AUGUST 18, 1898. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



283 



I need not assure you of your many 

 friends in Congress, both in the House 

 and in the Senate, and that the object 

 of chartering an organization such as 

 ours has, to its great credit, become 

 that of national consideration because 

 it is of national inierest. The senti- 

 ment, too, has found its way into the 

 Executive circle, and among the ad- 

 visers of the President in his Cabinet 

 ■we have there also our champions. No 

 greater friend, however, has ever been 

 in public life than the present Secretary 

 of Agriculture, James Wilson, who in 

 response to the Hon. Redfleld Proctor, 

 of the U. S. Senate, addressed a letter 

 which I cannot refrain from embody- 

 ing here in full, because it expresses in 

 stronger language than I could possi- 

 bly command, ideas and purposes 

 which are clear in statement and 

 •convincing in reasoning, and I feel 

 sure that you will certainly ap- 

 preciate my reading it to you, coming 

 as it does from one as able and as dis- 

 tinguished as Secretary Wilson: 



Hon. Redfield Proct( 



Senate. 



My Dear Sir:— Tour favor of April 20th, 

 enclosing a copy of Senate File 4415. "An 

 Act to Incorporate the Society ot Amer- 

 ican Florists and Ornamental Horticul- 

 turists," is received. 



The object of the bill is to create a 

 body corporate and politic in the District 

 'Of Columbia, by the name of the Society 

 •of American Florists and Ornamental 



I believe this is a useful and valuable 

 act. The last Congress thought so; Pre- 

 sident Cleveland did not. This Associa- 

 tion will operate along the whole line of 

 elevating the taste of our people. 1 be- 

 lieve their work is a means of grace. 

 It is healthful to people to ornament 

 their homes, their lawns and their sur- 



flowers into different latitudes of the 

 United States,- from whei'ever I can find 

 them in the old world. The work of this 

 Association will be helpful to the De- 

 partment, I have no doubt. "We pay a 

 great deal of money to foreign countries 

 for bulbs, seeds, etc., because we love the 

 beautiful. My work here is entirely utlli- 



Glimpses of the Omaha Exposition. 



Horticulturists, for the elevation and ad- 

 vancement of horticulture in all its bran- 

 ches, and increase and diffuse the 

 knowledge thereof; and the said 

 Association proposes to report from 

 time to time to the Secretary of Ag- 

 riculture, so that their proceedings may 

 be communicated to Congress. 



roundings generally. A love of the beau- 

 tiful was implanted in the hearts of all 

 ot us by the Master, who. when he was 

 on earth, called our attention to the lilies 

 and asked us to consider them. This As- 

 sociation proposes to cultivate that sen- 

 timent. 

 I am endeavoring to introduce new 



tarian. I desire to have, and will have, 

 through the wise appropriation of Con- 

 gress, bulbs, seeds, etc., brought here from 

 foreign countries and produced here, so 

 as to save our people very large sums 

 of money now being sent abroad for these 

 things. I consult with certain of the gen- 

 tlemen named in this act. with regard 

 to these importations, and get much use- 

 ful knowledge from them. The people 

 will gratify their love for the beautiful 

 in flowers and shrubbery, and I desire 

 that these things be grown in the United 

 States. The Bermuda lily is an illustra- 

 tion. We pay a very large sum of money 

 to foreign countries for the bulbs of that 

 lily. I have set technical scientific divi- 

 sions of the Department at work study- 

 ing the diseases of that plant, and to get 

 information for the people regarding the 

 localities that may produce it at home, 

 and save the money now paid out for it. 

 While my main objects are the saving 

 ot money to the American people, and 

 the procuring of information for our pro- 

 ducers all along the line, so that they 

 may produce more economically, I re- 

 cognize the great assistance that the De- 

 partment will get from these gentlemen, 

 who study decorative plants, and so I 

 would be greatly pleased to see you push 

 this bill and encourage this Association 

 by giving them a name and a place in our 

 statutes and recognition by the United 



States. 



Very truly yours, 

 JAMES WILSON, Secretary. 



This is not a matter of sentiment 

 from this gentleman to gain favor of 

 you and yours, nor is his interest meas- 

 ured by any glorification whatever that 

 he might possibly get out of it, for 

 he has demonstrated by his great prac- 

 tical work, his interest in Agriculture, 

 in Horticulture and in Floriculture, 

 as through his instrumentality and his 

 influence, and his practical work and 

 encouragement, has the Ames Agricul- 



