H liT IC U LT U K K 



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AMERICAN SWEET PEA SOCIETY 



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The annual meetine of the American 

 Sweet Pea Society convened In Horti- 

 cultural Hall, Boston, on Saturday, 

 July 7. Twenty-flve memliers were 

 present and President Kerr occupied 

 the chair. After the usual routine 

 proceedinns, address by the president 

 and reports by the secretary and treas- 

 urer, l*rofessor Beal reporlcd for the 

 trials at Cornell, stating that on ac- 

 count of the failure of slate funds the 

 past year had l>een unproductive but 

 that the necessary financial support 

 for the present season had been fortli- 

 coming and a better report would be 

 presented next year. He said that the 

 Australian race of sweet peas were 

 under test last winter but had been 

 destroyed by gas and so no definite 

 conclusions could now be given on the 

 varieties under test. 



William Sim brought up the matter 

 of the unreliability of the seed of new 

 and costly novelties, stating that in 

 his experience many strains had been 

 found wickedly mixed with poor 

 varieties, some stocks of Christmas 

 Pink, even, coming not more than 25 

 per cent, pure; W. N. Craig endorsed 

 Jlr. Sim's complaint and William Gray 

 said that he felt well pleased when he 

 got 25 per cent, of purity in his pur- 

 chases. 



It was voted to ratify the executive 

 committee's recommendation that the 

 fiscal year begin on .January 1. and 

 a vote of thanks was given the Massa- 

 chusetts Hortictiltural Society for 

 many courtesies extended. A com- 

 mittee was authorized to get out a 

 workable set of by-laws. All bills due 

 were ordered paid and the Society 

 was declared free of all debts and eni- 

 barassing incumbrances. 



Xew York City, through J. Harrison 

 Dick and others extended an invita- 

 tion to meet there next year and after 

 some lively discussion it was finally 

 decided as the sense of the meeting to 

 convene in New York in 1918. Mr. 

 Dick suggested the establishment of a 

 medal or other memorial in commemo- 

 ration of the services to the Sweet Pea 

 by the late William T. Hutchins and 

 after discussion this was referred to 

 the executive committee for considera- 

 tion. On motion of Mr. Sperling all 

 the present officers were renominated 

 and elected to serve for another year. 

 James Wheeler was elected an hon- 

 orary member of the Society by an 

 unanimous vote. 



Address by President George W. Kerr. 



As president of the American Sweet 

 Pea Society, I welcome the members 

 present to this, our Ninth Annual 

 meeting, and the third meeting held 

 in Boston during the past five years. 

 Those members who, like myself, have 

 attended all our exhibitions must have 

 obser\'ed the great strides made in the 

 quality of the exhibits, the improved 

 methods of staging the flowers, and 

 year by year the many new colors and 

 varieties which are now exhibited. 



Improved methods of culture are of 

 course responsible for the fine flowers 



we now see. The day of simply sow- 

 ing our Sweet Peas in the spring 

 where they are intended to flower and 

 cutting therefrom blooms to win cups 

 or premier honors in keen competi- 

 tion, is indeed past. But, might I 

 sound a note of warning against grow- 

 ing our plants so strongly as to induce 

 coarseness of flower. Although 1 ad- 

 mire large flowers, I abhor any suspi- 

 cion of coarseness, as it Immediately 

 detracts from the dainty simplicity 

 iif the Sweet Peas. 



I regret that owing to the backward 

 season I am unable to make an ex- 

 hibit today. The flowers which were 

 being specially grown for my Arm in 

 the neighborhood of Boston are only 

 now showing a few scattered flowers, 

 and I am sorry that I am not the 

 only exhibitor whose plants are yet 

 so backward. However, we unfortu- 

 nates must hope for better luck at 

 our next convention. 



The Society is greatly Indebted to 

 two of its members who by their un- 

 tiring efforts assisted the treasury so 

 materially last fall. I refer to Messrs. 

 Totty and Stalford. The thanks of 

 the society must also be extended to 

 Mr .Morse of San Francisco, who in 

 the fall of 1915 was instrumental in 

 securing for us several much needed 

 subscriptions. 



Since our last annual meeting wo 

 have lost the actire services of the 

 moving spirit of the American Sweet 

 Pea Society, in fact, one who was in- 

 strumental in organizing the society, 

 namely Mr. Harry A. Bunyard, who 

 served the society in the capacity of 

 secretary since its inception and to 

 whom we owe our heartiest thanks. 



Your committee were, however, for- 

 tunate in securing the services of 

 another able and capable secretary, one 

 who knows Sweet Peas from A to Z, 

 and is also able to grow them to per- 

 fection. We have not yet forgotten 

 .Mr. Gray's Sweet Peas exhibited at 

 tlie last Sweet Pea Show held in New 

 York in 1914. 



That the Sweet Pea srtill retains 

 its pride of place as lirs't favorite 



among all annuals, can not bo gain- 

 said. Had I had any doubt of its pre- 

 eminence, such doubts would have 

 been shattered during my recent visit 

 to the seed growing district of Cali- 

 fornia, where I had the great pleasure 

 of looking over from one to two 

 thousand acres of this charming 

 flower. It naturally made one wonder 

 where all the seed went to. 



The new type of Sweet Peas, namely 

 I he Karly flowering Spencers is dee- 

 tined to still furthur enhance its popu- 

 larity. In addition to its value for 

 winter flowering under glass, this 

 type will flourish in very warm 

 climates where the summer flowering 

 varieties are almost valueless. For 

 instance, from sowings made in 

 Florida in late September, the new 

 Early flowering Spencers will begin 

 to bloom by Christmas and continue 

 flowering until May. They are also 

 valuable for extending our blooming 

 season in the North. I understand 

 that they are now being grown to the 

 exclusion of all other types in Aus- 

 tralia. 



In closing might I urge the mem- 

 bers to assist our Society by inducing 

 their flower loving friends to become 

 members. Every subscription helps, 

 and now that we have our heads well 

 above water, let us with united effort 

 make what is at present a comparar 

 lively small society, a large and 

 flourishing one. 



Our thanks must be extended to 

 Mr. Gray our secretary for his un- 

 ceasing work on our behalf during the 

 past winter and spring. Also Mr. 

 Dick for his careful compilation of 

 our first bulletin. Messrs, Gray and 

 Dick are aiming at something more 

 ))retentious in our next bulletin, and 

 we must all do our best to help them. 



Secretary Gray's Report. 

 Having served as your secretary for 

 a period of less than six months, it 

 can hardly be expected that I will tire 

 you with a very lengthy report of 

 what has been accomplished. On Jan. 

 18, at an executive meeting called by 



Partial View uf tbe Sweet Pea Show In Horticultural Hall, Boston. 



