February 26, 1903. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



517 



THE BROOKLYN 

 CARNATION CONVENTION 



THE CARNATION CONVENTION. 



The twelfth annual convention of the 

 American Carnation Society convened in 

 the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., last Tluirs- 

 day. The weathei-, as is usual at this 

 season of the year, was the worst of the 

 season, and nearly all incoming trains 

 were seriously delayed by the heavy fall 

 of snow and titter cold weather, and, as 

 a result, a great many shipments of 

 flowers intended for exhibition were so 

 delayed as to arrive too late for com- 

 petition or were frozen so badly that 

 they were not presentable. Had all tlie 

 flowers intended for exhibition reached 

 their destination in good condition and 

 on time, the two large halls provided tor 

 the display would not have had sufficient 

 capacity to hold them. 



The exhibition, which all must admit 

 was the most important part of the con- 

 vention, occupied two large connecting 

 halls that joined the Academy of Music, 

 the entrance being through the building 

 of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and 

 Sciences. The walls were prettily dec- 

 orated with wild smilax, and groups of 

 palms and other decorative plants occu- 

 pied points of vantage. In the hall first 

 entered, circular tables held the collec- 

 tions entered in the special classes, and 

 engravings from photographs of nearly 

 all of these tables appear in this week's 

 issue. Passing into the other hall, which 

 was considerably larger, the flowers were 

 found displayed on long benches placed 

 parallel with each other. Tlie quality 

 of flowers averaged probably better 

 than at any previous exhibition of the 

 society, though the quantity actually dis- 

 played was probably not much in ex- 

 cess of last year, on accoiint of the nu- 

 merous failures of flowers to reach the 

 city in time for competition. Those 

 reaching the city from the far west ar- 

 rived all the wa}' from three to six hours 

 late, and as the thermometer was near 

 and sometimes below the zero mark, the 

 effect upon flowers in shipment can be 

 imagined. A full report of the exhibi- 

 tion, together with list of awards, etc., 

 will be found below. 



The Sessions. 



Only two sessions of the society were 

 found necessary. The first session was 

 called to order at the Assembly Hall in 

 the Germania Club House, at 8 p. m. on 

 Thursday. President C. W. Ward intro- 

 duced JUr. Richard Young, Park Com- 

 missioner of the city, who gave the mem- 

 bers a hearty welcome in behalf of the 

 city of Brooiklyn. He said he did mt 

 welcome the members of the American 

 Carnation Society as business men, for 

 he felt that they had left business be- 

 hind them and come together to exhibit 

 the best fruits of their labor, and that 

 the exhibition meant something more 

 than an aggregation of trade products. 

 He felt that the meeting in Brooklyn 

 was singularly appropriate, in \iew of 

 the fact that the American carnation 

 had first been developed in this countrv 

 by the veteran Mr. Charles Zeller. n'f 

 Flatbush, which is a part of the borough 



of Brooklyn, and who was undoulitedly 

 the father of the present type of carna- 

 tion in America. He said he had known 

 Mr. Zeller for twenty-five years, and de- 

 livered a very feeling eulogy upon his 

 character as a man and his ability as a 

 florist. He said that Brooklyn was a 

 city of flowers, as well as a city of 

 churches, and that no people were more 

 generally appreciative of the beauties of 

 nature. He spoke feelingly of the value 

 of parks, their trees and flowers, in the 

 education and uplifting of the character 

 of the people, and he considered this of 

 paramount importance, for what bettci- 

 gifts can man give to humanity than 

 rest, comfort and beauty. He thanked 

 the members for gi\-ing Brooklyn the op- 

 portunity to see the magnificent exhi- 



ones. He referred to the exhibition as 

 equal to any of the past, and probably 

 superior. He felt that all the members 

 greatly appreciated the deep interest 

 shown in the convention of the American 

 Carnation Society by the Brooklyn Insti- 

 tute of Arts and Sciences, and by its 

 ]:iark department, as well as by its Hor- 

 ticultural Society and other citizens, and 

 expressed to them through Mr. Young 

 the hearty thanks of the society for their 

 hospitality. 



President C. W. Ward then read his 

 address as follows: 



President Ward's Address. 



Ladies and Gentlemen, and Fellow- 

 Members of the American Carnation So- 

 ciety : 



The twelfth annual convention of our 

 prosperous, vigorous and useful associa- 

 tion convenes in the good old city of 

 Brooklyn under mo.st auspicious circum- 

 stances. Never during any period since 

 our organization at Philadelphia on Oc- 

 tober 15, 1801, have the results accom- 

 plished been more apjjarent. Our gi-owth 

 has been a healthy and steady one, each 

 year adding substantial achievements 

 and additional luster to our name. At 



George A. Rackham, Detroit, President-Elect American Carnation Society. 



bition of carnation flowers, and he knew 

 that its people would thoroughly appre- 

 ciate the marvelous development shown, 

 which in his mind was almost miracu- 

 lous. 



Mr. William Scott made response in 

 behalf of the society, and learning, in 

 reply to a question, that Mr. Young was 

 the sole park commissioner for Brooklyn, 

 he emphasized the fact that one good 

 man is worth a vast sight more in such 

 a position than hfteen'bad or doubtful 



each of our previous annual meetings it 

 has almost seemed as if the enthusiastic 

 interest in the carnation must sooner or 

 later wane; nevertheless, at the present 

 time the interest in the divine flower is 

 noticeably greater than it was twelve 

 months ago, and there now seems to be 

 no valid reason in sight -why this inter- 

 est should in anywise fail in the future. 

 Tlie improvement in the carnation as 

 to size, strength of stem, richness of 

 color, and freedom of bloom, has kept 



