630 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



CARLSON'S ASTER. 



The accompanying illustrations arc 

 from photographs showing two fields 

 of Carlson's Improved aster. These 

 fields are growing northwest of Chicago 

 and are for E. II. Hunt 's Beed crop. No 

 blooms are being cut and the plants are 

 being carefully rogued to eliminate any 

 not true to type. There is very tittle 

 disease and no yellows. This variety 

 originated at Washington Heights, just 

 outside of Chicago, and was originally 

 put on the market by the venerable I>. 

 S. Heffron. It is a vigorous, strong 

 grower, producing very large flowers on 

 long stems, and a characteristic is that 

 very few of the flowers show a yellow 

 center, which is a quite common fault 

 this season with many varieties. 



CANADIAN FLORISTS' CONVEN- 

 TION. 



ivention of the 

 Association was 



in I. .a- 2 and 3. 

 tvns in the chair 

 noil represented 

 t i Intario, Que- 

 maritime prov- 

 re welcomed to 

 uhart and Aid. 



The sixth am 

 Canadian Hortiei 

 held at Tordnti 

 President Thos. J 

 and the associatii 

 by members fron 

 bee and a few £ 

 inces. The deleg 

 the city by Maj 

 Hubbard, and the reply to the address of 

 welcome was delivered by Mr. Walsh, of 

 Montreal, who certainly gave Toronto 

 great credit for tie- rapid advances she 

 had made in horticulture. 



After these gpening formalities, tin 1 

 president 's address was given.j He dwelt 

 at some length on the labor question, also 

 the different experience- by many import- 

 by the customs officers. In 'his remarks 

 on the labor question, he said that the 

 reason that better help can not be se- 



in charge by the Steel Briggs Seed Co., 

 and entertained at their grounds. 



At the afternoon session a paper on 

 "Floral Art and Value" was given by 

 II. (I. Dillemuth, manager of Dunlop 's 

 King street store. In the evening a pa- 

 per was given by A. Gibb, of Montreal, 

 on "Public Parks and Squares." B. W. 

 King, of Toronto, read a paper on 

 "Greenhouse Construction and Opera- 

 tion," dealing with heating and ventilat- 

 ing in a practical way. 



E. J. Mepsted gave the association 

 an invitation to Ottawa for next, year, 

 which was accepted on motion of Messrs. 

 Bennett and Bobinson, of Montreal. 

 Judges were appointed to examine the 

 trade exhibit and report. 



Thursday morning the delegates were 

 taken in hand by the city council and 

 after driving around the city, were taken 

 to High park and entertained to luncheon. 

 Prom there they went to the trial grounds 

 of the William Rennie Seed Co. Here 

 the visitors were photographed. From 

 there they returned to the exposition 

 grounds and the concluding session was 

 held in Directors' hall. Thursday even- 

 ing a banquet was tendered to the dele- 

 gates by the Toronto Gardeners' and 

 Florists ' Association. 



At the Thursday afternoon session 

 much comment was made upon the trade 

 exhibit and the Toronto delegates re- 

 ceived some chaff from Hamilton and 

 other del, 'gates, who considered that the 

 trade exhibit was not up to the Hamil- 

 ton exhibit. Especially did the King 

 Construction Co. and D. J. Sinclair get 

 the benefit of this, as they put up quite 

 a large exhibit at Hamilton last year 

 and were noticeable this year by their 

 absence. 



The election of the officers was held 

 Thursday evening and results as follows. 

 President, E. J. Mepsted, Ottawa; 



Crop of Carlson's Improved Aster, Pink, Growing for Seed. 



cured by the florists is the low wages 

 being paid to those who are considered 

 capable men. Mr. Dunlop gave his ex- 

 e with the late Hardeners' and 

 Florists' I Inion. 



After tin' morning session, which was 

 coni luded by the secretary's and treasur- 

 ei - i eports, t he delegates w ere taken 



first vice president, Geo. Bobinson, Mon- 

 treal; second vice president, C. Suckling, 

 Truro; treasurer, Hermann Simmers, 

 Toronto ; secretary, A. H. Ewing, Wood- 

 stock. \V. Gammage, London; J. H. 

 Dunlop, Toronto, and C. Webster, of 

 | Hamilton, were elected to the executive 

 committee. The retiring president, Thos. 



Manton, was presented with a beautiful 

 arm-chair in recognition of his valuable 

 services to the association during the 

 past year. 



Notes and Comments. 

 It will be well if Ottawa will take a 

 practical pointer for next year on the 

 mistakes that have been made the past 

 two years in regard to trade exhibits. 

 Last year the convention met some two 

 miles from the hall in which the exhibi- 

 tion was held. This year it was four miles, 

 and with the program of three sessions a 

 day, it was impossible for delegates to 

 visit the trade exhibition for more than 

 an hour or so during the whole conven- 

 tion. If Ottawa could make it possible 

 to hold the convention and trade exhibi- 

 tion in the same hall many of the large 

 exhibitors will be inclined to take it up 

 again. D. J. 



We are growing older and wiser, too, it 

 is to be hoped. Certainly we are grow- 

 ing in bulk. The sixth annual conven- 

 tion, just held in Toronto, was decidedly 

 the most successful in every respect that 

 has been. (Someone perhaps may tell 

 you, with the exception of the trade ex- 

 hibit ; the writer believes, without ex- 

 ception.) The meetings were well at- 

 tended, the number of delegates was one- 

 third larger; the papers were most in- 

 teresting and instructive; the discussions. 

 when the boys did get going, were bright 

 and lively; the president was a general 

 favorite ; the round of entertainment was 

 continuous and the utmost sociability and 

 good will prevailed. What more could 

 possibly be wanted? The enterprise of 

 Montreal and Ottawa is especially to be 

 landed, both cities sending large contin- 

 gents of "jolly good fellows" and "dais- 

 ies." Kingston sent a contingent of one, 

 but he represents his city in a manner en- 

 titling him to bo called a Timothy Eaton, 

 chrysanthemum. (The next one sent out, 

 bigger and better than Timothy Eaton, 

 should be called Orlando Johnson.) The 

 champion long distance delegate hailed 

 from Truro, Nova Scotia. He was re- 

 warded by being elected second vice 

 president for the ensuing year. One of 

 the most pleasing incidents of the con- 

 vention was the presentation of a roll 

 top desk to the retiring president, Thos. 

 Manton. It was the unanimous opinion 

 of the delegates that he thoroughly de- 

 served all he got. There are ' ' daisies ' ' 

 and "chrysanthemums" and "jolly good 

 follows." Tom is all three rolled to- 

 gether and has a heart as big as a sun- 

 flower. 



Mr. Editor, it is not the intention of 

 "yours truly" to inflict on your readers 

 a stilted, conventional report of the pro- 

 ceedings; perhaps a few short notes will 

 save time, space and bad language. 



Mayor Urquhart charmed the hearts of 

 everyone in his address of welcome and 

 also in his speech at the closing banquet. 

 It is necessary to say "closing" ban- 

 quet, there were so many of them. 



The president's address was as full of 

 good points as a packet of tacks. Some 

 of the points are going to stick in, too. 



The treasurer reported a considerable 

 increase in the size of the association 's 

 bank account. 



The paper and practical illustrations 

 on design work and values by Mr. Dille- 

 muth revealed the fact that he is a 

 ' ' bird ' ' of the first water. 



A good paper may always be expected 

 of R. W. King, on anything connected 

 with greenhouse construction. He gave 

 forty minutes of good, solid, substantial 

 matter. 



