December 11, 1909 



HORTICULTURE 



827 



a most interesting collection of cut 

 flowers. Specially noteworthy were the 

 huge strain of singles, almost worthy 

 of the name of giant singles. Mrs. 

 Chas. Howe, Leslie Spencer, Manor 

 House Park, Caledonia, Mrs. Chamber- 

 lain and Florrie King were some of 

 the best. 



John Forbes showed a miscellaneous 

 group, of which palms and foliage 

 plants formed the background and 

 among the numerous subjects worthy 

 of notice were Bouvardias Bridal 

 Wreath, Pres. Garfield, Elegance and 

 Alfred Neuner, Salvia Glory of Zurich, 

 Michaelmas daisies, Begonia Gloire de 

 Lorraine and carnations in quantity, 

 of which Enchantress, Nelson Fisher, 

 Midas, Queen Louise, Enchantress, 

 Robt. Craig, Britannia, Mrs. H. Bur- 

 nett, Lady Bountiful, etc., formed no 

 inconsiderable a portion. From Young 

 & Co., of Cheltenham, carnations were 

 staged in lightly arranged bunches in 

 vases. They were Beacon, Irene, Brit- 

 annia, Rosedore. Mrs. H. Burnett, Mi- 

 kado. White Enchantress, Fortuna, 

 Harlowarden and several others. 



A very good stand from H. W. Elli- 

 son was contributed consisting of ferns 

 nicely and effectively set up. Wilson 

 & Co. also showed ferns. 



There were many fine displays of 

 bouquets and floral designs from Scot- 

 tish florists and some excellent designs 

 were among the number: Specially in- 

 teresting from an artistic point of view 

 were the bridal bouquets. The Misses 

 Todd exhibited a set each of a bride's 

 bouquet and two bridesmaids' bouquets 

 that were well worthy of a Paris flor- 

 ist The dinner table decorations, 

 seven in number, were on the contrary 

 very poor in execution and scarcely 

 worthy of so great a show. 



Fruit was numerous and formed the 

 classes 71 to 8S. The chief products 

 were grapes, apples and pears, but here 

 again there were many small exhibits. 

 The first prize in class 71. for a table 

 of fruit, was awarded to D. Kidd. In 

 this lot the decorative effect was of 

 the highest order and the quality of 

 the fruit staged amid surroundings of 

 decorative chrysanthemums and smi- 

 lax was excellent. Apples and pears 

 on plates, grapes, Eros Maroc Muscat 

 of Alexandria and Appleby Towers 

 were remarkable fine examples of cul- 

 tivation. 



In the grape classes, 72 to 79, there 

 were S8 bunches shown in the usual 

 English style. In one class for two 

 bunches of Alicante. 12 exhibitors com- 

 peted. The remaining classes, SO to 

 88, were well filled by numerous ex- 

 hibitors and occupied a large portion 

 of the space. 



Among the fruit and vegetable 

 classes there were many and varied 

 displays in most cases of a high order 

 of merit. 



The jury, exhibitors and officers of 

 the Society were entertained to din- 

 ner, the chair being taken by Mr. Why- 

 tock, president of the Society, and head 

 gardener to the Duke of Buccleugh. 

 C. HARMAN PAYNE. 



At the annual meeting of the El 

 Paso County (Colo.) Horticultural So- 

 ciety the following officers were elect- 

 ed: ' Dr. D. H. Rice, president; Dr. W. 

 W. Arnold, first vice-president; J. F. 

 Lilly, second vice-p''esident; F. W. 

 Holman, secretary; W. W. William- 

 son, feasurer; Fred Horn, .Tohn Berry 

 and Edwin Pierce, members of sched- 

 »te committee. 



THE FOLLIES OF 1908-9— WILL 

 THEY BE REPEATED IN 1910? 



Charles Ileury Fox. Ijefore the Florists' 

 Club of I'hiludelphia, December 7Ui, liX)9. 



It is highly probable that this title 

 has an air of familiarity about it, for 

 I believe it is a billboard term, but 

 nevertheless this very negative sub- 

 ject that I have chosen may help us 

 as florists — I would rather say brother 

 fiori.sts. After all, we are one and the 

 sauie, and the names we arc known 

 by — growers, wholesalers, and retail- 

 ers — are terms designating the little 

 corner we fill in the great game. You 

 and I are neither independent nor de- 

 pendent, but we are interdependent. 

 Who says I am independent commits 

 the worst folly of 1909, and I hope 

 you will not find him in 1910. Pri- 

 marily a lolly is the act of a fool. In 

 order to succeed and advance our 

 business we must not be fools. No 

 one would commit the folly of selling, 

 old stuff for fresh. No grower would 

 purposely leave his carnation range 

 closed at night when he should carry 

 an abundance of air and a pipe, yet 

 the folly of cutting the crop, shipping 

 it the next day to the wholesaler, who 

 in turn sells it to the retailer the 

 next day or the next (as tiiey ji:at 

 came in), and who in turn sells them 

 to the customers (as they just came 

 in), who comes back the next day to 

 complain they were not fresh. Were 

 they'.' Do we depend on each other? 

 No one will question that. Are the 

 follies of one the follies of all? This 

 subject truly concerns all of us. We 

 are a cosmic whole; what affects one 

 afiects the other directly or indirectly. 

 We do not know where it stops. Life 

 is but a change, and we must change 

 with it. What was O. K. five years 

 ago will not go today. Our custom- 

 ers are changing; they demand more, 

 better goods, better service, intelli- 

 gent service. I think I have a fine 

 side light on this subject. 



What are gifts anyway? What can 

 flowers be used for? Why are not 

 n'.ore o£ them used at Christmas and 

 on fvery occasion? Someone has said, 

 "Flowers are frozen music. " Now 

 there is hurdy-gurdy music and grand 

 opera music; both have their use. 

 But be careful you do not supply the 

 hurdy-gurdy kind to a grand opera 

 customer. 



We sell impressions, sentiment, and 

 sympathy. Flowers properly used can 

 form any expression you desire and 

 will reach the sternest business man, 

 as well as the most cultured and re- 

 fined woman. Every birthday should 

 bo garlanded with flowers. Every an- 

 niversary should be honored with 

 flowei-s. Married folks as well as 

 single should remember St. Valen- 

 tine's day and send flowers. A 

 Thanksgiving table looks twice as 

 good if flo^xers are used on it. But 

 these sales cannot be encouraged as 

 long as the public considers flowers 

 extravagant, and almost a prohibitive 

 lu.xury. We must get rid of these im- 

 pressions, and the time to do it is 

 when they want flowers. 



Have you ever stopped to think of 

 the wonderful possibilities of the 

 business we represent? Into what tlie 

 bjsiness can be developed? What we 

 must do to correct the errors in order 

 to develop? One of the greatest of 

 these errors is the extortionate prices 

 at Christmas. No matter how good or 

 how poor a season we have had, or 

 what the outlook for the mid-winter 

 and early spring social season may 

 be, it is "wait for Christmas"; lay 

 back; store the stuff; sail it down, 

 and unload to your customei- at the 

 highest possible price! 



Catch the dubs that want flowers 

 for Christmas, and soak them good 

 and hard. We think they have to 

 have them, but they don't. They are 

 ready at this holiday time to spend 

 their money for gifts. All Fall you 



Kdimsuugh Show 

 & Co.'s Exhibit of Chr.vsantbeuninis. 



