•.'■.' 1 



IIORTICTTLTURE 



August 25. I".tl7 



tribute his pro rata to a ro-operatlvo 

 advertlscnuMit to appear as often as 

 they deoiii host, on the subje<'t of the 

 general use of flowers. If ihJH is done 

 by individuals, they could sIkti their 

 names. If by Clubs, then by the Club 

 name, or follow alonK some similar 

 plan. 



Our Publicity Committee can be of 

 vital importance stirrInK up interest 

 fhrouKhoiit our whole country, by such 

 a co-operative plan. And a movement 

 of this kind, is very Inexpensive, but 

 very effective, derivlnp a direct benellt. 

 I would stronftly urge the Pul>llcity 

 Committee to give serious considera- 

 tion to this, or some other pood plan 

 that will get immediate results. This 

 is a lime to think, and think straight. 

 Use your head, you business men. not 

 your hearts alone. You have got to 

 think straight for the future, not for 

 the present. The cross currents are 

 strong, and sweep from whirlpools of 

 immeasurable depth. 



National Credit and Collections. 



For the past two years there has 

 been a great deal of discussion on this 

 imiwrtant subject, and tliese two years 

 have been devoted to serious study and 

 investigation, and we are now ready to 

 get down to business. We all realize 

 the importance of this department of 

 our work. I am not going into detail 

 in this matter, as our Chairman of 

 this Committee. Mr. Patrick Welch, 

 will present this matter in detail, and 

 you may depend upon this Committee 

 bringing this work into a successful 

 operation. 



Our Revenues. 



We return this organization to the 

 East, bringing to you more members, a 

 larger treasury, the Society in a more 

 thriving condition tlian ever before. 

 And we have discussed from time to 

 time, the feasibility and best methods 

 for the expenditure of our revenues in 

 such a way. that the trade, as a whole, 

 will be most benefited. 



Many times. I have been asked by a 

 member: "What do you expect to do 

 with this accumulated treasury?" I 

 think we have reached a sufficient 

 amount to give serious consideration to 

 the proper expenditures of same, and 

 I would recommend to the incoming 

 board, that they give consideration to 

 this matter. In making the recom- 

 mendation. 1 am mindful of the fact, 

 that expenditures through the Legisla- 

 tive Committee. Publicity Committee, 

 and other important Committees, are 

 benefiting our membership in general. 

 But as I have studied these reports, 

 they show that this money is coming 

 out of our revenues each year. I am of 

 the opinion, that revenues from our in- 

 terest, should be devoted to some speci- 

 fic purpose, and I see no reason for 

 further delay in this matter. 



I know that the members of our or- 

 ganization wiU be exceedingly pleased 

 to know that our Treasurer was 

 authorized to invest $10,000 in Liberty 

 Loan Bonds. Undoubtedly, this shows 

 the great patriotic spirit of our organi- 

 zation 



Our Patriotic Duty. 



W'hile we have subscribed $10,000 to 

 the Liberty Loan, this is a substantial 

 investment, we should go further, and 

 sacrifice something at this time for the 

 good of the cause. Florists' and allied 



interests, hn\. , 'sperUy as 



few linos of liuniuuHK have enjoyed. We, 

 as Patriotic American Citizens, should 

 Kuli8crll)0 something to the cause of 

 i{e<l t^roBs. I feel that this Convention 

 in session, should before we adjourn, 

 subscribo Jl.iiOft to Red Cross, either 

 from our Treasury, or by public sub- 

 scription. I trust that Ibis Convention 

 will immediately authorize theappolnl- 

 ment of a coiunilllee to recomnirn<l at 

 our next session, the proper procedure 

 to raise this money. 



Our Secretary. 



Our Society has many valuable a.«- 

 sets, and one of these is the service of 

 an ofTlcient Secretary. Few members 

 realize the great volume of business 

 transacted through this office, which to 

 my knowledge is transacted in a most 

 detailed and efficient manner. The Kx- 

 ecutive Board is reponsible to the mem- 

 bersliip for the work of the Secretary. 

 Then why should it not be left up to 

 the Directors to eleict the men for 

 wliom they are responsible. You will 

 have presented to you at thi< Conven- 

 tion, an amendment to our by-laws, 

 which if passed, will empower your 

 Board to elect a Secretary, instead of 

 being elected by the membership at the 

 Convention. Personally. 1 can hardly 

 conceive of anyone objecting to this 

 change, as it is only fair to the Execu- 

 tive Board. If. perchance, this amend- 

 ment should fail, and at some future 

 date, you should elect a Secretary who 

 is incompetent and inefficient, and the 

 affairs are not carried on as tliey 

 should be In every detail, do not blame 

 the Executive Board. The responsibili- 

 ties of the Secretary of our Society are 

 great. And I say to you at this time, 

 that it is your duty to vote for this 

 amendment, and give to the Executive 

 Board, the power to elect a Secretary, 

 and let the responsibility rest with 

 them, as fhey must account to the 

 membership for the conduct of the 

 affairs of this office. 



Co-Operation. 



W'e all remember the old adage 

 "Competition is the life of trade." but 

 we live in the age of progressiveness. 

 and we have changed the old adage to 

 read — "Co-operation is the life of 

 trade." Just as I began this part of 

 my report. I had returned from a co- 

 meeting of the Boards of two civic 

 organizations, rivals in some respects, 

 but both working however, to the same 

 end. and both striving to make Hous- 

 ton a greater city. There had been a 

 lack of harmony, just because we failed 

 to get together; when we met on com- 

 mon ground, we discovered that there 

 was really no cause for friction. To- 

 day, these two organizations are linked 

 together, and will accomplish great re- 

 sults in the future. 



The point I want to bring out is tliis 

 — Get a little closer to your neighbor. 

 There might have been a lack of har- 

 mony, but when understood, there is no 

 necessity for friction of any kind. I 

 will cite another instance: The Texas 

 State Florist Association was organiz- 

 ed, and we have close co-operation 

 among the Florists of the State, from 

 which we are getting wonderful results. 

 More organizations in every state are 

 forming each year, and these organiza- 

 tions should affiliate with the Society 

 of American Florists, and through our 

 personal co-operation, by state organi- 



zation, together with our spcolal organ- 

 izations, such as our Rose and Carna 

 lion Societies, I he KlorUts' Telegniph 

 Delivery, and others of siuiilar nulure. 

 <-entered In our Society as u .Nutloiuil 

 body, wo should reap « wonderful re- 

 sult. 



You have come to this Convention to 

 make your profession more efficient, so 

 I hat you can be of greater service to 

 (he world. Your object is businesH 

 licltermeni through belter methods. 

 You serve the world, your country, and 

 yourselves by helping with your work 

 In facilltalliig all business us usual. We 

 are always willing to help each other, 

 and 1 am glad to see you are here in 

 the spirit of helpfulness. You are hero 

 with open hearts, with warm hand- 

 clasp, and with smiling faces, typical of 

 Society of American Florists' Mem- 

 bers. You are ready to give value for 

 value. Everyone hand In hand, side 

 by side. Your co-operation In this 

 great National Society of .Xmerican 

 Florists in a mitional force for better 

 business. You can do great things for 

 yourselves, and for all at this meeting. 

 We want you to do them with your 

 whole heart — as true members, and we 

 know you will. 



At the conclusion of this address 

 Patrick Welch of Boston. George 

 Asmus of Chicago, C. E. Critchell of 

 Cincinnati. Herman Knoble of Cleve- 

 land and .Joseph Heacock of Philadel- 

 phia were named as a committee on the 

 recommendations made by the Presi- 

 dent. 



Secretary .John Young then read his 

 report for the year as follows: 



REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



Again I have the pleasure to report 

 most satisfactory progress made by 

 the Society, with a strength in mem- 

 bership which augurs well for the im- 

 mediate future. In little more than 

 five years I have had the satisfaction 

 of seeing the membership increase 

 over eighty per cent., nearly two fold. 

 Wlien I took office on January 1, 1912, 

 the membership comijrised 994 annual 

 and 281 life members, a total of 1,27.5. 

 On December 31st. 19Hi, fi\e years 

 later, we had 1..304 annual. 447 life, and 

 2.S pioneer members, a total of 1,776. a 

 gain of 501 members, of whom 166 had 

 taken out life memberships. On Au- 

 gust 10th last we had. presuming the 

 1917 dues will be paid. 1.694 annual. 

 496 life and 25 Pioneer members, a 

 grand total of 2,215. I need hardly 

 say that this growth is very gratifying 

 to me, and must he equally so to all our 

 meml)ers. But we are not nearly as 

 strong as we should be, when we con- 

 sider that we yet include in our mem- 

 bership perhaps only ten per cent, of 

 the total number of florists in this 

 country and Canada, all of whom 

 should be earnestly interested in the 

 work of the Society, which is ever in 

 the direction of benefit for the trade at 

 large. 



We may congratulate ourselves upon 

 the standing of our Society, both as to 

 membership and finances, especially in 

 these days of war and unrest. We 

 shoulc' also l)ear in mind that our last 

 two conventions were held remotely 

 apart and far from greatly populated 

 centers: one in the far west; the other 

 in the far south, wliich, undoubtedly, 

 cut down our prospects for a large in- 

 flux of new members; yet, it is equally 



