156 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



highways"' and that a.s such they lie reheved of the sign- 

 boards. 



During the last week in April those interested in the 

 maintenance of the billboard system of rural advertising 

 made answer through counsel to the coni])laints set forth 

 in the petition. In substance their replv was a general 

 denial of pretty much everything the com])lainants alleged. 

 It denied that the ajijieal itself was made in good faith ; 

 denied that hotel owners were in sympathy with it ; char- 

 acterized as "impractical persons"' artists who object to 

 signboards and declared that the women's clubs .supjxjrt- 

 ing the anti-billboard movement are doing so without 

 careful study of the subject. 



The battle in which Cape Cod residents are now en- 

 gaging has been fought to a finish in several localities. 

 In 1902, under the leadership of Franklin Murphy, then 

 Governor of the State. Xew Jersey conducted a spirited 



'1 he iindiT-slnicliirr aj the bulb garden al Ihc Inlc-nialioiui! 

 I'limcr Slwii' 



and verv aggressive cam])aign against l>ilIboard adver- 

 tising. It was not successful. An obstacle then encoun- 

 tered, and one which the Cape Cod movement ma> 

 encounter, proved to be insurmountable. This w-as the 

 willingness of landowners to rent ground for the erection 

 of signboards and to let the sides and roofs of barns and 

 sheds for advertising i)ur]joses. There was no way to 

 l)reveiU this from Ijeing done unless a ])ublic nuisance was 

 created. That advertising signboards were a jniblic 

 nuisance could not be proved to the satisfaction of the 

 courts. 



In the final outcome dependence must be placed on 

 a];])eal to public s])irit over private interest. — A'. )'. Herald. 



Several years ago when the National Association o! 

 Gardeners undertook to inaugurate a pro])aganda to make 

 Sign I5oard advertising impo])ular and sought the co- 

 operation of other organizations in its endeavor, the 

 res])onse was most encouraging and considerable ])ublicity 

 was given to the movement lioth through the press and 

 otherwise, but in time interest waned. Tlie association 

 has maintained from the beginning that all elTorts ti' 

 control the signboards along the highways through legis- 

 lation would only result in much wasted energy. It was 

 estimated that $4O.0fJ0.C00 was spent on signboanl ad 

 vertising in 1920. The signboard interests are well 

 organized and strongly intrenched with an array of legal 

 talent and lobbyists to combat anv adverse legislation 



which may arise against them, while their ojjponents lack 

 organization. One suggestion made is that a heavy tax 

 be placed on signboards. This, however, would not dis- 

 tur!) the successful advertisers for it would only mean 

 a slight increase in the cost of their signboard advertising. 

 .\nother suggestion was to have the "anti's'" jiledge them- 

 selves to make the ])roducts advertised on signboards 

 unpo])nlar — in other words, boxcott the goods so adver- 

 tised. iSul who can imagine a woman, or a man either, 

 on seeing a bargain olfered and becoming interested, 

 recalling that the advertiser's signboards at some time 

 offended them by obstructing the scenic beautv along the 

 countryside. 



What has so far been done to make the signboards 

 uni>oi)ular seems to have resulted only in making them 

 more popular in the eyes of the advertisers. It is true 

 that through moral suasion, an advertiser is occasionally 

 prevailed upon to remove an objectionable signboard from 

 .1 residential section or along a parkway, but this may be 

 compared to picking an ai)his from a rose bush and be- 

 lieving that thereby the entire pest will he destroyed. 

 What is necessary is an effective contact remedy to reach 

 all the signboard advertisers. Who can supplv the 

 formula ? — Editor. 



CONSTRUCTING A FLOWER SHOW GARDEN 



{Continued Iroiii pai^e 14.^1 



twenly-si.K hundred Darwin tulips, fifteen hundred potted 

 pansies. seventy-five hundred bu.xus Suffruticosa (from 

 ."^outh Carolina), seven hundred and fifty plots of grass 







and line lumdi'cil and I'ifty ])ressed bales ol" Holland jieal. 

 There was also a large (piantity of bnglish ivv, some 

 dogwoods, and standard cherry trees, besides other sca.son- 

 able flowering shrubs. Twenty-six tall cedars, all in tubs, 

 served as a background. The cpiantity of planting 

 materi.al employed gives an idea of the immensity of the 

 imdertaking in creating a garden on an exhibition lloor. 

 There is no f|uestion but that such exhibits aid .\merican 

 hnrticullnre in the de\elo|;mcnt ol' fetter gardens. 



When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and 

 when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not 



kniiw it; this is knowle<lge. — Confurhis. 



