January 24, 1914 



HORTICULTURE 



i09 



PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL AF- 

 FILIATION. 



Mr. Editor: 



I have read with great iuterest in 

 your issue of January 10 the article. 

 "Private versus Commercial Florists," 

 by F. E. Palmer — a most timely topic 

 and very nicely expounded. I fully 

 agree with Mr. Palmer regarding the 

 mutual workings of the S. A. F. for 

 all branches of horticulture. The 

 foundations of our national society 

 are laid on a very large basis, as you, 

 Mr. Editor, proved by quoting a por- 

 tion of the laws governing member- 

 ship. That is surely plain enough for 

 everyone to understand it he wishes 

 to do so. But, Mr. Editor, I take ex- 

 ception to your view of tlie value of 

 discussing this matter just now. The 

 question is. what has the so-called 

 private gardener to benefit by being a 

 member of the S. A. F., and is he 

 wanted in that society? So I say, any- 

 thing which will educate or enlighten 

 our brother from the private branch 

 of our profession to the usefulness 

 and broadness of our national society 

 is never amiss. Our friend, the private 

 gardener, not being in the maelstrom 

 of professional business, has no need 

 to worry over the price of coal. Tariff 

 and price of plants and cut flowers 

 don't keep him from his sleep, his 

 life is not near so strenuous as his 

 commercial brother's is, and so he 

 has not felt the need of co-operation 

 as we commercial florists have, 

 and has stayed in the background 

 mostly, apparently satisfied with his 

 lot. While his commercial brother 

 has been pushing himself and horti- 

 culture upward and forward at all 

 times, he has at the same time pulled 

 his private brother up with him. You 

 smile? I can prove it to you. Who 

 has given you all the fine forcing 

 roses, carnations and others so that 

 you can have the finest of flowers for 

 your employer in winter? Through 

 whose enterprise have the greenhouse 

 building firms been able to put lots of 

 money and brains into their business, 

 so that they can build better houses 

 for you? I think fully nine-tenths of 

 all articles writen in our horticultural 

 papers are from the pens of commer- 

 cial men. Who has formed and or- 

 ganized all the florist clubs and most 

 horticulture societies? The commer- 

 cial man is the live wire in all of it, 

 and it's only natural that he should 

 be; he needs it most. While the in- 

 dividual efforts of the commercial flor- 

 ist has been great, he could not have 

 attained the success we now are 

 proud of if he had not had the help 

 and co-operation of the national so- 

 ciety and the florist clubs. The inter- 

 change of ideas in discussions has 

 stimulated the brains to greater ac- 

 tivity, and the exhibitions held by the 

 national society or local clubs have 

 boosted our business as well as our 

 standard of quality. 



In no country in the world has the 

 commercial grower of plants and flow- 

 ers been so generous with his knowl- 

 edge and experience. He has and 

 still is giving it free to all who need 

 it. It is true that our national society 

 is still small in numbers; it's true that 

 thousands of men are still taking the 

 fruits of others' labors without giving 

 their mite; it's true that horticulture 

 is still behind other professions in 



BEGONIA MELIOR. 



This is a new w'inter-flowering va- 

 riety; parentage, Lonsdale's light 

 pink sport from Gloire de Lorraine X 

 Socotrana. A strong, robust grower, 

 about 12 or 18 in. to 2 ft. in height; 

 foliage nearly round, of a dark green 

 color; flowers borne in great profu- 

 sion: male flower 1% in. to 2 in. 

 across, 4-petaled; female flower very 

 rare, 5-petaled. Color a delicate shade 



of soft satiny pink, a shade lighter 

 than Glory of Cincinnati; flowers from 

 November till March; in prime condi- 

 tion during December and January. 

 It is easy to propagate, and succeeds 

 best in equal parts of loam and leaf 

 mould, and some sand added. Tem- 

 perature while in bloom 56° to 58° at 

 night. This new begonia is a marked 

 improvement over Glory of Cincinnati, 

 and will be disseminated in July, 1914. 



united strength and effort, but it is 

 also true that the day is breaking 

 when all our scattered interests will 

 be welded together in one great na- 

 tional society. To do this, we need 

 the private florist just as much as 

 any one. We cannot longer do with- 

 out you, Mr. Private Florist. Do your 

 part now. Prove to all that you can 

 be just as generous and just as good 

 a fellow in doing things as the com- 

 mercial florist. Recognition will fol- 

 low quickly, as is shown in your Bos- 

 ton club. A private florist is now 

 president of the New York Florists' 

 Club in recognition of work well done. 

 It is what we do that counts, not what 

 we are. When the National Society 

 conies to Boston this summer, how 

 will the Boston club stand towards 

 affiliation? It will be the main issue 

 to come before the meeting. Will you 

 be united or will class distinction and 

 prejudice turn you as a body from the 

 right way? I hope not. The Boston 

 club has been able to unite the com- 

 mercial and the private men as in no 



other club in the country; that is an 

 achievement to be proud of. Now 

 crown it by standing solid for affilia- 

 tion next August. 



A. Pakenwald. 

 Roslyn, Pa. 



"A MAN'S A MAN FOR A' THAT." 



For many years I have had an in- 

 creasingly friendly feeling for the Edi- 

 tor of HoRTicuLTUKE. I never could 

 define the cause of it. The mystery 

 is solved now, however. I see by a re- 

 cent issue of the Florist's Exchange 

 that W. J. S. was born on March 17th. 

 Of course that makes him "one of us," 

 and surely, being a Bostonian, he is a 

 "Home Ruler." No wonder he displays 

 the tartan of his family so proudly on 

 his bosom. A Stewart! Born in Bos- 

 ton!! and on St. Patrick's Day!!! 

 What more can be added? May his 

 years be many. 



Patrick FtANAOAN. 



New Rochelle, N. Y. 



(Where was St. Patrick born?— Ed.) 



