PENINSUAL HORTICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 97 



The Maryland College exhibited 150 varieties of plums, which 

 attracted much attention, but there were only twenty plates of ap- 

 ples shown and a few pears. Every little town has a cannery for 

 peaches, tomatoes, pears and corn, and the clashing of interests be- 

 tween growers and canners were very hard to reconcile. 



The plums, which were in glass, were put up by Mr. Kerr, of 

 Denton, who had 250 varieties at the Baltimore meeting of the state 

 society. I spent two delightful days, at Mr. Kerr's place and 

 tasted Japan plums, chestnuts, walnuts and a great variety of fruits 

 that I had never seen. The visit impressed me with the wonderful 

 possibilities of fruit growing in this region, though they labor under 

 the same difficulties that confront us with insects and fungous dis- 

 eases. 



SOME THOUGHTS BY AN AMATEUR ON OUTDOOR 

 IMPROVEMENTS. 



MRS. FLORENCE BARTON CORING, MINNEAPOLIS. 



The mental notes from which I shall glean today cluster about 

 the home. The house itself does not come within my province 

 further than this — when building, one ought to consider fitness. 

 As we all know, one style of architecture may be perfectly adapted 

 to seashore or mountain, and be actually absurd for the purpose 

 of a town house. An appropriate and picturesque country home 

 may lose half its attraction on a city residence street; and in the 

 former instance the natural surroundings, while in the latter the 

 character of thoroughfare and size of lot, will lead to still further 

 distinctions and modifications. 



The house once decided upon, what is the first outdoor im- 

 provement to be attempted? Obviously, the planting of trees, un- 

 less happily present. As some one wittily said, "Large trees will 

 not come to us: we must go to them — and a good way to have 

 trees at once is to plant them a long time ago." And how frequently 

 the early settlers abused this opportunity of having fine trees at 

 once! Cutting down bur and scarlet oaks ruthlessly, turning beau- 

 tiful oak openings into deserts, a vandalism which caused their suc- 

 cessors many a sigh of regret. So much has been said, and is like- 

 ly to be said, regarding planting, that I will only hazard a few 

 ideas in this connection, and these from my own standpoint. A 

 street with no vegetation on its borders, either in parking or lot, 

 is indeed a sight for "glorious grief or solemn mirth!" But why 

 should the ornamentation be always trees and so many of them? 



