October :i6, 1912 



H () R T 1 C V L T U R E 



569 



SHOULD THE FARMERS' NATION- 

 AL CONGRESS BE CHANGED 

 INTO A COUNTRY LIFE 

 FEDERATION? 

 At its meeting at New Orleans, La., 

 November 7, 1912, the Farmers Nat- 

 ional Congress will vote to change its 

 constitution. The new constitution 

 proposes a country lite federation of all 

 associations, institutions and other 

 general organizations primarily inter- 

 ested in country life. This federation, 

 if formed, will include State and Nat- 

 ional Departments of Agriculture, and 

 Agricultural colleges and experiment 

 stations, as well as associations of ag- 

 riculture, horticulture, live stock, etc. 

 Each organization with less than four 

 thousand members will be entitled to 

 one delegate, with a fee of $10. Larger 

 oreanizations will be entitled to addi- 

 tional delegates, with an additional 

 fee of $5 per delegate. The primary 

 purpose is to form a great national 

 country life or agricultural society in 

 which all existing country life organ- 

 izations have a part. The membership 

 will be in the form of delegates repre- 

 senting the respective societies, asso- 

 ciations and institutions. This coun- 

 try life federation would be on a par 

 with the American Federation of La- 

 bor, the American Federation of 

 Women's Clubs, the American Manu- 

 facturers' Association, the National 

 Education Association, and other like 

 great national bodies. 



Such a general organization would 

 have a large work to do and would 

 carry great weight in national agricul- 

 tural matters, both in Congress and 

 out. It is modeled on the plan of the 

 federation of states in the National 

 Government, hence would not affect 

 the autonomy of its constituent asso- 

 ciations and organizations, which 

 would be left free to perform their sev- 

 aral functions. Such a great national 

 agricultural society would be a strong 

 factor in building up farm families in 

 improving rural conditions throughout 

 and also in increasing the production 

 of farm produce for the cities. 



Invitations have been sent to all 

 organizations whose primary interest 

 is agriculture and country life. Those 

 not having received an invitation to 

 send delegates to the New Orleans 

 meeting, should send the address of 

 their presidents and secretaries, also 

 a copy of their constitutions to the 

 Secretary of the Farmers' National 

 Congress, J. H. Kimble, Port Deposit, 

 Maryland. 



TWO VALUABLE TROPHIES. 



ROOT CROPS IN GREAT BRITAIN. 



One of our English correspondents 

 writes as follows: 



"Statements have appeared in the 

 American Press inferring a failure of 

 the root-crops. Happily this is not 

 the case for not only are roots, such 

 as swedes, wurzel and beet of the 

 highest quality, but the crop is abun- 

 dant; indeed farmers are more than 

 satisfied, especially as the demand 

 during the coming winter will be great 

 owing to the shortage of hay and corn 

 for the cattle. In the North, Midlands 

 and in East Anglia the potato crop 

 has suffered immensely from disease 

 greatly accentuated by the wet, but 

 in other parts a good return is ex- 

 pected. 



The accompanying illustration shows 

 two sterling silver cups offered by the 

 Yonkers (N. Y.) Horticultural Society 

 for competition at their Chrysanthe- 

 mum Show, Oct. 30, 31 and Nov. 1. 



The larger cup is offered for best 24 

 specimen chrysanthemum blooms, and 

 its value is $125. The other is offered 

 for best bush plant and is valued at 

 $75. 



SEEDING FLOWER GARDENS TO 

 RYE. 



Did you ever stop to think bow 

 much fertility your soil loses by be- 

 ing left e.xposed, unprotected all win- 

 ter? 



Just notice the snow around your 

 garden fence, if your garden is left 

 this way and see how much fine soil 

 the wind blows out of the garden. 

 No wonder the weeds thrive there so! 

 Heavy rains will also soak and wash 

 out the different chemicals that go to 

 make a soil fertile, and then it is no 

 wonder that such large amounts of fer- 

 tilizer have to be applied to garden 

 soils. 



We always try to seed all garden 

 ground — even flower beds that are not 

 planted with bulbs— to rye. after the 

 frost has destroyed the tender bed- 

 ding plants. Then about the last of 

 February or March while the ground 

 is still frozen we like to apply a good 

 dressing of manure. The rye will ab- 

 sorb any liquids that may soak out 

 and when spaded and plowed under 

 in the spring will be a great benefit 

 to the soil. Of course, a little lime 

 must after be applied. 



This system works very good if done 

 right as it improves the looks of the 

 places much by leaving the garden 

 green in winter instead of the bare, 

 unsightly earth. 



ARTHUR C. RUZICKA. 



ST. LOUIS NOTES. 



President Weber of the Florist Club 

 has appointed a publicity committee 

 consisting of R. J. Windier, chairman; 

 Car! Beyer, and C. Bergsterman, wto 

 will report at the next meeting of the 

 club. 



Herman Niehous, one of the workers 

 at Berning's wholesale house, was 

 married on Saturday. Oct. 19, to Miss 

 Cora Reed. Herman will defer h's 

 honeymoon trip until later. He re- 

 ceived congratulations from the trade 

 early Monday morning. 



.T. J. Beneke, secretary of the Florist 

 Club, informs us that President R. 'Vin- 

 cent, Jr., of the S. A. F., will lecture 

 before the club at its December meet- 

 ing on the International Show, held in 

 London Ic'st May, and other European 

 shows. Arrangements will be made at 

 the next meeting for entertaining tie 

 president on that day. 



Visitors: Tim. Waters, of Poehl- 

 man's, Chicago; Julius Dillhof, of 

 Schloss Bros., New York, and Jam's 

 Morton. Chicago. 



Indianapolis, Ind. — The greenhouse 

 property of F. Sidney Smith, Thirty- 

 eighth street and Senate avenue, has 

 been sold for building purposes. 



SOME NEW CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 



Awards have lately been made by 

 the National Chrysanthemum Society 

 (England) to the following new varie- 

 ties: Crimson Polly, a crimson sport 

 from Polly; Bronze Perle, a bright 

 bronze sport from the border variety. 

 Pink Perle; Mrs. J. Fielding, a sport 

 from Goacher's Crimson; Framfield 

 Early White, pearly white; Joan Car- 

 ter, early-flowering border single, of 

 bright rich yellow; Alcalde, an early 

 flowering variety, of a brilliant chest- 

 nut crimson — a sport from Almirante. 



PHILADELPHIA NOTES. 



Max Villar has resigned his position 

 with Johnston Brothers. 



F. B. Pierce has opened a new flower 

 stoi-e at 115 Elmwood avenue. 



Louis J. Renter of Westerly is spend- 

 ing a three weeks' hunting trip n 

 Maine. 



George Johnson of the Elmwood 

 Nurseries has received judgment 

 against Edward Healey in the Sixth 

 District Court for $336.33. 



Morris Miller, formerly in business 

 on upper Westminster street, but who 

 recently gave up his place of business, 

 is now employed by F. Hoffman of 

 Pawtucket. 



Louie D. Pierce of Norwood, a for- 

 mer florist in that town, is a candi- 

 date for president of the Warwick 

 Town Council on the Democratic Divi- 

 sion-Bull Moose-Fusion ticket. 



S. A. G. 



