198 



HORTICU LTU RE 



August 19, 1905. 



come forward and insist that the affair 

 be a creditable one, since we all know 

 that every exhibition of this kind, if 

 poorly carried on, is a direct reflection 

 on every local member of our profes- 

 sion. We are. in the public mind, held 

 responsible. It follows, therefore, that 

 we must take hold and have it proper- 

 ly exploited, or deferred until such 

 time as it can be creditably carried 

 out. Otherwise, future exhibitions in 

 the same locality, undertaken by our 

 craft and with our best efforts, will 

 be discredited by the public because 

 of the fake shows which we have with- 

 out protest allowed to be undertaken. 

 Horticulture in the PMblic Schools. 

 At Boston, in 1S90, President J. M. 

 Jordan said: "No school of recognized 

 ability to graduate a pupil should 

 leave out of its curriculum books teach- 

 ing the fundamental lessons of horti- 

 culture, and even our common schools 

 should teach the rudiments of this 

 art." 



President Lonsdale in 1895 recom- 

 mended the study of botany in the 

 public schools in the primary gi-ades. 

 In this connection Prof. J. P. Cowell 

 in 1895 wrote: 



I have been in position to watch 

 from the beginning the efforts to es- 

 tablish "nature study" as a part of 

 our public school curriculum. This 

 teaching, which was taken up but a 

 few years ago in our educational 

 centres, is spreading rapidly, and 

 one can see already some of the re- 

 sults. Not only have the children 

 a better understanding of nature and 

 her products, but by the methods 

 employed in teaching they come to 

 love the plants they care for and to 

 appreciate in some degree their val- 

 ue; the laws which govern their 

 growth and the loss entailed by their 

 destruction. Now I believe that 

 when these children come to be 

 men and women we shall see flower 

 lovers more abundant and garden 

 makers more skillful than is gener- 

 ally the case now. 



Passing these important broad lines 

 of our work in relation to the public, 

 both as individuals and clubs or socie- 

 ties, I now come to those matters 

 which concern us directly as individu- 

 al members of our society and as a 

 society. 



Organization a Necessity. 

 At New York Citv, August 21, 1888, 

 President E. G. Hill said: 



The formation of florists' clubs at 

 trade centres is of inestimable value 

 to every member of such club, doing 

 away largely with trade jealousies 

 and bringing our profession more 

 prominently before the public. The 

 value and need of association is 

 recognized in all professions and in 

 all lines of trade, and none need it 

 more than we in our profession. As- 

 sociated effort incites our aspira- 

 tions, begets fellowship, promotes 

 harmony, destroys ignorance, re- 

 moves differences, prevents misun- 

 derstandings and encourages trade. 

 These are some of the fruits of as- 

 sociating together. Then let us re- 

 new our fealty to this organization 

 and seal anew our pledge to extend 

 its usefulness. 



This society stands publicly as the 

 official head of North American flor- 

 ists and floral societies. It represents 

 every individual and ought, rightfully. 



to represent every floral organization. 

 If we do the public work in the pres- 

 ent and future that we have done in 

 the past, we may rightfully insist that 

 at least two or more officials from 

 every florists' club and society should 

 also be members of the S. A. F. 



If the S. A. F. is to secure uniform 

 inspection laws, adjust postal matters, 

 strive for equitable freight classifica- 

 tions, for fair legislation to the direct 

 and material benefit of all. it must not 

 only have the support of membership 

 fees, which is a trifle to the individual, 

 but it must also have the working 

 support of many members. Florists' 

 clubs and societies should send one or 

 more public-spirited working delegates 

 to our annual meetings, instructed as 

 to the public aid which their club de- 

 sires from us. The expenses of such 

 delegates should be paid by the club. 

 To secure the best results, these dele- 

 gates should be present at our di- 

 rectors' winter meeting as well as at 

 the annual session. 



Gardeners as Members. 

 In 1S85 at our first meeting in Cin- 

 cinnati President John Thorpe said; 

 "There is a great deal of untrodden 

 ground for us to go over yet and where 

 we can do much good, especially among 

 gentlemen's gardeners and amateurs. 

 There are nearly 2000 gardeners in the 

 employ of gentlemen who are holding 

 positions of trust and responsibility. 

 These gardeners are always well in- 

 formed, and would be of valuable aid 

 to the society." 



At Chicago, in 1887, President Roberr 

 Craig said: 



The society has done wisely in not 

 restricting its membership to any 

 class, but has thrown open wide its 

 doors to welcome all friends of the 

 art. Its chief object is to cultivate 

 in the people of America a taste and 

 love for plants and flowers, and it 

 should endeavor to get into its ranks 

 not only all the commercial florists 

 and those engaged in supplying their 

 various wants, but should exert 

 every effort to interest gardeners on 

 public and private grounds. On this 

 class much depends; to them is en- 

 trusted a great work in the advance- 

 ment of horticultural taste, and if it 

 be intelligently done they will, in the 

 growing appreciation of the Ameri- 

 can public, find due encouragement. 

 I have read many extracts showing 

 the foresight of our officers along the 

 lines of the growth of this society 

 which we have seen developed, but 

 only in the words quoted from Presi- 

 dent Thorpe and President Craig do 

 we find even an intimation of the greiit 

 help coming to our hands from the 

 public and private gardeners. 'While 

 we have all realized what wheel horses 

 they have always been in most flower 

 shows, we have not been prepared for 

 the enormous increase in their num- 

 bers, nor have we realized that because 

 of these increasing numbers, the great 

 importance of their work, and the large 

 expenditures of money under their di- 

 rection, they must make themselves 

 felt in our various clubs and societies. 

 I wish to call attention to the fact 

 that many of our strongest gardeners 

 and florists' clubs today from Massa- 

 chusetts to California are dominated 

 by live workers from public institu- 

 tions and private estates. There are 

 among them many who are able and 

 ambitious and whose employers en- 



courage participation in everything 

 that belongs to horticulture. 



These brothers of ours are not only 

 strong in clubs in our trade centres, 

 but they are organized in smaller 

 suburban towns where the membership 

 is almost exclusively their own. The 

 Society of American Florists must have 

 their support. They must consider our 

 society their national representative. 

 They must be members and be repre- 

 sented at our meetings. Our annual 

 convention program must contain mat- 

 ters of vital interest to them. Our 

 auxiliary societies, which are main- 

 tained by loyal members of this socie- 

 ty, must consider the welfare of these 

 gardeners and provide opportunities 

 for their co-operation in the rose, car- 

 nation and chrysanthemum societies. 



The question mentioned elsewhere 

 regarding favorable membership rates 

 for club members in good standing 

 must be carefully considered by your 

 committee with relation to these gar- 

 deners' clubs. The visits of our offi- 

 cials as suggested elsewhere will be 

 heartily welcomed by those now active 

 and the new ones constantly forming. 

 Knowledge of the management and de- 

 velopment of these clubs which our of- 

 ficials can supply will bind the new 

 organizations to us with strong and 

 lasting ties. The necessity of an offi- 

 cial representative of our society, 

 whose whole time is thus occupied is 

 best seen in this rapidly developing 

 section of our affairs. 

 Society Work Between Conventions. 



The very life of the society lies in 

 its membership, and recognizing that 

 wf- are not growing as we should, or in 

 proportion to the growth of horticul- 

 ture. I offer the following suggestions 

 that seem practical to me and worthy 

 of the consideration of the committee 

 which I believe should be appointed 

 antr which should report at an early 



President Anthony said in 1894: 



The secretary should receive such 

 compensation for his services as 

 would enable him to devote his whole 

 time to the interests of the society. 

 There are innumerable ways in which 

 a paid officer could be of benefit to 

 the society. 



We must have more time from one of 

 our executive officers, presumably the 

 secretary, and probably not less than 

 six months of his time, that he may 

 visit once or twice a year by appoint- 

 ment, if possible, all horticultural so- 

 cieties, fiorists and gardeners' clubs, 

 nearly all of which this society may 

 rightfully represent in a national way. 

 It is certain that such visits would not 

 only bring to the society a larger fund 

 from increased membership than would 

 cover his additional salary, but fur- 

 ther, such visits made in company with 

 other officials, state vice-presidents or 

 members of our board of directors, 

 would result in great good and enthu- 

 siasm to the societies themselves. 



The secretary could suggest the best 

 methods of club work, could explain 

 the forward movement of the S. A. P., 

 on new or old lines, and could keep in 

 close touch with the needs and opin- 

 ions of the trade. On such occasions 

 our membership could and would be in- 

 creased. 



It being conceded that the greatest 

 possibilities for increase in members 

 and in interest in our society lie in the 

 fiorists' clubs, I suggest for your cod- 



