes  and  those  small  are 


THE    SCIENTIFIC    EDUCATION    OF    GARDENERS.  171 

tiwarded  to  things  iu  this  line,  and  many  reall}^  choice  plants 
are  consequently  allowed  to  go  back  to  oblivion.  This  is  not  a 
personal  matter,  but  it  is  an  important  one  to  the  country  at  large. 
This  work  requires  the  possession  of  great  knowledge  and  judg- 
ment, the  result  of  long  and  peculiar  education,  and  where  it  is 
already  acquired  it  should  not  be  permitted  to  pass  away  and  be 
lost  through  lack  of  due  appreciation  and  encouragement. 

LeverettrM.  Chase  said  he  had  been  many  years  a  teacher  of 
boys.  He  had  tried  to  induce  them  to  experiment  with  fruits,  for 
the  purpose  of  producing  new  and  better  varieties,  especially 
pears,  and  most  of  them  enjoy  it.  He  thought  it  desirable  that 
more  of  us  should  take  up  this  work,  both  iu  fruits  and  many 
other  hardy  plants.  They  have  been  too  much  neglected.  The 
study  necessary  to  prepare  for  it  should  be  introduced  into  the 
schools.  Now,  happily,  it  seems  probable  that  something  may  be 
done  in  this  direction  ;  at  least  the  prospect  is  better  than  heretofore. 
He  would  like  to  see,  in  Horticultural  Hall,  monumental  tablets 
to  commemorate  the  services,  and  to  honor  the  names  of  such 
noble  discoverers,  or  producers,  of  good  things  as  E.  W.  Bull, 
the  originator  of  the  Concord  Grape,  and  Francis  Dana,  that 
single-minded,  earnest  seeker  after  better  fruits,  who  produced  so 
many  choice  varieties  of  pears.  We  should  recognize  and  honor 
such  laborers  for  they  are  benefactors  of  our  race.  We  should  not 
take  the  fruits  of  their  study  and  toil  as  matters  of  course  — 
which  may  not  yet  be  styled  robbing  them  —  but  should  show 
appreciation  by  rewarding  them. 

President  Spooner,  called  attention  to  two  hardy  plants.  Vibur- 
num plicatum  and  Andromeda  speciosa,  which  were  brought  in 
from  the  Arnold  Arboretum,  and  exhibited  in  bloom  today,  by 
Jackson  Dawson,  the  gardener  there,  who  is  doing  more  than  any 
other  person  to  bring  out  the  beauty  and  other  desirable  qualities 
of  hardy  trees,  shrubs,  and  vines,  and  to  make  known  their 
availability  for  garden,  lawn,  or  park  adornment. 

John  C.  Hovey  considered  annuals  and  bedding  plants  as 
valuable  as  shrubs.  A  great  advance  has  been  made  in  these 
plants;  new  ones  have  been  introduced  and  many  new  varieties 
have  been  produced,  and  most  old  sorts  have  been  improved.  We 
all  know  that  asters  and  zinnias,  geraniums  and  other  bedding 
plants  are  invaluable  for  decorative  purposes,  as  we  see  in  the 
Public  Gardens,  at  Mr.  Hunnewell's  country  seat,  and  other  similar 


172  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

places,  and  uo  hardy  trees  or  shrubs  could  possibly  serve  as 
substitutes.  Moreover  a  large  variety  of  bedding  plants  bloom  all 
summer,  while  shrubs,  with  few  exceptions,  are  in  flower  only  a 
short  time. 

Mr.  Temple  did  not  mean  to  say  that  too  much  encouragement 
was  given  to  the  culture  and  improvement  of  bedding  plants,  but 
that  too  little  had  been  given  to  efforts  applied  to  hardy  trees, 
shrubs,  vines,  etc.  When  he  spoke  of  cheap  annuals,  he  meant 
only  those  which  are  easily  grown,  and  require  little  knowledge 
or  skill. 

Mr.  Hovey  believed  that  everybody  could  grow  annuals. 

William  C.  Stroug  said  that  it  is  natural  tiiat  plants  which  are 
easily  and  therefore  cheaply  propagated  should  be  more  prominent 
in  commerce  than  those  propagated  with  difficulty.  Also  that, 
as  compared  with  trees,  shrubs  would  be  much  the  same.  That 
this  is  the  case,  is  not  so  much  the  fault  of  the  Society  as  of 
dealers,  who  every  year  make  a  specialty  of  the  trade  in  quickly 
grown  plants.  He  did  not  think  this  Society  had  been  remiss  in 
its  duty,  nor  even  backward  in  its  encouragement  to  growers 
in  any  department.  It  has  been  accustomed  for  a  long  time, 
to  offer  Prospective  Prizes  to  the  originators  of  improved  fruits 
and  vegetables,  and  these  have  been  productive  of  fairly  good 
results.  He  thought  it  would  be  well  for  the  Committee  for 
Establishing  Prizes  to  consider  the  propriet}'  of  giving  additional 
encouragement  to  the  production  and  introduction  of  new  varieties 
of  ornamental  trees  and  shrubs.  It  certainly  is  a  much  slower 
process  to  obtain  these,  than  a  new  seedling  strawberry,  for 
example,  and  the  introducer  of  these  should  receive  proportionate 
encouragement.  The  speaker  said  he  was  in  full  accord  with  the 
essayist  in  regard  to  the  honor  and  dignity  of  the  gardener's 
profession.  Old  gardeners  are  held  in  honor  in  England.  This  is 
relatively  a  new  country,  but  it  is  only  right  that  we  should  desire 
our  gardeners  to  be  as  well  trained,  and  be  held  in  as  high  esteem 
and  honor  as  those  in  the  old  countries.  A  thoroughly  trained  and 
accomplished  gardener  should  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  family  or 
of  the  firm,  for  he  is,  properly,  a  most  interested  party  to  the- 
progress  and  success  of  the  estate  or  the  establishment  with  which 
he  is  identified.  But  there  is  an  influence  in  our  country  which 
leads  men  who  have  ability,  to  think  they  should  use  it  in  some 
purely  money-making  scheme,  or  occupation. 


THE    SCIENTIFIC    EDUCATION'    OF    GAllDEXERS.  173 

Robert  INIanniiio-  rofervod  to  the  establishment  of  an  Experi- 
mental Garden,  at  Mount  Auburn,  by  the  Society,  and  said  that, 
in  connection  with  it,  General  Dearborn,  the  first  President,  had 
planned  an  "Institution  for  the  Education  of  Scientific  and  Practi- 
cal Gardeners."  Tlie  course  of  instruction  was  intended  to  cover 
three  years,  and  to  embrace  the  sciences  of  Botany,  Vegetable  Phy- 
siology, Chemistry,  Mineralogy,  Architecture,  Hydraulics,  Mechan- 
ics, Entomology,  and  such  other  branches  as  are  applicable  to 
Horticulture,  the  culture  of  fruit,  forest,  and  ornamental  trees, 
shrubs,  flowering  plants,  culinary,  and  such  other  vegetable  pro- 
ducts as  are  emploj'ed  in  the  industrial  arts ;  also  training  in  the 
composition  of  landscape  and  picturesque  gardens.  Although  this 
portion  of  the  plan  was  never  carried  out  it  showed  the  compre- 
hensiveness of  General  Dearborn's  views  of  horticulture  that  he 
shoidd  have  devised  such  a  plan. 

In  answer  to  an  inquiry  as  to  how  far  the  Experimental  Garden 
progressed,  Mr.  Manning  said  that  at  the  close  of  the  year  1832, 
General  Dearborn  reported  that  the  garden  had  been  laid  out,  the 
paths  and  avenues  constructed  and  bordered  with  turf,  and  that 
the  whole  would  be  in  readiness  for  planting  fruit  and  ornamental 
trees  in  the  spring.  In  May  of  the  next  year  he  reported  that 
under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Haggerston,  the  gardener,  more  than 
thirteen  hundred  fruit,  forest,  and  ornamental  trees  had  been 
planted,  and  hot-beds  had  been  prepared,  and  that  among  the  seeds 
sown  were  four  hundred  and  fift}'  varieties  which  had  been  sent 
to  the  Society  from  Europe,  Asia,  and  South  America.  The 
reports  of  the  meetings  and  exhibitions  of  the  Society  during  that 
and  the  next  year,  show  that  plants  of  vegetables  were  sent  to  the 
Society's  rooms  for  distribution  to  the  members,  and  that  a  consid- 
erable variety  of  flowers  and  vegetables  were  exhibited.  When 
the  establishment  at  Mount  Auburn  was  disposed  of  the  garden 
was  necessarily  given  up,  but  this  was  regretted  less  than  it  would 
otherwise  have  been,  had  not  the  experience  of  two  seasons  shown 
that  the  soil  was  not  adapted  for  an  experimental  garden. 

J.  W.  Manning  referred  to  the  Bussey  Institution  as  the  greatest 
object  lesson  in  America.  It  is  a  place  where  one  can  study 
hardy  tree  and  shrub  growth  from  the  originals,  as  the  collections 
include  many  forms  not  found  elsewhere  in  this  country,  and  not 
in  nursery  catalogues.  He  mentioned  as  among  other  things,  that 
ihe  apple  is  seen  there  with  fruit  which  attains  only  the  size  of 


174  MASSACHUSETTS    HOKTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

small  currants.  These  small  apples  were  doubtless  the  original 
apples,  proving  that  the  sin  of  Adam  and  Eve  was  based  on  the 
eating  of  very  innocent  looking  small  fruit,  and  also  that  we  still 
have  the  means  of  original  sin.  He  added,  however,  that  both 
apples  and  sins  have  since  grown  larger  as  conditions  admitted. 

On  motion  of  0.  B.  Hadwen  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Allen  for 
his  very  mteresting  and  instructive  paper  was  unanimously  passed. 

The  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Publication  and  Discussion 
announced  that  on  the  next  Saturdaj',  Thomas  C.  Thurlow,  of 
West  Newbury,  would  read  a  paper  entitled,  "A  Plea  for  Protect- 
ino-  Our  Native  Birds." 


BUSINESS   MEETING. 

Saturday,  March  21,   1891. 

An  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Society  Avas  holden  at  eleven 
o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.   Spooner,  in  the  chair. 

The  President  announced  the  decease,  at  Indianapolis,  Indiana, 
on  the  eleventh  instant,  of  John  B.  Russell,  the  last  survivor  of 
the  founders  and  corporators  of  the  Society.  John  G.  Barker 
moved  that  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  by  the  Chair  ta 
prepare  a  testimonial  to  the  memor}^  of  Mr.  Russell.  The  motion 
was  carried  and  the  Chair  appointed  as  that  Committee,  Mr. 
Barker,  C.  H.  B.  Breck,  and  Robert  Manning. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  March  28. 

MEETING  FOR  DISCUSSION. 

A  Plea  for  Protecting  our  Native  Birds. 

By  Thomas  C.  Thurlow,  West  Newbury. 

It  is  said  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  that,  during  the  first  long  and' 
severe  winter  in  this  country,  their  hearts  often  failed  them,  and 
they  more  than  once  decided  if  they  lived  till  spring  to  take  ship 
and  go  back  to  the  mother  country-,  leaving  this  cold,  bleak  coast  in 
the  undisputed  possession  of  wild  beasts  and  savages.      The  fickle 


A    TLEA    FOR    rROTKCTING    OUR    NATIVE    BIJiDS.  175 

climate,  so  different  from  that  of  England,  so  confused  their 
minds  that  they  more  than  once  supposed  spring  had  come,  only 
to  be  disappointed  by  the  return  of  winter  in  a  more  dreadful 
form,  until  hunger  and  exposure  had  hxid  more  than  half  their 
number  beneath  the  sod.  At  last,  we  read  that  their  hearts  were 
made  glad,  for  "The  birds  sang  in  the  woods,  and  there  was  a 
steady  rain,"  and  then  they  knew  that  spring  had  come,  and  they 
"  thanked  God  and  took  courage."  Not  one  of  them  it  is  said 
returned  to  England,  but  on  the  contrary,  as  spring  advanced  and 
the  birds  increased  in  number  and  variety  —  as  the  wild  trees 
blossomed  in  the  woods,  and  hill  and  vale  were  fragrant  with  the 
breath  of  flowers,  they  speedily  forgot  —  and  no  wonder  —  their 
troubles  and  the  sorrows  of  the  winter,  and  when  June  came  — 
the  New  England  June,  w'hich  no  country  on  earth  can  equal  for 
loveliness  and  beauty  —  then  was  their  cup  of  joy  full ;  and  instead 
of  writing  to  their  friends  at  home  of  the  terrible  winter  they  had 
just  passed  through,  their  letters  were  filled  with  such  glowing 
descriptions  of  this  new  w'orld,  that  many,  very  many,  were  in- 
duced to  come  over  to  these  rugged  shores,  the  result  of  w^hich  we 
are  all  perfectly  familiar  with.  Now  this  is  my  first  plea  for  the 
birds.  If  this  baud  of  despondent  fugitives  was  so  cheered  and 
encouraged  by  their  loving  and  happy  songs,  shall  not  we,  their 
descendants,  inherit  this  same  love  for  the  birds  which  bring 
us  the  first  tokens  of  returning  spring,  and  the  first  assurance  of 
milder  and  more  genial  skies?  What  country  child  but  is  thrilled 
with  joy  and  ecstasy  at  the  first  sound  of  the  bluebird,  returning 
from  his  southern  home,  or  the  familiar  peep  of  the  dear  old  robin > 
as  he  hops  about  our  yards  or  flies  from  tree  to  tree,  telling  us  in 
unmistakable  language  how  glad  he  is  to  return,  and  stop  with  us 
another  season?  And  later  on,  what  farmer's  lad  does  not  stop  in 
the  furrow,  to  watch  the  shining  blackbird,  stepping  proudly  on  the 
upturned  soil,  or  to  listen  to  the  song  of  the  thrush  as  he  tells  him 
it  is  time  to  "plough,  harrow,  plant,  and  pull  it  up?"  A  little 
later,  what  child  of  any  age  is  not  enraptured  and  amused  at  the 
incomparable  song  of  the  bobolink,  as  he  rises  in  the  air  perfectly 
intoxicated  with  mirth?  And  last  of  all,  the  low,  plaintive  notes 
of  the  cuckoo  tells  us  that  the  hot  days  of  summer  are  upon  us, 
and  we  must  be  up  and  doing.  It  does  appear,  that  if  we,  as  a 
nation,  need  the  presence  of  the  American  Eagle  to  remind  us  of 
our  country's  greatness  and  power,  and  the  children  in  our  schools 


176  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

are  to  be  coustautly  vemiuded  of  the  stars  and  stripes  to  teach 
them  patriotism  and  the  love  of  countrj^, —  that  the  love  and  care 
of  our  country's  native  birds,  should  fill  the  young  mind  not  only 
with  a  love  of  country,  l)ut  also  with  a  desire  to  be  kind  and 
loving  and  good. 

In  the  second  place,  the  usefulness  of  birds,  in  destroying 
insects,  is  established  beyond  a  doubt.  Experiments  to  prove  this 
have  been  made  over  and  over  again,  and  no  intelligent,  observing 
person  can  deny  that  our  common  birds  devour  myriads  of  insects, 
which  if  left  unmolested  would  increase,  as  the  season  advances,  to 
an  alarming  extent.  Many  of  our  liirds,  during  the  spring  mouths, 
live  entirely  on  insects.  Some  of  these  insects,  such  as  moths  and 
millers,  are  captured  on  the  wing ;  others  in  the  larva  or  chrysalid 
state,  and  still  others  as  they  appear  in  early  morning  as  worms, 
grubs,  borers,  etc.  Those  birds  especially,  classed  as  Insessores 
or  perchers,  and  Scansores  or  climbers,  are  all  insect-eating  birds ; 
but  may  later  in  the  season  take  a  little  fruit  or  grain  as  a  dessert. 
Those  classed  as  Raptores  or  robbers  (including  owls  and  hawks) 
subsist  partly  on  insects  and  reptiles,  but  the  damage  done  in 
killing  other  useful  birds,  is  probably  greater  than  all  the  good 
they  do.  Other  native  birds,  such  as  the  waders,  swimmers,  and 
scratchers,  are  commonly  classed  as  game  birds,  and  although  it  is 
positively  stated  by  ornithologists  that  many  of  these  birds  subsist 
largely  on  insects,  still  the  laws  are  against  them,  aud  they  are 
protected  for  certain  months,  in  order  that  sportsmen  may  have 
the  pleasure  of  killing  them  during  the  remainder  of  the  year.  Sup- 
posing they  do  live  wholly  on  grain  and  seeds,  as  some  obstinately 
assert  when  asked  not  to  destroy  them,  then  the  farmer  has  the 
honor  of  fattening  them  in  his  grain  fields,  in  order  that  the  "city 
chap"  with  dogs  and  gun,  may  have  the  "sport"  of  tramping 
through  his  fields  and  pastures  to  shoot  them. 

For  several  seasons,  a  flock  of  quails  has  visited  our  home, 
and  during  the  summer  have  become  so  tame  that  we  could 
whistle  them  to  within  a  few  rods  of  the  buildings.  Every  one  on 
the  place  treated  them  as  they  would  a  flock  of  tame  chickens,  and 
they  were  permitted  to  run  through  the  garden  and  nursery  unmo- 
lested ;  but  they  are  spotted  and  after  a  certain  day  in  October, 
are  killed  by  the  sportsmen..  We  try  to  protect  them,  but  "rainy 
days  and  Sundays"  are  generally  taken  by  those  who  destroy 
them.     Within  my  remembrance,  the  marsh  birds  have  been  quite 


A    TLEA    1-OK    rKOTECTING    OUK    NATIVE    BIRDS.  177 

plenty  on  our  coast  between  Cape  Ann  and  Hampton,  but  now  it 
is  a  rare  thing  to  see  a  yellow-leg,  plover,  snipe,  or  sandpiper.  In 
the  meantime  the  grasshoppers  have  increased,  as  the  birds  have 
decreased. 

I  am  told  that  in  the  State  of  Illinois  the  laws  are  such  that 
there  is  a  heavy  penalty  for  killing  a  prairie  chicken  or  quail  until 
a  certain  day  iu  the  fall,  and  that  no  farmer  or  farmer's  sou  is 
allowed  to  kill  any  of  these  birds,  even  on  his  own  land,  till  the 
day  arrives,  when  the  sportsman,  ever  on  the  alert,  speedily 
secures  the  birds  which  have  been  fattened  by  the  farmer.  As  a 
result,  grouse,  which  were  formerly  plenty  in  several  of  the  West- 
ern States,  are  disappearing  like  the  buffalo  on  the  plains,  and  it 
will  soon  be  known  only  by  picture. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  the  game  laws  of  this  country  generally 
favor  the  sportsman,  and  more  singular  and  painful  still,  that 
some  of  our  agricultural  and  horticultural  periodicals  should  cater 
to  the  sporting  gentry,  and  even  recommend  planting  certain  trees 
and  shrubs  for  parks  and  game  preserves.  I  have  not  had  time  to 
inform  m3'self  fully  on  the  present  game  laws  of  Europe,  but  my 
impressions  are  that,  years  ago,  the  German  government,  thinking 
the  birds  destroyed  their  fruit  and  grain,  recommended  the  promis- 
cuous killing  of  all  birds ;  but  in  a  few  years  the  insects  so 
increased,  as  to  threaten  the  destruction  of  all  their  crops,  and 
strenuous  laws  protecting  birds  were  at  once  made,  which  con- 
tinue iu  force  at  the  present  time.  If  I  mistake  not,  Spain  has 
learned  that  the  destruction  of  her  forests  has  so  diminished  the 
number  of  birds,  that  great  losses  to  crops  have  resulted.  I  will 
not  pretend  to  say  that  if  the  birds  had  all  been  permitted  to  live 
there  would  have  been  no  damage  done  by  insects ;  but  it  must  be 
admitted,  that  at  the  settlement  of  this  country,  when  the  primeval 
forests  protected  thousands  of  birds  which  now  have  no  such 
protection,  nature  preserved  the  balance  of  power,  and  birds  and 
insects  must  have  lived  together  for  generations  without  either 
gaining  materially  on  the  other.  Since  that  time,  no  new  species 
of  insects  have  been  created,  though  some  have  been  imported ; 
but  through  the  the  cutting  off  of  our  forests,  the  converting  of 
immense  tracts  of  wild  land  into  corn  and  grain  fields,  and  the 
multiplication  of  vegetable  and  fruit  farms,  the  balance  of  power 
has  been  turned  in  favor  of  the  insects,  till  today  the  formidable 
host  is  the  terror  of  all  agriculturists  throughout  the  land. 
12 


178  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICtTLTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Dr.  Harris  in  his  work  on  Insects,  in  speaking  of  canker-worms 
says:  "But  since  onr  forests,  their  natural  food,  and  our  birds, 
their  greatest  enemies,  have  disappeared  before  the  woodman's  axe 
and  the  sportsman's  gun,  Ave  are  left  to  our  own  ingenuity,  perse- 
verance, and  united  efforts,  to  contrive  and  carry  into  effect  other 
means  of  checking  their  ravages." 

Of  the  English  sparrow,  I  can  say  nothing  from  experience.  As 
our  place  is  somewhat  retired  these  foreigners  have  never  visited  us, 
and  with  my  present  convictions  I  do  not  regret  their  absence. 
"Without  doubt  they  were  introduced  from  purely  philanthropic 
motives,  but  would  it  not  be  well  for  our  government  to  establish  a 
wise  and  prudent  commission  to  prevent  such  mistakes  as  the 
importation  of  noxious  weeds,  the  P^nglish  sparrow,  and  the  gypsy 
moth?  Of  other  birds  I  can  speak  from  experience.  Our  house 
and  out-buildings  are  every  year  at  the  service  of  large  flocks  of 
chimney,  barn,  and  eave  swallows  ;  the  pewee  and  robin  rear  their 
young  with  all  confidence  under  the  covings  and  brackets  of  our 
house ;  the  bluebird  looks  every  spring  for  her  box  in  the  apple 
tree ;  the  oriole,  the  cat  bird,  and  the  thrush,  all  build  in  their  own 
chosen  spot  within  easy  call  of  our  home,  and  the  sparrows  have 
become  so  domesticated  that  they  daily  look  for  food  Avithin  a  few 
feet  of  our  doors.  As  a  result  the  tent-caterpillar  is  fast  getting 
to  be  a  thing  of  the  past  on  our  place ;  the  canker-worm  has  nearly 
disappeai'ed,  and  the  cut-worm  and  the  June-bug,  formerlj'  abun- 
dant, are  now  seldom  seen.  An  abundance  of  evergreens  and 
hedges  about  the  place,  while  the}^  serve  to  beautify  the  landscape, 
and  form  barriers  against  winds  and  cold,  become  a  retreat  for 
birds  in  which  to  build  and  rear  their  j'oung,  comparativeh^  safe 
from  the  attacks  of  their  enemies.  Piles  of  brush,  left  in  the  pas- 
tures and  orchard,  although  presenting  a  slovenly  appearance,  are 
the  places  generally  chosen  by  the  thrush,  and  often  by  the  cat  bird 
and  robin.  One  serious  obstacle  in  discussing  this  subject  as  we 
do  today,  is  the  prevailing,  and,  I  fear,  of  growing,  opinion  that  these 
same  birds  do  moi'e  injury  by  eating  fruit,  than  they  do  good  in 
destroying  insects.  I  have  met  in  a  fruit  growers'  meeting,  appar- 
ently intelligent  and  observing  men,  who  would  declare  that  the 
robin  was  a  nuisance  and  a  thief  and  deserved  extermination.  1  am 
aAvare  that  a  flock  of  birds  Avill  often  despoil  the  fruit  on  some 
favorite  earlj^  pear,  cherry,  or  peach  tree  and  that  a  few  Delaware 
grapes,  currants,  or   raspberries  Avill    quickly  disappear,  but   the 


A  PLEA  FOK  PROTECTING  OUR  NATH  E  lURDS.     ITO* 

exteusive  orowcr  of  small  fruits,  cherries,  or  pears,  will  find  very 
little,  comparatively,  destroyed.  My  father  formerly  raised  over  a 
hundred  bushels  of  cherries  annualh\  No  perceptible  damage 
was  done  by  the  birds,  except  to  the  earliest  and  latest  ia 
ripening.  We  always  expected  the  birds  to  eat  what  they  wanted, 
and  never  thought  of  frightening  them  from  the  trees.  Why  thia 
great  outcry  against  the  robin,  I  cannot  tell,  but  with  your  per- 
mission will  quote  briefly  from  others  who  are  high  authority. 

Mr.  Samuels,  in  his  "Birds  of  New  England,"  in  speaking  of 
the  robin  says:  "Perhaps  none  of  our  birds  are  more  unpopular 
with  the  horticulturists  than  this ;  and  I  will  give  the  observations 
of  different  scientific  men,  and  my  own,  to  show  that  the  prejudice 
against  the  bii'd  is  unjust  and  unfounded." 

Professor  Treadwell,  of  Cambridge,  reports:  "The  food  of  the 
robin  while  with  us,  consists  principally  of  worms,  various  insects, 
their  larva>  and  eggs,  and  a  few  cherries.  Of  worms  and  cherries- 
they  can  procure  but  few,  and  those  during  but  a  short  period ;: 
and  they  are  obliged,  therefore,  to  subsist  principally  upon  the 
great  destroyers  of  leaves  —  canker-worms,  and  some  other  kinds- 
of  caterpillars  and  bugs.  If  each  robin,  old  and  yonng,  requires- 
for  its  support  an  amount  of  these  equal  to  the  weight  consumed 
by  this  bird,  it  is  easy  to  see  what  a  prodigious  havoc  a  few  hun- 
dred of  these  must  make  upon  the  insects  of  an  orchard  or  nursery.'*' 
Further  on,  Mr.  Samuels  says,  "  Wilson  Flagg,  an  acute  and  care- 
ful observer  of  the  habits  of  our  birds,  gives  some  of  his  experi- 
ences of  the  robin,  as  follows.  He  says,  '  .  .  .  the  more  I 
have  studied  his  habits,  the  more  I  am  convinced  of  his  usefulness^ 
Indeed,  I  am  now  fully  persuaded  that  he  is  valuable  beyond  all 
other  species  of  birds,  and  that  his  services  are  absolutely  indis- 
pensable to  the  farmers  of  New  England.  Some  persons  believe 
that  the  robin  is  exclusively  a  frugivorous  bird,  and  that  for  fruit 
he  will  reject  all  other  food  that  is  within  his  reach.  Others  believe 
that  his  diet  consists  about  equally  of  fruits  and  angle-worms,  but 
that  he  is  not  a  general  consumer  of  insects.  The  truth  is,  the- 
robin  is  almost  exclusively  insectivorous,  and  uses  fruit,  as  we  do, 
only  as  a  dessert,  and  not  for  his  subsistence,  except  in  the  winter, 
when  his  insect  food  cannot  be  obtained.  He  is  not  omnivorous 
like  the  crow,  the  jay,  and  the  blackbird.  He  rejects  farinaceous 
food  unless  it  is  artificially  prepared,    derives  almost   his    entire 


180  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

support  from  insects  and  grubs,  and  consumes,  probably,  a  greater 
variety  of  species  than  any  other  bird.  I  am  entirely  at  a  loss  to 
account  for  this  very  prevalent  and  mistaken  notion  respecting  the 
frugivorous  habits  of  the  robin.'  " 

Ther€  is  also  a  prejudice  against  many  other  insect-eating  birds, 
though  it  may  not  be  as  strong  as  that  against  the  robin.  The 
oriole  has  been  accused  of  eating  green  peas.  The  cat  bird  and 
thrush  have  been  known  to  eat  raspberries ;  and  some  farmers 
shoot  the  red-winged  blackbird  and  hire  boys  to  break  up  their 
nests,  because  they  say  they  have  been  caught  in  the  very  act  of 
pulling  up  a  hill  of  corn.  But  alas  for  the  poor  bobolink !  I  have 
heard  it  positively  asserted  that  these  birds  would  destroy  the 
whole  rice  crop  of  the  south,  unless  active  measures  were  taken  for 
their  destruction.  There  is  no  doul)t  that  large  flocks  of  these 
birds  have  been  known  to  hover  over  and  light  down  upon  the  rice- 
fields  ;  but  I  cannot  but  think  that  the  amount  of  damage  done  by 
them  has  been  greatly  exaggerated,  and  would  kindly  suggest  to 
our  Southern  friends  that  this  whole  matter  be  carefully  examined, 
to  see  if  the  damage  done  by  the  host  of  constantly  increasing 
insects  is  not  very  much  in  excess  of  that  ever  done  by  the  birds. 
One  thing  is  certain ;  if  something  is  not  speedily  done  to  prevent 
the  wholesale  destruction  of  this,  and  several  other  species  of  birds, 
they  will  in  a  few  years  become  entirely  extinct. 

I  will  try  to  name,  as  briefly  as  possible,  what  are  some  of  the 
enemies  to  our  small,  or  insect-eating  birds.  The  common  crow, 
in  my  opinion,  does  more  damage  by  destroying  the  eggs  and 
young  of  other  birds,  than  he  does  good  in  devouring  a  few 
insects.  I  have  watched  him  for  years,  and  have  seen  hundreds 
of  robins'  and  other  birds'  nests  destroyed,  the  eggs  eaten,  and  the 
young  taken  away.  Hence  the  robin  has  learned  to  seek  shelter 
near  the  habitations  of  men.  Last  season  a  crow  came  into  a  small 
tree  not  three  rods  from  our  house,  and  killed  two  out  of  a  nest  of 
young  robins,  before  he  could  be  frightened  awaj'.  I  would 
reconnnend  that  all  crows'  nests  in  the  vicinity  of  our  farms  be 
destroyed,  and  perhaps,  also,  that  the  state  offer  a  small  bounty 
on  his  head,  as  is  done  in  other  New  England  states. 

I  am  sorry  to  believe  that  the  beautiful  jay  is  often  guilty  of  the 
same  mean  business.  Cats  are  useful  animals,  if  well  treated  and 
trained,  but  a  superfluity  of  uncared  for,  hungry  cats,  is  a  very 
great  nuisance,  and  often  destructive  to  young  birds.     Owls  and 


A    TLEA    FOR    rROTECTlNG    OUR    NATIVE    BIRDS.  181 

hawks,  if  plenty,  will  kill  small  IMrds ;  therefore  keep  them  at  a 
distance.  The  red  squirrel  is  destructive  of  man}-  species  of  young- 
birds,  and  I  should  advise  shooting  them  every  time  they  are 
seen.  The  increase  and  improvement  in  fire-arms,  has  proved 
a  temptation  to  mauj'  a  man  and  boy,  Avho  for  a  few  dollars  can 
now  buy  an  improved  breech-loading  gun,  such  as  few  of  us  ever 
dreamed  of  forty  years  ago.  Unless  educated  to  the  contrary, 
thousands  of  school-boys  will  thoughtlessly  indulge  in  this  exciting 
sport,  causing  the  destruction  of  vast  numbers  of  birds  every  year. 
It  maj^  be  necessary  to  kill  a  few  birds  for  the  cause  of  science, 
but  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  no  taxidermist  nor  any  other  person  will 
indulge  in  this  sport  for  mere  profit,  or  their  own  gratification. 

But  saddest  of  all  is  it,  that  in  this  Christian  and  enlightened  age, 
thousands  of  beautiful  little  singing  birds  should  have  been 
slaughtered  to  ornament  ladies'  hats  and  dresses.  What  a  blot 
upon  our  times  for  the  future  historian  to  record.  But  a  gleam  of 
light  is  breaking,  when  the  Princess  of  Wales,  with  noteworthy 
courage,  gives  orders  "that  nothing  need  be  submitted  for  her 
inspection,  or  that  of  her  daughters,  in  which  birds  are  used  as 
trimming,"  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  this  noble  example  will  be 
followed  everywhere,  especially  in  our  own  country,  where  every- 
thing "English,"  whether  good  or  bad,  is  copied  so  quickly  by  our 
own  people. 

But  by  far  the  most  alarming  thing  at  the  present  time,  is  the 
practice,  in  some  of  the  Southern  States,  of  killing  these  birds  dur- 
ing the  winter  for  game.  Last  summer,  a  lady  assured  me  that 
over  a  bushel  of  robins  were  brought  one  day,  into  the  hotel  where 
she  was  stopping,  and  served  up  for  dinner ;  because  she  declined 
to  taste  them,  the  remark  was  made,  — "That  is  all  these  Yankee 
birds  are  fit  for."  My  neighbor  who  spent  the  winter  in  Florida 
two  or  three  years  ago,  says  he  was  offered  twenty-five  cents  each 
for  robins,  at  one  of  the  large  hotels.  I  believe  most  of  the 
northern  and  middle  states  have  laws  to  protect  useful  birds,  but 
it  is  useless  to  protect  and  foster  them  at  the  north,  to  be  killed  in 
winter  at  the  south. 

It  is  very  evident  that  the  time  has  come,  Avheu  there  should  be 
strong  and  effectual  national  laws  for  the  protection  of  our  birds, 
and  also  that  we  should  have  the  sympathy  and  cooperation  of  all 
adjoining  countries  and  islands. 


182  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

This  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society  has  enjoyed  a  long 
and  honorable  record  ;  whatever  it  advises  and  endorses  commands 
the  attention  and  respect  of  the  whole  country.  What  better 
record  could  we  make  today,  than  to  pass  a  resolution  advocating 
;and  approving  of  strong  and  effectual  national  laws  for  the  preser- 
vation and  protection  of  all  our  insect-eating  birds ;  also  asking 
the  cooperation  of  all  kindred  horticultural  and  agricultural 
societies,  to  help  on  this  good  work.  »Such  an  influence  brought 
to  bear  from  all  quarters  upon  our  representatives  in  Congress, 
.-might  speedily  bring  about  the  desired  result. 

Discussion. 

President  Spooner  in  calling  for  remarks  upon  the  subject  of 
'Mr.  Thurlow's  paper  said  it  was  one  of  the  most  important  that 
•<could  engage  the  attention  of  liorticulturists,  and  he  hoped  there 
"would  be  a  free  expression  of  thought  upon  it. 

Rev.  Calvin  Terry  said  he  loved  the  birds,  and  had  always 
loved  them  from  his  childhood.  When  a  small  boy  he  knew  all 
the  kinds  in  the  region  round,  and  knew  their  habits  and  their 
nesting-places ;  he  could  interpret  their  songs  or  notes,  and  imitate 
them  so  that  they  would  come  at  his  call.  But  he  grew  up  with 
•prejudices,  derived  from  older  people,  concerning  many  birds,  and 
•classed  them  as  mischievous, — wrongfully  as  he  had  since  learned, 
for  his  observations  had  taught  him  to  drop  one  species  after 
another  from  the  black  list,  till  now  but  very  few  remain  on  that 
list.  It  is  true,  as  the  poet  says  in  the  old  school  books,  that 
•"kites,  hawks,  and  owls  deserve  their  fate,"  but  not  so  with  the 
warblers  around  our  homes.  There  is  not  much  for  us  to  do  in 
■destroying  the  native  birds  in  order  to  check  their  too  great 
increase ;  Providence  has  taken  care  of  that,  for  birds  destroy  other 
birds,  their  eggs,  and  their  j^oung ;  and  cats  are  worse  than  birds 
as  destroyers,  so  that  their  number  is  kept  quite  uniform.  From 
lack  of  close  observation,  people  are  often  mistaken  in  their  opin- 
ion as  to  the  mischief  liirds  are  doing.  The  brown  thrush,  the 
■o row-blackbird,  and  others  are  charged  with  pulling  up  corn,  when, 
in  fact,  they  are  digging  for  grubs,  cut-worms,  etc.,  which  are 
"bred  in  the  stable  manure  placed  in  the  corn  hills  at  planting  time. 
They  may  bite  off  or  pull  up  a  little  corn,  but  the  holes  made  in 
the  ground  are  oftener  those  made  to  get  the  worms.  As  to  the 
crows,  bounties  have  been  paid  for  their  destruction  because  of 


A    PLEA    FOR    PROTECTING    OUH    NATH  E    BIRDS.  Ib8 

the  mischief  they  do  iu  the  corufields.  They  are  really  the  most 
useful  birds  we  have ;  the}'  are  great  scavengers ;  the}'  carry  off 
ever}'  dead  suake,  frog,  and  mouse — every  kind  of  carrion,  which 
would  breed  pestilence  were  it  not  thus  removed.  And  as  to 
pulling  up  corn,  they  can  be  educated  out  of  that.  The  speaker 
said  that  they  do  not  pull  up  his  corn,  and  have  not  for  thirty 
years.  When  he  first  came  to  the  place  where  he  now  lives  they 
pulled  up  his  corn  some,  but  he  taught  them  better.  Generally 
they  do  not  pull  up  much  except  in  a  very  cold,  rainy  day,  when 
they  will  do  more  harm  than  in  an  entire  week  of  fair  weather. 
But  just  set  a  steel-trap  baited  with  a  rotten  egg  and  catch  one  of 
the  crows,  and  all  the  crows  in  the  region  will  see  it,  and  shun  that 
field,  especially  if  you  hang  up  the  dead  crow  iu  the  field. 

He  has  in  his  home  a  painting  made  by  the  artist  of  the  family, 
representing  a  venerable  crow,  slightly  gray,  holding  in  one  foot  a 
wild  turkey  quill  pen,  and  standing  upon  a  large,  dilapidated  book, 
such  as  were  made  two  or  three  hundred  years  ago.  The  idea  of 
the  artist  was  to  represent  an  ancient  historian,  with  his  record 
of  colonial  times  brought  down  to  date.  The  crow  is  a  very 
bright  and  wise  bird,  long-lived  —  a  century  or  more  —  and  could 
it  .speak  our  language  it  could  doubtless  tell  us  many  things 
which  would  be  interesting  to  hear.  A  little  back  of  the  speaker's 
house  is  a  grove  of  evergreen  trees,  in  which  are  the  homes  of 
about  eight  crows  all  the  year  round.  Alike  in  summer  and 
winter  their  cheerful  notes  ring  out  even  when  no  other  living 
thing  can  be  heard,  making  the  gloom  of  winter  brighter.  There 
they  build  their  nests  and  rear  their  young  every  year ;  but  though 
he  never  knew  of  any  person  destroying  a  nest  or  killing  a  bird, 
the  number  remains  the  same  from  year  to  year,  the  young,  proba- 
bly, being  sent  away  to  colonize  other  regions,  while  the  parent 
birds  remain.  These,  daily,  and  especially  in  winter,  fly  over  to 
the  beach  to  feast  upon  dead  clams  and  other  refuse  from  the  sea. 

Mr.  Terry's  observation  as  to  robins  is  that  they  feed,  not  upon 
insects  as  the  essay  has  it,  but  upon  earthworms,  angle-worms, 
cut-worms,  etc.  True  they  take  some  cherries,  and  where  there 
are  but  few  grown  they  will  take  all ;  but  if  there  is  a  great 
abundance  they  will  not  seem  to  diminish  the  quantity  much,  and 
as  a  Connecticut  writer  says,  "Who  can  grudge  them  a  few 
cherries  as  a  relish  with  the  worms  they  destroy  for  our  benefit?" 
And  who  can  describe  their  wakiug-up  carols  iu  the  first  blush  of 


184  •   MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

a  May  morning  !  In  his  experience  the  cat  bird  is  a  much  worse 
cherry  thief  than  the  robin,  and  the  oriole  is  bad.  But  none  of 
the  birds  are  as  bad  as  the  mischievous  boj^s  and  girls  (some  of 
even  larger  growth)  who  break  off  the  branches  and  damage  the 
trees  in  their  efforts  to  steal  the  fruit.  There  is  great  need  that 
these  should  be  educated  to  better  things  and  ways  in  relation  to- 
their  neighbor's  fruit;  and  also  as  to  the  destruction  of  our 
valuable  birds. 

Yesterday  the  speaker  heard  the  cheer}'  notes  of  the  bluebird 
and  phebe,  and  this  morning  a  quail  whistled  near  his  home, 
saj'ing  "Spring  has  come!"  They  are  better  indicators  of  the 
seasons  than  is  the  weather  bureau  at  Washington. 

Mr.  Terry  had  a  little  stor}-  about  the  crow,  and  as  his  children 
used  to  say,  "tell  us  what  you  know  j^ourself,  then  we  shall  know 
'tis  true,"  he  would  relate  it.  When  he  was  a  small  boy  there  was 
a  tame  crow  in  the  village,  which  was  allowed  free  access  to  the 
houses,  kitchens,  parlors,  sitting  rooms,  etc.,  and  it  became  a 
great  thief  and  nuisance,  carrying  off  thimbles,  spectacles,  spoons, 
scissors,  etc.  He  himself  had  a  brood  of  eleven  young  chickens. 
One  day  as  he  went  to  feed  them  there  were  only  two  alive ;  the 
little  feet  and  other  remnants  of  the  rest  were  lying  around  to  tell 
their  fate.  The  next  day  that  crow  came  again  to  finish  the  brood. 
Now  it  wore  a  red  feather ^  taken  from  a  military  cap,  directly  over 
its  crop.  Mr.  Terry  took  his  little  gun  and  just  put  a  shot 
through  that  red  feather  and  that  crow  did  not  steal  any  more 
spectacles  or  chickens.  And  he  heard  that  the  good  women  in  the 
village  said  he  deserved  universal  commendation.  The  moral  of 
this  story  is  that  crows,  as  well  as  all  other  creatures  —  men  and 
women  included  —  should  be  kept  in  their  proper  spheres  as 
Nature  ordains  b}'  her  laws. 

Francis  H.  Appleton  said  the  subject  under  discussion  was 
brought  before  the  Massachusetts  House  of  Representatives  last 
year,  and  the  result  of  its  consideration  was  the  adoption  by  that 
body,  on  May  28,  1890,  of  the  following  resolution  : 

Resolved^  That  the  Board  of  Agriculture  of  Massachusetts  be 
and  they  are  hereby  requested  to  make  inquiry  and  investigation 
as  to  the  birds  that  inhabit  the  State,  and  report  thereon  as  to 
their  character,  habit,  and  value  as  insect  destroj'ing  and  grain  and 
fruit  destroying  birds,  and  advise  on  such  legislation  as  may  be 
necessary  for  the  protection  of  private  and  public  interests. 


A    TLEA    FOK    ri;OTECTIN(}    OUR    NATIVE    lURDS.  185 

In  accordance  with  this  rcsoUitiou,  the  Board  of  Agriculture 
emploj'ed  Dr.  B.  H.  Warren,  State  Ornithologist  of  Pennsylvania, 
to  prepare  and  deliver  a  lecture  on  the  birds  of  Massachusetts,  at 
their  public  winter  meeting  in  Worcester,  December  3,  1890. 
This  lecture  and  the  lengthy  discussion  which  followed  it  will  be 
found  in  the  report  of  the  Board  of  Agriculture  of  Massachusetts 
for  1890.  In  addition,  the  Board,  by  its  Secretary,  made  careful 
inquiries  of  intelligent  persons  in  our  own  State,  and  corresponded 
with  ornithologists  in  other  States  and  foreign  countries.  As  a 
result  they  reported  that,  as  a  whole,  the  native  birds  of  Massachu- 
setts are  benefactors.  The  small  losses  occasioned  by  the  raids 
of  some  species  upon  our  fruit  trees,  gardens,  grain  fields,  and 
poultry  yards  are  I'epaid  man}^  fold  by  the  benefits  resulting  from 
the  destruction  by  them  of  injurious  insects,  field  mice,  and  other 
vermin  that  are  a  detriment  to  agriculture.  It  is,  however,  the 
opinion  of  ornithologists  that  crows  cause  a  greater  loss  in  the 
cornfields,  and  by  destroying  the  eggs  and  young  of  useful  birds, 
than  they  are  capable  of  repaying  by  the  exercise  of  their  good 
qualities.  But  most  of  our  birds  of  prey,  as  hawks  and  owls,  by 
their  services  in  the  destruction  of  field  vermin,  are  thought  to 
more  than  make  good  all  damage  they  cause  in  the  poultry  yard 
and  otherwise. 

The  English  sparrow,  {Passer  domesticus)  was  the  subject  of 
extended  inquiry,  and  it  seemed  well  substantiated  that  its  character 
is  wholly  bad,  and  that  it  should  be  exterminated.  This  led  to  the 
consideration  of  methods  to  secure  that  desirable  object.  The 
system  of  state  bounties  was  quite  fully  discussed  in  Dr.  Warren's 
lecture,  and  thoroughly  condemned,  as  an  utterly  futile  expedient. 
He  quoted  many  facts  from  reports  of  investigations  made  in 
Pennsylvania,  which  proved  that  great  frauds  were  successfully 
practiced  under  the  bounty  law  of  1885,  styled  the  "Scalp  Act,'* 
under  which  about  6150,000  were  drawn  from  the  public  treasury, 
as  bounties  for  the  destruction  of  wild-cats,  foxes,  minks,  weasels,, 
hawks,  and  owls  other  than  the  saw-whet  {Nydea  Acadica)  ;  the 
rate  being  two  dollars  for  each  wild-cat,  one  dollar  for  each  fox,, 
and  fifty  cents  per  head  for  all  others.  Their  investigations  con- 
vinced the  inquiry  commission  that  about  $80,000  of  this  money 
was  paid  for  the  "  scalps  and  ears"  of  hawks  and  owls,  and  mostly 
of  species  more  beneficial  than  harmful.  Furthermore,  the  igno- 
rance of  officers  who  dislmrsed  the  mone}^  in  many  cases  subjected 


186  3IASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL,    SOCIETY. 

them  to  most  barefaced  frauds,  as  it  was  shown  that  among  the 
scalps  of  birds  brought  in,  and  for  which  the  regular  bounties  were 
paid,  there  were  "  heads  of  common  domestic  fowls,  partridges, 
<?uckoos,  and  butcher-birds ;  and,  strange  as  it  maj^  seem,  even  two 
heads  of  English  sparrows,  which  the  officers  were  made  to  believe 
were  heads  of  blood-thirsty,  fowl-devouring  hawks  or  owls."  "In 
one  county  upwards  of  two  thousand  dollars  were  paid  to  a  party 
of  hunters  for  a  mule's  skin  and  a  buffalo  robe,  which  were  cut 
into  pieces  and  '  fixed  up '  so  that  they  passed  for  '  heads '  or  '  ears ' 
of  predator}' mammals,  or  possibly  the  wise  (?)  magistrate  accepted 
a  portion  of  them  as  the  heads  of  hawks  or  owls."  Also  "  a  red 
fox  was  slain  in  one  of  the  mountain  districts,  and  its  pelt  was  cut 
into  sixty-one  parts,  from  which,  it  is  stated,  the  enterprising 
hunters  realized  sixty-one  dollars  for  their  work.  Birds  of  prey, 
as  well  as  other  animals  on  which  bounties  were  allowed,  were 
shipped  to  Pennsylvania  from  neighboring  states ;  in  this  way 
large  amounts  of  money  were  fraudulently  obtained.  As  one 
instance,  Crawford  County,  one  of  the  western  districts,  joining 
the  State  of  Ohio,  paid  over  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  of  this  sum 
it  is  said  about  seven  thousand  dollars  were  paid  for  hawk  and 
owl  heads."  Dr.  Warren,  in  connection  with  Dr.  C.  HartMerriam, 
Ornithologist  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture, 
*' carefully  examined  the  contents  of  the  crops  and  stomachs  of 
over  three  hundred  and  fifty  hawks  and  owls  on  which  bounties 
had  been  paid."  They  found  that  "ninety-five  per  cent  of  the 
matter  consisted  of  the  flesh  of  mice,  other  destructive  quadrupeds, 
grasshoppers,  and  many  injurious  beetles."  This  Avas  done  early 
in  18SC,  and  this  evidence,  in  addition  to  that  of  the  many  frauds 
perpetrated,  caused  the  repeal  of  the  bounty  law  of  1885.  Dr. 
Warren  recommended  that  permission  be  granted  for  poisoning  the 
English  sparrows  during  the  winter  season,  when  nearly  all  of  our 
native  birds  are  absent. 

Mr.  Appleton  stated  that  the  present  legislature  have  under  con- 
sideration the  establishment  of  a  commission,  to  meet  a  like  com- 
mission from  each  of  the  other  states,  for  the  purpose  of  concerting 
measures  which  would,  if  adopted  by  all  the  states,  secure,  through- 
out the  country,  uniformity  in  methods  of  dealing  with  the  subjects 
which  should  be  brought  before  this  joint  commission  and  reported 
upon  by  that  body.  He  suggested  that,  as  the  English  sparrow 
has  become  a  recognized  evil  in  all  the  more  thickly  settled  parts 


A    PLEA    FOK    ^ROTECTl^'G    OUK    NATIVE    BIRDS.  187 

of  our  country,  the  question  how  to  exterminate  it  might  possibly 
be  referred  to  this  eomniissiou  if,  as  is  now  hoped,  it  is  established 
in  the  near  future. 

Edmund  Ilersey's  experience  had  in  the  main  been  different  from 
that  related  by  Mr.  Terry.  He  never  has  au}^  trouble  from  the 
■crows.  As  long  as  he  treats  them  well  thej'  treat  him  well.  lie 
generalljT  "  lines  "  his  field,  and  they  build  their  nests  within  ten 
rods  of  the  cornfield.  One  year  his  corn  was  quite  near  the  house, 
and  one  morning  he  felt  sure  the  crows  were  there  pulling  up  his 
corn.  He  therefore  killed  one,  but  upon  examination  was  con- 
vinced that  he  was  mistaken.  However,  the  dead  crow  was  hung 
up  in  the  field,  and  lines  strung  around  the  whole  area.  Notwith- 
standing these  supposed  preventive  arrangements  the  crows  came 
and  pulled  up  corn,  even  within  a  few  feet  of  the  dead  crow.  Mr. 
Hersey  could  not  understand  why  they  did  so,  unless  they  believed 
that  having  the  name  of  doing  it  they  might  as  well  have  the  game ; 
or  that  they  reasoned  as  some  human  beings  do  and  pulled  the 
corn  to  avenge  the  death  of  their  comrade. 

J.  W.  Manning  believed  that  crows  possess  the  gift  of  commuui- 
■cating  ideas  to  each  other.  He  knew  of  a  case  where  crows  were 
poisoned  with  arsenic  because  they  had  pulled  up  corn,  and  dozens 
of  them  died.  No  crows  pulled  up  corn  on  that  farm  again  for  five 
years.  When  crows  came  there  later  it  was  believed  they  were 
either  of  a  strange  race,  or  of  a  generation  so  many  removes  from 
the  original  mourners  as  to  have  lost  respect  for  the  tales  or  tradi- 
tions of  their  ancestors. 

Leverett  M.  Chase  regarded  the  crow  much  as  the  old  deacon 
did  his  young  wife — ' '  Not  a  very  great  saint  but  a  mighty  fine 
little  sinner."  He  had  tamed  two  of  them  and  found  them  most 
delightful  and  interesting  pets — bright,  intelligent,  and  teachable, 
but  busy  thieves.  The  crow  seems  more  human  than  any  other 
bird,  especially  in  his  vices — avariciousness,  suspicion,  greediness, 
cruelty — and  in  one  case  he  had  observed  a  sad  inebriate.  He 
had  long  made  our  native  birds  a  study  and  believed  that  with  one 
exception  they  do  far  more  good  than  harm.  Their  preservation 
is  well  included  among  the  interests  our  Society  was  founded  to 
foster  and  advance  ;  for  their  destruction  means  the  destruction  of 
our  fields,  forests,  and  gardens.  As  birds  grow  fewer,  the  labors 
of  the  husbandman  increase,  and  the  rewards  diminish. 


188  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Losing  our  birds  means  not  alone  the  loss  of  the  jewels  of  the 
landscape,  beautiful  in  form  and  color,  —  not  alone  the  exquisite 
melody,  so  harmonious  and  sweet  that  good  Saint  Isaac  Walton 
exclaimed,  "Lord  what  music  hast  thou  for  saints  in  heaven,  when 
thou  hast  such  music  for  bad  men  on  earth  !"  Not  alone  examples- 
of  conjugal  affection,  sacrificing  parental  devotion,  gratitude, 
cheerfulness,  intelligence,  architectural  skill,  —  not  alone  are  the 
finest  sensibilities  outraged ;  we  suffer  in  physical  comfort,  finiin- 
cial  advantages,  and  in  our  general  well  being.  Forty  years  ago 
one  could  see  a  thousand  birds  while  taking  a  summer  drive ;  now 
we  may  travel  miles  and  not  see  a  bird,  unless  it  be  the  pestiferous 
English  sparrow. 

The  poor  innocents  have  indeed  found  this  an  unkind  world  and 
are  fast  disappearing  before  the  birds  and  beasts  of  prey  ;  the  boys 
and  men  armed  with  breech-loaders  ;  the  destruction  of  our  forests ; 
the  electric  wire  and  lights  ;  the  pot-hunter  and  market  man,  and  — • 
worst  of  all  —  Christian  women  ruled  by  the  dictates  of  thought- 
less, ridiculous  fashion.  The  Audubon  Society  of  New  York  finds 
that  more  than  25,000,000  of  our  most  beautiful  birds  are  annually 
slaughtered,  their  skins  stuffed  with  arsenic  and  worn,  entire  or  in 
pieces,  by  females  who  claim  to  be  gentle,  tender,  sensitive  women. 
Shame  on  a  cruel  and  barbarous  fashion  which  was,  as  is  well 
known,  established  by  a  Parisian  harlot  and  which  no  decent  women, 
can  knowingly  imitate  !  We  can  but  think  of  that  Roman  matron 
who  had  great  sport  in  seeing  two  hundred  and  forty  Christian 
men,  women,  and  children  torn  piecemeal  by  lions  on  a  single  day. 

The  extent  of  the  traffic  in  bird  skins  is  shown  by  a  few  facts. 
In  1880  a  New  York  house  received  au  order  from  England  for 
600,000  ox-eye  sandpipers.  A  single  ball  dress  worn  in  New 
York  City  in  1883  was  covered  with  a  thousand  Brazilian  humming 
birds.  A  friend  of  undoubted  veracity  told  the  speaker  that  he 
saw  more  tlian  three  bushels  of  birds,  —  none  larger  than  the 
robin  —  brought  at  one  time  to  a  hotel  in  Florida  at  which  he 
was  a  guest. 

We  are  encouraged  by  the  fact  that  the  best  men  and  women 
are  now  doing  a  great  work  in  preventing  this  destruction.  Queen 
Victoria  and  the  Princess  of  Wales  have  emphatically  expressed 
their  disapproval  of  the  use  of  birds  in  any  manner  for  personal 
decoration  ;  the  latter  having  ordered  that  no  designs  for  her  own 
or  her  daughter's  costumes  shall  include  any  birds  or  parts  of  birds. 


A    PLEA    FOR    PHOTECTIXG    OUll    ^■ATI^  E    BIRDS.  181^ 

IVIr.  Chase  highly  praised  those  earnest,  humane  persons,  Henry 
Bergh  of  New  York,  his  associates  and  successors,  and  C4eorge 
"T.  Angell  of  Massachusetts,  who  have  labored  indefatigablj'  to 
prevent  all  cruelty  to  animals,  and  to  preserve  to  us  our  native 
birds.  He  believed  much  could  be  done  in  our  schools  by  having 
all  the  pupils  taught  to  understand  not  only  the  economical  but 
the  .Tsthetic  value  of  our  birds.  It  would  seem  that  Mr.  Angell 
and  others  engaged  in  like  beneficent  labors,  were  specially  raised 
up  to  devote  themselves  to  works  that  appeal  to,  and  develop  the 
better  side  of  our  nature  in  behalf  of  the  helpless  of  either  the 
human  race,  or  the  lower  animals. 

Robert  Manning  asked  whether  the  cat  could  not  be  trained  to 
.hunt  and  kill  the  harmful  kinds  of  birds,  and  leave  the  useful  ones. 
He  spoke  of  a  neighbor's  cat  which  was  seen  to  spring  into  the 
midst  of  a  group  of  chickens  that  were  feeding  from  a  dish  ;  but 
"when  puss  left  the  spot  she  had  an  English  sparrow  in  her  jaws 
instead  of  the  chicken  the  lookers-on  expected  to  see. 

Mr.  Hersey  said  a  cat  could  be  cured  of  the  habit  of  killing 
'Chickens  or  birds  by  securely  fastening  a  dead  one  under  her  chin 
for  a  few  days. 

Mr.  Chase  spoke  of  the  robins  as  great  favorites  of  his.  Beside 
their  tunefulness  they  are  ver}"  useful  in  destroying  cut-worms  and 
manj^  other  kinds  of  injurious  insects.  It  has  been  estimated  that 
the  robins  alone,  by  their  consumption  of  insect  pests,  save  crops 
in  the  United  States  to  the  value  of  820,000,000  annually.  They 
are  in  the  garden  and  the  field  early  in  the  morning  getting  the  cut- 
worms which  a  little  later  are  hidden  in  the  earth.  Then  they  seek 
other  worms  or  some  variety  or  form  of  other  insects,  almost  their 
entire  food  being  of  this  character.  The  thrush  is  the  best  of  all 
scavengers,  feeding  upon  the  ground,  collecting  and  devoui'ing 
great  swarms  of  insects  with  much  waste  matter  beside. 

Mr.  Chase  said  he  knew  the  character  of  the  English  sparrow, 
in  Europe,  before  it  was  brought  here  to  make  trouble  for  us. 
Several  of  the  countries  over  there  are  trying  to  rid  their  lands  of 
the  nuisance.  He  said  he  did  all  he  could  to  prevent  its  introduc- 
tion into  the  United  States.  They  are  most  pugnacious  and 
persistent  in  their  attacks  upon  other  birds,  a  cat,  a  dog,  or  even  a 
child.  They  will  gather  in  large  numbers,  twitter  incessantly,  and 
make  feints  of  attack  from  all  sides,  thus  harrassing  the  object  of 
their  dislike  until,  to  be  rid  of  the  annoyance,  the  victim  will  leave 


190  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

the  place  to  the  successful  sparrows.  Thus  they  have  driveu  out 
nearly  all  of  our  native  birds,  which  are  sorrowfully  missed  from 
our  gardens,  fields,  and  woods.  These  sparrows  go  courting  in  an 
interesting  way.  Sometimes  twenty  gallants  will  come  after  one 
female,  paying  their  attentions  like  other  bipeds,  ruffling  up  their 
feathers  to  show  themselves  off  to  the  best  advantage,  chattering, 
fluttering  back  and  forth  about  her,  promising  deathless  devotion, 
flattering,  pleading,  bowing,  scraping,  but  Miss  Unwed  seems  in 
no  haste.  When  an  undesirable  party  comes  too  near,  she  gives 
him  a  sharp  peek,  and  he  is  off,  with  a  sore  head  and  aching  heart. 
But  as  soon  as  she  makes  her  choice,  the  rejected  parties  all  retire, 
probably  congratulating  themselves  upon  their  fortunate  escape. 
Wedding  festivities  are  short,  and,  sad  to  sa}^  immediate  prepara- 
tions to  raise  a  family  are  entered  upon.  Sometimes  several  broods 
are  raised  in  a  season.  They  are  seen  building  their  nests  as  early 
as  the  last  of  February,  and  half-grown  birds  have  been  found  as 
late  as  the  last  of  November.  The  speaker  had  often  noticed  albinos 
and  part  albinos  among  them.  This  tendency  to  albinism  is  far 
stronger  in  America  than  in  Europe,  especially  in  the  northern 
parts.  It  will  probably  increase,  because  white  specimens  are 
held  in  high  esteem  by  the  female  birds.  Government  reports 
show  the  universal  disti'ibution  of  this  saucy,  quarrelsome,  sturdy 
little  rascal,  who,  like  some  of  our  Knights  of  Labor,  will  do  no 
useful  work  himself,  and  wishes  to  expel  those  who  are  willing  to 
do  any.  A  fight  must  be  carried  on  continually  all  along  the  line, 
to  keep  him  in  check,  as  we  can  have  no  hope  to  exterminate  him. 

On  motion  of  E.  W.  Wood,  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  essayist  for 
his  timelj'  and  ver}^  interesting  paper  was  uuanimousl}'  passed. 

Francis  H.  Appleton,  of  the  Committee  on  Publication  and 
Discussion,  announced  that  on  the  next  Saturday,  George  E. 
Davenport,  of  Medford,  would  present  a  paper  upon  "Ferns." 


BUSINESS   MEETING. 

Saturday,  March  28, 1891. 

An   adjourned   meeting   of   the   Society   was   holden  at  eleven 
o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.  Spooxer,  in  the  chair. 
No  business  being  brought  before  the  meeting  it  was 
Dissolved. 


FERNS.  191 


MEETING  FOR  DISCUSSION. 
Ferns. 

By  George  E.  Davem-ort,  Medford. 

The  propriety  of  this  moruiug's  discussion  in  connection  Avith 
the  legitimate  work  of  this  Society  may  perhaps  be  questioned,  as 
the  relationship  is  not  at  first  apparent.  I  am  confident,  however, 
that  it  Avill  appear,  as  we  go  on,  that  ferns  constitute  an  important 
factor  in  our  natural  and  social  economy,  and  are  entitled  to  be 
considered  as  something  more  than  mere  botanical  specimens  for 
the  herbarium. 

One  of  the  most  gratifying  features  in  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  our  Society  during  the  past  few  years,  has  been  it& 
increasing  disposition  to  encourage  artistic  taste  and  feeling  in  the 
different  branches  of  its  work.  It  was  for  this  reason  that  those 
somewhat  anomalous  table  and  mantel  decorations  shown  during 
the  grand  exhibition  given  by  the  Society  in  August,  1890,  were 
justifiable.  Such  decorative  exhibitions  call  forth  the  highest 
artistic  faculties  of  the  exhibitor,  and  awaken  corresponding 
faculties  in  the  minds  of  the  observers.  The  keener  the  competi- 
tion, the  broader  is  the  outcome,  reaching  out  to  the  cultivator, 
who  becomes  animated  with  the  desire  to  improve  still  further  and 
in  every  way  he  can,  the  material  upon  which  the  exhibitor 
depends  for  his  selections. 

If,  happily,  the  exhibitor  cultivates  his  own  material,  as  many 
do,  then  is  he  continually  seeking  for,  and  studying  choice  combi- 
nations of  color  and  form  in  order  to  produce  the  most  artistic  and 
pleasing  effects  possible,  and  in  this  way  he  becomes  a  public 
benefactor  and  educator. 

You  cannot  fail  to  remember  the  prevalence  of  ferns  in  that 
exhibition,  and  will  readily  call  to  mind  the  pleasing  effects 
produced  by  the  free  use  of  the  graceful  and  delicate  maiden-hair 
ferns  in  some  of  the  table  decorations,  and  see  at  once  how  closely 
associated  ferns  are  Avith  the  florist's  art.  So  that  here  at  the  very 
outset  we  trespass  upon  the  florist's  province  and  demonstrate  the 
right  of  these  elegant  and  beautiful  plants,  the  ferns,  to  become 
members  of  our  horticultural  fraternity. 

The  florist  finds  his  colors  among  the  flowering  and  foliage 
plants,  but  is  obliged  to  seek  for  the  highest  perfection  of  form 


192  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

aucl  grace  among  the  ferns,  which  in  those  characteristics  are 
preeminent.  Here  we  have  at  least  one  incentive  for  the  study 
and  cultivation  of  ferns,  which  must  inevitably  develop  artistic 
taste  and  refinement. 

I  hold  it  to  be  quite  as  mucli  our  duty  to  cultivate  the  aesthetic 
side  of  our  nature  as  it  is  the  practical,  and  I  care  not  what  the 
strict  utilitarian  may  say ;  any  pursuit  which  leads  us  into  closer 
communion  with  Nature  and  teaches  us  to  appreciate  and  love 
God's  works,  whether  it  be  a  quest  for  wild  flowers,  ferns,  or  any 
other  branch  of  natural  histor}^  deserves  encouragement  and 
approbation.  The  spirit  which  inspired  the  great  Linujvus  when 
he  fell  on  Iiis  knees  and  thanked  God  for  bestowing  so  much 
beauty  on  a  tiny,  wild  flower,  dear  to  us  all,  is  one  that  is  worthy 
of  our  constant  emulation. 

I  recall  with  feelings  of  pleasurable  emotion  the  enthusiasm 
shown  by  our  revered  Master  in  Botany,  Dr.  Gra}^  over  the 
tiniest  blossoms  gathered  during  an  ever  to  be  remembered  field 
day  on  Bear  Hill,  in  Stoneham  —  an  occasion  memorable  also  from 
the  presence  of  one  whose  memory'  is  dear  to  all  lovers  of  ferns  — 
that  pure  soul,  John  AVilliamson,  of  Kentucky.  The  unbounded 
love  and  enthusiasm  which  filled  the  soul  of  that  great  and  good 
man,  Asa  Gray,  kept  him  alwaj^s  young  and  overflowing  with  the 
exuberant  spirits  of  a  boy,  and  I  can  never  efface  from  my 
memory  the  cheery  voice,  the  buoyant  step,  and  the  kindly  greet- 
ing which  always  met  me  when  studying  ferns  at  the  Cambridge 
Herbarium. 

The  study  and  cultivation  of  ferns  is  one  of  the  most  delightful 
of  recreations,  whether  pursued  in  the  spirit  of  scientific  inquiry, 
or  from  an  aesthetic  point  of  view,  and  is  to  be  encouraged  in  both 
directions  ;  in  the  first,  as  contributing  to  our  knowledge  of  plants 
and  the  relations  which  the}^  bear  to  other  forms  of  life,  and  in  the 
second,  as  increasing  the  enjoyment  and  happiness,  not  only  of 
those  who  engage  in  their  study,  but  of  others  as  well,  through 
the  refining  influence  of  their  beauty. 

Ferns  are  to  be  distinguished  in  a  general  way,  from  other 
plants  by  the  following  aggregation  of  characters :  their  erect 
leafy  habit  and  generally  finely  cut  foliage ;  the  presence  of  woody 
bundles  of  fibres  in  their  stalks ;  the  production  of  fruit,  either  on 
the  under  surface  of  the  leafy  portion,  or  in  spike-like  racemes 
on  separate  stalks,  and  the  arrangement  of  the  young  fronds  in 
the  bud. 


FERNS.  193 

They  have  also  in  a  general  way  a  strong  family  resemblance 
one  to  another,  so  that  one  becoming  familiar  with  a  few  forms 
may  readily  distinguish  other  ferns  by  their' general  likeness,  even 
if  unable  to  determine  any  particular  species  without  close  study. 
There  is,  however,  a  great  diversity  of  minor  characters  by  which 
different  species,  and  even  genera,  are  to  be  determined,  and 
which  require  careful  stud}'. 

Some  are  evergreen,  often  with  glossy  foliage,  some  are  thick 
and  leather}'  in  texture,  while  others  are  herbaceous,  thin,  and 
almost  transparent.  Between  these  extremes  there  is  every  grada- 
tion. !Some  are  smooth,  while  others  are  more  or  less  covered 
with  scales,  avooI,  glands,  or  powdery  substances. 

These  special  characters,  for  the  most  part,  bear  some  relation 
to  the  situations  in  which  they  grow ;  so  that,  given  the  special 
characters  of  any  particular  species,  one  may  not  only  be  able  to 
indicate  the  localities  where  it  is  most  likely  to  be  found,  but 
to  point  out  the  best  mode  of  treatment  for  its  cultivation. 

Thus  the  larger  and  coarser  ferns,  as  a  rule,  grow  in  moist, 
shady  situations,  such  as  damp  woodlands,  bogs,  swamps,  and 
ravines,  while  the  smaller  ferns,  and  are  generally  to  be  looked 
for  along  mountain  ranges,  in  dry,  exposed  situations,  and  those 
with  a  woolly  or  farinaceous  covering,  especially  in  regions  where 
they  are  subject  to  long  periods  of  great  heat  and  drought. 

Ferns  vary  no  less  in  size  than  iu  the-ir  minor  characters.  The 
smallest  known  fern  is  a  southern  species  which  grows  in  masses, 
like  a  moss,  on  dripping  rocks  in  Alabama,  with  fronds  only  from 
one-half  to  three-fourths  of  an  inch  in  height.  In  striking  contrast 
to  this  minute  fern  are  the  magnificent  tree  ferns  of  tropical 
regions,  some  of  which  grow  to  the  extraordinary  height  of  from 
sixty  to  eighty  feet  with  immense  spreading  fronds. 

Ferns  are  widel}'  but  uuequall}'  distributed  in  the  proportion  to 
flowering  plants  of  about  one  to  eight,  to  one  to  two  hundred, 
according  to  the  climatic  conditions  of  the  various  countries  Avhich 
they  inhabit. 

As  they  most  abound  where  shade,  warmth,  and  moisture 
prevail  they  reach  their  highest  state  of  perfection  in  the  humid 
atmosphere  of  the  tr-opics.  Here  their  growth  is  luxuriant  and 
wonderful,  attaining  the  enormous  proportions  of  gigantic  trees 
with  huge  trunks  rising  to  a  great  height,  and  surmounted  with 
correspondingly  enormous  fronds.  As  we  pass  into  cooler  and 
13 


194       MASSACHUSETTS  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 

more  temperate  climates  their  size  and  number  sensibly  decrease, 
until  in  colder  and  extreme  northern  latitudes  they  become  rare  or 
disappear  altogether. 

The  total  number  of  species  in  existence  cannot  be  exactly 
stated,  partly  on  account  of  the  different  views  held  by  different 
authors  as  to  what  constitutes  a  species,  but  an  approximately 
correct  estimate  may  be  given  as  about  thi*ee  thousand. 

In  the  United  States  they  are  in  the  proportion  to  flowering 
plants  of  about  one  to  forty,  this  being  merely  an  approximate 
estimate.  The  actual  number  of  undisputed  species  at  the  present 
time  is  160,  all  of  which  are  represented  in  the  Society's  Her- 
barium. If  to  this  number  Ave  add  the  450  or  more  Mexican 
ferns  not  found,  as  j^et,  within  the  limits  of  the  United  .States,  we 
shall  have  not  far  from  620  or  more  species  of  ferns  belonging  to 
our  North  American  Flora,  this  being  a  little  more  than  one-fifth 
of  the  whole  number  in  existence. 

In  former  geological  periods  the  relative  proportion  of  ferns  was 
apparently  much  greater  than  at  the  present  time,  nearly  four 
hundred  so-called  species  of  fossil  ferns  having  been  described 
from  the  coal  regions  of  the  United  .States  alone.  But  some  of 
those  determinations  are,  it  seems  to  me,  to  be  received  with  a 
great  deal  of  caution.  The  best  pteridologist  will  not  alwaj's 
venture  to  name  a  living  plant  from  the  insutHcient  data  of  a 
mere  fragment,  or  from  a  single  frond,  if  it  be  imperfect,  know- 
ing well  from  observation  on  living  material  constantly  passing 
under  his  eye,  how  great  is  the  tendency  on  the  part  of  living 
species  to  vary,  even  in  their  most  important  characters ;  how 
much  greater  then  must  be  the  difficult}'  of  determining  species 
from  the  too  often  unsatisfactory  data  of  the  geological  period, 
Avhen  oftentimes  one  can  have  nothing  more  than  a  simple  tracing 
of  a  mere  fragment  in  the  rock  to  judge  from.  Even  the  one 
character,  which  of  all  others  might  be  considered  as  the  most 
reliable,  i.  e.,  the  venation,  or  nerve-structure,  is  known  to  vary 
greatl}'  in  living  species ;  so  that  if  we  were  to  apply  the  same 
method  to  living  species  as  is  applied  to  fossil  specimens,  we  might 
easily  swell  the  number  of  our  ferns  to  much  greater  proportions 
than  we  are  now  willing  to  give  to  them.       , 

I  propose  now  to  give  you  a  partial  review  of  the  life-history  of 
a  fern,  as  distinguished  from  that  of  a  flowering  plant,  in  order 
that  you  may  understand   more  clearly    the   differences   between 


FERNS.  195 

them,  and  then  to  consider  briefly  the  uses  for  ferns,  to  offer  some 
suggestions  for  making  selections  for  purposes  of  cultivation,  and 
to  point  out  some  of  their  special  characteristics  and  requirements. 

I  have  here  some  fronds  of  Asju'dium  Boottii,  a  fine,  partially 
evergreen  fern,  which  was  first  discovered  by  that  excellent 
botanist  and  courteous  gentleman,  William  Boott,  an  honored 
meml)er  of  this  Society,  and  named  for  him  by  Professor  Tucker- 
man. 

If  we  examine  the  backs  of  these  fronds  we  shall  find  them  to 
be  covered  with  numerous  dark  dots  collected  into  groups,  each 
group  consisting  of  a  number  of  small,  round,  or  oblong,  capsules 
borne  on  minute  stalks. 

These  capsules,  which  are  somewhat  analogous  to  seed  vessels, 
though  morphologically  very  different, —  are  technically  called 
sporangia,  and  are  the  spore-cases  of  ferns,  being  filled  Avith 
spores  which  are  the  germinating  agencies  b}^  which  ferns  are 
reproduced. 

Each  group,  or  cluster  of  sporangia  is  called  a  sorus,  and, 
collectively,  the  clusters  are  called  sori, —  meaning  the  fruit  dots. 

If  Ave  examine  such  ferns  as  our  present  one  before  they  have 
fully  matured  their  fruit  we  shall  find  the  sori  protected  b}'  a 
special  membraneous  covering,  or  shield,  which  is  technically 
called  an  indusium.  Ferns  having  indusia  covering  the  sori  are 
called  indusiate  ferns,  and  those  without  are  called  non-indusiale 
ferns. 

The  presence  or  absence,  and  sometimes  the  form,  of  the 
indusium,  gives  generic  distinction  to  different  groups  of  ferns, 
and  their  division  and  sub-division  into  sections  and  species  is  often 
based  on  the  character  of  the  indusium  alone. 

It  is  now  proper  to  state  that  the  fruitage  of  a  fern  plant  is  to 
be  found  collected  in  the  clusters  of  sporangia,  either  on  the 
under  surface  of  leafy  fronds,  like  our  present  one,  or  in  spike- 
like racemes  at  the  top  of  distinct  stalks  partially  separated  from 
the  leafy  portion,  as  in  Osmundu  regnlis,  or  wholl}'  so,  as  in  the 
Ostrich  fern  and  our  common  Sensitive  fern.  Ferns  like  these 
last  are  said  to  be  dimorphous,  ?.  e.,  having  two  distinct  kinds  of 
fronds.  But  in  all  cases,  however  much  the  different  kinds  of 
ferns  may  and  do  vary  in  their  manner  of  producing  sori,  the 
sporangia  are  filled  when  mature  with  a  fine  almost  impalpable 
powder,  which  a  microscopical  examination  shows  to  be  composed 


196  ^lA^SACHUSETTS   HORTICtTLTHRAL   SOCIETY. 

of  innumerable  grain-like  bodies  termed  spores,  the  production  of 
which  is  the  ultimate  end  toward  which  the  Avhole  life-work  of  a 
fern  is  directed. 

The  enormous  quantity  of  spores  which  a  single  fern  plant 
produces  annually  is  something  almost  Iteyond  computation ;  but 
it  is  so  great  that  if  all  the  spores  produced  by  all  the  ferns  in 
^existence  for  one  year  only  were  to  germinate  and  consummate  the 
purpose  for  which  they  are  created,  they  would  speedily  overrun 
the  earth.  But  here,  as  in  other  directions,  are  seen  the  wonderful 
provisions  of  nature  for  equalizing  the  distribution  of  life  forms. 
It  has  been  estimated  that  a  single  fern  will  produce  in  one  season 
one  thousand  million  of  spores,  and  that  a  siaagle  frond  of  Aspid- 
■iictn  Filfx-mas  is  capable  of  producing  eighteen  millions  of  plants. 
Now  if  we  consider  the  number  of  fronds  which  a  thrifty  plant 
will  support  we  shall  begin  to  form  some  idea  of  the  enormous 
increase  which  a  single  plant  might  be  capable  of.  If  we  consider 
further  how  gTeat  a  number  of  individual  plants  there  are  in 
existence,  we  may  well  be  amazed  at  the  almost  inconceivably  vast 
number  of  ferns  whicli  a  single  year's  dissemination  of  spores  is 
<!apable  of  producing.  But  it  is  not  until  we  consider  still  further 
how  infiuitesimally  small  a  fractional  portion  of  the  whole  all  this 
is  that  we  begin  to  realize,  or  form  an  intelligent  conception  of  the 
magnitude  of  this  grand  universe  and  its  marvellous  creations. 

If  we  shake  gently  a  mature  fern  frond,  spores  will  be  seen  to 
fall  in  a  showery  mass  of  dust-like  powder  which  very  inuch 
resembles  in  general  appearance  the  pollen  of  flowering  plants, 
such,  indeed,  as  one  sees  every  spring  distributed  over  the  surfaces 
of  sluggish  pools  and  streams  from  willow  and  alder  aments. 

But  this  resemblance  goes  no  farther.  Pollen  grains  in  them- 
selves have  no  germinating  power  whatever,  and  remain  inert  until 
the3"  perish,  unless  they  come  into  contact  with  some  stigmatic  sur- 
face. Per  contra,  every  spore  has  within  itself  the  power  of  ger- 
minating, and  under  favorable  conditions  is  capable  of  producing 
A  plant  organism.  "We  shall  see,  however,  in  a  moment,  that  the 
plant  organism  which  its  germination  produces  is  not  a  fern,  and 
bears  no  resemblance  Avhatever  to  tlie  parent  plant  from  which  the 
spore  was  produced. 

Herein  lies  the  fundamental  distinction  between  a  spore  and  a 
seed.  A  seed  contains,  plainly  visible  within  itself,  the  rudiments 
of  a   new   plant,   which   develops  at  once,   whenever  germination 


FERNS.  IdT 

occurs,  into  a  plant  similar  to  that  from  which  the  seed  was  itself 
produced.  But  a  spore  does  not  contain  an  embr^^o,  l)eing  filled 
with  a  thick  gelatinous  matter  instead.  On  germination  taking 
place  this  gelatinous  matter  swells,  and  expands  the  elastic  inner 
membrane  until  it  ruptures  the  outer  covering  of  the  spore,  and 
the  spore  cell  protrudes  in  the  form  of  an  elongated  sac. 

Development  then  proceeds,  through  the  process  of  cellular  ex- 
pansion and  division,  until  a  flat,  leaf-like  body  is  produced,  which 
in  its  turn,  by  a  new  process  of  growth,  develops  special  fertilizing 
organs  through  whose  agency  the  young  plant  is  brought  into 
existence.  This  form  of  plant  life,  so  utterly  unlike  that  which  is 
destined  to  arise  from  it  later  on,  is  technically  called  a  prothallus, 
or  prothallium,  meaning  thereby  an  elongated,  fliat,  cellular  struc- 
ture preceding  the  formation  of  some  plant  structure  of  a  highei* 
order.  This  condition,  in  some  of  the  lower  orders  of  plants,  is  in 
itself  the  perfected  plant  structure,  as  those  of  you  who  are 
acquainted  with  the  Marchantias,  and  similar  plants,  know. 

I  will  not  weary  you  with  a  description  of  the  special  organs 
which  are  evolved  from  the  substance  of  the  prothallium,  nor  with 
the  technical  points  involved  in  the  gradual  development  of  the  fern 
plant  itself.  Those  of  you  who  care  to  pursue  inquiry  in  that 
direction  further  Avill  find  the  subject  carefully  elaborated  in  the 
series  of  text-books  by  Hofmeister,  Sachs,  DeBary,  Bessey,  and 
others.  I  have  dwelt  upon  it  thus  far  only  that  you  might  see  how 
very  different  from  the  life-history  of  a  flowering  plant,  the  life- 
history  of  a  fern  is.  In  the  one  case  we  have  a  plant  producing  a 
seed  which  in  its  turn  reproduces  directly  the  parent  plant ;  while 
in  the  other  we  have  a  plant  which  produces  an  organless  cellular 
body,  which  produces  an  entirely  different  and  independent  plant 
form,  which  in  its  turn  reproduces  the  original  parent  plant.  So 
that  the  cycle  of  generations  runs  thus  :  the  fern  produces  a  spore, 
the  spore  produces  a  prothallium,  the  prothallium  produces  a  fern. 

I  have  here  two  fine  charts,  from  Dodel-Ports'  magnificent  work, 
which  illustrate  fern  reproduction  admirably. 

In  Part  2,  plate  I,  figure  5,  we  have  a  portion  of  a  frond  of 
Aspidium  Filix-vias,  one  of  the  shield  ferns,  a  magnified  portion 
of  a  pinnule  showing  the  sori,  or  fruit  dots.  Figure  1  shows  a 
cross  section  through  a  sorus  wherein  the  arrangement  of  the 
sporangia  on  the  receptacle  is  plainly  seen,  with  the  over-arching' 
indusium.     Figure  2  shows  a  detached  sporangium.     The  elastic 


11)8  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

ring  surrouuding  the  outer  edge  is  called  an  aunulus.  The  sudden 
contraction  of  this  aunulus  ruptures  the  ripened  sporangium, 
causing  it  to  split  open,  when  the  spores  escape,  as  seen  in  figure  3  ; 
figure  4,  spores. 

In  Part  3,  plate  IV,  figures  1,  2  and  3  show  the  appearance  of 
a  spore  shortly  after  germination.  Here  we  have  the  protruding 
spore-sac  which  continues  to  grow  in  the  manner  previously  de- 
scribed, until  a  prothallium  is  formed,  as  seen  in  figure  4.  Figure 
5,  shows  to  us  the  young  fern  just  starting  on  its  life's  work. 

We  have  now  seen  the  ultimate  results  of  spore  germination,  and 
you  have,  no  doubt,  already  discovered  a  partial  reason  why  ferns 
do  not  increase  more  largely  by  means  of  spores.  For  while  every 
spore  may  produce  a  prothallium,  all  prothallia  will  not  produce 
ferns.  A  very  large  proportion  prove  abortive  and  perish.  Others, 
being  dioecious  in  character,  and  becoming  separated,  or  being 
developed  at  different  times,  fail  to  complete  their  work.  Even 
mona^cious  prothallia  are  subject  to  so  many  accidents  that  only  an 
exceedingW  small  proportion  of  them  ever  succeed  in  consummating 
the  purpose  for  which  they  were  designed. 

Nature  has,  however,  endowed  them  with  some  remarkable  prop- 
erties by  which  destructive  agencies  are  sometimes  counteracted. 
Smith  states  that  a  prothallium  may  be  divided  into  two  or  four 
parts,  and  each  part  will  produce  a  plant  bud,  while  Dr.  Farlow 
has  shown  that  prothallia  sometimes  produce  fern  plants  by  a  pecu- 
liar process  of  budding  Avithout  the  aid  of  reproductive  organs. 

I  pass  over,  as  too  intricate  for  demonstration  here,  the  elabora- 
tion of  reproductive  organs  on  the  prothallium,  and  the  subsequent 
evolution  of  the  young  fern,  and  for  its  further  elucidation  refer 
you  to  the  standard  text  books  previously  mentioned.  There  is 
also  a  very  careful  and  elaborate  paper  by  Henfrey,  in  A"ol.  XXI 
of  the  "Transactions  of  the  Linnean  Society,"  page  117,  which 
may  be  advantageously  consulted. 

Hofmeister  states  that  the  young  plant  bears  no  resemblance  at 
first  to  a  fern  and  only  gradually  develops  its  real  character.  He 
also  states  as  a  remarkable  fact  in  the  life-history  of  a  fern,  that 
wliereas  the  young  fern  will  produce  as  many  as  a  dozen  fronds 
during  the  first  year  of  its  existence,  after  it  has  reached  maturity 
only  a  single  frond  will  l)e  produced  annually,  and  that  a  period  of 
four  seasons'  growth  is  necessary  for  the  full  development  of  that 
frond. 


FERNS.  ID'J 

From  this  time  on  we  shall  have  a  great  diversity  of  rootstocks 
and  fronds  to  characterize  the  different  species  and  genera  of  ferns 
that  present  themselves  to  our  notice.  Tlie  structural  characters 
of  the  most  prominent  groups  of  these  are  represented  by  the 
specimens  on  the  screens.  I  will  endeavor  to  explain  them  to 
you  briefly  b}'  means  of  some  actual  specimens  which  I  have 
selected  for  this  purpose. 

While  it  is  theoreticall}'  true  that  all  the  varying  rootstocks  of 
ferns  are  morphologicall}'  related,  and  are  all  simply  more  or  less 
modilicatious  of  a  true  stem,  it  is  also  true  that  these  modifications 
have  resulted  in  certain  structural  types  that  fix  the  habit  of  the 
species  to  which  they  belong.  Two  of  these  types  are  so  marked 
and  distinct,  that  if  we  were  to  base  our  classification  of  ferus 
upon  habit  alone  we  might  separate  them  into  two  large  groups, 
one  having  upright  rootstocks  and  the  other  horizontal.  But  other 
important  considerations  enter  into  our  system  of  classification,  so 
that  it  often  happens  that  both- of  these  types  of  rootstock  are 
represented  in  one  and  the  same  genus.  The  first  of  these  is 
properly  designated  by  the  term  caudex,  meaning  an  erect  stock  or 
stem,  and  the  second  by  the  term  rhizome,  or  rhizoma,  meaning  a 
running  or  creeping  stock  or  stem  with  a  horizontal  growth.  There 
are  various  modifications  of  these  types  which  must  be  passed  over 
for  want  of  time,  but  most  of  them  may  be  seen  among  the  speci- 
mens on  the  board,  and  are  designated  on  the  tickets. 

The  example  which  I  have  here  is  the  nearest  approach  to  the 
true  caudex  of  a  tree  fern  yet  known  to  our  United  States  Flora, 
and  belongs  to  a  variety  of  Aspidium  conterminam^  growing  in 
Florida  and  first  found  by  J.  Donuell  Smith  of  Baltimore.  In  this 
species  the  caudex  rises  nearly  a  foot  above  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  Professor  Robinson  has  noticed  some  indications  in  this 
direction  in  our  common  Rock  Shield  fern,  Aspidiuvi  marginole, 
and  a  very  clever  and  acute  lad}^  botanist  of  the  Pacific  slope,  Mrs. 
Braudegee,  recently  called  attention  to  some  remarkable  develop- 
ments in  the  caudex  of  Osmunda  in  California. 

The  best  examples  of  a  rhizoma  we  shall  find  in  Pteris  agrnlina, 
our  common  Brake,  and  Woodivardia  Virginica,  the  Chain  fern. 
In  both  of  these  ferns  the  stout  rootstock  extends  under  ground 
for  a  distance  oftentimes  of  from  ten  to  twelve   feet  or  more. 

In  summing  up  the  structural  characters  of  ferns  we  have  only 
time  to  say  that  the  rootstock  is  the  true  stem  of  the  fern,  and  the 


200  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL,    SOCIETY, 

fine  or  coarse  fibres  growing  downward  from  the  rootstock  are  the 
true  roots.  The  leafy  branches  growing  upward  from  the  root- 
stock  are  the  fronds,  a  frond  being  an  entire  leaf,  whether  divided 
or  undivided,  and  with  or  without  a  special  stalk.  AVhen  undivided 
and  without  a  stalk  it  is  said  to  be  entire  and  sessile ;  when  having 
a  stalk  the  latter  is  called  the  stipes,  and  the  expanding  green  por- 
tion, whether  entire  or  compounded,  the  lamina;  when  the  lamina 
is  divided  the  central  stalks  or  ribs,  running  through  the  divided 
portions,  are  called  the  rachises ;  all  of  these  terms  being  merely 
special  ones  for  designating  the  different  parts  of  a  frond.  The 
term  frond  is  generally  used  in  a  double  sense  which  is  often  con- 
fusing and  misleading,  but  I  think  that  it  ought  to  be  used  onW  in 
one,  and  that  the  sense  in  which  I  use  it  here,  —  that  is,  to  mean 
the  entire  leaf,  whether  with  or  without  a  stalk,  and  not  in  a  sense 
that  would  lead  one  to  suppose  that  it  is  at  any  time  distinct  from 
its  own  stalk. 

AYe  have  seen  that  reproduction  among  ferns  occurs  naturally 
through  the  medium  of  spore  dissemination,  but  there  are  other 
ways  no  less  interesting.  Many  ferns  multiply  by  means  of  what 
are  called  viviparous  buds  evolved  from  the  epidermal  cells  of  the 
lamina,  or  rachis,  and  such  buds  develop  directW  into  new  plants. 
The  Walking  fern  is  a  well-known  example  of  this,  the  prolonged 
apices  bending  over  and  rooting  at  their  tips,  and  forming  close 
mats  as  the  young  plants  creep  along. 

A  Mexican  variet}^  of  Aspleyiium  Trkhomanea  is  remarkably 
proliferous  in  this  way,  as  you  will  see  b}'  the  illustration  of  it 
among  the  fern  photographs  on  the  board,  and  the  late  J.  Warren 
Merrill,  Avho  was  an  ardent  lover  and  cultivator  of  our  native  ferns, 
succeeded  in  multiplying  his  plants  of  that  rare  and  curious  fern, 
Asplenium  ebejioides,  by  taking  advantage  of  this  habit.  Indeed, 
among  the  Spleenworts  the  occurrence  of  these  adventitious  buds 
is  not  onlj'  frequent,  but  some  species  are  especially  proliferous  in 
that  direction.  I  have  counted  as  many  as  twenty  or  more  tiny 
plantlets  sprouting  from  such  buds  on  a  single  frond  of  Asplenrwm 
Ghnnei,  a  small  fern  not  over  five  inches  tall. 

Still  another  mode  of  propagation  is  by  means  of  small  bulbs 
produced  on  tlie  fronds  much  in  the  same  way  as  the  bulbs  are  pro- 
duced on  the  common  tiger  lily  of  our  gardens.  A  notable  instance 
of  this  is  seen  in  our  liladder  fern,  CystojUeris  bidbifera,  which  pro- 
duces small   bulbs  that  fall  off  when   matured  and,  germinating, 


FERNS.  201 

produce  directly  new  plants.  Sometimes  bulbs  germinate  while  on 
the  parent  plant,  and  specimens  may  often  be  gathered  having  young- 
ferns  growing  out  from  different  parts  of  the  old  fronds. 

Still  another  mode  of  increase  is  by  underground  runners,  or 
stolons,  extending  from  the  old  rootstock,  and  foi-ming  new  crowns 
from  which  new  plants  arise.  The  best  example  of  this  that  I 
know  of  is  the  Ostrich  fern,  an  old  rootstock  of  which  will  send 
out  runners  to  start  new  plants,  which,  in  time,  will  send  out  new 
runners  radiating  in  all  directions  until  a  whole  colony  of  plants 
springs  up  and  takes  possession  of  an  extended  area.  From  a 
single  plant  of  this  species  set  out  in  my  own  grounds  some  ten 
years  ago,  T  counted  last  season  over  forty  crowns  all  of  which  are 
probably  connected  together  by  means  of  these  stolons.  It  will  be 
seen  from  this  how  readily  such  species  may  be  propagated  by 
separating  the  crowns,  and  as  the  Ostrich  fern  is  one  of  the  noblest 
and  most  attractive  of  our  native  ferns,  every  lover  of  beautiful 
forms  having  a  place  for  it  should  cultivate  it. 

This  brings  us  to  the  most  vital  part  of  our  subject  to  those  of 
you  who  may  be  interested  in  ferns  otherwise  than  botanically. 
Of  what  use  are  ferns,  and  why  should  we  regard  them  witli  any 
special  favor? 

We  have  already  seen  that  they  are  of  use  to  the  ilorist  in  fur- 
nishing him  with  graceful  forms  to  add  charm  to  his  decorations, 
and  I  claim  further  for  our  native  ferns  that  they  not  only  equal 
exotic  ferns  in  loveliness  but  that  they  may  be  cultivated  as  easily 
and  made  to  render  our  homes  and  gardens  more  attractive. 

We  have  only  to  glance  over  some  of  the  foreign  catalogues  of 
plants  to  see  how  highly  prized  our  ferns  are  abroad,  and  how  ex- 
tensively they  are  cultivated,  and  then  to  wonder  why  they  do  not 
receive  more  attention  here.  I  am  under  no  necessity  for  making 
a  plea  for  them  as  beautiful  objects  in  nature,  capable  of  inspiring 
the  liveliest  emotions  of  pleasure  in  the  minds  of  those  Avho  seek 
them  out  for  the  enjoyment  derived  from  a  contemplation  of  their 
many  graces  and  the  study  of  their  peculiarities  for  botanical  or 
scientific  purposes,  but  I  press  upon  you  their  claims  to  a  more 
favorable  consideration  as  desirable  plants  for  your  gardens  and 
your  homes. 

Many  species  of  our  larger  ferns  with  a  little  careful  attention 
may  be  grown  into  grand  and  imposing  specimens  alternating  Avitli 
other  plants  along  garden  borders,  or  in  suitable  places  here  and 


"202  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

there  on  our  lawns,  bj'  giving  to  them  a  rich  bed  of  natural  soil, 
no  manure,  but  plenty  of  water,  and  spraying  occasionally  with 
hellebore  to  keep  off  the  insects  which  are  liable  to  prove  the  only 
real  difficulty  in  the  way  of  cultivating  tine  specimens.  I  have 
-only  time  to  mention  as  among  the  finest  of  such  ferns,  beside 
the  Ostrich  fern  already  mentioned,  Aspidium  Goldianum  and  A. 
Filix-mas,  Aspleniiim  Filix-foemina ^  and  the  Osmundas.  These, 
and  similar  ferns  with  stout  caudiciform  rootstocks  forming  large 
crowns,  will  thrive  better  in  garden  soil  than  those  ferns  with 
running  rootstocks  like  the  Chain  ferns,  the  Sensitive  fern  or  the 
Brake,  and  others,  which  require  more  moisture  and  consequently 
thrive  best  in  wet  places. 

The  one  guide  of  all  others  to  follow  in  cultivating  our  native 
ferns  is  to  observe  carefully  the  conditions  under  Avhich  the  species 
reaches  its  highest  development  and  to  endeavor  to  supply  them  as 
far  as  possible  when  transplanting. 

Among  the  smaller  ferns  are  many  hardy  species  well  adapted  for 
rockeries,  which  mn.y  be  so  cultivated,  readily,  by  giving  to  them 
as  nearly  as  possible  conditions  similar  to  those  of  their  native 
habitats.  Even  those  not  hardy  may  be  so  grown  during  the 
summer  months,  and  afterward  taken  into  the  conservatory  or 
house,  for  the  ferner}^  during  winter.  Among  the  latter  are  some 
■of  our  loveliest  ferns,  some  species  having  fronds  beautifully  and 
delicatelj^  cut  into  numerous  bead-like  segments,  or  more  or  less 
■covered  with  differently  colored  scales,  or  powder,  like  the  Gold 
and  Silver  ferns  of  California. 

"We  are  now  approaching  the  best  time  of  all  the  yexix  for  begin- 
ning the  study  of  ferns.  A  few  weeks  more  and  they  will  be  push- 
ing up  their  graceful  fronds  everywhere  in  woods  and  ravines. 
From  their  moss}'  couches  on  springy  hummocks  in  swampy 
meadows  the  noble  Osnumdas  will  shortly  rise  and  cast  aside  the 
-downy  coverings  which  have  enveloped  and  protected  them  during 
their  period  of  rest ;  while  along  the  stony  brooksides  the  Maiden- 
hair and  Lady  fern  will  be  unfolding  their  beautiful  tresses  that 
have  been  bound  up  in  tiglit  coils  so  long.  You  will  have  to  search 
carefully  among  the  stones  for  the  young  fronds  of  the  IMaiden- 
hair  as  they  are  scattered  along  underground  rootstocks,  but  3'ou 
may  know  the  Lad}'  fern  by  her  bronze  or  ebonj'  crosiers  —  a  name 
given  to  what  we  might  call  the  nests  of  young  fronds  as  they  lie 
snugly  tucked  up  in  their  winter  beds,  on  account  of  their  fancied 
resemblance  to  a  bishop's  crook. 


FERNS.  203 

Wherever  you  find  one  of  these  crosiers,  you  may  Ivuow  that  you 
have  found  a  fern,  and  by  watching  the  oradual  uncoiling  and 
growth  of  the  fronds  from  day  to  day  you  may  become  acquainted 
with  the  general  habits  and  characteristics  of  ferns,  and  so  gain  a 
practical  knowledge  of  them. 

But  I  have  trespassed  upon  your  time  too  long,  and  I  must 
bring  this  paper  to  a  close.  The  subject  is  one  that  presents 
itself  in  so  many  different  ways  that  it  is  well-nigh  inexhaustible, 
and  might  bo  prolonged  through  a  series  of  such  papers.  I  am 
bj'  no  means  sure  that  I  have  presented  my  paper  on  this  subject 
in  the  best  possible  manner  but  I  have  been  anxious  to  avoid  any- 
thing like  a  strictly  scientific  technical  treatment,  and  to  make  my 
paper  merely  as  suggestive  as  possible.  Beyond  this  I  must  refer 
you  for  general  investigation  and  stud}'  to  Professor  Eaton's 
splendid  work  on  our  North  American  Ferns ;  to  Professor  Under 
wood's  admirable  hand-book  of  '"Our  Native  Ferns";  to  Professor 
Robinson's  invaluable  book  on  "Ferns  in  Their  Homes  and  Ours," 
and  to  John  Williamson's  precious  legacy  to  fern  lovers,  the 
*' Ferns  of  Kentucky"  and  "Fern  Patchings."  These  works  cover 
general  grounds  quite  thoroughly,  but  if  a  more  scientific  study  is 
desired  yon  will  be  obliged  to  resort  to  the  text-books  previously 
mentioned. 

Of  one  thing  I  can  assure  j^ou.  In  whichever  direction  you 
may  choose  to  follow  out  this  study  you  will  find  it  a  delightful 
one.  There  is  an  indescribable  charm  and  fascination  surround- 
ing ferns  that  no  other  plants  possess.  They  represent  the  highest 
types  of  graceful  forms,  and  so  long  as  the  human  mind  retains  its 
susceptibilit}'  to  the  influence  of  the  beautiful  in  nature  so  long 
will  ferns  continue  to  attract  and  interest  mankind. 

I  need  say  no  more,  but  let  the  ferns  shown  here  this  morning 
speak  the  rest  for  themselves,  and  I  am  sure  that  you  will  agree 
with  me  when  I  say  that  they  are  more  eloquent  than  any  words 
of  mine.  For  however  much  one  ma}'  feel  the  inspiration  which 
emanates  from  them  there  is  yet  something  wanting  in  the  power 
of  speech  to  give  it  utterance.  We  may,  indeed,  describe  in 
impassioned  words  their  outward  charms,  but  the  essence  of  all, 
like  the  aroma  of  the  pine  woods  and  the  odor  of  spring  flowers, 
escapes  into  that  rarer  atmosphere  which  bathes  the  soul  in 
unspeakable  delight.  There  are  times  when  the  overpowering 
mastery  of  our  feelings  prevents  all  outward  manifestation,  and 


204  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

we  can  only  bend  in  silent  reverence  for  that  Supreme  Being  Avha 
has  surrounded  us  with  so  many  things  to  make  life  Avorth  the 
living,  and  endowed  us  with  capabilities  for  their  appreciation  and 
enjoyment. 

Discussion. 

Thomas  Harrison  inquired  about  methods  of  multiplying  fern 
plants. 

Mr.  Davenport  replied  that  he  had  never  attempted  propagation 
of  ferns ;  he  had  not  even  tried  spores.  He  recommended  divi- 
sion of  the  roots  and  separation  of  crowns. 

Mr.  Harrison  asked  whether  in  propagating  ferns  they  always 
produce  the  same  variety,  or  sometimes  sport. 

Mr.  Davenport  doubted  the  possibility  of  cross-fertilization  ;  as 
to  sports,  it  is  a  common  trait  of  many  ferns  to  vary  in  the  course 
of  development. 

Mrs.  P.  D.  Richards  said  she  had  young  fern  plants  coming  up 
in  the  pots.  AYliile  she  saw  no  opportunity  for  the  cross-fertiliza- 
tion of  ferns,  she  was  aware  that  spores  were  readily  taken  up  by 
air-currents  and  carried  to  distant  points  where  their  germination 
and  growth  were  effected,  perhaps  to  the  surprise  of  the  person 
who  thus  obtained  these  beautiful  ferns.  She  had  found  unex- 
pected treasures  growing  among  her  collection  of  choice  ferns, 
which  proved  identical  in  kind  with  specimens  in  her  herbarium. 
She  said  an  idea  prevails  widely  that  ferns  cannot  be  grown  in  our 
dwellings,  and  she  wished  to  state  that  it  was  erroneous.  She  had 
an  Ostrich  fern  at  a  west  window,  where  it  grew  in  vase  form  very 
successfully ;  she  had  hoped  to  keep  it  growing  longer  by 
having  it  in  the  house,  but  she  gained  only  two  or  three  weeks  of 
extra'  time.  She  recommended  AsplenivTn  eheneum  for  house 
culture. 

Mrs.  C.  N.  S.  Horner  was  glad  to  emphasize  the  lecturer's 
suggestion  that  ferns  should  be  more  generally  cultivated  b}'  the 
people.  She  knew  they  were  more  easily  cultivated  than  the 
flowering  plants. 

Another  lady  stated  that  she  had  successfully  cultivated  the 
Maiden-hair  fern  and  also  the  Ostrich  fern.  Her  own  experience 
prompted  her  to  say  with  the  essayist,  that  if  any  present  wished 
for  pure  enjoyment  at  home  they  should  cultivate  ferns.  « 

Mrs.  Horner  desired  to  say  she  had  cultivated  ferns  for  many 
years,  and  had  enjoyed  them  in-doors  in  winter  but  had  usually 


FERNS.  205 

put  thorn  in  the  ground  for  summer.  Most  of  them  grow  best  in 
shady  places,  but  Adiautum  grows  equall}"  well  in  suu  or  shade. 
If  she  had  not  given  away  a  large  number  she  would  now  have  a 
square  rod  of  this  beautiful  fern.  She  thought  the  Ostrich  feru 
another  desirable  species,  if  one  has  plenty  of  room. 

E.  H.  Hitchings  wondered  that  no  more  interest  was  taken  in 
the  cultivation  of  ferns,  especially  our  native  species  and  varieties. 
Many  of  them  are  perfectly  hardy  and  will  bear  more  hard  treat- 
ment than  any  other  plants  that  he  knew.  Some  time  in  the 
winter  of  1883,  he  received  from  Charles  G.  Pringle,  of  Vermont, 
fl  package  of  ferns,  natives  of  the  Pacific  Slope,  and  among  them 
were  I'elkea  Breiveri,  collected  September  27,  1882.  He  was  busy 
iit  the  time  and  laid  them  aside  in  a  drawer,  to  be  mounted  and 
placed  in  his  herbarium  when  convenient.  The  convenient  time 
<lid  not  arrive  until  about  two  years  after  the  ferns  were  collected. 
Then,  after  placing  some  of  the  fronds  in  his  herbarium,  he  put 
one  of  the  roots  in  water  for  a  week  or  two,  and  then  planted  it  in 
a  pot,  where  it  grew,  and  he  now  has  several  fronds  from  it  in  his 
herbarium.  Perhaps  this  may  not  seem  remarkable,  because  those 
ferns  have  to  endure  the  long,  dry  season  of  the  Pacific  slope  ;  he 
therefore  gave  another  case,  nearer  home.  On  September  2,  1888, 
he  went  with  a  friend  to  Lexington  and  took  up  a  number  of 
plants  of  the  Ostrich  fern,  intending  to  set  them  out  in  the  woods 
near  home.  They  were  left  in  a  basket  in  the  cellar  until  May  28, 
1890, — nearly  twenty  months — when  he  found  them  still  alive 
and  growing.  He  then  set  them  out  and  they  grew  well  during 
the  season.  Besides  the  Osti'ich  fern,  he  had  planted  the 
Osmunda  regalis  and  0.  cinnumomeci,  Aspidium  Thelypteris,  A. 
Nnveboracensf,  A.  spinulosuvi,  Woodwardia  angxibti folia  and 
others.  They  need  but  very  little  care  if  planted  in  a  suitable 
place,  which  should  be  in  the  shade,  in  rather  rich  soil,  not  wet, 
except  for  a  few  species.  He  thought  some  of  our  native  ferns 
were  improved  when  grown  under  glass.  He  said  the  late  J.  "W. 
Merrill,  of  Cambridge,  was  very  successful  in  cultivating  manj-  of 
our  rarer  species.  Some  of  them  are  also  grown  at  the  Botanic 
Garden,  Cambridge.  David  Allan,  gardener  to  Robert  M.  Pratt, 
Oakley  Park,  Watertown,  has  grown  some  very  fine  specimens — 
handsomer  than  any  the  speaker  had  ever  seen  growing  in  their 
own  homes.  John  Robinson,  of  Salem,  recently  Professor  of 
Botany  and  Vegetable  Physiology  to  this  Society,  has  successfully 


20(5  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL,    SOCIETY. 

cultivated  rare  native  and  foreign  varieties,  both  under  glass  and 
in  the  open  air.  In  this  connection  Mr.  Hitchings  recommended, 
for  any  one  interested  in  the  subject,  Mr.  Robinson's  book — 
"Ferns  in  Their  Homes  and  Ours."  The  book  is  very  interesting, 
even  if  one  does  not  intend  to  cultivate  the  ferns.  Another  book 
he  would  recommend  is  an  English  work,  "The  Fern  Garden,"  by 
Shirley  Hibberd. 

A  few  of  our  rarer  ferns  that  have  been  successfully  cultivated 
are : 

Acrostichum  aureum,  Cheilanthes  tomentosa, 

Adiantum  tenerxim,  Nothokena  sinuata, 

Anemia  Mexicana,  Fellcea  Jfexnosa, 

Aspidium  trifoliatiim,  Polypodium  aureinn, 
Asplenium  ctcutarium,  "  PhyllitidiSy 

"  ebenoides,  "  phimida, 

"  myriophyllum,  Wondwardki  radicans. 

Ceratopteris  thalictroides, 

Some  of  them  vary  a  great  deal  in  cultivation;  the  Scolopen- 
drinm  and  Asplenium  Filix-foemina  he  thought  more  than  most 
others,  the  former  having  one  hundred  named  varieties.  Some  of 
our  own  ferns  vary  a  great  deal  in  their  native  habitats,  others 
scarcely  any.  He  has  specimens  of  Phegopteris  Dryopteris  from 
England,  Ireland,  Switzerland,  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  and  the 
Middlesex  Fells,  and  he  had  never  seen  the  slightest  variation 
among  them  except  in  size.  But  Phegopteris  polypodioidcs  and 
P.  hexngonoptera  vary  a  great  deal  in  form ;  so  much  so  that  it  is 
sometimes  hard  to  decide  whether  a  specimen  should  be  called 
polypndioides  or  hexagonoptera ;  in  fact  some  persons  think  they 
are  simply  variations  of  the  same  species. 

A  few  years  ago  Mr.  Hitchings  met  Professor  Eaton  at  the 
Harvard  Herbarium  rooms,  and  asked  him  where  he  drew  the  line 
between  these  two  ferns.  He  replied:  "If  you  find  a  frond  that 
measures  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  wider  than  it  is  long,  call  it 
hfxagonoptera,  if  one-sixteenth  narrower  call  it  polypodioides." 
[The  speaker  exhibited  specimen  fronds  of  each  variety,  which 
clearly  showed  the  points  he  had  stated  in  regard  to  these 
varieties.]  But  the  fern  that  varies  most  is,  he  thought,  Botry- 
chium  tematum.  You  may  collect  a  hundred  specimens  and  no 
two  of  them  will  be  alike ;  Init  you  may  be  sure  they  are  all  varie- 
ties of  Botrychium  ternatum. 


FEUXS.  207 

[To  illustrate  this  statement  Mr.  Hitchings  showed  twentj'-four 
sheets,  from  his  herbarium,  containing  one  hundred  and  forty 
specimens  of  Botrychium  teriiatuvi  varieties,  a  curious  and 
interesting  exliibition.] 

But  to  get  the  most  satisfaction  from  ferns  one  should  collect 
them.  Shirley  Hibberd,  in  his  "Fern  Garden,"  says,  "I  believe 
no  one  can  thoroughly  enjo}^  or  understand  ferns  until  after  having 
actually  hunted  for  them  in  hedgerows,  woods,  and  amongst 
rocks,  and  rivulets,  and  waterfalls.  The  .  .  fern  may  be  allowed 
to  sing     .     .     .     : 

Through  the  woods,  through  the  woods, 

Follow  and  find  me. 

Search  every  hollow,  and  dingle,  and  dell, 

I  leave  but  the  print  of  my  footsteps  behind  me ; 

So  those  who  would  find  me  must  search  for  me  well." 

If  this  were  written  of  the  little  Adder's  tongue  fern,  or  some 
of  the  smaller  Botrychiums,  there  would  be  a  great  deal  of  truth 
in  it.  Mr.  Hitchings  then  quoted  from  Robinson's  "Ferns  iu 
Their  Homes  and  Ours,"  as  follows  : 

"There  is  a  large  class  of  persons  who  .  .  .  have  to  do 
oul}'  what  they  choose.  This  class  must  have  a  '  hobby,'  or  they 
will  rust  out.  Another  class  are  engrossed  by  incessant  profes- 
sional work  which  leaves  them  every  day  cross  and  tired.  These 
should  have  some  outside  hobby,  or  they  will  become  one-sided 
and  crabbed,  and  wear  out."  For  illustration  he  says  :  "  Dr.  Jacob 
Bigelow,  of  Boston,  being  a  hard  and  earnest  worker  iu  his 
profession,  determined,  for  his  own  good,  to  select  some  sensible 
form  of  recreation ;  and  chose  the  study  of  botany,  as  necessitat- 
ing long  walks  and  refreshing  thoughts.  The  result  was  the  publi- 
cation, in  181-i,  of  his  ' Florula  Bostoniensis.'"  "All  this  came 
from  a  hobby,"  says  Robinson,  who  further  writes  :  "  Every  person, 
old  or  young,  outside  of  an  asylum  for  the  insane,  should  have  some 
one  thing  in  which  an  intellectual  interest  is  taken, —  some  hobby, 
or  something  that  ma}'  grow  into  one."  And  while  he  would  not 
"  claim  that  the  fern-mania  ...  is  a  hobby  superior  to  most 
others,  ...  he  does  claim,  that,  properly  guided,  it  can  be 
the  means  of  stimulating  pure  and  healthy  exercise  and  study ; 
and     .     .     .     may  be  the  cause  of  great  and  permanent  good." 

Mrs.  Piper  remarked  that  if  one  would  transfer  a  Maiden-hair 
fern   from  its  native  spot  to  the  fern  garden,  it  should  be  done 


208  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

before  the  fruit  had  appeared,  otherwise  it  would  be  too  far 
exhausted  to  establish  itself  there. 

Miss  Nichols  inquired  if  the  feru  garden  could  he  protected 
from  devouring  insects. 

Mr.  Fernald  spoke  of  a  small  insect,  of  a  new  kind,  which  has 
of  late  infested  ferns.  It  draws  the  leaves  together  in  a  loose 
bunch,  and  then  feeds  upon  them.  The  ouW  treatment  he  advised 
was  to  open  the  bunches  and  kill  the  insect. 

Interest  was  added  to  Mr.  Davenport's  paper  bj'  herbarium 
specimens,  some  of  which  were  mounted  on  screens,  as  well  as  by 
the  plates  from  Dodel-Ports'  ' '  Anatomical  and  Physiological  Atlas 
of  Botan3^"  The  latter  and  the  other  books  referred  to  can  be 
seen  in  the  8ociet3''s  Library.  On  motion,  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the 
essayist  for  his  interesting  and  instructive  paper  was  unanimously 
passed. 

O.  B.  Hadwen,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Publication  and 
Discussion  stated  that  the  regular  course  of  Meetings  for  Discus- 
sion closed  with  Mr.  Davenport's  lecture,  but  he  was  happy  to 
anuounce  that  another  was  promised  for  Saturday,  April  11,  by 
Col.  Henry  W.  Wilson,  of  Boston,  upon  his  recent  "Visit  to  the 
Bahama  Islands,  and  the  Character  of  their  Horticulture  and 
Aoriculture." 


BUSINESS   MEETING. 

Saturday,  April  4,  18',)1. 

A  duly  notified  stated  meeting  of  the  Society  was  holden  at 
eleven  o'clock,  the  President,  William  H.   Spooner,  in  the  chair. 

The  following  named  persons  were  proposed  for  membership : 

Everett  W.  Raddin.  of  Cambridgeport,  proposed  by  James  T. 
Carroll. 

Dudley  F.  Hunt,  of  Reading,  proposed  by  George  Heywood,  as 
a  Life  member. 

George  Murch,  of  Milton,  proposed  by  Edwin  A.  Hall,  as  an 
Annual  member. 

Maurice  P.  White,  of  Roxbury,  proposed  by  Leverett  M.  Chase. 

John  Davis,  of  Lowell,  proposed  by  Edwin  Sheppard,  as  a  Life 
member. 


KE VISION    OF    COXSTITUTIOX    AND    RY-LAWS.  209 

The  President,  as  Chairmau  of  the  Committee  on  the  Revision 
of  the  Constitution  and  By-Laws,  presented  a  majority  and  a 
minority  report  of  that  Committee.  The  report  having  been, 
agreeabl}'  to  a  vote  of  the  Committee,  printed  and  sent  to  every 
member  of  the  Society,  it  was  voted  that  the  reading  be  by  title 
and  that  the  Secretary  state  the  changes  from  the  Constitution  and 
By-Laws  now  in  force. 

Joseph  H.  Woodford  moved  that  the  report  be  accepted  and  the 
Committee  discharged. 

Benjamin  P.  Ware  moved  the  adoption  of  the  majority  report. 

I.  Gilbert  Robbius  moved  to  adopt  the  whole  report,  both 
majorit}'  and  minority.  After  some  discussion  by  Francis  H. 
Appleton,  Mr.  Robbins,  Benjamin  P.  Ware,  William  C.  Strong, 
and  J.  D.  W.  French,  this  motion  was  withdrawn. 

Mr.  Robbiiis  then  moved  that  the  amendments  offered  by  the 
minority  of  the  Committee  be  adopted  in  place  of  the  report  of 
the  majority. 

Mr.  Woodford  moved  to  amend  the  motion  of  Mr.  Robbins  so 
that  the  Superintendent  of  the  Building,  and  the  Librarian  should 
be  chosen  at  the  annual  election.  This  amendment  was  accepted 
by  Mr.  Robbins.  The  vote  was  then  taken  on  his  motion,  as 
amended,  and  it  was  negatived. 

Henry  P.  Walcott  moved  to  amend  Section  VI,  by  substituting 
"second"  for  "first"  in  the  last  line. of  the  second  paragraph; 
but  accepted  an  amendment  substituting  "third"  instead  of 
"second."  Dr.  Walcott's  motion,  as  thus  amended,  was  then 
carried. 

The  question  was  then  put  on  Mr.  Ware's  motion,  viz.,  that  the 
majority  report,  as  thus  amended,  be  adopted,  which  was  carried, 
and  the  revised  code  was  ordered,  by  a  majorit}'  vote,  to  be 
entered  on  the  records,  for  final  consideration  on  the  first  Saturday 
in  July. 

The  following  named  persons  having  been  recommended  by  the 
Executive  Committee  for  membership  in  the  Society,  were  on 
ballot  duly  elected. 

Alfred  P.  Gage,  of  Arlington, 
Mrs.  Lewis  J.  Bird,  of  Roxbury, 
Charles  S.  Young,  of  Newton  Centre, 
Saiviuel  Henshaw,  of  Thompson,  Conn. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  April  11. 
14 


210  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL,    SOCIETY. 

BUSINESS   MEETING. 

Satikday,  April  11,  1891. 

An  adjoarned  meeting  of  the  Society'  was  holden  at  eleven 
o'clock,  the  President,  "William  H.  Si'OOxer,  in  the  chair. 

Francis  Campbell,  of  Cambridge,  was  proposed  by  David  Allan, 
as  a  Life  member  of  the  Society. 

John  M.  Keyes,  of  Concord,  Avas  proposed  by  John  H.  Moore,, 
as  a  member  of  the  Society. 

Adjourned  to  Saturday,  May  2. 

MEETING  FOR   DISCUSSION. 
A  AYiXTER  Visit  to  the  Bahama  Islands. 

Bj'  Col.  Henry  W.  Wilson,  Boston. 

This  interesting  group  of  islands  is  often  confounded  with  the 
Bermudas,  even  by  persons  otherwise  well  informed.  The  latter 
are  in  Lat.  32°  N.,  Long.  66°  W.,  while  the  Bahamas  extend  from 
Lat.  22°  to  27°  20'  N.  and  from  Long.  72°  30'  to  79°  20'  W. 
Nassau,  the  principal  commercial  point,  being  in  Lat.  25°  0.5'  N. 
and  Long.  77°  21' W.,  is  about  800  miles  southwest  of  Bermuda, 
lOoO  miles,  almost  due  south,  from  New  York  and  about  350  miles, 
a  little  north  of  east,  from  Key  West. 

It  is  to  some  of  the  experiences  and  observations  of  a  winter's 
visit  to  these  islands,  last  February,  that  the  attention  of  the 
Society  will  be  called  for  a  brief  hour. 

Not  often  can  a  midwinter  voj^age  be  made  with  bright  skies 
and  unruffled  seas,  with  no  more  motion  than  one  would  meet  on 
an  excursion  boat  on  a  June  day  in  Boston  Baj'.  You  soon  fall 
into  a  regular  routine  of  life  which  lasts  just  long  enough  to  avoid 
tedium.  You  cannot  fail  to  be  an  early  riser  in  order  to  view  th6 
sun  emerging  as  from  a  bath  in  the  wilderness  of  waters  ;  breakfast, 
and  then  pace  the  deck,  fore  and  aft  for  an  liour,  as  exercise ; 
consult  the  patent  log  hourly,  if  not  oftener,  to  assure  yourself  that 
you  are  going  along  all  right ;   speculate  as  to  the  distance  run  for 


A    WINTER    ^■IS^T    TO    THE    BAHAMA    ISLANDS.  211 

twenty-four  hours  ;  superintend  the  captain  and  first  officer  as  they 
take  the  sun  and  wonck'r  why  it  takes  thirty  minutes  to  figure  out  a 
five  minute  problem ;  hineli ;  admire  tlie  great  persistence  of  a; 
Hock  of  sea-gulls  that  for  forty-eight  hours  and  for  five  hundred 
miles  hover  over  the  track  of  the  steamer  ready  to  pounce  upon 
whatever  the  cooks  may  throw  overboard ;  wonder  whether  they 
can  have  any  abiding  place  but  the  deep  sea,  or  whether  it  may  not 
be  a  handy  thing  after  all  to  be  able  to  make  yourself  comfortably 
at  home  wherever  you  may  happen  to  be ;  count  the  sti'okes  of  the 
engine  and  estimate  the  revolutions  of  the  screw  to  make  the  pas- 
sage ;  dine ;  discuss  the  McKinley  Bill  and  lose  your  patience,  if 
not  your  temper,  as  you  try  to  make  your  companion  understand 
how  a  tariff  is  a  skilful  device  for  making  foreign  nations  pay  your 
own  taxes  for  support  of  the  Government ;  find  quiet  for  your  per- 
turbed spirit  in  looking  upon  the  glories  of  the  sunset  as  the  fiery 
ball  drops  gently  below  the  horizon ;  as  the  twilight  deepens 
into  night  and  darkness  draws  her  sable  curtain  over  the  deep  and 
pins  it  with  a  star,  you  linger  at  the  taffrail  to  watch  the  fascinat- 
ing phosphorescence  of  the  wake  which  the  steamer  is  leaving 
miles  astern.  This  experience  is  repeated  day  after  day,  varied 
only  by  an  occasional  sail,  a  flight  of  flying-fish,  pursued  by  a 
lazily  rolling  dolphin,  or  a  jaunty  nautilus  sailing  by  in  its  buoyant 
bark.  At  last  the  steamer  is  brought  to  anchor  in  forty-five 
fathoms  of  water,  off  a  low-lying  shore,  where  a  stuffy  little  steamer 
comes  alongside  to  take  the  freight  and  passengers  ashore,  and  you 
realize  that  Nassau  has  a  prohibitory  bar  which  effectually  closes- 
her  harbor  to  all  steamers  or  vessels  that  draw  more  than  fifteen 
feet  of  water.  This  bar  is  not  of  shifting  sand,  as  frequently 
occurs,  but  good  hard  coral  limestone  which  would  effectually 
settle  the  fate  of  any  vessel  going  upon  it. 

Approaching  the  wharf  one  is  easily  persuaded  that  about  all  of 
the  floating  population  of  the  town  has  gathered  there  to  greet  him, 
but,  on  considering  that  there  are  but  three  or  four  hundred  out  of 
twelve  thousand  or  more,  he  modifies  his  conclusions,  as  he  does 
concerning  the  importunate  beggars  that  beset  him  on  every  hand 
and  clamor  for  alms.  In  his  vexation  the  traveller  will  say  these 
people  are  all  beggars,  but  when  he  reflects  that  there  are  but  a 
score  or  two  of  the  persistent  pests,  and  these  only  about  the 
wharves  on  steamer  days,  he  concludes  that  mendicancy  is  not  so- 
common  and  gives  credit  for  there  not  being  more  of  it. 


^12  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

The  first  public  functionary  one  meets  is  the  custom-house  officer, 
who  is  obliging  and  discreet,  and  who  receives  and  passes  3'ou  with 
so  much  courtesy  and  dispatch  that  a  pleasant  impression  is  left  on 
your  mind  which  goes  to  relieve  your  vexation  at  the  volunteer 
porters  who  have  persisted,  unbidden,  in  pawing  over  3'our  luggage 
and  making  their  needless  exertions  the  basis  of  a  claim  for  a 
shilling.  If  every  traveller  could  bear  a  frown,  or  say  no,  this 
fruitful  source  of  irritation  would  soon  cease.  Arriving  at  the 
hotel,  which  like  everything  else  in  a  British  colony  is  a  Royal 
Victoria,  and  which  is  roomy,  comfortable  and  excellentl}^  managed 
by  a  Connecticut  hotel-keeper,  you  speedil}^  make  yourself  at  home 
iind  begin  to  look  about  you. 

One  observes,  particularly  about  Nassau,  the  quaint  and 
'Colonial  aspect  of  the  enclosures  and  buildings ;  the  peculiar  walls, 
breast-high,  formed  of  pieces  of  coral  limestone  laid  dry  and  then 
well  plastered  over  with  lime-mortar,  giving  to  each  enclosure  all 
of  the  effect  of  exclusive  proprietorship  that  would  be  given  b}'  a 
tight  board  fence.  Most  of  the  buildings,  both  public  and  private, 
are  built  of  regular  blocks  of  limestone  which  is  easily  quarried 
and  dressed  into  any  desired  form  with  a  hatchet  and  saw. 

The  streets  of  Nassau  are  regular,  clean,  and  well  laid  out.  The 
abundance  of  trees  which  line  the  streets  tend  greatly  to  relieve  the 
bright  glare  of  reflected  sunlight,  which  rather  oppresses  the 
Northerner  when  experienced  for  the  first  time. 

One  of  the  agreeable  features  of  a  Avinter  experience  in  these 
islands  comes  from  the  uniformly  equable  temperature  of  air  and 
water.  During  the  entire  month  of  February,  1891,  the  thermom- 
eter fell  below  70°  on  only  one  occasion,  toward  the  end  of  the 
month,  when  for  a  part  of  the  day  it  fell  to  65°.  The  temperature 
at  sunrise  averaged  from  70°  to  72°;  at  noon  from  78°  to  82°;  at 
sunset  from  74°  to  76°.  The  temperature  of  the  ocean  was,  in  the 
morning,  70°  to  72°  and  at  evening  from  74°  to  76°.  It  was 
claimed  by  old  citizens  that  the  lowest  temperature  ever  known 
was  64°.  The  bitterly  cold  wave  which  passed  over  the  whole  of 
the  United  States  and  covered  Florida  with  frost,  had  only  refrig- 
eration enough  left,  when,  in  the  last  week  of  February,  it  crossed 
the  Gulf  Stream  and  reached  Nassau,  to  reduce  the  temperature 
for  a  short  time  to  65°.  Such  an  equable  climate  is  not  only 
beneficial  to  invalids  but  is  a  source  of  enjoyment  to  those  in 
Jiealth.      It  enables  a  careful  gardener  to  suppl}^  the  table  with  a 


A    WINTKK    VISIT    TO    THE    BAHAMA    ISLANDS.  213 

constant  succession  of  delicious  vegetables  the"  year  round. 
Instead  of  there  being  a  dry  and  a  rainy  season,  as  is  the  case  in 
most  tropical  and  semi-tropical  countries,  the  showers  hero  fall  at 
intervals  and  the  rainfall  of  the  year  is  quite  as  uniformly 
distributed  during  the  several  months  and  seasons  as  at  the  north, 
and  averages  about  two  and  a  half  inches  per  mouth,  which  is 
fully  adequate  for  perfect  success  in  agriculture. 

The  extreme  transparency  and  brilliancy  of  the  atmosphere  and 
sky  is  in  great  contrast  to  what  we  are  accustomed  to  see  at 
home.  The  clouds  soar  high  and  are  broken  into  fine  masses  with 
magnificent  contrasts  of  color.  Even  the  waters  combine  to 
challenge  our  admiration  by  the  gorgeous  hues  which  they  present 
to  the  delighted  beholder.  Looking  from  a  height  upon  the  broad 
surface  of  the  bay  I  have  seen  its  waters'  striped  with  creamy 
white  and  brilliant  pink,  with  broad  areas  of  iutensest  blue, 
flecked  with  bright  spots,  till  it  has  almost  seemed  to  me  that  the 
eye  that  designed  our  starry  flag  had  at  some  time  tarried  among 
these  kaleidoscopic  views  and  drawn  its  inspiration  from  their 
glowing  scenes. 

The  harbor  of  Nassau  is  formed  by  a  long,  low,  narrow  island, 
called  euphoniously  Hog  Island,  which  lies  to  the  north  and 
nearly  parallel  with  the  island  of  New  Providence,  the  channel 
between  being  from  one-third  to  one-half  of  a  mile  wide,  the 
westerlj'  end  of  which,  having  a  depth  of  from  fifteen  to  seventeen 
feet,  constitutes  the  proper  harbor  of  Nassau.  The  bar  before 
mentioned,  which  projects  to  the  Avestward,  in  a  continuation  of 
Hog  Island,  and  upon  which  the  surf  breaks  constantly,  will 
ever  be  a  serious  impediment  to  modern  commerce,  although  small 
vessels  enter  without  difficulty. 

The  Bahamas  comprise  eighteen  principal  islands  having  a  total 
area  of  about  3,310,000  acres  or  pretty  nearly  three-fourths  the 
area  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts.  There  are  several  hundred 
small  islands,  or  cays,  of  limited  area,  many  of  which  are  little 
better  than  bare  rocks.  Of  these  islands  the  largest  is  Audros 
Island,  with  a  length  of  90  miles,  and  an  area  of  uearlj'  2,475 
square  miles.  Abaco,  Eleuthera,  Great  Bahama,  Inagua  and 
San  Salvador,  have  each  an  area  of  more  than  100,000  acres. 
The  population  of  the  whole  group  of  islands  was  43,521  in  1881, 
New  Providence  has  an  area  of  perhaps  85  square  miles  and 
according  to  the  enumeration  of  1881,  a  population  of  11,650,  most 


214  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICrXTUEAL    SOCIETY. 

of  which  is  concentrated  in  and  about  Nassau.  The  present 
population  is  estimated  at  14,000  of  whom  about  one-sixth  are 
white,  the  remainder  being  negroes,  mostly  born  on  the  islands, 
and,  of  course,  descended  from  the  victims  of  the  African  slave 
trade.  Close  observation  will  enable  one  occasionally  to  distin- 
guish in  the  negro  quarters  of  the  town,  faces  that  bear  in  the 
tribal  marks  and  scars  unmistakable  evidence  of  African  nativit}'. 
These  have  been  rescued  from  slave  ships  and  liberated  on  these 
islands. 

The  original  inhabitants  at  the  time  of  the  discovery  by  Colum- 
bus were  a  peaceable  and  inoffensive  race ;  they  were  all  carried 
into  slavery  by  the  remorseless  Spaniards  and  their  lives  were 
sacrificed  in  the  mines  of  San  Domingo  or  the  pearl  fisheries  of 
Cumana.  They  were  of  a  proud  and  independent  spirit,  not 
yielding  readily  to  slaver^',  and  by  the  time  a  generation  had 
passed  away  not  a  descendant  of  the  Lucayau  Indians  remained, 
and  for  more  than  one  hundred  years  these  islands  remained 
desolate  and  uninhabited.  The  negroes  have  a  tradition  that  there 
is  a  remnant  of  these  aboriginal  natives  yet  living  in  the  depths  of 
the  forests  on  Andros  Island,  and  no  negro  can  by  any  means  be 
persuaded  to  venture  from  the  coast  into  the  forests  which  cover 
the  island,  for  fear  of  the  wild  men,  whom  they  call  "Yahoo;'' 
but  no  good  foundation  could  be  ascertained  for  this  belief. 

The  white  population,  as  stated,  comprises  perhaps  no  more 
than  one-sixth  of  the  whole.  Many  of  them  are  descended  from 
the  same  stock  as  our  best  New  England  population,  to  which 
there  is  quite  a  strong  resemblance  both  in  speech  and  manner ; 
nor  have  we  far  to  go  for  the  explanation.  A  large  part  of  the 
emigration  to  the  Carolinas,  in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  was  of  Scotch  extraction  from  the  north  of  Ireland  and 
the  same  that  furnished  much  of  the  hardy  j^eomanry  of  New 
England. 

Singularl}"  enough,  while  in  the  North  these  people  were  the 
staunchest  patriots,  in  the  South  they  were  among  the  most  ardent 
Loy^alists  and  at  the  close  of  the  American  Revolution  they 
emigrated  in  large  numbers  to  the  Bahamas.  Great  Britain  had 
purchased  the  rights  of  the  Lords  Proprietors  and  made  large 
grants  of  lands  to  these  Loj'alists  on  which  were  soon  established 
man}^  prosperous  plantations.  The  energy  and  industry  of  these 
people  are  plainly  evinced  today  in  the  clearings,  enclosures  and 


\ 


Mi 


Cocoa   Nut   Tree. 


Showinsj  fruit  at  various  stages  of  growth. 


A    WINTEII    VISIT    TO    THE    BAHAMA    ISLAXDS.  215 

buildings  wliieh  were  made  uuder  adverse  circumstances.  The 
mace  which  was  used  as  the  symbol  of  Royal  authority  in  the 
assembly  of  South  Carolina,  was  carried  to  Nassau  and  now  does 
service  as  such  in  the  Colonial  House  of  Assembly. 

The  structure  of  their  social  and  industrial  systems  was  based 
upon  slavery  and,  upon  its  abolition  in  1837,  every  department  of 
industry'  and  trade  was  rudel}'  arrested  and  has  since  languished, 
excepting  during  the  brief  years  of  the  American  Civil  War, 
when  the  facilities  which  the  islands  afforded  for  blockade-running 
gave  such  an  unnatural  stimulus  to  trade  and  speculation  that 
everybody  plunged  in,  to  be  hopelessly  stranded  when  the  bubble 
of  disunion  was  broken. 

Andros  Island,  Avhich  is  larger  than  all  of  the  others  put  to- 
gether, was  named  for  Sir  Edmund  Andros  who  was  Governor  of 
Massachusetts  from  December  20,  1G86,  until  April  18,  1689. 
When  the  news  of  the  abdication  and  flight  of  James  the  Second 
reached  the  colonies,  (xovernor  Andros  was  seized  by  the  men  of 
Boston,  deposed,  imprisoned  and  sent  to  England.  No  judicial 
decision  was  ever  made  in  his  case,  as  the  authorities  were  on  the 
horns  of  a  dilemma  whether  they  condemned  him  or  acquitted  him 
of  tyrannical  proceedings  in  the  Colonies,  but  he  was  subsequently 
appointed  Governor  of  Virginia,  where  his  conduct  was  marked  by 
more  moderation  and  was  generally  acceptable.  He  was  subse- 
quently one  of  the  Lords  Proprietors  of  the  Bahamas  and  died  in 
England  in  1714. 

William  Shirley  was  Governor  of  Massachusetts  from  1741  to 
1756,  and  was,  possibly,  until  his  ill-starred  military  operations  of 
1755,  one  of  the  most  popular  Royal  Governors  Massachusetts 
ever  had.  Point  Shirley  is  a  reminder  of  the  esteem  in  Avhich  he 
was  held  in  Boston,  and  of  the  grand  celebration  on  the  8th  of 
September,  1753,  when  all  Boston  seemed  intoxicated  with  the 
prospect  of  the  establishment  of  glass-making  at  the  Point, —  a 
prospect  which  never  materialized.  In  1759,  Governor  Shirley  was 
appointed  Governor  of  the  Bahamas  and  so  continued  till  1767. 
The  rambler  around  Nassau  cannot  fail  to  pass  through  Shirley 
street,  one  of  the  principal  thoroughfares,  also  named  after  the 
Governor.  From  these  considerations,  as  well  as  others  that 
might  be  added  if  time  permitted,  Nassau  is  peculiarly  interesting 
to  a  New  Englander  but  especially  to  a  Bostonian. 

To  one  who  has  never  visited  the  Tropics,  the  strange  condi- 
tions and  species  of  vegetable  life  seem  most  remarkable ;  familiar 


216  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICIILTURAL    SOCIETY. 

as  be  may  be,  by  iiieaus  of  narratives  or  prints,  with  such  things^ 
still  the  beholding  moves  one  with  a  new  emotiou.  There  is  a 
curious  interest  in  witnessing  the  peculiar  growth  of  the  Cocoa 
Palm  ( Cocos  nucifera) ,  with  its  constant  presence  of  blossoms  and 
fruit.  We  were  permitted  to  see  this  fine  tree  in  all  stages  of  it& 
growth,  first  as  a  germinating  nut  with  its  fronds  of  green  leaves 
bursting  through  its  husky  envelope ;  then  as  a  young  tree  not  so 
tall  but  that  I  might  pluck  the  fruit  from  the  ground,  and  maturer 
trees,  from  forty  to  forty-five  feet  in  height,  that  would  require  the 
dexterity  of  an  agile  boy  or  monkey  to  climb  to  seek  the  fruit. 
The  trunk  of  the  cocoa  palm  is  from  six  to  ten  inches  through ;  it 
is  endogenous,  growing  at  the  end  of  the  stem  and,  therefore,  has 
all  of  its  foliage  at  the  extremity  of  the  truuk.  Every  month  a 
new  leaf  or  spathe  expands  itself  from  the  fibrous  integument  in 
which  it  is  enfolded  and  discloses  a  spadix  of  bloom  and  so  it 
happens  that  there  is  always  to  be  seen,  on  a  healthy  and  growing 
specimen  of  this  species,  the  blossom,  below  this  the  small  nuts, 
the  size  of  walnuts ;  beneath  them  a  cluster  of  from  six  to  ten 
larger  ones  the  size  of  the  fist ;  and  below  these  the  ripening  nuts, 
each  hanging  by  a  slender  stem,  not  so  large  as  a  lead  pencil. 
It  is  claimed,  I  cannot  say  how  truly,  that  from  a  thrifty  tree  one 
may  pick  a  ripened  cocoa-nut  every  day  in  the  year.  The  plant- 
ing of  this  picturesque  tree  is  so  simple  a  matter  as  the  excavation 
of  a  shallow  hole  in  the  sand  and  placing  therein  a  sprouted  nut, 
covering  it  and  leaving  it  to  care  for  itself.  If  at  a  distance  from 
the  salt  water,  it  is  the  custom  to  place  a  quart  of  coarse  salt  in  the 
hole  with  the  nut,  as  the  tree  is  said  to  be  partial  to  the  salt  water 
and  grows  with  the  greatest  freedom  near  to  the  seashore.  It 
fruits  at  the  age  of  four  years. 

Another  remarkable  and  striking  tree  is  the  silk-cotton  tree, 
Bombax  Ceiba,  which,  when  a  young  tree,  has  a  clear,  round 
trunk  of  a  gray  color  but  thickly  covered  with  stout  spines  or  thorns 
projecting  from  one-fourth  to  three-fourths  of  an  inch.  At  this 
stage  of  its  growth  it  is  called  tlie  monkey  teaser  as  it  must  greatly 
perplex  the  monkey  tribe  to  climb  its  prickly  trunk  in  a  hurry  and 
not  get  badly  scratched.  As  the  tree  increases  in  size  it  throws 
out  huge  buttresses  around  the  base  of  its  stem,  as  if  to  brace 
itself  for  the  terrible  tempests  Avhich  sooner  or  later  it  must 
encounter.  The  largest  tree  of  this  species  is  in  the  rear  of  the 
Public  Building  on  Bay  Street  at  the  corner  of  Parliament  Street. 


< 
U 


o 


RovAi,  African-    Palm. 


A    WINTER    VISIT    TO    THE    BAHAIMA    ISLANDS.  217 

It  is  fiftj'  or  sixt}'  feet  in  height  aud  is  a  medium-sized  tree.  The 
spread  of  its  limbs  is  about  one  hundred  aud  twenty  feet  in  one 
direction  by  about  ninety  in  the  other  and  its  buttresses  project  in 
a  helical  manner  fully  fifteen  feet  from  the  base  of  the  main 
trunk.  It  is  a  native  of  South  America,  deciduous,  and  bears 
an  exuberance  of  long  pods  filled  with  a  silky  fibre,  whence  comes 
its  name,  and  it  is  a  favorite  custom  with  visitors  to  have  themselves 
pliotographed  among  its  spreading  buttresses,  as  a  souvenir  of 
their  visit.  The  native  colored  people  of  the  West  Indies  are 
very  superstitious  concerning  this  tree  and  think  not  only  that  the 
goblins  sport  in  its  branches  by  night,  but  that  any  indignity 
shown  to  it,  such  as  the  casting  of  stones  at  it,  will  be  certainly 
resented  bj'  some  calamity,  as  sickness  or  death,  being  visited 
upon  the  family  or  friends  of  the  offender. 

Some  stately  specimens  of  the  African  Palm,  called  in  Nassau 
the  Royal  Palm,  are  to  be  seen  with  their  smooth,  swelling  trunks, 
having  a  gray,  stony  appearance  as  if  turned  in  a  lathe  out  of 
stone,  and  of  a  great  height.  The  upper  portion  of  the  trunk  is 
smaller  in  diameter,  smooth,  and  green,  generally  wdth  an  abortive 
attempt  at  the  production  of  fruit  hanging  withered  just  below  the 
feather}'  foliage  which  crowns  the  summit  of  the  tree. 

The  Leguminosae — the  great  family  of  pod-bearing  trees,  of 
which  the  acacia  is  the  type  —  are  common  and  striking  objects  in 
the  streets,  parks  aud  private  grounds.  The  pods  are  of  all  kinds 
and  colors  from  bright,  golden  3'ellow  to  jet  black ;  some  are  small 
and  light,  others  large  and  heavy  enough  to  serve  as  formidable 
weapons  and  require  much  force  to  tear  them  open.  Of  this 
kind  is  the  Poinciana  tree.  The  Tamarind  (7\imarindus  occide^it- 
alis)  is  also  of  this  family ;  it  is  not  so  flue  in  fruit  as  the  T. 
Indica,  which  has  a  large  pod  with  a  fine  pulp,  but  nevertheless 
a  tolerable  preserve  is  made  by  packing  in  layers  of  sugar  the 
pulp  extracted  from  the  pods.  It  has  a  pleasant  acid  flavor  and 
makes  a  grateful,  cooling  and  nutritious  drink  in  sickness. 

Orange  trees  are  quite  abundant  and  the  fruit  is  excellent  and 
cheap,  the  highest  price  being  one  dollar  per  liundred  at  Nassau,^ 
while  at  other  places  on  the  out-islands  it  was  to  be  obtained 
for  fifty  cents  per  hundred  and  in  some  instances  was  to  be  had 
for  the  asking, —  nice,  luscious  fruit.  Limes  were  common,  fine 
and  cheap.  They  were  obtained  for  twenty-five  cents  per  half- 
peck. 


218  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICLXTURAL    SOCIETY. 

The  Sapodilla  is  a  striking  and  interesting  tree  to  the  New 
Englauder,  being  when  full  grown,  large  and  of  fine  shape, 
something  like  a  well-pruned  pear  tree,  and  when  loaded  with  its 
large,  russet-colored,  ovate-shaped  fruit,  is  very  ornamental.  The 
fruit  has  a  soft,  pulp}-  flesh  with  a  sweetish  taste,  described  by 
those  who  are  fond  of  it  as  being  like  sugared  honeJ^ 

Of  the  so-called  Cabbage  Palms  there  are  several  fine  types  to 
be  seen.  This  tree  receives  its  name  from  the  use  that  is  made  of 
the  young  and  succulent  leaves  which  form  a  head  and  sometimes 
also  of  the  terminal  bud,  which  are  cooked  and  eaten  as  a  salad. 
Whether  these  trees  were  the  Ai-eca  olerncea^  a  true  palm,  or  the 
Sahal  Palmetto  which  is  a  similar  tree  and  used  for  a  similar  pur- 
pose, I  was  not  botanist  enough  to  determine  nor  did  I  find  anyone 
who  was.  However,  as  the  palmetto  is  a  common  tree  and  the 
Sabal  serrulata  or  Saw  Palmetto  is  universal^  found  in  the  thickets 
or  scrub,  as  it  is  called,  very  probably  the  so-called  palm  is  merely 
a  palmetto. 

Tune  will  not  permit  the  enumeration  of  all  of  these  interesting 
forms  of  vegetable  life,  but  I  will  allude,  in  passing,  to  the  India 
rubber  tree,  the  Si'ijhonia  Cahuclm  of  South  America,  of  which 
there  are  fine  specimens  to  be  seen.  It  is,  of  course,  an  exotic, 
but  thrives  and  might  doubtless  be  easily  propagated.  Its  kindred 
tree,  the  Ficus  elastica,  which  is  a  source  of  the  elastic  gum  in  the 
east,  is  a  sort  of  connecting  link  between  the  Cahuchu  and  the 
wild  fig  which  is  indigenous  to  the  Bahamas,  and  has  the  habit 
peculiar  to  the  oriental  Ban3'au  tree,  Ficus  Indica,  of  throwing 
down  shoots  from  its  branches,  which  upon  reaching  the  earth 
take  root  and  form  additional  supports  for  its  spreading  top.  A 
fine  specimen  of  this  tree  stands  near  the  highway,  a  short  distance 
to  the  eastward  from  the  centre  of  the  town,  and  is  commonly 
called  the  Banyan  tree,  although  there  has  alwaj^s  been  a  contro- 
versy as  to  its  identity  with  the  true  East  Indian  Banyan. 

In  order  to  understand  or  appreciate  the  agriculture  of  these 
islands  one  must  know  something  of  the  peculiar  formation,  texture, 
and  condition  of  the  soil.  The  uuderljing  rock  throughout  the 
Bahama  Islands  is  a  coralline  limestone.  This  is  formed  of  the" 
oomminutcd  fragments  of  coral  and  shells,  torn  to  pieces  and  worn 
by  the  ceaseless  agitation  of  the  ocean,  thrown  up  into  ridges 
twelve  and  fifteen  feet  in  height  and  intermingled  with  enormous 
masses  of  alga?  torn  from  the  ocean's  bed  by  the  tempest ;  blown 


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A    ^VINTEi:    ^'ISIT    TO    THE    KAIIA.^IA    ISLANDS.  219 

by  the  trade-winds  into  sand  dunes  thirt}^  and  forty  feet  in  lieight, 
to  be  .crested  and  covered  Avitli  a  profusion  of  trailing  leguminous 
plants,  notably  the  Batatas  litloralis,  with  various  grasses  and 
shrubs,  among  which  the  scrub!)}-  Palmetto  (Sabal  serrnlata)  is 
common.  These  all  serve  to  retain  the  sands  in  place,  prevent  their 
shifting,  and  arrest  new  deposits  through  which  they  continue  to 
grow  with  surprising  luxuriance.  These  great  sand  dunes  in  time 
become  indurated  b}-  the  continued  action  of  the  rains  from  the 
well-known  effect  of  the  carbonic  acid,  prevalent  in  rain  water, 
which  cements  the  grains  of  oolitic  sand  into  a  dense  and  even 
crj'stalline  limestone  rock. 

These  masses  of  algw,  as  well  as  the  foliage  and  stems  of  the 
shrubs,  decompose  in  the  places  where  the  sands  have  buried  them, 
the  result  being  that  the  solid  and  compact  oolitic  rock  is  penetrated 
through  and  through  with  apertures,  channels,  crannies  and  cavi- 
ties that  are  filled  with  decomposed  vegetable  matter,  so  that 
while  to  the  uninformed  eye  the  surface  of  the  ground  may  seem 
as  bai'e  and  hopeless  of  sustaining  vegetable  life  as  are  the  tops  of 
our  Quincj'  ledges,  the  fact  is  that  one  has  but  to  break  a  hole 
into  the  surface  of  tlie  rock,  put  in  a  little  soil  which  may  be 
scraped  together,  insert  the  seeds  or  plants  and  leave  them  to  their 
own  devices,  with  the  certaiut}'  that  thej-  will  germinate  and  thrive, 
pushing  their  roots  out  and  around  into  these  various  interstices 
that  have  been  filled,  by  the  processes  of  nature,  with  just  the  kind 
of  material  best  suited  for  their  sustenance  and  growth.  In  most 
fields  that  have  not  been  artificially  prepared,  the  natural  surface 
covering  of  soil  is  but  slight,  and  in  some  that  I  saw  the  surface 
seemed  to  be  nothing  but  honey-combed  rock,  entirely  destitute  of 
soil,  and  yet  it  was  covered  with  a  vigorous  growth  of  shrubs  and 
trees.  Upon  such  gi'ound  there  is  no  chance  to  use  either  spade  or 
plough,  neither  do  you  see  them  in  use  anywhere,  the  principal  and 
most  effective  implements  of  husbandry  being  the  crowbar,  pickaxe 
and  sledge-hammer. 

To  make  a  fruitful  vegetable  garden  all  that  is  required  is  to 
pulverize  the  surface  of  the  limestone  rock,  which  becomes  mingled 
with  what  vegetable  matter  there  is,  Avhile  more  is  speedily  added 
from  the  rank  growth  of  vegetation  which  invariably  follows,  and 
a  good  friable  soil  of  sufficient  depth  is  the  result.  Thus  it  is 
apparent  that  land  which  would  well  sustain  a  thrifty  growth  of 
trees  and  shrubs  would  not,  by  any  means,  auswer  for  a  vegetable 


220  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICUI.TURAL    SOCIETY. 

garden  ;  but  by  the  expenditure  of  time  and  strength  one  may  be 
prepared  in  the  manner  indicated,  at  the  rate  of  about  two  square 
rods  for  a  day's  work,  and  at  fifty  cents  per  day,  which  is  the  pre- 
vailing rate  for  Avages,  the  cost  of  the  thorough  preparation  of  the 
soil  for  the  highest  culture  would  be  about  S40  per  acre. 

Owing  to  the  facility  with  which  this  limestone  rock  is  quarried, 
it  is  cut  out  in  square  blocks  and  the  floor  of  the  quarry  is  easily 
left  with  a  fair  surface  and  but  little  unevenness.  This,  of  course, 
is  covered  with  the  pulverized  rock  and  debris  —  the  result  of 
working  the  stone  —  which  soon  forms  a  mellow  soil  that  is  readily 
put  into  the  finest' condition  for  the  orchard  or  the  garden,  so  that 
in  some  of  these  worked-out  quarries  can  be  found  a  luxuriant 
growth  of  fruits  and  vegetables.  In  such  situations  the  growth  of 
vegetable  life  may  be  made  perennial.  One  can  supply  the  table 
every  day  in  the  year  with  every  desirable  vegetable,  but  it  Avould 
be  essential  to  constant!}^  renew  the  supply  of  seeds  from  the  north, 
owing  to  the  natural  tendency  to  deterioration,  the  inferiority  of 
the  vegetables  seen  in  the  market,  compared  with  those  of  the  same 
sorts  to  which  we  are  accustomed  at  home,  being  quite  noticeable. 

This  market  was  a  study  and  a  revelation.  It  is  well  situated  on 
the  main  street  and  extends  to  the  harbor.  The  stalls  are  put  u]> 
at  public  auction  at  intervals  of  three  months,  and  the  renter  may 
sell  everything  except  hardware,  crockery,  dry  goods  and  liquors. 

Outside  of  the  market,  around  the  passageways  and  on  the 
wharf,  persons,  mostly  women,  are  allowed  the  privilege  of  selling 
poultry,  crabs  and  vegetables  upon  the  payment  of  sixpence  per 
day  —  about  twelve  cents.  These  people  will  walk  in  a  mile  and  a 
half  or  two  miles  from  Grant's  Town,  which  is  peculiarly  the  negro, 
community,  at  a  very  early  hour  of  the  morning  bringing  their  little 
stock  of  vegetables  in  a  basket  borne  upon  the  head.  On  arriving 
at  their  allotted  space  at  the  market,  they  spread  their  goods  upon 
a  box,  a  board,  or  the  head  of  a  barrel.  A  few  potatoes  or  yams,. 
onions,  tomatoes,  martjmias  —  a  few  beans,  beets,  turnips,  radishes, 
or  some  little  sticks  of  sugar-cane  —  are  grouped  together  in  small 
lots  to  the  value  of  a  ha'-pennj'^,  a  pennj^  or  a  check,  which  is  a 
penny  and  a  half.  One  parcel  that  was  noticed  particularly,  con- 
sisted simply  of  one  small  tomato  and  half  an  onion  and  was  valued 
at  a  ha'-peiniy.  The  purchaser,  generally  a  negro,  lays  down  the 
coin,  sweeps  tlie  allotted  portion  into  the  basket  without  uttering  a„ 
word,  and  passes  on. 


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A    WINTER    VISIT    TO    THE    BAIIAAFA    ISLANDS.  221 

Outside  the  market,  on  the  sidewalk,  will  be  a  line  of  men  and 
boys  sitting  upon  the  curbstone,  each  with  a  bundle  or  two  of 
fodder  or  a  few  faggots  of  firewood  deposited  in  the  gutter. 
Horses  are  not  common  on  any  of  the  islands,  the  customary  beast 
of  burden  being  a  diminutive  mule  or  donkey.  It  did  not  seem  as 
though  the  sales  of  these  people  could  average  more  than  two  or 
three  sliillings  per  day,  which  would  indicate  the  putting  forth  of 
considerable  effort  for  rather  meagre  returns. 

Here  it  ma}'  be  fitting  to  give  the  results  of  some  observations  on 
the  labor  problem  as  viewed  in  Nassau.  The  price  of  wages  for 
an  able-bodied  man  is  fifty  cents  per  day,  women  receiving  less,  — 
barely  half.  It  is  not  correct  to  represent  these  people  as  being 
averse  to  labor,  as  is  sometimes  done  without  reflection.  They 
seemed  to  be  as  willing  to  work  as  anybody  else.  It  has  been  onl}'^ 
in  rare  instances  that  any  people  have  been  observed  to  labor  for 
the  enjoyment  it  gave  them.  A  gentleman,  largely  concerned  in 
the  canning  of  pineapples,  gave  the  assurance  that  when  his  hands 
once  thoroughly  understood  what  he  desired  of  them  and  the  way 
it  was  to  be  performed,  he  liad  no  difficulty  whatever  in  obtaining 
regular  and  willing  service  which  was  fairly  satisfactory.  They 
seemed  ready  and  anxious  to  please  and  would  linger  around  the 
premises  when  their  stint  was  performed.  As  the  work  in  this 
case  proceeded  by  stages  some  had  to  begin  earlier  than  others, 
who  of  course  wrought  later  to  finish  up,  but  all  seemed  eager  to 
work  and  contented  when  busy.  The  day's  stint  for  a  woman 
was  the  paring  of  one  thousand  pineapples  for  which  she  received 
thirty  cents.  Any  person  who  voluntarily  assumes  such  a  contract 
cannot  be  said  to  be  averse  to  labor. 

It  was  a  part  of  the  programme  of  excursion  to  spend  two  or 
thi'ee  weeks  cruising  among  the  islands  and  visiting  some  of  the 
outlying  settlements.  A  complete  camping  outfit,  even  to  tent-pins 
and  frj'ing-pau,  was  taken  from  home ;  stores  Avere  procured  in 
New  York  —  600  lbs.  of  them ;  a  circular  letter  was  thoughtfully 
provided  by  His  Excellency  Governor  Shea,  which  ensured  a  cordial 
welcome  from  the  magistrate  at  every  settlement  visited.  A  sloop 
of  about  ten  tons,  the  Sophia  Maud,  was  secured,  with  a  white 
conch  for  skipper  and  a  black  conch  for  pilot  and  cook,  stores  were 
transferred  from  the  custom-house  warehouse,  the  water  cask  was 
-filled,  and  the  expedition  sailed. 


222  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

It  is  not  proposed  to  follow  the  haps  and  mishaps  of  this  unique 
cruise,  but  simply  to  introduce  a  few  of  the  observations  which  it 
afforded  to  illustrate  our  present  topic.  The  first  landing  was 
made  at  Current,  a  small  settlement  on  the  northerly  end  of  the 
island  of  Eleuthera.  Here  was  found  a  people  truly  Arcadian  in 
simplicity.  In  a  population  of  four  or  five  hundred  not  more  than 
one-tenth  were  pure  white  and  there  Avere  all  shades  of  color,  from 
the  Caucasian  to  the  darkest  African,  of  a  race  so  pure  that  they 
still  cling  to  the  native  African  hut  with  its  wattled,  mud-plastered 
walls  and  are  as  shy  and  coy  as  partridges.  None  but  women, 
children  and  aged  men  were  found  at  home,  the  able-bodied  men 
being  away  sponge  lishing,  either  among  the  Cays  or  at  Key  West, 
where  there  is  more  profit  to  be  obtained.  The  best  house  in  the 
settlement  was  a  modern  looking  dwelling  built  of  wood,  new,  com- 
fortable, and  with  glazed  windows,  which  were  the  only  ones  in  the 
settlement.  It  belonged  to  a  young  white  man  who  had  built  it  at 
the  cost  of  about  8750,  married  a  proper  wife,  and  then  returned 
to  his  sponge  fishing.  This  matter  of  glazed  windows  is  more 
important  than  would  appear  until  it  is  understood  that  all  houses, 
great  or  small,  furnished  with  glazed  windows  are  taxed  five  dollars 
per  year.  Owing  to  the  extreme  salubrity  of  the  climate  the  win- 
dows of  most  houses  in  the  settlement  and  those  of  the  negroes  in 
Nassau,  are  only  closed  at  night  or  during  violent  tempests,  which 
sometimes  rage,  and  then  with  wooden  shutters  or  blinds. 

There  was  neither  almshouse  nor  pauper,  lock-up  nor  tramp, 
court  nor  criminal,  but  there  was  a  clean  white  stone  chapel  and  a 
school-house  filled  with  bright  looking  children.  Highways  there 
were,  ample  and  grass-grown,  but  no  horses  or  carriages  ;  cocoa-nut 
and  orange  trees  in  abundance  but  no  connnerce,  manufactures,  or 
trade.  This  was  the  counterpart  of  some  of  the  old  towns  on  our 
own  cape  where  fisherman  and  sailor  simply  dwell. 

Harbor  Island,  which  has  a  mixed  population  of  about  two 
thousand,  is  a  picturesque  spot,  to  the  east  of  Eleuthera,  enclosing 
an  excellent  harbor  between  its  shores,  and  there  was  more  activity 
in  the  way  of  ship  and  boat  building.  Upon  the  substantial  stone 
pier  was  a  shipment  of  tomatoes  ready  to  load  for  Nassau  and  New 
York.  This  industry  of  supplying  tomatoes  for  the  winter  market 
in  the  north  has  languished  of  late  years,  partly  from  the  uncertainty 
of  connecting  with  the  steamer  at  Nassau,  but  more  particularly 
from  the  failure  of  the  growers  to  maintain  the  relative  excellence 


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^  1^: 


A    WINTER    VISIT    TO    THE    EAIIA.MA    ISLANDS.  223 

of  their  product  and  from  their  persisting  in  sending  tlie  same 
qualities  and  varieties  wliich  they  shipped  twelve  and  fifteen  year& 
ago,  all  unconscious  of  the  fact  that  during  that  time  there  has  been 
a  marked  improvement  in  the  quality  of  the  varieties  cultivated  — 
so  nuich  so  that  the  best  of  former  times  are  discarded ;  and  also 
of  another  important  fact  that,  owing  to  the  great  progress  in  the 
winter  culture  of  the  tomato  at  the  north,  the  consumer  has  become 
more  exacting  as  to  the  ripeness  of  this  vegetable  and  rejects  those 
that  are  packed  green  to  ripen  in  the  crate  during  transportation. 

The  pineapple  is  pretty  generally  grown  in  this  district,  but  some 
peculiarity  in  the  tenure  of  the  land,  which  is  more  or  less  held  in 
common  instead  of  in  severalty,  has  served  to  discourage  cultiva- 
tion, men  being  unwilling  to  assume  the  risk  and  responsibility  of 
a  plantation  where  they  do  not  possess  the  individual  ownership  of 
the  soil.  This  would  seem  to  be  an  object  lesson  in  the  social 
problem  that  is  now  discussed  and  would  indicate  that  these  people 
are  not  sufficiently  trained  in  sociology  to  appreciate  the  advantages 
of  communism,  nor  so  far  advanced  as  to  look  backward. 

At  Governor's  Harbor  was  found  a  thriving  settlement  of  per- 
haps fourteen  hundred  people  with  about  one-tenth  Avhite.  The 
bulk  of  the  population  is  concentrated  in  a  rocky  cay,  of  about 
three  hundred  yards  in  length  and  one  hundred  yards  in  width, 
which  is  joined  to  the  main  island  by  a  sandy  beach,  forming  the 
harbor.  Here  the  culture  of  the  pineapple  is  conducted  under  the 
best  auspices ;  the  lands  are  owned  by  the  planters  and  every 
effort  is  made  by  them  to  improve  the  quality  and  increase  the 
quantity  of  their  crop.  Of  the  lands  in  these  islands  only  on  those 
having  a  red  soil  will  the  pineapple  grow  with  the  greatest  suc- 
cess, although  it  may  be  grown  of  an  inditferent  quality  on  the 
gray  soil,  which  is  more  common.  This  red  earth  owes  its  color 
primarily  to  the  iron  in  its  composition,  and  its  greater  fertility 
to  the  decaj'ed  algiie  which  were  thrown  up  by  the  sea  in  those 
remote  cycles  when  these  islands  were  forming.  This  decomposed 
vegetable  matter  is  rich  in  potash  and  is  found  in  holes  and 
pockets,  crannies  and  caves  in  the  rock  all  through  the  islands 
and  under  the  name  of  cave  earth,  it  is  sought  after  and 
applied  to  add  fertility  to  the  soil.  Thus  a  limit  is  placed 
upon  the  area  of  land  which  is  most  desirable  for  the  cultivation  of 
the  pineapple  and  good  available  land  is  correspondingly  appre- 
ciated, selling  readily  at  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  dollars  per  acre. 


224  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAI.    SOCIETY. 

There  were  exported  from  Governor's  Harbor  and  Tarpuni 
Ba}',  two  adjacent  districts,  in  1890,  295,3-i5  dozens  of  pineapples 
for  which  Avas  received  £23,000,  or  811o,000.  In  addition  to 
these  there  were  consumed  in  a  canning  factory  22,000  dozen, 
which  were  returned  at  a  value  of  $2,500,  but  which  were  prob- 
ably more  nearly  worth,  and  doubtless  realized,  more  than  S6,000 
for  the  pineapples,  aside  from  the  expense  of  packing.  These 
were  all  exported  to  Baltimore  and  New  York. 

The  red  or  Cuban  variety  is  the  one  mostly  cultivated,  it  being 
much  preferred  for  quality  and  size.  The  plants  are  propagated 
by  offsets  or  suckers,  taken  from  the  older  plants  after  the  fruit  is 
cut.  They  are  set  out  in  August  and  sometimes  bear  the  next 
j-ear,  but  a  full  crop  is  not  obtained  until  eighteen  months  after 
planting.  The  cutting  season  begins  in  May  and  from  that  time 
until  the  harvest  is  ended  is  the  active  season  of  the  j^ear  with  the 
gathering,  packing  and  shipping  of  the  fruit.  The  fields  are  not 
immediately  contiguous  to  the  settlement  but  are  planted  up  and 
down  the  island,  where  the  soil  is  propitious.  Mau}^  of  them  are 
several  miles  away  and  the  field  hands  go  to  and  from  their  work 
in  small  cat-boats,  thirtj^-five  of  which  were  counted  in  Governor's 
Harbor  one  morning.  They  go  out  with  the  dawn  and  return  at 
sundown.  The  plants  grow  so  thickly  that,  after  the  first  year, 
but  little  cultivation  is  required  and  their  serrated  leaves  form  a 
prickl}'  thicket  that  it  was  found  impossible  to  penetrate,  without 
injur}'  to  person  or  clothing,  and  yet  the  negro  field-hands,  with  a 
better  understanding  of  liow  to  do  it,  would  easily  pass  through  it 
Ijarefooted,  without  harm  or  ditficultj". 

The  crop  will  vary  greatly  being  from  eight  hundred  to  fifteen 
hundred  dozen  per  acre.  It  has  been  doubled  in  recent  years  by 
the  use  of  commercial  fertilizers  especially  prepared  for  this  crop, 
ot  which  a  thousand  barrels  were  used  in  1890  in  the  district  of 
Governor's  Harbor,  costing  about  seven  dollars  and  a  half  per 
barrel.  Formerly  it  was  the  practice  to  plant  a  field  and  crop  it 
for  three  or  four  years  and  then,  as  the  soil  became  exhausted,  let 
it  come  up  to  scrub  and  after  laj'ing  fallow,  as  it  were,  for  ten  or 
twelve  years  clear  it  up  and  go  through  the  routine  again.  Now," 
however,  under  the  present  use  of  fertilizers,  the  soil  does  not 
become  impoverished  and  the  plantations  can  be  renewed  for  a 
much  longer  time,  and  so  far  none  have  been  allowed  to  return  to 
the  wild  state. 


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A    WINTIOU    MSIT    TO    THE    liAllAMA    ISLANDS.  225 

A  new  aud  appnroiitl^^  a  prosperous  industry  seems  in  a  fair 
Avay  of  being  created  in  the  cultivation  of  Sisal  hemp,  whicli,  if  it 
proves  as  successful  as  it  now  bids  fair  to  be,  will  afford  a  certain 
aud  remunerative  employment  for  large  numbers  of  willing  hands 
that  can  now  find  employment  for  not  more  than  half  the  time. 

What  is  known  as  the  Sisal  fibre  of  commerce  is  the  product  of 
the  "Henequen"  plant  of  Yucatan,  which  was  introduced  into 
Florida  as  the  Agave  Sisniana,  but  is  probably  the  Agave 
Americana.  The  plant  which  produces  a  similar  but  better 
quality  of  fibre  in  the  Bahamas  is  there  called  the  Pita  plant.  It 
is  an  Agave  growing  to  the  height  of  six  feet,  with  stout,  fleshy, 
pale  green  leaves,  smooth  upon  the  edges,  with  the  characteristic 
stout  thorn  upon  the  end ;  it  is  entirely  different  from  the  Sisal  or 
the  Cuban  fibre-plant,  the  Sanseviera. 

The  Pita  plant  is  indigenous  to  all  the  islands  and  has  hitherto 
been  noted  as  a  prevalent,  obnoxious,  and  persistent  weed  which 
grew  anywhere,  with  or  without  encouragement,  even  on  the  tops 
of  old  walls  aud,  wheu  once  established,  dominated  and  crowded 
out  all  other  plants.  These  are  exceedingly  desirable  qualities,  as 
most  useful  plants  require  care  and  constant  cultivation  to  pre- 
serve them  from  the  encroachment  of  others  that  are  useless  or 
noxious. 

Individuals  aud  stock  companies  have  entered  with  much  enthu- 
siasm and  apparent  success  upon  the  cultiyatiou  of  this  plant,  and 
there  are  now  4,200  acres  in  growing  plantations  stocked  with 
2,633,000  plants,  with  1,330,000  plants  in  reserve  in  nurseries. 
The  plantations  brought  more  particularly  to  my  attention  were 
those  of  the  Munro  Fibre  Co.,  Abaco,  with  1,100  acres  at  Green 
Turtle  Cay  and  200  more  on  the  Island  of  New  Providence, 
planted  with  750,000  plants  and  300,000  more  in  the  nurseries ; 
and  that  of  Mr.  D.  D.  Sargent,  at  luagua,  with  nearly  200  acres 
planted  with  more  than  100,000  plants  aud  as  many  more  in 
nurseries,  with  several  hundred  acres  in  preparation  for  planting. 
Capt.  H.  C.  Lightbourn,  of  Nassau,  has  a  fine  plantation  of 
several  hundred  acres,  having  cocoa-nut  trees  mingled  with  his  Pita 
plants.  He  has  probabl}^  250,000  growing  plants  and  is  success- 
fully producing  an  excellent  quality  of  fibre. 

The   next  season's  crop  in  the  Bahamas  should  exceed  2,500 
tons,  wheu  it  will  be  demonstrated  whether  the  culture  is  to  be 
commercially  successful. 
15 


220  MASSACHUSETTS    HOETICULTUEAL    SOCIETY. 

The  plants  are  set  at  from  six  feet  by  six  feet,  to  ten  feet  by 
ten  feet,  according  to  the  caprice  or  understanding  of  the  cultivator. 
Six  feet  appears  to  be  too  near  for  the  perfect  development  of  the 
mature  leaves,  to  say  nothing  of  the  requirement  of  sufficient  space 
for  passage  between  the  plants,  without  interference  or  injury. 
About  eight  feet  by  ten  feet  appears  to  be  a  satisfactory  compro- 
mise and  will  afford  room  for  five  hundred  plants  per  acre.  With 
the  exception  of  weeding  and  reduciug  tlie  lateral  shoots  and 
suckers  during  the  first  year,  little  care  or  culture  is  required. 

Recorded  experience  is  not  yet  sufficient  to  enable  one  to  form  a 
correct  judgment  as  to  the  bearing  life  of  the  plant  or  its  maximum 
product,  but  it  seems  to  be  pretty  generally  conceded  that  under 
ordinary  circumstances  the  plants  are  in  a  mature  and  bearing  con- 
dition at  from  four  to  five  years  of  age  ;  that  about  forty  leaves  can 
be  cut  from  each  plant  annualW,  weighing  about  sixty  pounds ; 
that  it  is  better  for  the  plant,  as  well  as  the  crop,  to  make  the 
cutting  at  intervals  of  three  or  four  months  than  to  make  it  once  a 
year,  as  the  leaves  thus  obtained  will  be  taken  at  full  maturity  and 
are  not  so  liable  to  be  over-ripe  and  comparatively  worthless. 
When  the  leaves  assume  a  position  horizontal  to  the  trunk  they 
are  sufficiently  mature  to  cut.  and  if  taken  either  before  or  after 
are  of  diminished  value.  When  cut,  the  leaves  are  tied  into 
bundles  and  taken  to  the  machine,  which  is  simple  and  easih' 
operated,  and  are  passed,  one  bj^  one,  through  it.  They  are 
crushed  and  the  fibre  is  stripped  of  the  pulp  which  constitutes 
fully  ninet3"-five  per  cent  of  the  weight  of  the  leaf.  P'rom  eight 
hundred  to  one  thousand  pounds  of  fibre  can  be  obtained  from 
each  acre  at  a  cost,  including  cultivation,  cutting,  stripping,  and 
drying,  of  about  three  cents  per  pound. 

These  plants  are  very  tenacious  of  life  and  one  has  been  known 
to  grow  nicely  after  having  been  kept  dry  in  a  tight  box  for  eigh- 
teen months.  When  the  plant  arrives  at  its  full  maturity  it  has  a 
tendency  to  run  up  a  flower  stalk  called  a  "pole,"  which  grows 
from  sixteen  to  eighteen  feet  high  with  a  diameter  at  the  base  of 
from  five  to  seven  inches  and  bears,  instead  of  blossoms,  as  many 
as  one  thousand  young  plants,  perfectly  formed  and  ready  to 
maintain  an  independent  existence.  This  occurs  probabU^  when 
the  plant  is  from  ten  to  thirteen  years  old,  according  to  the 
luxuriance  of  its  growth,  but,  singular  as  it  may  seem,  although 
this  plant  is  indigenous  all  over  these  islands  and  the  natives  have 


en 


a 


A  wiNTKi;  \  isir    TO   riiK  kahama  islands.  227 

IxHMi  familiar  with  it  all  their  lives,  yet  no  one  seems  to  know 
ilelinitel}'  what  is  the  average  life  of  the  plant  or  whether  that 
term  can  be  prolonged  by  cutting  out  the  stalk  or  pole,  and  pre- 
venting its  growth. 

The  colonial  government  no  longer  makes  large  grants  to 
companies,  as  it  has  hitherto  done  at  reasonable  prices.  It  is 
thought  that  enough  has  been  done  by  such  grants  to  encourage 
the  development  of  the  industry  and  demonstrate  the  practicability 
of  the  cultivation  in  a  comprehensive  manner.  If  permanently 
successful  it  will  be  deemed  wise  to  sell  the  remaining  suitable 
lands  in  small  fields  of  ten  acres,  or  thereabouts,  to  individual 
owners,  that  the  people  of  small  means,  or  even  of  no  accumula- 
tions whatever,  may  be  able  to  obtain  their  own  individual 
holdings  and  produce  their  own  crop  instead  of  working  exclu- 
sively for  wages  for  others.  This  they  may  secure  at  one  dollar 
per  acre,  to  be  paid  out  of  the  first  crop  raised,  and  it  is  hoped 
that  by  this  method  of  sale  a  large  portion  of  the  laboring  people 
who  now  obtain  employment  but  a  moiety  of  the  time,  at  indiffer- 
ent wages,  may  be  induced  to  capitalize  their  lost  time  and  thus 
soon  become  independent  and  self-sustaining. 

The  sponge  fishery  was  an  exceedingly  interesting  study. 
Probably  four  thousand  of  the  islanders  are  engaged  in  gathering 
and  curing  the  sponge.  It  is  not  the  most  attractive  calling  by 
any  means.  The  sponges  are  fished  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea, 
sometimes  in  thirty-five  and  forty  feet  of  water,  either  by  the  aid 
of  long  poles  or  by  diving.  Being  secured  they  must  be  allowed 
to  decay  and  then  be  freed  from  th(,'  resulting  offensive  animal 
matter,  by  thorough  washing  and  drying.  They  are  then  brought 
to  Nassau  and  exposed  for  sale  at  auction  in  a  large  open  shed, 
called  the  Sponge  Exchange,  where  they  are  sold  to  the  highest 
bidder,  he  being  a  broker.  No  one  can  bid  but  a  broker  and 
sponges  cannot  be  sold  elsewhere  than  at  the  Sponge  Exchange, 
so  that  this  guild  of  brokers  appears  to  have  pretty  much  of  a 
monopoly  of  the  sponge  business  of  the  Bahamas.  The  proceeds 
of  the  sale  are  divided  between  the  owners  of  the  vessel,  who  are 
generally  the  outfitters,  and  the  crew.  Great  complaint  is  made, 
and  to  an  outsider  it  would  appear  to  Im  with  some  reason,  that 
between  the  outfitters  and  the  brokers  but  little  remains  for  the 
crew  who  perform  this  unpleasant  and  laborious  toil,  for  they 
can  hardly  earn  seventy-five  dollars  per  year  besides  a  very  poor 


228  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

fare.  The  outfit  of  provisions  cannot  be  very  extensive,  for, 
^vhile  the  Sophia  Maud  was  lying  under  the  lee  of  Pelican  Cay, 
several  sponging  vessels  also  came  into  the  little  harbor  for  shelter 
and  anchored.  By  the  morning  of  the  second  day  it  was  judged 
that  provisions  had  run  short  among  them,  for  the  boats  were  out 
and  they  were  making  a  lively  hunt  for  conchs  for  dinner.  Two 
men  in  each  boat,  stripped  to  the  pelt,  both  ready  to  dive  on  the 
instant,  sculled  easily  about,  peering  down  into  the  water  with  a 
water  glass  made  of  a  long  box,  eight  inches  square  and  twelve 
inches  long,  with  a  glass  bottom.  With  this  they  could  see  the 
shell-fish  in  quite  deep  water  and  to  see  one  was  to  dive  for  it.  A 
•civilized  man  is  in  pretty  great  straits  for  food  when  his  appetite 
will  enable  him  to  feast  on  the  IJesh  of  the  conch,  Strontbus  Gigas. 

The  cruise  of  the  Sophia  ]\Iaud  had  a  most  auspicious  termina- 
tion. The  interior  waters  among  the  islands  form  delightful 
cruising  grounds,  where  one  may  generally  look  for  a  fair  wind 
and  make  a  safe  anchorage  ever}''  night.  The  last  two  days  of  the 
trip  proved  to  be  the  only  calm  weather  of  the  entire  cruise ;  there 
"was  barely  air  enough  to  move  the  yacht  along ;  the  water  was 
smooth  as  glass  and  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  could  be  seen,  at  the 
•depth  of  seventy  feet,  as  clearly  as  if  nothing  intervened.  The 
'wonderful  transparencj'^  of  the  water  was  difficult  to  understand 
«,nd  impossible  to  explain.  The  sun  shone  with  great  brilliancy, 
the  atmosphere  was  clear  and  bright,  and  when  the  shadow  of  the 
great  mainsail  was  thrown  upon  the  surface,  the  water  seemed  to 
■disappear  as  if  the  little  vessel  was  by  some  mysterious  means 
borne  or  hung  suspended  in  the  air.  On  the  bottom  could  be 
iclearly  seen  the  different  moUusks  moving  slowly  about,  the  peri- 
"winkle  as  well  as  the  conch ;  the  varied  and  beautiful  forms  of 
coral,  and  the  sea-plumes  of  all  shades  of  color,  waving  gently  in 
the  current. 

Fishes  of  all  sizes  and  colors  were  swimming  lazih'  around ;  the 
«and-fish,  about  the  size  and  appearance  of  a  good  robust  chub, 
•shy  and  timid  fellows,  on  being  startled  would  bury  their  noses  in 
the  sand  and  waving  their  tails  slowly  to  and  fro  seemed  to  simu- 
late the  motion  of  the  sea-plumes  about  them ;  the  barracouda,  a 
-species  of  shark,  lying  stationary  thirt}'  or  forty  feet  away,  like  a 
>clipper-built  pirate  as  he  is,  waiting  for  his  prey,  seemed  to  ask 
what  we  were  there  for  and  what  we  proposed  to  do ;  the  turbot 
with  its  varied  colors  of  yellow,  green,  and  blue,  a  nice  fish  for  pan 


A  wixTEi;  \  isrr  to  the  haiia.ma  islands.  229 

or  ehowdtM-;  the  bine  fisli,  true  to  its  name,  of  a  bright  ultramarine 
blue,  with  pink  spots  about  its  head,  as  it  swims  deep  down  in  the 
water,  seems  to  have  a  halo  of  color  all  about  it  and  declines  your 
most  insinuating  piscatory  art.  The  trumpet  fish,  angel  fish, 
mutton  fish,  parrot  fish,  swell  fish,  and  a  multitude  of  others  of 
which  there  is  neither  time  nor  opportunity  to  learn  the  names,  of 
all  colors,  shapes,  and  sizes  swim  lazily  beneath  you  or  sport  among 
the  mazes  of  marine  plants  with  which  the  floor  of  the  sea  is 
covered.  These  days  seemed  like  one  continuous  dream,  so  strange, 
so  varied  and  unreal  were  all  of  our  experiences  both  in  the  air  and 
water. 

As  we  leave  these  isles  of  summer  the  conclusion  is  inevitably 
forced  upon  us  that  the  practical  hand  which  is  now  directing  their 
concerns  will  at  no  distant  day  secure  for  them  a  good  and  increas- 
ing measure  of  prosperity,  which  feeling  seems  also  to  impress  the- 
reflecting  business  men  of  the  colony ;  that  the  native  negro  popu- 
lation possesses  the  same  desires  for  accumulation  that  distinguish 
the  most  favored  people  of  the  world,  and  that  when  the  way  is 
shown  them  to  utilize  their  industry  they  will  eagerly  pursue  it ; 
that  the}'^  are  as  sober,  orderly,  and  peaceable  as  those  in  other  com- 
munities will  average,  not  excepting  the  new  New  England  ;  that  the 
native  white  population  are  intelligent,  courteous,  and  as  enterpris- 
ing as  we  could  expect  from  their  surroundings.  They  realize  fully 
today  that  the  flush  times  of  blockade  running  during  the  American 
Civil  War,  were  but,  a  delirium  of  prodigality  which  has  been 
followed  by  years  of  exhaustion  and  prostration.  There  seem  to 
be  better  and  more  prosperous  days  at  hand,  which,  let  us.  hopa 
will  be  more  substantial  and  enduring. 

Col.  Wilson's  lecture  was  illustrated  by  a  large  number  of  photo- 
graphs, some  of  which,  through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  James  H. 
Stark,  in  whose  companj'  Col.  Wilson's  journey  was  made,  and 
who  has  freely  given  to  the  Society  the  use  of  the  plates  from  his 
recent  Avork  on  the  Bahamas,  are  reproduced  here,  and  also  by 
specimens  of  the  Sisal  hemp.  The  lecture  was  received  with 
applause,  and  at  the  close  a  vote  of  thanks  to  him  was  unanimously 
passed.  A  vote  of  thanks  was  also  passed  to  the  Committee  on 
Publication  and  Discussion  for  the  exceedingly  interesting  series 
of  meetings  which  they  had  provided,  of  which  this  was  the  last. 


230  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 


The  Committee  on  Publication  Iiave  mueli  pleasure  in  adding  to 
the  Transactions  the  following  paper,  kindly  offered  to  the 
Society  by  the  author  : 

Notes  on  the  FrN(;L"s  Causing  Damping   Off,  and  Other 
Allied  Forms. 

By  Thomas  Walton  Galloway,  Marshall,  Mo. 

I.  Damping  Off. — The  damping  off  fungus  has  been  known 
for  a  number  of  years  through  its  disastrous  effects  upon  seed- 
lings. The  peculiarities  of  the  disease  and  the  approved  methods 
of  treating  it  have  been  described  by  several  contributors — 
gardenei'S  and  botanists  —  in  the  "American  Garden,"  June,  1890. 
A  more  extended  account  is  to  be  found  in  "Diseases  of  Plants," 
by  H.  Marshall  Ward.  In  these  papers  various  opinions  are 
given  with  regard  to  the  probable  botanical  character  of  the  plant 
or  plants  causing  the  malady,  some  of  the  writers  regarding  it 
not  as  the  work  of  a  parasite  but  as  the  direct  result  of  certain 
conditions  of  moisture  and  temperature ;  others  deeming  that  the 
disease  is  caused  by  a  growth  of  algae  about  the  subterranean 
portion  of  the  plant,  resulting  in  a  suspension  of  the  functions  of 
the  roots,  and  a  consequent  destruction  of  the  seedling. 

Notwithstanding  the  frequency  of  its  occurrence  in  greenhouses 
and  plant  beds  where  seedlings  are  grown,  there  is  the  greatest 
latitude  among  gardeners  concerning  the  application  of  the  term. 
Many  apply  it  to  any  conspicuous  mycelium  which  ma}'  grow  over 
the  sand  and  weaker  seedlings,  without  any  reference  to  the  effect 
produced  b}'  it.  Others  use  the  term  in  a  much  more  restricted 
sense,  distinguishing  by  it  certain  manifestations  of  disease  on  the 
part  of  the  seedling,  rather  than  any  external  fungous  growth. 
This  is  the  interpretation  given  b}'  the  most  careful  gardeners  with 
Avhom  I  have  talked,  and  is  the  one  which  I  shall  adopt  in  my 
study  of  the  disease. 

The  behavior  of  seedlings  suffering  from  an  attack  of  damping 
off  presents  the  advantage  of  being  very  characteristic,  and  when 
once  seen  may  always  be  recognized.  Its  first  appearance  is 
indicated  by  a  slight  paleness  and  drooping  of  the  seedlings.  If 
these  be  carefully  removed,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  root,  either 
throughout  its  length  or  in   portions,  is   beginning  to  shrink  and 


DAMPING  OFF  FUXGUS  AND  ALLIED  FORMS.       231 

■deony,  and  tliat  the  root-hairs  are  destro3^e(l.  J.ater,  if  the  plant 
is  not  vigorous  enough  to  resist  the  fungus  and  to  put  forth 
seeoiuhiry  roots,  the  disorganization  of  tissue  extends  to  the  stem, 
resulting  ultimately  in  the  toppling  over  of  the  plant  and  its 
thorough  decay,  although  in  some  instances  the  plant  remains 
green  for  several  days  after  falling.  This  extends  from  one  plant 
to  another  until  onl}'  a  few  or  none  of  the  seedlings  in  a  bed  may 
be  left.  From  the  nature  of  the  growth  and  method  of  attack  of 
the  parasite,  it  will  be  seen  that  it  is  naturally  more  fatal  to  deli- 
•cate  seedlings  and  those  which  get  their  growth  slowly  than  to 
others.  Such  plants  as  Gilia,  Viscaria,  Lobelia,  etc,  are  much 
more  likely  to  be  injured  than  more  robust  forms.  The  conditions 
^hich  are  most  favorable  to  its  growth  are  moist  atmosphere,  high 
temperature,  Avith  shade,  or  cloudy  weather. 

At  the  suggestion  of  Professor  W.  G.  FarloAv,  upon  the 
appearance  of  the  disease  at  the  Botanic  Garden  of  Harvard 
College,  I  undertook  to  ascertain  the  exact  botanical  character  of 
the  cause,  or  causes,  of  damping  off.  I  soon  became  convinced 
that  the  conjecture  which  had  been  offered, —  that  a  Pythium  was 
the  real  parasite, — was  correct.  The  features  above  given  being 
accepted  as  characteristic  of  the  malady,  many  seedlings  so 
affected  were  examined.  The  tissues  of  such  plante,  especially  in 
the  roots  and  in  the  stem  just  above  the  surface  of  the  ground, 
are  readih"  seen  to  be  permeated  by  the  hypha?  and  reproductive 
bodies  of  a  species  of  Pythium.  The- same  fungus  was  found  in 
considerable  abundance  running  over  the  sand,  and  in  the  dead 
leaves  of  Sphagnum  which  covered  portions  of  the  bed.  I  col- 
lected some  of  the  Pythium  from  the  moss  and  sand, —  because 
there  it  could  be  obtained  more  free  from  bacteria  and  hyphomj^- 
cetes  than  in  the  tissues  of  the  living  plant, —  and  sowed  it  upon 
tender  bits  of  plant  tissue  placed  in  Van  Tiegham  cells,  in  a 
hanging-drop  culture.  By  transplanting  from  cell  to  cell,  I 
secured  Pythium  as  free  as  possible  from  other  forms  of  fungi. 
This,  while  growing  freely  and  under  the  most  favorable  artificial 
conditions  which  could  be  secured,  was  sown  upon  seedlings  of 
Gilia  tricolor  Avhich  had  been  germinated  and  grown  in  sterilized 
earth,  and  which  had  shown  no  signs  of  damping  off.  Within 
five  days  after  the  addition  of  the  Pythium,  seventeen  plants  out 
of  twenty-three  had  been  attacked  by  it,  and  fourteen  of  these 


232  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

finally  succumbed,  and  were  wholly  destroyed.  The  three  remain- 
ing ones  were  removed  before  this  occurred,  to  furnish  comparison 
with  the  more  advanced  cases.  Similarly,  seeds  were  germinated 
in  a  pot  of  sterilized  soil,  without  being  artificially  infected. 
These,  subjected  as  nearly  as  possible  to  the  same  external  condi- 
tions, did  not  show  any'  signs  of  the  malady. 

The  fungus,  according  to  my  observation,  always  attacks  the 
plant  through  its  roots.  The  hyphiie  penetrate  into  aud  lietween 
the  cells  of  the  root,  causing  a  complete  breaking  down  of  the 
tissues.  In  an  advanced  case  of  the  disease  it  is  almost  impos- 
sible to  make  out  any  cellular  structure  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
stem  and  root.  The  dissolution  of  the  cellulose  cell  wall  before 
the  advancing  h^^phae  is  very  rapid.  The  root-hairs  and  sub-epi- 
dermal growing  parts  are  first  affected,  the  former  drooping  and 
becoming  functionless  even  in  regions  not  immediately  attacked. 
The  h3'phj>?  extend  into  the  stem,  and  in  some  instances  I  have 
found  the  mycelium  densely  matted  in  the  tissues  of  the  leaves, 
although  this  does  not  usually  take  place  until  the  plant  has  fallen 
to  the  ground.  The  vegetative  hyphie  grow  with  vei'y  great 
rapidity  under  favorable  conditions.  I  placed  within  a  Van 
Tiegham  culture  cell,  a  plant  which  showed  only  a  few  filaments  in 
its  roots ;  in  eighteen  hours  it  was  thorouglilj'  covered  and  pene- 
trated by  the  hyphte  without  having  formed  a  single  oogonium. 
Twelve  hours  later,  owing,  probably,  to  the  exhaustion  of  the  food 
supply  and  the  removal  of  some  of  the  moisture,  oogonia  appeared 
in  great  numbers  in  ever}"  part  of  the  plant.  This  illustrates  to 
what  an  extent  the  fungus  may  spread  in  a  single  night,  and  how 
quickh"  it  responds  to  changes  in  the  conditions  of  food,  tempera- 
ture, aud  moisture. 

The  hyphixj  of  the  Pythium  are  much  branched,  and  mosth^ 
unsegmented,  except  in  regions  where  reproductive  bodies  occur ; 
at  such  points  one  or  more  septa  are  formed.  [Fig.  1.]  They 
\ary  in  diameter  from  i^f^  to  6^*  when  mature,  and  are  usuallj' 
dark  with  densely  granular  protoplasm.  The  walls  are  very  thiu 
in  comparison  with  the  lumen,  making  the  hyphiv  very  fragile. 
The  reproductive  bodies  are  of  two  kinds, —  the  oogonia  aud 
antheridia,  aud  the  non-sexual  zoosporangia.       The  oogonia  are 

*  The  Greek  letter  ju,  denotes  the  unit  of  microscopical  measurement,  one-thous- 
andth of  a  millimeter,  or  about  one  twenty-five  thousandth  of  an  inch.     [En. 


DA^IPINTr    OFF    FUNGUS    AND    ALLIED    FORMS.  233 

formed  chiefly  as  enlargements  of  the  terminal  portion  of  the 
lateral  branches.  Each  of  these  is  separated  by  a  septum  from 
the  hypha  supporting  it.  There  are  usually  in  each  case  tAvo 
septa,  cutting  off  two  cells  from  the  main  branch.  The  terminal 
one  of  these  becomes  spherical  and  forms  the  oogonium ;  the 
proximal  cell  gives  off  a  secondary  branch  -which  results,  in  a  single 
antheridium.  [Figs.  1  and  2,  a.]  The  oogonia,  however,  are  not 
confined  to  this  terminal  position.  It  is  frequently  the  case  that 
a  portion  of  the  filament,  anywhere  along  its  length,  becomes 
separated  from  the  remainder  by  two^  septa,  and  becomes  an 
oogonium.  [Fig.  3.]  The  oogonia  are  20-26/^  in  diameter. 
Each  contains  one  oospore  which  measures  16-20/*.  The  oospores 
have  two  walls,  (1)  the  exosporium,  quite  thick  {2-2^f^),  and  (2) 
the  eudosporium,  pi-esenting  only  a  single  contour.  In  the  early 
stages  of  the  formation  of  the  oospore,  spherules  of  protoplasm 
segregate  in  a  manner  verj'  similar  to  the  condition  seen  in  the 
formation  of  zoospores.  [Fig.  2.]  These  masses  are  variable 
in  size  and  number,  and  flow  together  again  at  a  later  stage.  In 
addition  to  the  oogonia  and  antheridia,  there  are  other  terminal 
swellings  which  are  somewhat  smaller  (12-15/^),  each  of  Avhich 
forms  a  tube  in  ji  manner  entireW  similar  to  that  described  by 
Hesse  and  others  as  the  commencement  of  the  formation  of 
zoospores.  According  to  Hesse's  description,  the  protoplasm  of 
the  sporangium  passes  through  this  tube  into  a  thin- walled  en- 
largement at  the  end,  where  the  separation  into  zoospores  takes 
place.  I  regard  the  structures  represented  in  Fig.  4  as  being 
zoosporangia,  although  I  have  not  succeeded  as  yet  in  procuring 
functional  zoospores  from  them.  There  are  other  enlargements  of 
the  hypha  which  must  be  considered  purely  vegetative.  They  are 
short  portions  of  the  filament  which  are  cut  off  by  two  septa  from 
the  remainder,  as  in  the  case  of  the  non-terminal  oogonia  ;  but 
they  are  not  accompanied  by  antheridia.     [Fig.  5.] 

The  oospores  germinate  b}'  the  rupture  of  the  thick  exosporium 
and  the  protrusion  of  a  tube  from  the  endosporium.  The  exten- 
sion of  this  tube  results  immediately  in  the  normal  hypha?  of  the 
plant.     [Fig.  6.] 

The  character  and  position  of  the  zoosporangia,  the  mouosporous 
oogonia,  the  measurements  of  oogonia  and  oospores,  and  the 
very   ramose    mycelium    seem    to    indicate   that  the   plant  is  the 


234  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

Pythiam  described  by  Hesse  under  the  name  P.  De  Baryanum. 
Saccardo  gives  as  synonymous  with  it, 

P.  equiaeti,  Sadeb. 

Liicidium  pythioides,  Lohde. 

P.  vexans,  De  By. 

The  destruction  of  the  fungus  may  be  effected  very  readily  by 
subjecting  the  soil  to  conditions  favorable  for  the  germination  of 
the  oospores  before  the  time  when  it  is  desired  for  the  reception 
of  the  seeds.  If,  .in  a  few  days,  the  soil  be  exposed  thoroughly' 
to  a  very  dry,  hot  atmosphere,  the  very  fragile  vegetative  hj'phie 
will  be  destroyed,  and  a  practical  sterilization  of  the  soil  will 
result.  With  proper  subsequent  care  the  likelihood  of  attack 
will  be  very  much  diminished.  Several  methods  of  treatment  to 
be  followed  after  the  disease  makes  its  appearance  are  given  in 
the  "  American  Garden,"  as  cited  above. 

Since  completing  my  observations  on  damping  off,  the  notes  of 
Professor  Humphrey,  of  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment Station,  have  reached  me.  The  two  series  of  observation 
were  independently  made,  and  inasmuch  as  they  agree  lend  mutual 
support. 

Bibliography. 

Damping  Off. — American  Garden,  Vol.  XI,  No.  G,  June,  1800. 
H.  Marshall  Ward: — Diseases  of  Plants. 

Pt/thium  De  Baryanum,  etc. —  De  Bary  : — Pythium  vexans. 
Botanische  Zeitung,  1881.  Hesse: — Pythium  De  Baryanum. 
[Inaugural  Dissertation,  1874.] 

II.  Sapkolegnia  monoica,  Pringsheim. — It  will  perhaps  not  be 
inappropriate  to  include  with  my  brief  notes  on  Pythium  the  results 
of  some  observations  on  an  allied  genus,  Saprolegnia. 

In  the  Autumn  of  1890  I  made  a  collection  of  material  from 
different  localities  in  several  states,  with  the  purpose  of  securing 
species  of  Saprolegnia  which  would  present  the  most  favorable  con- 
ditions for  observing  the  nuclear  action  in  the  maturation  of  the 
reproductive  bodies.  Of  the  forms  obtained,  S.  monoica  seemed 
most  suited  to  my  use.  The  absence  of  thickenings  on  the  wall  of 
the  oogonium,  and  the  possibility  of  obtaining  depauperate  sporan- 
gia with  only  one  or  two  oospores  make  the  observation  of  iutra- 
.sporangial  conditions  more  easy. 


DAi\rPING    OFF   FUNGUS    AND    ALLIED    FORMS.  235 

The  nuclei  of  Saprolegnia  are  very  small  (l-lj  f^),  vascular,  for 
"the  most  part  oval,  and  have  a  well  marked  nucleolus.  They  are 
usually  so  enveloped  by  granular  protoplasm  that  their  observation 
is  a  very  difficult  matter ;  this  is  especiallj'  true  in  the  sporangia. 
The  ordinary  dift'ereutial  stains  seem  wholly  inadequate  to  demon- 
strate them.  The  following  treatment  was  the  only  one  by  wliieh 
satisfactory  results  were  secured.  (1.)  Fix  with  corrosive  sub- 
limate (satd.  aq.  sol.).  (2.)  Grade  to  90%  alcohol.  (3.)  Stain 
thirty  minutes  in  dilute  alcoholic  solution  of  iudulin  (nigrosin), 
and  rinse  in  70%  alcohol.  (4.)  Stain  in  Grenacher's  alcoholic 
borax-carmine  twelve  hours  or  more.  (5.)  Mount  in  glycerine 
and  acetic  acid,  or  gWcerine  and  alcohol. 

This  treatment  very  well  differentiates  the  nuclei  in  the  hyphne 
iiud  in  the  earlier  stages  of  the  oogonia.  In  the  mycelium  of  the 
plant  the  protoplasm  is  arranged  in  a  peripheral  C3'linder,  from  the 
inner  surface  of  which  extend  projections  into  and  across  the  central 
vascular  region,  forming  a  rather  complicated  net-work. 

The  nuclei  are  situated,  for  the  most  part,  in  these  projections 
and  at  the  crossings  or  enlargements  of  the  protoplasmic  strands. 
fFig.  7.]  In  the  young  oogonium,  one  readily  sees  the  persistence 
of  the  same  general  arrangement  after  the  septum  has  been  formed, 
the  nuclei  being  clustered  along  the  inner  border  of  the  dense  pro- 
toplasmic investment.  [Fig.  -S.]  In  no  case  was  I  able  to  see 
their  migration  into  the,  central  vacuolar  region,  to  the  position 
-occupied  by  the  vacuoles  with  which  Hartog  considers  them  identi- 
cal. This  alone  is  not  conclusive ;  but  taken  with  the  observations 
of  Dangeard  (Le  Botaniste,  April,  1890),  with  which  my  own 
accord  in  some  degi'ee,  there  seems  to  be  ground  for  serious  doubt 
•concerning  the  accuracy  of  Hartog's  interpretation.  The  nuclei 
are  much  smaller  than  the  vacuoles  are  when  the}^  first  appear,  and 
are  considerably  more  numerous.  Dangeard  further  claims  to  have 
secured  nuclei  and  vacuoles  in  the  same  preparation  with  sufficient 
clearness  to  preclude  belief  in  their  identit}^  In  addition  to  this  it 
must  be  noted  that  Hartog's  idea,  that  the  nuclei  unite  two  by  two 
to  form  the  so-called  vacuoles,  which  in  turn  unite  until  all  the 
iiucleine  is  contained  in  from  two  to  four  masses,  which  resolve  and 
reunite  to  finally  distribute  nucleine  to  each  of  the  oospheres,  is 
thoroughly  at  variance  with  what  is  known  of  the  behavior  of 
nuclei  in  general.     Aside  from  the  union  of  male   and  female  pro- 


236  MASSACHUSETTS   HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

nuclei,  and  the  mingling  of  cell  contents  in  couingating  forms  — 
where  sexuality  is  doubtful,  we  find  nothing  parallel  to  this  com- 
mingling of  nuclei,  —  and  nowhere  do  we  find  it  so  thoroughly 
promiscuous,  and  succeeded  by  an  almost  equally  indefinite  separa- 
tion and  distribution  of  nucleine. 

It  is  my  purpose  hereafter  to  continue  more  fully  the  study  of  the 
action  of  the  nuclei  in  the  formation  of  the  oospores. 

While  at  work  on  Saprolegnia,  my  attention  was  especially  drawu 
to  what  have  been  called  resting  zoosporangia.  These  present  a 
mouiliform  series  of  enlargements  at  the  free  end  of  the  hypha. 
[Figs.  9  and  10.]  They  are  formed  by  from  two  to  six  repetitious 
of  the  process  described  by  Rothert  in  his  account  of  the  formation 
of  the  simple  zoosporangium.  The  hypha  ceases  to  grow  in  length, 
while  the  protoplasmic  contents  continue  to  press  toward  the  free 
end  of  the  hypha.  This  results  in  a  terminal  enlargement.  The 
protoplasm  aggregates  in  this  swelling  and  becomes  densely  gran- 
ular. About  the  point  where  the  hypha  begins  to  enlarge,  the  dense 
protoplasm  grades  into  the  thinner  sub-sporangial  protoplasm.  In 
this  region  a  liyaloplasmic  disc  is  formed  A:)y  the  withdrawal  of  the 
granules.  From  the  basal  portion  of  this  disc  a  septum  is  pro- 
duced, probably  b}'  material  which  is  taken  up  and  deposited  by 
the  "  cellulin  corpuscles  "  which  Rothert  states  accompau}'  the  for- 
mation of  the  septum.  In  the  meantime  that  portion  of  the  hj^pha 
immediately  below  the  septum  begins  to  enlarge,  passing  through 
the  same  stages.  This  is  repeated  a  variable  number  of  times 
(from  two  to  six),  the  zoosporangial  swellings  growing  snudler 
proximal]}'.  Portions  of  the  filament  are  not  infrequently  cut  off 
without  becoming  enlarged  at  all.  The  protoplasm  in  these  sporan- 
gia arranges  itself  as  an  investment  of  variable  jthickness  about 
the  periphery  of  the  cell,  with  granular  strands  or  sheets  extending 
across  the  lumen,  forming  two  or  more  vacuoles.  This  protoplas- 
mic layer  becomes  finely  granular  and  very  dense,  especially  on  its 
external  aspect.  The  surface  bordering  the  tube  is  mucli  more 
coarsely  granular,  and  contains  nuclei.  At  this  point  the  develop- 
ment is  arrested,  and  the  zoosporangium  has  the  power  of  remain- 
ing quiescent  for  a  considerable  length  of  time  without  losing  its 
vitality.  In  several  instances  growth  was  induced  after  more  than 
a  fortnight  of  rest.  When  stimulated  to  renewed  activit}'  by  the 
addition  of  fresh  nutriment  they  showed  capability'  of  developing. 


DA.MI'INCi    OFF    Fr.NGL'S    AM)    ALLIED    FORMS.  237 

zoospores  [Fiii".  11],  or  of  giving  off  vegetative- tubes  which  grow 
very  rapidly.  [Fig-  !-•]  lu  the  former  case  the  regular  process  of 
zoospore  foniiation  seems  to  be  taken  up  just  where  it  was  inter- 
rupted, passing  through  the  "partial  segregation"  (spore-origin) 
stage,  the  "homogeneous"  stage,  and  finally  the  protoplasm  separat- 
ing again, —  this  time  permauentW —  forming  zoospores.  When  the 
tubes  are  formed  instead,  they  ma}'  spring  from  any  portion  of  the 
sporangium,  usually  one  to  each.  The  parietal  protoplasm  of  the 
zousporangium  occupies  a  similar  position  in  the  germinal  tube,  the 
lumen  of  the  latter  being  continuous  with  the  cavity  of  the  former. 
[Fig.  18.] 

A  physiological  consideration  of  the  resting  zoosporangia  is 
interesting  in  showing  the  conditions  under  which  they  are  formed, 
and  taken  in  connection  with  their  structure  may  show  their  origin, 
use,  and  homology.  In  my  cultures  of  Saprolegnia  monoica  I  used 
mosquitoes  as  a  substratum,  as  they  were  of  convenient  size  and 
seemed  to  furnish  sufficient  nourishment  for  a  complete  generation 
of  the  fungus,  without  offering  extra  material  to  decay  and  attract 
bacteria.  After  getting  cultures  started  I  secured  new  ones  by 
transferring  escaping  zoospores  only,  thus  being  enabled  to  obtain, 
asexually,  generation  after  generation  of  the  plant.  My  observa- 
tions in  this  particular  do  not  accord  with  the  statement  of  Hartog, 
that  "on  the  whole  it  appears  that  cultures  from  successive  genera- 
tions of  zoospores  tend  to  produce  oospores  more  readily."  On 
the  contrary,  I  found  that,  after  ten  "or  fifteen  generations  of 
zocisporic  reproduction,  there  Avas  a  decided  diminution  in  the  num- 
ber of  oosporangia  formed,  as  well  as  in  the  number  of  oospores 
which  they  contained.  In  addition  to  this  there  was  manifestly  a 
tendency  toward  the  disappearance  of  the  antheridia  even  when 
oogouia  were  produced.  Finally  there  was  a  total  cessation  in  the 
production  of  oogonia,  and  only  resting  zoosporangia  with  two  or 
three  enlargements  appeared.  The  disappearance  of  the  oogonia 
and  antheridia,  and  the  decrease  in  the  number  of  oospores  point 
to  a  deterioration  of  the  fungus. 

The  formation  of  the  resting  sporangium  at  such  a  time  must  be 
interpreted  as  an  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  plant  to  produce 
something  of  a  reproductive  nature  longer-lived  than  the  very 
transient  zoospores,  after  it  becomes  too  degenerate  to  produce 
■oospores.     Practically  the  same  features  were  observed  in  experi- 


238  MASSACHUSETTS    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

meuting  witli  the  supply  of  food.  In  cases  where  an  amouut  of 
food  was  giveu  which  seemed  inadequate  to  the  needs  of  a  com- 
plete generation  of  zoospores  and  oospores,  veiy  few  of  the 
normal  zoosporangia  and  oogonia  were  formed,  but  the  energy  of 
the  plant  was  directed  toward  the  production  of  the  resting 
sporangia.  Thus  it  is  evident  that  the  insufficienc}^  of  food  may 
directly  prevent  the  appearance  of  oospores.  It  is  not  impossible 
that  the  amount  of  the  food  supply  and  the  prospect  of  immediate 
support — or  the  reverse  —  ma}'  at  least  regulate  the  formation  of 
zoospores  as  well. 

"When  a  new  supply  of  nutriment  is  added  to  a  culture  which 
has  developed  resting  sporangia,  the  manner  of  renewing  growth 
depends  somewhat  upon  the  amount  of  nutriment  added.  If  the 
nutriment  be  supplied  gradually,  as  by  the  decay  of  another  tly  in 
close  proximity,  one  finds  that  the  tendenc}"  is  to  jield  zoospores 
b}"  the  normal  method,  whereas,  if  a  sudden  addition  of  food  is 
made,  as  bj^  a  decoction  of  flies  or  flesli,  the  vegetative  tubes  are 
put  forth  in  a  manner  essentiallj'  similar  to  the  germination  of  an 
oospoi'e,  and  with  a  similar  rejuvenescence  of  the  resulting  plant. 
These  considerations  lead  me  to  conclude  that  the  resting  zoospor- 
angia are  intermediate  in  function  and  structure  between  the 
normal  zoosporangium  and  the  oogonium ;  and,  taken  in  connec- 
tion with  their  similarity  of  position,  and  the  remarkable  parallelism 
of  the  protoplasmic  changes  in  the  formation  of  their  products, 
offer  much  reason  for  considering  the  three  structures  as  really 
homologous. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  express  my  thanks  to  Dr.  ^Y.  G.  Farlow 
for  valuable  suggestions  and  the  use  of  his  library. 

Bibliography. 

Busgen  : — Die  Entwickelung  der  Phycomycetensporangien.  II. 
Saprolegniagruppe.     Pringsheim's  Jahrbucher,  XIII,  1882. 

Dangeard  : — Le  Botaniste,  April,  1890. 

Hartog : — On  Formation  and  Liberation  of  the  Zoospores  in  the 
Saprolegnieae.    Quarterly  Journal  Mic.  Sci.  Vol.  27.    March,  1887. 

.     Recent  Researches  on  Saprolegnieje  (a  critical  abstract 

of  Rothert's  paper).       Annals  of  Botany,  \'ol.  2.     August,  1888. 

.     Recherches  sur  la  structure  de  Saprol^gnees.     [188'.).] 

Rothert : — Die  Entwickelung  der  Sporaugien  bei  der  Saproleg- 
nien.     Cohn's  Beitrjiafe.     1890. 


0m     fi'^ 


/-^ 


DA.AiriNC;    OFF    FUNGUS    AM)    ALLIED    FOH.MS.  239" 

Explanation  of  Plates. 
Plate  I.     Pythiiim  DeBaryanum,  Hesse. 

Fig.  1 .  IIj'plui  showino-  method  of  branchiug  and  youug  oogoiiia 
(a).\700.' 

Fig.  2.  Terminal  oogouia,  a,  b,  and  c,  progressive  stages  in 
formation  of  oospore,     o,  oogoninm.     p,  antheridium.    Xll<^'<*- 

Fig.  3.     Non-terminal  oogonium,  with  antheridium.   XHOO- 

Fig.  4.  Stages  in  formation  of  zoosporangium.  e,  empty 
zoosporangium.   X58(). 

Fig.  5.     Gemnue.   X8<W. 

Fig.  6.     Germinating  oospores.    XlOOO. 

Plate  II.     Saprolegnia  monoica,  Pringsheim. 

Fig.  7.  Hypha  showing  arrangement  of  protoplasm  and  nuclei. 
X1500. 

Fig.  8.     Young  oosporangium,  with  nuclei.    Xl-'***- 

Figs.  9  and  10.  Stages  in  the  formation  of  resting  zoosporan- 
gia.   v,  vacuoles.    X'^oO. 

Fig.  11.  Resting  sporangium  forming  zoospores  after  quiescence. 
X2o0. 

Figs.  12  and  13.  Other  resting  sporangia  putting  forth 
germinal   tubes    after  quiescence.   X250. 


i 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Prefatory  Note,        3 

Business  Meeting,  January  3, 1891 ;  Address  of  President  Spooner,  pp.  5-8 ; 
Memorial  of  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Hayes,  8,  9;  Awards  of  Committee  on 
Gardens  reported,  and  further  time  granted,  9;  Appropriations  for 
1890  and  1891,  9,  10;  Appointment  of  Treasurer  and  Secretary,  10;  Pres- 
ervation of  Beautiful  and  Historical  Places,  10;  Compensation  of  Com- 
mittees, 10, 11 ;  Invitation  to  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  11 ;  Committee 
to  prepare  memorial  of  Warren  Heustis,  11 ;  Committee  to  nominate 
successor,  11 ;  Committee  on  Revision  of  Constitution  and  By-Laws, 
11;  Announcement  by  Committee  on  Publication  and  Discussion,       .  11 

Business  Meeting,  January  10;  Memorial  of  Warren  Heustis,  pp.  12,  13; 
Committee  on  Revision  of  Constitution  and  By-Laws  announced,  13; 
Prizes  offered  for  Reports  of  Awarding  Committees,  13;  Annual 
Report  of  Treasurer  read, 1.', 

Meeting  for  Discussion;  The  Work  of  the  Pomological  Division  of  the 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  by  H.  E.  Van  Deman, 
Pomologist,  pp.  13-21 ;  Discussion 21-2C 

Business  Mee^ting,  January  17;  Part  of  Report  of  Committee  on  Window 
Gardening  read,  p.  26;  Classification  of  Horticulture  at  the  World's 
Columbian  Fair,  26 ;  Report  on  Society's  Diploma, 2(; 

Meeting  for  Discussion;  Evergreen  Trees,  by  William  C.  Strong,  pp.  27-38; 

Discussion, 38-48 

Business  Meeting,  January  24 49 

Meeting  for  Discussion;  Roses,  by  John  N.  May,  pp.  49-53;  Discussion,        53-5S 

Business  Meeting,  January  31;  Committee  to  Nominate  Committee  on 

Window  Gardening, 5^ 

Meeting  for  Discussion;  Insects  and  Fungi  Injuring  Fruits,  with  Reme- 
dies, by  Prof.  Samuel  T.  Maynard,  pp.  59-67;  Discussion,       .       .  67-71 

Business  Meeting,  February  7;  Committee  on  Window  Gardening  elected, 
p.  72;  Vacancy  in  Vegetable  Committee  filled,  72;  Four  Members 
elected, 7.' 

3IEETING  for  Discussion;  Chrysanthemums,  by  John  Thorpe,  pp.  72-76; 

Discussion, 77-n} 

Business  Meeting,  February  14 ;  Report  on  Compensation  of  Committees, 
p.  85;  Awards  of  Prizes  for  Reports,  85;  Acceptance  of  Invitation  to 
State  Board  of  Agriculture, 85 


II  CONTENTS. 

Meeting  for  Discussion;    The  Strawberry  and   its  Culture,   by  P.  M. 

Augur,  pp.  86-95;   Discussion, 95-100 

Business  Meeting,  February  21;  Postponement  of  Spring  Exhibition,      .  101 

Meeting  for  Discussion;  The  Geographical  Distribution  of  Plants,  by  W. 

F.  Ganong,  pp.  101-117;  Discussion, 117,118 

Business  Meeting,  February  28 118 

Meeting  fob  Discussion  ;  The  Study  of  Horticulture  in  the  Public  Schools, 

by  Dr.  C.  C.  Rounds,  pp.  U8-132;  Discussion, 132-140 

Business  Meeting,  March  7, 140 

Meeting  fob  Discussion  ;  Diseases  of  Trees  Likely  to  Follow  Mechanical 

Injuries,  by  Prof.  "William  G.  Farlow,  pp.  140-154;  Discussion,      .       .      155-158 

Business  Meeting,  March  14 158 

Meeting  foe  Discussion;    The  Scientific   Education  of  Gardeners,   by 

Charles  L.Allen,  pp.  159-169;  Discussion, 169-174 

Business  Meeting,  March  21 ;  Decease  of  John  B.  Russell  announced,       .  174 

JIeeting  foe  Discussion;  A  Plea  for  Protecting  our   Native  Birds,  by 

Thomas  C.  Thurlow,  pp.  174-182;  Discussion 182-190 

Business  Meeting,  March  28,         . 190 

Meeting  for  Discussion;  Ferns,  by  George  E.  Davenport,  pp.  191-204; 

Discussion, 204-208 

Business  Meeting,  April  4;  Five  Members  proposed,  p.  208;  Revised  Con- 
stitution and  By-Laws  reported  and  ordered  to  be  entered  on  the 

records,  209,  210;  Four  Members  elected 210 

Business  Meeting,  April  11 ;  Two  Members  proposed 210 

Meeting  for  Discussion;  A  Winter  Visit  to  the  Bahama  Islands,  by  Col. 

Henry  W.  Wilson,  with  11  plates, 210-229 

Notes  on   the  Fungus  Causing  Damping  Off  and  Other  Allied 

Forms,  by  Thomas  W.  Galloway,  with  2  plates, 230-239 


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