144 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
Wednesday, March io, 1909. Reception 5:30 p. m., ban¬ 
quet 6:30 p. m., to which you are cordially invited, and as a 
guest of the Society if you would like to remain over night.” 
This invitation did not quite cover all the features of the 
social side. The convention was opened with addresses 
which continued until 5130, when according to schedule the 
social hour occurred. This was succeeded by the banquet, 
which in turn was followed by the speech-making period. 
After this, however, there came the really important part of 
the whole function, and this was an old-fashioned dance. 
We say, “old-fashioned,” because instead of the intermin¬ 
able whirl of two-steps and waltzes, square dances of the time- 
honored kind were intermingled. We are sufficiently 
antique to appreciate a reacquaintance with Virginia reel and 
Money Musk, and to welcome their appearance on a pro¬ 
gramme of this kind. 
The social part then represented a joint effort of these 
two older societies in which the local society acted as host. 
The Worcester County Society maintains a well-equipped 
hall, pleasant reading rooms, a completely furnished horti¬ 
cultural library and last, but certainly not least, an obliging 
and active secretary in Mr. Adin A. Hixon. Mr. Hixon 
makes it his business to be “at home” to all horticulturists 
who, when in Worcester, have time to drop into the rooms. 
It is horticultural headquarters for all persons who come to 
Worcester. The influence which this society has exerted on 
garden making in and about Worcester is very difficult to 
estimate. It has certainly been large and beneficent. 
Long may it prosper! 
AZALEA CANESCENS. 
This Azalea, now offered for the first time is the earliest 
of all Azaleas to come into bloom and it is also the sweetest 
and the brightest in color. It succeeds in almost every soil 
and location and blooms when very young, but under favor¬ 
able circumstances, sometimes reaches the height of 15 feet. 
March 23d, 1909. Wm. F. Bassett. 
fruit and plant ]Votcs 
FORESTRY BY RAILROADS. 
The Pennsylvania Railway is attempting to grow trees 
to supply ties for its own road bed. A plantation has been 
started at Morrisville, Pa., in which oaks and chestnuts are 
largely grown, and which bids fair to be of great economic 
value to the road in a comparatively short time. 
Eighty-five pounds of coniferous seeds were sown in 1907, 
220 bushels of red oak acorns, 2 bushels of pin oak acorns, 
besides chestnuts, hickory nuts, black walnuts, black 
locusts, and hardy catalpas. 
This is the first large forest-growing enterprise that we 
know of in the east, and it will be watched with a great deal 
of interest by nurserymen and others. 
A GIANT GRAPE VINE. 
Hampton Court, one of the interesting royal palaces of 
England, possesses a garden of surpassing attractiveness. 
While the average visitor journeys down to Hampton Court 
to see the picture galleries, the great hall, the collection of 
armour and other features in and about the magnificent 
group of buildings, the horticulturist has in mind, the * 
beautiful park, the wonderful maze and perhaps, although 
last not least, the great black Hamburg grape vine. This 
he has heard is the most wonderful hot house grape vine in 
the world, so that he directs his steps to the house in which 
the vine is growing. He finds it in a glass house all to itself. 
A huge stem 54 inches in circumference, a foot above the 
ground, rises out of the soil, from which several branches 
radiate and spread themselves entirely over the roof of a 
lean-to house some 30 by 100 or more feet. The vine is said 
to be 140 years old, and bears from one to two tons of 
grapes per annum. What it might bear were it not care¬ 
fully thinned, is difficult to say. At least a thousand 
bunches are cut away each season and the annual crop per¬ 
mitted is from 250 to 300 bunches, weighing from one to 
three pounds each. The fruit of this vine is used exclusively 
at the King’s table or disposed of at his direction. 
Historical specimens of this kind are to be found here 
and there in Britain and on the Continent. It admonishes 
us that we should preserve as far as possible, these interest¬ 
ing records of horticultural progress. 
_ J- c. 
A GOODLY NUMBER OF GEORGIA NURSERYMEN 
COMING. 
Editor National Nurseryman. 
Sir:— 
In regard to probable attendance at the meeting of 
the National Association at Rochester in June, from the 
the south, I would estimate the attendance at 
about the same number as heretofore, or possi¬ 
bly a little higher, somewhere between 30 and 40. 
There will be some attractions this time that we don’t 
usually have. The large nursery interests around Roch¬ 
ester will make a big drawing card, as every nurseryman 
likes to see how the other fellow is getting along. Then 
Niagara Falls and a tour through the east will have 
a tendency to draw others, so altogether you may expect 
a somewhat increased attendance from the south. 
Chas. T. Smith. 
Concord, Ga. 
LUTHER BURBANK PRODUCTS COMPANY, LTD. 
European horticultural magazines are taking occasion to 
poke a good deal of fun at the optimistic attitude of their 
western friends towards anything in which Burbank has 
been in the smallest way connected. They are now crack¬ 
ing jokes at the expense of the much advertised company 
under the heading above which failed to materialize, and 
drawing attention to what they claim is a fact that many of 
these Pacific Coast plant wonders are of little or no value 
outside of the place of origin. It is certainly a pity that 
the good work which Burbank has done is being obscured 
to such a large extent by the wholesale and undiscriminating 
type of advertisement being practised by his supposed 
friends and admirers. 
