July 23, 1910 



HORTICULTURE, 



109 



A VISIT TO KINGSTON, R. I. 



The Florists' and Gardeners' Club of 

 Rhode Island, on Monday, 18th inst., 

 enjoyed a most delightful and instruc- 

 tive visit 10 the Rhode Island State 

 College at Kingston. The members, to 

 the number of fifteen, were joined at 

 the R. R. Station in Providence by 

 Jackson Dawson, M. H. Norton and 

 W. J. Stewart who had come down 

 from Boston on invitation. The party 

 was under the direction of Secretary 

 W. E. Chappell who on arrival at 

 Kingston handed them over to the 

 custody of Dr. H. J. Wheeler, Director 

 ot the Experiment Station, who had 

 conveyances in waiting to carry the 

 visitors to the College grounds on the 

 hill, two miles distant. At the ground.? 

 Dr. Wheeler was joined by the Presi- 

 dent of the College. Dr. Howard Ed- 

 wards, who presently escorted the 

 gui'Sts to a substantial dinner and for 

 the rest of the day these two gentle- 

 men were indefatigable in their efforts 

 to entertain and give infoniiation as 

 to the work this institution is doing. 



The Rhode Island State College is 

 doing a splendid service for the 

 young men and young women of the 

 State. With only moderate resources, 

 the educational work in every depart- 

 ment is being carried on on a com- 

 prehensive scale and the College ac- 

 tivities will not suffer in comparison 

 with* those of any agricultural college 

 in the country. The Extension Depart- 

 ment is well organized and the peo- 

 ple of the State are taking full ad- 

 vantage of the advantages offered for 

 a rational education in the things that 

 appertain to outdoor life and the en- 

 joyment of rural environment. The 

 agricultural and horticultural depart- 

 ments are especially well organized 

 and equipped. At the present time the 

 Summer School is in session, many of 

 the pupils at this season being school 

 teachers who are making practical use 

 of their vacation in studying up so as 

 to fully adapt their instruction to the 

 needs of their time. 



The various dormitories, labora- 

 tories, halls and administrative build- 

 ings, all stately and substantial, 

 several being of granite quarried on 

 the spot, and their uses and equipment, 

 ■were shown and described to the 

 visitors who then repaired to the fields 

 in which Dr. Wheeler's experimental 

 work on crops and soil is carried on. 

 No better adapted piece of land for 

 farming operations could be found 

 anywhere. Very extensive experi- 

 menting and investigation on soil fer- 

 tility, use and effect of various ferti- 

 lizers, rotation of crops and similar 

 problems are being conducted by Dr. 

 Wheeler, many of them new in charac- 

 ter and unique in scope and the length 

 of time over which the trials extend 

 gives especial value and reliability to 

 the deductions arrived at. Some of 

 the trials have been going on with 

 careful exactness and uniformity for 

 ten and twelve years and will be con- 

 tinued still further before final sum- 

 ming up is made. 



One trial will serve for example. A 

 series of plots, each one-tenth of an 

 acre, are being used to determine th'" 

 result of plants on plants and what 

 crops can profitably follow one an- 

 other. In the present instance onions 

 are being used and the effect of various 

 previous crops on onions is tested, the 

 land having been under preparation 

 for ten years. The comparative crop 



Cincinnati Florists' f^ociETr 



At Uesiftenoe of Giis .idri,-!!!, Clifton. Jul.v 1], 1910. 



of onions this year on these various 

 plots is very impressive, those on 

 land where red top, oats and millet 

 were the preparatory crop respec- 

 tively being very fine and those where 

 rye. buckwheat or cabbage had been 

 grown being impoverished and worth- 

 less. Swede turnips, mangles and 

 timothy show medium poor results and 

 onions and potatoes fairly good. The 

 final work will be in the line of ex- 

 perimentation on each of these plots 

 to ascertain what fertilizing constitu- 

 ent should be restored in each in- 

 stance to bring the land back into 

 condition for onion growing and the 

 work can. of course, be extended to 

 other crops indefinitely. 



Other interesting researches, among 

 the many, are the grass tests, where 

 plots of various species and special 

 mixtures are being treated with cer- 

 tain fertilizers in systematic succes- 

 sion to determine lawn value, in which 

 the encouraging effect of an alkaline 

 soil on weed growth is plainly seen 

 and the cleanliness of an acid soil 

 demonstrated although in other res- 

 pects not all the advantage is on the 

 acid side. In the greenhouses inter- 

 esting experiments covering a series 

 ot years are being made to determine 

 how to keep the same soil going the 

 longest time without change, in the 

 carnation benches. 



The above is merely an intimation 

 of the many interesting things which 

 the visitors were shown on this 

 pleasant occasion. Refreshments were 

 served at the time for departure, 

 when Mr. Stewart took opportunity to 

 express on behalf of the guests their 

 grateful appreciation of the attention 

 which had been shown them and of 

 the excellent work being done at this 

 institution. 



ST. LOUIS TO ROCHESTER. 



Otto G. Koenig, S. A. P., vice-presi- 

 dent for Missouri, is sending out the 

 following bulletin: 



De.nr Sir: — 



It lieiiig one of tlie dutie.s of tlie State 

 \ ir/e-I'resi(Ient to look -ifter the welf.-u-e of 

 nipinl.ers maldng tlie Convention trip to 

 Uocliester in Augnst, it gives me pleasure 

 to notify von 'lerewitb lliat (lie ofH^'ial 

 rcnite .-uol train from ,St. Lonis to tlie Con- 

 vention Citv will lie tUe Big Fonr "Knick- 

 erlioiker Special" leaving St. Louis Union 

 Station at I.IX) o'clock noon, Monday, Aug- 

 ust l.'.tli. 



Tlie .special rnllnian proviileil for the 

 party will be fully eipiippoci ami arrive in 

 liocliester at iVi'ii Tiiesdav inorning. The 

 f.ire for tbe rouinl trip from St. Louis to 

 Hooliester and return including tiiirty (30) 

 day ^top-over wlien and when? desired is 

 f23.m. aside from sleeper reserv,itiou 

 nliidi is $-LWi for eaoli way. 



Those who have made the trip on this 

 train to Ni.'igara Palls two years ago may 

 renieinher the many pleasures and tb^ vevy 

 coiu-teons manner in which Kig Fonr otH- 

 cals served the Convention party and al- 

 though the termiiiu.s of this traiii is Buf- 

 falo, yet provisions have been made for 

 the "Florists Special" to move onward in- 

 to Rochester. 



Since it will be necessary to make due 

 and prompt provisions to make all eonven- 

 lenees available von will liindly reply by 

 return mail whether or not you' intend be- 

 ing one of our party to the Rochester Cou- 

 ventimi or if not positive at the present 

 nine what tbe possibilities are, also kindly 

 let me have items of interest or trade eoii- 

 ditions which may become a part of the 

 Missouri State Vice-President's report. 



Further information can lie had by 

 applying to 



Yours truly, 



OTTO G. KOENIG. 

 State Vice-President. 

 (i-JT.'i Florissant Ave.. St. Louis. Mo. 



J. W. Seitz, manager of the Butte 

 Floial company, Biitte, Mont., is on 

 his way back after a visit to his 

 mother's old home in Cincinnati. He 

 left there 30 years ago to try his for- 

 tune in the golden west with which he 

 is more than satisfied. On his return 

 Mr. Seitz will stop for a few days at 

 Denver, where he spent several years 

 before going to Butte. 



NATIONAL FLOWER SHOW. 



A meeting of the Board of Control 

 is to be held within a day or two at 

 Boston to perfect arrangements apper- 

 taining to the National Flower Show 

 for 1911. 



The committee will have a designat- 

 ed headquarters at Convention Hall. 

 Rochester, during the S. A. F. Con- 

 vention, August 16 to 19. next, and 

 Chester I. Campbell, manager of the 

 show will establish his office there 

 during that time, where he will be pre- 

 pared to discuss matters of detail and 

 arrange for space assignments and 

 rentals in the section devoted to Trade 

 Displays. 



