Systematic Horticultural Progress. 137 



should be, with the largest, most delicate and lucious grape fruit on earth,, 

 upon never-failing vines. Who knows but that the despised little Frost 

 grape may be made to put. on the fruit of a Hamburg, and ripen it here in 

 October and November I 



Now our grape crop in the South, excepting the Scuppernong, passes^ 

 away in August, when we scarce can relish such fruit, and are compelled to- 

 convert into wine or make no profit. Some one else can take our fine native 

 persimmons, and lodge the grand, luscious Kaki in their tops, and have them- 

 hardy enough to succeed at the northern bounds of the native species. Thus 

 each can have some special vegetable, fruit, shrub, tree or flower. The field 

 is illimitable, both in variety and degree of development. Yes, even new 

 trees may be originated of great value. For instance, Teas' Hybrid Catalpa 

 now seems to be the most promising of all trees for forest jDlanting. 



Above all things, we must avoid falling into "ruts," in our experiments, a& 

 our able member from Michigan, President Lyon, has so well illustrated. 

 Don't all raise seedling strawberries, " picked up from some weedy fence- 

 corner." 



Let each report to the Secretary his chosen field for experimentation, that 

 his name may be entered in its proper class. Then each year the President 

 and Executive Board can, in making up their programme of exercises for the 

 annual meeting, call in order upon this army of experimenters to bring for- 

 ward, in a concise, methodical form, the results of their work, Avith samples 

 of all their new products of special promise. Medals or premiums can be 

 awarded by the Society for very worthy papers or varieties (or a special 

 committee report would be better) ; not as a reward for excelling hi& 

 brother horticulturist in producing the biggest potato of a certain kind, but 

 for his triumphing over the elements in extorting from them some new se- 

 cret or luscious product. The fund of new knowledge thus brought together 

 would enable the Secretary to compile a year-book of our work, which would 

 be sought eagerly by all enterprising horticulturists, and thus large editions 

 might be sold, and. with the increased membership-fees which would come 

 to such a progressive society, funds would accrue to compensate over-zealous,, 

 faithful officers, who should be paid well for doing their irksome work in 

 the best manner. 



The horticultural professors, especially in all the State agricultural colleges,. 

 shDuld be enlisted in the work to give more thorough systematic investiga- 

 tion and compilation of data. In time such a society would become, so to- 

 speak, the University of American Horticulture, and could make just claims 

 upon the general government for large appropriations to push forward its 

 more complete organization, the acquirement of library, halls for meetings, 

 exhibitions and collections of samples. 



Instead of issuing a few hundred copies of its reports, to remain silent in 

 the hands of its own members, who already know its contents before | ubli- 

 cation (as I am sorry to say is too true of the reports of the American Pomo- 

 logical Society), hundreds of thousands should go broadcast throughout the 



