There are many characteristics to be considered when making selections for breeding besides the color and size of the flower.  The bulbs of some varieties will stand considerable freezing while other varieties will not.  This same characteristic is noticed in the foliage.  The severe frost that killed our corn crop on August 30th so impaired Panama, Hiawatha and some others that very few blooms of these varieties opened afterwards.  The foliage of some varieties remained green after a temperature of twelve degrees below freezing.

A representative of a Holland bulb growing firm who called on me a few days ago says that Niagara is a very weak grower in Holland and Panama is a very vigorous grower.  My experience with these varieties is just the reverse.  This seems to show that sometimes the difference in climate may cause certain characters in the plant to act differently—­if the Hollander is not mistaken.

A few varieties are sometimes subject to blight and rust.  Some are only slightly affected, and many others are entirely blight proof.

There are so many characteristics to be considered by the scientific breeder that it is almost impossible to enumerate them all in this paper.

There is yet a great work to be done in breeding out the undesirable traits and incorporating the improvements which we desire.

Civic Improvement.

MRS. ALBERTSON, PRES.  CIVIC IMPROVEMENT LEAGUE, AUSTIN.

This is a subject so broad and so closely connected with “The City Beautiful” one can hardly find a starting point, but we might begin with the one word—­civic—­which has drawn to itself many minds, much sober thought and from some much hard work.

The fear was widespread that woman would work havoc if she attempted to spell the task, but how needless, for the word civic can be spelled with accuracy from whichever end approached.

What was the beginning of the civic league and the city beautiful?  It began at home, where most women’s work begins.  To have a beautiful home one must have the right kind of house.  To have the beautiful house to make the beautiful home the setting must be made to correspond—­so after the house, the lawn; after the lawn, the boulevard.  Then the work spread.  Streets needed cleaning, unsightly billboards had to be removed, perhaps an adjoining vacant lot had a careless owner whose pride needed pricking.  So the need of a civic league grew, and now it has become a vital spark in many cities all over the Union.  Minnesota has over thirty civic clubs doing specific work.  Is it entirely the work for women?  No.  Is it entirely the work for men?  No.  It is a work for both.  It is a work that is very contagious and a contagion that needs no quarantine.

Civic league work envelopes many lines of improvement.  Streets and alleys sometimes need to be reported to the proper committee of the city council; the disposal of rubbish and garbage has confronted many civic societies.  There is nothing so conducive to unsanitary conditions and so disfiguring to a beautiful street as glimpses and often broad views of alleys and back yards that have become dump piles and garbage receivers.