L66 



HORTIC ULTURE 



August 23, 1919 



spring all the support you can, by 

 assisting its officers and especially 

 the secretary in putting the retail di. 

 vision of floriculture on a higher plane 

 than ever before, through efficiency 

 and service. You cannot but help in 

 benefiting the entire trade by render- 

 ing unselfish service to anyone branch 

 thereof. 



In addition to the above named we 

 have numerous other kindred organi- 

 zations whose origin can be directly 

 traced to this parent society, such as, 

 The American Carnation Society, The 

 Rose Society, the Chrysanthemum, the 

 Sweet Pea, the Peony and the Gladi- 

 olus Societies; the latter has its an- 

 nual exhibition at this meeting and 

 the beautiful variety of blooms shown 

 here I am sure speak for the wonder- 

 ful progress of this popular summer 

 flower. Each of these kindred organi- 

 zations have done a vast amount of 

 good and bid fair to even make much 

 greater progress in the future. 



Trade Affiliation. 



We have covered the past and 

 touched on the present briefly, now let 

 us look into the future just a bit. 

 What this Society needs to boost more 

 than any other one thing, for the fu- 

 ture success, is closer trade affiliation. 

 We have in the making one of the 

 finest retail organizations in the 

 world, in the Florist Telegraph De- 

 livery Association. Now we need a 

 National Wholesale and Commission 

 Men's Organization and in addition to 

 this we need a National Growers Or- 

 ganization. These three branches of 

 our trade should be thoroughly organ- 

 ized and through their proper accred- 

 ited representatives should be repre- 

 sented in the executive body of this 

 Society. 



These branches of the trade should 

 not be organized one against the other, 

 as is sometimes the narrow view; but 

 rather for the purpose of better co- 

 operation with one another, for the 

 mutual benefit of all. This can be 

 done and I predict will be done in 

 the very near future. 



I just want to briefly call to mind a 

 few topics that even now demand such 

 co-operation. First of all, a credit 

 system is needed for each branch; a 

 standard grading system for both 

 plants and cut flowers. A knowledge 

 of the cost of doing business and cost 

 of production is necessary for the suc- 

 cess of either. We also need more 

 complete statistics of the various 

 branches of our business. I could men- 

 tion numerous other items that we 

 have immediate use for to more suc- 

 cessfully carry on our business, nut I 

 just name these few for your earnest 

 consideration. 



I am glad the retailers have such a 

 good start and I do hope the other two 

 branches of our trade will get busy at 

 once along the same lines. 



There need be no fear of so many 

 branch organizations that it might 

 tend to lessen the interest in this the 

 parent society; for rather the oppo- 

 site has already been proven. Never 

 since our Society was organized have 

 we had so many special interests in 



Secretary John Young 



various branches of our trade, or- 

 ganized; and yet the parent society is 

 growing in leaps and bounds. This 

 Society is and always will be the med- 

 ium through which all others can 

 meet on mutual ground. 



The Labor Question. 

 One of the most important reasons 

 for closer co-operation of our trade 

 branches, I forgot to mention above 

 all is that of labor. We all are no 

 doubt beginning to realize that the 

 matter of labor is to be a very im- 

 portant one in the near future. We 

 should have standard working hours. 

 It is not fair for one grower for in- 

 stance who has his help on the eight 

 hour a day schedule to have to com- 

 pete with others, working men ten and 

 twelve hours a day. Let us seriously 

 consider this humane side of our pro- 

 fession. 



In the last twenty-five years, green- 

 house labor was the most underpaid 

 and overworked in this country. Had 

 it not been the love for the kind of 

 work and the lack of competition, in 

 the field of labor, we could not have 

 held men, with the qualifications re- 

 quired, to be good growers or design- 

 ers at wages and hours maintained in 

 the average greenhouse establish- 

 ments, bet us not wait until we are 



forced by organized labor and public 

 sentiment to solve this problem; let 

 us do it now. 



Growers, wholesalers and retailers, 

 let us put our men and ourselves, also, 

 if you please, on the standard Ameri- 

 can, eight-hour day schedule and let us 

 in reverence to God and for the love 

 of man close our shops on Sunday. Do 

 not say it can't be done, for many in- 

 stances can be cited where it is now 

 being done and very successfully, too. 

 I know of establishments that eveu 

 have adopted the five and a half week 

 day program, giving their help Satur- 

 day afternoons off; in addition to the 

 eight hour day and Sunday closing. 



We can do just what we want and 

 undertake to do in this fair land of 

 ours; just so long as we do not tres- 

 pass upon the rights of others. That 

 is the definition of our— Free Country 

 —and when all who class themselves 

 as Americans once get that straight, 

 we will need less police protection 

 and the country will be even more a 

 "Land of the Free and Home of the 

 Brave." Oh! let us put humanity first 

 in America and America first in the 

 world 



Recommendations. 



I also think we should just as soon 

 as possible put on another national 

 flower show, with our publicity cam- 

 paign, now in full swing; this show 

 would be a great asset to the work. 



May I not plead closer co-operation 

 for all members, with the society in 

 using the dealers helps, and tie up 

 locally with this great publicity cam- 

 paign. Take an active part in all or- 

 ganization work. Assist the commit- 

 tees in carrying on their work by an- 

 swering all correspondence promptly. 

 Let us be considerate of the other 

 fellow, who renders service unselfishly. 

 Remember every one who serves on a 

 committee and serves well makes a 

 sacrifice. Its what you put in life 

 that makes it worth while; the more 

 you can do for others the happier your 

 lot will be, for "it is indeed more 

 cheerful to give than to receive." No 

 one who has ever practiced this re- 

 ceipt will deny it. 



Our Home Office. 



In the Johnston Bulding, at 1170 

 Broadway, New York, is located our 

 Administration Office Rooms; here 

 any member of the Society finds a 

 ready welcome at all times. 



The work here is growing to such an 

 extent that more help must be con- 

 stantly added to the office force. 

 Secretary Young is indeed a very busy 

 man and the plan to have him devote 

 his entire time to this work has prov- 

 en one of the best yet undertaken by 



