284 



HORTICULTURE 



September 1, 1906 



horticulture: 



AN ILLUSTRATED JOURNAL 



DEVOTED TO THE 



FLORIST, PLANTSMAN, LANDSCAPE 



GARDENER AND KINDRED 



INTERESTS 



HORTICULTURE PUBLISHING CO. 



II HAMILTON PLACE, BOSTON, MASS. 



T«lephon», Oxford 292 



WM. J. STEWART. Editor and Manager. 



Tlic discussion on the definition 



Make the of "stove" and "greenhouse" 



schedules explicit plant > at Uavton again Ginplia- 



sizes the necessity that makers of 

 schedules should be more exact in defining their mean- 

 ing in tlie making up of the various classes. If trouljle 

 and reeriuiinatiou are to be avoided cacli specification 

 . must be so worded that it will be interpreted in exactly 

 the same way liy the exhibitors and by the judges. Lim- 

 itations such as "stove," "greenhouse," "annual," 

 "variegated," etc., whicli leave room for divergent inter- 

 pretation, have always been stumbling blocks. The 

 Massachusetts Horticultural Society's schedule calls for 

 "stove and greenhouse plants" in its group displays and 

 thus eliminatfiS a fruitful cause of useless argument. 



One of the most promising of the 

 S- A. F. innovations which had birth at the 



ladies' auxiliary recent Dayton convention i< the 

 proposition to constitute a ladies' 

 auxiliary to work in conjunction with the Society of 

 American Florists. A number of the ladies who have 

 been attending the conventions, realizing the social and 

 material advantages to be derived from a better acquain- 

 tance with one another and the need of some incentive 

 other than that of merely accompanying their hus- 

 bands, fathers, or brothers to the convention, liave taken 

 the matter in hand and hope to be able to present a 

 full-fledged organization at the S. A. F. meeting in 

 Philadel])hia next jear. Wo look to see it a success and 

 HoimcTLTURE pledges itself to help as it can towards 

 this end. Our columns are open to the ladies for tlie 

 discussion of tlieir jilans and we know our n>iulci-. will 

 be glad to learn more concerninsi' tlieni. 



"Every time we pay taritf on glass we 

 The strength are being robbed," said E. G. Hill in 

 of numbers the tariff discussion at Dayton. The 

 indictment is a severe one and is about 

 as direct as it could be made. If it be true — and we 

 believe it is — the duty of the S. A. F. is plain. .\s the 

 organized representative of the greenhouse owner its 

 place is at the door of Congress with its case well in 

 liand and its constituents iehind it. Without tbe lat- 

 ter element of strength it need not expect to accomplish 

 much. Herein is the Society's greatest weakness made 

 apparent. Ten thousand florists owning greenhouses 

 in this country — each one with a purpose to add sooner 

 or later to their glass area — five per cent, of them sup- 

 porting the only institution whose Inisiness it is to help 

 ligliten their burdens by advocating just legislation and 

 the other ninety-five per cent, seemingly preferring to 

 he robbed rather than contribute their mite towards the 

 Society's needed resources. It does not require much 

 stretch of the imagination to realize the effect of an 

 api^eal backed by ten thousand loyal florists and no one 

 can doubt thaf the result would be such as to save to 

 every man building a greenhouse many times the 

 amount necessary to make liim a life member of the 

 organization. The situation and its possibilities are 

 easily understood, but how 

 sleepers ? 



shall we awaken the 



There ajjpears to be a very 

 What "plant general misapprehension as to 



registration" does the scope of the plant registration 

 not stand for clcpartmont of the S. A. F. This 

 was brought out at Dayton dur- 

 ing discussion, llany seem to look upon registration 

 of a new variety by the Society as in some degree an 

 endorsement of the variety whereas it is solely a regis- 

 tration of the name given to the variety by its owner 

 with llic intent to secure the exclusive use of the name 

 as applied to the variety described. We see no way 

 in which the Society can safely go beyond these limits. 

 The history of floriculture is filled with instances ofj 

 mistaken judgment of novelties and we have had ;:buu-l 

 dant opportunity to learn tliat the moderate course ia 

 the safest course for any society. To assume to coerca 

 or interfere witli any man's right to give to his ownl 

 product such name as he chooses, provided it is noia 

 already in use, regardless of the value or apparent 

 worthlessness of the variety, would lie to pull down alB 

 the good work that has been done and cripple the 

 Society in one of its most useful functions. If, ;i;- ha^ 

 been said, the present system encourages the rocklesi 

 tying up of valuable names with worthless vaiietieal 

 some method of limitation might well be considered! 

 l)ut beware of censorship schemes. American hmticuW 

 ture wants no dictators. 



