374 



HOET I CULTURE 



March 24, 191" 



At the annual meeting of the Ameri- 

 can Rose Society held in Philadelphia, 

 on Wednesday, March 21, officers were 

 elected as follows; President, Benja- 

 min Hammond, Beacon, N. Y.; vice- 

 president, W. L. Rock, Kansas City, 

 Mo.; secretary, Prof. E. A. White, 

 Ithaca, N. Y.; treasurer, Harry O. May, 

 Summit, N. J. 



The annual address of President S. 

 S. Pennock and reports of Secretary 

 Benj. Hammond and Treasurer H. O. 

 May follow. Further details will be 

 given next week. 



PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 

 A year ago we were holding our an- 

 nual show and meeting as a part of 

 the National Flower Show. The 

 American Rose Society contributed 

 very largely in making this show such 

 a wonderful success, as it was throush 

 the combined efforts of our officers 

 and members that there was staged 

 one of the greatest exhibitions of 

 roses ever held in this country. Unfor- 

 tunately, however, the Rose Society 

 was not directly benefited financially 

 by these efforts. 



In view of what the Rose Society 

 had accomplished, it was decided- 

 after very careful consideration — to 

 hold In Philadelphia, March, 1917, a 

 show of our own. composed entirely of 

 roses, not only to further our inter- 

 ests, but also as an educational feat- 

 ure, and an uplift to the society, in 

 placing it in the prominent position it 

 so richly deserves among the import- 

 ant societies of our country. 



Everyone visiting our present show 

 at the First Regiment Armory cannot 

 help but realize how well and how 

 faithfully those in charge have worked 

 to bring about the splendid results in 

 making this exhibit the wonderful suc- 

 cess it is — a show we can all well be 

 proud of — a band of men who worked 

 and pulled together with but one ob- 

 ject in view— SUCCESS; and I want 

 to take this opportunity as your Presi- 

 dent, for the society to thank not only 

 the officers and chairmen, but every 

 member who so faithfully worked to 

 make this show a success. It has 

 never been my pleasure to be associ- 

 ated with any group of men who threw 

 their hearts and souls into an under- 

 taking with more vim and energy than 

 you have. May this show be the in- 

 spiration and forerunner of many suc- 

 cessful shows in the future. 



This is primarily a show that ap- 

 peals more to the commercial man 



than to the amateur, yet there are 

 many points that interest and deal di- 

 rectly with the amateur — the rose gar- 

 dens, the cut roses, grown commer- 

 cially, I know, but many of them 

 splendid garden roses, as well as many 

 other, to them, interesting features. 

 The question arises in my mind why 

 it would not be possible to hold in 

 .lune a national outdoor Rose Festival 

 annually, conducting it on a large 

 scale, bringing exhibits from all lead- 

 ing amateur rosarians within a radius 

 of overnight trips or less, thus gather- 



Benjamin Hammu.nd 

 rrc'Sident-ElPct American Rose ScK-it'ty. 



ing together amateurs and their roses 

 from all over the country — an event 

 that would be looked forward to and 

 sought for by groups of rose lovers, 

 in every city, whether small or large. 

 We have with us amateurs, members 

 that are enthusiastic, willing and well 

 able to undertake the carrying on of 

 an annual festival of this character. 

 I should be very glad indeed to have 

 a discussion on this subject at this 

 meeting, and some definite steps taken 

 toward establishing such an annual 

 affair. I am sure we have many ama- 

 teurs, some right here in Philadelphia, 

 who would be willing to throw their 

 efforts into a movement of this nature. 

 This, with our Spring Show, should in- 

 crease our membership as nothing else 

 will or could; so I hope everyone — 

 particularly you commercial men — 

 will give this your very earnest sup- 

 port, making for the advancement ot 

 the rose, both from a garden and a 

 commercial standpoint. "A Rose for 

 Every Home; A Bush for Every Gar- 

 den." 



The membership of the Society has 

 materially increased in both the active 

 and associate classes. In addition to 

 a healthy growth in the active mem- 

 bership, there has resulted an increase 

 in associate membership to at least 

 twenty times the number recorded one 

 year ago, and this increase is continu- 

 ing, I am glad to say. Last fall the 

 Society made a proposition to several 

 rose catalog men, some taking advan- 

 tage of it, some turning it down. The 

 firms who went into this partnership 

 arrangement — I am sure — are well 

 paid for the effort. I know the Society 

 feels the proposition has been a splen- 

 did help, and is more than grateful to 

 these firms for their hearty co-opera- 

 tion. To those who are not familiar 

 with this agreement a word of ex- 

 planation is in order. The dues were 

 payable to the firm soliciting the mem- 

 bership, they retaining half the 

 amount. This as a business proposi- 

 tion—on the surface — looks like poor 

 business, but from the viewpoint of 

 future membership I believe it one of 

 the best moves ever made by the So- 

 ciety — a member once, a member al- 

 ways. 



While on this membership business, 

 1 should like to recommend a readjust- 

 ing of the membership dues, not only 

 the active but the associate and affili- 

 ated as well. Instead of having two 

 classes as we now have — active and 

 associate memberships — I would sug- 

 gest we merge them and have only 

 the active membership. This would give 

 the associate member — who at present 

 is not eligible to vote or take part in 

 any proceedings — all the rights of mem- 

 bership. Also, instead of active mem- 

 l)ers paying $3 annually, and associ- 

 ates $1, that the dues for all be $2. 



Our affiliated members at present 

 are paying 25c. This 1 think— with all 

 we are doing at present and all we are 

 planning tor the future for these mem- 

 bers—should be $1. they receiving the 

 "Annual" and any other literature 

 which may be issued; also admissions 

 to any shows; these "Annuals" to he 

 shipped in bulk to the affiliated society 

 and not distributed individually by the 

 Rose Society. 



I hope these recommendations on 

 membership dues will meet with your 

 approval, and that same will be 

 brought up tor discussion at this meet- 



mg. 



The favorable reception accorded to 

 the 1916 Rose Annual is the best com- 

 ment on the success of this attempt. 

 The editor ot the "Annual," Mr. J. 

 Horace McFarland, found ready and 

 cheerful co-operation among the mem- 

 bers of the Society who could afford 

 proper help. It is believed that the 

 articles presented in the 1916 "Annual" 

 on possibilities in rose-breeding, on 

 the rose species available from China 

 and elsewhere, on America's efforts in 

 rose-growing and rose-breeding, on the 

 diseases and insects which affect roses, 

 on rose popularity in various parts of 

 the United States and Canada, on rose 

 organizations, and on roses grown for 

 cut-flowers, were of such value that 

 the volume will long remain a stand- 

 ard reference book, comparing favor- 

 ably with the best issues of the Na- 

 tional Rose Society of England. 



As an illustration of how this "An- 

 nual" was received not only in this 



