FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 91 gratitude we give you this assurance: we can ing and will continue to do for the Horticul and will "keep 'em growin1 ". We can and tural Industry of the state and we wish you will cooperate with the program of the to present to him the Honorary Membership Quartermaster Corps of the United States which we conferred upon him last night. Ask Army. him to receive it in the spirit in which it was given by the Florida State Horticultural So PRESIDENT HENRICKSEN: There is a ciety. little matter of unfinished business from last night, I want to get it off my chest. At this COMMISSIONER NATHAN MAYO: lam time I ask Commissioner Mayo to come up very happy to do this and to convey the here. Since Governor Holland could not be message to the Governor and now, friends, present at this meeting and since you are while I am here I wish to also thank you from here to represent him, we wish that you would the bottom of my heart for the honor you convey to him the regrets of the Society that bestowed upon me when you last met. Un he could not come and convey to him our fortunately I was not present. I thank you gratitude for what he is doing, has been do very much and I am very grateful. OUR SOUTH AMERICAN RELATIONS C. P. HAMMERSTEIN, Hollywood Mr. President, members and friends of the cultural Society was on a night such as this. Society: We sat next to this inimitable plant explorer, Twenty-five years ago it was our privilege concluding one of his fascinating narrations to be flying in France with but a very few on explorations and introductions, similar to practical combat planes. Twenty years ago this very instructive address we have just Gen. Billy Mitchell told our Congress of this been privileged to hear. At that time, we sad condition and his predictions of what we had just completed our primary plantings might anticipate in the future. You and I and cataloging many of his introductions in know his pleas were unheeded and today we Flamingo Groves Botanic Gardens and, in are sadly suffering from neglectful languid- answer to our question, regarding further ness and but slowly emerging from an un studies on tropical and subtropical plants and prepared state of aerial chaos. fruits, his answer was most definite. Twenty-five years ago an emergency ex "TRAVEL—travel and see them growing. isted and our economic requirements were Growing under natural conditions and under found definitely lacking in many fields. Twenty the most eminent horticulturalists. Visit, if years ago, yes, even longer, we have heard you can, all sections of our country and par this eminent plant explorer deliver similar ticularly the fertile fields of Central and and even more appealing addresses to the South America. Here you will see nature in nation, to prepare ourselves with such ec her keenest attire. It is the finest method of onomic plants as the worlds' requirements adding knowledge, history and the science would someday demand. You and I know his of growing such botanical products as will suggestions went unheeded and today we are someday soon, vitally affect all of our lives". living in a rationed status, due principally to It was a most prophetic statement. One the lack of botanical raw-products. which today has proven his farsightedness in Our baptism into the Florida State Horti calling to our attention, many of the daily 92 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY requirements of the American and United houses containing the mammoth and elegant Nations. tuberous begonias of Veterley and Reinault As a result of these pertinent remarks, our at Capitola and the historic plantings of vacations have been spent (as those of the Luther Burbank, which were so delightfully proverbial postman off duty—taking a walk) exhibited and explained to us by Mrs. Bur- inspecting all the groves and orchards within bank. Peculiarly, in each of these interviews, the country, attending farmers' and growers' some definite word in passing, referred us to institutes and university seminars. Thru out the grandeur of the plantings below the Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Equator. Finally up, thru Oregon, Washing Oregon, Washington and Canada, where, thru ton and Canada, we were happy to view their the courtesy of the various State Depart marvelous orchards and ending in the famous, ments of Agriculture, the efficient and gener fragrant and enormous International Rose ous employees of the California Fruit Grow Test Gardens in Portland, where with the ers Exchange and the Pacific Fruit Exchange, greatest of all surprises we found another four months time passed as tho it were only former Floridian in the chief capacity of Cura a brief period of so many weeks. Our ex tor, the Hon. Fred Edmunds. Here again, he periences with such leaders as Paul Arm specifically directed our attention to Latin strong, Henry Ramsey, Dr. Tony Lorenz, and America, with the admonition that our edu Russell Eller of the Exchange, in their offices, cation will not have been complete until we thru the groves and packing houses, together visit their plantings of high repute. with the thrill of our week end visit at the Continuously, we silently thanked our Riverside Experimental Station where our friend Fairchild for his guidance. Frequent old friends Dr. J. H. Webber, Prof. Fawcett ly, it was our pleasure to visit him at the and Dr. Hodgkins and such eminent growers Kampong, where many interesting moments as David Bell and C. C. Teague, proved most were crowded with excellent council and ad valuable and convinced us that Dr. Fairchilds' vice on travel. His thoughts regarding the contentions were positively correct. tropics have been regularly supplemented by They escorted us from Eseondido's vast such prominent men as Dr. Tom Barber and lemon ranches, thru the historic fruit produc Wilson Popenoe—whose illuminating papers ing areas of Southern California, giving of presented before the Society, have been most their time and experiences so that we might enlightening. These followed by the timely ad view their progressive accomplishments. They dress of our esteemed friend Dr. P. H. Rolfs related the propelling influences of the early and the inspirational stories of South Ameri Spanish settlers and their Mission Fathers can opportunities, related to us by his daugh in introducing primary plantings of their ter, Miss Clarissa, as we sat upon the platform great citrus sections, mentioning that we together at Clearwater, definitely sealed our might acquire greater and more historic facts intentions to make South American tropics, if we traveled southward into Central and our next vacation venture. South America, from which they had emina- Finally, the opportunity presented itself in ted. Thence on, from mission to mission in a most marvelous manner. We were fortun to Northern California, where we were greeted ately invited to join a group of exchange stu by another gallant group, chief among whom dents, professors, research and post graduates, were Pres. Geo. Casey and his colleagues of who thru the instigation and arrangement of the Pacific Fruit Exchange, the Hon. Com the International Institute of Education, sail missioner Brock of the Department of Agri ed for a summer school to be held in the culture and the faculty of the Agricultural Western Hemisphere's most ancient univer School, of the University of California at sity, the Universidad Mayor de San Marcos in Davis. Their orchards and fruits were supreme. Lima, Peru. Imangine spending the entire Their vegetables, forests and flowers mag summer under the tutelage of such talented nificent. Particularly the gorgeous green educators, where, thru carefully laid plans, FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 93 classroom study, lectures, excursions and palace swung open, President Manuel Prado excavation parties would open up the historic stood amongst us and very democratically past of the famed Inca and pre-Inca agricul shook our hands. With great cordiality, he turalists. announced that he was well pleased to have Prior to our arrival, however, we were us, his brother Americans here to partake of privileged to spend a day at Summit, in the all they had to offer—hoping it would give famous Canal Zone Experiment Gardens, us the opportunity to know them, "Our South where many years before, thru the careful American Relations" more intimately. Truly, council of Dr. Fairchild and 0. W. Barrett, his sincereity made us feel as tho we had effective plan were presented so as to make found a forgotten relative and immediately the zone more productive. Here, we were had been adopted into the family. met by its amiable Director, Walter R. Lind And so we began. Classes conducted thru- say who with his assistant, Mr. J. P. Keenan, out the morning on such subjects in which gave thrill after thrill to see, taste, eat and we desired to matriculate. The afternoons experience many of the fruits as the incom were devoted to field work, excavations and parable mangosteens (Garcinia mangostana), explorations of the old burial grounds, view the jackfruit (Artocarpus integrifolia) and ing the ancient fortresses and temples, sur breadfruit (A. Communis), the madruno, rounded by the antiquated terraced gardens (Rheedia madruno), the jaboticaba (Myrciar- of the Inca and pre-Inca civilizations. Many ia cauliflora), the cherimoya (Annona cheri- of the illustrated lectures, plays, folk-lore molia), the magnificent palms, rubber pro songs and native dances, concerts and recep ducing trees, medicinal plants, towering bam tions were held in our Grand Hotel Bolivar boos, flowering trees and vines, orchids of auditoriums in the evenings. Seventy-five rare hues, all of which provided a most prac per cent of the courses were in English, par tical foundation for our equitorial visits to ticularly those of the eminent archeologist, follow.