FIRST FR UITS. 



303 



making displays. A special premium list has been pro- 

 vided for outside exhibitors, which has been made espec- 

 ially liberal. The official premium list will be ready 

 about April 20. It will be a handsome work of twenty- 

 four or thirty pages, and be mailed to the trade generally. 

 The total premiums, including a large number of specials, 

 amount in all to over $r,ooo for chrysanthemuns alone." 



The officers of the society are as follows : John Irvine, 

 president ; Ernest Frank, vice president ; T. J. Cooper, 

 secretary ; C. W. Hull, treasurer. Board of trustees : 

 William Reuther, Chas. Breitmeyer, E. R. Phillips. 



The Newport Horticultural Society held the first 

 of a proposed series of meetings, for discussion of ques- 

 tions pertaining to plants and flowers, Feb. 25, in the 

 Mercury building hall. There was a good attendance of 

 gardeners and others, the president. Colonel McMahan, 

 presiding. The only formal paper presented was by Mr. 

 L. D. Davis, in which he discussed the methods of im- 

 provements, through which new and better species and 

 varieties are originated and perpetuated. In doing this 

 he called attention to the processes of nature which are 

 assuring progress along the line, and quoted the geolog- 

 ical record as showing not only the appearance of new 

 species from time to time in the long past, but also the 

 improvement of old ones. He strongly dissented from 

 the opinion that each distinct species was produced by 

 a direct exercise of creative power, and presented proofs 

 that the work was done rather by the processes of natural 

 laws provided by the Creator at the beginning. In tak- 

 ing note of the distinctions between the several species, 

 he claimed that they are not greater than the differences 

 between races of men and of nationalities, and argued 

 that if the conditions of life could create such distinctions 

 as exist between the Caucasian, Mongolian and Ethiopian 

 races, so could similar diverse conditions produce races or 

 families in plants possessing equally fixed characteristics. 

 We all admit that the racial distinctions among men have 

 not come from direct acts of creation, neither have the 

 diversities in vegetable life. In following out this line of 

 thought the results of hybridizing plants was held to be 

 much the same as amalgamating human races, and to 

 imply nothing more. Several curious results of hybrid- 

 izing were given, and attention especially called to the 

 recent experiments of Mr. Carman with the Japan rose, 

 Rosa rugosa, as published in The American Garden, 

 the general conclusion being that the intelligent and pa- 

 tient cultivator has it in his power largely to determine 

 the qualities and perfections of the plants which he cul- 

 tivates. 



The reading of the paper, which was closely followed, 

 led to spirited discussion participated in by several of the 

 most prominent gardeners and horticulturists in the city. 



At the conclusion, Mr. Davis was requested to publish 

 his address, which he said he was not prepared to do un- 

 til he could more fully authenticate some of the positions 

 taken, by a further collection of facts. — Newport (A'. /.) 

 Daily News. 



Maine Pomologists. — The winter meeting of the 

 Maine State Pomological Society, was held in the city 

 hall at Bangor, Feb. 24 and 25. 



Hon. Z. A. Gilbert, secretary of the State Board of 

 Agriculture, traced the growth of the State Pomological 

 Society. The society was organized in 1873, and re- 

 ceives an annual bonus of J>5oo from the state. Mr. 

 Gilbert dwelt on the necessity of training our children, 

 in school and college, so they shall be able to do some- 

 thing when they leave school. He mentioned the estab- 

 lishment of a chair of horticulture at the State College, 

 and urged the various horticultural societies represented 

 to join in helping on the work at the college. 



W. H. Jordan, director of the State College Experi- 

 ment Station, gave a short report of the work of the 

 station. Heretofore the work of the station had largely 

 been in the lines most talked about — fertilizer and diges- 

 tion experiments — but fruit plantations have been started, 

 a forcing house has just been completed, and a horticul- 

 turist secured, and now special work in horticulture will 

 be undertaken. But because of the existence of experi- 

 ment stations, individual work must not cease. 



Professor W. M. Munson was called upon to give some 

 idea of the nature of the work to be carried on by the 

 Horticultural Department of the State College. He said, 

 so far as practicable, all branches of horticulture will be 

 brought prominently before the farmers of the state. A 

 leading feature of the work will be the selection and pro- 

 duction, by means of crossing and hybridizing, of im- 

 proved varieties of fruit which shall prove hardy in our 

 trying climate, thus extending the area of profitable fruit 

 culture in the state. This will require co-operation on 

 the part of fruit-growers in different parts of the state, 

 as results obtained at Orono may be of little value in 

 Aroostook county. The influence of soil and climate on 

 the quality and character of various fruits and vegetables 

 will receive attention, as will also the effects of fertilizers 

 and improved methods of culture. In all the work of the 

 department, the aim will be to determine laws rather 

 than simple facts ; for facts are such only under certain 

 conditions, while the laws controlling those conditions 

 are general, and are as applicable at Caribou as at Port- 

 land. Conclusions will not be hastily drawn, and much 

 of the work will require several years to determine its 

 value. 



The cultivation of small fruits was described by S. 

 H. Dawes, of Harrison. Four essentials of successs 

 in small fruit culture are : " pluck, gumption, plenty of 

 manure, and a love for the business." The speaker was 

 more especially interested in strawberries. Such vari- 

 eties as Crescent should be set in rows 4 feet apart, and 

 but one crop should be taken from the vines. In his own 

 case, had set apart one acre, and taken a crop from half 

 of this each year. Sets aside a small plat for the pro- 

 duction of plants to set on the other half the year fol- 

 lowing. The plants should be set in the spring, cultivat- 

 ed thoroughly, and allowed to bear no fruit the first sea- 

 son. Mr. Dawes considers it practicable to use the same 

 land for strawberries year after year. He has used the 



