SOCIETY OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS. 238 



To develo]) and assist the natural forces in raisin<; plants, tlowers 

 and fruits to the hij^'hest ])()ssil)le condition, is the true mission of 

 horticulture and floriculture. I am sorry to say Americans do not 

 take a front rank in this field. We produce a f>reat nniny new vari- 

 eties in the various divisions, but the varieties that we j)roduce are 

 mostly sports. A sport is a natural phenomena, a kind of "Siamese 

 twins," so to speak, unahle to reproduce its kind, and if it can, it is 

 as varying and inconstant in its habits as the untutored red man of 

 the frontier, so that a dealer who throws a sport upon the nuirket 

 with a great flourish of trumi)ets is a horticultural was]). The only 

 true way of obtainino; new varieties is by fecundation and hybrid- 

 izing. 



I am glad, so far as my observation extends, that the Hourishing 

 days of the itinerant tree-peddler is on the wane. The people do n't 

 take so kindly to his flaring chromos, pickled fruits and magic lan- 

 tern dis])lays as formerly. Florists', nurserymens" and horticultural 

 journals have l)een multiplying quite fast in the last few years; all 

 three seem to be doing an extensive business in premiums. Now it 

 is about time this ''free Innch '' business should sto]) — beer is beer 

 and SOU]) is sou]). We ought to remember that this country is Avide 

 and big and broad enough so that all can make an honest, honorable 

 living. 



All our fri(Mids interested in massive bedding would be Avell re- 

 paid by visiting the Chicago ))arks in the summer time. The con- 

 ceptive taste and originality dis])layed l>y Mr. Kenst in the South 

 Park bedding outrivals the famous Battersea Park, London. 



I will try and give you a ])art of an every-day conversation be- 

 tween myself and my customers — of course my customers are prin- 

 cipally ladies, and. bless the dear ladies, I always try to please them. 

 The ladies come mostly in pairs: some are shy, some are sharp, and 

 think my time is not worth a cent a day, some will ])ick flowers if T 

 dont kee]) my eye on them. T ^vould sooner they would steal a 

 quarter's worth of soap from my wife than steal a carnation from 

 me: but the majority of my customers are honest, noble-minded 

 souls. They generally say: "Oh, dear! if we could only grow i)lants 

 as they do in greenhouses." 1 tell those ladies this would not be 

 reasonable, because a florist is generally a man that understands the 

 wants and cares of plants, ancl builds his houses not to live in, but 

 to grow ])lants. 



1 have given the growing of plants for house decoration some 

 study, and T find that failure arises from two causes: some ladies 

 fuss too much, others totally neglect them. Tt is sur])rising what 

 an amount of ignorance and indifference intelligent ])eo])le dis))lay 

 in cari)ig for ])lants and trees. Some ladies say: •' My calla never 

 had a bloom only the one it had when I bought it at the green- 

 house, and after asking several (juestions and receiviug answers 

 thereto. T am not at all sur])rised at such a result. A good comj)Ost 



