from his station management, and as a member of the supervising committee. After a certain line of procedure, or plan of operation has been adopted and work commenced thereon, it is very embarrassing to this society to have a change made in the conductor of the central station in which we, as a society, have absolutely no voice whatever. We have no way, that I know of, even to express our opinion on the subject. I believe we should place ourselves in such a position as to enable us to elect our own officers. With this object in view I recommend that Rule ninth be changed to read as follows: "Rule ninth. A committee to be known as the supervising committee, consisting of three members, shall be elected by the board of directors, of which committee one shall be chairman and hold his office for three years. The two other members shall be elected, one for two years, and one for one year, and thereafter one member shall be elected annually to serve a term of three years. The chairman of this committee shall report all its doings, in writing, to the board of directors, each year, on or before the evening of the first day of the annual winter meeting." I recommend that Rule eleventh be changed to read as follows: "Rule eleventh. It shall be the duty of the supervising committee to inform themselves, each year, by personal inspection, of the work being done at each of the stations." I believe it would greatly facilitate the interests of our society, advance horticultural knowledge, and increase our membership, to have a summer meeting, to be held during our state fair. To co-operate with the State Agricultural Society in getting up an exhibit of fruits, plants and flowers that would be a credit to all parties concerned and not cost this society but very little money. We could appropriate a reasonable amount to be used in paying premiums on new varieties of seedlings, not before exhibited. A good premium in this way will bring to public notice fruits that otherwise might remain long unknown. I therefore recommend that such action be taken. Experimental work is the only line of action for the development of horticulture. Look where you will, we see every reason for encouraging a broad range of enterprise in this direction. Every farmer can plant and mature a few seedlings as well as care for a few new varieties procured from some one in whom he has confidence. This would increase the chances for securing new and desirable fruits adapted to their respected localities. We know that Iowa has in stock rich resources for the future that if rightly handled would cause a revolution in fruit growing. It is the aim and object of this society to so develop these resources by cross-fertilization and the judicious selection of varieties that we may be able to say that we have a group of fruits originating here that are all our own. "As the years pass by with their seed-time and harvest, we are reminded by the decaying plant and ripened fruit, that nature has decreed that only the vegetable kingdom is allotted a period of growth, maturity and decay, but man also." Since our last meeting we are called to record the deaths of Matt Parrott, of Waterloo; L. Tatum, of Springdale, and J. H. Gear, of Burlington. We can but submit, knowing that the great laws of nature are inevitable, shaping their course and events as time progresses. This session will bring to a close my third term as president of this society. In retiring from the duties of this office, I wish to thank you for the REPORT OF SECRETAEY AND LIBRARIAN. 25 honor you have unanimously conferred upon me for three consecutive years. I have tried to do my duty, if I have failed, it was through lack of knowledge. I am under obligation to every member of this society for courtesies extended. During these years, harmony has attended our efforts, may it be so in future, and I hope to remain an active member with you for many years, if my life is spared. My desire is that this society may continue to prosper and carry on to its fullest development the line of work already established, regarding whose merits you are all happily agreed upon. THE PRESIDENT: The next upon the program is the report of the secretary, Wesley Greene, of Davenport. REPORT OF SECRETARY AND LIBRARIAN. 6 Each year brings some new experience which characterizes it from all others. A year ago our thoughts were engaged with the problem presented by the unusual climatic conditions which proved so destructive to the roots of trees, commonly known as root killing." The lesson was an expensive one and hard to learn, but it will not soon be forgotten, and in the future we will give more attention, in our study of plant life, toward strengthening this part of the plant by avoiding combinations which have proven so disasterous to our orchards and fruit plantations. This year the fruit crop has not been a large one but prices were satisfactory; plants and trees made a good growth, and, on the whole, the season has been one of encouragement. No killing frosts occurred, however, until late in the fall so that many of the trees still retain much of their foliage. Some fear has been expressed as to the result, but we see no occasion for alarm so long as the weather conditions remain unchanged. Last winter under the pressing demand by other departments for more space in the capitol building, the legislature thought it best to make a new assignment of rooms and moved this society from the apartment it occupied in the basement to its present location. You were apprised of the circumstances connected with this change at the time it occurred and we need not refer to them now. The change caused some delay in the work of improving the museum, but this will be temporary only and will soon be remedied. Though the space is somewhat limited now it need not deter us from continuing the work already commenced. During the year we have purchased exhibition jars and gathered a few specimens of fruit which we are testing in preservative liquids. We hope to make this a more prominent feature in the museum work, and especially desire to make as complete a collection of American plums as possible. The work of developing a race of plums for the Northwest from the best of our native sorts will occupy the attention of hybridists for the next century and will be watched with interest by all thoughtful fruitmen. We have secured a number of specimens of diseased foliage for the museum, which we hope will serve as a nucleus around which will be gathered a large number of these fungus diseases that are so destructive to plant life. A collection of this character helps to familiarize people who visit it with the appearance and habit of these different fungus growths and helps them to better understand the methods of treatment when their plants are attack by them. We acknowledge a debt of gratitude to Prof. L. H. Pammel for his very generous donation of specimens of our native flora. This will give the society a good start towards securing a much needed herbarium. We have ordered a new cabinet for this collection and when it is in place there will be more room to display other specimens. Since the last meeting we have placed over 1,600 volumes of the Transactions of the society in more than 300 libraries of the public schools of the state. Most of this distribution has been without expense to the society, except in a few large shipments sent by freight, when boxes and transportation charges to freight houses were paid by the society. We recommend that this distribution be continued until all the surplus volumes are disposed of. The number of volumes in the library has been increased by purchase and through exchange. During the year we have sent copies of the report to all the state horticultural societies and experiment stations in the country and have received their reports and bulletins in return, and hope in this way to get into closer touch with the work that is being done to advance horticulture throughout North America. The work done in this office has been a continuation of that commenced last year; the gathering of information by circular letters from members and reporting the result from the replies received. Interest seems to be increasing in this work. At first only thirty-five replies came from a membership of 460, but since then the number has increased more than fourfold, so that now we have over 150 active workers along this line of research. If this work is continued it should be put on a more stable basis and extended so as to include a larger field of inquiry; as plants under glass, on lawns, in parks and cemeteries, vegetable and market gardening, small fruit, tree fruits and timber culture. Under these sub-divisions the information sought could be more quickly obtained and with less effort, and sent direct to those interested along that line of inquiry. Placed on such a basis the society would become the central station, and each member, willing to co-operate, through reports and exchange, would be a station keeper, and the annual meeting of the society a convocation of station workers, in which each subdivision could have one or more sessions assigned to it for those interested along that line of work and they would know definitely what session to attend if they could not be present at all of them. THE. PRESIDENT: Next we will listen to the report of the treasurer, W. M. Bomberger, of Harlan. 786 M. J. Wragg, expenses to winter meeting and station fee. 34.00 787 Eugene Secor, expenses as delegate to Minnesota, and to winter meeting. 23.50 43.80 23.34 793 Abner Branson, station fee, premiums and expenses to winter meeting. 794 BF Ferris, expenses to winter meeting.... 62.25 16.47 795 CL Watrous, station fee and expenses to winter meeting. 33.50 796 A. L. Plummer, expenses as director.. 797 W. O. Willard, expenses as director to winter meeting 5.72 10.38 798 Elmer Reeves, expenses as director to winter meeting. 16.30 799 C F. Gardner, expenses to meeting, blank books and postage account. 30.45 800 C. G. Patten, station fee and expenses as delegate American Pomological Society. 801 B Stuart, premiums on fruit.. 77.20 16.25 NUMBER WARRANT. 814 Wesley Greene, salary to April 13, 1900.. 815 Dr. F. M. Powell, for 1,400 copies Nature Study Outlines. 816 Frank Horsfoll, gathering pollen.... 817 Jacob Blumer, plant breeding by Prof. J. Craig. 818 Henry Palmer, plant breeding by J. Craig. 826 Gould Manufacturing Company, supplies for stations by J. Craig.. 827 Hoopes Bros. & Thomas, stock for stations by J. Craig 828 Albertson & Hobbs, stock for stations by J. Craig.. 829 M. J. Graham, stock for stations 830 Ridgeway & Kaiser, stock for stations 831 L. M. Bosworth, supplies for stations by J. Craig 832 Prof. J. Craig, expenses 833 J. P. Jackson, paid for blue vitrol. 834 Charles F. Gardner, for spraying mixtures. 835 Prof. J. Craig, for horticultural department, Iowa State College, freights... 838 Prof. J Craig for horticultural department Iowa State College, labor, tools, sacks. 836 Prof. J. Craig, telegrams and sacks 837 E. C. Meyers, work, expense on plant breeding 839 Wesley Greene, salary to August 13, 1930....... 840 B. Shontz, expenses as director to summer meeting 841 C. G. Blodgett, expense as director to summer meeting. 842 W. O. Willard, expenses as director to summer meeting 1900.. 843 A. Branson, expenses as director to summer meeting 1900.. 844 Prof. J. Craig, expenses in cross breeding. 845 JP. Jackson, expenses as director to summer meeting. 846 R. P. Speer, expenses as director to summer meeting. 847 C. F. Gardner, expenses to summer meeting.. 848 P. F. Kinne, expenses as director to summer meeting. 849 W. M. Bomberger, expenses to summer meeting. 850 Wesley Greene, salary to October 13th.. 851 Warrant lost and unpaid..... 852 Wesley Greene, premiums paid on native plums at fair. 853 Wesley Greene, expenses as delegate to Illinois, December 1899. 854 E. E. Little, for collecting crossed fruits, for canvas and mosquito bar. AMOUNT. 200.00 25.00 10.00 8.00 2.00 38.89 14.13 13.93 9.96 22.59 21.00 1.50 2.60 7.00 4.65 5.75 5.00 2.55 28.87 5.00 8.65 12.53 4.61 4.37 16.80 266.67 11.90 5.50 4.90 5.45 19.14 10.65 7.40 14.50 4.26 9.75 133-33 20.00 24.24 8.97 66.66 150.00 150.00 150.00 150.00 5.75 W. M. BOMBERGER, TREASURER IOWA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. To balance December settlement 1899.... |