February 1, 1908 



representing the Pittsburg advocates, 

 that a uLanimous vote be cast in fa- 

 vor of Indianapolis, and thus tlie par- 

 liamentarians who had been sharpen- 

 ing their broadswords for a bat- 

 tle royal were quietly sidestepped 

 and great jubilation followed. Dur- 

 ing the voting a discussion on the 

 alleged imperfections of the premium 

 list was under way, and the matter 

 was finally turned over to the execu- 

 tive committee, with refiuest to report 

 before close of convention. An an- 

 nouncement by the president that 

 President Roosevelt would receive the 

 members of the American Carnation 

 Society and the Breeders' Association 

 at 2.30 on Thursday afternoon was re- 

 ceived with applause. 



HORTICULTURE 



139 



On Wednesday afternoon the Car- 

 nation Society united with the Amer- 

 ican Breeders' Association under the 

 auspices of the latter organization, 

 and the feature of the session was an 

 address by Dr. Alexander Graham 

 Bell on Heredity. Those members 

 who were present enjoyed a rare 

 treat. The program was as follows: 



Original Work Among Native Roses, 

 by W. Van Fleet. Little Silver, N. J. 



Some Observations in Plant Im- 

 provement, by A. M. Soule, Athens, 

 Ga. 



Report of Committee on Breeding 

 Roses, by Peter Bisset, Washington, 

 D. C. 



Development of the Immune or Re- 

 sistant Character in Plants, by H. L. 

 Bolley, Fargo, N. Dak. 



Report of Committee on Breeding 

 Carnations, by C. W. Ward. Queens, 

 N. Y. 



The evening session opened with a 

 paper by S. S. Skidelsky on "What the 

 grower should expect from the intro- 

 duction of a new seedling." 



Mr. W. N. Rudd followed with a 

 brief statement of the question from 

 the standpoint of the introducer. Pair 

 dealing was his text and he proved his 

 case. F. R. Pierson followed with a 

 lucid statement of the position of the 

 introducer who he claimed had not 

 been fully appreciated. Irving Ging- 

 rich's paper on cultural methods for 

 carnations was next read by John H. 

 Dunlop. 



The question of the National Flower 

 Show was then broached by Mr. Rudd, 

 who asked that the Carnation Society 

 stand sponsor for the carnation and 

 offer some medals for competition at 

 that event next November. W. F. 

 Kasting followed in approval saying 

 that the Carnation Society should be 

 interested as well as any other and 

 that it was not a question of money 

 but of co-operation. Three medals 

 were appropriated by unanimous vote 

 and it was decided that the regular 

 judges of the Society should officiate 

 on behalf of the Carnation Society in 

 making the affidavits. 



THURSDAY'S SESSION. 



Thursday morning's session opened 

 with election of officers. Mr. Falcon- 

 er's name having been withdrawn as 

 candidate for vice-president, unani- 

 mous ballots were cast for all the offi- 

 cers and the chair announced the fol- 

 lowing as elected for ensuing year: 

 President, M. A. Patten; vice-presi- 

 dent, .\. F. J. Baur; secretary. A. M. 



Herr; t)'eRsurer, F. Dorner, Jr.; direc- 

 tor, J. S. Wilson; judges, Peter Fisher 

 and Wm. Nicholson. Vigorous and in- 

 teresting discussions ensued on ihe 

 recommendations in the President's 

 address and other topics. It was voted 

 that in future no charge be made to 

 members for certificate entry or regis- 

 tration of new varieties, also that the 

 directors may recommend to the so- 

 ciety the award of a special gold medal 

 of merit to the originator of any va- 

 riety which has maintained commer- 

 cial superiority for a number of years. 

 It was also voted that hereafter no- un- 

 re.gistered variety be allowed in com- 

 petition at the exhibitions. 



M. A. Patten, W. P. Craig and A, J. 

 Baur were appointed committee on 

 final resolutions. 



At two o'clock the members assem- 

 bled at the hall and proceeded to the 

 \yhite House, where they were cor- 

 dially received by President Roosevelt. 

 On returning to the hall, business was 



Mrs. a. M. Hekr 



We were sorry that in the , gallery of 

 Carnation Society notables last week we 

 were not able to include the portrait of 

 Mrs. Herr who. with all due respect to 

 her busy husband, has Ijeen one of the in- 

 dispensable attaches of the Society, ably 

 aiding the secretary in the clerical worls 

 and endearing herself to every attendant 

 at the convention by her ever-ready cour- 

 tesy and tact. 



resumed and paper by R. Witterstaet- 

 ter. Prof. J. B. Norton and C. W. Ward 

 were read, tho latter Illustrated by 

 many beautiful stereopticon yiews. 



The banquet on Thursday evening 

 at Rauscher's was a magnificent affair. 

 The floral decorations were superb, 

 and the speeches brilliant. A full ac- 

 count will be given in next week's 

 issue. 



PRESIDENT-ELECT PATTEN. 



The American Carnation Society con- 

 ferred its highest gift on a man 

 eminently worthy of the distinction 

 when it selected for its standard bear- 

 er for the coming year, by a unani- 

 mous vote, Marcellus A. Patten of 

 Tewksbury, Mass. Fitted by nature 

 with the intellectual gifts and manly 

 attributes, and by experience with the 



skill and practical knowledge which go 

 to make up the ideal chief officer of 

 such an Institution, Mr. Patten brings 

 to the office that dignity, character 

 and fitness which promise the highest 

 efficiency in the coming year. Mr. 

 Patten is a native of Lowell, Mass., 

 having been born in that city in 1849. 

 His first experience in floriculture was 

 with W. C. Strong & Co., Brighton, 

 Mass., and later with Weiland Bros., 

 Cambridge, after which he went into 

 the florist business on his own account 

 in Lowell. Subsequently he disposed 

 of his Lowell Interests and built a 

 range of houses at Tewksbury, where 

 his abilities as a carnation grower 

 soon commanded wide attention at the 

 exhibitions of the Massachusetts Hor- 

 ticultural Society, the American Carna- 

 tion Society and the Gardeners' and 

 Florists' Club of Boston, with all of 

 which organizations he has long been 

 identified, his flowers have won high 

 honors and he is accounted one of the 

 most skilful carnation growers for the 

 Boston market. 



BRIEFLY TOLD. 



W. R. Smith was missed from the 

 convention hall but he received many 

 calls at his home in the Botanic Gar- 

 den where he was confined by a slight 

 attack of grippe. 



F. H. Lemon proved to be an ideal 

 presiding officer. Cool, courteous, 

 well-balanced, firm when necessary and 

 never at a loss to define his position, 

 he held the reins like a professional. 



The three day scheme seems to have 

 demonstrated- its desirability, afford- 

 ing abundant time for deliberation, 

 gratulation and observation and no 

 doubt will be the rule for carnaiiuu 

 conventions henceforth. 



iluch comment was heard concerning 

 rhe small number of Boston entries in 

 the exhibition. The explanation is that 

 the express company would not agree 

 to deliver Boston shipments in time 

 for the judging at 1 P. M., Tuesday. 



Secretary Herr's announcement oi 

 his intention to withdraw from the 

 secretaryship next year makes a new 

 problem for the Carnation Society. 

 Secretary Herr has been a faithful, 

 hard working official and his place 

 cannot easily be filled. 



Only once before in its history, on 

 the occasion of its second visit to Bos- 

 ton, has the Carnation Society been 

 favored with fair weather and mode- 

 rate temperature. Washington did no- 

 bly and the weather man has our sin- 

 cere thanks. 



According to time-honored custom 

 the Boston delegation had its annual 

 symposium in the innermost cave of 

 the palace on Tuesday-Wednesday mid- 

 night and subsequent hours. No casu- 

 alties except to the baked beans, cod- 

 fish and other delicacies dear to the 

 New England gourmet. 



Indianapolis was congratulated on 

 its gracious and graceful acceptance 

 of defeat by Washington last year but 

 Pittsburg has beat the record with its 

 magnanimous proposition in the face 



