204 



nORTlCULTU RE 



August 25, 1908 



the local Society if there be one or a 

 few other members in the craft which 

 is the best man for him to appoint. 



The office should stand tor some- 

 thing and men should be appointed 

 who will give some time to the Inter- 

 est of the Society. 



HU81XES8 METHODS. 

 Business Methods need more study 

 on the part of many men engaged in 

 trade, and this is just as true of the 

 flower trade as of any other. Xo man 

 can hope to succeed who does his busi- 

 ness in a loose and slipshod manner. 

 No matter how small the business, a 

 set of books should be kept so that 

 the standing of the business can be 

 found at a moment's notice. 



Fair dealing in both buying and sell- 

 ing should be the rule, and a man's 

 word should be a little better than his 

 bond. Do not abuse your credit and 

 you will find business much easier. 

 It is true in business as well as in 

 other things that "A good name is 

 better than riches." 



I have alluded elsewhere to the trade 

 Exhibitions, and now I wish to add a 

 few words in regard to their manage- 

 ment. 



I believe that the Society should take 

 entire charge of these exhibits. It 

 should appoint a manager, pay all ex- 

 penses and receive any profits that may 

 arise from such exhibitions. I am well 

 aware that the custom has been other- 

 wise for the reason that the money 

 realized was needed for the local peo- 

 ple to help on the entertainment. Now 

 this is all wrong. Is it not time that 

 this Society adopted an attitude of in- 

 dependence and dignity? Is it not time 

 that this Society selected its own place 

 of meeting without putting it up to be 

 auctioned off? 



Would it not be possible for us to go 

 in peace and quiet in some central 

 point and hold our Convention and en- 

 tertain ourselves? There are many 

 places that we could visit with profit 

 to ourselves, where to be entertained 

 by the local members of our trade 

 would mean ruin to them. This en- 

 tertainment has in my opinion grown 

 to be a great evil, and an unjust tax 

 upon the communities visited. It has 

 reached a point in the emulation of 

 hosts where it behooves us to stop and 

 consider the cost. To-day there are 

 only a few of the larger cities that 

 dare invite a Convention, because they 

 cannot make the lavish preparations 

 that have become customary. A re- 

 form in this direction is needed. 



SPORTS. 



Perhaps another reform is needed in 

 the matter of sports. Do we not give 

 rather too much valuable time to our 

 games? It is true that they are en- 

 joyable to many but it hardly .seems 

 necessary to travel a thousand miles 

 to play a game of base ball or shoot 

 a few clay pigeons. I think we have 

 gone a little too far, and have suffered 

 in the attendance on our meetings be- 

 cause of the time taken for these con- 

 tests. I do not mean to decry the so-lal 

 value of our meetings but is there not 

 a better way of enjoying each others 

 society and one less embarrassing to 

 the business of the Convention? 



I believe that these contests should 

 be curtailed and so arranged as not to 

 interfere with the working of the 

 Society as they do at present. Take 

 a day for them if necessary, but let 



that day be after the business of the 

 meeting is completed. 



HDUTICULTIKAL I'liESS. 



One factor in tte general success of 

 our business that has received but 

 scant notice from us, is the Horticul- 

 tural Press. While it may be said that 

 these publications are purely commer- 

 cial enterprises, and outside of our 

 societies, yet they contribute a great 

 deal to our success as a Society, and 

 contain from time to time the con- 

 densed essence of the brains of our 

 more prominent members. They are 

 certainly worthy of our support in 

 every way, and no man in our business 

 can hope to be posted in the doings of 

 our craft without the weekly perusal 

 of these papers, advertisements and all. 

 IN coxcLrsiox. 



A word more and I am finished. It 

 has occurred to me that many good 

 Ideas are broached after the work of 

 our committee is done. How easy it 

 would be for every member of this 

 Society having opinions in regard to 

 the management of the business of the 

 Society to put his ideas in writing and 

 send the same to the Secretary at any 

 time previous to the meeting of the 

 Executive Committee. 



In surrendering the office of Presi- 

 dent to my successor, I want to thank 

 you for your loyalty and consideration, 

 which has made the work a joy and 

 will leave with me a most pleasant 

 memory. 



REPORT OF SECRETARY WILLIAM 

 J. STEWART, 1906. 



The secretary then read his report, 

 as follows: 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen 

 of the Society of American Florists 

 and Ornamental Horticulturists: 

 I find it hard to realize that this is 

 my nineteenth annual report as secre- 

 tary. Twenty years seems a long 

 period to look forward to, but very 

 short in retrospect. Some of us who 

 are awakening to the fact that the 

 years count up very rapidly, and that 

 conventions come around with alarm- 

 ing frequency of late, can, however, 

 take some comfort from Emerson, who 

 wrote "We do not count a man's years 

 until he has nothing else to count." 

 It is to be hoped that each and every 

 one of us may be thus immune from 

 year-counting for many a year to come. 

 To quote again from the same writer 

 "Nothing great was ever achieved with- 

 out enthusiasm." Dayton has been long 

 on enthusiasm for many months— 

 hence this truly great convention open- 

 ing and, as nothing is more infectious 

 than healthy enthusiasm, it is not 

 difficult to forecast what kind of a con- 

 vention this, which we are now enter- 

 ing upon, is to be. 



You all know that the Executive 

 Board met here last spring, that we 

 had a good time as Executive Boards 

 always do and that we worked long 

 and hard as Executive Boards also 

 always do. The program as printed 

 discloses but scantily the quantity and 

 quality of oratory which is promised 

 as various important subjects are 

 brought forward and he who thinks 

 to stay away from any of the sessions 

 little realizes what he will miss. 



Among the recommendations of the 

 Executive Board are — first, the propo- 

 sition that at all future trade exhi- 

 bitions the net profits therefrom be 



equally divided between the national 

 .society and the local organization. As 

 this is a matter to be adjusted by the 

 Executive Board each year the main 

 reason for referring to it here is that 

 organizations planning to invite the 

 society to visit their city may know 

 before extending any invitation and 

 govern themselves accordingly. The 

 outdoor exhibition, wisely planned, 

 earnestly urged and generously carried 

 out so far as the society and its Day- 

 ton friends are concerned, has not re- 

 ceived the support that should have 

 been given it by the plant growers and 

 nursery trade generally. The project 

 is on right lines, however, and should 

 have another opportunity next year. 



Recognizing the need of some, better 

 method of instruction in horticulture 

 for young men, a sub-committee wa=; 

 appointed to confer with Agricultural 

 College officials and it was voted to 

 recommend to the society the appro- 

 priation of a sum not to exceed $150 

 toward the carrying out of some prac- 

 tical plan of co-operation between the 

 society and the colleges. 



According to instructions by the so- 

 ciety the scheme of numbered badges 

 and a key book for members has been 

 put in operation, and the name of 

 every member registered up to July 15, 

 190C, appears therein. 



Other important transactions by the 

 Executive Boa'rd are fully disclosed in 

 the various items of the official pro- 

 gram which you have before you. 



Acting on the complaint of members 

 living in New Jersey an effort was 

 made by your secretary and also by the 

 chairman. of the legislative committee 

 to get from the manager of the U. S. 

 Express Co. a statement as to the rea- 

 sons for the increased transportation 

 charges made since last May upon 

 flower shipments from New Jersey 

 points to New York city, but we were 

 met w-ith a very decided refusal to give 

 any explanation. A second request did 

 not oven receive the courtesy of an an- 

 swer. Your secretary, in the mean- 

 time, had been making some investiga- 

 tions as to our privileges under the 

 new Interstate Commerce Act, and on 

 August 7, 1906, wrote the following 

 letter: 



Boston, Au.gust 7. 190fi. 

 Mr. T. M. Jones, Mgr., 



U. S. Express Company, 



29 Broadway, New York. N. Y. 

 Dear Sir: — Referring to my letter of 

 May 11, 1906, which thus far remains 

 unanswered, I beg to state that in view 

 of the universal sentiment of protest 

 on the part of flower growers who are 

 members of our society and whose in- 

 terests are affected by the advanced 

 rates on flowers shipped from pro- 

 ducers in your territory to the New 

 York wholesale market. I deem it to 

 be my duty to submit this matter to 

 the Interstate Commerce Commission 

 for investigation and adjustment as is 

 my privilege under the provisions of 

 Section 13 of the amended Interstate 

 Commerce Act. unless I receive some 

 assurance from you that the increased 

 charges complained of will be given 

 prompt reconsideration by your com- 

 pany. 



It wotild give me much pleasure to 

 be able to report to our society at its 

 convention in Dayton, Ohio, August 

 21-24. that the United States Express 

 Company had taken this question un- 

 der advisement and hoped to be able to 



