August 21, 1902. 



The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



381 



make some provision in the near future 

 for the time when no invitation shall 

 come to us from a desirable locality. In 

 other organizations similar to ours the 

 matter is left in the hands of the execu- 

 tive committee and perhaps that would 

 be the best plan to adopt. That method 

 would eerta.nly give ample opportunity 

 for mature consideration. Of course un- 

 der this method all obligations, implied 

 or suggested, as to local entertainments 



will result, as the medal is looked upon 

 as a most unique and valuable distinc- 

 tion from a general floricultural stand- 

 l)oint. The subject of bulb culture in 

 our southern states received the best 

 thought of your executive, and an invita- 

 tion was extended to all growers of bulbs 

 in the south to submit samples at this 

 convention for testing under the auspices 

 of the society. It is hoped that much 

 good may result from this and an impetus 



House of Bridesmaids at Bassett & Washburn's, Hinsdale, III. Planted April 27th. 

 Photographed August 1st. Andrew Benson, the foreman, in the walk. 



would be waived and the place selected 

 would be entirely absolved from any 

 burden in that direction. 



Executive Committee Woik. 



A number of matters of importance re- 

 ceived the careful consideration of the 

 Executive Committee at its anuaul meet- 

 ing in February last, and the action taken 

 then will appear in the reports of the 

 executive officers. One thing that gave 

 the committee cause for much anxious 

 thought and discussion was the lack of a 

 local florists' club to take charge of the 

 exhibition at Ashevillc. After looking 

 over the ground carefuly from all sides 

 and canvassing the merits of various 

 plans and suggestions it was finally de- 

 cided to put the exhibition in charge of the 

 secretary, giving him power to get such 

 local assistance as would be necessary. 

 Looking back with the light of experience 

 of the past few months the wisdom of 

 this action has been amply demonstrated. 

 Another thing that gave the committee 

 some trouble was the society's medal for 

 the best plant or flower. The committee 

 has been criticized for the way the medal 

 is offered. The burden of much of this 

 criticism is the assumed impossibility of 

 judging a plant and a flower in the same 

 class. Such an assumption is largely 

 imaginary; and, not only that, if a sepa- 

 rate class is made you will at once hear 

 a cry that, a chrysanthemum should not 

 be judged in the same class as a carna- 

 tion and so on without limit. Looked at 

 in the proper light the action of the com- 

 mittee is really the ouly method possible 

 under the circumstances. The number of 

 societies having the privilege of offering 

 the medal has been increased, and there 

 is every reason to believe that much good 



be given to a new industry in our country, 

 it being felt that we have the soil and 

 climate for growing such stock, and, with 

 encouragement from the society, it would 

 soon be unnecessary to seud abroad for 

 supplies of that nature. 



Life Membership. 



It is noted with satisfaction that there 

 has been a considerable increase in the 

 list of life members. There is nothing 

 that can add to the stability of the so- 

 ciet_y better than a large life membership, 

 and it is sincerely hoped that many more 

 will avail themselves of the privilege. 



Exhibitions. 



When we reflect that our society was 

 formed to encourage floriculture and that 

 an exhibition of flowers is one of the 

 most potent methods of spreading a love 

 of flowers among the people, we must ad- 

 mit that it is our duty to encourage ex- 

 hibition by every means in our power. We 

 who make our living by commercial flori- 

 culture should never lose sight of the 

 fact the more people who take an interest 

 in flower plants there are, the better will 

 be the florist's business in general. Too 

 many of us are apt to be indifferent, and 

 even hostile, sometimes, to exhibitions be- 

 cause as we say "they don't pay." That 

 is, we are short-sighted enough to con- 

 sider the box office to be the only criter- 

 ion. That attitude is a very great mis- 

 take. We ought to take a broader view 

 and consider the general effect on the 

 public and its reaction from them to our 

 business in course of time if we keep 

 persistently at it. We should be em- 

 I)hatic in our approval of the flower show 

 at all times. 



It now becomes my duty to perform 

 the saddest part, namely, the recording 



of the deaths of seven of our members 

 during the year just passed. Most of 

 them you were familiar with, they having 

 been active in the society almost since 

 its institution, and one of them, indeed, 

 was elected to the highest honor in your 

 gift. Their wise counsels and genial 

 personalities will be sadly missed, and it 

 will be a long time before we can ade- 

 quately fill their places in the future. 



Naming the Judges, 



The names of tlie judges of the various 

 classes in the trade exhibit were an- 

 nounced and Secretary Stewart read his 

 annual report, as follows: 



Report of the Secretary. 



One }'ear ago the Society of American 

 Florists and Ornamental Horticulturists 

 met at Buft'alo, N. Y., amid the excite- 

 ment atteniling a great exposition; today 

 we liold our 8th annual convention in this 

 peaceful mountain city of the South. 



Almost a thousand. miles removed from 

 the scenes of our recent activities, our 

 banner floats in unfamiliar territory and 

 we appeal to a new constituency. True, 

 the steadfast friends who have stood in 

 our ranks, unfalteringly loyal, in the daya 

 of prosperity and adversity alike, are here 

 in goodly numbers, and we know that 

 many others, unavoidably absent, are 

 thinking of us, reviewing with the mind's 

 eye the events that are here transpiring, 

 and hearts warm with good wishes for the 

 society they love; but many new faces 

 greet us here today as we present our 

 plea and invite our brothers of the South 

 to join with us in a united effort to open 

 up new channels of industry that will 

 bring in the coming years prestige and 

 material advancement to American horti- 

 culture. 



To meet in a place so remote from the 

 scenes of our earlier labors, and yet re- 

 tain without serious interruption the ad- 

 herence of the rank and file of our mem- 

 bership, would not have been believed pos- 

 sible a few years ago, in the days when 

 the location and accessibility of the an- 

 nual convention was the gauge of our 

 fluctuating membership roll. A steady 

 trend towards a more permanent member- 

 ship, the desirability of which has been 

 frequently referred to by your secretary, 

 now' seems happily inaugurated, and, as 

 indicating a faith in the society's useful- 

 ness and approval of its methods by our 

 conservative business and scientific men, 

 is one of the most hopeful signs in our 

 career at the present time. 



The whole number of members in good 

 standing as recorded in the annual report 

 was 921, 50 being life members and 881 

 annual members. We have lost 7 of 

 these by death since the last meeting, and 

 144 members have either resigned or for- 

 feited their membership by non-payment 

 of dues for the year 1902. 



The list of deaths is as follows: 



Edmund M. Wood, Dec. 12, 1901. 



Charles Oonnon, Jan. 2.5, 1902. 



Thomas .1. Winters, .Ian. 31, 1902. 



James Comley, Feb. 1, 1902. 



Conrad Eichh'olz, March 23, 1902. 



A. Whitcomb, April 24, 1902. 



W. G. Bertermann, June 29, 1902. 



One hundred ninety-two members w-ere 

 added, of whom 6 are life members, and 

 12 annual members have changed to life 

 membership by payment of the requisite 

 fee. The new members are severally 

 credited to the various states as fol- 

 lows: Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Minne- 

 sota, New Hampshire, Oregon, Virginia, 



