Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-13
State Horticultural society's
Secretary Urges Bringing
Matter Before Legislature
BOTANICAL GARDEN AND PARK
HorticuIturists Convinced That Right
Plan is to Establish One Central Ex-
pertinent Farm and Ha.s It Care
fully Manased-cemetery Reform is
Started.
,ooio, 70 rimes-Republican

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Dec. IA state botan-
Eical garden and central experiment
station is advocated by the iowa eta'e
] horticultural Society. Secretary Wes-
Hey Greene, of the society," In MS an
nual report today, urged this upon 'he
society and advocated that the ieglsia-
| ture be asked to take steps TO proVlae
such q place. 1t would in addition to
being a great botanical garden where
| II would be demonstrated what plants
and vines are good for Iowa climate,
be testing place for all kinds OF new
fruits, and at the same time 1t Would
| be a state park. The state has MAIN
| tanned for a number of years what are
called the experiment stations. For
merly there were many Of these located
chiefly in nurseries, and the managers
receive small compensation for making
experiments with new fruits and seed
/ lings. These have been reduced to a
! small number The horticulturists nave
become convinced that the right plan
Is to establish one central experiment
/ farm and have it managed carefuiiy oy
someone under direction of the society.
! Secretary Greene's report on Iowa rrult
this year showed that the results were
fairly satisfactory all over the state.
The season was peculiar in that 1t was
COO, and moist in the spring and warm
4 and dry in the fall. The prices OF fruit
were low, and the secretary urged
! growing of better varieties. This So
4 ciety is now forty weight years old, and
quite recently the first president, James
4 Weed, died at Muscatine 81 years old.
sa.sseso years hence the society will prob
/ ably have celebration Of its hftieth
| anniversary.
Prof. T. II. MacBride, of the State
University, president of the Iowa Park
| and Forestry Association, has started
4 a new reform. He would radically re-
| form our customs in regard to ceme-
teries. In his illustrated lecture in
connection with his address as presi-
dent of the State Park and Forestry
| Association. he showed pictures Civ
ing his idea of model cemetery. He
would forbid marble and granite and
| all the adornment would be by shrub
| berry and vines and grass and flowers.
Here is a handsome but simple gate
way" he said, as he showed such a
picture, land thru that gate would pass
all alike. Within the cemetery there
would not be visible any great monu-
ments and simple little headstones.
The poor man who is buried today
would be remembered just as
we'll as the rich man buried
tomorrow. There would be no
costly monument overshadowing the
humble grave. All would be alike.
Some of these conventionalities to
which we cling are good only to be dis
carded. 1t is time we were making a
change"
An interesting topic is to be gone
over in the annual state farmers in
stitute here this afternoon. 1t is an
opening up of the transportation ques-'
ton. The officers of the state agricul-
,, tural department in arranging the pro-
gram bore in mind that the transpor-
tation or railroad rate question is up
permost in the minds of the public just
now. They have sought to secure
discussion of the subject in a way that
will remove the feeling that the depart
ment is taking sides. To this end two
papers will be read by General Mana
ger Delano, Of the Burlington, and
Iowa Superintendent Mutt, of the same
system. Then there will be present A.
L. Anes, Of the Corn Belt Meat Pro-
ducers' Association, Henry Wallace and
others. all interested in the subject and
free discussion is to be invited. That
there is the greatest interest In the
subject is already known and the de-
bate. if it takes that turn, will likely
be an interesting one. Since the in
terstate commerce convention took up
the matter and urged a revision of the
laws the subject has become national
in it's scope.
There is. no denying that the display
of fruit made in connection with the
meeting of the State Horticultural So
state. The writer has attended many
state fairs and has seen the fruit dis
played many times at the various mid
winter meetings and has never seen
anything to compare with the fruit
brought back from st. Louis and plac-
ed here. 1t is beautifully displayed in
,, the state capitol.
President Macbride Of the Park and
Forestry Association, takes great pride
in his work in that connection. The
annual reports of the association have
been put out under his direction at
Iowa City and they are the handsomest
things ever published in the state. Il
believe we are accomplishing some
, thing" said Professor Macbride. Il
feel that we can see evidences of an
awakening in the direction of having
things more beautiful. We are max
ing good start in Iowa City in beau-
tifylng the city and are going to show
waat can be done. There is much In