July 20, 1907 



HORTI CULTURE. 



69 



AFTER ADJOURNMENT. 



A colored ^late of Laello-Cattleya 

 Andromeda appears with llie July 6th 

 issue of The Garden. It shows a spike 

 of flowers somewhat lacking in size 

 but making up for this deficiency in its 

 splendid yellow color. The parentage 

 is given as Laelia flava x Cattleya 

 aurea. 



Commenting on the remarkable 

 sporting proclivities of sweet pea 

 Countess Spencer, a writer in the 

 Gardeners' Chronicle expresses the 

 opinion that, owing to this variety's 

 possessing an open keel and protrud- 

 ing stigma cross-pollination may be 

 effected by other than human agency 

 and that this fact may explain some 

 of the peculiar variations in the pro- 

 geny from plants of true type. 



Certain writers in English horticul- 

 tural journals are deprecating the 

 trend towards trade unionism among 

 the Kew men. A remark of the late 

 director of Kew garden to the effect 

 that "the Kew certificate is being re- 

 garded as a danger signal rather than 

 a recommendation" is significant. In 

 this country we have always looked 

 upon the Kew graduate as a man 

 worthy of the highest preferment and 

 if it is true that those who are enjoy- 

 ing the unique advantages for acquir- 

 ing horticultural knowledge at this 

 time-honored institution are influenced 

 by any sentiment other than the de- 

 sire to learn and practice then surely 

 must the horticultural world be a 

 heavy loser. 



OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS. 



Editor of HORTICULTrRE: 



Dear Sir: — Now that you have start- 

 ed a campaign in favor of our beautiful 

 feathered friends. I feel that every one 

 who loves the life of nature and na- 

 ture's creatures ought to help you all 

 he or she can; and I know that once 

 people are aroused on a subject as im- 

 portant as this, they will get at the 

 bottom of the trouble and strive to 

 right this great wrong which is being 

 done the birds. No one has a better 

 chance to help in this work than the 

 florist, the gardener, the park man and 

 the householder; but anyone who is 

 out of doors or who has out-of-door in- 

 terests can be of great service too, for 

 the birds come under the observation 

 of, and call for protection from, all 

 these people. 



The Causes of Bird Depletion. 



A few words as to the causes of the 

 bird depletion will not be amiss, and 

 a few suggestions as to remedies will 

 help those who wish to give this good 

 work their support. I have already men- 

 tioned in another issue the Italian and 

 his work as among the chief causes of 

 bird destruction, but an equally seri- 

 ous one lies at our own doors in the 

 keeping of the household cat. I do not 

 mean to say that every cat catches 

 birds, but every cat will catch adult 

 birds or their young if it has an oppor- 

 tunity, and this is seldom lacking on a 

 place where there are trees and bushes 

 or that is near open fields. It is per- 

 fectly safe to say that the average pet 

 cat catches ten birds in a season, and 

 the homeless cat from .50 to 200 birds. 

 Did you ever watch a cat at work in 

 the fields? Most people believe that it 

 is after mice, but while the cat might 

 catch a mouse if it came her way, this 



is not her object. Notice the birds 

 and you will see by their frightened 

 motions that her primary motive is to 

 catch young birds. When in the fields 

 the young of the bobolink, ground 

 sparrow, quail and other ground nest- 

 ing birds suffer particularly from the 

 ravages of the cat. 



Then, again, small boys — and not al- 

 ways the very small boys — have a hab- 

 it of bird-nesting simply for the pure 

 delight of seeing the distress caused 

 by their wanton acts. I have seen a 

 good deal of this work where whole 

 nests were broken up and destroyed 

 not for egg collecting, which, by the 

 way, should be discouraged, but just 

 for the sake of destruction. Certain 

 snakes are very fond of birds' eggs and 

 also of the young birds; so, too, are 

 skunks, weasels, and red squirrels; 

 thus the birds have innumerable ene- 

 mies to contend against in addition to 

 man. 



The Remedies. 



Now for the remedies. The Italian 

 should be dealt with by law. A few 

 good examples of punishment in a 

 neighborhood will often prove enough 

 to remedy this evil. There are now 

 laws that compel an unnaturalized per- 

 son to pay a license of $25.00 for car- 

 rying a gun; this has forced the Italian 

 to use bird-lime and nets so that he 

 needs more careful watching than be- 

 fore, but if every one would make sure 

 that no such methods are being prac- 

 ticed in his neighborhood we could 

 soon change this state of affairs. 



The cat is a more difficult problem. 

 ^Ye might say. however, destroy all 

 homeless and surplus cats and take 

 good care of the one or two that you 

 keep so that they will stay at home 

 and let the birds alone. During the 

 hatching season of robins, bluebirds, 

 etc., it is well to keep the cat shut up 

 for a week or so, until the birds have 

 learned to fly; by this means many of 

 the young birds will be saved. The 

 cat can be made to wear a loud-ring- 

 ing bell while the birds are nesting, 

 thus giving warning before it can get 

 to them. To prevent a cat climbing 

 trees and robbing the birds' nests, cut 

 its claws well off. 



Where we can ultimately, though, do 

 more good than along any other line 

 is in the education of our children, 

 and the young people of both the city 

 and countiTf. Teach them to look on 

 the birds as their friends, to study 

 their habits and learn the economic re- 

 lation of these beautiful and useful 

 creatures to the whole system of 

 nature. Instil into your boy or girl a 

 respect for these feathered friends and 

 he or she in turn will carry this re- 

 spect into the fields and woods, and 

 there find peace, happiness and joy in, 

 and usefulness for, these wild creatures 

 of the air which man has so abused, 

 WILFRID WHEELER. 



SOLD OUT. 



Niagara Falls. N. Y., July 17, 1907. 

 HORTICULTURE Pub. Co. 



Gentlemen: — Please discontinue our 

 adv. for Begonias which you inserted 

 last week. The whole lot was taken 

 by one firm, and to date it is neces- 

 sary that we return cheques amount- 

 ing" to nearly $200.00. 



We are greatly pleased with the 

 adv.. although we regret that we have 

 to return cheques on hand. 

 Very trulv vours, 

 E. A. BUTLER & SON. 



THE MISSOURI STATE BOARD OF 

 HORTICULTURE. 



Editor HORTICULTURE, 

 Dear Sir: — 



It is the desire of the new board 

 in charge of the horticultural work 

 in Missouri to maintain the close rela- 

 tions in co-operative work and frater- 

 nal feeling that has been enjoyed for 

 so many years by the Missouri State 

 Horticultural Society with kindred 

 institutions throughout the country, 

 and if possible come in closer touch 

 with horticultural societies and experi- 

 ment stations in all the states, also 

 all the fruit growers in Missouri. To 

 this end will you kindly publish in 

 your next issue this announcement: 



It became necessary to reorganize 

 the Missouri State Society, as the 

 semi-annual appropriations by the 

 State could not be legally made under 

 the constitution, and the State Board 

 of Horticulture was created by an act 

 of the Legislature of 1907. The mem- 

 bers of the board are appointed by the 

 Governor instead of being elected as 

 by the old society. The new board 

 is; C. H. ■ Dutcher, Warrensburg, 

 president; N. F. Murray. Oregon, first 

 vice-president; J. H. Christian. Neo- 

 sho, second vice-president; T, H. 

 Todd, New Franklin, treasurer; W. P. 

 Stark. Louisiana and R. M. Hitt, 

 Koshkanong. C. H. Dutcher was re- 

 elected president of the old society 

 at the last annual meeting and was 

 elected president of the new board. 

 Geo. T. Tippin was elected secretary 

 at the last annual meeting and was 

 also elected secretary of the new 

 board. 



It is the desire of the new board 

 to extend horticultural work and in- 

 terest in every part of the State and 

 to stand shoulder to shoulder with 

 the horticultural societies and insti- 

 tutions of our sister States in ad- 

 vancing this great work and industry. 

 The office of the secretary is Spring- 

 field and all correspondence will re- 

 ceive prompt attention. 



Very truly yours. 



GEO. T. TIPPIN, Secy. 



KOCHIA SCOPARIA. 



I note your inquiry in current issue 

 of HORTICULTURE regarding Kochia 

 scoparia and K. trichophylla. I have 

 grown the two side by side and have 

 been unable to detect any difference. 

 The appearance of the seed may mis- 

 lead some as it is covered with a 

 star-shaped hull which some growers, 

 especially the forei,gn ones, leave in- 

 tact. I presume the names Mexican 

 Fire Plant and Ball of Fire are origin- 

 ations of the fertile imaginations of 

 catch-penny advertisers. However, it 

 is a beautiful plant and worthy of 

 general cultivation as it grows rapidly 

 and can be trimmed to any form with- 

 out injuring it in the least. 

 Yours very trulv, 



P. K. NOTT. 



Watervliet, N. Y. 



MOVEMENTS OF GARDENERS. 



Wm. H. Wltte has taken a position 

 with Jesse P. King, Mt. Airy, Md. 



John Larsson, formerly assistant 

 gardener at the Profile Gardens, Fran- 

 conia, N. H., is now on the Thomas 

 Plant estate at,W. Manchester, Mass. 



