WESTERN NEW YORK HORTICULTURAL. SOCIETY. 461 



The rich alluvial soil of creek bottoms, in partial shade, is the home of the cardinal 

 flower. I have found it in great' abundance on Black creek, near its confluence with 

 the Genesee. The great blue lobelia, L. syhilitica, is at home both in sunny and shady 

 places, in moist soil, and is easy to cultivate. 



The lovely fringed gentian Gentian crinita, of which Bryant sings so sweetly, and 

 other poets praise, is comparatively plentiful around Rochester. It delights in the 

 water-soaked soil on the sloping banks of the lower river, " the Dugway " and Mendon 

 ponds, and it is mentioned in "Cayuga Flora" as being found at the ponds of West 

 Junius, several miles north from Geneva. It never seems at home in cultivation, but 

 to be enjoyed should be sought for in its native haunts. What brook-trout is among 

 tishes, so is the fringed gentian among flowers. The five flowered gentian G. quinqae- 

 Jlora, and the closed gentian, G. Andrewsii, grow near the fringed gentian, but I have 

 never found them all together. The closed gentian, a perennial and easily cultivated, 

 is abundant on the upper river flats, where I have not found the other two. 



We have four climbing vines besides the grape vines in Western New York. The 

 wild bean a member of the pulse family, bearing fragrant " reddish-brown " flowers, as 

 EUwanger describes them, is one of the best. Bitter-sweet, Celastrus scandens, though 

 having no attractive flowers, has brilliant fruit, which persists all winter. The virgin's 

 bower. Clematis Virginiana, with its numerous white flowers, climbing over shrubbery 

 along river banks, is very pretty. Canadian moonseed, Menispermum Canadense, 

 bearing dark green lobe leaves and black berries, is a desirable plant. Night-shade, 

 Solanum aulcamara, a plant naturalized from Europe, has become established here. 

 Its purple flowers and bright red berries are quite attractive. The berries are said to 

 be poisonous, but I believe that point is not settled. 



To enumerate all the wild 'flowers that may be grown easily in the garden, would be 

 a tiresome task, and I must omit many of my favorites. When one becomes familiar 

 with a few wild flowers, the interest in them increases until he wishes to know them 

 all. First you find your flower, and then try to learn its name. In nearly every village 

 there is some one familiar with wild flowers, who will gladly tell all that he knows 

 about them. In several villages of Western New York there are wild flower clubs 

 that meet weekly during the summer, and they are always pleased to receive wild 

 flowers for identification. The fear of being poisoned deters many people from going 

 into the woods, and it is not strange when so much is heard of poison things. We 

 hear of poison ivy, poison oak, poison elder, poison dogwood, poison hemlock, poison 

 sumach, deadly nightshade, and all the banes from bug-bane to wolf's bane, but there 

 are only two plants, easy to distinguish from all others, poison ivy and poison sumach, 

 that are poisonous to the touch. By keeping away from these, and abstaining from 

 eating anything not known to be harmless, a person is safe. 



President Barry said the object of this paper was to awaken among the members an 

 interest in wild flowers — the cultivation of beautiful things which could be secured 

 by members in their own neighborhood without cost. He commended this subject to 

 the young people of both sexes, and hoped that at some future meeting they would be 

 favored with a paper on this subject from the daughter of some member of this 

 society. 



PLUM CULTURE FOR WESTERN NEW YORK. 



BY S. D. WILDARD, GENEVA, N. Y. 



It is quite proper for me to say that circumstances beyond my control have so 

 absorbed every moment of my time for weeks past that not one moment of thought 

 has been given to the subject on which I have been expected to address you at this 

 time, until a few hours before leaving home, hence I shall be quite brief and, I fear, 

 devoid of the interest that may be expected on such a subject. In short, I shall only 

 answer such questions as have been presented to my consideration from various parts 

 of the country during the past twelve months relative to the subject of plum culture, 

 coupled with some observations and my opinion as to future probabilities. 



Well, in a wide range of correspondence, from Kansas to Nova Scotia, from parties 

 interested in fruit growing and desiring the greatest possible light on which to base 

 future operations, every letter has been full of inquiry regarding plum culture. "What 

 I think of future probabilities and possibilities? Is there any likelihood of its being 

 over-done; varieties of most value; best method of pruning; would I advise thinning of 



