6S6 



HORTICUI^TURE, 



May 18, 1907 



THE NATIONAL FLOWER SHOW. 



A Paper Read Before the New York 

 Fiorists' Club by S. S. Skidelsky. 



The proposed National or Interna- 

 tional Flower Show, to be held at Chi- 

 cago during the month of November, 

 1908, will unquestionably prove an 

 epoch making event in the history of 

 horticulture. 



And right here the thought occurs to 

 me. that, unless we put forth our best 

 efforts and our utmost energies, bear- 

 ing in mind that upon the success or 

 failure of this first attempt hinges the 

 future of an industry, involving mil- 

 lions of dollars, unless we stand shoul- 

 der to shoulder and work for the com- 

 mon good of all— each according to 

 his means and might — unless we do 

 this, 1 say, we shall have no right to 

 enter the ranks of progressive business 

 men. 



It is nearly two years ago, at Wash- 

 ington, when E. G. Hill— "the sage" of 

 Richmond, Ind., first broached the sub- 

 ject of a National Flower Show. His 

 observations oa the European conti- 

 nent, where such shows are held an- 

 nually under the auspices of Royal and 

 National Horticultural Societies, as in 

 England and Fi-ance for example, led 

 him to believe that an enterprise of 

 this sort, undertaken by the Society of 

 American Florists and given under the 

 auspices of the American Sovereigns — • 

 the people — could not but prove a suc- 

 cess. And how, I will ask in passing, 

 could it prove otherwise? 



As a matter of course, opinions pro 

 and con were freely expressed on all 

 sides. There were those who predicted 

 inevitable failure, basing their predic- 

 tions upon no other reasons than such 

 as presented themselves to their dis- 

 torted, pessimistic imaginations. "Why, 

 indeed, should a National Flower Show 

 be thought of at all? Why? Haven't 

 we plenty of local shows of all kinds — 

 they reasoned — that never pay? And 

 who would benefit by this National 

 Show anyway? Men, who have some- 

 thing to sell, of course. It is all non- 

 sense, they concluded — and there is 

 nothing to it." 



There were others, however, who 

 took a much broader view of the situa- 

 tion, whose mental vision was in no 

 "wise circumscribed by petty jealousies 

 or selfish motives of one sort or 

 another, who could see the great pos- 

 sibilities for the advancement of horti- 

 culture, who could realize the inesti- 

 mable advantages that would accrue to 

 our interests, who, in brief, took a re- 

 trospective view of horticulture, com- 

 paring the present with the past and 

 drawing their conclusions as to the 

 future. Kindled by an enthusiasm well 

 worthy of the cause, there soon formed 

 a small circle of men, who were, so to 

 speak, carried away by the idea — and a 

 subscription list for the necessary pre- 

 mium guarantee fund was started. 

 Something like $4000 was subscribed 

 there and then. Thus the idea of a 

 National Flower Show — the first show 

 of the kind ever attempted upon the 

 American continent — bids fair to be- 

 come a successful reality. 



The National Flower Show, it may 

 be depended upon, will not only come 

 to pass, but like any other great work, 

 ever attempted by public spirited men 

 for the benefit of a people at large — it 

 is destined to fulfil a mission; it aims 

 to inspire them with a desire for all 



to educate our people, to enthuse them, 

 that is beautiful in nature, to show 

 them by means of an object lesson how 

 things caUjbe done, how the humble 

 garden and the humble cottage of the 

 workingman can be made as attractive 

 in their way as the magnificent grounds 

 surrounding the stately mansion of the 

 millionaire. What the progressive and 

 enterprising florist has attempted and 

 has carried out in a small way in his 

 own town— what public spirited in- 

 dividuals have accomplished by way of 

 spreading the idea of horticulture in 

 their own communities, — the National 

 Flower Show aims to do on a large 

 scale. We are all familiar, more or 

 less, with the history of the National 

 Cash Register Company's institution at 

 Dayton, Ohio. We know that Mr. Pat- 

 terson, the head of that model insti- 

 tution—has worked long and hard to 

 transform a wilderness into a garden 

 spot. We have been told how rowdy- 

 ism that took pleasure in wanton de- 

 struction of flower beds and lawns was 

 converted in the end to the gospel of 

 ornamental horticulture, how unsightly 

 cottages in the immediate vicinity of 

 that institution were transformed "into 

 beautiful little palaces, how tin cans 

 and rubbish heaps of all sorts dis- 

 appeared, flower beds and shrubbery 

 taking their place. To the moralist- 

 such a transformation bears another 

 lesson, for who will question the be- 

 nign and wholesome influence of beau- 

 tiful surroundings upon the mind and 

 character of the child, the youth— our 

 future lawmaker or law-breaker? 



He was a wise man indeed, who said; 

 "Tell me your company — and I will tell 

 you who you are." To paraphrase this 

 saying — we may put it thus; 



"Show me your surroundings — and I 

 will define your character and social 

 standing in your community." 



After all we are but creatures of 

 circumstances,— to the one who rises 

 from amidst squalid and filthy sur- 

 roundings and forces his way through 

 into a world of light — there are hun- 

 dreds who succumb to the darkness 

 and wretchedness of the nether regions. 

 If I remember rightly, it was the 

 late Benjamin Harrison, who, in a, 

 speech at one of the Indianapolis chry- 

 santhemum shows, remarked, that "the 

 man who loves flowers, was never 

 known to abuse his wife" — or some- 

 thing to that effect. 



But, to return to the subject, stripped 

 of its moral element. Viewed in the 

 light of pure utilitarianism of commer- 

 cialism, a National Flower Show, such 

 as it is intended to hold at Chicago, 

 must as a matter of course bear good 

 fruit. We need but recall the early 

 struggle of the florists of a genera- 

 tion or two ago, men still living in 

 our midst,— their trials and tribula- 

 tions long before a society of American 

 Florists and Ornamental Horticultur- 

 ists sprung up, long before a Carnation 

 Society made its appearance or a local 

 flower show of any sort was ever 

 thought of, to arrive at the conclusion 

 that the progress we have achieved 

 was due in a large measure, not so 

 much to individual endeavor or to in- 

 dividual enterprise, as to a combina- 

 tion of efforts, having for its aim the 

 benefit of each, individually, and of all 

 as a body. 



Whatever arguments one may ad- 

 vance in favor of that hackneyed in- 



junction, "Attend ' to your own bus- 

 iness, etc.," whatever success one may 

 pomt at as the result of strict attention 

 to one's own affairs, it is a fact beyond 

 dispute that the Society of American 

 Florists and Ornamental Horticultur- 

 ists IS responsible for most of our 

 achievements in the past and, if I may 

 venture a prophesy, for much . more 

 than we are sure to accomplish in the 

 future. I will go further and say, that 

 the Society of American Florists, as 

 a body, composed of earnest, energetic 

 progressive and intelligent men is di- 

 rectly responsible for the success of 

 the very man, who "can't see what 

 good it will do him to join our So- 

 ciety." "What Good?" Let the history 

 of our Society speak for itself. Twenty- 

 five years of energetic work along pro- 

 gressive lines has brought about the re- 

 sults which we see in the greenhouses 

 at the store, on the highways and by- 

 ways throughout the land. Our im- 

 proved products, the evolution of the 

 button-sized carnation, the measlv rose 

 and chrysanthemum with perfect "speci- 

 mens of their kind, our improved facil- 

 ities of marketing our products, our 

 business methods, etc.,— are all due to 

 organized effort, to the Society of 

 American Florists. 



"What good!" I need but cite the 

 recent victory scored by our Society 

 before the Interstate Commerce Com- 

 mission- a victory that will compel the 

 United States Express Company to sub- 

 mit to reasonable rates and incident- 

 ally, will save dollars to the man who 

 can't see any good in our Societv. 



Verily "in union there is strength." 

 We all know by experience what it 

 means to give a local flower show; we 

 know how these flower shows, whether 

 financial successes or financial fail- 

 ures, have induced the growers to vie 

 with each other in their efforts to show 

 their best products, how these in turn, 

 have induced the dealers to handle the 

 best at prices remunerative to both the 

 growers and themselves, how further- 

 more, the flower buying public has 

 learned to discriminate, to draw the 

 line between a high-grade flower and 

 the semblance of one, not market- 

 able at any price. The demand at all 

 times, as we all know, is for high 

 grade stock. To the man or woman, 

 to whom all flowers looked alike but 

 a few years ago, nothing but the best 

 appeals today. Whence this change, 

 this tremendous advance along pro- 

 gressive lines within but a compara- 

 tively short space of time? The ans- 

 wer is easily given. The local flower 

 show, often held under adverse and 

 discouraging conditions has brought 

 about this result; it has educated the 

 public, it has brought the grower and 

 the dealer together; it has induced the 

 private gardener and the amateur to 

 advance to the front and to improve up- 

 on past achievements. Thanks to these 

 shows we have ceased to dwell within 

 our own shells, to grope in the dark, 

 as it were, each for himself. We have 

 learned by actual experience the les- 

 son of combination, or "community of 

 intP'-ests," if I may borrow the" ex- 

 pression that has originated somewhere 

 on Wall Street. 



What has been accomplished. I re- 

 peat, by the progressive florist in a 

 small way, in his own town, what the 

 public spirited individuals have 

 brought about in their own communi- 

 ties, what the florists' clubs have 



