November 9, 1907 



HORTICULTURE 



601 



CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY OF AMERICA 



The annual meeting of the Chrysan- 

 themum Society of America was held 

 in the Assembly Hall of the Americiii 

 Institute, New York City, on Wednes- 

 day afternoon, November 6, President 

 A. J. Loveless in the chair. A letter 

 explaining the unavoidable absence of 

 Secretary Fraser was received and A. 

 Herrington was elected secretary pro 

 tem. The secretary's report was read, 

 calling attention to the regrettable 

 lack of organized enthusiasm among 

 the chrysanthemum growers. 



President Loveless read his annual 

 address, which was listened to with 

 close attention and was liberally ap- 

 plauded. It was as follows: 



The President's Address. 



Gentlemen, — When you chose me for 

 your president at the Chicago meeting, 

 it was with some reluctance that I 

 assumed the responsibilities of the 

 office, knowing the importance of 

 the work undertaken by the society, 

 and the reputation which had to be 

 maintained: but with the assistance 

 of all the officers. 1 look back with 

 piea.sure on the efforts of the past 

 year. 



Discouragements we have had, 

 but I think I can with confidence 

 say, that we are in a better and 

 more jiromising condition than we 

 were a year ago, but there is still 

 need for a more general combined 

 effort to place the society where it 

 should be, and make It what It 

 stands for, and professes to be, a 

 really national society in every 

 sense of the word. Individual re- 

 sponsibility can alone accomplish 

 this, but the right .spirit is still lack- 

 ing among our membership, and if 

 the society e\er expects to main- 

 tain its position, every member 

 must be up and doing, and ma'ie 

 the giowth of the society a per- 

 sonal obligation. 



While we have steadily increased 

 our membership, there are hun- 

 dreds who should come in and help 

 by their influence, to give impetus 

 to the work of the society. It has 

 been impressed upon the society 

 the importance of personal soliciti- 

 tation. I cmi)hasizo that recom- 

 mendation, and would also suggest 

 the advisability of making an effort 

 to put our society upon a more na- 

 tional basis. 



I do not believe that the best inter- 

 ests of the society can be served by 

 merely holding an annual exhibition 

 in the autumn, as it has a tendency 

 to localize the work in the immediate 

 vicinity where the exhibition happens 

 to be held. 



A national society should have 

 broader lines, and reach out so as to 

 emlirace every town in this country, 

 where an exhibition of chrysanthe- 

 mums is hold, but this phase of the 

 work can only be undertaken when the 

 society has a reg-Jlar standard mem- 

 bership, to insure sufficient funds to 

 cover any expenses incurred. To this 

 end I would suggest that the various 

 horticultural societies throughout the 

 country be invited to join the Chrysan- 

 themum Society of America as auxili- 

 aries, paying the national society an 



amount to be determined by the mem- 

 bership of each individual society, pro 

 rata. By this means every horticul- 

 tural .society in the countiy can be- 

 come a part of the national society, 

 and be enabled to compete for its 

 special premiums, within its own ju- 

 risdiction. 



Fvery lover of the chrysanthemum 

 should belong to the national society, 

 for when we consider the gradual im- 

 provement which has taken place in 

 the Quality of the flower, and the ex- 

 cellent blooms we see on our exhibition 

 tables today, it inspires us with great- 

 er zeal for the further development of 

 these gorgeous flowers, along the lines 

 of superior quality, and nothing has 

 (lone greater service in bringing about 

 the results which we have witnessed 

 today, in developing and encouraging 



ALI'UKD J. I,<IVKLESS 



President Clirysanthemum Society of 

 America. 



the growth of superior varieties, than 

 the splendid work of the various com- 

 mittees appointed in the different sec- 

 tions of the country for this pur])Ose, 

 and here I would add that this society 

 is indebted to those various conunit- 

 tees for their untiring, unselfish devo- 

 tion to the aims and purposes for 

 which they are appointed, and which 

 they so faithfully fill, for when we 

 look through the various reports of 

 exhibitions, we invariably see the prize 

 winners are those varieties that have 

 passed the censorship of these commit- 

 tees. Their work prevents anyone 

 Iirivate or commercial, from needless- 

 ly occupying valuable space with 

 worthless or doubtful varieties. 



It is true that some varieties do not 

 turn out as well as one might expect, 

 but this tact is unavoidable and can- 



not be foreseen, and while we get some 

 marvellous flowers from varieties 

 originating in England, France and 

 Australia, I feel sure the United States 

 is capable of producing something even 

 more phenomenal in size, and with a 

 constitution suited to our climatic con- 

 o.itions, and while the whole world 

 looks to us for the latest developments, 

 let us be equal to the occasion, and 

 by careful and systematic hybridiza- 

 tion produce varieties which will be 

 sought after the world over fo.'- their 

 excellence. 



We must work out our own problems 

 in matters of cultivation, for no cul- 

 tural methods .successfully jjracticed in 

 foreign countries can be adopted and 

 can led out here with any degree of 

 success, cur climatic conditions being 

 entirely different, this also being true 

 of different sections of our own 

 country. 



.A new era seems to have 

 commenced by the introduc- 

 tion of the Inrge-flowered, early va- 

 rieties These. I feel sure, 

 will be very welcome, as in 

 some localities the season for chry- 

 santhemums is all too short, and 

 we are fairly well supplied with 

 late varieties, excepting, perhaps, 

 a red variety that would come in 

 for Christmas, the improvement 

 seems to De in the right direction. 

 The single varieties are also becom- 

 ing more popular year by year, and 

 as these are improved in quality 

 and color, the general public will 

 accept them as desirable plants for 

 the home, and also for decorative 

 purposes. 



These are being grown more gen- 

 e"ally than is supposed, most every 

 house of chrysanthemums contain- 

 ing a few singles, and as we be- 

 come acquainted with them, our 

 love for this class of blooms in- 

 creases and we find a little more 

 spuce devoted to them each year. 

 1 lie imprcveraent of these varieties 

 should be the work of our society, 

 every encouragement being given 

 to exhibits as opportunity offers. 

 The importance of the Chrysanthe- 

 mum Society of America as a fac- 

 tor in the chrysanthemum world 

 can be appreciated when we learn 

 that information is being sought 

 after from Northern India by an 

 admirer of our society, who is try- 

 ing, as he savs, to enligliten his ignor- 

 ant countrymen and requests his name 

 put upon our mailing list, that our 

 publications may be forwarded. I cite 

 this only as an instance which goes 

 to show how the world is watching 

 our progress, and it behooves every 

 member of our society to consider the 

 importance of a steady improvement 

 in our work in keeping with the na- 

 tional character of our society. 



A word regarding our annual re- 

 port. I think it would be of the great- 

 est importance could we arrange to in- 

 clude in its pages the reports of the 

 various exhibitions held throughout 

 the country, classifying the exhibits, 

 naming the winning varieties in every 

 case, and compiling these Into a refer- 

 ence list, so that anyone could see at 

 a glance which varieties had been most 



