40 b' 



HORTICULTURE, 



March 31, 1906 



In years gone by it was a common 

 thing to see Brides and Maids growing 

 Irom young plants on own roots in 

 one season to a height of from four 

 to five feet, giving from thirty to forty, 

 or even more, flowers on good, stiff 

 stems per plant. But, how often do 

 we see it now? 



Again, why have so many growers 

 been forced to introduce the system of 

 grafting in growing Brides, Maids, 

 and nearly every other forcing rose, 

 with the exception of Beauties, where 

 in former years plants on own roots 

 did as well and better? Diseases were 

 then as they are now, but were con- 

 ditions as favorable to them then as 

 now? Should conditions be more 

 favorable now, why should such be 

 the case? Are we less careful in the 

 methods of propagation, or too much 

 addicted to the use of highly concen- 

 trated fertilizers? Whatever the 

 cause or causes may be, the fact re- 

 mains, that places which were known 

 for their excellence in growing Brides 

 or Maids had to cease growing them 

 grafted on own roots. 



With American Beauty, our strong- 

 est growing forcing rose, the same 

 state of affairs holds good. Here is 

 an illustration, recently told me by a 

 grower of Beauties who had remark- 

 able success with them. In the first 

 year they brought him $16,000; year 

 after year, however, they gradually 

 brought less, until eight years later 

 they only brought $3500, with the same 

 amount of plants as at first. Of course, 

 he had to give up growing them. Can 

 anyone throw light on this and sim- 

 ilar cases happening all over the 

 country? 



In concluding, I hope that the mem- 

 bers will take a lively interest in dis- 

 cussing these important questions, and 

 they will also appeal to all practical 

 rose growers over the whole country, 

 who, if they should read them, and 

 think they have any solutions for 

 some of these vital questions, will take 

 opportunity to state them in their 

 best beloved trade paper. Even 

 though it be but a few lines, I am sure 

 they would be greatly appreciated by 

 all concerned. 



Dudley M. Pray of Boston then read 

 a paper on soluble fertilizers, which 

 evoked much discussion. 



Mr. Pray was plied with questions 

 on this most important subject and the 

 discussion was only brought to a close 

 by the arrival of 11 o'clock and a 

 motion to adjourn until 2 p. m. Satur- 

 day. 



A paper on "The Retailer's Part in 

 the Introduction of New Roses" was 

 on the program, but the writer, George 

 Asmus of Chicago, was prevented from 

 attending the meeting by sickness in 

 his family. Owing to the lateness of 

 the hour it was voted that the paper 

 be read by title only and printed. 

 Saturday's Session. 

 The meeting was called to order at 

 2.30 p. m. Election of officers was the 

 first business. President Montgomery 

 and Secretary Wm. J. Stewart declined 

 renomination. 



Messrs. Robt. Simpson, P. .1. Lynch 



and H. A Siebrechl were i linated 



(or president. <>n balloting, Mr. Simp- 

 son was elected. F. R. Pierson for 

 vice-president, Harry O. May for 

 treasurer, and Benj. Hammond 

 for secretary were each elected 

 by a unanimous vote. W. A. 



Manda was elected for one year to fill 

 the unexpired executive committee 

 term of M. H. Walsh, resigned. Peter 

 Bisset and J. J. Curran were elected 

 each for the three-year term on the 

 executive committee to succeed H. A. 

 Siebrecht and Peter Crowe. 



The question of the location of the 

 next meeting was then discussed at 

 length. Rochester, New York, Kansas 

 City and Chicago were mentioned, 

 sentiment favoring the latter, and a 

 motion to this effect, but referring the 

 final selection to the executive com- 

 mittee, was carried. 



Votes of thanks were extended to 

 the Massachusetts Horticultural So- 

 ciety and the Gardeners' and Florists' 

 Club of Boston for their courtesy and 

 hospitality, to the A. T. Stearns Lum- 

 ber Company for loan of mantels, to 

 the donors of the special premiums, to 

 the gentlemen who had prepared pa- 

 pers and to the press. The meeting 

 then adjourned. 



The Banquet. 



"The rose, the flower of love, 



Mingle with our quailing; 

 The rose, the lovely leaved, 

 Round our brows be weaved, 

 Genially laughing." 

 The banquet hall of the Brunswick 

 was indeed a scene of brilliant beauty 

 as the company of one hundred and 

 seventy-five ladies and gentlemen, 

 marching to the music of an orchestra, 

 filed in and took their places at the 

 flower decked tables after a formal re- 

 ception by President and Mrs. Alexan- 

 der Montgomery in the Venetian par- 

 lor. Tables, mirrors and chandeliers 

 were resplendent with rich plants, 

 baskets of orchids and vases of roses, 

 carnations and other cut bloom, all 

 contributed by the generous growers 

 associated with the Gardeners' and 

 Florists' club of Boston. Each lady 

 wore a big bunch of violets, the gift of 

 Wm. Sim. The banquet itself was 

 simply faultless, a monumental credit 

 to the entertainment committee and 

 to the hotel. When the last course 

 had been disposed of President James 

 Wheeler of the Gardeners' and Florists' 

 Club of Boston made a neat little 

 speech of welcome, congratulating the 

 American Rose Society on its splendid 

 exhibition, and then called on Prof. 

 Louis C. Elson as toastmaster. The 

 toastmaster's introductory remarks 

 were unique. He said: 



"It is the custom among civilized 

 nations, when several are gathered to- 

 gether to eat and drink, to select a 

 few victims who shall be offered upon 

 the altar of speech-making. For these 

 victims the soup hath no charms, and 

 the ice cream passes unheeded by; 

 they are thinking of their speech. 

 The savages had a much simpler plan; 

 after eating they went to sleep. On 

 this occasion, however, we will not 

 let any of you go to sleep. On the 

 contrary, we shall keep you very wide 

 awake by speeches and songs." 



After ackcowledging that the flow- 

 ers of rhetoric were the principal flow- 

 ers with which he had any great ex- 

 perience and drawing an analogy be- 

 tween the Conservatory of Music, 

 where he officiated, and a "hothouse.'' 

 he continued: 



"But I have found some of my most 

 delightful relaxation in company with 

 florists and growers. A more loyal 

 and true-hearted and generous set of 

 men does not exist. And when they 

 found it proper to end the gn . 



rose exhibition ever given in America 

 with a banquet and offered me the po- 

 sition of toast-master I said to myself, 

 'I will not quail on toast.' " 



He then called upon Alexander 

 Montgomery, the "man behind the 

 gun," the "man under the glass," 

 president of the American Rose So- 

 ciety. 



President Montgomery disowned 

 any ambition as an after-dinner orator. 

 He paid a graceful compliment to the 

 youth and beauty and manliness 

 around the tables, and in the name of 

 the American Rose Society expressed 

 thanks for the hospitality extended 

 and the honor conferred upon the 

 rose, the undisputed queen of flowers. 

 Robert Simpson, - president-elect, 

 next spoke, telling of his disinclina- 

 tion to talk — a characteristic that pos- 

 sibly was responsible for his selec- 

 tion as president, as workers and not 

 talkers are wanted for office. He 

 characterized the exhibition in Horti- 

 cultural Hall as the best, in all re- 

 spects, ever gotten together in this 

 country. 



The next toast. "The Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society," was responded 

 to by the secretary of that society, 

 W. P. Rich. Mr. Rich extended the 

 greetings of the old society to the 

 representatives of the outlying dis- 

 tricts of New York, Philadelphia, 

 Rochester, etc. He declared that al- 

 though now 77 years of age, in active 

 usefulness and proud of the achieve- 

 ments of the past, yet the Horticul- 

 tural Society has its face turned to- 

 wards the rising sun ana is preparea 

 to renew its youth. Having plowed 

 and furrowed the field and sowed the 

 seed, it was now glad to welcome and 

 to co-operate with the younger so- 

 cieties, of which the Rose Society is 

 one. He thanked the visiting society 

 for the magnificent exhibition which 

 had proved such a delight to the Bos- 

 ton people and promised that no mat- 

 ter how often the organization mignt 

 visit Boston it would find the doors of 

 Horticultural Hall always open. 



Miss Florence M. Pettigrew, daugh- 

 ter of J. A. Pettigrew, then sang two 

 songs beautifully, her singing of 

 "Coming Through the Rye" creating 

 great enthusiasm. 



F. R. Pierson, as one of the officers- 

 elect of the Rose Society, being the 

 next speaker, said that the next ad- 

 ministration would find difficulty in 

 maintaining the Boston standard. He 

 especially complimented the local peo- 

 ple on their free admission of the 

 school children to the exhibition. He 

 asserted that the children are a big- 

 ger factor in popular floral education 

 than the daily newspapers. 



W. C. Barry of Rochester, N. Y., was 

 next introduced, as president of the 

 Western New York State Horticultural 

 Society. Mr. Barry spoke in hopeful 

 words of the future of the American 

 Rose Society. Flower culture he de- 

 clared to be the most honorable and 

 elevating work on the face of the 

 earth. He hoped the time would soon 

 come when the advantages of these 

 splendid exhibitions of the rose grow- 

 ers' art should be more apparent to 

 the whole people. 



After a couple of bass songs by 

 Mi >ns. Plancon, Peter Fisher was 

 called upon as a representative of the 

 sister organization, the American Car- 

 nation Society. Mr. Fisher told of his 

 delight at the unprecedented exhibi- 



