378 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[^December, 



Bwer each one as ho roads it, leaving all the rest 

 unopened till he linishcs tho answer to that one, 

 but ho opens all lirst. When ho comes to the 

 letter that had a stamped and directed envelope, 

 it is a rare chance if among so many ho remem- 

 bers about it — at least we cannot. The scores of 

 addressed stamped envelopes and cards lying 

 about on our table is a nuisance. We shall be 

 perfectly satisfied with the "stamp enclosed." 

 Some think that as an addressed card cannot be 

 used for anything else, it forces an answer they 

 would not otherwise receive, but this is a mistake 

 — in our case at least. 



Rules for Judges. — An Ohio corre.«ipondent 

 writes : — " In our State Fair and some of tho 

 Horticultural Premium Catalogues, under the 

 class of greenhouse plants, is this rule, ' All 

 plants must be grown in the pots in which they 

 are exhibited.' Is there any rule by which to 



decide how long tho plant must have boon in the 

 pot, to come under this rule, if the plant is dug 

 up out of the ground and potted?" 



[We must never forget that language is used 

 to express one's moaning, and in any doubtful 

 case, what ideas it was the evident intention to 

 express, should have the benefit of any doubt 

 that may arise. In the present case it was clearly 

 the intention to encourage the pot-culture of 

 flowers, and it would be no such encouragement 

 if plants could be first grown in the ground, and 

 then just lifted and put into a pot for the purpose 

 of exhibiting them. Butui the present case there 

 is not even this doubt, for the language is not 

 "growing in a pot," hut grown in a pot; and we 

 should say that if the best part of the plant or 

 more than one-half of it, had been grown in a 

 pot, and only the minor part of it originally in 

 the ground, it ought not to be disqualified. — Ed. 

 G. M.] 



^HORTICULTURAL ^OCIETIES. 



The Pennsylvania Fruit Growers' Society. 

 — We should gladly notice the proposed meet- 

 ings of all our Horticultural Societies, if they 

 came to us in time ; but very few notes come to 

 hand until a few days before the time. Just as 

 we go to press we have the following from one 

 of the officers of the Pennsylvania Society : — 

 "The next meeting of the Pennsylvania Fruit 

 Growers' Society is to be held in Williamsport, 

 on the third Wednesday of January next, and 

 that the officers are using every endeavor to 

 make it an unusually interesting time. They 

 are now engaged in collating matter for the new 

 report, which will contain, among other good 

 features, some superb full-page illustrations of 

 our little known seedling Pennsylvania fruits. 

 The several committees are at work, and appear 

 desirous of keeping up the reputation of the 

 Society, as a means of diffusing information upon 

 general Horticulture throughout the State. Dele- 

 gates and visitors from other States will be 

 heartily welcomed." 



Organizations for Town Embellishments. — 

 Mr. Steele, of Dayton, Ohio, recently read before 

 the Montgomery Co. (O.) Horticultural Society, 



a very interesting paper on this subject. He 

 quotes the following from the pen of Geo. E. 

 Waring, in Scribner's Monthly : — 



" The Laurel Hill Association takes its name 

 from a wooded knoll in the center of the village, 

 which had been dedicated to public use. The 

 first object of the association was to convert this 

 knoll into a village park. Then they took in 

 hand the village burial ground, which was put in 

 proper condition and suitably surrounded with 

 hedge and railing. Then the broad village street 

 was properly graded and drained and agreeable 

 walks were made at its sides. Incidental to this 

 the people living along both sides of the streets 

 were encouraged to do what they could to give 

 it an appropriate setting hy putting their own 

 premises into tasteful condition and maintaining 

 them so. The organization worked well and 

 accomplished good results. The Rev. N. P. 

 Eggleston, formerly of Stockbridge, in a paper 

 on village improvements, written for the New 

 York Tribune, thus describes the collateral work 

 and influences of tho Laurel Hill Association : 



"Next followed the planting of trees by the 

 roadside, wherever trees were lacking. The 

 children, sometimes disposed in their thoughtless- 

 ness to treat young trees too rudeh', were brought 

 in as helpers of the association, while at the same 

 time put under a beneficial cultui'o themselves. 

 Anybody who would undertake to watch and 

 care for a particular tree for two years was re- 



