Question Box.

SECRETARY’S CORNER

THIS IS YOUR VACATION.—­If you are a fruit grower or a flower grower or vegetable grower or interested in home life or in any of the varied matters directly or indirectly connected with horticulture, the annual meeting is just the place for you. Make it a real winter vacation. Bring your wife and others of the family if possible and stay with us at the West Hotel for the four days of the meeting.  It will be one of the bright spots in your life, as you recall the pleasures of this great and fruitful gathering.

ANNUAL SOCIETY BANQUET.—­Special pains have been taken in preparing the program for this banquet on account of the fact that this is our anniversary session in part, and you will not be disappointed if you anticipate a rich treat, with two or three hundred of the most congenial people on earth, who will sit down to supper together at the West Hotel at 6:30 p. m., Thursday, December 7th,—­a wholesome repast and an intellectual feast, don’t miss it.  You will feel that you really belong to the brotherhood after dining with us.

DELEGATES TO THE ANNUAL MEETING.—­Besides the delegates at our annual meeting from abroad referred to in the November number, there is to be with us also as representative of the Iowa State Horticultural Society, Mr. P. F. Kinne, of Storm Lake, Iowa.  We have pretty good assurance also that Secy.  Greene, of the Iowa Society, will visit with us at some time during the meeting, and we don’t know how many more of the good Iowa people will find their way here.  A late note from Chas. G. Patten assures us of his attendance at the meeting, when he will give us a full report of his experimental work in growing seedling pears at his station at Charles City, Iowa.  We are looking forward confidently to something of large practical value from his work.

PROGRAM OF ANNUAL MEETING.—­The program of the coming annual meeting of the society will be found in an abbreviated form in this number of our magazine.  It has been sent, however, in all its completeness, in a separate enclosure to all the members of the society, accompanied by a blank form to be filled out by members who purpose to attend and desire to have their names in the Badge Book, and also for those who renew their memberships.  Quite a number of questions are asked on this blank form, and it is important that they should all be answered.  It is especially important that the names of friends whom you would like to see members of the society should be given to the secretary on these blanks and at an early date so that copies of the program can be sent them in good season.

The program, as you will note, is an exceedingly diversified one, special emphasis being laid on orcharding, vegetable growing and ornamental horticulture.  An increasing interest in flower growing is emphasized by the programs of three auxiliary societies devoted to these branches of horticulture.