August 27, 1910 



nOKTlCULTURi: 



303 



SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS AND 

 ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURISTS 



Rochester Convention Story Continued 



The School Garden Movement. 

 At the closing session of the conven- 

 tion Thursday night, W. B. Du Rie 

 read his paper on "The School Garden 

 Movement." In reference to the paper 

 Mr. Dean declared that in passing 

 through the state of New York he was 

 pleased to note the large number of 

 schools interested in the school garden 

 work. President Pierson followed with 

 a characteristic and forcible speech, 

 urging that the study of nature as it 

 can be carried on through the school 

 garden, is a practical form of educa- 

 tion which is another encouraging evi- 

 dence that modern education is leav- 

 ing the old beaten track and getting 

 away from the former idea that educa- 

 tion should be entirely classical and 

 literary and that the only avenue for 

 man's intellectual activity lay in one 

 of the three professions, the ministry, 

 medicine, or law. It is now recognized 

 that education should rather seek to 

 broaden and beautify the lives of all 

 by furnishing to every youth a prac- 

 tical knowledge of some calling which 

 would Jit him not only to earn his 

 livelihood, but to get the best out of 

 life by supplying new avenues of en- 

 joyment and of realization of the high- 

 est conceptions of life. In developing 

 the youth of the country the school 

 furnishes the most solid corner-stone 

 for a free government, and in this 

 form of practical education the school 

 garden and all that it implies will per- 

 form no humble part. President Pier- 

 son appealed to the American florists 

 to come up to their full responsibility 

 and to leave no stone unturned to fos- 

 ter this movement in their communi- 

 ties, and if necessary to even donate 

 flowers in order to awaken a love tor 

 them in this way in the young. 



A hearty vote of thanks was ten- 

 dered to Mr. Du Rie for his valuable 

 and interesting paper. 



Mr. Benjamin Hammond, chairman 

 of the Committee on School Gardens, 

 now presented his report showing the 

 substantial work being done in this 

 direction. Following the report Mr. 

 Barry made a ringing speech in sup- 

 port of this movement. He referred 

 in a feeling manner to the many parts 

 of the country in which the -school 

 houses and school yards are too often 

 sadly neglected and no effort made to 

 render them pleasing and attractive. 

 He felt that much of the responsibility 

 for this might be fairly laid at the 

 door of the florists and nurserymen of 

 the country, who of all men were best 

 fitted by the nature of their occupa- 

 tion to realize the uplifting effect of 

 flowers in bloom upon the susceptible 

 heart of the child and the good results 

 that would fellow early imparting to 

 the young a knowledge and love of 

 trees, flowers and shrubs. He hoped 



the florists of the country would push 

 the work still more vigorously and 

 the result would be of great benefit to 

 the whole nation. 



Mr. Thilow desired to add his con- 

 tribution to the enthusiastic plea of 

 Mr. Barry, and he thought that those 

 of the teachers who have showed an 

 interest in this movement should have 

 the warm commendation and endorse- 

 ment of the Society of American Flor- 

 ists and Ornamental Horticulturists. 

 Mr. Thilow was followed by other 

 members in the same strain. 



A set of resolutions offered by Past 

 President W. R. Smith, in reference 

 to the observance of- Mothers' Day, 

 were unanimously adopted. 



Value of the Experiment Station. 



Owing to unavoidable circumstances, 

 Mr, W. N. Rudd, former Secretary of 

 the organization, was unable to be 

 present, and his paper on "Value of 

 Experiment Stations to Ornamental 

 Horticulture," was read by Secretary 

 Dorner. Secretary Dorner stated that 

 be made it his business to ascertain 

 what the Experiment Stations were do- 

 ing. He found that except in a few 

 instances they were doing absolutely 

 nothing in this direction, but they 

 would be only too glad to attempt 

 more if they were given the proper 

 help by the legislature, which could be 

 brought about through the efforts of 

 the florists, who should be vitally in- 

 terested in this work. Through the ef- 

 forts of the Illinois State Florists' 

 Association they had induced the state 

 of Illinois to erect four good green- 

 houses of a superior quality of con- 

 struction, and with their aid through 

 the erection of those greenhouses at 

 least one experiment station proposes 

 to prove to the florists of that state 

 what it can do. 



The Presentation to President Pier- 

 son — E. G. Hill's Inimitable Speech. 



Referring to a card which he said 

 had been handed to him by a lady, Mr. 

 Hill read: "The best goods are put up in 

 small packages, and it is true that the 

 things that are of real interest and 

 value are still smaller than small pack- 

 ages." He continued: I have about 

 concluded that this lady is right; but 

 I said to her, "What are you driving 

 at? I would like a practical illustra- 

 tion." "Well," she said, "your Presi- 

 dent is a practical illustration of the 

 intrinsic value of a real good thing 

 done up in a small package." (Laugh- 

 ter and applause), I said to her, 

 "What about Foley, he is majestic 

 looking, and Traendly, he is a rotund 

 fellow— what about them? That Con- 

 gressman from Buffalo, W. F. Kast- 

 ing," I said, "What about him?" "Oh," 

 she replied, "They are only good for 

 ballast!" 



Now I did not dare to ask her where 

 Bob Craig and myself came in for fear 

 she would say, "Well, you were some- 

 thing some time ago, but you are has- 

 beens," I know that is what she 



thought, but she was too modest to tell 

 me. 



Now, the other day in England that 

 brilliant Welshman, Lord George, was 

 making a speech in a Conservative dis- 

 trict, and the Conservative people had 

 placarded the town with a dwarf about 

 four feet high. So when he got into 

 the meeting place they began to hoot 

 and yell, "Pigmy!" and one thing and 

 another. But he said, "Give me your 

 attention just one minute." They 

 quieted down and he said, "Now I will 

 tell you, your Conservative party meas- 

 ures the man from his feet up to his 

 chin and stops there; but the party to 

 which I belong measures him from the 

 chin up to the top of the head." And 

 that is just what the florists of this 

 Association did this past year, and I 

 tell you we were right in our measure- 

 ment, for our President has accom- 

 plished wonderful things. I tell you 

 he has set us a shining example. He 

 has got there with the goods. Look ai 

 the work he has done in regard to the 

 plans for our national show; look at 

 the splendid outcome of this meeting 

 here, and the example he has given of 

 his vitality, his energy and his stick- 

 to-itive-ness of purpose. I will tell 

 you that some of the presidents that 

 are coming along to follow in his foot- 

 steps will have to get into a pretty 

 good gait to keep up with him. 



There is a little boy out in Indiana 

 where I come from — we produce nice 

 boys out there and girls, too — and this 

 little fellow got very ambitious to go 

 into business. He wanted to make 

 some money. He had saved up quite 

 a number of dimes and quarters and 

 half dollars, and somebody told him 

 that the chicken business was a good 

 thing for him to embark in. So he 

 went at it. He did not give the sub- 

 ject quite enough thought, and he 

 bought a whole lot of bantams. Final- 

 ly he had a couple dozen of them. He 

 went evei-y morning to gather the hen 

 fruit, and the little fellow was dis- 

 gusted with the size of the product, the 

 smallness of the eggs. He scratched 

 his head and concluded that would not 

 do; so he went into the house and got 

 out an ostrich egg that had been a par- 

 lor ornament for a number of years 

 and suspended in front of where these 

 banties were performing service, and 

 he hung this sign beneath it: 



"Look at this, and then do your 

 best!" (Uproarious merriment). 



This sign, "Follow the example of 

 Frank Pierson," is written all over this 

 hall and on the pages of our horticul- 

 tural papers, and I tell you to beat it 

 some of the fellows will have to exert 

 themselves. I know that our friend 

 out in Chicago will read the sign, and 

 will get there, too. 



Now this body of people, Mr. Presi- 

 dent, have thought they would like to 

 give you a little memento as an ex- 

 pression of their great appreciation of 

 your services and the things that you 

 have done. We hope you will share 

 this with Mrs. Pierson, and some of 



