252 ANNUAL REPOilT 



Mr. Stubbs. Can you give the parentage of the variety I 



Mr. J. M. Smith. I think the Sharpless for one and I have 

 forgotten the other. 



Mr. Stubbs. Is it a staminate or a pistilate? 



Mr. J. M. Smith. It is staminate or perfect flowering. A per- 

 fect flowering plant is really hermaphrodite, from a Greek word 

 signifying both male and female, or a perfect flowering plant. 



Mr. Bunnell. Have you tried it on sandy soil? 



Mr. J. M. Smith. I tried it on different ground^ I couldn't 

 find any place where it did well. 



Mr, Bunnell. I planted some on sandy soil and it didn't 

 amount to anything whatever. 



Mr. C. L. Smith. I tried them on sand, cla^, gravel and on 

 black loam, and they didn't do well on any of them. 



Mr. J. M. Smith. I wrote Mr. Green in regard to their ac- 

 tion on my soil; he replied there was something ''peculiarly un- 

 fortunate " about my soil, that nothing seemed to do well except 

 the Wilson. 



Mr. Kramer. The Wilson don't do anything on my grounds; 

 I have tried them several times and they are worthless on my 

 grounds. 



The following paper was then read: 



BIRDS m HORTICULTURE. 



By E. E. Harris, La Crescent. 



Every animated creature has its mission to perform and that 

 the mission of the birds is a very important one, no intelligent 

 person will deny. There are various way ii which birds are a 

 blessing and benefit to the human race, but as all will agree 

 their chief mission as related to mankind is to destroy and keep 

 within proper bounds the millions of injurious insects which in- 

 fest our land. Nothing has been created in vain, but if the only 

 mission of the birds is to eat worthless insects and the insects are 

 only bird food, then the creation of both birds and insects was 

 unnecessary. Anyone who has ever examined the great plan 

 of creation with an unprejudiced eye must have noticed how 

 wonderfully each creature is adapted to its own station, and has 

 its own work to perform which could not be done by any other 

 creature. And as man is placed at the head of all creation, it is 

 but reasonable to believe that all creatures, no matter how in- 



