82 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Popinac. As frequently seen this is a 
lanky, straggling little tree or bush, but 
if carefully pruned and stimulated with 
fertilizer, it may be made a very hand- 
*some small tree, suitable to overhang a 
footpath. Looking up from under the 
branches its delicate pinnate foliage, out¬ 
lined against the blue of the sky, has a 
fairylike effect. This effect is enhanced 
by its yellow flowerballs, which are not 
only very fragrant, but are put forth 
several times a year. In hard freezes 
the foliage will scorch, but it rapidly re¬ 
covers. We should make the most of 
this tree as it is absolutely the only one of 
the Acacias that thrives here. The long 
list which appeared in Reasoner’s first 
catalogue is now reduced to two or 
three. The famous Acacia dealbata of 
the South France, with masses of yellow 
bloom, will grow but poorly in Florida. 
At Federal Point, the late Mr. E. H. 
Hart had a specimen twenty-five feet 
high, but it never blossomed and nev¬ 
er seemed satisfied with its environment. 
It was finally lost. Acacias it is said will 
not grow in a calcareous soil. Lime 
seems to poison them. 
This paper has about reached the time 
limit and yet I have only briefly touched 
on a very few of the ornamentals for 
Florida. I have said nothing about the 
herbaceous perennials, annuals or bulbs, 
having had but little experience with 
them. The subject of Palms and other 
tropical and sub-tropical plant-life is a 
large one. Something has been learned 
as to the most suitable species or varie¬ 
ties since the time years ago when those 
earnest workers and pioneers in Florida 
ornamental horticulture, E. H. Hart and 
P. W. Reasoner, now passed on, and T. 
L. Mead, still with us, gave those admira¬ 
ble essays on Palms, Yuccas, Agaves and 
Bamboos. 
The interesting ‘‘message of the 
woods,” brought by President Taber, 
emphasizes the potentiality for beauty 
of our native flora. Prof. Nehrling on 
his estate at Gotha has demonstrated the 
value of indigenous shrubs and much 
mav yet be developed in this direction. 
Home Grown Products for the Table. 
By Mrs* H* H* Harvey. 
Mr. President^ Ladies and Gentlemen: 
To one our state is a playground, to 
another a workshop, and again it is a 
haven of rest and recreation, where the 
soft winds, unlike any other on earth, 
soothe the tired nerves and give one 
that feeling of— 
“Nothing to do in'this world of ours 
Where weeds spring up with fairest flowers.” 
that we all get after the proverbial ten 
years that entitles us to the name Crack¬ 
er ; but to the homemaker who must pre¬ 
pare food three times a day for appetites 
whetted by the health-giving ozone of 
our fair state^—Florida is a reality. 
The tin can is sometimes a Godsend. 
Let’s not condemn it entirely, but let us 
see how much of a variety we can grow 
here, that with some careful preparation 
