SA MASSACHUSETTS HORTICLXTURAL SOCIETY. 



will drop bebiud. until — probably at the eud of September — your 

 five huudred seedliugs have dwindled to only fifty healthy and 

 vigorous plants. It will be these fifty then, that have the consti- 

 tution and the vigor you desire to propagate. He had often said that 

 we ought to raise American seedling plants for American gardens. 

 A great many of the European novelties of all kinds of plants are 

 failures here. It is not that they are worthless, but because the 

 conditions to Avhich they are subjected here are not to their lilving. 



Mr. Hollis further inquired, if the best liealth of stock is to be 

 maintained, which course is best to pursue in propagation ; to 

 take cuttings from a plant which has Ijeen forced to its highest 

 capabilities in order to produce large specimen blooms, or from 

 another plant of the same variety which has received only such 

 culture as will ensure merely good ordinary flowers? 



Mr. Thorpe said his experience had afforded him such positive 

 proof as to the growth of chrj'santhemums. that he believes that 

 when cuttings are taken at a fairly early time, it makes no differ- 

 ence whether they are cut from a strong plant or a Aveak one, 

 provided alwaj^s that they are properly treated afterwai'ds. A 

 cutting no thicker than a knitting-needle, if well cared for from 

 the start, should be as strong at tn^o months later date as one that 

 was originally as large as a pencil. Some believe that permitting 

 a plant to produce only a few flowers tends to strengthen the 

 plant. The fact is, it costs the plant less effort to elaborate one 

 flower than it does to perfect fifty. If a plant is allowed to carry 

 all its flowers without disbudding, what a task it has. A single 

 shoot of some varieties has as many as fortj" buds formed, and 

 when we consider that each floAver when open carries from one 

 hundred and fort}- to one hundred and fifty florets, we can perceiA'e 

 that the strain on the plant is a verA' seA'ere one. 



Michael H. Norton expressed his pleasure that he had been 

 present and heard the A'ery able and instructive lecture, and he 

 moA'ed a A'ote of thanks to Mr. Thorpe, Avhich was uuanimousl}' 

 passed. 



The Chairman of the Committee on Publication and Discussion" 

 announced for the next Saturday-, a paper upon " Small Fruits, 

 particularly the Strawberry," by P. M. Augur, State Pomologist, 

 Middlefield, Conn. 



