336 State Horticultural Society. 



and a good man better. Woman has done and can do great things 

 alone ; but when she is united to one who, hke herself, reaches up to the 

 infinite purity of nature, seeking influence from the influence of heaven, 

 what may we not expect? 



Men and women make the world, as head and heart make human 

 life. 



I leave the question with you. What is woman's influence in horti- 

 culture ? 



SOME SEED FLOWERS. 



(Phil S. Creager, Kansas City, Mo.) 



There is no little doubt in my mind as to just what Mr. Goodman 

 wanted when he asked me to talk to you a few minutes tonight upon the 

 subject of "Seed Flowers," or "Flowers from Seed," as he put it first. 

 That doubt, however, is probably no more serious than his as to what 

 I shall have tc say, so that score is even. Perhaps, in assigning me so 

 broad a subject, he merely intended to give me wide opportunity for 

 concealing my ignorance. You remember the story of Uncle diet 

 Thomas of Topeka, who was running a henchman of his for the Leg- 

 islature and billed him for a speech at a political rally. The henchman 

 was no orator, and was in a state of terror when he found that he was 

 down to make a speech. He hunted up Uncle Chet and protested long 

 and loudly, winding up with: "You know I don't know nothing; what 

 the dickens shall I talk about?"' "O, blank it, man," responded Uncle 

 Chet, "Talk gineralities, talk gineralities. You don't need to know 

 nothin' to talk gineralities." 



Disregarding this very good advice of Uncle Chet, I shall tell you 

 tonight a few specific things that I think I have learned about two of the 

 most generally grown seed flowers. I say "think," for I long since 

 discovered that many of the things learned one year about flowers and 

 growing them have to be unlearned the next season, and that it takes 

 many years of observation and experiment really to know some of the 

 simplest facts about flowers. 



Take pansies, for instance : I started in on pansies with the advice 

 given in practically every seed catalogue and nearly every article 

 on pansies that I ever read, which is to plant pansies in partial shade. 

 I planted mine on the north side of the house, where they got sun morn- 

 ing and evening only. I had a vigorous growth of plants and a few 

 good blooms, and was satisfied that I knew how to grow pansies. The 



