13H 



HORTICULTURE 



Feltruary 1. 1908 



AMERICAN CARNATION SOCIETY. , 



A Successful Convention, Interesting Sessions and a Superb Exhibi- 

 tion at National Rifles Armory, Washington, D, C, 



Tuesday. .lauuaiv I'Slh. optueil 

 with bright skies and balni\ weather, 

 and Washington's welcome to the ear- 

 nationists of America was thus grace- 

 fully accentuated by Nature's serenity, 

 following so closely upon the wild 

 blizzard of a lew days before and so 

 marked in contrast with the weather 

 conditions which have so often dis- 

 mayed the votaries of the divine 

 flower. The forenoon was spent in 

 fraternal greetings between friends 

 who meet thus pleasantly once or 

 twice a year and the important work 

 of staging and classifying the exhibits. 

 A brief meeting was held in the ante- 

 room for the purpose of selecting 

 judges, and Messrs. M. A. Patten, Peter 

 tnsher and S. J. Renter were chosen 

 for this important duty. At 1 p. ni. 

 the hall was cleared and the judges 

 took possession. It required most of 

 the afternoon for their deliberations. 

 Their report, presented and accepted 

 at the evening session of the Society, 

 will be found in its proper place in the 

 pages that follow. 



THE OPENING SESSION. 

 The opening session of the Ameri- 

 can Carnation Society was called to 

 order promptly at 7.30 P. M., on Tues- 

 day, January 28, by Mr. Peter Bisset, 

 president of the Florists' Club of 

 Washington and vice-president of the 

 .American Carnation Society. Aiter a 

 few words of welcome in which he ex- 

 pressed his pleasure at the coming and 

 congratulations on the work of the 

 Society and felicitation upon the 

 grand exhibition he introduced Com- 

 missioner McFarland, of the District 

 of Columbia, who extended an eloquent 

 welcome to the visitors, mentioning 

 especially those from Canada, hoping 

 that thev would feel just as much at 

 home as" the United States members of 

 the Carnation Society had been made 

 to feel when they visited Toronto one 

 year ago. He spoke enthusiastically 

 of the work and expenditures so liber- 

 ally given for the development and 

 beautiflcation of the National Capital. 

 The carnation society, he asserted, 

 stands for one of the most beautiful 

 of flowers, and its visit to Washington 

 on the eve of the birthday of Presi- 

 dent Wm. McKinley, who had so loved 

 the carnation, was most opportune and 

 fitting. 



Frank R. Pierson, of Tarrytown, 

 N. Y., voiced the sentiments of the 

 Society in response to the words of 

 welcome, not only on behalf of the 

 United States members but of those 

 across the border and reverted pleas- 

 antly to the cordial reception accorded 

 last year by the carnation brethren. 

 He told of the more than ordinary in- 

 terest felt in the National Capital by 

 the members of the Carnation Society, 



which was an off-shoot from the great 

 Society of American Florists, which 

 was tire proud possessor of that uni- 

 que document— a National Charter- 

 granted to them in Washington and 

 bearing the signature of William Mc- 

 Kinley. He hoped to see McKinley 

 Day and the custom of wearing a car- 

 nation on that day become a national 

 observance and a significant feature in 

 American history. 



J. H. Dunlop, of Toronto, followed 

 Mr. Pierson, felicitously expressing 

 the reciprocal good feeling of hia 

 countrymen. He said that there was 

 no "dividing line" in the sympathies 

 and aims of the florists, who go al- 

 ways hand in hand regardless of polit- 

 ical affiliations, with brotherly love 

 and a common purpose. 



Mr. Bisset then introduced the 

 president of the American Carnation 

 Society, Fred H. Lemon, who was re- 

 ceived with enthusiastic applause and 

 then proceeded to read his opening 

 address as follows: 



ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. 



(Jenilemen, Fellow Members of the 

 .American Carnation Society. 



It has been the custom for a number 

 of years for the President to share in 

 extending a welcome to the members 

 of the American Carnation Society. 

 Today the seventeenth President has 

 the privilege and honor of sharing in 

 the expression of thanks and apprecia- 

 tion -for the hospitable reception and 

 cordial welcome extended by the con- 

 vention city. 



It must be remembered at this time 

 that the real work of preparation for 

 this convention has been done by our 

 most worthy vice-president, Mr. Peter 

 Bisset, and" his able assistants in 

 Washington. Allow me to express at 

 this time my personal appreciation of 

 the unfailing courtesy, and the untir- 

 ing zeal and activity of the vice-presi- 

 dent, which, together with the efficient 

 services of the secretary, made possible 

 this most successful exhibition and 

 convention. 



Reference has frequently been made 

 during the last few years to the sub- 

 ject of the society's certificate; it is 

 a pleasure to refer to the eminently 

 sensible and correct settlement of the 

 controversy at the convention in To- 

 ronto last year. The remarks on the 

 subject, by our honored member, Mr. 

 W. N. Rudd, contain the best exposi- 

 tion of the aims and province of the 

 American Carnation Society to be 

 found in all the society's literature. It 

 is indeed, true, as stated in these re- 

 marks, that "the certificate is nothing 

 except an opinion of the quality of the 

 flower shown at the exhibition. The 

 commercial value of carnations must 



be shown in other ways; and it is 

 beyond the ability of this society, be- 

 yond its province, to attempt to say 

 whether or not a certain carnation 

 shall prove a profitable investment to 

 the buyer." I wish at this time to 

 most emphatically endorse this posi- 

 tion in relation to new varieties and 

 to urge the society to encourage in 

 every way possible the production of 

 new "kinds and especially the exhibiting 

 of new things at our annual shows. 



There has been a decided inclination, 

 during the past few years, to belittle 

 the value of the showing made by a 

 carnation at the American Carnation 

 Society Exhibition. Opinions of this 

 kind have been expressed by many 

 prominent members and have even 

 crept into a number of addresses by 

 our past Presidents. I desire to es- 

 pecially emphasize my opinion that any 

 variety which can win 'the American 

 Carnation Society medal, or obtain 

 first place in one of our open-to-all 

 classes, must possess many points of 

 exceptional merit. The fact of its 

 winning is prima facie evidence, and 

 is incontrovertible, for the judgment 

 is the expressed belief of at least two, 

 and more often three, of the leading 

 experts of the country, that such va- 

 riety has produced blooms superior to 

 any' others of its class. The trade at 

 large, and i>articularly members of 

 this society, should accept this at its 

 full value; that is to say, should rec- 

 ognize such action as coming from 

 the highest tribunal and as being the 

 best opinion obtainable in the United 

 States on the subject. The idea that 

 the American Carnation Society does 

 thereby guarantee such variety to be a 

 profitable one to grow commercially is 

 a false position and should be avoideo 

 in the future. The society as a body 

 can possess only the prescience of its 

 integral parts, its individual members, 

 and what man among us can unfail- 

 ingly predict a carnation's future even 

 after studying the variety from all 

 vantage points. The production of 

 fine blooms is a prime requisite ana 

 with this alone should the society con- 

 cern itself, leaving prophesies as to 

 the probable future of a variety to in- 

 dividual judgment. 



Any practical grower of carnations 

 should consider the grant of a certi- 

 ficate or medal by the American Car- 

 nation Society as the very highest 

 recommendation possible and amply 

 sufficient proof of merit to justify a 

 thorough test and earnest effort to 

 grow the variety as well as it has 

 been grown by the raiser. 



However, there is one point in this 

 connection which does come within 

 the province of this society, and that 

 is, the proper recognition of merit 



