March, 1914. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



71 



proceed with this line of work. This is only 

 what might be expected. Opposition of 

 this character only tends to convince those 

 who are at the back of such movements that 

 it springs from selfish motives that are in- 

 imicable to their interests, and thereby* is 

 likely to lead them to put forth renewed 

 efforts. 



PUBLISHER'S DESK 



Our front cover illustration this month 

 shows the interior of one of the green- 

 houses of Mr. R. H. Ellis, Leamington, 

 Ontario. Mr. Ellis is one of the most suc- 

 cessful growers of early tomatoes in On- 

 tario. The splendid crop shown in the il- 

 lustration is an indication of his ability. 

 ♦ #_ * 



The .'Vpril issue of The Canadian Horti- 

 culturist wil be our Third Annual Spring 

 Planting and Gardening Number. In 

 .■\pril the gardening fever seizes most ama- 

 teurs with its greatest force. This issue 

 will be filled with articles that will give 

 them just the information they are most 

 likely to need at this season of the year. 

 Our gardening numbers in 1912 and 1913 

 proved most popular. We anticipate that 

 this year's number will please our readers 

 even more. The front illustration will show 

 a beautiful garden, the attractiveness of 

 which is heightened by a well-arranged 

 pergola. This will be the finest front cover 

 of the kind we have ever published on The 

 Canadian Horticulturist. Among the spe- 

 cial articles the issue will contain one en- 

 titled "Orchids, the Goddesses of the Flower 

 Family," by Mr. F. E. Buck, of the Cen- 

 tral Experimental Farm, Ottawa. This 

 article will be a description of the successful 

 methods followed by ex-Mayor J. A. Ellis, 

 , M.L.A., of Ottawa, an amateur grower of 

 orchids who has met with great success. 

 An article on orchids written by Mr. Ellis, 

 and published in The Canadian Horticul- 

 turist some time ago, attracted so much 

 attention we have been led to obtain this 

 special article as the result of a special 

 request that we -should do so. 



"A Perennial Border at Small Cost," il- 

 lustrated with a diagram, will be the title 

 of a practical article by a young woman 

 contributor in Quebec, • whose record of 

 practical experience should prove most 

 helpful. Mr. Wm. Hunt, of Guelph, will 

 write on "Planting Notes for the Spring- 

 time," and Mr. J. McPherson Ross, of Tor- 

 onto, on "Plans for This Year's Garden." 

 One of the most successful rose growers 

 .in Canada is Mr. Jas. M. Bryson, gardener 

 for Mr. Moore, the well-known rose en- 

 thusiast of Toronto. A feature of our April 

 issue will be an article by Mr. Bryson on 

 rose growing. The foregoing are only som« 

 of the interesting subjects that will be dis- 

 cussed in the garden section of our April 

 !-=;ue. « » » 



In the vegetable department of the April 

 issue of The Canadian Horticulturist two 

 articles of special interest that will appear 

 will be entitled "Progressive Vegetable 

 Culture," by S. C. Johnson, B.S.A., who 

 will give the results of a visit to the estab- 

 lishments of some of the large vegetable 

 growers in the United States. A second 

 article will be entitled "Irrigation and Its 

 Practical Results." This wiU be a report 

 of one of the best addresses delivered at 

 the last annual convention of the Ontario 



Vegetable Growers' Association by Mr. J. 

 J. Davis of London, Ontario. The fruit de- 

 partment of the paper will as usual be 

 strong. It will include an article by a 

 prominent Nova Scotia grower, pointing 

 out the necessity for Canadian fruit growers 

 so perfecting their methods now that they 

 will be ready for the greatly increased pro- 

 duction of fruit that it is anticipated wiii 

 take place during the next few years. Don't 

 miss our April issue. 



• « « 



Last year the April issue of The Cana- 

 dian Horticulturist made a record that re- 

 mained unbroken throughout the year. This 

 indicates that advertisers who desire to en- 

 sure their advertisements receiving the best 

 positions and attention in our April issue 

 should endeavor to have their copy reach us 

 early. As the April issue will be a money- 

 getter for the. advertisers who take advan- 

 tage of the opportunities it offers our ad- 

 vertisers are advised to have their copy 

 reach us by the 10th to the 15th of the 

 month, .^fter that date it will be more 

 difficult for us to give them the service 

 we would like. 



SOCIETY NOTES 



We Invite the oCBcera of Hortd- 

 oultural Societies to send In short, 

 pithy rei>orta of work that wonld in- 

 terest mem/bers of other Horticultural 

 Sodetiee. 



A Progressive Society* 



Dr. F. E. Bennett, St. Thomai, Ont. 



Back in the fall of 1910, when I was elect- 

 ed president of the St. Thomas Horticul- 

 tural Society, I found a membership of one 

 hundred and twenty-four, but not much work 

 being done. Nothing had been done along 

 the lines of public flower beds and little 

 along educative lines. Realizing that some- 

 thing must be done if the society was to be- 

 come a power in St. Thomas, I consented 

 to accept the presidency only on condition 

 that one hundred dollars be grantea lor tue 

 laying out of fifteen flower beds on the wide 

 boulevard which parallels the Michigan 

 Central tracks for over a mile. These flow- 

 er beds cost us six dollars each, the flowers 

 being bought of a local florist. 



From the first the people of the city* 

 showed their apreciation of our work, with 

 the result that when we canvassed for new 

 members we secured three hundred and 

 thirty-seven. In the following summer we 

 revived the lawn and garden contests, one 

 hundred and twenty-five members entering. 

 Liberal prizes were offered, but we found 

 that the number of classes was too limited, 

 as, for instance, in the garden competi- 

 tions, the working men's gardens coming 

 in the same class as the gardens of those 

 who could afford to employ gardeners to 

 tend them. 



Monthly flower shows were organized, 

 starting with tulips and spring flowers, then 

 peonies, then roses, and so on through the 

 summer and fall, each class of flowers in 

 its turn. Where did you hold these shows, 

 you ask ? We held them in store windows, 

 and to this fact I largely attribute the big 

 growth of the St. Thomas Society. Each 

 succeeding show was an increasing success 

 until with the last it was a problem to 



accommodate the entries. The shows were 



J 



•Rxtract from an address delivered at the last 

 annual convention of the Ontario Horticultural 

 Association. 



always held on Saturdays, which being mar- 

 ket day, and a kind of parade day, enabled 

 large crowds of sightseers to see something 

 of what the society was doing. The show 

 windows were the objective of large crowds 

 all day and especially in the evenings. 



With the store windows exhibits the peo- 

 ple can hardly help seeing the beautiful 

 flowers and becoming first interested and 

 then converted to the aims and objects of 

 the Horticultural Society. We charge no 

 fees for these shows, because the people 

 who can afford to pay and would pay are 

 those who already grow flowers and are 

 already converted. The society furnishes 

 receptacles for the flowers which become 

 the property of the society. 



Now there is always a big demand for 

 these prize winning and show flowers, and 

 much money could be made by selling them, 

 but we have adopted in St. Thomas what 

 rve believe to be the better way, in that it 

 has helped immensely in popularising the 

 society and its work. We ask the pastors 

 of all the churches to provide us with the 

 names of any sick and aged people of whom 

 they know, and early on Sunday morning 

 autos are called into service and the bou- 

 quets distributed, each bearing a neat lit- 

 tle card, tendering the compliments of the 

 society to the recipient. Try this in your 

 own town if you wish to make friends for 

 your society. 



Then, too, in this distribution of one of 

 nature's finest gifts to man, "the stranger 

 within our gates" is not forgotten, the poor 

 foreigner in the hospital receiving a bou- 

 quet along with the rest. Nor are the old 

 folks in the Home forgotten; some of the 

 best are always saved for them, and I wish 

 some of you could be with me and see the 

 faces of the poor old ladies, "somebody's 

 mothers" brighten as they gaze on and 

 touch with almost reverent care, the flowers 

 that remind them of days when fickle for- 

 tune smiled on them from some almost for- 

 gotten flower bed. 



Another membership campaign is on, and 

 from a membership of three hundred and 

 thirty seven we have jumped to seven hun- 

 dred and eight, with every prospect before 

 the campaign of 1914 closes of over twelve 

 hundred. Here are some of the many rea- 

 sons given for joining the society: "We 

 like the flower shows"; "We like the public 

 flower beds"; "Everybody sieems to be 

 cleaning up" : "We value the premium you 

 give"; etc., etc. 



It has been customary to give each mem- 

 ber a rose or shrub and a dozen bulbs, and 

 The Canadian Horticulturist. This year 

 sixteen optional premiums have been ar- 

 ranged. Last fall we gave away sixteen 

 thousand bulbs and have imported ninety 

 thousand more for our members at cost 

 price ; some of the options are one hun- 

 dred and fifty bulbs, another is four of the 

 best hybrid roses. 



Vancouver 



The members of the horticultural society 

 assembled in the small Pender Hall on the 

 evening of February 4th, to listen to Mr. D. 

 D. England, special lecturer for the pro- 

 vincial government, deliver an address on 

 "Lawns and how to make them." Mr. 

 England spoke very interestingly on the 

 subject of seeding, the proper time, the 

 right kinds of seed to use under certain 

 conditions, and also on the subject of water- 

 ing lawns to the best advantage. Many 

 questions were asked. 



