August 25, 1917 



HOitT I CULTURE 



ganization. And there is no excuse for 

 this state of affairs. There are many 

 lines of activities in our organizations 

 that have done much to elevate our pro- 

 fession, and all members of our craft, 

 who are deriving a direct benefit from 

 this work, and are not loyal to the 

 cause, or I might add, if you please, 

 are "slackers." 



It is my intention not to unneces- 

 sarily criticise, but I must say that we 

 have a weak point in our organization. 

 Instead of having 2,000 members, we 

 .should have a National organization in 

 numbers, say of 10,000 from every cor- 

 ner of the whole United States. The 

 great work that is being done by this 

 organization, should interest every 

 man in our profession, and due to the 

 fact that he is not a member, shows our 

 weak point. The majority of our State 

 Vice-Presidents are active, and doing a 

 commendable work, but some are inac- 

 tive. I have sent out many letters dur- 

 ing the past year, trying to stir up in- 

 terest, and a few State Vice-Presidents 

 do not even reply, others reply, pleading 

 too busy. We do have a number of hard 

 workers who get results, and I notice 

 that these are usually the busiest men 

 in our profession. But these conditions 

 must be remedied. We should provide 

 ways and means of reaching the non- 

 members, and putting before them the 

 necessary information as to our activi- 

 ties. 



In going over the reports of Past 

 Presidents, I note that recommenda- 

 tions were made to the members to get 

 active individually; this, of course, is 

 very necessary, but we are not getting 

 results as we should, and we must find 

 even a better way in which to work. 

 Now as to the methods to use to over- 

 come this obstacle would be hard to 

 work out, without considerable study, 

 and I recommend to the Society that 

 a committee be appointed to devise 

 ways and means for an efficient mem- 

 bership campaign that will bring re- 

 sults. 



National Flower Show. 



When the Society adopted in Hous- 

 ton, an amendment to our by-laws to 

 place within the power of the Execu- 

 tive Board the changing of the date of 

 our meetings, I feel that this was a 

 great step forward; more particularly 

 will it give us the opportunity to try 

 out the holding of our Convention and 

 National Flower Show in conjunction. 

 Our first combined Convention and 

 Show will be held in St. Louis in the 

 Spring of 1918. This will demonstrate 

 to the members the feasibility of the 

 plan. This plan has been discussed by 

 our most able and conservative mem- 

 bers on both sides of the question. 



I predict that this new arrangement 

 in the conduct of our annual meetings, 

 will see a decided change in the in- 

 terest taken in our work. The time 

 has long past when our members want 

 only entertainment and good times at 

 these Conventions, but instead, they 

 want information along all lines, They 

 want to return home with new ideas 

 that will assist them in furthering 

 their business. I predict that the new 

 plan will stimulate both in attendance 

 and membership. The year following 

 the St. Louis Convention, we will hold 

 a Summer Convention, and this will 

 reach the members who cannot attend 

 the Spring Convention. To my mind. 



this would be a wise plan to follow in 

 the future. I want to take this oppor- 

 tunity of commending the Chairman of 

 the National Flower Show, Mr. George 

 Asmus, and his most efficient commit- 

 tee, for their most excellent service 

 rendered to the Society. Members who 

 are not in close touch, little realize the 

 great volume, and I mean volume, un- 

 dertaken and carried out by this com- 

 mittee, nor of the tremendous responsi- 

 bility that rests upon their shoulders. 

 The National Flower Show has been 

 the means of rapidly increasing our 

 treasury, by putting dollars in our 

 treasury from the Philadelphia Show: 

 while the finances are secondary, these 

 shows must be made profitable if we 

 expect to continue them. The shows 

 are of a wonderful educational value 

 to the flower buying people. There is 

 no better medium by which we can in- 

 crease the sale of flowers, than by hold- 

 ing these shows in different sections of 

 the country. 



In conclusion, I wish most heartily 

 to recommend the holding of our Na- 

 tional Flower Shows every two years, 

 and that the National Flower Show 

 committee carry this into effect as soon 

 as practical. 



School Garden. 



I have been watching with interest, 

 the good worli; accomplished by the 

 most efficient chairman of our School 

 Garden committee; Benjamin Ham- 

 mond. He seems to be peculiarly fit- 

 ted for this work. The minds of our 

 people are rapidly turning into the 

 direction of more home products. It 

 has been proven that the way to reach 

 the parent is through the children. If 

 the children are interested in floral and 

 horticultural work, then the parent can- 

 not help but soon become enthused, and 

 encouraged in the work. Aside from 

 beautifying the home, it forms habits 

 of training and uplift, that has no 

 parallel in the shaping of the charac- 

 ter of the children. My only regret is, 

 that this work is not taken up in every 

 school in these United States. I trust 

 that we will lend every encouragement 

 to further the work along this line. 



Convention Gardens. 



Due to the holding of the Convention 

 and National Flower Show at the same 

 time in St. Louis in the Spring of 1918, 

 it will be necessary to dispense with 

 the Convention Garden, for that year. 

 But I am confident that this will add 

 more interest in the garden the coming 

 year. Having these gardens every two 

 years will give more time to the pre- 

 paration, and we can have even a better 

 display than heretofore. It is hardly 

 probalile that we can improve on pre- 

 vious gardens, and such as the one we 

 have the pleasure of viewing this year 

 in New York, but as time goes on, and 

 our profitting each time, by past ex- 

 periences, we will be encouraged, and 

 this will be one of our leading features 

 at our Summer Conventions. 



Legislation. 



It is strange to say, but is neverthe- 

 less true, that unless wo are continu- 

 ally on the alert, there is likely to be 

 passed, laws that will be of serious 

 detriment to our profession. I will 

 call your attention to the proposed 

 drastic quarantine law, which if it goes 

 into effect, will jiractically eliminate 

 the importation of all foreign stock; if 



not for the alertness of our legislative 

 committee, this law will likely pass. 



I also want to call your attention to 

 a matter that will be presented to the 

 Interstate Commerce Committee, allow- 

 ing the Express Companies a delay of 

 twenty-four hours on Cut Flowers, as a 

 reasonable delay in transportation. 

 The florists of the country realize the 

 extreme heavy loss this would mean in 

 the transportation of their stock. 



There is at this time, a great need 

 for a uniform Interstate Inspection 

 law, and I would urge upon the Legis- 

 lative Committee to work in connec- 

 tion with the Nurserymen Committee 

 who have already started the move- 

 ment to get this matter adjusted. 



These are just a few of the numer- 

 ous things that confront this Com- 

 mittee from time to time, and re- 

 gardless of this committee's effective 

 work. 1 have had a number of live 

 Florists ask me, "What good is there 

 to be derived from being a mem- 

 ber of the Society of American Flor- 

 ists'?" I want to thank personally 

 here, each member of this Committee, 

 and want to urge each member of the 

 Society of American Florists to lend 

 his co-operation in the furthering of 

 this great work. 



Publicity. 



Great men have told, and great 

 events have been shown, how patriot- 

 ism and good business, go hand in 

 hand, in these days of America at war. 

 The value of an even keel, and a steady 

 pull through the rough waters of inter- 

 national strife has been shown in many 

 ways. The maintenance of everyday 

 business, in its accustomed even rou- 

 tine, has its magnificent part in wan- 

 ning of freedom for all. It is the na- 

 tion's normal heart beat, pumping blood 

 to the brain and muscles of war. This 

 is why great minds have seen in the 

 perpetuation of everyday business con- 

 ditions, the real winning of the war. 

 And if there ever was a time in the 

 history of our profession, that we need- 

 ed a nation-wide co-operative publicity 

 campaign, it is now. During this time 

 of so much publicity given to economy, 

 we are liable to suffer, if we do not give 

 more publicity to the use of flowers, 

 plants and other ornamentals. 



Just an example of what does hap- 

 pen occasionally. An article appeared 

 in one of our Houston local papers, ad- 

 dressed to one of the local Charities, 

 saying, "Find enclosed my check for 

 $10.00 which under former conditions 

 would have gone for flowers, but I feel 

 my duty to send this instead." This 

 article was published just after the 

 funeral the same afternoon of one of 

 our townsmen, which article would 

 have had its telling effect, if it had 

 appeared in the morning paper. I am 

 only looking at this from the view- 

 point of my having flowers to sell, 

 and this being my only commodity for 

 selling and making my living — and not 

 from the view-point that we must often 

 take, and help willingly and liberally 

 in all deserving causes. 



Such agitation, you see, calls for us 

 ever keeping before the public the use 

 of flowers. We must keep the senti- 

 ments alive. We must have some 

 means of quick action, and I am con- 

 vinced that if every city will follow 

 plans similar to those of the Chicago 

 Club; that every Florist in the city con- 



