800 



HORTICULTURE 



August 26, 1311 



SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS AND 

 ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURISTS 



The Convention Story Completed 



CONCLUDING SESSION. 

 At 1.00 P. M. the ballot counting not 

 being completed an adjournment was 

 taken until 6.00 P. M., at which time 

 President Asmus resumed the session, 

 and called for report of Committee on 

 State Vice-Presidents, which was read, 

 and on motion approved, and a vote of 

 thanks extended to the different State 

 Vice-Presidents. 



Report of Committee on State Vice- 

 Presidents. 



Your Committee lias received the 

 twenty -si\ reports of the Vice-Presidents 

 of the various states, and flud the detail 

 of the same to show no tailing off or lack 

 of interest in the work of the Society of 

 American Florists; and we in justice to 

 the excellent showiug made by the reports 

 recommend that a vote of thanks be ex- 

 tended i" the Vice-Presidents and that the 

 reports be accepted and printed. 

 Benjamin Hammond, Joseph Heacock. 1". 

 Welch. Committee. 



President Asmus referred to the sad 

 occurrence of the taking away by 

 death of one of the oldest and most 

 beloved members, Mr. John Birnie, and 

 announced that he had named a suit- 

 able committee to prepare resolutions 

 appropriate to the occasion, which he 

 now desired the Secretary to read, re- 

 questing all to remain standing mean- 

 while as a token of respect to the de- 

 parted brother. 



The convention arose while the re- 

 port of the committee was read in a 

 feeling manner by Secretary Dorner: 

 Report en Death of Jchn Birnie. 

 Your committee respectfully report 

 the following resolutions upon the 

 death of our deceased brother, John 

 Birnie: 



Whereas: We the Society of American 



Florists and Ornamental Horticulturists 



assembled in the city of Baltimore on the 



sion of the Twenty-seventh Annual 



i, nil. n have been grievously touched 



by the sudden death of our fellow crafts- 

 man John Birnie; therefore 



Be It Re "Ive.l. That we, the members 

 Of th< S A F. & O. II. feel keenly the 

 >, -._ ( one so well beloved one who has 

 i ,...], ; i ii .1 1 (leul re] resentative of our pro 

 fession in advam iug all it- Interests; and 

 lie it therefore further, 



Resolved: That we present this resolu- 

 tion as n token of our sympathy and siu- 

 ,i, affection for him, and condole with 

 his family in this their sudden and sad 

 bereavement, and that we submit to them 

 \ of these resolutions, and forward in 

 Hi,, name "f our Society a suitable Moral 

 tribute. 



Respectfully submitted, 

 Walter F Sheridan, .1. C. Vaughan, Rich- 

 \ Incenl . .Ir.. .1 < Itto Thilow ' !om- 



lllitter 



The report was unanimously adopt- 

 ed by a rising vote, the convention, at 

 the suggestion of President Asmus, 

 remaining standing for an interval of 

 time in silence. 



Parcels Post Urged. 

 F. R. Pierson was recognized by the 

 chair to present the following resolu- 

 tion which he stated was to give fur- 

 ther effect to the good work done by 

 Washington representative. W. F. 

 Gude. 



Whereas, it is a well known fact tat 

 ous express companies 



operating ever the railway li i 



the United states have been declaring 

 ,,: « atered stock nei • 



iug their charging the public extortionate 



rate- on the small package business car- 

 ried by them; and 



Whereas, The mail service of this 

 country if developed as it should be would 

 act as a regulator of express rates and 

 reduce them to a reasonable figure; and 



Whereas. The express companies seeing 

 the handwriting on the wall and realiz- 

 ing that the intelligent merchants and 

 others of the country have become en- 

 lightened to the true state of the coudi 

 tions existing have been through their 

 lobby for years fermenting opposition to 

 the establishment of a parcels post such as 

 other countries who compete with us 

 enjoy; and have enlisted in such opposition 

 various retail trades and others who think 

 that a parcels post would help the mail 

 order houses and department stores, where- 

 as in fact it would stimulate the entire 



eonimelVo of the enniltry, ;1 lul tile loSS tO 



retailers would be offset a thousand times 

 in the general increased prosperity; and 



Whereas, The express companies aud 

 others have scattered broadcast the idea 

 that the post-office department would be 

 ruu at a loss were the post office business 

 increased through the establishment of a 

 parcels post, whereas on the contrary its 

 revenues would be greatly increased pro 

 vided proper rates of charge for the rail- 

 way service enforced, and 



Whereas, In every foreign country com- 

 munication by mail is so much appreciated 

 that the people of Germany ami other 

 countries nave advantages in a parcels 

 post such as we have never bad here, 

 therefore, 



Resolved. That our representatives iu 

 congress be personally written to or com- 

 municated with by each and every one of our 



mbership throughout this t'nited States 



and urged to enact a parcels post at the 

 earliest possible moment that shall place 

 our citizens on a footing with foreigners, 

 and that shall furnish ;iii effort i\e regu- 

 lator of express rates in this country to 

 the end that the entire manufacturing and 

 commercial business of the country" may 

 be stimulated and our domestic commerce 

 increased beyond present conceptions of 

 its volume. The need for a parcels post 

 is urgent and pressing and Congress can 

 serve the country in no other way more 

 effectively at this time. 



On motion the foregoing were 

 unanimously adopted. 



On motion it was ordered that the 

 Committee on Tariff and Legislation 

 be instructed to draft a letter pertain- 

 ing to the resolution adopted with re- 

 gard to the parcels post, a copy of the 

 same to be sent to each member of 

 the S. A. F. 



In the absence of Prof. H. H. Whet- 

 zel, Plant Pathologist, his report was 

 read by title and on motion ordered 

 printed in full in the proceedings of 

 the Society. 



Report on Trade Exhibit. 

 Through Secretary Dorner, the Su- 

 perintendent of Trade Exhibit, Mack 

 Richmond, reported that the amount 

 received from sale of space amounted 

 to $3,796.00, which statement was 

 greeted with applause. 



No Increase in Life Membership. 



The amendment to the constitution 

 proposed with reference to annual 

 dues, initiation fees and life member- 

 ship, was next considered, and was 

 lost by a rising vote. 



W. N. Rudd presented the follow- 

 ing: 



Report of Auditing Committee on Na- 

 tional Flower Show. 



We, your Committee appointed for 

 audit of the National Flower Show re- 

 port, hereby certify that we have ex- 

 amined and checked the same so far 

 as was feasible, and are confident it 

 is correct. The mass of detail is so 

 great (that a close item by item check 

 was impossible in the time at our 

 disposal. 



We recommend that the report be 

 accepted. W. N. RUDD, Chairman. 



On motion, the report was received 

 and adopted. 



Baltimore Convention Trade Exhibition 

 Apparatus and Nursery Section. 



