NATIONAL COUNCIL OF HORTICULTURE 85 



be a leader in the movement, however, who is big enough to grasp the 

 whole conception and persistent enough to hold fast against criticism 

 until it is well under way. It always means self-sacrificing effort on 

 the part of the few, as does any advanced movement for the general 

 welfare, but the results and the ultimate general approval of those 

 whose opinions are of value, will well repay this effort. I believe it 

 is not necessary, however, to place the work on a sentimental ground 

 for almost invariably the execution of a well considered plan leads to 

 increases in land values that make it a good business proposition. 



No body of men are in a better position than the ones before me 

 to advance such work, for many of you are educators in charge of 

 parks, experiment stations, schools and large horticultural establish- 

 ments frequented by many people of influence and education. You can 

 help advance the school garden and vacant lot farms, one of the most 

 potent new agencies for the development of efficient civic horticultural 

 knowledge among the mass of people. You can lead in the prepara- 

 tion of such plans as I have outlined. You can supply a vast amount 

 of useful information through bulletins and catalogues to those that 

 you reach directly. 



There is need in the promotion of the work of civic horticulturists 

 of a better class of material for plantations. We need pedigree trees of 

 various species. I need not describe to you the numerous forms of 

 the American elm. Some with upright trunks and branches and a 

 graceful canopy of foliage forming ideal street trees. Others round 

 and symmetrical. Others drooping to the ground. These forms of the 

 American elm are not cultivated. We only have forms of European 

 trees propagated at high cost by grafting and offered in small quan- 

 tities. We need also the various marked forms of the red cedar, some 

 very narrowly fastigiate, others broad spreading, for our formal 

 gardens. 



Those who know how many of the nursery purple beeches and 

 Weir's cut leaf maple are raised from seed and who have noted the 

 predominance of a special form of native trees about the parent will 

 recognize the practicability of raising pedigree trees. 



More care is needed to secure hardy forms of native trees. For 

 example, trees of the Douglass spruce from the Oregon and California 

 coast range are not hardy in the East, whereas those from the Rocky 

 Mountains are. Black walnut, red-buds, calycanthus and other plants 

 further north are quite hardy. 



There is need of a more general knowledge of the value of native 

 collected plants in artificial plantations and the success which attends 

 the collection of many species if done in a proper manner. It opens 

 the way for pleasure outings in which the family may secure material 

 for the decoration of their home grounds and wild gardens. When 

 you know that practically all the trees, shrubs and hardy perennials 

 planted upon these Exposition Grounds are natives collected on or near 

 these grounds; that many of the ground cover plants were collected 

 in the beginning at the cost of thirty cents per thousand, the decidu- 

 ous shrubs collected and planted as low as $20.00 per thousand, you 



