THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 
b23 
The Chairman. Gentlemen, as Chairman of the Committee on 
Meritorious Exhibits it is my pleasure to submit the following 
report : 
ANNUAL REPORT COMMITTEE ON MERITORIOUS 
EXHIBITS 
Four of the association's silver medals were awarded during t lie 
year 1910 by the Committee on Meritorious Exhibits, as follows : 
William Kleinheinz, Ogontz, Pa., for the most meritorious ex- 
hibit made by a professional gardener at the National Flower Show 
at Philadelphia, in March. 
James Bell, Oyster Bay. N. Y., for the must meritorious exhibit 
made by a professional gardener at the International Flower Show 
in New York, in March. 
William Kleinheinz, Ogontz, Pa., for best 6 flowers, U varieties 
on long stems, at the American Chrysanthemum Society Show at 
Philadelphia. 
To the Meulow Park Horticultural Society of Redwood City, 
California, the winner of which has not been reported to the 
committee. 
At the Executive Committee's meeting held in New York in 
September last, it was voted to offer the association's silver medal 
to local societies during 1017 for competition at one of their shows 
or fr the highest numbers of points secured through monthly com- 
petition at their meetings during the year, the only other stipula- 
tion being that the winner must be a member of the National 
Association of Gardeners. Those societies wishing to avail them- 
selves of this offer should communicate with the chairman of this 
committee at as early a date as possible. 
When the Committee on Meritorious Exhibits was first formed, 
four years ago, it was primarily for the purpose of encouraging 
the gardener to compete for honors in the production of novelties 
in flowers or a new or rare plants on which this committee was to 
pass judgment, for which the association offered its gold medal as 
its highest award. The committee regrets that it must report 
that since its existence it has not been called upon to pass judg- 
ment on any new floral creation by a gardener. 
At the conclusion of the reading of the report it was moved, 
seconded and carried that the report, as read, be adopted. 
Secretary Ebel announced that the Committee on Essays had not 
submitted a report. 
The report of the Committee on Bird Protection ami Propaga- 
tion, as submitted by Chairman L. P. Jensen, of St. Louis, was 
then read by Secretary Ebel. at the conclusion of which it was 
moved, seconded aud carried that the report be received ami placed 
on file, with a vote of thanks to Mr. Jensen. 
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON BIRO PROTECTION 
AND PROPAGATION 
Your Committee on Bird Protection and Propagation, working 
in co-operation with the similar committee of the American Asso- 
ciation of Park Superintendents, beg to report as follows: 
Owing to lack of sufficient material we have been compelled to 
discontinue our monthly department of ornithology, previously con- 
ducted in our official organ. This is very unfortunate, as we still 
believe that the matter of protection and propagation of our useful 
native birds is of the utmost importance to the gardener and park 
superintendent. There is no doubt but that many of our members 
would be able to send us notes and observations of value, ami we 
are still hoping to have the members respond to our appeal in 
this respect. 
Through the effort of this joint committee several large cities, 
in this country and Canada, have been induced to start a cam- 
paign for bird protection, in their public parks, by developing a 
systematic method of feeding the birds in winter, of protecting 
them against their enemies, of planting ornamental plants useful 
for their protection and nesting, as well as berry-bearing plants to 
serve as food for the birds, and by inducing the school authorities 
to permit bird boxes to be made by the children in the manual 
training schools. These boxes are being constructed a irding to 
the specifications of the United States Biological Survey, as given 
in Farmers' Bulletin No. 609, "Bird Houses and How to Build 
Them." These boxes will in most cases be hung in the presence 
of the children, by park men who have informed themselves about 
the proper placing of these houses. Your committee expects to 
receive some interesting reports from these cities in the near 
future. 
We believe that this committee should be conti 1. and hope 
to receive the encouragement and support which is essential to 
success. The membership of our joint associations are looked upon 
by the U. S. Biological Survey, the National Association id' Audu- 
bon Societies, and other important organizations interested in 
bird protection, as one of the richest fields for this kind of useful 
work. Let us prove that tbej are right in their contentions. 
Leaving the future id' this committee to the pleasure of the 
members, asssembled in convention, we feel that if this committee 1 
is continued it should have the pledge of support of each one of 
the members present. 
Secretary Ebel announced that there were no reports of special 
committees for the consideration of the association. 
Secretary Ebel read the following communication from the St. 
Louis Gardeners' Association : 
"The members of the newly organized St. Louis Gardeners' Asso- 
ciation desire to have their greetings extended to our brother 
gardenrs at the Washington convention, regretting the fact of not 
being able to have a representative there, but with assurance of 
being well represented next year." 
ELECTION OF OFFICERS FOR 1917. 
Tin' next order of business was the nomination and election of 
officers for 1917, which resulted as follows : 
President, Thomas W. Head, Lake Forest, 111. 
Vice-President, Theodore Wirth, Minneapolis. .Minn. 
Secretary, Martin C. Ebel, Madison, N. J. 
Treasurer, James Stuart, Mamaroneck. X. Y. 
Trustees. William Kleinheinz. John F. Huss, Peter Duff, Wil- 
liam Turner. William II. Duckham. 
The Chairman. Gentlemen, your President for 1917 is Mr. 
Thomas W. Head, of Illinois, aud it is a great pleasure for me 
to congratulate him upon his election and you upon having him 
lor your President. I am sorry that I have the chair only tempo- 
rarily, as it would be a great pleasure for me, as President, to 
call Mr. Head my successor. I have known him for years, and I 
know that you could not have selected a better man ; he will do 
all he possibly can for this association. I call upon Mr. Head. 
(Applause.) 
Mr. Head. Mr. President and Brother Gardeners, I thank you 
for this great honor you have conferred upon me. I feel that alter 
twenty-five years of hard work among my fellow gardeners, trying 
to fulfil that Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have 
them do unto you," that 1 have really reaped a good reward. I con- 
sider it a grand reward to be elected amongst such a noble crowd 
of men as we have in this association, as your representative and 
President. I can assure you that in 1917, when we meet again 
in Chicago, your confidence in me will be more than strengthened 
when you shake hands with so many new members that we will 
get. We have a very great field in the West, and a tine field; and 
1 can assure you. having left it to me, thai I shall do my best to 
scour that field thoroughly, and you will find when you come to 
Chicago next year that your confidence in me has not been mis- 
placed. Gentlemen, I thank you. (Applause.) 
The Chairman. Next in order is new business, and under that 
head I want to say a few words. We know well enough, as I 
stated in Boston last year, there is one member of this association 
who pulled the association out of a hole. I do not know who he is. 
but I have heard about it. There is another man who deserves a 
great deal of credit for bis energy and hard work, aud I believe 
yon will agree with me that through his hard work and the putting 
of his heart and soul into this association we have reached a 
very creditable financial standing and have built up our member- 
ship to the high point where it stands today, and I think that 
man ought to be rewarded to a certain extent for all his trouble 
aud his work. I refer to our worthy secretary. Mr. Ebel. I 
recall that some members tried to put a motion through that the 
secretary should be paid for his work. I was the one who opposed 
that. I said we could pay him when we had the money, aud as 
long as we did not have any money we would let him do the work 
without it. Well, he has done it for five years, and maybe longer. 
Now, gentlemen, we are in better financial standing to-day, having 
$2,093 in our treasury, and I do not think it would hurt this 
association any if we should give our secretary a little reward for 
his work. I would suggest that, in addition to the $50 he gets 
for his stenographer, we should add another hundred dollars or so 
to it. I do not make this as a motion, but lay it before you for 
discussion. I think every one is worthy of the honor he deserves. 
(Applause.) 
Secretary Eisei.. Centlemen, the Acting Chairman is putting 
me on record as being on the job for fifty dollars. 
The Chairman. No, I do not; you are not a fifty dollar man! 
Secretai.y Ebel. The fifty dollars he refers to is paid to the 
stenographer in my office and she has a lot of work to do in con- 
nection with this association: she looks after the records and the 
sending out of notices, and gives her time willingly. I think, in 
tl present condition of the organization, it would not be too much 
to increase that gratuity to $100 a year. 1 know it will please 
her: the difference is not much, but I think she will accept it as 
an appreciation of what she has to do. I think we can afford to 
do that. 
The Chairman. Gentlemen, the matter is open for discussion. 
Mr. Stewart. I move that the secretary's stenographer's gratu- 
ity be increased from fifty to one hundred dollars a year, and that 
you appoint a committee of three members, yourself included, to 
award a present to our secretary. 
Secretary EBEL. Gentlemen, I think the latter is uncalled for; 
it is not necessary. 
