THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
313 
Texas State Horticultural Society 
Bij (i . //. Blackmon, Dallas. Texas. 
T HE Thirtieth annual meeting of tin* Texas Stall* 
Horticultural Society, held at College Station. 
Texas, was indeed a very successful one, well 
attended by an interested crowd of fruit and truck 
growers and general farmers. Some constructive work 
was started, that will no doubt end in something good 
for the society and beneficial to horticulture in Texas. 
The society was welcomed to College Station by E. .1. 
Kyle, Dean of the School of Agriculture and Professor 
of Horticulture. Dean Kyle spoke warmly for the So¬ 
ciety and said that he always felt it a great honor to have 
the pleasure of welcoming the horticulturists of Texas 
to College Station, and he wished them a pleasant stay, 
and invited all lo visit the Horticultural Department and 
('•rounds, and to go into the details of the work that is 
being done at the college. 
The welcome address was responded to by Eltwecd 
Pomeroy, Donna, Texas, who stated that he did not feel 
that he needed any welcome to College Station, that he 
came there each year, and that was the annual meeting 
place, never-the-less we all appreciated the warm wel¬ 
come that Dean Kyle had extended us and we would all 
he glad to go thru the Department of Horticulture. 
The annual address of the President, Fritz Engelhard, 
Eagle Lake, Texas, was very interesting, and told of the 
work of the Society during the past year. 
The report of the Secretary-Treasurer, (1. II. Black¬ 
mon, Dallas, Texas, showed that the society had been 
short of funds during the past year, hut even with that 
condition prevailing progress had been made, and that 
good had come from the work that had been done. 
Dr. Webber, Dean of the Tropical School of Agricul¬ 
ture, University of California, Berkeley, California, de¬ 
livered two very interesting and instructive addresses be¬ 
fore the Society, both along the lines of plant breeding. 
Dr. Webber discussed general methods of plant breeding, 
and the production of new varieties. He emphasized 
the importance of hybridization in the production of new 
varieties among horticultural crops, for the reason the 
varieties are mostly propagated and kept true by means 
of parts such as buds, grafts, cuttings, etc. In his 
second address, Dr. Webber stressed the importance of 
bud selection in propagating by means of cuttings, scions, 
etc., exhibiting two branches from a nearby tree, one 
showing a thin growth and few fruits, the other showing 
a dense growth and a heavy setting of fruit, both 
branches coining from the same plant. He stated that 
it was his belief that the varieties of fruits could be 
greatly improved by the proper selection of buds, altho 
it had not been fully worked out, yet there would be no 
harm done in selecting buds from trees that were the 
most satisfactory and had proven meritorious over other 
individual trees. Dr. Webber also discussed the bleed¬ 
ing of oranges, dwelling at length on the production of 
the different varieties of the citrange, which is a cross 
between the sweet orange and the Trifoliate orange. 
Progress in the eradicating of the Citrus Canker in 
lexas was discussed by Ed. L. Ayers, Chief of the 
Division ol Nursery and Orchard Inspection, for Texas. 
It was shown that conditions are much better in the cit- 
rus districts of Texas. 
A paper on Jujubes was read by J. M. Ramsey, Austin, 
Texas, in the absence of bis father. The trees of this 
fruit grow to a height of about 20 to 30 feet, very hardy, 
producing a fruit that at first slightly resembles a plum, 
but later does not, as it ripens the fruit takes on *a 
brownish color that makes them very attractive. Tin* 
tree is a very heavy bearer. 
In his talk on a Botanical Garden and Arboretum for 
Texas, John S. Kerr, Sherman, Texas, mentioned a num¬ 
ber of native plants, as well as others that should be 
brought into general use. and that such a garden should 
be maintained by the state. He also referred to other 
important gardens in the United States and their cost of 
maintenance. 
A very interesting address was that of Judge Frank 
B. Guinn, Busk, Texas, on Top-Working llie Native Hick¬ 
ories to Pecans. Judge Guinn has probably had more 
experience along this line than any one in Texas. He 
now has several hundred hickory trees top-worked to 
pecans that are bearing. The western varieties scab too 
badly in the Busk District of East Texas and for that 
reason the Eastern varieties furnish those that do best in 
that section. Judge Guinn stated that the Delmas, 
Schley and one or two other varieties are succeeding on 
Hickory, for him, better than any other. 
W. B. Lanharn, Extension Horticulturist, A. & M. Col¬ 
lege of Texas, discussed the value of the home orchard 
on the farm. He said that every farm growing the or¬ 
dinary crops could grow fruits for home consumption. 
A table presented, taken from Census reports, showed 
that growers in Texas have been receiving as much for 
their fruit as those in other states. 
The publication of an official paper by the Texas State 
Horticultural Society was discussed, and a plan that was 
suggested by G. II. Blackmon, Dallas, Texas, was con¬ 
sidered and referred to a committee of three. This 
committee is to look into the diffecent plans and report 
its findings with recommendations at the winter meeting 
of the Society. 
The officers for the year 1916-17 were elected as fol¬ 
lows : 
President, Fritz Engelhard. Eagle Lake, Texas. 
Vice-President, Eltweed Pomeroy, Donna, Texas. 
Secretary-Treasurer, W. B. Lanharn, College Station, 
Texas. 
Fifth Member Executive Committee, G. II. Blackmon. 
Dallas, Texas. 
Executive Committeeman lo Farmers Congress, John 
S. Kerr, Sherman, Texas. 
