January 18, 1919 



PIOIiTICULTURE 



NEW YORK FLORISTS' CLUB 



The New York Florists' Club held 

 its first meeting of the year on Janu- 

 ary 13th with over 150 members in at- 

 tendance including ten ex-presidents. 

 Charles Schenck the retiring presi- 

 dent made the following address: 



Valedictory Address of Ex-President 

 Schenck 

 As this will be the last meeting at 

 which I shall have the honor to pre- 

 side, I want to take advantage of the 

 occasion, to thank every member of 

 the Club who has attended our meet- 

 ings during my administration for his 

 assistance and kind sppport. 



The past year has been fraught 

 with many vicisitudes for the florist, 

 and I might say that if it were not 

 for the organized action of the New 

 York Florists' Club and the Society 

 of American Florists, a great many 

 growers today would have had empty 

 and desolate houses staring them in 

 the face. However, a great many who 

 have not taken an active part in our 

 work may not realize it. I can state, 

 on positive authority, that the persist- 

 ence of our Committees made the Gov- 

 ernment take notice of the import- 

 ance of our industry, which they 

 termed as purely non-essential, and 

 so modified their terms that we at 

 least could keep our plants going. In 

 proof of this, I can safely state that 

 there is not a greenhouse establish- 

 ment managing to secure more than 

 the allotted 50 per cent of coal, which 

 was molested by the local fuel ad- 

 ministrator. 



Other businesses did not fare so 

 well, as we had proof daily, in our 

 papers, of dealers who were fined and 

 had to pay penalties for violating 

 the rules the Government had laid 

 ■ down. 



Our Annual Flower Show has been 

 postponed until 1920, simply for the 

 reason that the Government has taken 

 over the Grand Central Palace, and 

 there was no other suitable building. 

 Rut I do hope that every member will 

 take a keen interest in the 1920 show, 

 that it may keep its place as the 

 leading society affair in the great 

 metropolis. 



As regards the Liberty Loans, we 

 sold over $350,000 of the third bond 

 issue, and over $400,000 of the fourth. 

 We were highly commended by the 

 Government, and the Florists' and 

 Allied Trades stand high in the esti- 

 mation of the Government today. 



In the work of assistance to the 

 soldiers, both over here and over 



there, we have done a goodly share. 

 Besides liberal money donations to 

 the Red Cross, we have sent an 

 automobile to France. We have liber- 

 ally donated flowers in the past year 

 to the sick soldiers in the base hospi- 

 tals, and w e have taken part in a 

 great many other affairs for the relief 

 and entertainment of the soldiers. 



To the various committees I wish 

 to extend my sincere thanks, and par- 

 ticularly to the chairman of each, who 

 have so ably assisted in the consum- 

 mation of a successful year for the 

 Club. I wish to inform them that the 

 Club, as well as myself, has recog- 

 nized their ambition to keep the 

 morale of the Club at the peak of the 

 high standard made. 



To our Secretary, Mr. Young, I 

 shall feel that I owe an everlasting- 

 debt of gratitude. It was a pleasure 

 to work with him. Through his 

 knowledge of the different works of 

 the craft gained by so many years of 

 experience, he was always ready and 

 willing to assist in dealing with any 

 of the perplexing questions which 

 occasionally arose during my admin- 

 istration. I believe the club is well 

 served by a thoroughly experienced 

 and able secretary. 



The club during my administration 

 has taken a step which for some years 

 has been felt to be a necessary one — 

 it has secured office quarters, where 

 all our business can be transacted in 

 a manner befitting its dignity as the 

 largest and most influential club in 

 the trade. The need of an office and 

 headquarters could scarcely be better 

 demonstrated than during our last 

 Liberty Loan drive, when it was the 

 seat of direction for our entire 

 division. 



It has been pleasing to note that 

 there have been many additions to our 

 membership from the retail trade. I 

 am sure that the representatives of 

 this branch of our calling have seen 

 that our work is in their Interests as 

 well as in the interests of the various 

 other branches, and we ought to have 

 a very much larger representation of 

 the retail ranks in our organization. 

 Our Club has been particularly well 

 represented in the Service, made nec^ 

 essary by the gruesome war just ended. 

 Our honor roll carries the names of 

 members who have been called from 

 their activities :n the trade, and I 

 trust it will be our good fortune to 

 welcome all of them back, safe, sound 

 and hearty. 



Gentlemen, it is with sincere regret 

 that I relinquish my honorable posi- 

 tion, but if in your opinion, I have 

 served you faithfully during my occu- 

 pancy of the chair I am well satisfied. 



I regret exceedingly to realize that 

 there are many things for the good 

 of the Club which I have not done. 

 However, in my capacity as an ex- 

 president, I am still yours to com- 

 mand. I sincerely hope that my suc- 

 cessor will receive the support you have 

 given me, and with it I can surely be- 

 speak a continued seccess for the New 

 York Florists' Club. 



Philip F. Kessler the newly elected 

 president after being presented with a 

 gavel by the retiring president spoke 

 as follows: 



I have the honor tonight to be in- 

 stalled as the thirty-third elected 

 president of the largest and most im- 

 portant local organization of florists 

 in this great country. 



In taking over the reins of office, 

 I deeply appreciate my responsibility 

 for a continuance of the successful 

 progress of the club in the various 

 lines of work so ably directed by my 

 predecessors, work which has given 

 our body the prestige it enjoys today, 

 as an important factor in the develop- 

 ment and advancement of American 

 horticulture. 



Happily, the adverse conditions un- 

 der which your retiring president la- 

 bored during the year just passed 

 have ended, and we may look forward 

 to peaceful and prosperous times, fa- 

 vorable to our projects and conducive 

 to the healthy development and 

 growth of our organization. 



While our membership is large in 

 comparison with that of many similar 

 institutions, it is by no means as large 

 as it might be. Of, perhaps, 2500 flor- 

 ists who, in their own interests, 

 should be connected with us, we have 

 only about one-fifth of this number. 

 The benefit accruing from organiza- 

 tion needs no exploitation from me. 

 The day when an individual could 

 raise his voice in protest against trade 

 evils or unjust legislation passed 

 many, many years ago, and its pass- 

 ing resulted in the establishment of 

 this club as a most necessary organi- 

 zation for the protection of our inter- 

 ests as a whole, and the advancement 

 of our business as one essential to 

 home life. 



During my administration I feel 

 assured that I shall have the support. 



