582 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



MARCH 



1S9S. 



the_biJdy_-P_oIitic, there is a law for- it. 

 If an insect becomes troubltsome. ihe e 

 is a law against it. Talk about the 

 fetich again — the worship of a certi- 

 ficate is worse than anything in the 

 past, and after all the certificate means 

 absolutely nothing. The law requires 

 a certificate that the stock is free. The 

 entomologist, if a lunatic, is no fool. 

 He knows he cannot make a statement 

 of that definite kind. He says he has 

 found no indication of these things. 

 That certificate really says nothii^g. 

 but it will carry stock into any state in 

 the union, and it leaves loop holes for 

 insects to crawl through. The diffi- 

 culty has been depending too much on 

 official documents. Illustrating this 

 with a story of one of his colleagues, 

 who. during a rigid quarantine en- 

 forced in some of the southern states, 

 passed it with the aid of an official 

 looking document which was not a 

 health certificate, but just a letter from 

 the Smithsonian Institution acknowl- 

 edging the receipt of some botanical 

 specimens and indorsed with several 

 illegible signatures. He believed the 

 province of e.xperiment stations was 

 to educate the people to the point of 

 protecting themselves, not to rely upon 

 law. The law cannot prove a substi- 

 tute for that continual care and e.x- 

 amination which enables a man to 

 make a success of his calling. It dees 

 seem absurd that man, who has con- 

 quered large animals when they threat- 

 ened his existence, has waged success- 

 ful war, with microscopic aid, 

 against bacteria and micro-organ- 

 isms, shouhl resort to legislation 

 against things like scale. We want 

 knowledge and education. Our work 

 is along those lines, and tends to bene- 

 fit all plant growers. 



"Our Sister Societies— May They 

 Live Long and Prosper," was ably re- 

 sponded to by Mr. W. N. Rudd.'wfeo 

 said there are two kinds of honesty, 

 congenital and acquired, and as lie 

 was afflicted with both, with the sub- 

 ject allotted him he was bound to 

 make a comparison, which he proceed- 

 ed to do in amusing details, but sum- 

 marized his remarks finally in the as- 

 sertion that in comparison with the 

 New York ITorists' Club other socie- 

 ties were "not in it." 



"The Botanic Gardens of America" 

 was coupled with the name of Dr. N. 

 L. Britton, who pointed out our 

 shortcomings in this branch of hor- 

 ticulture and briefly reviewed past at- 

 tempts to establish an institution 

 worthy of the country. In September 

 of last year, however, this project so 

 long cherished took substantial form 

 by the securing of an appropriation 

 to erect the first building, a botanical ' 

 museum, and a range of greenhouses, 

 covering about two acres. It would 

 take years to carry out their plans, 

 but he thought when the time came for 

 the managers to make known their 

 wants to the florists' clubs and sister 

 societies, a prompt response would be 

 made. Many things likely to be use- 

 ful to them the florists threw away. 



and -it would- certainly take -a great 

 many plants to stock their houses. 



"Our Club and Its Effect Upon So- 

 ciety" gave Mr. C. B. Weathered the 

 chance to spread himself as he had 

 long desired. He had been toastmaster 

 on so many occasions, but now at last 

 came the opportunity sought for yeais. 

 He presented the subject in three as- 

 pects — the sordid, the educational or 

 art, and the social side. He lately 

 saw published his very ideal, which 

 took out of his mind altogether the 

 sordid florist in regard to copyright- 

 ing our papers. \Ve are taken to task 

 for it. and told the days of locking up 

 the potting shed and propagating 

 house are gone. We are to interest and 

 educate the public at any cost. It may 

 be wiien you have a beautiful seedling 

 rose, carnation, or anything else, in 

 your whole souled way you will say to 

 others, "Help yourselves: I am not 

 sordid." \Vhat man of his ability 

 wishes to write to the papers whole 

 columns, and ask for his pittance per 

 column? And that is my ideal — to 

 sink all meanness and elevate our- 

 selves. The horticultural press will 

 not in that high ideal want copy all to 

 themselves. They will let the other 

 papers know ail about it. Now. as to 

 the educational or art side. I remem- 

 ber well several years ago when the 

 New York Florists' Club gave their 

 flrst e.xhiliition in the Lenox Lyceum. 

 I put on my dress suit to help take the 

 money, but nobody came in. But 

 where the club has shown more for 

 the society side, and which has acted 

 more than the reform notice of the 

 past government has been in handing 

 out those plants to the poor little tots 

 from the tenement houses in the slums 

 of New York. As to the social side, 

 can anyone believe the dinners we 

 have given, that there could not be a 

 semblance of love shown among mem- 

 bers in this and other clubs? These 

 dinners have brought us closer and 

 nearer together. 



"The Grower" was coupled with the 

 name of Mr. J. N. May, but owing to 

 the lateness of the hour he had taken 

 a train. 



"The Wholesalers" was replied to 

 musically with "A Hot Time," and the 

 company was asked to interpret it as 

 they pleased. Mr. Brogan also made 

 a few remarks, and concluded with 

 calling a toast to the brave fellows 

 who went down on the Maine. 



"The Horticultural Press" was 

 vouched for by Mr. A. Wallace, who 

 maintained that legitimate criticism 

 was a very essential function of it 

 when matters calling for criticism 

 arose. They had been accused of a 

 lack of dignity, but the press was a 

 part of the trade, and in the trade 

 there was a dignity that no criticism 

 could take away. He. however, was 

 no speaker, and would rather sing a 

 song. The call was unanimous, and 

 he responded with a fine rendering in 

 dialect. 



"The Nurserymen" found the best 

 exponent in Mr. F. W. Kelsey, and 



"The Retailers" in Mr. Theodore 

 Lang. 



"Seeds, the Foundation of all 

 Wealth," was responded to by Mr. 

 R. W. Clucas, who said they were a 

 growing source of wealth to the 

 United States, for whereas thirty years 

 ago one of the largest seed houses in 

 New York imported 90 per cent of 

 their entire output, they did not at the 

 present time import more than 5 per 

 cent, and the day was coming when 

 we would be larger exporters than im- 

 porters. 



"Private Gardeners" w-as given to 

 Mr. A. Herrington, who remarked on 

 the appropriateness of the toast, in- 

 asmuch as all the best florists gradu- 

 ated in the school of private gardens, 

 and it appears that all the best private 

 gardeners eventually went into the 

 trade. He appealed for more unity and 

 more harmony than was apparent 

 around New York, with its separate 

 Florists' Club and Gardeners' Socie- 

 ties, and would like to see all work- 

 ing together for mutual good on one 

 common ground. 



"The Amateur" was responded to 

 by Mr. Fred H. P. Imbert, Woodbridge, 

 New Y'ork. 



The usual vote of thanks to the 

 toastmaster and committee, and the 

 singing of "Auld Lang Syne," closed 

 an evening long to be remembered by 

 all present. 



Flash Lights. 



It was indeed a "hummer." 



There was "a hot time in the old 

 town." 



'^ The speeches were as flowery as the 

 decorations and as piquant as the din- 

 ner. 



President Plunil) was wreathed in 

 smiles and the "bridesmaids" looked 

 beautiful. 



Everything Toastmaster O'Mara said 

 was "Pat"— but he forgot to deliver his 

 address. 



Secretary Y^oung did not make any 

 stenographic notes, but he had his 

 typewriter in the next room, which ac- 

 counted for his spasmodic absences. 



Our Charley was right after the "hor- 

 ticultural hypocrites," but let the 

 galled jade wince; our withers are un- 

 touched. 



Prof. Smith's speech was the bril- 

 liant setting in the galaxy of speeches. 



Auctioneer Cleary was piqued be- 

 cause he was not called on to make a 

 speech. Never mind, John; you'll have 

 lots of chances this spring. 



The wholesalers should have 

 brought a phonograph or hand organ 

 to reply. The orchestra didn't do them 

 justice. 



We missed our Philadelphia, Boston 

 and Buffalo friends; but the letters of 

 regret were brim full of wit and hu- 

 mor; they were gems of the first wa- 

 ter. 



The members of the club are under 

 great obligations to the arrangement 

 committee. Weathered, Taylor and As- 

 mus. Here's to ye. They will un- 

 doubtedly apologize for the wine being 

 so old. 



