200 



HORTICU LTU RE 



August 19, 1905 



known in an intelligem manner, and 

 have not accepted grai fully what lit- 

 tle work has been done in our behalf. 

 The state of Illinois expends from 

 $10,000 to $20,000 per year on experi- 

 mental work in horticulture, most of 

 which has been applied to pomology. 

 Other states are no doubt following the 

 same lines. Our local horticultural so- 

 cieties may rightfully demand appro- 

 priations for experimental work in 

 floriculture, or a share of the appropri- 

 ations already made. The volume of 

 our business and the amount of capital 

 now invested in commercial floriculture 

 entitle us to this consideration. Plant 

 diseases, fertilizing experiments, stor- 

 age of cut flowers, etc., need careful 

 experimental work. 



That Permanent Home. 

 I do not find that the committee ap- 

 pointed to report on this subject ever 

 reported. If as President Breitmeyer 

 said at St. Louis: "We should keep 

 this idea alive, even though its accom- 

 plishment be far distant," we should 

 perhaps have a standing committee to 

 have this subject in hand. We can 

 surely do nothing without one. 

 Arbitration. 

 In 1898 your society established this 

 department on recommendation of your 

 executive committee. Their duty as 

 stated at that time was to promote 

 amicable adjustment of controversies 

 between members when requested by 

 interested parties to do so. The five 

 members of this committee are to be 

 appointed by the president and ap- 

 proved bV the executive committee. If 

 it is stili your wish to carry forward 

 this department as shown by your rec- 

 ords, probably it should be revived by 

 a motion and a vote. 



A Spring Flower Show/. 

 President Gude at Omaha in 1898 

 said: "You should let your light to 

 shine before men that they may see 

 your good workfe. If London can pro- 

 duce monthly a great flower exhibition 

 there is no reason why America could 

 not have annually at some great 

 metropolis a flower exposition wherein 

 the whole country could join; and be- 

 fore concluding I trespass this sugges- 

 tion upon you that steps be taken here 

 at this meeting to carry out this idea." 

 State Vice-Presidents. 

 I urge upon state delegations to 

 choose only members for state vice- 

 presidents who are known to be work- 

 ers in matters of this kind. The empty 

 honor is of little value to him who re- 

 ceives it, while neglect of the society's 

 interests is disastrous. 



Our Sports. 

 The present division of time among 

 the varied interests at the annual con- 

 vention was brought about after the 

 most careful consideration. A liberal 

 portion of the available hours has been 

 given to our bowling and gun clubs. 

 We must not disparage these features 

 of our meeting. Those kindly spirits 

 among us who are active in these re- 

 creations are generally rich in those 

 elements of human nature which held 

 to make life worth living. But it must 

 be born in mind that our organization 

 convenes but once a year. Its exist- 

 ence depends on a certain amount of 

 careful deliberation as a body. Ques- 

 tions vital to its advancement are to be 

 decided and to do this we require and 

 must have the careful judgment of our 



best minds after frank discussion. 

 That ability which can carry forward 

 the various sports and intarest our 

 members in them we ask to be devoted 

 also to the public sessions. Men prom- 

 inent in our affiliated societies, the 

 carnation, the chrysanthemum, the 

 rose, the peony, can aid us in the same 

 way. Then we in turn shall rally and 

 interest ourselves in their gathering.s. 



Merchandise at the Convention. 



The display of plants, florists' requi- 

 sites, building models, heating and 

 ventilating appliances and of the many 

 articles of merchandise have always 

 been a feature of these conventions 

 and have always paid their way. But 

 many of our commercial brothers, as 

 well as some of our sporting friends. 

 we must admit have not always 

 honored our sessions with their pres- 

 ence or their business counsel, which 

 we need. Now I hold that both those 

 who lead in our recreations and those 

 who solicit the attention of the large 

 gathering of buyers here assembled 

 are in honor bound to attend these 

 sessions of the society so necessary to 

 carry it forward and without whose 

 successful management there will be 

 neither bowler, nor buyer, nor seller 

 to be found. 



For the General Welfare. 



I must not close without paying 

 tribute to those earnest and loyal men 

 who have made and held together this 

 body. Never was more patriotic work 

 done in any cause. The locked doors 

 were then opened; the wise lips un- 

 sealed; the skilled hand directed the 

 beginners. 



These earlier years illustrate the 

 great success possible where all are 

 actuated by a single purpose for the 

 upbuilding of the organization itself. 

 In those years our ofiicials were se- 

 lected from those who had made re- 

 cord for efiicient and disinterested 

 service on behalf of the organization. 

 In more recent years with the broaden- 

 ing of our lines of work, and the in- 

 creasing number of enterprises which 

 seemed to place personal prestige be- 

 fore the general good of the society, 

 we find apparently less whole-souled 

 effort for the direct benefit of the or- 

 ganization, more inclination to criti- 

 cism. We do not see the frank and 

 open consultation which we should 

 have on all subjects with a willingness 

 to leave the final settlement to the ar- 

 bitration of the entire society. This 

 tendency^ to internal and factional 

 differences, which those who promote 

 them are unwilling to exploit in public 

 before the entire body of our mem- 

 bers, is certainly to be regretted and 

 I hope that at this session the voice of 

 the convention will be heard placing 

 loyalty to the Society above all per- 

 sonal likes or dislikes, all petty or 

 private schemes. 



If there are those among us who 

 deem our present line of work unwise 

 and leading in a wrong direction, let 

 them frankly bring forward such 

 opinions in our sessions, that we may 

 with a full and free interchange of 

 views settle them amicably and be 

 started forward again with that strong 

 impetus of the earlier years of the or- 

 ganization. 



The report of Secretary Stewart was 

 then presented. It was as follows: 



SECRETARY'S REPORT. 

 Mr. President and Members: 



The records of your secretary's of- 



fice disclose a period unusually free 

 trom sensational incident in the year 

 that has passed since we turned away 

 from the glories of the great exposi- 

 tion and the allurements of the Pike 

 and said farewell to the brethren of 

 the World's Fair city, whose untiring 

 kindness had been so incessantly 

 manifested during our stay with them. 

 In the absence of more strenuous du- 

 ties the zeal of your ofilcers has found 

 expression in an earnest effort to pro-* 

 mote wide-spread interest in this con- 

 vention and exhibition and bring out 

 the largest possible attendance from 

 all quarters. 



The usual executive board meeting 

 was held last April in this city. The 

 program which you have before you, 

 differing in some degree from the type 

 of those arranged for past conven- 

 tions, was the outcome of a feeing that 

 it would be wise to give attention at 

 this time to topics of broad horticul- 

 tural interest and to avail ourselves of 

 the advantages presented in the co-op- 

 eration of the U. S. Department of Ag- 

 riculture so freely proffered by its able 

 and courteous officials. One new 

 feature which has excited much inter- 

 est is the prize essay competition on 

 which a report will be presented by 

 the judges at the morning session of 

 Wednesday. 



The statistics of the year are as fol- 

 lows: 



The number of names on our pub- 

 lished membership list for 1904 was 

 SST, of whom 783 were annual and 104 

 life members. This included 118 an- 

 nual and 32 life members who had 

 been added or reinstated during the 

 year. These 150 nevi' names should be 

 credited to the various states as fol- 

 lows: Florida, Louisiana, New Jer- 

 sey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennes- 

 see, West Virginia, one each; Alabama, 

 California, Kentucky, Maryland, Mas- 

 sachusetts, South Carolina, Wisconsin, 

 Manitoba, two each; Colorado, Kan- 

 sas, Minnesota, Texas, three each; In- 

 diana, five; District of Columbia, 

 seven; Pennsylvania, eight; Michigan, 

 nine; Connecticut, ten; New York, 

 thirteen; Ohio, fifteen; Missouri, twen- 

 ty-three; Illinois, twenty-five. 



The following-named members have 

 been taken from us by death since our 

 last meeting: 



W. A. Ingram, Manchester, N. H., 

 August 20, 1904. 



C. B. Derthick, Ionia, Mich., Decem- 

 ber 23, 1904. 



D. Newsham, New Orleans, La., Jan- 

 uary 15, 1905. 



Charles T. Siebert, Pittsburg, Pa., 

 March 7, 1905. 



F. H. Beard, Detroit, Mich., March 

 20, 1905. 



A. Whiting, Hartford, Conn., May 5, 

 1905. 



W. S. Davis, Purcellville, Va., May 

 24, 1905. 



T. Hinchcliffe, Racine, Wis., June 

 11. 1905. 



Registration of names of new plants 

 has been made since last report, as 

 follows: 



August 27, 1904— Sweet Peas, Brides- 

 maid, Flora Norton, Evening Star, 

 Nymphaja, Speckled Beauty, Sunrise, 

 Sunset, Mrs. George Higginson, Flora 

 Fraser. by Vaughn's Seed Store. 



October 1, 1904— Dahlia, Sylvia, by 

 Vaughaa's Seed Store. 



October 4, 1904— Cannas Chappaqua, 

 Black Beauty, Chameleon, Indiana, 



