August 22, 1914 



HORTICULTURE 



•27'J 



After the dedicatory exercises 

 Mayor Curley and the park officials 

 greeted the local Convention commit- 

 tee chairmen and a number of other 

 invited guests at an informal luncheon 

 at the Parker House. J. J, Cassidy 

 presided. Mayor Curley aroused great 

 applause by stating that he had the 

 assurance of a sum of at least $50,000 

 from public-spirited citizens to be de- 

 voted to further beautifying that sec- 

 tion of Boston where the Convention 

 Garden is located, the initiative for 

 which had been the Society of Ameri- 

 can Florists' Convention Garden ex- 

 ample. Among the other speakers 

 was Judge C. W. Hoitt of Nashua. X. 

 H.. who eloquently voiced the senti- 

 ments of the horticultural people 

 against any disposal of Roston's Rib- 

 !ic Garden for business purposes. Ad- 

 dresses were also made by President 

 Wirth. Chairman Dillon of the Park 

 Commission. John Minton. Park Com- 

 missioner Charles Gibson and W. F. 

 Kasting. 



OPENING SESSION. 



The opening session, scheduled for 

 2 P. M., Tuesday, August 18. was rath- 

 er late in getting under way but, once 

 started was a well attended and inter- 

 esting meeting. On the platform, be- 

 sides the Mayor of Boston, President 

 Wirth. Vice-President Welch, Secre- 

 tary Young and Treasurer Kasting 

 were seated Ex-Presidents Hill, 

 O'Mara, Kasting, Stewart, Norton, 

 Gude, Vincent, Asmus, Traendly. Pier- 

 son and Farquhar, also Messrs. Peter- 

 son, Hess and Totty of the Executive 

 Board, Park Commissioner John H. 

 Dillon and J. J. Cassidy. 



The convention was called to order 

 by Vice-President Welch, who was 

 given an ovation, three cheers and a 

 tiger. He said: As vice-president of 

 this organization and as chairman of 

 the Boston Committee, I have the 

 honor, and I assure you it is a great 

 pleasure, to welcome you to Boston, 

 the Athens of America and the "Hub 

 of the Universe," as it is sometimes 

 called. 



Boston is the greatest convention 

 city in the world. I say that not be- 

 cause we Bostonians alone think so. 

 but because from January 1st to De- 

 cember 31st of every year, almost 

 every day some great convention, such 

 as ours, is holding its deliberations 

 within our walls, and after a lapse of 



I.NDiviDUAL Exhibits in Convention Garden. 

 I'ormal Bedding by City of Boston. 



a tew years we find them returning 

 once more to Boston, as you have re- 

 turned after twenty-four years of ab- 

 sence. 



Boston, as you know, was founded 

 in 1630, ten years after the landing of 

 the Pilgrims at Plymouth, and its nar- 

 row streets in the business section re- 

 mind one very much of some of the 

 cities of the Old World. Boston is 

 noted for its magnificent park system 

 and its suburbs are the finest in the 

 world. Right in the centre of the city 

 is a Common of 84 acres and a Public 

 Garden of 22 acres, which was culti- 

 vated as a flower garden as early as 

 1837. They are the breathing places 

 and the beauty spots of the city of 

 Boston, and I can assure you that you 

 all should visit them both to appre- 

 ciate the forethought and generosity 

 of the people of this great city even in 

 the early days. 



Fruit and flowers were cultivated in 

 Plymouth Colony even from the begin- 

 ning, and apple orchards, gardens and 

 farms were plentiful in Boston until 

 the progress of the times drove them 

 further into the country. Many fine 

 business blocks of today were formerly 

 farms and gardens of our forefathers, 

 so that horticulture has always been 

 encouraged here, but it has especially 

 flourished since the foundation of our 

 Massachusetts Horticultural Society in 

 1829. 



Boston is always willing to learn 



Lnuiviuial Exhibits in Co.nvention Gakden. 

 Formal PI.Tiiting at Entrance to Farqtiliar Garden. 



however, and I assure you that we feel 

 that this great gathering of horticul- 

 turists and florists, representing as 

 they do the best brains of our profes- 

 sion, will develop many an idea which 

 will be for the future benefit of the 

 city. 



The Boston Committee has worked 

 early and late, and we hope success- 

 fully, to make this convention the 

 greatest ever held by our society; nor 

 have they neglected the entertainment 

 of our guests, for we have felt that all 

 work and no play would hardly suit 

 the members of this Society and their 

 friends. 



The city of Boston always recognizes 

 the importance of officially receiving 

 its guests; and today. Ladies and Gen- 

 tlemen, we have with us as Chief 

 Magistrate of the City, a young man 

 who during fifteen years past has 

 served the city both as a member of 

 the City Council, as a member of the 

 State Legislature, as a member of Con- 

 gress, and finally now as Mayor of our 

 city. His career has always been 

 marked by his statesmanlike sagacity 

 and manly integrity. His talents and 

 ability have ever been directed and 

 devoted to his constituents and the 

 people of Boston. The members of 

 this Society owe him much for his 

 kindness and generosity and the great 

 interest he has taken in our Conven- 

 tion Garden in the Back Bay Fens. It 

 now gives me great pleasure to pre- 

 sent to you the Mayor of Boston. 

 James M. Curley. 



HoiL James M. Curley, Mayor, now- 

 addressed the Convention and was re- 

 ceived with great applause, the assem- 

 bly rising in bis honor. 



lie spoke as follows: 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentle- 

 men. I am exceedingly grateful to the 

 Chairman for his very cordial and 

 kindly introduction, and am also deep- 

 ly grateful to you for your splendid 

 reception here this afternoon. It has 

 been a very great pleasure and privil- 

 ege for me today to enjoy the oppor- 

 tunity of spending the greater portion 

 of the day with the delegates visiting 

 our beloved City of Boston. Many of 

 you I have met personally, and some 

 it has been my pleasure to know for a 

 considerable length of time; and re- 

 gardless of what portion of the United 

 States you may come from, we wel- 

 come you here today in the name of 

 Boston, as American citizens interest- 



