566 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



-some of your spare time to the study of the birds of 

 the fields, woods and meadows in your vicinity. You 

 will soon learn what a close inter-relation exists be- 

 tween the birds, the insects and ])lants. You will find 

 the birds are the guardians of the woods by their 

 untiring and ceaseless hunting for insect food ma- 

 terials. 



Each species of birds seems to be particularl}' adapt- 

 ed to a certain kind of work and to keep a check on 

 certain species of insects. Some birds, like the wood- 

 peckers and flickers, work on the trunks and branches 

 of the trees, others on the twigs and leaves. The busj' 

 quail and the meadowlark work among the grasses of 

 the fields and meadows and the towhee and others in 

 the shrubby undergrowth. 



By studying the habits of our native birds first hand 

 you will probably revise your opinion as to the eco- 

 nomic value of some of them. You will probably 

 find that some of the birds which you have formerly 

 condemhed for robbing you of a few grains or some 

 fruit, really are paying for this many times over by 

 the noxious insects which they consume ; and you 

 will also learn from this study that by planting wild 

 fruit-bearing trees and shrubs you might give these 

 birds a fruit diet without any trouble or cost, and you 

 will find that an intelligent study of this kind will 

 lead you to encourage masses of native growth on 

 your premises for the protection of the birds and the 

 orchard. This study will carry you still further into 

 the field of investigation and you will become inter- 

 ested in the preservation of our native plants for the 

 pleasure and protection they will afford yourself as 

 well as the birds. Economic ornithology is the study 

 of the value of birds as counted by dollars and cents, 

 and it is very convenient and helpful to the cause of 

 the preservation and propagation of our native birds 

 that we can prove that their protection means the 

 saving of money. It should not be necessary, however, 

 to use this low standard as a means of interesting the 

 American gardeners on this suliject. 



The gardener shniUd know that his ])rofession, while 

 in most cases not the most remunerative, is the most 

 interesting, instructive and healthful of all profes- 

 sions, full of open-air life, svmshine, flowers, and not 

 to forget, birds. 



When the gardeners generally come to realize this, 

 then there will be no need of urging them to come 

 forward with a helping hand in the work of preserva- 

 tion and propagation of useful birds, and their work 

 in this direction will be nation-wide and effective. 



In conclusion I wish to say that this paper has been 

 written as an appeal to the individual member of the 

 National Association of Gardeners to give his per- 

 sonal attention and support to this movement, not 

 alone because it is worth while from an economic 

 point of vievv', but because there is no more interesting 

 chapter in the book of nature than that one given to 

 the fascinating study of bird life. 



*Rearl befori 

 December 9. 



convention National .A'^^^ociation of Gardeners, Boston, 



CHARITY AND PRUDENCE. 



"The contradictions of life are many." said the philo- 

 sophic clubman. "Recently I came upon a drinking foun- 

 tain in a public park which bore two conflicting inscrip- 

 tions. One, the original inscription on the fountain, was 

 from the Bible : 'And whosoever will let him take the wa- 

 ter of life freely.' " 



"Above this hung a placard: 'Please do not waste the 

 water." " — Exchange. 



GARDEN CLUB OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PA. 



The annual meeting of the Garden Club of Allegheny County was 

 held on Friday afternoon. November 26, at the home of Mr. and 

 Mrs. Finley Il'all Lloyd, near Shields. Sewickley, Pa. The eler-tion 

 of ottiiers for tlie coming year was held, resulting in the following: 

 Mrs. Lloyd, president; Mrs. James D. Hailman and Mrs. W. Henry 

 R. Hilliard first and second vice-president, respectively, and the 

 re-election of the old Board of Managers composed of Mrs. Lloyd, 

 Mrs. Hailman and Mrs. Hilliard, Mrs. Benjamin Franklin .Jones, 

 Jr., Miss Alice Blaine Robinson, Mrs. James Stuart Brown. Mrs. 

 Gieorge Breed Gordon, Mrs. William Larimer .Jones, ilrs. Richard 

 Beatty Mellon, and Mrs. William H. Merciu-. The club, wliich 

 now has a limited membership of one hundred, is contemplating 

 the extension of the same. Owing to the approaching holidays 

 there will be no more sessions until January. 



HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. 



Tile new Horticultural Society of Western I'ennsylvania met 

 for its first reaular semi-monthly session on Wednesday evening, 

 December 1. in the East Liberty Branch of Carnegie Library. 

 Superintendent William Allen of the Homewood Cemetery, the 

 first vice-president, reported a representative visit to the recent 

 annual meeting of the Garden Club of Allegheny County, re- 

 sulting in the accession of sixteen associate members from the 

 latter to the new organization at five dollars per member, this 

 list promising to be shortly extended. Thomas Edward Tyler, the 

 secretary, wlio is in charge of the orchid houses of Charles D. 

 Armstrong, had an interesting display of cypropediums in variety. 

 This was supplemented by a talk on the culture of orchids. Jlr. 

 Tyler's exhibition included some line types of Sanderea, to which 

 he devotes one house, ami two specimens of hybrid cattleyas. Mr. 

 Huyler. the chrysanthemum grower for the Phipps Conservatory, 

 West Park. North Side, contributed a display of twelve late varie- 

 ties, single and pompons. In connection with this he mentioned 

 that the single varieties were usually pinched too late in the 

 season, thus jirecluding the desired long stems. 



The meeting was also devoted to a display of decorative Christ- 

 mas plants and a talk on Christmas decorations by one of the 

 leading down-town llorists. The first session of lOlti — January .5 

 — will iniliidc a discussion on the advisability of holding the first 

 annual chrvsaiithenunn show next autumn. 



PENNSYLVANIA STATE HORTICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 



The annual meeting of the State Horticultural Association of 

 Pennsylvania will be held at Reading, Pa., on January 18, 10 and 

 20. An interesting program will be mailed out the latter part of 

 December. Phases of fruit and \'egctable gi'<iwing of interest to 

 all liorticidtiuists and farmers will be taken up by lecturers. IHs- 

 cnssions will follow by growers and members of the association. 

 An interesting feature of the meeting will be the question box 

 which will be opened at each session, and the discussion led by 

 one of Pennsylvania's prominent growers. 



F. N. FAGAN, 

 Assistant Secretary. State College, Pennsylvania. 



MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



.\ meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultiu'al Society was held on Saturday, December 4. 



The special committee on the award of the George Robert White 

 Medal of Honor for the year 1015 reported the name of Ernest 

 Henry Wilson. 



The following standing committees of the society for the en- 

 suing year Avere appointed: 



Finance — Walter Hunnewell. chairman: Arthur F. Estabrook, 

 Stejihen M. Weld. 



Membership — I!. M. Saltonstall, chairnnin; Thomas Allen, 

 Thomas Rohinil. 



Prizes and J]xliibitions — .Tames Wheeler, chairman; John K. M. 

 L. Farquhar, Duncan Finlayson, T. D. Hatfield. A. H. Wingett. 



Plants and Flowers — William Anderson, chairman : Arthur H. 

 Fewkes, S. .J. Goddard. Donald McKenzie, William Sim. 



Fruits — Edward B. Wilder, chairman; W^illiam Downs, Ralph 

 W. Rees. 



Vegetables — John L. .Smith, chairman: Henry M. Howard, Wil- 

 liam C. Rust. 



Gardens — Richard M. Saltonstall, chairman; David R. Craig, 

 Jackson T. D.awson, William Nicholson, Charles .Sander. 



Library — Charles S. Sargent, chairman : Ernest B. Dane, Nathan- 

 iel T. Kidder. 



Lectures — Wilfrid Wheeler, chairman: John K. M. L. Farquhar, 

 F. C. Sears, Fred A. Wilson. 



Children's Gardens — Henry S. Adams, chairman; Wm. N. Craig, 

 Dr. Harris Kennedy, Mrs. W. Rodman Peabody, Miss Margaret A. 

 Rand. 



WM. P. RICH, Secretary. 



