August 25, 1906 



HORTICULTURE. 



207 



Extracts from State Vice-Presidents^ Reports^ Read at Dayton Con- 

 vention of the S. A. F. 



C. D. Mills, for Florida. 



The past year has been a very pros- 

 perous one in this state in all lines of 

 business, and I am confident that while 

 the florists and horticulturists have 

 contributed to that prosperity they 

 have also received their share of it, 

 and while I do not note any great ad- 

 vancement in florist lines I consider 

 the business in a good sound condition. 



Some new glass has been put up in 

 St. Augustine and Tampa. The de- 

 mand, however, is not large locally, 

 for Florida has no large cities, neither 

 is the demand steady as in more 

 thickly populated states. Then we are 

 so far from a good market and our ex- 

 press rates are so high that the grower 

 with a surplus is up against a loss, 

 consequently the disposition of the 

 craft is to go slow, keeping a weather 

 eye on general conditions and only in- 

 crease the supply as fast as the locjil 

 demand promises to use it. 



In conversation and correspondence 

 with the florists of the state the im- 

 pression seems to prevail that cost of 

 attending the conventions, on account 

 of the long distance we have to travel 

 and in view of the restricted limita- 

 tion placed on the tickets by the rail- 

 roads, is too much for what we receive. 

 If there was a longer time allowed (say 

 30 days) on the transportation, a man 

 could stay away long enough to get his 

 money's worth. 



Most of the florists down here do not 

 have a superabundant supply of the 

 coin of the realm; in fact, the nimble 

 dollars that we read about are so nim- 

 ble down here that the average florist 

 has hard work to corral enough of 

 them to pay the hired man and keep 

 hog and hominy on the table. Conse- 

 quently I'm sorry to say that I do not 

 think Florida will have a large delega- 

 tion at Dayton this year. 



But I am glad to report that the 

 florists and nurserymen are not retro- 

 grading; they are making steady and 

 permanent advancement, not only in 

 the old well-trodden ways, but also in 

 the newer paths of theory and experi- 

 ment and every year we are finding it 

 possible to do, to grow, and to produce 

 in Florida things that have heretofore 

 been considered impossible. And are 

 fast demonstrating to the outside 

 world that Florida sand (which is poor 

 enough, God knows), will grow some- 

 thing besides oranges and pineapples. 

 So wiping the beads of perspiration 

 from our brow, and taking another 

 hitch in our trousers, we are con- 

 strained to say that from a florist's 

 standpoint the outlook is all right and 

 we feel reasonably certain that in due 

 time we "shall reap if we faint not." 



H. C. Schmeiske. for Massachusetts 

 (West.) 



Many perennials are becoming natu- 

 ralized in Berkshire county, and are 

 often found growing by the roadside, 

 where I have picked up Penlstemon 

 laevigatus (in some catalogues Digi- 

 talis), Eupatorium Fraseri, Lythrum 

 roseum superbum, Mesperis niatron- 

 alis, actaea (baneberry) Anchusa 

 Stalica and so forth. Of hardy asters 

 we have a large variety. Of ferns we 

 have upwards of forty to forty-five 



kinds. We also have a grand ground 

 hemlock that is indispensable in 

 shady places where grass will not grow 

 under trees. 



Our society in Lenox has a member- 

 ship of over one hundred, and is very 

 prosperous. We have three flower and 

 vegetable shows in the summer. In 

 winter the society has games and en- 

 tertainments which are also very in- 

 teresting. 



J. E. Jackson, for Georgia. 



For several years past there has 

 been no room for complaint iu the 

 sale of cut flowers and plant-s. The 

 past season shows a very decided in- 

 crease in all branches. There has been 

 added to places in Atlanta about 100,- 

 000 square feet of glass the past sea- 

 son, and yet there is room for more. 



A fine opening for a number of small 

 growers in and near Atlanta to grow 

 each some few special things, and 

 these openings will have to be filled 

 by parties from East, North, or West, 

 as experienced help is a scarce article 

 here. 



To very much promote the interest 

 of the" society here, it will be neces- 

 sary to hold a meeting somewhere in 

 the South in the near future. 



Hugh Scales, for Alabama. 



As vice-president of Alabama, I have 

 the pleasure of submitting the follow- 

 ing report: 



Reports from the various florists in 

 all parts of the State to whom I have 

 sent circulars state that business has 

 been exceptionally good during the 

 past season. There has been approxi- 

 mately twenty-five thousand (25,000) 

 feet of new glass erected during the 

 past year. Birmingham claims about 

 fifteen thousand feet. The growers of 

 our State are awakening to the fact 

 that competition is the life of trade. 



I tell you, brother florists, Alabama 

 is getting to be an enterprising State. 

 Every one has a hustle on. and the 

 prospects are looking bright for the 

 coming season. 



P. A. Chopin, for Louisiana. 



As vice-president for the State of 

 Louisiana. I herewith submit this, my 

 report for the past year: 



It give? me much pleasure to be able 

 to state that much progress has been 

 made in every line of our profession 

 in this section. 



Within the past year horticulture 

 in its many branches has made con- 

 siderable headway, and it appears that 

 the growers of this Slate are begln- 

 nin.g' to reap what justly belongs to 

 them in a horticultural way. 



P'or many years the profession in 

 our State has been conducted in a 

 rather modest way, when wc consider 

 the natural advantages we possess and 

 the adaptability of our soil and climate 

 to the growth of many trees, plants, 

 flowers, etc., formerly purchased from 

 northern firms. Within the past year 

 or so the craft appear to have awak- 

 ened considerably, and to be making 

 greater efforts to secure business from 

 a larger area, and to be doing things 

 on a much larger scale than prevailed 

 heretofore. 



Where it was the custom a few years 

 ago to send to our northern brethren 



for such stock as Bay trees, Azalea.^, 

 Araucarias, etc., in dozen and half 

 hundred lots, we now import direct 

 from Helgjum in .500 and 1000 lots 

 Arecas and Kentias are grown in 1,000 

 lots, from seed imported direct from 

 the tropics and often grown to salable 

 sizes without spending a cent for coal, 

 being wintered over in cold frames 

 and summered out-doors with a slight 

 lath protection against the rays of the 

 sun. 



That there has been a general awak- 

 ening is evidenced by the organization 

 of the Society of Southern Florists, 

 which was born of the New Orleans 

 Horticultural Society and formally or- 

 ganized at Chattanooga, Tenn., on 

 May 22nd past. Being president of 

 the New Orleans Horticultural Society 

 at that time, this movement to organ- 

 ize a southern society was launched, 

 I can say that I do not believe it will 

 in any way affect the usefulness or 

 membership of our National Society; 

 but owing to the vastness of the ter- 

 ritory covered by the National Society, 

 and entirely different methods being 

 required for our southern climate, it 

 has been deemed necessary to call to- 

 gether in annual convention southern 

 growers and dealers, where methods 

 strictly southern would be discussed. 



It is not so very long ago that the 

 bulk of the plant business of our State 

 was done by northern firms through 

 their catalogues, and our local firms 

 catered strictly to the trade in the im- 

 mediate vicinity of their establish- 

 ments, but at present we have several 

 firms who spend thousand of dollars 

 on their own catalogues, and ship to 

 nearly every State in the South and to 

 Central America also. 



It has long been the custom for our 

 retail florists to send to northern cut 

 flower centers for their supply of 

 choice cut .'lowers, but within the past 

 years there has been constructed in 

 the suburbs of New Orleans a magnifi- 

 cent rr.nge of glass for the growth of 

 fancy cut flowers. With the increasing 

 demand for choice cut flowers in this 

 section, establishments of this kind 

 where fancy flowers can be had in 

 wholesale lots at a moment's notice 

 and perfectly fresh at that, will he of 

 great benefit to our retail establish- 

 meuts, who heretofore were compelled 

 to order their flowers from nearly a 

 thousand miles away, and many times 

 when received were in a withered con- 

 dition and not fit to use. 



During the month of November of 

 last A'car there was hold in New Or- 

 leans under the auspices of the New 

 Orleans Horticultural Society, a fall 

 flower show in which the special fea- 

 ture was the exhibition of chrysanthe- 

 mums, and while the season for their 

 culture had been exceedingly unfavor- 

 able, the exhibits were quite creditable 

 and in the cut flower classes could not 

 be surpassed. This was the first flower 

 show held in years that did not prove 

 a financial failure. 



There is a steady increase in the 

 interest displayed by the public in the 

 cultivation of plants and flowers, and 

 to show to what an extent it has de- 

 veloped I might mention the organi- 

 zation of the New Orleans Floral So- 

 ciety, an organization composed of 



