THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



763 



SECRETARY HOUSTON TO THE BOY AGRI- 

 CULTURAL CHAMPIONS. 



Washixctox, D. t". — iJavul F. Houston, Secretary of 

 Agriculture, on Saturday morning presented the coveted 

 diplomas of the Department of Agriculture to the seventy- 

 five State champions of the corn, potato, cotton, canning, 

 gardening" and poultry clubs. 



Mr. Houston, in presenting the diplomas, said in part: 



"I am told that you represent an army of 200,000 young- 

 people. You are a new sort of champions and a new sort 

 of army, and one that we are going to need more and 

 more in this nation. You have undertaken a task, you 

 have planned it; you have persisted; you have accom- 

 plished it. The system that you have followed is one 

 which, if pursued by all the farmers in this nation, might 

 revolutionize agriculture and make it impossible for this 

 country for many generations to come to think of de- 

 pendence on foreign nation^ for its food supplies. 



"It is a real achievement to be a prize-winner. It evi- 

 dences very high qualities — ciualities of character, intelli- 

 gence and industr)'. These are the qualities which make 

 the nation strong, and a nation that possesses citizens 

 having these qualities may easily hope to keep the su- 

 premacy in the industry of the world. It has always 

 seemed to me that in the long run perhaps the most per- 

 manent satisfaction in life comes from doing well a task 

 which is well worth doing, and you young people, it seems 

 to me. are entitled to this satisfaction on this day. There 

 is a very great honor in what you have done. The ex- 

 perts, who I admit have to do more or less guessing, tell 

 us that only 12 per cent, of the farms in this country are 

 yielding reasonably full returns — not such returns as you 

 have secured in your undertakings. 



''Think what it would mean for this nation if most of 

 the farmers, or if many of the farmers, could secure a 

 >ield of corn equal to that which your champion corn pro- 

 ducer has given the country. 232 bushels of corn, at a cost 

 per bushel of less than 20 cents. 



"Now, young people, you have a definite responsibility 

 resting upon you. The prize-winner always has. You 

 have established a standard of achievement that you can- 

 not afYord to fall below, not only in this direction but in 

 every other. Your people are .going to expect you to do 

 everything else just as well as you have done this thing, 

 and you have given evidence of qualities that will make 

 it i)ossible. The Department of Agriculture and every 

 agricultural institution in this nation is looking for men 

 who can do things a little better than anybody else. Now 

 you have shown that you can do things better than your 

 fellows and better than ycnir elders, and if you will keep 

 it up. this department and the colleges will know where 

 to loiik in the future for leaders." 



THE AMERICAN SWEET PEA SOCIETY. 



A meeting of the Board of Directors of the American 

 Sweet Pea Society was held at the offices of Peter Hender- 

 son & Co., New York, on Tuesday, November IS. the 

 vice-president, A. M. Kirby. in the chair. 



.'secretary Bunyard announced that the management of 

 the International Flower Show had donated $250 for prizes 

 to be awarded in the sweet ])ea section of the show to be 

 held in the Grand Central Palace, New York, March 21 

 to 2S. Cieorge V. Nash, secretary of the FTorticultural 

 Society of New York, was present and repc^-ted that the 

 council of the society invited the American Sweet Pea So- 

 ciety to hold its annual meeting and exhibition at the 

 museum in the Botanical C.ardens. Bronx Park, June 27 

 and 28, and offered $200 in i)remiums. Considerable dis- 

 cussion ensued,- the result being that the directors were 



unanimous in their belief that Bronx Park was loo far 

 away from the center of New York City to suit the con- 

 venience of exhibitors and to insure a good attendance 

 on the part of the iniblic. The dates appeared to meet the 

 approval of the board, but it was thought that, if it were 

 possible, the American Museum of Natural History, 

 Seventy-seventh street and Columbus avenue, would be 

 a much more convenient and desirable building in which 

 to hold the exhibition. A resolution was passed to this 

 effect, and Secretary Bunyard was instructed to forward 

 a copy 'of same to the Horticultural Society, and was 

 authorized to attend the meeting of the council of that 

 society in December when, it was understood, the matter 

 would come up for consideration. 



The secretary presented a statement covering the finan- 

 cial affairs of the society, which showed them to be in 

 good shape. 



The preliminary schedule of premiums for exhibits at 

 the June exhibition was drafted, and changes were made 

 in the conditions covering some of the usual classes. 



The secretary was instructed to approach the various 

 seed houses interested in the advancement of the sweet 

 pea, with the purpose of forming a prize fund which 

 would amoimt to $.S00 or more. 



Air. Kirby for Peter Henderson & Co., Mr. Burpee 

 for W. Atlee Burpee & Co. and Mr. Bunyard for the 

 house of Arthur T. Toddington, each subscribed $50 

 toward this fund. 



Much enthusiasm was manifested at the meeting, and 

 from the arrangements made and prospects as reported, 

 the exhibition in 1914 should outrival all previous exhibi- 

 tions of this society. H. A. Buxy.ard. 



On Saturday, December 13, Secretary Harry A. Bun- 

 yard met the council of the Horticultural Society of New 

 York in the Museum of Natural History and presented 

 the resolution passed at the meeting of the directors of the 

 Sweet Pea Society that it was the sense of the meeting 

 that it would be ])ossible to hold the annual exhibition 

 and convention in the Museum of Natural History. After 

 considerable discussion it was voted mianimously by the 

 council of the Horticultural Society of New York that 

 the exhibition be held as above stated in the American 

 IVfuseum of Natural History, the tentative date being 

 given as the 27th and 28th of June, 1914. 



OUR WILD FLOWERS. 



True lovers of nature cannot but view with regret the 

 rajjid disappearance of many of our wild flowers. Unaided 

 by the hand of man. nature has given to these products 

 of her art a charm that is all her own. In what more de- 

 lightful wa\' could one spend an afternoon than by strol- 

 ling through the shady woodland aisles, and in her per- 

 fumed jewels in their mossy settings, see nature at her 

 best. 



.Against the onward march of civilization nature has 

 had to give way. The wild flowers that were once so 

 plentiful are rapidly disappearing. Our woodlands have 

 become the grazing grounds of cattle or have been turned 

 into parks. Probably the former jiractice has been re- 

 sponsible more than any other for tiie destruction of the 

 wild flow ers. Woodlands are of little or no value as pas- 

 ture and for the conservation of our forest wealth, cattle 

 should not be allowed to graze in wood lots. 



In the management of our parks more attention should 

 be paid to the preservation of the wild flowers. Every 

 effort should be made to introduce the once profuse flow- 

 ers that are now so conspicuous by their absence. Some 

 varieties are now almost extinct. The Ontario Horticul- 

 tural Association might well devote attention to their 

 preservation. — Caiiaduui Horticulturist. 



