44 



FIRST FRO ITS. 



His collections of plants have been very large, and some 

 of the species will no doubt prove to possess horticul- 

 tural interest. The collections of dried specimens will 

 be added to the Torrey herbarium at Columbia College, 

 and the seeds will be grown by the horticultural depart- 

 ment of Cornell University. Dr. Morong traveled un- 

 der the auspices of the Torrey Botanical Club of New 

 York city. He will now assume the curatorship of Col- 

 umbia College herbarium. He is well equipped for the 

 work. 



The E.xperiment Station Record. — The agricul- 

 tural experiment stations of the country, over fifty in 

 number, issue annually some three hundred bulletins 

 and reports of from four to two hundred and fifty pages 

 each. Very few people have access to all of these pub- 

 lications, and fewer still can afford the time required 

 to note the character and results of the experiments 

 they describe. Those who find it desirable to keep 

 pace with the progress of agricultural experimen- 

 tation will find a condensed record of all station work 

 in the Experiment Station Record, issued by the United 

 States Department of Agriculture. The October num- 

 ber is being distributed, and the November number 

 also is practically ready. 



The horticultural section of the Association of 

 Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations was rep- 

 resented at the recent meeting at Champaign, 111., by 

 ten workers, viz., Alwood of Virginia, Burrill of Illinois, 

 Goff of Wisconsin, Green of Ohio, Lyon of Michigan 

 (representing the Division of Pomology), McCluer of 

 Illinois, Massey of North Corolina, Taft of Michigan, 

 Troop of Indiana and Waldron of North Dakota. 



The meetings of the session were necessarily re- 

 stricted as to number and length by those of the general 

 session, but the papers and discussions were both inter- 

 esting and profitable. Space permits only the merest 

 abstract here. 



The tabular system of note taking, with blanks for 

 special columns and remarks was thought most generally 

 satisfactory. 



It was agreed that the work of the Experiment Station 

 horticulturist should not end with the necessary work of 

 variety testing, but that the information thus brought 

 out should bear fruit in the development at our Stations 

 of truly superior varieties. Especially should the sta- 

 tion horticulturist pursue the most advanced kinds of 

 plant breeding, as the development of disease-resisting 

 varieties, the introduction of new qualities through 

 hybridization, and the enhancement of specially valuable 

 qualities through long continued selection. 



Professor Goff explained a very concise and comprehen- 

 sive method for the graphic representation of the yields 

 of varieties that are of necessity harvested at frequent 

 intervals, as small fruits, peas, etc. By this method 

 not only the comparative productiveness, but also the 



relative earliness or lateness and the length of the sea- 

 son of bearing w^re all discernible at a glance. 



In the absence of Professor Bailey, the report of the 

 committee on Reform in Vegetable Nomenclature was 

 read by Professor Goff. 



Mr. Green read a carefully prepared paper before 

 the general session on Methods in Variety Testing. 



Mr. McCluer gave an interesting account of experi- 

 ments in the crossing of varieties of Indian corn ; and 

 Professor Waldron gave an account of some of the prom- 

 ising wild fruits of North Dakota. 



It was urged that hereafter members who cannot be 

 present at the annual meetings of the Association pre- 

 pare and forward their papers to the Secretary in order 

 that they may be read before the session and published 

 in its report. 



Professor Goff. of Wisconsin, was chosen chairman, 

 and W. J. Green, of Ohio, secretary, for the ensuing 

 year. — E. S. G. 



Shirley Hibberd. — Still another namehas been added 

 to the list of eminent horticulturists whom death has 

 claimed during the past year. Shirley Hibberd, so 

 widely known and respected, died at Kew, November 

 i6. For some years his health had not been very good, 

 but the immediate cause of his death was exposure and 

 over-exertion at the exhibition of the National Chrysan- 

 themum Society. He was taken sick Thursday and died 

 the following Sunday. 



Mr. Hibberd was born at Stepney, in the parish of 

 St. Dunstan, in 1825. He secured a place in a book-sel- 

 ler's store when but fourteen years of age. Later he 

 entered a book-bindery, but his tastes were not in sym- 

 pathy with his work. He was fond of literary pursuits, 

 and when quite young was a frequent contributor to vari- 

 ous publications, writing almost entirely on rural topics. 

 When but twenty-five years of age he was editor of a 

 weekly paper, and had published a volume entitled 

 " Brambles and Bay Leaves," which became very pop- 

 ular. He made a study of the principles of urban horti- 

 culture and carried on many experiments. This work 

 resulted in the publication of "Rustic Adornments," 

 ' ' Book of the Aquarium, " and ' ' Fern Garden, " each of 

 which passed through several editions. Another im- 

 portant work published at this time was the "Town 

 Garden." In 1858 he appeared as the editor of the 

 Floral World, a monthly paper which attained an exten- 

 sive circulation. Three years later he assumed the edi- 

 torship of The Gardeners' Magazine, and this position he 

 held until his death. He retired from the Floral World 

 in 1875. In addition to the books mentioned above he 

 wrote a series of volumes, all of particular interest to 

 amateur horticulturists. 



Wherever Mr. HibJberd resided, he always contrived 

 to have his experimental gardens. He paid particular 

 attention to the cultivation of potatoes, peas and other 

 useful vegetables, and originated several valuable varie- 

 ties. He worked a good deal with zonale pelargoniums 



