336 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



AUGUST 23, 1900. 



lifting, wiilcti brings more of us togetlier 

 at our convention, is welcome, and, if 

 twenty or more clubs organized for man- 

 ly sports will come to our next conven- 

 tion, we will give them all encourage- 

 ment and a hearty welcome. 



The increasing demand for plants, both 

 foliage and flowering, is no doubt due to 

 a taste for something more permanent 

 in homes than cut flowers. 



An erroneous idea has gone abroad that 

 cut flowers at some seasons of the year 

 are exorbitantly high, but an analysis of 

 the prices for the year will find that the 

 average is lower today than the grower 

 ought to receive. Adverse criticism is 

 occasionally made, which is heralded 

 abroad by the newspapers and periodi- 

 cals, that extravagant prices for flowers 

 are charged by the grower for the holi- 

 days. These criticisms are made by those 

 who know little or nothing regarding the 

 cost of cut flowers. It is the one season 

 of the year in which the grower hopes 

 to receive a remuneration for his efforts. 

 He is obliged, oftentimes, to lose a crop 

 of flowers for T»iiich he .received nothing, 

 in order that he may obtain the desired 

 crop tor the holidays when there is a 

 great demand for them. Did he not do 

 this, not over half the flowers could be 

 offered for sale in the holidays. The 

 high prices which we hear of are only 

 for the few flowers which are called ex- 

 hibition flowers. If the grower depended 

 for his income upon this class of his 

 product, there would not be a commercial 

 foot of glass in existence for the growth 

 of cut flowers. It is to the vast volume of 

 second, third and fourth class flowers, 

 and that demand which comes from the 

 middle, as well as the poorer classes of 

 people, who never pay high prices for 

 them, that the grower, and in a large 

 measure the florist, depends for his suc- 

 cess. Those who want, and will have, 

 the very finest of flowers, selecting: only 

 the most perfect in form, foliage, size 

 and coloring, and who are thoroughly 

 conversant with these Qualities, are wil- 

 ling, as they ought to be. to pay the 

 price which is demanded for them. 



Wild flowers, beautiful children of the 

 woods and fields, is there not a future 

 for them in the greenhouse? If mad& a 

 specialty, would they not find a welcome 

 and a place in every home? Here is an- 

 other opportunity for youth to seize and 

 develop. 



As to the growth of our industry, very 

 little commercial glass was in existence 

 in ISIO. In 1S45 glass was laid in putty 

 and butted, the edges being dipped in co- 

 pal varnisii, but it seemed to have gone 

 into desuetude until recently. Since then 

 the growth of floriculture and horticulture 

 has been phenomenal, beyond even the 

 imagination of the most advanced horti- 

 culturist of that day. It may be said 

 that it has kept pace with the increase of 

 railroads, if it has not outstripped them, 

 in its activities and growth, and today 

 we are the foremost nation in th§ growth 

 of flowers and plants and in the extent 

 of our greenhouses and floral establish- 

 ments. It was not until 1S90 that the cen- 

 sus bureau made special returns on flori- 

 culture and its growth, as a distinct fea- 

 ture, and so it is impossible for me to 

 make comparisons with former decades, 

 with any degree of accuracy, but let me 

 picture to you what we had accomplished 

 up to that time— ISOO— and leave you to 

 imagine what the census now under way 

 will disclose. 



The wonderful progress in the world of 

 science during the past few decades as 

 exemplified— in one of many instances— 

 in the building and equipment of a rail- 

 road, is no more worthy of note than is 

 the advancement which we have made in 

 our own art. The rapid stride in the de- 

 velopment o-f the locomotive — in its speed, 

 its power, its economy in fuel and in its 

 many novel appliances — is no greater 

 than in our own vast greenhouses of tlie 

 present day. 



The hot house of twenty years ago is 

 as obsolete as is the small, slow, wood- 

 burning locomotive of our childhood 

 days. To keep abreast of the times w'e, 

 as" well as all progressive people, have 

 been obliged to discard the old for the 

 new. At great cost, we have been forced 

 to construct our greenhouses on entirely 



new plans, involving changes in founda- 

 tion, frames, roofs, lighting, heating and 

 ventilating, as well as to greatly increase 

 their size. Is there today an undertaking 

 that can show a more glorious advance- 

 ment than ours? We are not simply push- 

 ing ahead. We are leaping forward with 

 bounds. Our improved methods, our cap- 

 ital invested, and the beauty, the variety 

 and the amount of our product is increas- 

 ing at a^fate which has no parallel in 

 any other art. To accomplish all this has 

 demanded of us unceasing toil, patience, 

 vigilance and the keenest thought that 

 brain can give. We have a right to con- 

 gratulate ourselves upon our splendid 

 achievements. But let us not rest con- 

 tent with our past accomplishments. As 

 we have sown with unremitting toil and 

 honesty of purpose, so we are entitled to 

 reap the benefits which American man- 

 hood claims as its birthright. The silken 

 threads— beautiful in texture and brilli- 

 ant in coloring— are in themselves a 

 source of delight and of usefulness, but 

 when banded together they become a fa- 

 bric of a hundred-fold strength and util- 

 ity. So with us, co-operation should lead 

 us to enhanced benefits, to progress in 

 our art and to every form of success, in 

 added measure, over what we have al- 

 ready accomplished. "The multitude 

 which does not reduce itself to unity, is 

 confusion." 



Ladies and gentlemen, I appeal to you 

 to clasp hands in unity of action, in 

 steadfastness of purpose, and to show to 

 the whole world the triumphs and possi- 

 bilities of American brotherhood. 



After the appointment of exhibition 

 judges, whose names appear else- 

 where. Secretary Stewart presented 

 his annual report, which follows; 



Report of Secretary Wm. J. Stewart. 



One year ago we met at Detroit under 

 circumstances peculiarly encouraging. 

 Confidence and stability had returned to 

 the business interests of our land, we 

 had the advantage of a popular city cen- 

 trally located and it was not unexpected 

 that the convention of 1899 was most suc- 

 cessful in all respects and the results 

 highly gratifying to those intrusted with 

 the management of the society's affairs. 

 The usual full official report, a 168 page 

 volume, was published in the fall and 

 mailed to every member, and a detailed 

 account of the proceedings at Detroit 

 having also been widely disseminated 

 throughout the trade papers at the time, 

 it is not necessary now to make any ex- 

 tended report of that event. Among the 

 strong features of the meeting were the 

 fine trade exhibition, in which some 

 sixty firms were represented, the inter- 

 esting papers presented and discussed; 

 especially those on "Rose House Pests," 

 by Edmund H. Wood: "Hybridizing Car- 

 nations," by C. W. Ward, and the "De- 

 velopment of Public Patronage," by J. 

 P. Sullivan, the very practical report of 

 the work of our legislative committe?, 

 the spirited discussion on the subject of 

 co-operative purchase, the unstinted hos- 

 pitality of the Detroit people, the splen- 

 did illuminations in honor of our visit 

 and the large number of invitations re- 

 ceived for the next convention. We ac- 

 cepted the invitation from the New 

 York Florists' Club, seconded by the 

 fighting governor and by Mayor Van 

 Wyck, and here we are. ' 



The annual meeting of the executive 

 committee was held in New York Citv 

 on January 16th. 17th and ISth, 1900. all 

 the members of the committee being 

 present except one. Besides the usual 

 convention preliminaries many other im- 

 portant subjects closely connected with 

 the society's welfare were considered 

 with careful deliberation, among them 

 the organization for co-operative pur- 

 chase of greenhouse supplies. The com- 

 mittee, feeling that, in a matter involv- 

 ing so heavy a responsibility, the so- 

 ciety's wishes were not indicated with 

 sufficient clearness In the vote of instruc- 



tions passed at Detroit, finally left the 

 plan undetermined and the subject will 

 again be brought before the society at 

 this convention. 



It being announced that the New York 

 Florists' Club proposed holding a horti- 

 cultural exhibition in connection with 

 this convention, the committee voted to 

 appropriate twelve silver and twelve 

 bronze medals for distribution thereat, 

 under the direction of the New York 

 Florists' Club. It was decided that the 

 department of nomenclature supervision 

 might now be transferred from the care 

 of a special committee to a regular bo- 

 tanist, and Dr. N. L. Brittoi; of the New 

 York Botanical Club Garden, was ap- 

 pointed accordingly to this office: Sub- 

 committees were constituted to investi- 

 gate and report to this convention on the 

 matters of society incorporation and 

 a permanent society home. 



The department of plant registration 

 has moved along acceptably since last 

 report. It has been the means of adding 

 several very infiuential names -to our 

 permanent membership list, its iprovis- 

 ions are willingly complied with, it pays 

 well and is evidently approved by those 

 who have had occasion to avail' them- 

 selves of its advantages. The registra- 

 tions in this department since our last 

 meeting were as follows: 



August 25, 1S99, by Lager and Hurrell, 

 Summit, N. J., Cattleya gigas atropur- 

 purea and Cattleva Hardyana Robbiana. 



Sept. 18, 1899. by Peter Henderson & Co., 

 New York, canna Governor Roosevelt. 



Sept. 21, 1S99, by W. E. Hall, Clyde, O., 

 geraniums Little Pink and Clyde. 



Sept. 21, 1899, by M. H. Walsh, Woods 

 Holl, Mass.. rose J. S. Fay. 



Nov. 1, 1899, by D. Carmichael. Welles- 

 ley, Mass.. carnations Eleanor Ames and 

 May Whitney. 



Nov. 13, 1899, by Conard & Jones Co., 

 West Grove. Pa., canna Olympia. 



Nov. 17, 1899. by Alex. McLellan, New- 

 port, R. I., chrysanthemum Victoria. 



Dec. 4, 1899, by Robert Montgjomery, 

 Wellesley, Mass., rose Mrs. Oliver. Ames. 



Dec. 26, 1.S99. by Benj. Dorrance, Wilkes- 

 barre. Pa., rose Sara Nesbitt. 



Feb. 1, 1900, by Conard & Jones Co., 

 West Grove. Pa., rose New Century. 



March 5. 1900. by C. Warburton. Fall 

 River. Mass., carnation Cressbrook. 



March 7. 1900. by C. H. Gerbig, Archi- 

 bald, Pa., geranium A. N. Gerbig. 



March i:!, 1900, by Lager & Hurrell, 

 Summit, N. J., cattleya trianae Nettie 

 Martin. 



April 2, 1900, by Nathan Smith & Son, 

 Adrian, Mich., canna The Express. 



April 2, 1900. by Lager & Hurrell, Sum- 

 mit, N. J., cattleyas trianae aurantiaca 

 and trianae Fairv Queen. 



April 5, 1900. by the Floral Exchange 

 Co., Philadelphia, Pa., rose Queen of 

 Edgelv. 



April 16, 1900, by J. H. Dunlop, Toronto, 

 Ontario, rose Lady Dorothea. 



April 20, 1900, by Lager & Hurrell. Sum- 

 mit, N. J., cattleya labiata Mrs. W. C. 

 Squier. 



June 2, 190O, by Richard Gardner, New- 

 port, R. I., canna Bobs. 



July 15, 1900, by Arthur Griffin. New- 

 port, R. I., melons Griffin's Hybrid and 

 Sea Verge. 



July 15, 1900, by M. H. Walsh, Woods 

 Holl, Mass., roses Sweetheart and De- 

 butante. 



August 9. 1900, by Geo. Wittbold, Chi- 

 cago, 111., Nephrolepis Wittboldii. 



A number of purchases of glass and 

 rubber hose have been made for parties 

 applying through the department of co- 

 operative purchase, a trilling commission 

 being added in each case, the profits 

 therefrom being devoted to stationery^ 

 IKtstage and other expenses incurred in 

 the department. 



The secretary's experience during an- 

 other year strengthens the favorable 

 opinion previously expressed regarding 

 the system of membership assessments 

 now in operation and there seems no 

 room for improvement in this depart- 

 ment. The number of individuals who 

 paid in 1898. but not in 1899, and have, 

 therefore, been dropped from the mem- 



