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HORTICULTURE 



May 1, 1909 



NEWS OF THE CLUBS AND SOCIETIES 



CONNECTICUT HORTICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY. 

 The regular meeting of this society 

 was held on the 23d of April, Presi- 

 dent J. F. 1-luss presiding. After a 

 brief business session, the audience, 

 withdrew to a large room, in the 

 County Building, wliere about 100 

 people listened to a very helpful, in- 

 structive and interesting lecture by our 

 former president, John 'I'. Withers, 

 now of Jersey City, N. J., on the sub- 

 ject of America's historic trees, tree 

 surgery, shrub pruning, etc., illustrated 

 by a stereopticon. Mr. Withers showed 

 great command of his subject, as the 

 result of his wide experience in fores- 

 try and landscape gardening. The 

 Liberty Tree, which stands on the 

 campus of St. John's College at An- 

 napolis, Md.; the Wethersfleld Elm, 

 which adorns our adjoining town; the 

 Lancaster Elm, near Amherst, Mass.; 

 the Evergreen Oak, at St. Louis, Mo.; 

 the Indian Chestnut, at Yonkers, 

 N. Y.; and many other famous trees, 

 were pictured and described. The 

 Liberty Tree is a tulip, of great his- 

 toric interest, and probably 600 to SOO 

 years old. Fifty-six tons of concrete 

 weie recently employed by Mr. Withers 

 in restoring this tree to a safe con- 

 dition against winds and further de- 

 terioration. The Charter Oak, dear to 

 the memory of all Connecticut resi- 

 dents, which blew down in 1S56, and in 

 which the colonial charter was once 

 hidden against Andros, the represena- 

 tive of James II., was believed to be 

 1400 years old, and was so eaten by 

 decay that 29 firemen could stand 

 within it a year before it fell. The 

 Wethersfleld Elm, now 150 years old, 

 has a circumference of 2S feet, and a 

 height of 127 feet, and a spread of IbK 

 feet. Mr. Withers explained graphi- 

 cally the methods employed in tree 

 surgery. After the duramen, or in- 

 terior heart wood, has rotted out, and 

 the alburnum, or outer heart wood, is 

 nearly extinct, vital functions continue 

 in the tree as long as the cambium 

 laver is intact, and if the cavity made 

 by the decay can be completely flUed 

 with concrete in such a manner as to 

 exclude air and water; and the speaker 

 declared that thousands of trees that 

 have been allowed to die. might have 

 been spared if modern means had been 

 used for the purpose. He illustrated 

 the futility of the use of tin covers, 

 bark etc. to place over holes to ar- 

 rest 'decav, and the use of iron bands 

 to hold limbs together, the bands 

 finally constricting the flow of the tree 

 fluids, and acting as a girdle. The 

 planting, nursing and general care of 

 ornamental trees and shrubs received 

 full attention; and the lecturer pointed 

 out the frequent mistakes made in the 

 annual pruning of such plants as the 

 spiraea, the azalea, the forsythia, and 

 the rhododendron, which form theiv 

 blossom buds during the previous year. 

 The lecture was free, but worth a good 

 admission fee, and reflecis credit upon 

 the knowledge and ability of the 

 speaker and the beneficent work of the 

 Connecticut Horticultural Society, 

 which has now over 100 active mem- 

 bers. 



A pleasant feature of the evening 



was the exhibition by Hugh Kirk of a 

 rare plant, about I>i inches high, in a 

 six-inch pot. It was brought from the 

 Cape of Good Hope, 25 years ago. by 

 a lady missionary, and was identifled 

 by the late Prof. Meehan as Bowiea 

 volubilis. named after J. Bowie, col- 

 lector for Kew. The owner believes 

 that there is no other plant of the kind 

 in the countiy. Its green bulb is about 

 the size of an orange, and annually 

 throws up a twining, slender plant, 

 with curving and forked branches, 

 which has blossomed but once since 

 the owner has had it. It is cultivated 

 at Kew Gardens. 



GEORGE W. SMITH, Secretary. 



FLORISTS' AND GARDENERS' 

 CLUB OF RHODE ISLAND. 



This club held a warm meeting in 

 Swartz Hall, Providence, on April 19. 

 Prof. H. J. Wheeler, a member of the 

 club and director of the Experiment 

 Station at Kingston, had been charged 

 by James Hockey and othei-s at a pre- 

 vious meeting of the club with breach 

 of a promise made several years ago, to 

 the effect that the R. I. College would 

 not sell any of its carnations or other 

 product in the Rhode Island market in 

 competition with resident growers. 

 Prof. Wheeler was present to explain 

 his position, showing that the sales 

 complained of had been made since a 

 change of officers had occurred in 

 which his responsibility had ceased, 

 and that to the best of knowledge had 

 now been discontinued. A motion was 

 unanimously passed exonerating Prof. 

 Wheeler from all intention to violate 

 any promise and from any responsibil- 

 ity in the sales complained of. Prof. 

 Wheeler then gave an interesting ac- 

 count of the work being done at the 

 Experiment Station. 



SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS 

 AND ORNAMENTAL HORTI- 

 CULTURAL I STS. 

 Reqistration of Hydrangea. 



Public notice is hereby given that 

 Mr. E. Y. Teas, of Centerville, Wayne 

 Co., Ind., offers for registration the 

 plant described below. Any person ob- 

 jecting to the registration of this plant 

 or to the use of the proposed name is 

 requested to communicate with the un- 

 dersigned at once. Failing to receive 

 objection to the registration, the same 

 will be made three weeks from this 

 date. 



Hydrangea cinerea sterilis, "Teas' 

 Snowball Hydrangea"; collected from 

 forest; a sport from Hydrangea cine- 

 rea: growth upright, spreading; foli- 

 age glaucous, pointed, serrated; height 

 4 feet ; flowers snow-white. 



W. N. RUDD, Secretary. 



April 23, 1909. 



AMERICAN CARNATION SOCIETY. 



F. Schramm, Park Ridge, 111., regis- 

 ters new carnation Kathleen B. W. 

 Sport from Mrs. Thos. W. Lawson; 

 color light pink; size 3 inches. This 

 registration is provisional, subject to 

 the decision of the judges at the next 

 annual meeting as to its distinctive- 

 ness A. F. J. BAUR, Sec. 



CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY OF 

 AMERICA. 

 It is the earnest desire of those in- 

 terested in this Society to increase its 

 membeiship. 



It should be understood the secretary 

 is the only officer receiving a salary, 

 and he only a nominal sum, much less 

 than the work involved deserves. 



The other officers, including the ex- 

 ecutive committee and the members of 

 the committees who judge the new 

 varieties each year, perform their 

 duties solely for the welfare of the 

 society. 



The work of the committees deserves 

 unlimited endorsement from all per- 

 sons interested in this branch of flori- 

 culture. 



There was a time when new vari- 

 eties were sent out in large numbers 

 upon the merits as they appeared to 

 the originator and in many cases they 

 did not sustain the glowing descrip- 

 tion applied. Today all new comers 

 must be indorsed by the society's com- 

 mittees to interest the public to any 

 degree. Some may say all the certifi- 

 cated varieties do not come up to the 

 standards. I know from expeiience 

 there is no favoritism shown in the 

 awards. The members of these com- 

 mittees are not superhuman and can- 

 not discern from the six blooms sub- 

 mitted, certain defects that are either 

 constitutional or controlled by otiltuial 

 conditicns. I refer to those suscept- 

 ible to disease, difficult of propagation, 

 insufficient petalage, etc. They give 

 their unbiased opinion of the six 

 blooms before them and that is all 

 any mortal man can do. These gentle- 

 men are certainly entitled to the heai'- 

 ty support and praise of every grower, 

 for the unselfish zeal they have mani- 

 fested in devoting time and money to 

 this work. 



Their benevolence enables the So- 

 ciety to protect the buying public 

 against worthless sorts. 



I feel there are too few commercial 

 and exhibition growers interested in 

 this charitable work. 



I say charitable because we save dol- 

 lars for every grower by indicating 

 the best kinds for his purpose and do 

 this without compensation. Am I ask- 

 ing too much of any grower, either 

 private or commercial, to send C. W. 

 Johnson, Sec, Rockford, 111., ?2.00 (the 

 annual membership fee) ? 



All of us spend this small amount in 

 some foolish way without benefit. 

 Some may say it is unnecessary to join 

 the Society as its important matters 

 are made public through the trade 

 papers without additional cost. This 

 is true, but we all have a moral obli- 

 gation which should not be lost sight 

 of. 



The fiorists of this country are like 

 one large family whose interests are 

 in sympathy. One grower's failure 

 with a certain crop, prevents him from 

 meeting his obligations and thus his 

 misfortune bounds and rebounds to 

 others in the trade. If this organiza- 

 tion through its efforts has pointed out 

 the best sorts and has thus been a 

 benefactor it is up to those receiving 

 such service to join hands and assist. 



Let us hope every one in the trade 

 has interest in the welfare of a;il and 



