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THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



THE 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



OF AMERICA. 



MARTIN C. EBEL, Managing Editor, 



Published by 



CHRONICLE PRESS 



M. E. MAYNARD, President. A. A. FAY, Sec'y. 



Office of Publication 



1 MontKomery Street, Jersey City, N. J. 



New York Office 



236 WILLIAM STREET. NEW YORK CITY. 



^ 



Subscription Price. 12 Months. $1.00 Single Copies, 10 Cents 



Foreign, $1.50 

 Entered as second class matter February 18, 1905, at the Post Office at 

 Jersey City, N. J., under Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. 



Published on the 15th of each month. 



Advertising forms close on the 10th preceding publication. 

 For information regarding advertising rates, etc., address Advertising 

 Department, Gakdeners' Chronicle. Madison, N. J. 



ADOPTED AS THE OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE 

 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GARDENERS 



President, Vice-President, Treasurer, 



WM. H. WAITE, A. J. SMITH, 



Yonkers, N. Y. Lake Geneva, Wis. Mam 



Secretary, MARTIN C. EBEL, Madison, N. J. 



JAMES STUART, 

 Mamaroneck, N. Y. 



TRUSTEES FOR 1913. 



Peter Duff, Orange, N. J.; William Kleinheini, Ogonu, Pa.; William 

 Duckham, Madison, N. J.; Alexander MacKeniie, Glen Cove, N. Y.; John H. 



Dodds, Wyncote, Pa. 



DIRECTORS. 



To serve until 1914 — Robert Angus, Tarrytown, N. Y.; Robert Bottomley, 

 New Canaan, Conn.; Carl Schaeffer, Tuxedo Park, N. Y.; E. Wetterlow, 

 West Manchester, Mass.; T. J. Kempton, Baychester, N. Y.; E. Trethewey, 

 Tarrytown, N. Y.; Alexander Fraser, Newport, R. I. 



To serve until 1915— John Shore, Harrison. N. Y.; Thomas Proctor, 

 Lenox, Mass.; William N. Craig, North Easton, Mass.; Frank E. Witney, 

 Fishkill, N. Y.; Robert Williamson, Greenwich, Conn.; F. Kirk, Bar 

 Harbor, Me.; James Bell, New York, N. Y. 



To serve until 1916 — Thomas W. Logan, Jenkintown, Pa.; John F. Huss, 

 Hartford, Conn.; John W. Everett. Glen Cove, N. Y.; A. Bauer, Deal 

 Beach, N. J.; John W. Jones, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Alexander McPherson, 

 Washington, D. C; James C. Shield, Monticello, III. 



Vol. XVIL 



November, 1913. 



No. 1. 



An announcement made by David F. Houston, Secre- 

 tary of the United States Department of Agriculture, 

 while addressing an agricultural body in New Hampshire 

 a few days ago, indicates that he is opposed to the reck- 

 less distribution of free seeds annually indulged in by 

 the members of Congress. ^Ir. Houston's statement, that 

 it has been recommended to Congress to discontinue this 

 practice and that part of the $300,000 heretofore annually 

 donated to this purpose of free seed distribution, be ap- 

 propriated to procure and distribute among the people 

 new and valuable seeds and plants for experimental pur- 

 poses, will be received with much satisfaction by those 

 who have opposed the extravagant and wasteful custom 

 of free distribution in the past. 



If the recommendations are adopted by Congress, we 

 suggest that no better field could be sought than some of 

 the extensive private estates, scattered throughout the 

 United States, for experimental demonstrations of the 

 value and adaptability of new seeds and plants to the 

 variable climatic conditions which exist in our country. 

 No class will be found more interested than the gardeners 

 in charge of these private establishments to test out and 

 report on the merits of any new variety of plants or seeds 

 which the Department may distribute for such purposes. 



The annual confusion due to conflicting dates in hav- 

 ing the opening days of several of the local flower shows 

 adjacent to New York occur at the same time again 

 robbed us of the pleasure of visiting all the local exhibi- 

 tions this season, a pleasure we should much like to enjoy 

 annually. So that we may not be deprived of attending 

 any one of the annual dinners which will soon make their 

 appearance on the festal boards, may we hint to the vari- 

 ous committees in charge of their arrangements that if, 

 instead of an accumulation of dinner dates spreading 

 over a few nights only, it would be much appreciated 

 by those of us who aim to miss none of them, besides 

 being helpful to our digestive qualities, if these affairs 

 were so arranged that they would spread over several 

 winter months, rather than coming one upon the other. 

 This would also permit of a greater intercourse between 

 members of the various local societies at these functions 

 and would aid the growing fraternity which has developed 

 within the gardening profession. 

 * * * 



The decision reached by the National Association of 

 Gardeners, to have ladies present at future conventions 

 and to have them attend the annual banquet, was favor- 

 ably commented on by many of the out-of-town gar- 

 deners who came to New York to attend the convention, 

 accompanied by their wives, who were compelled to fore- 

 go the pleasure of attending the banquet or else sep- 

 arate from their better halfs to be present at the dinner. 

 It will not be difficult to provide other entertainment for 

 the ladies while the business sessions are on during the 

 convention, while their presence at the dinner will make 

 a more sociable function in everv wav. 



WISDOM. 



"Father," said the youngster, "I've a question I would 

 ask you : 

 W hen a gardener has a garden, what's the first thing 

 he plants in it?" 

 "First, my son," said father, "I've an errand I would 

 task you : 

 Run upstairs and get my pipe, and then I'll tell you 

 in a minute." 



Sonny ran, and father pondered, sought his gardening 

 dictionary. 

 The encyclopedia, and all the reference books he had. 

 He got lots of information, and his tone was light and 

 aiiy 

 When he turned to give an answer to the question of 

 his lad. 



First he talked of crop rotation, then of seed in varia- 

 tion. 

 And of fashioning the soil to meet the uses of the 

 root. 

 Sonny listened without motion. "True," he said, "but 

 I'd a notion 

 That the first tiling any gardener plants in gardens 

 is his foot!" 



— Herbert S. Richland. 



