GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



OF AMERICA 



ADOPTED AS THE OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GARDENERS 



Vol. X\'I\ 



DECEMBER, 1912. 



X.. 



The International Flower Show 



Horticulture is a subject especially appropriate for ex- 

 hibitions, as it affords to the experts in their many-sided 

 interest lasting inducements to further efforts. An exhi- 

 bition shows what has already been achieved and what 

 there is still to learn. It stirs up the gardening enthusi- 

 asm of both professionals and amateurs and induces them 

 to spend more money on plants and flowers, thus con- 

 ferring an added blessing on the profession, says the in- 

 troductory of a pamphlet just issued by the International 

 Flower Show Committee. 



The immediate effect of an exhibition is difficult to 

 define, but the efforts to develop and improve the horti- 

 cultural industry cannot be lightly estimated. The influ- 

 ence on business relations is far-reaching and enables 

 horticulturists to get in touch with their colleagues. It 

 is impossible for questions of general interest to be lim- 

 ited by geographical frontiers, and professionals from 

 various .sections of the United States and European coun- 

 tries will be afforded an opportunity for the interchange 

 of views and ideas at the THIRD INTERNATIONAL 

 FLOWER SHOW, which will provide both horticultural 

 education and scientific results of facilities open to stu- 

 dents of the profession. All scientific exhibits will have 

 a bearing on practical horticulture, so that the exhibition 

 will be of great popular interest. The Show is to make 

 for a higher standard of horticulture, and will be purely 

 educational, and with few exceptions the classes are open 

 to private growers and amateurs, and will enable them to 

 meet the professionals both as jurors and as exhibitors. 



With a prize list aggregating nearly twenty thousand 

 dollars, exceeding in value the prizes offered at the recent 

 International Horticultural Show at London, the Third 

 International Flower Show will be held at the New Grand 

 Central Palace, New York City, from April 5 to 12, 

 1913, and will demonstrate the remarkable progress made 

 in the horticultural industry. The exhibits will be beau- 

 tifully laid out and present a succession of scenes showing 

 extreme skill in arrangement. Floriculture, arboriculture, 

 pomology — all will be represented in magnificent group- 

 ings. Vegetables, seeds, entomological collections and 

 horticultural requisites will also be grouped in classes, 

 and, combined with the whole, will mark an epoch in the 

 annals of the horticultural business. Never before in 

 America at a hortfcultural show has the prize list even 

 approached the value of the one in preparation for the 



forthcoming show. i\.t the recent horticultural exhibition 

 held in London, the greatest of its kind ever held, the 

 prize list was roughly estimated, by an English horticul- 

 tural journal, at $19,480. This amount will be exceeded 

 in the value of the prizes to be oft'ered at the International 

 Flower Show in 1913. 



Each of the previous shows held in this country has 

 presented special and valuable lessons in horticulture, 

 and the time has arrived for American gardeners once 

 more to show the world the utmost efforts of which they 

 are capable. Owners of private estates are becoming 

 more and more interested, and the show management 

 recognizes the desirability of encouraging the attendance 

 of amateur growers in addition to professional gardeners 

 and horticultural students. 



The fact that an American grower took two or three 

 carloads of 'ipecimen plants to the London International 



\i:W GRAM) CENTR.\L P-ALACE. 



SliDw and won t\\cnt\-t\\o jn-izes is something which can 

 liardly be permitted without a return challenge exhibit at 

 an American show, and several European exhibits have 

 been promised. 



The |5rizes in every section are very liberal. More than 

 a thousand dollars are offered for rose plant exhibits, and 

 this amount will be more than duplicated for exhibits of 

 cut roses. The carnation and sweet pea awards will be 

 on the same liberal scale. The orchid section will be most 

 interesting, the many very substantial prizes being calcu- 



