1883.] 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



191 



AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



This society held its nineteenth "biennial 

 session on the 12th, 13th, and 14th of 

 September, in Horticultural Hall, Philadel- 

 phia. A great number of members and dele- 

 gates from nearly every State in the Union 

 were present and took part in the discus- 

 sions, which were highly interesting and 

 animated. It would be impossible to give, 

 in the space at our disposal, even in outline, 

 an account of the three days' proceedings. 

 These will be reported in full in the Trans- 

 actions of the Society, forming a large, 

 handsome volume, containing the complete 

 fruit catalogue for every State, which, as 

 soon as printed, will be furnished free to all 

 members. 



After a long debate and a friendly rivalry 

 between Indiana and Michigan, it was de- 

 cided to hold the next session in Grand 

 Kapids. Mich. 



The chief officers elected for the next two 

 years are : 



President, Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, Bos- 

 ton, Mass. 



First Vice-President, P. J. Berkmans, Au- 

 gusta, Ga. 



Secretary, Professor W. J. Beal, Lansing, 

 Mich. 



Treasurer, Benjamin G. Smith, Cambridge, 

 Mass. 



The efforts of the Pennsylvania Horticult- 

 ural Society to make the meetings and the 

 visit of their guests as pleasant as possible 

 were eminently successful and highly appre- 

 ciated. Nothing was left undone that could 

 contribute to the comfort and enjoyment of 

 those present, and the only disappointment 

 that marred the anticipated pleasure of many 

 was the absence of President Wilder, who 

 was not well enough to undertake the jour- 

 ney. Yet, even while absent, his deep in- 

 terest in the promotion of the society and its 

 objects is not flagging ; at the venerable age 

 of eighty-five, he is as full of vigor and 

 energy as ever, and untiring in his noble 

 work for progress, improvement, and eleva- 

 tion of Pomology. The recommendations for 

 the adoption of a better system of nomen- 

 clature, embodied in his excellent address, 

 and from which we quote the following, are 

 eminently appropriate, and deserve most 

 careful consideration : 



"RULES OP POMOLOGY. 



"In former addresses, I have spoken to 

 you of the importance of the establishment 

 of short, plain, and proper rules to govern 

 the nomenclature and description of our 

 fruits, and of our duty in regard to it ; and I 

 desire once more to enforce these opinions 

 on a subject which I deem of imperative im- 

 portance. Our society has been foremost in 

 the field of reform in this work, but there is 

 much yet to be done. We should have a 

 system of rules consistent with our science, 

 regulated by common sense, and whicli shall 

 avoid ostentatious, indecorous, inappropri- 

 ate, and superfluous names. Such a code 

 your committee have in hand, and 1 com- 

 mend its adoption. Let us have no more 

 generals, colonels, or captains attached to 

 the names of our fruits ; no more presidents, 

 governors, or titled dignitaries ; no more 

 monarchs, kings, or princes ; no more mam- 



moths, giants, or Tom Thumbs ; no more 

 non-suehes, seek-no-furthers, ne plus ultras, 

 hog-pens, sheep-noses, big bobs, iron-clads, 

 legal tenders, sucker states, or stump-the- 

 worlds. Let us have no more long, unpro- 

 nounceable, irrelevant, high-flown, bombastic 

 names to our fruits, and, if possible, let us 

 dispense with the now confused terms of 

 Belle, Beurre, Calebasse, Doyenne, Pear- 

 main, Pippin, Seedling, Beauty, Favorite, 

 and other like useless and improper titles to 

 our fruits. The cases are very few where a 

 single word will not form a better name for 

 a fruit than two or more. Thus shall we 

 establish a standard worthy of imitation by 

 other nations, and I suggest that we ask the 

 cooperation of all pomological and horticult- 

 ural societies, in this and foreign countries, 

 in carrying out this important reform. 



"As the first great national Pomological 

 Society in origin, the representative of the 

 most extensive and promising territory for 

 fruit culture of which we have any knowl- 

 edge, it became our duty to lead in this good 

 work. Let us continue it, and give to the 

 world a system of nomenclature for our fruits 

 which shall be worthy of the society and the 

 country, — a system pure and plain in its 

 diction, pertinent and proper in its applica- 

 tion, and which shall be an example, not only 

 for fruits, but for other products of the earth, 

 and save our society and the nation from the 

 disgrace of unmeaning, pretentious, and non- 

 sensical names, to the most perfect, useful, 

 and beautiful productions of the soil the 

 world has ever known. 



" Every year brings additional proof and 

 confirmation of our predictions in regard to 

 the wonderful progress and facilities for 

 fruit culture in this western hemisphere. 

 This impresses me more and more strongly 

 with the duty of giving a right direction to 

 one of the most important sanitary and 

 benevolent industries of our land, and, as 

 far as possible, controlling the recommenda- 

 tion of the host of new fruits, of little merit, 

 which are being constantly brought to notice ; 

 and while commending and disseminating all 

 good varieties, let us, if possible, restrain 

 the flooding of our country with those of in- 

 ferior quality and little value. Let us use 

 our utmost exertions to discourage and re- 

 strain the outrageous deceptions, which 

 every returning season brings, by new fruits 

 sent forth with the highest praises, as if 

 superior to anything before known, but 

 which in a few seasons are found no better 

 than many old kinds, if as good. The plea 

 of ignorance cannot be urged in extenuation 

 of such practices, while the means of infor- 

 mation are as accessible as they are now. 

 Such deceptions no honest or honorable man 



perience from every section of our immense 

 domain, all working in harmony to carry out 

 our work to higher and higher degrees of im- 

 provement, has assumed proportions which 

 are not only national but continental, and 

 embraces in its organization the largest ter- 

 ritory and the most wonderful facilities for 

 fruit culture on the globe. 



"Other societies for the promotion of 



' pomology have been formed and are power- 

 ful adjuncts ; other societies will rise up to 

 aid us in the future ; but the American Pomo- 

 logical Society will continue to be, as it has 



I been in the past, the acknowledged authority 



I of pomology for this western hemisphere. 

 So may it be, so may it spread its benign 

 influences over our whole continent, until 

 every man, woman, and child shall partici- 



'< pate in its enjoyments, and all realize the 

 blessings of paradise regained on earth." 



NEW-YORK HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



After a two mouths' summer vacation, the 



; Society resumed its monthly meetings with 

 its first autumn exhibition on Sept. 4th. The 

 attendance was not as large as might have 

 been desired, which is readily accounted for 

 by the fact that many members and othe/s 

 interested in flowers are at this early date 

 still residing in the country. 



The leading features of the exhibition were 

 the brilliant displays of Gladiolus, filling a 

 wide table of nearly the entire length of the 

 hall. The first prizes for Gladiolus were 

 awarded to Hallock & Thorpe, the second to 

 C. L. Allen & Co. The premium collection 



j of twelve varieties was composed of unusu- 

 ally fine spikes of Africaw, Norma, Queen of 

 the Fairies, Blondina, Bridal Beauty, Colonel 

 Bodine, May Morning, Sir H. Ealford, Belica- 

 tissima, Martha Washington, Tims. Dixon, and 

 Colonel Stuart Worthy. The latter, which 



, also was awarded the first premium for the 

 best seedling, is a superb variety with very 



j large spikes and flowers of red and delicate 

 rose tints, with pure white throat. 



Dahlias, Geraniums, and Petunias came 

 next in order, and were fully up to the high- 



; est standard. There were also some meritor- 

 ious collections of Zinnias, Phloxes, Asters, 



I monstrous Coxcombs, and various bedding- 

 plants. 



Mr. George Sueh's collection of cut flow- 

 | ers, although much the smallest in numbers 

 of specimens, was so far superior to what is 

 usually comprised among cut flowers that it 

 attracted marked attention, and, as an ex- 

 ample to other exhibitors, is worthy of 

 special mention. It was composed of : Ydl- 



" IMPORTANCE OP THE SOCIETY. 



" Few are aware of the powerful influences 

 which this Association has exerted and is 

 exercising on the pomology of our country. 

 Its organization covers our entire continent, 

 and its importance and usefulness is every- 

 where, both at home and abroad, highly 

 appreciated and acknowledged. No event 

 in the history of pomological science during 

 the present century has been fraught with 

 such beneficent results as those which have 

 transpired since the founding of our Associa- 

 tion. This institution, now in the thirty- 

 fifth year of its existence, embracing as it 

 does official representatives of the best ex- 



lota 

 Bret 



piirpurm 



■lis, Dipladeni 



I In, < 



leyant 



flortbunda, Lapageria rosea ami alba, Eucha- 



risgrandiflora, Ixora Javanica ami Williamsii, 



Allamanda Schottii, Pancratium ovatum, Grif- 

 j finia hyacinth hid, Dipladenia amabiUs, Ladia 

 I Dayaua, Oncidium papilio, Dendrobium chrys- 

 I anthum, CaUnthe Textori, Cypripedium Bcezli, 



and Sedeni, and a few seedling Gladiolus. 

 Among the Orchids, of which there were 



some very choice specimens, a new species, 

 I exhibited by Mrs. M. J. Morgan, was espec- 

 ! ially notable. Phalcenopsis violacea is com- 

 | paratively a small plant with deliriously 



fragrant flowers with purple carmine center. 



white petals, and delicate green flushed tips. 

 The exhibits of vegetables and fruits were, 

 I owing to the unfavorable season, not equal 

 I to those at former exhibitions. 



