IRbodora 
JOURNAL OF 
THE NEW ENGLAND BOTANICAL CLUB 
Vol. 5 April, 1903 No. 52 
ROSES VS. RATEROADS:; 
GEORGE T. Moore. 
WHILE it is not often that botanists and horticulturists have occa- 
sion to testify in court, at least in a technical way, it is satisfactory to 
fnow that recently when such testimony was given it resulted in a 
most decided victory for the growers of flowers and helped establish 
a principle which cannot but have considerable influence upon any 
future case involving the question of damage to plants by smoke and 
poisonous vapors. ‘The facts which resulted in the bringing of such 
a suit were as follows: 
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company, 
while making some general improvements in the vicinity of their 
station at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, decided upon the removal of 
an old engine house, which had outlived its usefulness. After this 
building had been torn down and most of the material disposed of, 
there still remained an old tar and gravel roof, which could be neither 
used nor given away and since it would probably have cost a few 
hundred dollars to transport this material to the ocean and sink it, it 
was decided to set fire to the mass and thus consume it without 
expense. Unfortunately for this bit of economy, there was in the 
immediate neighborhood one of the finest rose gardens in this 
country, formerly the property of Mr. J. S. Fay and now owned 
jointly by Miss Fay and Mr. M. H. Walsh. 
To those who are familiar with the various exhibitions of roses 
which have taken place in Massachusetts and elsewhere within the 
last few years, the mere mention of such names as the Jubilee, the 
Lillian Nordica, the J. S. Fay, the Débutante, the Sweetheart and sim- 
ilar famous plants, all the result of Mr. Walsh's skill, will be quite 
