524 
THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA 
The Ghaikman. Gentlemen, it is moved and seconded that the 
salary, or contribution, for Mr. Ebel's stenographer be increased 
from fifty to one hundred dollars a year: also that a committee 
of three be appointed to reward in some way the effort and work 
of our secretary, which he has given for the benefit of this 
association. (The question being put. was unanimously carried.) 
The Chairman. Gentlemen, have you any matters to bring up 
for general discussion? If so. the floor is now tendered to you. 
Mb. Head. There is one matter I would like to bring up at this 
time, and that is the date of meeting. For instance, you are now 
meeting here in December, and I really think December would be 
a little too late for Chicago. I only would like to get the feeling 
of the members here. It seems to me that some time in October 
would be a better lime for all of us for our annual convention. T 
merely want to get the sentimeut of the members on this. 
Secretary Euel. We had our meetings earlier at first : we met 
during the flower shows, early in November, and we found it was 
not successful, as we could uot get the members to the meetings. 
It was then suggested that October would probably be a better time 
to hold the convention ; but the gardeners found that they were too 
busy getting t lungs ready for the winter, and they could not get 
away ; they felt there was no better time than the first part of 
December, when things were stored up and all could get away for 
the meetings. Then some of the members said. "Now. you are 
butting in on the annual meeting of our societies, and that is 
the reason we do not come. So you see. there are excuses to be 
encountered at all seasons. 
The Chairman. I want to give you an illustration regarding 
these meeting days : I am a director of a bank in Philadelphia, 
and last night between 8 and we had a stockholders' meeting and 
election ; to-day we have our yearly meeting of the directors, but 
I thought this meeting here was more important than that bank 
meeting, which I attend as regularly as possible. If every one 
says we have such and such a society meeting to-morrow, and 
another the day after to-morrow, then you will never get the 
convention together. You have just got to break away from 
them once a year. Do not thrash things out to extreme points : 
do uot change your meeting time on account of having a meeting 
of simie local society: these local societies can meet once a year 
without you, and if they do not get a quorum together they can 
let their meeting lay over until the next month. This is a national 
body and ought to have our first attendance. (Applause.) 
Mr. Bauer. I think every gardener has the spare time to attend 
this convention, especially in December. October is a very poor 
month, as everybody knows ; we are all of us more or less con- 
nected with shows and our time is taken up. After the shows 
are over, about the middle of November, we are retiring to our 
winter quarters, and I think then every gardener is able to get 
out and attend these conventions. I think the time should not be 
changed. It is the proper time for our annual convention, wherever 
it is going to be held. 
Mr. Popp. I disagree with Mr. Bauer. The first week in Octo- 
ber I think would be the logical time to have the convention. It 
is too early for the shows, and it does not take over a week to 
get over the effects of the convention ; and I think the first week 
in October would be pleasanter. 
The Chairman. I will come back to the remarks of Secretary 
Ebel. We have tried to have this convention held earlier in the 
year. We had all kinds of objections from the members, 
some said they could not get away in September, because 
their folks were coming home : others said they could not get 
away for the meeting if held in October because "the chrysanthe- 
mums were just ready to start in to show" ; others that "we have 
got to get our bulbs in, and the place cleaned off." I finally came 
to the conclusion that they all had the same feeling as I had, that 
the first week in December was about the proper time for our meet- 
ing. I do not for one moment wish to influence you through 
anything I have said to change 'the meeting date ; I simply give 
you my opinion and my experience. 
Secretary Ebel. Mr. Chairman, in order to bring this to a 
conclusion, I make a motion that the date of the 1917 convention 
be left in the hands of the Executive Committee. We shall have 
a meeting early in the year, and if at that time we decide, through 
invstigation, we should change the date so as to have the meeting 
in October, we can call a meeting of the association some time 
during the summer and have the necessary resolution passed. I 
think this matter can safely be left to the Executive Committee, 
and we will have the opportunity of investigating and learning 
how the members feel about it. I make this in the form of a motion. 
The motion was put and carried. 
DR. MULFORD INVITES CO-OPERATION. 
Dr. Mtn-FORD. Mr. Chairman, my time was so short this morn- 
ing that I did not have the opportunity to bring to your attention 
one or two matters I had in mind. I did not extend a very cordial 
invitation, or for that matter any invitation at all, to the members 
of this association to visit the Department of Agriculture and 
witness its activities while you are here. I wish to state now that 
the force of the Department will be more than glad to welcome- 
any or all of you, and to enlighten you upon any points in which, 
you have any interest : or. if you desire, come over and get a 
little idea of what we are trying to do over there. As you may 
possibly realize, there is a very large organization, and the men 
are gathered together in small groups — a few men working on one 
line in one place and a few working on another line in aoother 
place ; so that there are so may of us, if you try to find any par- 
ticular line, do not be discouraged if you are sent from place to 
place. And rest assured that the workers will all be glad to see 
you and will be glad to help you with any problems you have, not 
only while you are here, but afterwards. If you have any diffi- 
culties of any kind they will be glad to help you solve them. 
The question has been put to me once or twice as to some of 
the methods where co-operation between this association and the 
department might be handled to advantage. I want to mention 
just two in connection with my work. I have the work in con- 
nection with the ornamental horticultural division, and as you can 
realize, it is a pretty large proposition ; too large for one person, 
to be familiar with all the parts, but we are hoping for the time- 
to come when we can have some more specialists on some of the 
lines. But I am specially interested with the matter of the plant 
distribution, when' the plants are succeeded in the different parts- 
of the United States. We realize that some of our native plants 
have a certain distribution and that they are cultivated with more 
or less success. We realize, also, that the imported plants are,. 
many of them, cultivated over extensive areas, while others are 
only in very limited areas. I do not think there is any one 
who knows the limits of any one plant, even as to what are its 
limits of successful cultivation. 
Those of you who move from place to place feel doubly the 
need of that information. The method in which we are getting 
the information indirectly now- is by asking the co-operation of as 
many people as possible. We have a blank form showing the time 
the buds swell: buds bursting: the leaves becoming full size: the 
blossoms opening; when they become open; when in full bloom, 
and so on through the season to the coloring and dropping of the 
leaves, and we would very much like the co-operation of any who- 
feel they can give us some of this data, or if they can give us the 
data on only one or tw'o points every season, or any items of that 
kind, we would very much like to have the co-operation ; and we 
would appreciate it if they would drop us a line stating the facts. 
Personally. I feel that only tells half the story. The cards that 
come in indicate to me the plants that are being grown in the 
different parts of the country; and if we get a large number of 
cards referring to one plant, we think we can reasonably conclude 
that that plant is fairly successful in that part of the country. 
Although it does not appear on the surface, I think we are getting 
other data than that actually called for, and it is another point 
of co-operation. 
Often the Department wants specific information as to a par- 
ticular locality, or certain region, and if we know of reliable men- 
interested in such lines with whom we can communicate, it is a 
great help. 
A hearty vote of thanks was tendered Dr. Mulford at the con- 
clusion of his remarks. 
Secretary Ebel. I have a communication I received just before- 
I left Madison. In the absence of any report from our Essay 
Committee I think it might be well to bring this up now. 
This communication came owing to the postponement of the- 
Essay Contest for Assistant Gardeners. President Craig, as you: 
know, offered three prizes, one of .$25. one of $15 and one of $10- 
There were so few essays submitted, and those of such a low- 
standard, we did not think they were worthy of the prizes, and' 
that the contest should be postponed until the first of February. 
This man asks, and I think it is only fair, that he be given an 
opportunity to improve his essay. He refers to the Royal Horti- 
cultural Society and to their form of competition. I am not 
familiar with the conditions under which that competition is con- 
ducted. The communication follows: 
Secretary National Association of Gardeners : 
I trust I am well in order to write you on the essay contest 
for assistant gardeners. As a contestant I much regret noticing 
that only a few took the opportunity to prepare essays. That the 
committee wisely acted in giving added time to those desirous- 
of competing cannot be doubted, but, Mr. Secretary, do you con- 
sider it justice to those "few" who have already handed their 
essays in? Surely they should have the same privilege, viz: — the 
winter months to reconsider, improve, or perhaps change their 
subject. It must be remembered those papers were prepared in- 
the busy season, and a most undesirable period too are the summer 
months for studying, especially to those who lack a college training. 
Here lies the fact why so few assistants competed, they realize 
in such an open contest their chances are small compared to their 
more fortunate fellow members, whose education in special insti- 
tutions gives them a decided advantage. I feel sure many would' 
respond if given a fair oppportunity on the same lines, or perhaps 
similar to the Royal Horticultural Society of England as they 
conduct their competitions. Many men in the association must be- 
