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HORTICULTURE 



December 25, 1909 



SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS 

 AND ORNAMENTAL HORTI- 

 CULTURISTS. 



A Few Words to the Members. 



As the year is fast drawing to a 

 close, I hope you will not feel it an 

 infliction if I address a tew words to 

 you before stepping down and out. 



The most noteworthy work accom- 

 plished by our Society during the year 

 is the securing of a revision of the 

 tariff in relation to bulbs. The duty 

 Is now based upon the number and not 

 the value of the bulbs. This is sim- 

 ple, tends to the importation of a bet- 

 ter average grade and does away with 

 the accusations of sharp practices by 

 removing the Inducement and the op- 

 portunity. Under the old arrange- 

 ment the honest importer was handi- 

 capped but now he starts from scratch. 



This alone is much but it is signifi- 

 cant of more. It means that this So- 

 ciety has been able to secure attention 

 In the halls of Congress and still more 

 to have it apparent that the weight 

 of its influence is cast on the side of 

 honest and upright methods. Now 

 that the Society has accomplished so 

 much in this direction let us make it 

 a continuing habit to do things that 

 need doing. 



What about those florists who are 

 not members? When they realize that 

 efforts are constantly being made to 

 secure results that will benefit them, 

 there are few of them that will not 

 contribute their portion of the expense. 

 Each present member should start the 

 new year right by getting a new mem- 

 ber. 



Tell your friends that the next Presi- 

 dent was one of the men who spent 

 their own money and went to Wasn- 

 Ington and produced results. It is safe 

 to predict that still greater results will 

 be "the outgrowth of his administration. 



The retailers are going to be with 

 us at the next convention. They are 

 already knocking at the door by scores, 

 for we are showing them that there is 

 something inside that is worth coming 

 after. The committee in charge of 

 that movement is actively at work. 



My personal thanks are due to every 

 vice-president who has done his duty 

 and nearly all of them have. Some 

 few of them seem to have overlooked 

 the fact that when they accept an ap- 

 pointment they thereby incur "an obli- 

 gation to work for the society that 

 honors them. 



To the members of the different com- 

 mittees I acknowledge a debt of grati- 

 tude for the hard work they have done 

 and the results secured. 



To Mr. Rudd, the efficient secretary. 

 Is largely due the credit for the ad- 

 vance the Society has made during the 

 past year. His years of experience 

 with the Society have made his coun- 

 sel invaluable and I have frequently 

 profited by his advice. 



The Society is larger and richer than 

 ever before. Let us work together the 

 coming year and see if we can not 

 greet President Pierson with a mem- 

 bership of two thousand at Rochester 

 Instead of one thousand as at Cincin- 

 nati. 



Reports indicate an unusually pros- 

 perous condition in all parts of the 



country and the outlook for the imme- 

 diate future is very encouraging, but 

 history should teach us that booms 

 are followed by depressions. Let us, 

 therefore, use present profits in a con- 

 servative manner so that if hard times 

 should come in two or three years, we 

 will have money in the bank instead 

 of ranges of new glass that are not 

 yet paid for. 



With a cordial Christmas Greeting 

 for every one of you, I am. 

 Enthusiastically yours, 



J. A. VALENTINE, 

 President S. A. F. and O. H. 



President Valentine has appointed 

 Mr. John K. M. L. Farquhar of Boston, 

 as chairman of a Committee on Feder- 

 ation and Affiliation of Amateur So- 

 cieties. 



This appointment is made in pur- 

 suance of a recommendation by Presi- 

 dent Valentine at Cincinnati, and en- 

 dorsed and ordered put into effect by 

 vote of the Society. 



W. N. RUDD, Secretary. 



December 17, 1909. 



NEW ORLEANS HORTICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY. 



The regular monthly meeting of this 

 Society was held on the 16th inst. 

 There was a good attendance of the 

 growers, but the retail representation 

 was meagre owing to a business rush. 

 The committee appointed to select a 

 site for a new clubhouse ran against 

 a snag. It appears that the New Or- 

 leans Land Company have bought a 

 large tract of land including that 

 where it was proposed to build the 

 new clubhouse, and have already com- 

 menced alterations and improvements 

 to make a fine residential section of 

 it. The Mayor, however, came to the 

 rescue. The city is reclaiming another 

 section of the lake front in the neigh- 

 borhood and a site has been promised 

 them as soon as improvements are 

 completed. The committee was con- 

 tinued with power. 



The tables were filled with a beau- 

 tiful display of foliage and flowering 

 plants. Abele Bros, exhibited Begonia 

 Pres, Taft. Richard Eichling, grower 

 for U. J. Virgin, had azaleas and cro- 

 tons and a nice collection of smaller 

 plants suitable for baskets, all well 

 grown, also a fine specimen Adiantum 

 O'Brienii. The Metairie Ridge Nurs- 

 ery Co. had beautiful specimens of 

 Begonias Gloire de Lorraine, Lons- 

 dale's Pink and Pres. Taft, ardisias 

 well berried, heaths, Epacris pallu- 

 dosa, poinsettias, Adiantums Farley- 

 ense and Croweanum and Dracaena 

 terminalis. J. A. Newsham had a fine 

 specimen of Cattleya Trianae alba, cut 

 blooms of C. Trianae and Odontoglos- 

 sum grande, the individual flowers of 

 the latter measuring seven inches. 



E. Baker, an old and hijghly valued 

 member of the Society, was congratu- 

 lated on his appointment as superin- 

 tendent of the new Parking Commis- 

 sion which will have hereafter full con- 

 trol of all tree planting in the streets 

 of the city. Mr. Baker, in thanking 

 the Society, showed where the new 

 commission would be a help to the 

 nurserymen. The work of incorporat- 

 ing is progressing favorably. 



THAT VISIT TO NASHUA. 

 A Word from One of the Seventy-Five. 



Gardeners and florists, like most 

 other people, all like to see a sunny, 

 cloudless day, a day without squalls 

 and sudden changes, sudden drops or 

 rises in temperature or any untoward 

 events, which would prevent us from 

 enjoying it to its utmost. The same 

 applies to our inner nature, when we 

 set out to enjoy ourselves, either sing- 

 ly or in company of congenial souls. 

 We like to look back to such a day 

 with pleasure and we see ourselves and 

 others in a better light, it no shadow 

 of discomfort falls across our memory 

 of such a day. 



There are too many dull and dis- 

 agreeable days in our lives, as it Is, 

 and a well and pleasantly spent day 

 will greatly help us to forget the 

 others and at the same time make us 

 look forward to anticipate and wish 

 for more of the same kind. 



The excursion of the Gardeners' and 

 Florists' Club of Boston to Nashua on 

 December 11 certainly was one of the 

 sunshiny sort all over. Glorious sun 

 and fresh crisp air, all day; a jolly, 

 big crowd of jolly men; lots of things, 

 new and old, in fine condition, to be 

 seen and to cap it all, a trio of hosts 

 whose hospitality it would be a severe 

 task to excel, tried to outdo each other 

 in making it pleasant and worth while 

 for their brother florists and garden- 

 ers, and certainly succeeded. 



GUSTAVE THOMMEN 



Rillerica. Mass. 



Notes. 



The Utica Florists' Club held an ex- 

 hibition and later a dinner on the 

 evening of December S. Guests were 

 present from Little Falls, Ilion, Can- 

 astota and Rome. 



The Springfield (0.) Florists' Club 

 is considering the advisability of hold- 

 ing an annual flower show. At Its 

 regular meeting on Monday evening, 

 Dec. 13, at the office of the Good & 

 Reese Company, with President Roger 

 Miirphey in the chair, an informal dis- 

 cussion was had on the subject of the 

 great annoyance and frequent exces- 

 sive over-charges in connection with 

 importations of stock from Holland. 



The Engelmann Botanical Club of 

 St. Louis held its monthly meeting 

 at the Central High School in Botani- 

 cal Laboratory Hall last week. The 

 program included the nomination of 

 1910 officers and a talk by Mr. Henry 

 Stark, with illustrated lantern pictures 

 on "Nature Photography" from both 

 the technical and the practical stand- 

 point. W. W. Ohlweiler, secretary, in- 

 vited all local florists to be present 

 at this meeting. 



A. C. Mattaz, of Hardin, won the 

 first prize in the sweepstakes offered 

 by the Illinois State Horticultural So- 

 ciety for the best collection of apples 

 grown in Illinois, exhibited at Cham- 

 Ijaign, Dec. 17. The society, which 

 held its annual convention at the Uni- 

 versity of Illinois, elected officers as 

 follows: President, R. O. Graham, of 

 Normal; vice-president, F. D. Vories, 

 of Neoga; secretary, W. B. Lloyd, of 

 Kinmundy: treasure)-, J. W. Stanton, 

 of Rich View. 



