668 



n O RTI CDLTU R E 



April -n, 1916 



WHAT THE COMING OF THE S. A 



F. TO THE SOUTH MEANS TO 



THE SOUTHERN FLORISTS. 



I*»I>«r r«id by R. C. Kerr. VIre-Pr** 

 S A. P.. hrforr Ihi- Trim. Stnte Klorlatu 

 In Conri'iiilnii nl .Nimlivlllf, Jiinunry H. 



I hove cliospii this subject for two 

 ronsons: First. I have an Inliorcnt In- 

 terest In and love for the S. A. F., and 

 second. hecHiise I do not wish to miss 

 an opfiorl unity to offer n few siigKes 

 tlons leadliiK up to our S. A. F. con- 

 vention, which meets this summer In 

 Houston. 



We florists are a very conservative 

 people. Wo believe In holding on to 

 the things that have been found valu- 

 able. Sometimes we hold on to some 

 until they have lost their real worth. 

 We criticise the Chinese people be- 

 cause they have been holdiriR on to 

 the old thit^Hjuf their civilization that 

 they have cherished for generations. 

 Progress In usefulness and in influence 

 of any trade or profession depends 

 more on the vigor with which new- 

 ideas are developed and used than up- 

 on mere industry in following long 

 established practice. I am glad to 

 testify to the fact that the people of 

 our entire Southland according to my 

 observation are doing the best that Is 

 within them. That the florists of the 

 South are waking up to the import- 

 ance of organization is demonstrated 

 by the activities of this society, the 

 New Orleans Horticultural Society. 

 the Texas State Florists' Association 

 and other southern florists who are 

 considering the matter of state and 

 local organization at this time. And 

 the florists of the South should be 

 more strongly organized than any 

 other section of the country, due to 

 the many obstacles that we have to 

 overcome. Difliculties in our growing 

 departments are many; our establish- 

 ments, especially in the lower south- 

 ern states are not up to the standard, 

 but these conditions are fast being 

 remedied with modern stores, modern 

 greenhouses and — best of all — modern 

 business methods. What is bringing 

 about this change in conditions? Local 

 and state organizations are being or- 

 ganized. Florists are getting together 

 discussing these matters, exchanging 

 Ideas. 



You- walk into a poorly kept store 

 or a rundown greenhouse where ev- 

 erything appears to be some ten years 

 behind the times, and say to the man- 

 ager something about taking an Inter- 

 est in some local or state organiza- 

 tion and his answer will invariably be 

 that he never attends a convention. 

 He does not believe in organization, 

 never attends or takes any interest In 

 the flower shows. He cannot figure 

 out In actual dollars and cents the 

 good he can derive. That man is 

 short-sighted. He thinks he is econ- 

 omical. He does not realize that he 

 can bring back from a convention 

 some good ideas that if put into prac- 

 tice will be money in his pocket. 



If the florists of the South are going 

 to have any conception of -what the 

 other florists of the United States are 

 doing, then they have to go and attend 

 these conventions. Send your repre- 

 sentatives along and get one of your 

 live newspapers to send a reporter and 

 there is no telling what the value of 

 the report would be to the florists of 

 your state. Who are your progressive 

 florists? I can pick him out. He Is 



the man who takes an Interest In your 



liical, stale and national organizations. 

 Me beloiiKH to the ("haniber of Com- 

 merce, The Ad Club, the .Merchants' 

 AsHociatlon und other commercial or- 

 KHMlzatlonH. I say all these are busl- 

 iiesH ttetters to say nothing of the- good 

 to be derived by coming In contact 

 hIIIi business men of other lines. 

 Many of our florists are prone to do 

 the work of a twodollar-per-day man 

 instead of studying the business-get- 

 ting side, such as the sales force, the 

 advertising, the display, etc. The 

 fundamental purpose of government, 

 the very foundation stone upon which 

 the success and prosperity of a i)cople 

 must depend Is the strength, vigor, the 

 health of the people who live under its 

 flag. And our work brings us out Into 

 tlie open, in touch with all (hat is 

 beautiful and good and lifts our heart 

 and soul to better and higher thiims. 



The S. A. F. is to meet In the South. 

 We want everyone possible there and 

 after you attend the convention and 

 return home, then consider what It 

 means to you, what you put into It, 

 what you brought back home to be 

 put with your great storehouse of 

 knowledge. Was it all worth while 

 from the standpoint of time, money 

 and fellowship? 



Two years ago among many other 

 southern and western florists. I was in 

 attendance at the S. A. P. Convention 

 at Boston. We all asked this question 

 — Why does not the S. A. F. come 

 South? Some of the old timers stated 

 that they had only a small member- 

 ship in the South and the South takes 

 no interest, nor are the florists of the 

 South awake to the importance of 

 organization. We southerners talked 

 it over and agreed that what was said 

 was true. But" we left Boston with 

 the determination to go home and stir 

 up interest in organization work and 

 sliow- the S. A. F. and the world that 

 we were alive. The florists from all 

 over the country have been watching 

 the southern florists for the past two 

 years. At the San Francisco conven- 

 tion we extended our Invitation. It Is 

 needless for me to state the results: 

 it was a landslide. Yes. willing, glad 

 to come to be in our midst. Now. fel- 

 low- florists, it is up to us to show our 

 mettle. To show them we appreciate 

 being afliliated with them, and are 

 glad they are on their way to be with 

 us. We must now show the florists 

 of the country that we do nothing half 

 way. To make the convention come 

 up to the standard in every way It 

 will only take two things from you — 

 little to put in. but which if left out 

 would mean failure — and these two 

 things your membership in the S. A. F. 

 and your presence In Houston. The 

 Texas florists pledge the rest. Your 

 membership and your presence is all 

 we ask. We must attend these con- 

 ventions as a labor of love, as the out- 

 growth of deep-seated loyalty of citi- 

 zenship and as long as we feel this 

 loyalty, as long as it will inspire us, 

 we will have no trouble. We will have 

 large audiences and a great deal of 

 good will be done. I may be old- 

 fashioned in that idea, but I love the 

 idea of loyalty and patriotism and if 

 we do not find sufficient loyalty and 

 patriotism to uphold the S. A. F. I 

 shall be sadly disappointed. I believe 

 we ought to hold this matter up as a 

 great movement, an expression of the 



loyalty of the people of this country 



for the good of the whole people, with- 

 out any regard for direct self returni. 

 Of courKe, we get returns returns In 

 the way of sociability and improve- 

 nient and In the enjoyment of each 

 other's society, but 1 mean without any 

 narrow motive, and I believe that we 

 are coming to the test of our loyally 

 and cltlzeuKhip along this line. 



W(> are goltig to have a record- 

 breaking att<'ndance and I will tell you 

 why. It is the one opportunity for the 

 florists from the north and east, west 

 and central states, to see this grand 

 old Koulhern country, and may I as a 

 Texan add Texas, also. It has been 

 said that when the American Indian 

 WHS being gradually crowded out c)f 

 till' northern states, there was one 

 iribo that held its own better than the 

 average tribe, but gradually, one by 

 one. the great warriors of this tribe 

 were stric^'en down either by the gun 

 of the white man or by starvation. 

 The wild buffalo were also disappear- 

 ing and finally there was but one great 

 warrior left. Brooding upon the many 

 trials of his people, he finally turned 

 his back upon his northern home and 

 set his face toward the setting sun. He 

 finally reached the borders of our 

 Texas before it became a state. Awak- 

 ening one morning, he looked upon the 

 broad horizon; he saw a great herd 

 of antelope and buffalo; he saw flow- 

 ing before him a beautiful river and 

 the whole earth seemed to him covered 

 with beautiful flowers. There were 

 thousands of blue bonnets; there was 

 the red blanket, and as it seemed to 

 him a thousand other beautiful wild 

 flowers; and he looked up into the 

 heavens and there was not a cloud In 

 sight. His heart was so filled with do- 

 light In this new country, that he cast 

 himself on the ground and exclaimed 

 "Tejas!" — land of sunshine and flowers. 



And Houston in the great State has 

 many attractions and never falls to 

 meet her visitors more than half way. 

 With the numerous points of historical 

 interest within easy reach of our city, 

 our entertainment committee arrang- 

 ing a trip down our ship channel to 

 the San Jacinto battle grounds, also 

 other trips to our seashore attractions, 

 which are likewise unusually accessi- 

 ble, and to that famous summer re- 

 sort, Galveston; these and many other 

 attractions make the city an ideal one 

 from the visitors' standpoint. Right 

 now- w-e are planning the convention 

 garden, which promises to be among 

 the best yet displayed by previous con- 

 ventions. Mr. Kessler, the famous 

 landscape artist of St. Louis, Is acting 

 in an advisory capacity with our own 

 Mr. C. L. Brock, park superintendent 

 to the city of Houston, who has this 

 work in charge, and you may rest as- 

 sured that a great treat is in store for 

 you. Our convention hall is one of 

 the largest in the South and present 

 indications are that it will be packed 

 to the limit with exhibits. Our three- 

 niiilion-doliar hotel, the Rice, will be 

 the headquarters. So, you see. it will 

 be worth while to attend this conven- 

 tion in Houston. Now, I want to make 

 my last plea for your support with 

 your membership and your presence. 

 One thing aljout this movement is that 

 everybody can work at it. We ought 

 to go home from here with new in- 

 spiration, with a full realization of the 

 splendid work which stretches out be- 

 fore us, and we ought to accomplish 

 great results. 



