222 ANNUAL. REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



and would uot have been organized, nor could have been operated 

 successl'ully had not the S. A. F. been at the head of it. 



I have no means of knowing how many feet of glass in this country 

 there are devoted to the growing of flowers, but up to August 1st, 

 last, ll,2U'J,8Gi3 square feet of glass were insured in the said associa- 

 tion. It originated among the tiorists and is managed entirely 

 among themselves. During the past year claims for losses by hail 

 have been paid amounting in the aggregate to |5,337.31>. It is 

 understood, of course, that all the glass devoted to commercial hor- 

 ticulture is not insured in this very useful association, but it is 

 rapidly becoming more popular on account of its excellent manage- 

 ment and by the prompt payment of losses after they have been re- 

 ported and duly verified. 



The Chrysanthemum (Society of America is another offspring which 

 has done good work. The nature of its duties, so far, has been 

 confined to the protection of the buyers of new Chrysanthemum 

 plants from purchasing novelties of the popular Queen of Autumn 

 of doubtful value. Committees are appointed annually to meet 

 once in each week during the chrysanthemum season in the larger 

 cities, as New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago, and to exam- 

 ine seedlings or sports. No less than six flowers must comprise an 

 exhibit, if to be considered by the committee. Two dollars is the 

 entrance fee, and this has the etfect of simplifying the committee's 

 work, for no matter how enthusiastic the owner of a new variety 

 may be, he becomes immediately critical of his own production when 

 cold cash must accompany his entries for exhibition. These new 

 candidates for public favor in seedling chrysanthemum are judged 

 according to a scale of points, and when eighty-tive or more are 

 awarded out of a possible one hundred, a certificate of merit is 

 granted by the society. 



The American Carnation Society is another child of the S. A. F., 

 and is run upon somewhat different lines than are those of the 

 Chrysanthemum Society. An annual meeting and an exhibition of 

 new and meritorious varieties of carnations is held in connection 

 therewith the third week of February in the diti'erent cities. Last 

 year it was held in Philadelphia, where this society first saw the 

 light of day in the year 185)1. This year it will be held for the second 

 time since its organization in liutialo, N. Y. 



Wonderful strides have been made in the improvement of the 

 carnation since the society was organized in the Quaker City in the 

 year as before indicated. Thirty-five cents per dozen was the jire- 

 vailing retail price in those days, but during the past year the new 

 Boston variety, "Mrs. Thomas W. l>awson,'' led in j)rice in that mar- 

 ket at p. 00 per dozen. The premium i)rice, however, has been 

 reached by a variety which so far has no other name to designate 



