280 



HOETICULTUEE 



August 22, 1914 



ed in all that goes to make America 

 a better and a more beautiful place in 

 which to live. (Applause.) I have en- 

 joyed for many years the friendship of 

 the Chairman of our Boston Park Com- 

 mission. He has arrived at the re- 

 sponsible position of Chairman of the 

 Park Commission from an ordinary 

 gardener in the employ of the Park 

 Department to the responsible head of 

 a system the annual expenditures of 

 which exceed one million dollars, thus 

 exemplifying how scrupulously the 

 American people adhere to those prin- 

 ciples that made Boston possible and 

 made possible as well the liberty of 

 the American people — among these 

 principles being that of absolute equal- 

 ity of opportunity; and it is in that 

 spirit of friendship, of brotherhood 

 and of equality that I offer the wel- 

 come of Boston to you ladies and gen- 

 tlemen assembled here today. 



Boston is truly grateful for the mem- 

 bers of this splendid organization, for 

 its contribution of brains, of energy, 

 of effort and of labor as illustrated in 

 the Convention Garden, which I sin- 

 cerely trust will continue as a perma- 

 nent institution of Boston. Every 

 American who has not had the pleas- 

 ure of a visit to Boston looks forward 

 eagerly to the time when he may come 

 here and revel in the history and tradi- 

 tions of the early times which are 

 more in evidence and more strongly 

 characterized in Boston than any other 

 city in America. Every American citi- 

 zen looks forward to the time when he 

 may come and see Faneuil Hall, when 

 he may visit the Old South Church, 

 the Old North Church; when he may 

 look upon the scene of the Boston 

 Massacre, where was shed the first 

 blood in that fateful struggle that 

 made possible tlie liberties of the 

 American people and strengthened the 

 arm of struggling humanity in its de- 

 sire to achieve liberty and equality in 

 every portion of the entire world. (Ap- 

 plause.) Now when the citizens of 

 this great country come to Boston and 

 visit Harvard University in Cambridge 

 adjoining Boston; when the cultured 

 and the educated come here to inspect 

 our educational and our historic insti- 

 tutions, we want the pleasure, the priv- 

 ilege and the opportunity of showing 

 them this Convention Garden, and we 

 want it to be the finest and most beau- 

 tiful spot of its kind in the entire 

 world. We aim to make it such. (Ap- 

 plause.) 



If there is anything that Boston 

 prides itself upon it Is its sense of 

 honor, its desire and determination to 

 keep its word with the rest of the 

 country; and as its Chief Executive I 

 give you my word today that with your 

 assistance, with your advice, with your 

 encouragement, with your ideas and In 

 pursuance with your ideals, we will 

 labor to make Convention Garden a 

 permanent institution that one day, let 

 us hope in our time, will excel in 

 beauty and excellence the Champs 

 d' Elysees of Paris, or any other gar- 

 den spot in the entire world. 



We are pleased to have you with us, 

 but appreciating that the business of 

 your convention will exact much of 

 your time. I will simply say in conclu- 

 sion that I trust your stay in Boston 

 will ever remain as pleasant a mem- 

 ory to you as your visit here is a bene- 

 diction to the oldest and the best city 

 in the United States. (Applause.) 



In introducing Past President Frank 



R. Pierson to reply to the Mayor. Vice- 

 President Welch said: 



The distinguished member selected 

 to reply to the very hospitable and 

 cordial welcome extended by His Hon- 

 or the Mayor, needs no introduction at 

 my hands. You have known him in 

 the past as a leader, untiring, able and 

 efficient, qualities which he still ex- 

 emplifies. 



Past President Pierson, responding 

 to the Mayor, said: 



1 wish that someone might have 

 been selected for this pleasant duty 

 who possessed greater ability as an 

 orator than your humble servant, who 

 is only a worker in the ranks, but who 

 would ask that whatever he lacks in 

 oratorical ability may be pardoned in 

 return for his sincere feeling of grate- 

 ful appreciation of the pleasing recep- 

 tion to the Society of American Flor- 

 ists by His Honor the Mayor. 



I wish to thank you, Mr. Mayor, for 

 your cordial welcome to your beauti- 

 ful city. A year ago, when we were 

 invited to hold our 30th Annual Con- 

 vention in Boston, we were told that 

 we would honor your city by accepting 

 your invitation. I think. Sir, that we 

 are the ones most honored by the invi- 

 tation to be your guests on this occa- 

 sion. And this is not our first visit to 

 Boston; it is the third time in the 

 history of our Society that we have 

 been your guests, so that we well know 

 the genuine warmth of a Boston wel- 

 come. 



After an appreciative reference to 

 the splendid occasion of the National 

 Flower Show in Boston, the great 

 work done by the Massachusetts Hor- 

 ticultural Society, the magnificent 

 park systems surrounding Boston, the 

 historic Boston Common and Public 

 Garden. Mr. Pierson said: What we 

 are intimately connected with at this 

 particular time is your Convention 

 Garden. Boston is to be congratu- 

 lated on having a Mayor as alive as 

 is your present Mayor to the welfare 

 of the city and to the importance of 

 its conservation through its magnifi- 

 cent park system in which he has 

 given ample evidence that he is deep- 

 ly interested. I was delighted this 

 morning to hear him say that this 

 Convention Garden would become a 

 permanent institution of Boston, and 

 I am sure that such an expression 

 from him is equivalent to a guarantee 

 of fulfillment. I want to say that the 

 Society of American Florists is deep- 

 ly indebted to Mayor Curley for the 

 interest and the valuable assistance 

 that he has felt and rendered this 

 unique institution, our Convention 

 Garden. 



In conclusion, Mr. Mayor. 1 wish to 

 thank you again for your most gra. 

 clous welcome from the City of Bos- 

 ton, and, through you I wish to thank 

 also the different horticultural associ- 

 ations—the Massachusetts Horticul- 

 tual Society, the Gardeners' and Flor- 

 ists' Club of Boston, the Horticul- 

 tural Club of Boston, and other allied 

 horticultural interests, all of which 

 have united in providing so lavishly 

 for our entertainment. (Applause). 



Vice-President Welch in relinquish- 

 ing the chair and turning the conduct 

 of the regular business of the conven- 

 tion over to President Wirth, said: 



Now. Ladies and Gentlemen, my 

 duty as temporary chairman of this 

 convention ceases, and I will surren- 

 der the chair to your President, a gen- 



tleman who has done great mission- 

 ary work for the advancement of horti- 

 culture in the section of the country 

 where he resides; and this work he 

 has done with a devotion and loyalty 

 that is particularly notable and deserv- 

 ing of the highest commendation — 

 your President, Mr. Theodore Wirth. 



President Wirth now took the chair, 

 and delivered his address, which fol- 

 lows in full: 



PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 

 Ladies and Gentlemen. Members of 

 the Society of American Florists 

 and Ornamental Horticulturists: 



Ever since you paid me the great 

 honor of electing me to the highest 

 office within your gift, I have antici- 

 pated this hour, not so much to har- 

 vest the honors and privileges ex- 

 tended to your presiding officer, as for 

 the opportunity to express to you my 

 deep-felt gratitude and appreciation 

 for your kindness and good-will 

 towards me. My home city, Minneap- 

 olis, also bids me to extend to you 

 again its thanks for your last year's 

 visit. The benefits of your coming to 

 our city have been manifold to our 

 people, and the lessons taught us 

 through your Convention Garden 

 have taken root and will bear fruit 

 forever after. 



Our Conventions. 



I hope that your visit to the coun- 

 try west of the Mississippi river the 

 second time in the history of the so- 

 ciety, has convinced those who at- 

 tended the last Convention that the 

 great western country is well worthy 

 of your going again. I also hope that 

 the favorable reports about last year's 

 Convention will convince those who 

 did not attend that It was no mistake 

 to go so far west, — really, the west 

 only begins where we met last year — 

 and if as a national society we want 

 nation-wide recognition and progress, 

 we must go west once in a while for 

 the two-fold purpose of, first, to help 

 advance the possibilities of horticul- 

 tural development; and second, to 

 share in the benefits of such develop- 

 ment. 



From the society's financial point of 

 view, last year's venture can also be 

 considered a success. The three high- 

 est returivs to our treasury from our 

 conventions have been — from the Con- 

 vention of 1912 held in Chicago— 

 $3251.88, from the Convention of 1913 

 held in Minneapolis— $2522,40, and 

 from the Convention of 1911 held in 

 Baltimore— $2258.19. The highest gain, 

 however, that the Society made in go- 

 ing west, was in the interest it created 

 amongst our craft, and the informa- 

 tion it gave to those who attended from 

 the east, about our western country. 

 Let us extend our pilgrimages to all 

 parts of the country and become a 

 national society from a national as 

 well as a professional point of view. 

 The Past 'Vear. 



The twelve months passed since we 

 last met have been busy ones for those 

 entrusted with the affairs of our organ- 

 ization. At the Board of Directors' meet- 

 ing, held here last March, every mem- 

 ber was present, and the many im- 

 portant questions pertaining to the 

 welfare and healthful growth of the 

 Society and the many interests which 

 it represents, were very carefully con- 

 sidered and conscientiously acted upon. 

 Your standing committee have also 



