March 31, 1906 



HORTICULTURE 



403 



doubtedly be raised from a mixture of 

 the tea and the hybrid blood, for in . 

 no other way can we expect to get 

 the bright colors that are so much 

 wanted. We may not be able to grow 

 the future roses in the haphazard way 

 that the true teas have been grown in 

 the past, but by careful study of their 

 requirements our progressive rose men 

 will have little difficulty in adapting 

 themselves to the best methods of 

 growing them. From what I have been 

 able to learn from some of those who 

 are devoting their best energies to the 

 raising of new roses, the first great 

 principle they have in mind is that 

 a rose, to be of value, must have a 

 strong constitution and be a vigorous 

 grower, otherwise it will be of little 

 use to the American rose grower. A 

 fine individual flower without these 

 qualities cannot satisfy. Many plants 

 found in every batch of seedlings have 

 ideal flowers but are so wanting in 

 vigor of growth that they have to be 

 discarded. It takes considerable cour- 

 age to do this, yet the honesty of pur- 

 pose of our seedling rose raisers can be 

 depended upon to do it, as only by 

 these heroic methods can the business 

 prosper and the best interests of our 

 Society be conserved. 



I am not the least pessimistic as 

 regards the future of the rose business, 

 for the rose will hold her proud place 

 in the commercial world as well as in 

 the world beautiful. The growth of the 

 rose business in the past twenty-five 

 years has been phenomenal; its growth 

 in the future, I doubt not, will be 

 equally great; therefore I say to the 

 young men starting in, put forth your 

 whole energy to acquire the best 

 methods of cultivating the Queen of 

 flowers that you may produce her in 

 the highest state of perfection. Don't 

 be afraid to exhibit at our shows and 

 in this way induce a healthy rivalry; 

 don't be afraid of being beaten, you 

 cannot always win. Try again and if 

 you are made of the right material 

 for an exhibitor you will be surprised 

 to find how one or two failures will 

 stimulate to increased effort to win the 

 coveted blue ribbon of our Society. 



It should be the duty of the American 

 Rose Soeiety to encourage the amateur 

 rose grower in every possible way by 

 distributing proper literature, giving 

 directions how to plant, and also what 

 to plant, yet our greatest effort should 

 be put forth to enroll the commercial 

 cut flower and plant men. We should 

 not rest until we have every rose 

 grower in the country on our member- 

 ship list. The amateurs' interests are 

 only local, they will not follow our 

 exhibitions from place to place, con- 

 sequently, when the exhibition goes 

 away, as it must if it is to be a per- 

 manent success, they lose interest and 

 drop off our list. Let us make our 

 Society of interest to the professional 

 by making it profitable and distance 

 will not deter him from being there. 

 We may just as well look this ques- 

 tion squarely in the face if we aim to 

 be a permanent Society, for sentiment 

 doesn't count in the commercial world. 

 The carnation man attends his conven- 

 tion that he may exhibit or see the 

 new varieties, or so he can sell or buy 

 stock, not for the love of the flower 

 altogether does he go. The rose man 

 is no different from his brother the 

 carnation man, there must be some 

 profitable attraction to bring him out; 

 therefore it is the duty of every rose 



Benjamin Hammond. 



Secretary-elect American Rose Society. 



grower to make an exhibit of his 

 wares at our exhibition — if he has 

 something new so much the better — 

 but the small grower, as well as the 

 large, ought to do his part. 



Let our Society go to all parts of the 

 country. They say a rolling stone 

 gathers no moss, but I believe a rolling 

 National Rose Society would gather 

 members and corresponding strength. 



In conclusion I wish to thank the 

 members of the American Rose Society 

 for the honor done me by twice elect- 

 ing me to be your president and while 

 I have fallen far short of what I wanted 

 to accomplish for the Society, yet I 

 have done the best I could under the 

 circumstances. Although I now step 

 out of office, the Society will still have 

 my hearty cooperation and best wishes 

 for its success. 



Secretary's Report. 



The following report was read by 

 Secretary Wm. J. Stewart: 



With another year of experience to 

 our credit, we come again as guests of 

 our good friends of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society, to set up one 

 more milestone in the history of the 

 rose in America and the organization 

 devoted to its advancement. How 

 have we fared during the year since we 



last met in this room? The best 

 answer I can give is to ask you to 

 look at the splendid exhibition in the 

 adjoining hall. Your secretary can give 

 you facts and figures of the year's 

 doings but you who are privileged to 

 see this exhibition will care more for 

 the kind of evidence here given, that 

 the rose growers are wide awake, that 

 the American Rose Society is backed 

 by workers both willing and capable 

 and has now gotten safely beyond the 

 point where any doubt could exist as 

 to its permanency and usefulness. 



For the first time since the organiza- 

 tion of this society an annual report 

 and bulletin has been published. In 

 it are recorded the proceedings at the 

 meeting in Boston one year ago and 

 the doings of the executive committee 

 in the meantime including the delight- 

 ful visit to the rose garden at Hartford. 

 Conn., last June. Several well-prepared 

 and instructive papers generously 

 written by members for this purpose 

 are included, together with a list of 

 the members up to date. A few adver- 

 tisements were inserted which materi- 

 ally reduced the cost of issuing the 

 report. A copy was duly mailed to all 

 members and further reference to it 

 now is unnecessary except that your 

 secretary has to acknowledge the un- 

 fortunate omission of a number of 



