October 19, 1907 



horticulture: 



509 



NEW OFFICERS OF THE OLDEST 

 FLORISTS' CLUB. 



We present herewith a group picture 

 of the new officers of the Florists' Club 

 of Philadelphia, which has the dis- 

 tinction of being not only one of the 

 most active but also the oldest trade 

 club of its kind, having been organized 

 in 1-!S5 for the purpose of taking care 

 of the Society of American Florists, 

 which met in that city in ISSij. Tha 

 members of the national society were 

 Its gnests again in 1S94, and also last 

 August. This is the first time in many 

 years that an entire board of ofJicers 

 has been elected. The club has a mem- 

 bersnip oi about .'00. representing all 

 branches of the trade and keeps its 

 headquarters at Horticultural Hall 

 open every week-day and evening all 

 the year lound. with a janitor and two 

 atteudaiits constantly in charge. The 

 club has an open door always for visi- 

 tors without introduction, and no mem- 

 ber of the trade need ever feel lonely 

 when visiting the Quaker City, as there 

 is always somebody on hand at the 

 club to spend an hour with. 



William Graham. 

 The nev/ly elected vice-president of 

 the lloiisfs' Clab was born in Phila- 

 delphia in iS61. After leaving school 

 he was employed in the ofhce depart- 

 ment of Washington Butcher's Sons 

 for four and one-half yeais, and left 

 only because his father needed him 

 in his newly established floral firm. 

 This lasted for seven years, after 

 which in 1SS7 he was associated with 

 Graham & Grigg, which was shortly 

 changed to Hugh Graham's Sons, that 

 title conUnuing until his father's 

 death in 1903, when the AVilliam Gra- 

 ham Co. was established. About two 

 years ago Ibis firm took over the as- 

 sets of his brother Hugh Graham on 

 13th street and Logiau and moved 

 into 104 South 13th street which 

 is now their headquarters. The firm 

 does a large business as growers 

 and retailers and controls the 

 bulk of the large floral decorative work 

 in Philadelphia. William Graham 

 has been popttlar enough to be elected 

 to represent his ward in councils and 

 is a high dignitary in many fiaternal 

 organizations. He is a pen and pencil 

 artist of ability. He has long been an 

 active niencber or the Schuylkill Navy, 

 the leadin.g sporting club of the city, 

 and for the past year has acted as 

 the chairman of the sports ccmmittee 

 of the Florists" Club His elevation 

 to the vice-presidency is a well de- 

 served compliment. 



Fred Hahman. 

 The president of the Florists' Club 

 for 19C7-'08 was born in Philadelphia 

 in 1858. His father was in the leath- 

 er business, but like most of Teutonic 

 extraction, had a taste for gardening 

 which was largely stimulated by his 

 close friend, George Gross, then fore- 

 man at Dreer's. and another close 

 companion. William Joyce, gardener 

 at the Baldwin Conservatories. Young 

 Fred was brought up in an atmos- 

 phere of enthusiasm on gardening, 

 which later developed into commer- 

 cial floriculture. He and his father 

 bought the place at Harrowgate Lane, 

 Frankford, in 1875. which has been 

 the headquarters of the business ever 

 since. The plant contains some 30.000 

 feet of glass and considerable real 



OFFICERS OF FLORISTS' CLUB OP PHILADELPHIA, 1907-8. 



Readiug from left to right: — \Vm. Grali.nni. vice-pres.; Fred H.Tlii'jan, pres.; David 

 Rust, S(c'y; George Craig, treas. 



Photo, by Tkorbitrn, Philadelphia — Ed-win B. Thorbnrn is a lineal descendant 0/ Celt's*' Laurie 

 Todd" — the founder of the house of J. M. Thorburn Ss^ Co.^ the pitneer seed house of America. 



estate and is devoted at present prin- 

 cipally to the culture of roses and 

 spring bedding plants. Fred Hahman. 

 outside of being a successful florist, 

 is known as an enthusiastic b^e-man. 

 having been secretary of the Philadel- 

 phia Bee Keepers' Association since 

 its inception some 25 years ago. He 

 married a St. Louis lady in 1885, a 

 son and daughter being issue, the for- 

 mer dying in infancy, the latter now 

 finishing her course at the Normal 

 School. Mr. Hahman was a class- 

 mate of Alexander B. Scott in his 

 high school days, and the friendship 

 then formed continues to this day. 

 He has been vice-president of the 

 Florists' Club for two years and holds 

 the record as a presiding vice-presi- 

 dent, proving himself a splendid pre- 

 siding oflicer and well deserving the 

 compliment of being elected to the 

 presidency. He is a good speaker, 

 tactful, broad-minded and efficient. 



George Craig. 



The nev,' treasurer is a man of en- 

 viable standing in the community in 

 every way. Oi modest and retiring 

 disposition, his merits are nevertheles.s 

 thoroughly appreriated by all who 

 have the pleasure of his acquaintance. 

 Born in Philadelphia at lt5th and 

 Pine streets in ISIS. Mr. Craig was as- 

 sociated there in business with Ms 

 father, .\lexander Craig, afterwards re- 

 moving to 2j1 South 11th street 

 in partnership v.ith his brother, 

 Robert, under the title of Crai^ & Bro. 

 This partnership was dissolved in 1890 

 and has since been conducted as 

 George Craig, and the business is now- 

 one of the leading establishments in 

 the city devoted exclusively to the sale 

 of cut flowers and plants. He knows 

 the business thoroughly, is conserva- 

 tive and shrewd, and no amount of 

 clamor or hypnotic suggestion has ever 

 been able to swerve him from the 



.tudicial calm which is his leading char- 

 acteristic. He has always been a faith- 

 ful member of the Florists' Club. For 

 ii numher of years past he has been 

 tieasurer of the house comndltee and 

 his elevation to the mere responsible 

 post of treasurer of the club is a well- 

 deserved tribute 



David Rust. 



David Rust, the new secretary, is an 

 Englishman by birth bat of Scottish 

 parentage, his forbears originally hail- 

 ing from Aberdeenshire. His father was 

 estate agent for Sir George Jenkinsou, 

 at Falfield, Gloucestershire, where the 

 subject of our sketch was born in 1S61. 

 He started to learn the gardening 

 profession at Barren Court, Maidstone, 

 Kent, an estate famous for high-grade 

 .garden culture of native and exotic 

 fi uits. From there he went to Pet- 

 worth Park, the seat of Lord Lecon- 

 field in Sussex, a large estate employ- 

 ing some 40 gardeners, whore he re- 

 mained four years. After a short pe- 

 riod in the estate office of the Marquis 

 of .Abergavenny, bridge Castle, Tun- 

 bridge Wells, ho emigrated to .America, 

 commencing with Peter Henderson & 

 Co., where he remained eight months. 

 Thence to the gardens of the George 

 Bullitt estate. Conshohocken. Pa. Af- 

 ter some years here he went with the 

 G. E. Lee Mfg. Co. as traveller, and 

 from there to Dreer's in a similar ca- 

 pacity. In 1895 he was elected secre- 

 tary of the Pennsjlvania Horticultural 

 Society, and has been local correspond- 

 ent of the I'^lorisfs' Exchange since 

 1,^92. On the resignation of Edwin 

 Lonsdale from the secretaryship of the 

 Florists' Club of Philadelphia he v.as 

 aiipcinted pro. tern, and afterwards 

 elected to fill that office, a very strenu- 

 ous position the past year on account 

 of the convention. In addition he 

 acted as superintendent of the exhibi- 

 tion in the same connection. 



