832 



The Weekly Florists' Review, 



November 13. 1902. 



CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY OF 

 AMERICA. 



The Chicago Convention. 



Though a preliininary session was held 

 Wednesday morning, it was nearly 3 

 o'clock in the afternoon before the first 

 business session was held, the convention 

 convening in Fullerton Hall, at the Art 

 Institute. President Herrington presid- 

 ed and C. W. Jolmson acted as tempor- 

 ary secretary. After the usual prelim- 

 inaries President Herrington read his 

 address, which follows : 



President Herrington's Address. 



The Chrysanthemum Society of Amer- 

 ica was organized at Bufl'alo in 1889, 

 with the following aims: "To increase 

 the general interest in the cultivation of 

 the clirj'santhemum. To improve the 

 standard of excellence in the flower. To 

 improve the methods of cultivation and 

 to increase its use as a decorative flower. 

 To properly supervise its nomenclature; 

 to keep a register of seedlings in order 

 to prevent duplication of names; and 

 to stimulate the growing and introduc- 

 tion of improved seedlings in every le- 

 gitimate way." 



The constitution under which we or- 

 ganized provided for an annual meeting 

 to be held each year in November, but 

 this proviso has been respected in the 

 breach rather than in the observance, till 

 todaj', after the lapse of a dozen years, 

 the hope some of us have long cherished 

 has, thanks to the munificence of the 

 Chicago Horticultural Society, been con- 

 summated, and we are in convention as- 

 sembled with a specific purpose, and that 

 is to be more active and more aggressive 

 in the pursuit of our objects and aims. 



Through the years that have elapsed 

 since organization the Chrysanthemum 

 Society of America has done a lot of 

 quiet but effective work, so as a prelude 

 it is eminently fitting to review the past 

 at this initial November meeting, to 

 give an account of our stewardship be- 

 fore we attempt to anticipate the future 

 and lay out plans for greater activity 

 in the years to come. 



Looking back, down the vista of years 

 that have passed, the year 1894 marks 

 an important epoch in the existence of 

 our society. The faithful few that from 

 Its inception to date have maintained its 

 continuous existence met during the 

 convention of the Society of American 

 Florists, held that year at Atlantic City, 

 and devised the plan of having commit- 

 tees appointed in the following cities: 

 New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Bos- 

 ton and Cincinnati, these committees 

 to meet and pass judgment upon any 

 new varieties submitted to them, to 

 gauge their merit by a standard scale 

 of essential requirements, and to en- 

 dorse those found worthy. The best 

 testimony that can be adduced to dem- 

 onstrate the wisdom of this action is 

 the fact that these committees have 

 met uninterruptedly ever since during 

 the chrysanthemum season, that their 

 endorsement of new varieties has been, 

 nnd_ is still eagerly sought after, and 

 their judgments when rendered have 

 been well sustained. "By our works we 

 ar? known," and it may 'in full truth be 

 asserted that to this particular act the 

 Chrysanthemum Society of America owes 

 its past span of life,' its existence to- 

 day; and though many here present 

 may be unconscious of tiie fact through 

 not having given thought to the matter. 



the benefits that have accrued to chrys- 

 anthemum growers resultant from the 

 labors of these committees have been 

 of a lasting character and a strong 

 safeguard against imposition. Inten- 

 tional imposition is not by this implied; 

 but a salutary check has been in exist- 

 ence that has prevented the foisting 

 upon the public of an excessive number 

 of new varieties, many of doubtful use or 

 merit. 



During these years the results have 

 been as follows in certificates awarded 

 bv the C. S. A.: 1894, 2S ; 1895, 34; 189t), 

 .j'4; 1897, 2.5; 1898, 33; 1899, 23; 1900, 

 17; 1901, 17. In eight years 131 varie- 

 ties have gone out endorsed by the Chrys- 

 anthemum Society of America. Many 

 of them, you will say, '"like leaves on 

 a stream, have eome and gone and left 

 no trace behind." We admit it; no 

 judgment is infallible, but you will at 

 least concede these judgments were con- 

 scientiously rendered, and if they did 

 not eliminate all the chaff, the good 

 grain was made more easy of discov- 

 ery. 



A fair percentage of the varieties cer- 

 tificated each year we are still cultivat- 

 ing. For example, from the 1894 list we 

 have Jeannie Falconer, J. E. Lager, Phil- 

 adelphia, and Helen Bloodgood, and from 

 1895 Mrs. Perrin, William Simpson, Mod- 

 esto and Western King. 



So much for the past. It is a record 

 that stands, needs no apologies, justi- 

 fies our existence as an organization, 

 amply sustains our belief in the need 

 of such an organization, and on this 

 basis we stand today, asking more sup- 

 port and a stronger, more united effort 

 in tlie pursuit of a work that must be 

 continuous and can never be considered 

 complete, for the chrysanthemum is here 

 to stay. It has outlasted the short span 

 of popularity certain pessimists in this 

 country presumed to concede it; is pre- 

 manently enthroned as "Queen of Au- 

 tumn" in the hearts of thousands of 

 flower lovers, and has a history and a 

 literature surpassing by far that of any 

 other flower. It behooves us, therefore, 

 as sponsors for the chrysanthemum in 

 America, not only to maintain unim- 

 paired its historical continuity, its an- 

 cient and honorable lineage, "but as a 

 precious heritage from the past, to hand 

 it down to the future with the pages of 

 its historical record amplified by good 

 work performed in our day and time, so 

 that American contributions to chrysan- 

 themum lore, American production of 

 new varieties, may be on a par with 

 those of the Orient, whence the flower 

 first originated; of Europe with its 115 

 years of continuous work in the chrysan- 

 themum field, and of the Antipodes, 

 whence comparatively new workers are 

 now sending us new varieties surpass- 

 ing any heretofore obtained. 



So much to show how broad the field, 

 and as a national society we should heed 

 well the fact and so broaden our sphere 

 of labor as to command the support of 

 all wlio love this flower. 



The cited record of work accomplished 

 is good as far as it has gone, but the 

 lines have been constricted; and com- 

 mercialism has dominated it all.. The 

 chrysanthemum as a cut flower for the 

 market must, of course, be adjudged by 

 the qualities that befit it bes't for this 

 speci.il purpose; and what we have ac- 

 complished along these lines may be 

 summed up in a few words. We "^have 

 made amazing progress. .The commercial 

 aspect of the flower is not in danger of 



neglect; it must be maintained to in- 

 sure its profitable cultivation. 



But, coincident with the growth in 

 popularity of the clirysanthemum, in 

 fact, the most striking feature thereof, 

 is the number of chrysanthemum ex- 

 hibitions heid eacii year in almost every 

 state in the Union, no other flower be- 

 ing so universally exploited in this 

 manner. Visit any of them, and if you 

 have had an opportunity of visiting 

 similar exhibitions in Europe, you have 

 an admirable standard for comparison 

 and should find much to reflect upon, 

 and to our disadvantage. Tlie same va- 

 rieties that arc in the cut flower mar- 

 ket are dominant; in fact, almost whol- 

 ly constitute our exhibitions. From an 

 exhibition point of view, the paucity 

 of variety and the similarity of type 

 are most disappointing. Perhaps there 

 i-s some connection between this and the 

 lack of public patronage that many de- 

 plore who aiTange otherwise attractive 

 exhibitions! Is it not worth while try- 

 ing to make the chrysanthemum exhibi- 

 tion more attractive and might not pop- 

 ularity follow as a sequel? We cannot 

 tell until we make the etTort, and we 

 must begin by systematizing our work, 

 or rather pursuing it along divergent 

 lines centering on a special objective 

 point. By giving more attention to the 

 varied types of exhibition flowers, we 

 might enhance amateur interest; we 

 might create a little army of amateur 

 growers who would cultivate for their 

 own pleasure hundreds of lovely varie- 

 ties, whose only shortcoming is, they 

 are not amenable to commercial cut 

 flower requirements, because they can- 

 not be packed in a Ikix, shipped to mar- 

 ket, and come out again in presentable 

 form. 



If it were possible to estimate all 

 that has been lost, all the varieties 

 that have been rejected in the past 

 through appraising them from the com- 

 mercial standpoint, it might surprise us. 

 A century of continuousl}' increasing 

 interest, love and enthusiasm that marks 

 the history of the chrysanthemum in 

 Europe has not been fostered and sus- 

 tained by restriction of variety and 

 type. The European cut flower markets 

 have their limited few adapted to this 

 special need, but the gardens and green- 

 houses of thousands of amateur growers 

 are replete with collections of hundreds 

 of varieties, and their annual exhibitions 

 are self-sustaining by large attendance. 

 Continuous change prevails. The varie- 

 ties of a decade ago are not there to- 

 day. 



It is this inherent infinite variety of 

 the chr^'santhemura that attracts with 

 the everlasting anticipation of seeing 

 something new. It is needless to enlarge 

 upon the possibilities before us in this 

 direction, but we cannot continually ig- 

 nore them. 



Again over a large area of our country 

 the chrvsanthemum as an open-air flower 

 should have attention. Here, indeed, is 

 a new and wide field wherein to labor, 

 and effort intelligently directed along 

 this special line would be mcst advan- 

 tageous to many. It should have the 

 consideration and support of our so- 

 ciety. 



Another matter of importance is how, 

 as a society we may be truly national, 

 the central and recognized head of chrys- 

 anthemum work in America. This is an 

 executive matter and the initiative must 

 come from within our own ranks. " 'Tis 

 not in mortals to command success, bxit 



