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The banana plant in the economic house fruited this year, 
although in 1917 it missed fruiting, probably due to the reduction 
of temperature in the greenhouses. Two years and three years 
ago it bore fruit in the early winter, the 1916 bunch weighing 214 
pounds. The present crop, harvested about the middle of 
August, weighed only 59 pounds, as a result of the very unfavor- 
able winter conditions, caused by the coal shortage. 
American and German E fficiency.—Vhe searchlight of war has 
brought out many interesting facts, and one of these is that the 
vaunted German efficiency will not always stand the test of com- 
parison with American efficiency. The Germans boasted of being 
the greatest farmers on earth. Investigation shows that in effi- 
ciency in agriculture, measured by the produce per acre, Amer- 
ica being graded 100, Belgium leads the world, at 205; Great 
Britain comes second, at 164; and Germany third, at 155; Amer- 
ica comes fourth. 
But the better test is the man test, rather than the acre test, 
and here America leads the world by over 2 to 1. Again, grad- 
ing America at 100 per farm worker, Great Britain produces 43 
and Germany 41. The American farmer cultivates 27 acres, the 
German farmer but 7. With the aid of vast quantities of fer- 
tilizer the German produces more per acre, but he produces at a 
much greater cost per bushel and he produces much less than 
half as much per man. (Bureau of Publicity Weekly Press Mat- 
ter No. 37.) 
Mr. John Harrison Dick, editor of the “ Florists’ Exchange,” 
died suddenly on March 25, after an operation for appendicitis. 
Mr. Dick came to this country in October, 1910, giving up the 
editorship of the English “ Journal of Horticulture” to assume 
the duties of editor of the “ Florists’ Exchange.’ He was sec- 
retary of the American Dahlia Society, and a member of the 
executive committee of the American Sweet Pea Society. On 
June 21, Mrs. Dick presented to the Garden, from Mr. Dick’s 
library, fifty-four books, and various botanical illustrations. 
On Saturday, October 5, at 10 A. M. was held the third an- 
nual ice cream party of the children who have had plots during 
