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PARK AND CE-MKTE-RY 
Convention of Nurserymen in Texas. 
'I'he annual convention of the American Associa- 
tion of Nurserymen, held at Dallas, Tex., June 13, 14 
and 15, was remarkable for its enthusiasm, interest, 
and work accomplished. Profiting by the experience 
of an overcrowded program last year, but one busi- 
ness session a day was held, leaving plenty of oppor- 
tunity for field work, and side trips to investigate the 
rich resources in plant and tree growth of Texas. 
Sessions were held in the rooms of the Dallas Com- 
mercial Club, and this organization and the citizens 
generally gave royal welcome and entertainment to 
the visitors. 
The first day’s session was opened with an hour of 
real Texas welcome that treated the nurserymen to 
a flow of oratory as rich, varied, and extensive as the 
vegetation of the state. There was a welcome to 
Texas by Stanley H. Watson, of Houston, and a re- 
sponse for the association by Judge John D. Lynn, 
of Rochester, N. Y. Then Mayor Curtis P. Smith, of 
Dallas, presented the keys of the city, and M. H. 
Thomas, president of the Commercial Club, and J. E. 
Farnsworth, representing the 150,000 Club, made 
felicitous speeches of welcome. 
Business was opened with the annual address of 
President E. Albertson, who recommended the estab- 
lishing of a standard grade for all nursery stock. As 
it is now, there is too great a difference in the grading 
of different growers in different sections. He sug- 
gested that definite rules for grading be made and 
approved or adopted by the association and known 
as standard grades, that would describe fully just 
wbat was required to come up to standard. Another 
important reform advocated was the adoption of more 
uniform methods of inspection, issue of certificates, 
use of universal tags or certificates and possibility of 
securing their adoption or approval by states now 
requiring that their special state tags be used. 
The Legislative Committee reported on the legal 
difficulties in the way of a national inspection law, 
and suggested that a central committee, appointed by 
the entomologists of the Society of Nursery Inspec- 
tors, might devise a way whereby that central author- 
ity could, upon application and proper proofs, issue to 
any nurseryman a sort of universal shipping tag, 
which would pass the stock into any state. Regarding 
the oppressive state laws, the best that the committee 
seemed able to do was to offer advice and moral sup- 
port to the victims. So far no test cases have been 
brought. 
The report of Treasurer C. L. Yates showed that 
$2,755.62 was on hand, the disbursements during the 
year being $2,671.83. 
In the afternoon the nurserymen were taken for a 
ride to Oak Lawn Park, where the skating rink was 
resorted to from 3 to 5 o’clock. At 5 o’clock there 
was a barbecue and a little later a reception at the 
residence of Col. S. E. Moss. At the Elks Club in 
the evening there was a hop given in honor of the 
visitors. 
At the second day’s session the opening paper was; 
“Specific Requirements of New Varieties in Califor- 
nia Fruit Growing,” by E. J. Wickson, acting director 
and horticulturist of the University of California 
agricultural experiment station. 
C. C. Alayhew, of Texas, treated in a very practi- 
cal way the subject, “The Importance and Best Meth- 
ods of the Bud and Scion Supply in Propagating,” 
and George S. Josselyn, of New York, read a paper 
on “Credits.” 
An important step was inaugurated in the report 
of the committee on Insect Legislation, which recom- 
mended that a subcommittee of the Legislative Com- 
mittee be appointed to co-operate with the associa- 
tion of economic entomologists and the association of 
official horticultural inspectors for the purpose of 
formulating a basis for future action on a uniform 
system of inspection. This committee will make a 
report at the next annual meeting. 
In the evening the annual fruit banquet was held 
at the Oriental Hotel. 
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