2se 



no RTICULTURE 



August 21, 1915 



in the North, South, East or West of 

 this grand country of ours. 



Every state in the Union in which 

 we have memhers is wisely entitled to 

 a National Vice-President: wisely, 1 

 say, because every state has then at 

 least one national olTicer within its 

 limits. One of the principal duties of 

 the Vice-President is to increase the 

 membership in his state, therefore I 

 urge the Vice-Presidents during this 

 year to conduct active, spirited cam- 

 paigns for new members in our society. 

 Very few men join an organization 

 such as ours without being invited, 

 and anyone on Ijeing informed of the 

 progress which this society has made 

 in the last thirty years will hardly 

 hesitate to become a memlier when he 

 is invited. 



We are proud indeed of the position 

 of our Society today with two thou- 

 sand members and $30,1100 balance in 

 our Treasury, thanks to the wise, dis- 

 creet and courageous policy displayed 

 by our officers. I feel that with a 

 little effort on the jiart of our Vice- 

 Presidents especially, our membership 

 can be materially advanced and our 

 usefulness increased accordingly. 



The National Flower Show. 



For the past six years we have wit- 

 nessed the success of the National 

 Flower Show and recognized its great 

 value as a medium for educating the 

 public in the love and admiration for 

 horticulture and floral products. It 

 has proved a safe financial enterprise 

 for the society. To insure the contin- 

 uance of the National Flower Show 

 and in keeping with the ambitions of 

 the society, it is necessary that the 

 best and most efficient members should 

 be placed on that committee. 



There is no branch of the work 

 which the S. A. F. has undertaken to 

 put through that calls for co-operation 

 with all other interests as much as the 

 work of the Flower Show Committee- 

 co-operation with the Rose, Carnation, 

 Sweet Pea and Gladiolus Societies, the 

 Private Gardener and all other kin- 

 dred organizations. What can be ac- 

 complished through co-operation in 

 other fields can likewise be accom- 

 plished here. All that is required is 

 to emphasize the benefits that are to 

 be derived and the determination to 

 secure them. We have always been 

 successful in securing the aid and sup- 

 port of the horticultural interests in 

 the city where the National Flower 

 Show has taken place and that we 

 must always continue to have, for with- 

 out it we cannot have a full measure of 

 success. 



There is no better agency for horti- 

 cultural advancement than the one 

 which has for its end a National Flow- 

 er Show once in two years. 



School Gardens. 



I am much impressed with the work 

 accomplished in the past by the per- 

 manent committee on School Gardens 

 under the leadership of its able and 

 efficient chairman Mr. Benjamin Ham- 

 mond. This work is of much practi- 

 cal benefit and interest to the boys 

 and girls ot this nation, bringing 

 health and strength to growing chil- 

 dren. Its installation in school dis- 

 tricts throughout the country would 

 bring thrift to many a rising family. 

 Tlie School Garden affords much 

 pleasure and broadens mentality. The 



training tends to improve home sur- 

 roundings. A little instruction in this 

 line helps to form habits of thrift and 

 economy. Every member should as- 

 sist in this work with a hope that it 

 may create an interest in your town or 

 city and be of inestimable value to the 

 future welfare of rommercial floricul- 

 ture. 



The Convention Gardens. 



Our convention gardens of Minneap- 

 olis and Boston have undoubtedly met 

 with the ai)proval of the great major- 

 ity of our members and the profes- 

 sion in general. Their value from an 

 educational and commercial point of 

 view is recognized by all and the ques- 

 tion before us now is: "How can we 

 best continue this important work, in 

 what way and manner can we improve 

 and advance its scope and how can 

 we secure for those gardens perma- 

 nent existence in the cities where we 

 • establish them?" 



In the way of advancement it should 

 be made i)ossible to improve upon the 

 plan of the Boston Garden. I should 

 like to see those gardens designed and 

 executed in such a way that they will 

 represent good garden landscape ef- 

 fects, as well as good plant cultiva- 

 tion. It is necessary that all proper 

 planting material and appurtenances 

 known to good garden architecture be 

 employed in the creation of those gar- 

 dens, where each individual plant or 

 group of plants would be given its 

 proper place in the garden as a whole. 

 This, I realize, cannot be done in one 

 short season and would require not 

 less than two years of planning and 

 execution. To make this possible it 

 would be necessary to select the con- 

 vention city two years ahead of the 

 meeting in place of one and I want to 

 advance the question at this time, as 

 to why this could not be done. 



If the convention garden work can 

 be enlarged upon, along the lines of 

 this suggestion, I believe that the sec- 

 retary and the local authorities of the 

 convention cities, having the execution 

 of the plans in charge, should have the 

 assistance of a permanent commit- 

 tee of the S. A. F. members consisting 

 of three members well versed and ex- 

 perienced in this work. They shall be 

 appointed by the president, one for 

 three years, one for two years and one 

 for one year. Each president there- 

 after would make an appointment an- 

 nually. 



In this connection I recommend that 

 after the appointment of this commit- 

 tee the first question they should con- 

 sider would be an amendment to the 

 constitution providing for the choice of 

 the annual convention city two years 

 in advance. Their recommendation 

 should be submitted to the Executive 

 Board for consideration before being 

 acted upon by the National Conven- 

 tion. 



Legislation. 



The pioneers in commercial floricul- 

 ture took conditions as they found them, 

 surmounted difficulties and conquered 

 many obstacles. They did it in their 

 own way without any great assistance 

 from legislation, but that method can 

 no longer go on. W'e must see to it. 

 that no hostile laws are put upon the 

 statute books. Legislation emanating 

 either from Congress or from any of 

 our State Legislatures, may be help- 



ful, or result in great injury unless 

 prevented by the active work of our 

 legislative committee. 



The requirements of this committee 

 call for a reasonable annual appropria- 

 tion to be used when needed to encour- 

 age favorable and prevent hostile legis- 

 lation. I would recommend that the 

 chairman be given power to secure 

 counsel in Washington or in any of 

 our states, to appear before national 

 or local legislative committees and 

 make known our needs whenever in 

 his judgment this may be necessary. 



I would also recommend that our 

 representative in Washington should 

 in the future be given the same privi- 

 lege that is accorded all other execu- 

 tive members, namely, the right to 

 vote on all questions that may be 

 brought up for adjustment before the 

 Executive Board at the annual meet- 

 ing. At present he is required to at- 

 tend all meetings of this Board, but 

 is denied the right to vote which is 

 depriving the society of the benefits 

 that would accrue from the exercise 

 of this privilege by a member whose 

 judgment and experience is of great 

 value to the society. 



Co-operation. 



The parent society has ever been re- 

 nowned for her many activities in be- 

 half of advanced horticulture. It has 

 played an important role with pa- 

 tience, zeal and determination, to the 

 end that co-operation between the al- 

 lied societies should be a fitting and 

 notable achievement. To the commit- 

 tee comprising Messrs. Theodore Wirth, 

 George Asmus and William P. Hast- 

 ings, we owe a debt of gratitude for 

 their labor, loyalty, unfailing patience 

 and persistence. 



The first practical step towards real 

 affiliation with the kindred societies 

 and florists' clubs throughout the coun- 

 try was passed at the last convention 

 in Boston. Under the terms of this 

 amendment the New York, Boston and 

 Philadelphia Florists' Clubs, the Tele- 

 graph Delivery Association, the Ameri- 

 can Rose and Carnation Societies are 

 now represented on the Executive 

 Board by their President. This in- 

 crease in the Board ought to prove 

 of great value to this society and con- 

 tribute much toward a liberal policy 

 between the clubs and the parent so- 

 ciety. 



The wisdom and success of having 

 the various minor organizations made 

 a sectional portion of the S. A. P. & 

 0. H. is no better exemplified than in 

 the instance of the Florists' Telegraph 

 Delivery and the consequent effects 

 upon the parent body. This organiza- 

 tion has grown immensely within the 

 past four years. Approximately two 

 hundred and thirty-five firms have 

 joined the Florists' Telegraph De- 

 livery and resultantly members of 

 these firms are also members of our 

 National Society. 



The benefits from this important 

 branch of the flower business are not 

 retained by the retailer alone, but are 

 passed on through the various 

 branches to the humblest employee of 

 the grower. This certainly makes it 

 worth while for every retailer of stand- 

 ing to join and receive the benefits of 

 its workings and also to assist the na- 

 tional association which has helped 

 materially in its formation. We ought 

 to make every effort possible to induce 

 other clubs throughout the country tc 

 become interested in this movement. 



