928 



HORTICULTUKE 



June 27, 1914 



CLUBS AND SOCIETIES 



AMERICAN PEONY SOCIETY. 

 Address of President B. H. Farr Be- 

 fore the Society in Chicago. 



The year has been rather one of 

 rest from the activities of previous 

 season, gathering together our re- 

 sources and materials preparatory to 

 the publication of the society's book 

 on the Peony, to which end we have 

 been steadily working for some 

 years. 



The season has been a most trying 

 one, the intense heat making it un- 

 usually difficult to hold flowers in 

 good form for any length of time. It 

 is again demonstrated that a peony 

 show must depend principally upon 

 the local growers for its success, and. 

 while the possibility of holding fljaw- 

 ers in cold storage and shipping long 

 distances for exhibition has been 

 amply demonstrated, the great mass 

 effect which is so necessary for an at- 

 tractive show must come from purely 

 local growers, and the peony growers 

 of Chicago and vicinity who have 

 brought In such great quantities of 

 blooms have made the present show 

 the success it is. 



It is unfortunate that as a cut 

 flower commercially, the peony is in 

 most localities considered only as a 

 Memorial Day proposition. Millions 

 of them are sold at high prices be- 

 fore, and millions almost wasted after 

 that day. No flower keeps better 

 when properly handled, and no flower 

 makes so fine a show for the cost as 

 the peony, for all decorative effects, 

 and there seems to be no good reason 

 why they should not be eagerly 

 sought for and used for all pur- 

 poses during their season, from the 

 earliest to the latest. It seems to be 

 largely up to the retail dealer to push 

 the peony more, and to educate and 

 stimulate their use, by making more 

 of an effort to handle a better class 

 of stock in better shape. 



Among the amateurs the peony con- 

 tinues to increase in popularity, the 

 demand for the better and higher 

 priced varieties being always greater 

 than the supply, with prices as a con- 

 sequence tending to increase rather 

 than decrease. Occasionally I have 

 heard it said that the American Peony 

 Society is made up of commercial 

 growers whose interest in the peony 

 is a purely selfish one. How far from 

 the truth this is will be seen by look- 

 ing over the membership list, of whom 

 over two-thirds are exclusively ama- 

 teurs. Among those remaining who 

 are classed as nurserymen or florists 

 only a few may be said to be in the 

 peony business. The ma;ority of 

 those members who are classed as be- 

 ing in "the trade" are amateurs so 

 far as their interest in the peony 

 goes, their collections being grown 

 largely as a hobby because of the per- 

 sonal interest they take in the flower 

 and for their own gratification. 



Last year through the completion 

 of the work at Cornell and the sale 

 of the remaining plants, the way was 

 opened for the publication of the so- 

 ciety's official work on the Peony. The 

 material is ready, but in order that 

 there might be as few errors as pos- 



sible, it was thought better to wait 

 until after another blooming season 

 had passed, in the hope that any ex- 

 isting errors might be detected, and 

 descriptions of additional varieties ob- 

 tained. This book is to be published 

 by the society as a whole and not by 

 a few members, and that all members 

 might assist circulars were sent to all 

 with a lot of questions and request 

 that all look over their bulletins care- 

 fully, study their plants in bloom and 

 send in to the committee any infor- 

 mation, criticism or suggestion, and it 

 will be taken for granted by the com- 

 mittee that those not heard from ac- 

 cepted and approve of the commit- 

 tee's work. 



During the past year, permanent 

 planting at Cornell has been largely 

 augmented by the addition of varie- 

 ties not previously to be found there, 

 so that now most of the varieties de- 

 scribed in the Bulletins may be seen 

 and studied there by anyone inter- 

 ested. The season at Ithaca is very 

 late, and a similar collection for the 

 South and easily accessible, was sug- 

 gested, and last year the United 

 States Government agreed to co-oper- 

 ate with the American Peony Society 

 in the establishment of such a collec- 

 tion at the Arlington Experimental 

 Grounds at Washington, D. C, a place 

 visited yearly by many thousands of 

 people. Negotiations are now in 

 lirogress along the same line as the 

 collection of the American Rose So- 

 ciety at the same place. While this 

 matter was acted on favorably by the 

 society at its meeting last year, I de- 

 sire to give the members present at 

 this meeting an opportunity to ratify 

 that action and their willingness to 

 give this place their active support, 

 as this collection will have to be made 

 up by contribution of plants from the 

 members individually. 



Another subject that was talked of 

 last year, and which should receive 

 fuller consideration, is the advisabil- 

 ity in view of the great distance be- 

 tween the East and West and the dif- 

 ference in blooming time of Northern 

 and Southern plants, that the society 

 holding its business meeting at but 

 one point might be officially repre- 

 sented in exhibitions at two or more 

 points, in conjunction with other hor- 

 ticultural societies. 



AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF 

 NURSERYMEN. 

 Report of John Hall, Secretary. 

 To the Members of the American As- 

 sociation of Nurserymen: 



It is a pleasurable, but at the same 

 time a sad duty that falls to your sec- 

 retary every twelve months when we 

 are assembled in convention. Pleas- 

 urable in the recollection of the inci- 

 dents which have sprung up in the 

 extensive correspondence he has had 

 with members; pleasurable also in the 

 realization of reasonably favorable re- 

 sults in the canvass for new member- 

 ships and patronage for the Badge 

 Book. Of course there is the memory 

 of strenuous pursuits of those wnose 

 responses were tardy — exasperatingly 



so. sometimes — experiences softened 

 only by the thought that these same 

 delinquents were having a good pack- 

 ing season and were then busily en- 

 gaged, like myself, in the pursuit of 

 collections. When the time came to 

 close the forms for the printer, we 

 even ventured to assume the respon- 

 sibility of entering the renewals of 

 some members who had ignored our 

 numerous reminders and appeals. 

 There was satisfaction, however, in 

 these cases, in receiving the thanks 

 and apologies of the delinquents when 

 they honored my drafts. 



I have hinted that there is also a 

 sad feature in connection with the sec- 

 retary's report, and that is the chroni- 

 cling of the visits of the Death Angel 

 among our membership. Our own be- 

 loved Longfellow wrote: 



"There is no flock, however watched and 

 tended. 



But one de.id Iamb Is there! 

 There is no fireside, howsoe'er defended. 



But has one vacant chair." 



July 4. 1913, Mrs. F. W. Kelsey, wife 

 of F. W. Kelsey, Orange, N. J. 



August 18, 1913, Charles M. Hooker. 

 Rochester, N. Y., aged 81 years. We 

 were able to get a brief notice In the 

 1913 Proceedings and shall hope to 

 make more extended notice in the next 

 issue. 



November 4, 1913, John Rice, Ge- 

 neva. N. Y., aged 70 years. 



In January last, at Siasconset, Mass., 

 Mrs. John Craig, widow of the late 

 Professor John Craig. 



Jan. 15. 1914, W. S. Leonard, Hilton, 

 N. Y. 



Financial Statement of Secretary 

 John Hall. 



RECEIPTS. 



1913. 

 June 19. Balance in bank and on 



hand $ 125.40 



Dec. 15. Memberships and other 



sources 71.00 



1914. 

 June 16. Memberships, advts. for 



Liadgfe book, &c 2,880.75 



$3,077.15 



DISBURSEMENT.^. 



1914. 



April 22. Pd. Peter Youngers, treas.$ 196.40 



May 27. Pd. Peter Youngers, treas. 2,200.00 



June 16. Pd. Peter Youngers, treas. 599.60 



Balance 81.15 



$3,077.15 



OYSTER BAY HORTICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY. 



The annual exhibition of this society 

 was held in the Fireman's Hall, Thurs- 

 day, June 18, and was a great suc- 

 cess. The roses, sweet peas and pe- 

 onies were in fine condition. The win- 

 ners were as follows: 



H. P. roses, B. Stern, gard. W. Robert- 

 sen ; H. T. roses, E. F. Whitney, gard. Jas. 

 Duckbam ; 3 varieties H. P. roses, white, 

 .^- Straus, gard. Michael O'Neil; pink, F. N. 

 DouMeday, gard. F. Gale: 6 H. P. roses, 

 white, Mrs. C. L. Tiffany, gard. F. Kyle: 

 pink, Chas. Moyses ; any other color, F. 

 Kyle: 3 H. P. roses, white, pink and any 

 other color, all won by Chas. Moyses; 6 

 Teas, white, pink and any other color, won 

 li.v W. Robertson; 3 Teas, white, F. Gale; 

 pink, Chas. Moyses; any other color, F. 

 i;ale; climbing roses, Jas. Duckham; vase 

 climbing roses, John A. Garver, gard. J. 

 I.orisick. 

 Hardy flowers, 1st John Lorisick, 2nd A. 



