August 17, 1907 



HORTICULTURi: 



203 



good results will be in evirJenee and that not only 

 numerically but in enthusiiism and practical progres- 

 sive work, the reward for all the unselfish eilort of the 

 Philadelphia hosts may 'le equal to or, if possible, 

 exceed tlieir most sanmiine expectations. It is much to 

 be regretted that the narrow-minded, self-deluded indi- 

 vidual who sees no use in societies or conventions is by 

 no means extinct. On such, argument or persuasion is 

 a waste of good breath or ink, as the case may be. For 

 those who make the effort there is in store plenty of 

 healthy inspiration, enlightenment, and all that goes to 

 prepare and enthuse a man for a telling business policy 

 in the coming season. The S. A. F. has been "a ]io\v(.i' 

 in the land" and not a few of the many succe>?lul 

 florists in different sections are frank to admit that tn 

 the Society and the conditions which it has brought 

 about they are indebted for much of what they are en- 

 joying in business prosperity. The history of the 

 Society shows a remarkably consistent adherence to the 

 general policy outlined at the time of its founding. 

 Few organizations there are which in a period of equal 

 length can boast a career so free from aberration or 

 factional unrest as the S. A. F. Its time has been 

 ?pent in pursuing the objects for which it was founded 

 and it has been from the start a shining example of 

 altruistic purpose and achievement. 



Uncle Sam Misrepresented 



From the Journal of Horticulture, London, we clip 

 the following: 



The tinited States of Nortli America Department of Agri- 

 culture has had a plant collector in Northern China for 

 over a year. The Department is very careful, as we learn, 

 to exav;t a credit and debtor account lor all expenses in 

 connection with its collector's expedition. This makes the 

 work still less enviahle to the man concerned, whose duties, 

 one would have thought, would be sufficiently exacting 

 without having to "make ends meets" in such an undertaking 

 as that of collecting strange plants in a strauge land. How- 

 ever, the accounts are rendered oomewhat in this fashion: 

 Dr.— $50. expenses to Harbin. Cr. — Obtained grafts of soft- 

 shelled Walnut, which will be of the value of — dollars 

 to the State in a few years. f.Tncle Sam has the plant- 

 oolU'cting fever at present, and it runs high; but he watches 

 the dollars « itn great keenness. 



Fully satisfied that our esteemed British contempo- 

 rary was the victim of some misinformation we took 

 occasion to call the attention of Dr. Galloway to this 

 statement which seemed to us to be of sufficient impor- 

 tance to warr.nnt this course. We have received the 

 following reply: 



U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 

 Bureau of Plant Industry. 

 Dear Mr. Stewart: 



The inclosed clipping which you sent me is returned 

 with the statement that there is absolutely no foundation 

 for the statements made in it. I inclose herewith copy of 

 comment made by Mr. Fairchild, our Agricultural Explorer, 

 which is self-explanatory. 



Very truly yours, 



B. T. GALLOWAY, 

 Chief of Bureau. 



Office of Seed and Plant Introduction and Distribution. 

 Foreign Explorations. 



Washington, D. C, August 2, 1907. 

 Dr. B. T. Galloway. 



Chief B. P. I., Dept. of Agriculture. 

 Dear Dr. Galloway: 



I cannot understand where the Journal of Horticulture 

 got the idea that we were keeping a debit and credit ac- 

 count with Mr. Meyer. The idea is so preposterously ab- 



surd that to any sensible man, I mean sensible American, 

 it would be discredited on the face of it. 



Yours very truly, 



DAVID FAIRCHILD, 

 Agricultural Explorer in Chai'ge of Foreign Explorations. 



We hope our friends across the water will now revise 

 their views concerning Uncle Sam's frugality. They 

 "have another guess coming." 



-overs 



Lane 



Dedicated to John Westcott of Philadelphia, the vice- 

 president of the S. A. F., and the eloquent exponent of 

 the joys of amatory rambles in Lovers' Lane, Fairmount 

 Park, Philadelphia. 



Where birds in hedges blossomy 



Their lyric notes repeat. 

 Till morning drips with melody ' ' 



Mellifluously sweet; 

 Where bees from brimming buttercups 



Ambrosial nectar drain; 

 Oh, ho! but let's go loitering; ' , 



Oh, hey for Lovers' Lane. 



Where ways stretch cool and shadowy, j 



To lure the laggard feet; 

 And little winds leap laughingly l 



Down ranks of rippling wheat; 

 Where wild bloom pelts the butterflies 



With gusts of rosy rain; • 1 



Oh, ho! but let's go loitering; ' 



Oh, hey for Lovers' Lane. 



Let's leave the clash and clamoring. 



The dust and din and heat; ] 



Let's quit the cramping sordidness 



And strug,gle of the street; ' 



For one full day of joyousness ■'■ 



Let's slip the gyves of pain; 

 Oh, ho! but let's go loitering; ' 



Oh. hey for Lovers' Lane. ] 



