46 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



some beautiful perennial Primroses. Some white some yellow, with 

 flowers 3 inches in diameter. Some of the roots go down 3 feet in the 

 ground, do not bear transplanting very good. Near the foot of Long's 

 Peak in Colorado I find some choice Spireas and some double flowed thim- 

 ble berry, a specie of Syringas, that are as pretty as our old :Mockorange. 

 And fine Heliotrope, white, and a profuse bloomer. 



The wild Geranium, a perennial; why not -improve it by crossing it 

 on our house plants so that we can leave them out all winter? The 

 anemoues or blue wind flower of the Rockies, are very pretty and can 

 be grown here. 



The Gaillardias grow wild in a great many states and when we bring 

 them here and cross them on our tame sorts, they make a very hardy 

 flower and are fine for cut flowers. 



I am very much interested in crossing and breeding up new hardy 

 flowers, if we want to cross two plants that do not bloom at the stame 

 season we can hasten one by starting it in the house or retard one by 

 taking it up and keeping the roots cool or dry. I have crossed theShirley 

 §oppy on the Oriental, by planting the Shirley in the house in the fall. 

 I will now cross the Shasta Daisey on an Early wild Daisey to get it to 

 bloom for Decoration Day. 



The President: Mr. Henry C. Smith, of Falls City, who is interested 

 quite extensively in orchards and horticulture in general in this section 

 of the state, is with us and I am sure that we would like to hear a few 

 words from him. 



Mr. Smith: Ladies and Gentlemen: — I am almost entirely new to the 

 horticultural business, although I am somewhat interested in the growing 

 of apple orchards and seeing what can be done along that line. I simply 

 wanted to be allowed to come here and meet with you and absorb infor- 

 mation and learn from you all I can, and if you people can while you are 

 here I would like to have you come out to our country and around here 

 and see some of our orchards and farms. 



You are all familiar with the horticultural products of Richardson 

 County. One of my orchards is north of town here, and I think there is 

 none better anywhere in the state. 



Question: How is your crop this year, Mr. Smith? Wil you have a 

 full crop or not? 



Mr. Smith: Well, I presume we will get sixty per cent of a crop. We 

 are trying to spray these orchards just as the Government wishes the 

 work to be done. We have now sprayed three times. Mr. Merrell, of the 

 United States Department of Agriculture, will tell you of this spraying 

 tomorrow. We have sprayed Yellow Transparent, Grimes' Golden, Ben 

 Davis, and Winesap. One thing I want to know about, and that is the 

 subject of pruning. It is a subject that I have never before heard any two 

 members of this society agree on. 



Mr. Richards: My experience in prunning was commenced in 1858, 



