72 



n ORT I CULTURE 



January 20, 1911 



SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS 



AND 



ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURISTS 



Suggestions to State Vice-Presidents 

 by Secretary John Young 

 The state vice-presidents, appointed 

 annually by the president-elect, are 

 expected to represent the Society in 

 their respective states in all matters 

 pertaining to the Society's work. They 

 should lend every effort possible to- 

 ward building up and strengthening 

 the Society by adding to its member- 

 ship, through a systematic canvass, 

 either personally or by letter, of the 

 florists, and others having kindred in- 

 terests, resident in the territories rele- 

 gated to them. The work of obtaining 

 new members is all-important. There 

 are many states having what may be 

 termed an inexcusable lack of repre- 

 sentation on our membership roll, and 

 it is quite apparent that with but lit- 

 tle effort, this condition can be 

 changed. Every state vice-president is 

 continually in touch with florists who 

 are not members of our Society, and it 

 should be the ambition of each to 

 bring such into our organization. 



The important work done by the 

 Society in behalf of the whole florist 

 trade in this vast country is a matter 

 of record, and needs no trumpeting; 

 every florist has participated in the 

 advantages resulting, advantages not 

 possible of accomplishment through 

 individual effort. This is the day of 

 organization in the business world, and 

 never was the banding together of men 

 engaged in different industries more 

 necessary. 



A powerful organization in our own 

 industry became an absolute necessity 

 years ago, and we have it in our own 

 Society, whose membership now ex- 

 ceeds 2,000. But when statistics show 

 20,000 or more florist establishments 

 in the country, we realize that we are 

 far short of our aim to be thoroughly 

 representative. 



The Society has much work mapped 

 out for the near future, including an 

 effort to induce a greater use of flow- 

 ers on the part of the public. It has 

 been painfully evident within the 

 past two years that the consumption 

 of flowers is woefully short of the pro- 

 duction, entailing a vast loss to grow- 

 ers. A campaign of publicity such as 

 the Society has in contemplation, will 

 entail prodigious expense, and can 

 only be entered upon when those 

 whom it will most interest will give 

 the small support asked of them — a 

 membership in the Society. 



State legislation in regard to the 

 operation of greenhouse heating plants 

 is another important problem now re- 

 ceiving the attention of our organiza- 

 tion, one in which individual action is 

 without avail. The growers in every 

 State are threatened with legislation 

 to compel them to yield to unjust 

 measures to force them to employ 



licensed engineers to run their heating 

 plants, and these to work in eight-hour 

 shifts. Just stop to think what this 

 would cost florists! Could an in- 

 dividual florist do anything to stop it, 

 or change it to meet conditions? 



These are matters which can be em- 

 phasized in approaching a florist whom 

 it is desired to bring into the fold 



The question may be asked: 'What 

 has the Society done for the good of 

 the trade?" All the good work of the 

 Society could hardly be described, but 

 it is well to remember a few of the 

 most important services rendered to 

 the trade, particularly the following: 



Not so very long ago it was impossi- 

 ble to insure greenhouse establish- 

 ments against damage by hail. Insur- 

 ance companies refused all overtures 

 for such insurance, because they said 

 they had tried it, and found it to be a 

 losing game. The S. A. F. and 0. H. 

 took the matter up, and. after much 

 thought over conditions, started the 

 Florists' Hail Asociation, and incor- 

 porated it as a section of the Society. 

 This association now underwrites 

 risks on about four million square 

 feet of glass, located in different parts 

 of the country, has a reserve fund of 

 $35,000 or more, and since its organi- 

 zation, has paid out over $300,000 for 

 losses. The membership roll in this 

 association now comprises nearly 1,500 

 names. 



Everyone remembers how the flor- 

 ists grumbled when they realized that 

 while books could be sent by mail for 

 8 cents per pound, they were required 

 to pay a postage of 16 cents per pound 

 for bulbs and seeds. Our society took 

 the matter in hand, with the result 

 that the government made a special 

 low rate for seeds and bulbs, which re- 

 nuiined in force until parcel post was 

 instituted. 



Individual effort proved unavailing 

 in attempts to obtain a proper and fair 

 rate from the express companies on 

 plants. Our society took up the mat- 

 ter, and after a hard fight, obtained a 

 concession which is still enjoyed by 

 practically every florist in the land. 



Variety in sizes of flower pots was a 

 source of much trouble to florists some 

 years ago. The society standardized 

 sizes and today there is absolute uni- 

 formity in pots. 



To give impetus to the art of flori- 

 culture, the society made national 

 flower shows possible. These shows, 

 held at intervals of two or three years 

 in our larger cities, at tremendous ex- 

 pense, have proved to have wonderful- 

 ly benefited all branches of the florist 

 ti-ade in wide areas surrounding the 

 cities where they have been held. 



The society established the Florists' 

 Telegraph Delivery as a section, an 

 organization of retail florists which 

 makes the interchange of orders by 

 telegraph both safe and profitable. 



These are only a few instances of 

 effective work accomplished by our so- 

 ciety, but should be quite sufficient to 

 appeal to a florist when considering 

 taking out a membership. 



Our year book for 1916 contains 

 much information as to work in prog- 

 ress, and a close reading of the vol- 

 ume will evolve many talking points. 

 If an additional copy or two would be 

 of service, they are available on appli- 

 cation to the secretary. 



The Convention Exhibition. 



Complying with the many inquiries 

 and requests that have been received 

 at this office, we are sending out at 

 this time the plan of the main floor of 

 the Grand Central Palace, New York, 

 where the Thirty-third Annual Con- 

 vention and Trade Exhibit of the So- 

 ciety of American Florists and Orna- 

 mental Horticulturists will be held 

 August 21st, 22nd and 23rd, 1917. 



Undoubtedly all available space will 

 be reserved at an early date. Better 

 accommodations may be had if reser- 

 vations are made at this time. Those 

 who are familiar with the general lay- 

 out of the Grand Central Palace (it 

 was in this building where the Third 

 National Flower Show was held) will 

 know that any location on the main 

 floor will be favorable for making an 

 attractive exhibit. 



This will be a Business Convention. 

 Send in your orders for space prompt- 

 ly. If upon receipt of your order, 

 space desired has already been re- 

 served, the Secretary will allot the 

 next best favorable location unless you 

 have objection. 



The Convention Garden 

 Just a word about the Convention 

 Garden. Make an exhibit here — it will 

 be the opportunity of a life time! Do 

 not delay in reserving space if you are 

 interested. The rate for space is only 

 ten cents per square foot. Your Sec- 

 retary will be pleased to take up with 

 you now the question of allotment of 

 space in the Convention Garden, which 

 will be located in a most favorable 

 section of the Botanical Garden, Bronx 

 Park, where the exhibits will be seen 

 by thousands of interested people 

 daily. The plantings will be under the 

 supervision of Dr. N. L. Britton, Di- 

 rector of the Botanical Garden. 

 The New 'York International 

 The management of the New York 

 Flower Show to be held in March have 

 generously offered to provide free ad- 

 mission to the exhibition to all S. A. 

 F. members in good standing. S. A. P. 

 members will, therefore, apply at the 

 ofl^ices of the Flower Show Committee 

 upon arrival at the hall. Exhibitors 

 in the trade exhibit at the convention 

 will have the opportunity, if they visit 

 this Flower Show, of seeing the loca- 

 tion of spaces they have reserved. 

 JoHX Young, Secy., 



