Vuv. 1Q23 



131 



National Association 

 Of Gardeners 



Secretary's Office, 286 Fifth Ave., New York 



1923 Convention, Pittsburgh, Pa., Augnst 14, IS, 16, 17. 



The aims of llie association are to elevate the profession of gardening 

 by improving conditions within it. — To cement a closer bondship among all 

 engaged in, and interested in, gardening — to create a greater confidence be- 

 tween employer and employee. 



Co-operating with the i\rassachusetts Agricultural College, the association 

 conducts a course in training young men for the profession, whereby they 

 obtain theoretxal knowledge as well as practical experience. 

 OFFICERS 1923 

 President Vice-President 



John Barnet, Sewickley, Pa. William Gray, Newport, R. I. 



Secretary Treasurer 



M. C. Ebel, New York, N. Y. Montague Free, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



TRUSTEES (For 1923)— Thomas VV. Head, D. L. Mackintosh, Arthur 

 Smith, New Jersey; Robert Cameron, Massachusetts; Andrew L. Dorward, 

 Rhode Island. 



DIRECTORS— (To serve until 1924) William Hertrick, California; 

 George H. Pring, Missouri; Robert Weeks, Ohio; Thomas Wilson, New 

 York; Harold Bryant, Connecticut; Harry Cartwright, Michigan; H. Ernest 

 Downer, New York. (To serve until 1925) George Wilson, Illinois; James 

 Stuart, New York; William Kleinheinz, Pennsylvania; Edwin Jenkins, 

 Massachusetts; Carl N. Fohn, Colorado; Joseph Tansey, New York; John 

 Tonkin, Pennsylvania. (To serve until 1926) Alexander Michie, New York; 

 George F. Stewart, Massachusetts; Theodore Wirth. Minnesota; George W. 

 Hess, District of (Columbia; R. P. Brydoti, Ohio; William C. Rust, Massa- 

 chusetts; Charles Schrall, Wisconsin. 



SUSTAINING MEMBERS 



Neiv York — Mrs. J. J. Albright, Mrs. Robert Bacon, George F. Baker, Ed- 

 win S. Bayer, Henri Bendel, Albert Clayburgh, W. R. Coe, Mrs. F. A. Con- 

 stable, Paul D. Cravath, Mrs. W. Ba.vard Cutting. Mrs. Charles Daniels. 

 Cleveland H. Dodge. Mrs. David Dows, Frank J. Dupignac, Mrs. Coleman du 

 Pont, Childs Frick, W. H. Gratwick. Daniel Guggenheim, Mrs. W. D. Guthrie, 

 Mrs. B. A. Haggin. Mrs. William P. Hamilton. Mrs. John Henry Hammond, 

 T. A. Havemeyer. Mrs. L. A. Herman, Anton G. Hodenpyl, B. H. Howell, C. 

 O. Islin, Otto H. Kahn, Mrs. Frank B. Keech, W. Eugene Kimball. L. C. 

 Ledyard, Jr., Adolph Lewisohn, John Magee, Mrs. Julius McVicker, Morton 

 H. Meinhard, Mrs. Eugene Meyer, Jr., J. Pierpont Morgan, Mrs. J. Pierpont 

 Morgan, Stanley G. Mortimer, Mrs. Harold I. Pratt, John T. Pratt, E. F. 

 Price, Mrs. Wni. A. Read, H. D. Roosen. Chas. A. Sherman, Mrs. Samuel 

 Sloan. Heni. Stern, Mrs. W. Stursberg. Daniel Tatum Mrs. R.M.Thompson, 

 Wm. Boyce Thompson, Mrs. Edward Thorne, Mrs. Henry M. Tilford, Carll 

 Tucker, Samuel Unterrayer, Mrs. Harold T. White, Mrs. Payne Whitney, 

 E. L. Young. New Jersey — Charles Bradley, Joseph P. Day, James B. 

 Duke, Mrs. Lewis L. Dunham, Mrs. Frederick Frelinghuysen, Mrs. K. S. 

 Goodrich, Mrs. Custav E. Kissel, C. Lewis, Mrs. Paul Moore, Hubert T. 

 Parson, Leland H. Ross, P. S. Strauss, Mrs. John I. Waterbury, Mrs. 

 Ridley Watts, Sanders Wertheim. Pennsylvania — Samuel T. Bodine, Gen. 

 Richard Coulter, Mrs. J. D. Lyon. R. B. Mellen, Gifford Pinchot, George F. 

 Tyler, Edward A. Woods. Delaware — Irenee du Pont, Pierre S. du Pont, 

 Harry (I. Haskell. Connecticut — E. Dimon Bird, Dr. Tracy Farnam. Mrs. 

 Tracy Farnam, George M. Hendee, Miss A. B. Jennings, H. F. Schwarz, 

 W. H. Truesdale, Edward L. Wemple, William Ziegler, Jr. Rhode Island — 

 R. Livingston Beeckman. Massachusetts — Miss M. R. Case, Mrs. William 

 C. Conant, George P. Dike, Mrs. Louis Frotbingham, Henry S. Hunnewell, 

 E. K. Lawrie, Arthur T. Lyman, Henry Penn, Mrs. C. G. Rice, Prof. C. S. 

 Sargent, Mrs. J. A. Spoor, Mrs. Bavard Thayer. Ne%v Hampshire — F. G. 

 Webster. 0/no— Frank B. Black, F. F. Drury, H. S. Firestone, Mrs. Fran- 

 cis F. Prentiss. John L. Severance, H. S. Sherman, H. L, Thompson. Michi- 

 gan — J. B. Schlotmann, E. D. Speck- Indiana — Theodore F. Thieme. 

 Illinois — A. Watson Armour, Harry B. Glow, A. B. Dick. Clayton Mark, 

 Mrs. Julius Rosenwald, Mrs. F. W. Upham. Minnesota — Mrs. Chester A. 

 Congdon, F. H. Stoltze. Iowa — Mrs. G. B. Douglas. Missouri — August A. 

 Busch, Dr. George T. Moore. IV. Virginia — Mrs. Arthur Lee. Georgia — 

 Asa G. Candler, Jr., G. Gumby Jordan. South Carolina — Robert S. Mebane. 

 LOCAL BRANCHES 



NEWPORT, R. I.: Andrew L. Dorward, chairman; Frederic Carter, 

 secretai v. 



ST. LOUIS, MO.: George H. Pring, chairman; Hugo M. Schaff, 

 secretary. 



NASSAU COUNTY, L. I.: James Duthie, Oyster Bay, chairman; John 

 McCulloch, Ovster Bay, secretary. 



BOSTON, MASS.: Robert Cameron, Ipswich, chairman; W. N. Craig. 

 Weymouth, secretaiv. 



WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA: Manus Curran, Sewickley, chairman; 

 Henry Goodband, Sewickley, secretary. 



CLEVELAND, O.: R. P. Brydoii, chairman; Arthur Brown, Cleveland, 

 secretary. 



1923 CONVENTION 



As the report of the last mueting of the western Pennsylvania 

 branch, which appears on the ne.xt page, shows, the Pittsburgh 

 and Sewickley members are actively engaged in preparing for 

 that event, which will take place at the Fort Pitt Hotel, August 

 14, IS, 16, 17. While your secretary is not at liberty to reveal 

 the secrets, he knows some big surprises are being plaiuicd for 

 the visitors, both of an instructive and entertaining nature. 



Probably but few gardeners know that some of the largest 

 plants to be found anywhere in Aincrica are to be found in and 

 near Pittsburgh. So note the date and arrange your holiday so 

 that you may see some of the mammoth steel plants. Pitts- 

 burgh's parks and the country estates near that city have also 

 beautiful specimen plants whicli naturally come nearer to the 

 heart of the gardener. 



A SEVERE ARRAIGNMENT AND AN EVASION 



In a recent issue of tlie florisl.i' li.vcliaiigt- there appeared a 

 severe arraignment of the gardeners relative to professional ethics, 

 whicli did not pass unnoticed by those assailed, and called for a 

 strong protest. As the Florists' E.vchaiigf did not see fit to pub- 

 lish the protest received it is here given : 

 "To I lie Editor of the Florists' E.vcliangc: 



"After the apparently friendly spirit which the Florists' E.v- 

 changc has been manifesting towards the professional gardener, 

 tliat it would publish the slanderous statement which appeared in 

 tlic Boston E'<-t-ning Transcript, reflecting on the integrity of the 

 gardening profession, especially after its Boston correspondent 

 had informed it that he had been misquoted, was certainly a most 

 astounding act. 



"!' have always regarded Mr. Thommen highly, and believed 

 him to be a friend of the gardener, so it seems incredible to me 

 that he would make the accusation he does confess to have made 

 before the committee of the Massachusetts Legislature. The 

 i^>oston Transcript reports him as having appeared before the 

 Committee as a gardener. I did not know that Mr. Thommen 

 was a gardener, Init I was under the impression that he was 

 formerly engaged in one of the commercial branches of horticul- 

 ture. In any event, if Mr. Thommen did appear as a gardener, 

 and not as tlie correspondent of a trade paper, which he now is, 

 he must liave created the false impression tliat he was present 

 as a representative of the profession which was being attacked, 

 while no one was present in defense of it. 



"Had I had any notion that such a despicable stunt was to be 

 pulled off, I would not have failed to have been present to 

 defend the gardener and his profession, and to make known that 

 there are many employers who close their eyes to their gardeners 

 accepting commissions, in lieu of paying them a living wage, 

 calculating that the payment does not affect their pockets, but 

 the dealers' prolils, and thus I would have shown that the gar- 

 dener often becomes a victim of circumstance; and I would also 

 have conceded that all gardeners are not "Simon pure," but that 

 there are some black sheep among them just as there are among 

 the politiciaiis who sat in judgment of them. 



"While Mr. Robert Cameron in his much discussed paper on 

 the subject did not represent his profession as being 100 per cent 

 perfect, he laid the blame where it belonged, at the root of the 

 evil, and to which the remedy should be applied. As the FlorisLf' 

 E.vchangc thought so well of Mr. Cameron's presentation of the 

 facts as to refer to them again at some length in its issue of 

 April 14, why then did its correspondent not present Mr. Cam- 

 eron's side of the case before the legislative committee instead 

 of attempting to besmirch the reputation of his profession? 



"The National Association of Gardeners. I believe, was the 

 first organization among horticultural bodies to go on record as 

 opposed to paying or receiving commissions, and since then along 

 educational lines has endeavored to minimize the practice. Ex- 

 perience has shown that legislative enactiuents even 'with teetli 

 in them' never have resulted in accomplishing what they were 

 intended to, and are never likely to. Somehow, the 'teeth' seem 

 to become dull in the setting. Possibly if a somewhat similar 

 policy as that of the Association were pursued by the commercial 

 interests, and a little persuasion injected, something really tangible 

 might be accomplished. 



"It will be interesting to learn what justification the Florists' 

 E.i-cltangc can offer for assailing a body of men who are striving 

 to elevate their profession, and who have already gained the con- 

 fidence and support of many prominent men and women, the 

 owners of some of the largest country estates in America, in 

 their efiforts. The E.vchange can only uphold its position by 

 demanding of its correspondent that he substantiate his accusa- 

 tion. If he cannot do so, it will prove that it is simply more of 

 the 'loose talk' which at times is circulated on the subject at issue 

 without the least evidence of proof. If the Florists' E.vchange 

 values the respect of the gardeners in America, it will come 

 forth manfully and publicly apologize for the slur it and its 

 correspondent, for whom it inust assume responsibility, have 

 cast on them. "M. C. Ebel, Secretary. 



"National Association of Gardeners." 



The Florists' E.x-changc did. however, respond with an editorial 

 of some length dwelling on glittering generalities of the subject 

 at issue, and in which it referred to the above protest as follows : 

 "it has been forcibly brought to our attention by the secretary 

 of the National Association of Gardeners, and by a member of 

 that same fraternity, that we were most derelict in our duty in 

 (T ) printing the report at all, and (2) having printed it, in not 

 having" come to the defense of the maligned gardeners with 

 denials of their guilt, etc." 



.•\s this again called for a reply, the following communication 

 was addressed to the Florists' F..\'changc : 

 "To the Editor of the Florists' Exchange: 



"Why has the Florists' E.vchange not followed the usual pro- 

 cedure and- published the protest which it received from the Na- 



