ANNUAL MEETING. 13 



It is eventually desirable that our awards of premiums shall be so managed 

 as to develop skill and taste in the growth of plants, in their arrangement, and 

 especially in matters of floral ornamentation. 



Well grown conservatory or house plants are the exceptions at our exhibitions, 

 and it has been customary to hide deformities, by massing a mixed lot of green- 

 house growth together. This plan is to be deprecated ; and to avoid it I think 

 of no method so good as that adopted by eastern floral fair associations, of lim- 

 iting the number of specimens in collections, allowing no more than one plant 

 of a kind in any entry. 



There may be as much skill employed in the arrangement of the entry of a 

 collection as possible, and I admit this may umvittingly influence a committee, 

 still with a limited number of plants their defects will not be disguised by 

 massing. 



To speak more in detail let us again turn to the premium list of 18 7G. The 

 first innovation we would suggest is to abandon the division of stove plants. 

 With but two houses in the State arranged peculiarly for stove plants it seems 

 folly to keep up this distinction. 



But let there be in the first place a definite line drawn between professional 

 and amateur florists, and under the professional list call the division "plants in 

 pots." This will include greenhouse and stove plants, and the first class should 

 be (to illustrate our limitation in number) best 20 greenhouse and stove 

 plants of different varieties. Instead of saying best collection of variegated 

 leaved plants, I would limit it to best collection not to exceed six specimens in 

 this class. 



To stimulate exertion in growing specimen plants by professional florists, I 

 would have a general class indicated, as follows : Best specimen flowering plant 

 of any species in flower. 



The amateur list should vary somewhat, being confined principally to plants 

 adapted to window culture. 



FLORAL ORNAMENTS. 



The division bedding plants and cut flowers should be open to all, and there 

 should be a definite method of showing these. Our Society has not, as yet, 

 exhibited any flowers in bottles, but there are many sorts that are displayed to 

 a great deal better advantage in bottles than in sand, and it is not well to adopt 

 one method to the exclusion of another. 



Verbenas, gladioluses, heliotropes, carnations, and roses show better in bot- 

 tles, while asters, zinnias, and dahlias are better shown on a bed of sand. 



It requires two sorts of ability to grow good plants or flowers and to arrange 

 them for exhibition, and for this reason cut flowers should always be separated 

 from designs and arrangements. In the last class it is quite desirable that 

 opportunity be given for development of new designs, and I would add a class 

 entitled best floral novelty ; and also the best and most tasteful arrangement 

 of autumn leaves. 



For the best display of cut flowers not to exceed 100 varieties, the preserva- 

 tion during entire exhibition to be considered, it seems to me there should be 

 oSered as many as four premiums. This is a department that needs stimulat- 

 ing. We want our people to raise more flowers, — not one kind, but many. 



I would do away with the sweepstakes premiums, and put the money where 

 it would bring out a better display of skill and taste. We need to exercise the 

 same caution here as with apples. In a collection of apples we would account 



