out a badge. These badges can be had of the Secretary of the Society. Ladies accompanying members need no badges.

The invitation was accepted by a standing vote.

Pres. Earle also notified the Society that they had been tendered an invitation to visit the greenhouse and garden of Mrs. Richardson; also, that they had received a communication from the members of the Liedertafel, offering them the hospitalities of their rooms during their sojourn in this city.

After which, the Society adjourned to meet at half past 2 o'clock to-morrow afternoon.

Second Day-Thursday.

FORENOON SESSION, February 22.

The Society spent the forenoon of this day in a delightful excursion on board the elegant passenger steamer Jesse K. Bell, which had been provided for the occasion by the Gulf States Fruit Growers' Association, first down the river to the Jackson Battlefield, and thence up the river to the extensive orange orchards and vegetable gardens of Maj. A. W. Roundtree, where the party was landed. The Times-Democrat, of New Orleans, gives the following graphic description of this pleasant affair:

A DELIGHTFUL TRIP TO THE MODEL TRUCK FARM OF MAJOR ROUNDTREE, IN JEFFERSON PARISH.

Yesterday morning at ten o'clock, according to programme, and upon the invitation of the Gulf States Fruit Growers' Association, the entire delegations of the Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society, headed by their President, Parker Earle, Esq., and lady, boarded the gallant steamer Jesse K. Bell at the foot of Customhouse street, for a trip thirteen miles up the river to the large truck farm of Major Austin W. Roundtree, in Jefferson Parish, right bank.

A committee of the Gulf States Fruit Growers' Association, consisting of Judge E. M. Hudson, Captains A. Sambola, J. J. Mellon, Adam Thomson, Esq., and S. M. Wiggins, Esq., received their guests and did the honors of the day. Besides the delegates and their ladies, several representative ladies and gentlemen of New Orleans, with their friends, participated in the excursion, among them Col. J. W. Glenn, Major Wm. H. Harris and lady, Mrs. Dr.

Hugh Miller Thompson and several of her lady guests, Mrs. E. M. Hudson, Miss Caroline Larose, Miss Regina Prevost, Mrs. Francois Sancho, Mrs. Trezevant, of Memphis, Miss Nora Howard, Miss E. Zachary, Mrs. Gomez, Mrs. E. John Ellis, Mrs. Julia Chamberlain, Mrs. S. M. Wiggins and daughter, Miss Flora Hart, Mrs. Major Davis, and others. Among the excursionists, also, were Dr. Chas. Mohr, of Mobile, United States Government Forester for the Gulf States, one of the most distinguished foresters in the United States, and Col. W. R. Stuart, of Ocean Springs, Miss., who possesses an extensive orange grove of 1,000 trees, and is a well-known importer of Jersey cattle.

The weather was unusually propitious, and the excursionists enthusiastic in their praise of our delightful climate. The old reliable Capt. Dick Sinnot, was in charge of the vessel, and assisted in contributing to the pleasure of all. After first coasting down the front of the city as far as the slaughterhouse, in order to give the excursionists a complete panoramic view of the city from the river, the Bell's bow was turned up stream, creeping up close to the city side. The numerous and varied sights, brought out by the civic panorama, elicited as numerous and varied exclamations of delight.

At 12 o'clock the point of destination was reached, and, upon landing, the excursionists were received and welcomed by Major Roundtree in person, assisted by his amiable sisters and household. Under the guidance of the Major a tour of inspection of his model farm was made, the principal features of production, etc., being explained by the Major in the language of agriculture and of horticulture, which, being more or less unintelligible to the T.-D. scribe, had to be interpreted to him.

The farm is situated at a point made by a bend in the river, and is a double concession of eighty arpents in length, about 175 acres in all, seventy-five of which are cultivated in oranges. It is the largest truck farm in the State, one of the largest in the South, and the only establishment of the kind devoted to raising early vegetables for the Northern markets, making a specialty of cabbages, cucumbers and tomatoes, the greater portion going to Chicago.

Major Roundtree bought the place in 1870, at that time in bad condition, commenced operations on it in the following year, and in 1873 set out the first orange trees, which at present are 7,200 in number, 6,000 of which will be bearing this year. Besides the ordinary varieties, he has 2,500 mandarin trees. And yet, notwithstanding the extent of the place, and the variety of the products, so admirably is everything arranged and conducted that the entire work is effectually done by a force of not more than twenty or twentyfive colored hands.

Major Roundtree generally makes 800 to 900 barrels of cucumbers and 6,000 to 8,000 boxes tomatoes annually. He will make about 170,000 heads of cabbage this year, grown in a plot covering 40 acres. Besides these staple products, a considerable portion of ground is devoted to the cultivation of strawberries, cauliflower, peaches, grapes, etc., for family use. There is also an apiary with an annual production of eight to ten barrels of honey.

Everything is conducted in the most methodical and economical manner, and yet, withal, imbued by the enterprising and liberal spirit of the proprietor. All of the plants are brought forward under glass, the place having nearly two acres of hot-beds. The plants are set in the open ground as soon as the weather will permit, and in that way these large crops are handled like clock work and go forward in round lots by the car load.

All the packing, whether of fruits or vegetables, is done in the packing house, situated conveniently near the river. It is a two-story wooden building, 110 feet long and 40 feet wide, the lower floor being devoted to packing, the upper to the box shop or factory.

In order to keep the labor judiciously employed, the first half of the year, from January to July, is devoted entirely to the market garden industry. By the first of July the crops are all gathered and shipped and the whole place sowed down in cow peas as a fertilizer. The only work carried on during the summer is the propping up of trees, making hay and putting the place in order. Then from the first of July to the first of September, in the language of the jovial proprietor, "we all take a holiday, a big rest, and go wandering up and down all over the country, hunting up some fun." These two months comprise the only period of repose in the calendar of the place. By the first of September plowing the pea vines under is begun and everything got in readiness for the spring crops. About the first of October the gathering of oranges is begun and finished by the first of January.

The excursionists examined every point of interest on this admirable establishment, even to the two old houses facing the river in front, built in 1800 and 1802 respectively, and now used as quarters for the hands, the proprietor residing with his family in the city. Every one was charmed with the genial hospitality shown them. A bounteous lunch spread out under the shelter of the beautiful orange grove was partaken of and washed down with a delicious and purely Louisiana beverage made of the juice of sour oranges and claret.

When all had assembled about the festive board, the usual toasts were indulged in, but Major Roundtree was nowhere to be found. Captain Sambola was accordingly appointed a committee of one to find him. The Captain finally found the Major and presented him to the guests in a few eloquent and appropriate remarks, to which the modest host responded most briefly and wittily, deploring, among other things, the want of a Mrs. Roundtree to assist in doing honor to his guests.

The ominous sound of the Bell's whistle admonished the excursionists that the time for returning to the city had arrived, in order to get back in time for the afternoon session of the Horticultural Convention.

The returning party were all laden with souvenirs of their pleasant visit in the shape of oranges, orange blossoms, orange wood canes, moss, etc., and when the Bell made her return landing at the head of Customhouse street, at precisely 2 o'clock, a unanimous regret was expressed that the delightful trip had come to an end.

Second Day-Thursday.

AFTERNOON SESSION.

Half past two was the time fixed for the afternoon session of the Society, but their pleasant river jaunt had so whetted the appetites of its members that it was found necessary to satisfy the cravings of the inner man before proceeding to the discussion of the questions upon the programme for to day. For this reason, it was fully an hour after the appointed time when the strokes of the President's gavel called the meeting to order. President Earle then addressed the Society in the following words:

us.

The hospitalities of the citizens of New Orleans keep raining down upon Here is an invitation from the New Orleans Refrigeration Company to visit their establishment at any time during our stay in the city, for which we returned our sincere thanks.

Gentlemen, we are now prepared to begin the serious work of our session. To-day, both the afternoon and evening sessions have been set apart for the discussion of small fruits, beginning with the strawberry.

We have several papers prepared, and the authors are present. They will be read in succession. After a portion, perhaps most of them, have been read, we will have a discussion upon them. Our first paper this afternoon will be by Hon. J. M. Smith, of Green Bay, President of the Wisconsin Horticultural Society. Mr. Smith is one of the largest strawberry growers of the Northwest, and it seems fitting that a man who has succeeded in growing over four hundred bushels of strawberries to the acre should be asked to tell us how to grow strawberries at the North. Your attention is invited to Mr. Smith's paper:

STRAWBERRIES FOR THE NORTH, AND HOW TO GROW THEM.

BY J. M. SMITH.

In the entire list of our small fruits, the strawberry is the only one that can be grown with any certainty from the borders of the torrid zone to arctic regions. It may be said that the north temperate zone is its most favored clime. Yet, with its adaptation to so many different climates and soils, it is only within the last twenty-five years that this most delicious of our small fruits has become at all common.

When I was a little boy and living, as I did, much of the time at the house of my grandparents, my grandmother used to keep a little bed of strawberries of the variety (as I now suppose) known as one of the White Alpines. They were kept, as far as possible, for extra occasions. The supply, as is generally the case with those varieties, was exceedingly limited.

The largest picking that I remember ever seeing was one of about one pint. I remember that there was company at the time; another thing I also remember very distinctly, was that a taste of them was about all that a little boy like myself could hope for. The idea that I could ever sit down to a table where strawberries were as plenty as potatoes, or bread and butter, was something that had never entered into my childish imagination. Yet I certainly fared as well, and, I think, better than the average of my neighbors. In fact, I do not recollect ever seeing a bed of cultivated strawberries in the days of my childhood except the one above mentioned. They were then a luxury to be enjoyed only by a very few. Now they are, in their season, within the reach of, and enjoyed by, all to a greater or less extent. They have ceased to be a luxury, and are considered one of the necessary articles of food by tens of thousands of our citizens.

It is perfectly safe to say that one hundred bushels of berries are now used at the North where one bushel was used fifty years ago. What has caused this remarkable change? Hovey's Seedling was introduced at an early day, and was a great improvement upon any variety then in cultivation. Soon after the Early Scarlet, sometimes called the Jersey Scarlet, made its appearance and contested the field with the former.

This was not far from 1830, though I am unable to give precise dates. They produced a great change, and were the leading varieties at the North until about 1860, when Wilson's Albany Seedling began to make its appearance. It had been grown by a few for some years previous to the above date, although it was a novelty to many people until 1863. At this time it had about taken possession of our Northern markets, and as a market berry it has virtually held its own until the present time.

New varieties by hundreds have been brought forward, and every effort made to supersede it with something better. None of these have yet succeeded, unless some of the new varieties now upon trial shall prove to be its superior.

No one will claim that the Wilson is in all respects a perfect berry, still it. has certainly shown itself to be the most remarkable one for the millions ever yet put into cultivation.

Where and how can it be grown? I believe it is at home in most parts of the Sunny South. In the North, it is safe to say, in general terms, that a fair crop of the Wilsons may be grown wherever a good crop of either corn or potatoes can be grown. It is also perfectly at home upon the shores of Lake Superior and in districts too far north to grow either of the above-named crops with any degree of certainty. If I could just have the soil I preferred for them, I should select a light loam, rather damp than dry, and have it thoroughly drained. Manure it heavily, say from twenty to forty loads of good stable manure per acre.

In my latitude, 444°, it is not often that the weather will allow us to set our beds before some time in April, and sometimes not until the 1st of May.

If I were upon a farm where a little land, more or less, was of no conse