THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
235 
u Most books tell wffiat is known,” says Dr. Howard, “ but 
we shall here try to point out what is not known, but which, 
nevertheless, can be more or less easily found out.” The 
author encourages the study of insects and indicates frequently 
where research is especially needed in the interest of science. 
He describes entertainingly the work of the carpenter bees, 
the leaf-cutting bees, and the potter bees, and gives the life 
history of a bumble bee. He shows how the digger wasp, 
attracted by the vibratory notes of the cicada, during the latter 
half of July, is often seen flying about the trees from which 
the song comes. Suddenly the regular note of the harvest-fly 
ceases and in its stead a distressing, discordant cry will be 
emitted; the wasp has caught his victim and with a quick sting 
has paralyzed it and thrown it into a comatose condition from 
which it never recovers. The wasp carries away the cicada to 
its burrow. An egg is laid upon the body of the cicada, and 
the larva of the wasp feeds upon the cicada. 
Nurserymen will be especially interested in Dr. Howard’s 
description of the gall-flies which cause the formation of galls 
upon trees; the ichneumon flies which attack caterpillars and 
may be responsible for the saving of great damage to the shade 
tree; of cities as well as to agricultural crops; the seventeen- 
year locust, due next year; the long list of bugs; the praying 
mantis and other insects for the mention of which there is 
not space. 
The book is illustrated profusely with original plates photo¬ 
graphed from insects collected especially for the purpose or 
taken from the collection of the United States National 
Museum. Suggestions regarding the collection of insects, the 
apparatus needed, etc., are given; also, a bibliography of the 
subject and a copious index. The volume is uniform with 
“ Nature’s Study ” books and is published by Doubleday, Page 
& Company, New York. 
AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
The twenty-seventh biennial session of the American Pomo- 
logical Society will be held at Buffalo September 12 and 13, 
1901. Among those announced to speak are L. H. Bailey, 
J. H. Hale, S. D. Willard, L. A. Goodman, H. M. Dunlop, 
Geo. T. Powell, Wm. B. Alwood and Judge Fred. Wellhouse. 
The fruit exhibit of the society will be held in the Horticul¬ 
tural Building at the Exposition, and all exhibits of the society 
will be eligible for Exposition awards. 
The officers of the society are: President, Charles L. Wat- 
rous, Des Moines, la.; first vice-president, Thomas Meehan, 
Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa ; secretary, William A. Taylor, 
55 Q street northeast, Washington, D. C.; treasurer, L. R. 
Taft, Agricultural College, Michigan; chairman executive 
committee, Charles W. Garfield, Grand Rapids, Mich. 
GOVERNMENT ARBORETUM. 
Secretary Wilson has decided to placard the splendid collec¬ 
tion of trees in the Agricultural grounds, something which 
should long ago have been done, says the Philadelphia Public 
Ledger. He has assigned the work to Mr. B. T. Galloway, 
Chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry, and the work will be 
done in a thoroughly systematic and scientific manner. It is 
known to but few persons that there is growing in the Agricul¬ 
tural grounds probably the finest collection of trees in the 
world. For nearly forty years the late William Saunders, 
superintendent of the grounds, occupied himself at intervals in 
the collection of rare trees. Mr. Saunders was a trained horti¬ 
culturist and an ardent botanist, and no better mind could 
could have been interested in the task which he set for him¬ 
self. With great painstaking and persistent application he 
enlisted the sympathies of American officials in the consular 
service and naval officers, and persuaded them to secure for 
him from all parts of the world the trees which he desired to 
welcome into the government arboretum. 
IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATIONS. 
It may be of benefit to nurserymen to turn their attention 
to work of the National League of Improvement Associations, 
the headquarters of which are at Springfield, O. John L. 
Zimmerman is president; D. J. Thomas corresponding secretary- 
Some of the objects in which town and neighborhood im¬ 
provement associations and other organizations are interested, 
and for which the National League of Improvement Associa¬ 
tions seeks increased interest and wider co-operation are: 
Arbor Day, artistic home planting, botanical gardens, children’s im¬ 
provement associations, cemetery improvement, care of vacant lots, 
county park systems, factory planting, flower and fruit mission, floral 
exhibitions, foot-paths for reaching scenic beauties, improvement of 
city back yards, increased attractiveness of farm life, lectures on 
nature and outdoor topics, model children’s gardens, nature study, 
neighborhood gardens for boys, parks for all the people, private 
residence parks, prize awards for home planting, popular instruction 
in landscape gardening, pleasing church exteriors and surroundings, 
photography as promotive of improvement, preservation of native 
plants, railway station grounds, school gardens, school yard planting, 
street, road and river side planting, vacant lot cultivation. 
These are subjects which bear directly upon the nursery 
trade. The league invites the co-operation of horticultural 
societies. 
GEORGIA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
The twenty-fifth annual session of the Georgia Horticul¬ 
tural Society will be held at Milledgeville, Ga., on August 7-8. 
The president of the society is P. J. Berckmans; the treasurer 
L. A. Berckmans, Augusta, Ga.; the secretary G. H. Miller, 
Rome, Ga., all well known nurserymen. The society was 
organized in 1876 and for years the railroad companies of the 
state have granted free transportation to the annual meetings. 
This year the certificate fare and a third plan has been 
adopted. It is proposed to devote a large part of the meeting 
to a discussion upon insect pests and the state law as now 
enacted. Eminent scientists of national reputation have prom¬ 
ised to attend the sessions and their presence will largely add 
to the success of the society. 
CHOCTAW SEEDLESS BLACKBERRY. 
Samples of the Choctaw Seedless blackberry were received 
from G. A. Gamble, Fort Smith, Ark., in the latter part of 
June. The berry is of pleasant flavor, large and juicy. There 
were seeds in the berries we received, but compared with some 
blackberries these were nearly seedless. The six points 
claimed for this variety are: Size, flavor, shipping quality, har¬ 
diness, productiveness, seedlessness. It is declared that the 
Choctaw Seedless is free from rust and bears annually, that it 
begins ripening just after the early harvest. 
