562 



HORTICULTURE 



April 12, 1913 



exhibition by offering liberal pre- 

 miums in a number of attractive and 

 practical classes. 



Tlie one department in which we are 

 unable to report progress Is that of 

 membership. Ever since the meeting 

 in Boston, two years ago, the member- 

 ship has decreased in numbers. About 

 the usual number have run delinquent 

 each year, but less than the usual 

 number of new members have been 

 added. During the past year the delin- 

 quents were 45, while the accessions 

 were only 20, making a decrease of 25 

 for the year. There are now 261 an- 

 nual members in good standing, and 12 

 life members. 



We can account for this in only one 

 way and that is the letting down of all 

 barriers to outsiders coming in and 

 getting all the benefits which should 

 rightfully be reserved for our mem- 

 bers only. This Society cannot endure 

 for long if this policy is continued, 

 and we would respectfully submit the 

 following recommendations for your 

 careful consideration: 



We should hold our coriTeiitions regularly 

 each year, regardless o( National or other 

 exhibitions, and we should hold our con- 

 ventions and exhiliitions alone. 



Our regular meeting date (the last Wed- 

 nesday in January) should be strictly ad- 

 hered to. 



The idea of alternating the meetings be- 

 tween the East and West is conducive to 

 a growing membership and should be con- 

 tinued. . , ^ . 



We should allow no admission fee to be 

 charged the public at the door of the ex- 

 hibition, as the charging of a fee, be It 

 ever so small, tends to reduce the number 

 of visitors. 



Only members In good standing should 

 be aflowed to compete for premiums of 

 any kind, including certificates of merit. 

 Nor should anyone, except members of this 

 society and the local entertaining society 

 be allowed to attend any of the social func- 

 tions connected with the convention. 



Efforts should be continued to interest 

 Instead of decreasing, our membership 

 should at least keep pace with the growth 

 of the carnation industry. 



The thanks of this society are due the 

 trade press for printing promptly, and 

 gratuitously, all matter sent to them for 

 publication. 



TREASURER'S REPORT. 



Expenses. 



Paid by orders on Treasury |1, 132.28 



Balance cash on hand 690.84 



$1,823.07 

 Receipts. 



Balance Jan. 10th, 1912 $ 416.62 



Received cash 1.406.45 



$1,823.07 

 Permanent Fund. 



Balance Jan. Wtb, 1912 $2,525.31 



J. A. Valentine, life membership.. .50.00 

 S. J. Goddard, ILfe membership .50.00 



$2,625.31 

 Dorner Memorial Fund. 



Balance Jan. 10th, 1912 $ 444.04 



Received cash 574.67 



$1,018.71 



Final Report on Fred Dorner Memo- 

 rial Fund. 



At the time of the last meeting in 

 Detroit, the canvass among the mem- 

 bers of this society for small contribu- 

 tions to the Fred Dorner Memorial 

 Fund, which had been ordered at the 

 Boston meeting, was completed. A 

 total of some $437 had been collected 

 in contributions of one and two dollar 

 amounts. Instructions were given to 

 continue the soliciting of contribu- 

 tions, and to take advantage of numer- 

 ous offers of larger amounts which had 



been made to the committee. These 

 additional contributions swelled the 

 total to $979. We are pleased to state 

 that the Perpetual Flowering Carna- 

 tion Society of England generously 

 sent in a draft for $10. These funds 

 were deposited by the treasurer to 



ADVERTISING TALKS 



BY 



Ralph M. Ward 



No. 5 



Tlie horticultural trade papers 

 cover a field in the florist and seed 

 line better than any other mediums. 

 The florist who don't take a trade 

 paper is like a sand burr on a 

 woolen stocking — merely a business 

 nuisance. The florist who takes a 

 trade paper and don't read it, loses 

 the benefit of the experience of 

 others, besides all the modern news 

 connected with his business. The 

 man who has something to sell to 

 the trade should avail himself of 

 these mediums. In September, 1911, 

 Martial Bremond, the French bulb 

 house, had a large surplus of Paper 

 Whites and Romans, unexpectedly 

 delivered by growers who had con- 

 tracts for their crops. Without 

 sufficient notice this surplus was 

 shipped to Ralph M. Ward & Com- 

 pany, the American representatives. 

 They came at a time when prac- 

 tically all orders had been placed 

 and delivered, and as French bulbs 

 cannot be safely shipped in cold 

 weather, what to do with such a 

 quantity so late in the year was 

 considered a problem. After care- 

 ful consideration a page advertise- 

 ment was given to each of two 

 trade papers, and as a result of 

 these two advertisements, printed 

 only once, about half a million 

 French bulbs were sold within two 

 weeks; and orders came in long 

 after the goods were disposed of. 

 Counter-offers were all tabooed and 

 not answered. At that time of the 

 year they could have been sold in 

 no other way. 



The advertisements of Horseshoe 

 Brand products in the trade papers 

 cost less than 1',; of the business 

 done. In the beginning this cost 

 was much higher, and the results 

 much less, but by continued adver- 

 tising this has been reduced. Ad- 

 vertisements must be backed up 

 with the best merchandise possible 

 to furnish, and good deliveries — 

 otherwise your money is wasted. 



Of course the very nature of the 

 bulb, seed and flower line embodies 

 a certain risk, due to circumstances 

 which are generally beyond control. 

 This risk is becoming better under- 

 stood every day, and is now taken 

 into consideration by all buyers. 

 Good, persistent advertising always 

 pays, in spite of the risks incurred. 



Valentine submitted at the directors' 

 meeting at Chicago, last August, a do- 

 sign from Mr. Henning Ryden, an ar- 

 tist in New York City, which the board 

 approved with instructions that Mr. 

 Ryden be commissioned to prepare a 

 set of dies for striking these medals. 

 The Messrs. Dorner having agreed to 

 bear the expense of having these dies 

 made, this matter was turned over to 

 them for final execution. The dies 

 have been made and a 10-karat gold 

 medal delivered to us. 



At this same meeting in Detroit, Mr. 

 Peter Fisher was delegated to devise 

 a plan for awarding this medal. Mr. 

 Fisher submitted the following plan to 

 the board at the Chicago meeting and 

 it was approved by the board: 



"A gold medal will be awarded to the 

 best 100 blooms of any undisseminated 

 seedling carnation (sports not admissible). 

 The variety must have been in cultiva- 

 tion not less than three years and must 

 score not less than 85 points, judged by the 

 American Carnation Society's scale of 

 points. 



The medal to be awarded to the origi- 

 nator, who need not necessarily be the ex- 

 hibitor, and can be awarded to the same 

 variety onl.v once. 



To be eligible to compete tor this med- 

 al, 50 blooms of the variety must have 

 been shown at a previous exhibitioti of the 

 American Carnation Society in a prelim- 

 inary class, and scored not less than 80' 

 points." 



With this report, the work of the 

 committee is finished. The fund is 

 deposited with the Lafayette Loan and 

 Trust Co., where it draws 4 per cent 

 interest. The committee wishes to 

 thank each and every contributor for 

 the ready response with contributions. 

 A complete list of contributors is on 

 file in the secretary's office. 



draw interest, which up to date 

 amounts to $39.71, bringing the total 

 in the fund up to $1,018.71. 



The Board of Directors, at its meet- 

 ing in Detroit, January 12th, 1912, 

 delegated Mr. J. A. Valentine to secure 

 designs for a medal, which is to be 

 bought each year with the interest ac- 

 cruing from this invested fund. Mr. 



NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GAR- 

 DENERS. 



A meeting of the National Associa- 

 tion of Gardeners was held in the Lec- 

 ture Hall of the Grand Central Palace 

 on Monday afternoon, at 2 o'clock. 

 Preceding the meeting the Executive 

 Board of the Association met and 

 acted on several matters which were 

 later reported at the general meeting. 

 President William H. Waite, after wel- 

 coming the visiting members, intro- 

 duced President J. K. M. L. Farquhar, 

 of the Society of American Florists, 

 who lauded the gardeners and their 

 splendid exhibits which, he said, made 

 it possible to produce such a magnifi- 

 cent show as they were assembled at, 

 and followed this with a forcible ad- 

 dress which can aptly be summarized 

 as a heart-to-heart talk with the men 

 of the gardening profession and in 

 which he urged the cultivation of a 

 closer confidence between the gar- 

 dener and his employer. 



Mr. Farquhar was heartily applauded 

 at the conclusion of his remarks. W. 

 J. Kennedy, president of the Boston 

 Gardeners' and Florists' Club, was 

 next introduced. Born, as he said, a 

 gardener, he spoke with authority un- 

 der development of the profession, en- 

 dorsing all the previous speaker had 

 to say on the opportunities which are 

 presenting themselves for the advance- 

 ment and elevation of the profession. 

 Mr. Kennedy spoke of the great inter- 

 est which has sprung up over the ac- 

 tivities of the National Association 

 and pledged his efforts to its further 

 progress. He was followed by John 

 Shields, of Monticello. 111., one of the 

 directors of the Association. Next 

 came Mr. J. J. MacKey, also of Monti- 

 cello, who spoke on the development 



