August 24, 1918 



HOKTICULTURE 



189 



MissoiRi Botanical Garden 

 111 the Main Garden Looking Southwest from the Water Garden 



would be a good thing for the trade 

 in general. Some of the largest banks 

 today have built up in such a way, in- 

 stancing the Chemical National, Shoe 

 and Leather and Corn Exchange 

 Banks and others organized original- 

 ly to take care of some particular line 

 of business. I presume the charter 

 of this society would not permit it 

 to go into the banking business but 

 it IS a matter that may well receive 

 your earnest attention. 



A Society Publicity Organ. 

 I am of the opinion that the time 

 has come when the society should 

 have a medium of Its own for the pub- 

 lication and circulation among its 

 members of such news, announce- 

 ments and other matter, as may be of 

 interest to them. Few organizations 

 having as large a membership as 

 the S. A. F., are without a iiublicity 

 organ, or some medium or means of 

 which the views of members may be 

 circulated within the membership 

 fold. We have for a number of years 

 expended large sums of money on the 

 publication in book form of the pro- 

 ceedings of our annual conventions, 

 and our own organ could very well in- 

 clude these proceedings in its own col- 

 umns and the numbers bound into a 

 yearly volume where any member 

 cared to go to this small expense. The 

 publication could be made very useful 

 to the society. Properly managed. It 

 would be likely to increase our mem- 

 bership for it certainly could be used 

 for missionary work, and I am sure 

 that the society's work would be con- 

 stantly before the members and the 

 other "matters which could be carried 

 in the columns would tend to keep up 

 individual interest in all our under- 

 takings. 



The organ could be made of espe- 

 cial service to the F. T. D., and to our 

 Promotion Bureau in its publicity 

 work. We could have heart-to-heart 

 talks through its columns every month 

 and it could be made a medium of 

 communication between members. In 

 making this recommendation, I am 

 not belittling the very great service 

 rendered the society by the trade pa- 

 pers who have always shown a wil- 

 lingness to publish anything that 

 might be sent to them; but there is 

 much that could be published for 

 members alone, and' not scattered 

 broadcast to those who do not feel 

 that they should support the society 

 to the extent of taking out a member- 

 ship — and there are many such. My 

 own idea of such a publication would 

 be a paper of convenient size, say 

 6x9 in., something easily accommo- 

 dated on an ordinary bookshelf. It 

 need not, necessarily, carry any ad- 

 vertising although I do not see why 

 it might not include a few cards pro- 

 vided they did not encroach too much 

 upon the reading space. The income 

 from such cards with the money 

 saved through running our proceed- 

 ings through the publication would 

 go a very long way toward meeting 

 the entire expense and the manage- 

 ment of the paper could, perhaps, be 

 well placed with our Promotion Bu- 

 reau. Such a publication could, I 

 understand, be mailed to our members 

 at regular newspaper rates and it 

 seems to me it will eventually become 

 necessary to our Publicity Campaign. 



Membership. 



^^Tiile the increase in membership 

 is satisfactory perhaps, in comparison 

 with recent years it is nothing com- 



pared with what it should be, when 

 one considers all the society has done 

 for the florists generally. An organi- 

 zation to keep virile must keep taking 

 in new blood and if we- can devise 

 some means of going out into the 

 "highways and byways," to compel the 

 florists who are not members to come 

 in, it would be as much or more for 

 their own benefit than it would be 

 ours. 



Conclusion 



Meanwhile, let us all "pull together" 

 and use every honorable endeavor to 

 increase our business, to help each 

 other and stand shoulder to shoulder 

 as florists and citizens in this great 

 country, serene and confident that the 

 present clouds will pass away and the 

 future of the florists is certain to be 

 a glorious one. _ _^..« 



On the conclusion of the president's 

 address the minutes of the Executive 

 Board were approved and Messrs. 

 George Asmus, A. T. Delamare and E. 

 G. Hill were appointed a committee on 

 the president's address. Then came 

 the annual report of Secretary Young, 

 which evoked strong applause and was 

 as follows: 



REPORT OF THE SECRETARY 

 In view of the many disturbing con- 

 ditions which have confronted us since 

 our last convention, some of which 

 have peculiarly affected the florist in- 

 dustry, it is most gratifying to me to 

 be able to report that our Society has 

 made very substantial progress; in 

 fact, it is safe to say that the advance- 

 ment made would be considered 

 rather remarkable even in most nor- 

 mal times. 



