November 11, 1911 



HORTI CULTURE 



665 



CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY OF 

 AMERICA. 



Address by President Elmer D. Smith 

 before tlie Chrysanthemum Society or 

 America at St. Louis. 

 To the Members of the Chrysanthe- 

 mum Society of America: 

 This is our tenth annual joint meet- 

 ing and exhibition and as we will soon 

 be making history in a new decade, 

 permit me to briefly refer to what has 

 taken place since the Chrysanthemum 

 Society of America was organi/.. .1 



This society was instituted at Buffa- 

 lo, New York, in August, 1890, and 

 from that time until the first exhibi- 

 tion was held in Chicago in 1902 the 

 annual meetings were held in the sum- 

 mer during the convention of the So- 

 ciety of American Florists and Orna- 

 mental Horticulturists. 



The establishment of annual exhibi- 

 tions with executive sessions, seemed 

 to give the society new life. To my 

 mind the most worthy and beneficial 

 act the society performed during its 

 existence was that of appointing com- 

 mittees to commend such new varieties 

 as they consider improvements and 

 worthy of being disseminated. 



We owe much to these committees 

 who meet yearly at intervals during 

 the flowering season at Boston, New 

 York, Philadelphia, Cincinnati and 

 Chicago to inspect and pass judgment 

 upon these new candidates. The un- 

 selfish devotion they have given in 

 time and money to this work enables 

 the society to point out to the buying 

 public the best kinds for their pur- 

 pose. Their unbiased judgment is 

 clearly set forth by the fact that 

 the majority of the most popular kinds 

 today have received their approval. 



You may question the truth of this 

 statement by citing some which 

 have not come up to your expectations, 

 but if you will scan the list of varie- 

 ties now conceded as our best commer- 

 cial sorts you will find the large ma- 

 jority have been certificated by this 

 society through its committees. It is 

 not to be expected they can determine 

 such defects as are either constitu- 

 tional or controlled by cultural meth- 

 ods such as diseases, lack of fullness 

 or adversity of propagation. No mor- 

 tal optics are so keen as to detect such 

 blemishes from the six blooms submit- 

 ted. Every one interested in chrysan- 

 themums should sing praise to these 

 men who so unselfishly and possibly 

 unconsciously have done so much to 

 benefit us all. 



I doubt if many of us fully appre- 

 ciate how general and far reaching 

 are the advantages we now enjoy and 

 that this boon is largely due to the 

 benevolent spirit of these committee- 

 men. Since their inauguration there 

 has been a wonderful curtailment in 

 the number of novelties offered. In 1893 

 there were disseminated ISO of Ameri- 

 can origin and 130 foreign or 310 new 

 varieties were brought out in a single 

 year. Under such conditions it was 

 very difficult to select the most suit- 

 able and in those days when there 

 was no safe guard against imposition 

 it was not unusual for introducers to 

 include varieties of little merit. Since 

 the appointment of these committees 

 in 1894 these numbers have grown 

 less year by year until the offerings 

 for the present are 20 American and 

 55 Foreign, of which 15 were certifi- 

 cated by this society. And so I say all 

 do not appreciate what has been be- 

 stowed upon us, the introducers are 



seeking higher standards in preference 

 to large numbers and the purchasers, 

 whether commercial growers, private 

 gardeners or amateurs have greater 

 confidence in those kinds which are 

 sufficiently meritorious to pass their 

 i ritical examination. 



Although our membership is slight- 

 ly on the increase rather than waning. 

 the society lias not received full value- 

 in return for this service given all 

 lovers of the Queen of Autumn. We 

 have received the hearty support of 

 only a small portion of those interest- 

 ed in this important branch of flori- 

 culture. We have been unable to im- 

 press upon the many the Importance 

 and our earnest desire of their hearty 

 cooperation. 



As previously stated the time was 

 when the reports of exhibitions was 

 our chief guidance in making selec- 

 tions, but now the nuts are all cracked 

 and the meats are placed before you. 

 This one feature alone should be of 

 sufficient importance to secure the 

 membership of every grower interested 

 in the best and latest kinds. All the 

 society demands is $2 annual member- 

 ship fee and I venture most of us spend 

 this small amount in some frivolous 

 way without benefit to ourselves or to 

 any worthy cause. It seems strange 

 with the vast number infinitely inter- 

 ested that so small a portion can not 

 or do not see they owe a moral obli- 

 gation in supporting so worthy a cause. 

 We want your counsel and advice, 

 we want you to assist in formulating 

 new plans whereby greater benefit will 

 exist. You can assist us, I mean all 

 of you. If you grow but a few hun- 

 dred plants it is worth more than the 

 paltry sum we ask to receive our an- 

 nual report and feel you are asso- 

 sociated with those whose endeav- 

 ors are the betterment of all. A bright- 

 er future with greater achievements 

 will be wrought by putting into force 

 the proverb, "Heaven helps those who 

 help themselves.'' 



Just a few words on what has been 

 accomplished during the past decade 

 toward improvement of varieties in 

 this country. In 1902 our earliest 

 white Mme. Bergman was seen on the 

 market early in October, now we can 

 have larger and better flowers in July 

 if desired. The same may be said re- 

 garding the yellows. Pinks have not 

 advanced in the same ratio, although 

 Unaka may be had in fine form the 

 first week of October. We have also 

 been given such good varieties as Dol- 

 ly Dimple, Golden Eagle, Lynnwood 

 Hall, Chrysolora and others which 

 show marked advances in their partic- 

 ular color and type. 



During the past few years equal 

 gains are manifest in the exhibition 

 section. Such newcomers as F. E. Nash, 

 Lenox, Glen Cove and Morristown 

 compare favorably in size and finish 

 with the importations. The limit has 

 not been reached and if we progress 

 we must have better qualities, for 

 when we consider the qualities requi- 

 site for the best commercial and exhi- 

 bition sorts it does not take long to 

 discern wherein most of them are de- 

 ficient. In the commercials we might 

 have better midseason whites, a good 

 pink as early as Golden Glow: a type 

 with foliage up to the bloom, which 

 some of the later productions are 

 showing a marked tendency and many 

 of the exhibition varieties would be 

 greatly enhanced if foliage could be 

 supplanted for the long bare neck. 



while others would add to the appear- 

 ance of our exhibitions if their stems 

 e stiffer. 



While this society allows artificial 

 supports 1 predict the time is not far 

 distant when this measure will be re- 

 pealed. To my mind those which can 

 not sustain their blooms are of slight 

 consequence regardless of other quali- 

 fications and artificial supports in all 

 B calling for vases of twelve 

 blooms or more should be eliminated. 

 Why should we encourage retrograda- 

 tion rather than insist that our stand- 

 ard of excellence shall ever continue 

 upward? There an- qualities other 

 than size that appeal to the refined and 

 we should not forget that color and 

 form are the fundamental principles 

 underlying beauty as nature presents 

 it nor should we degrade these two char- 

 acteristics in our efforts to increase size. 



The trade papers have been generous 

 in devoting their space to our notices 

 without compensation to whom we 

 should extend our sincere thanks. Let 

 us hope for greater achievements and 

 focus our force and energy to that end, 

 so that when the hour glass of time 

 marks the closing of the next decade 

 we will then realize how weak we are 

 at present. As a society we have obli- 

 gations to perform. Let us all join 

 hands in an efforts to increase our 

 usefulness for the betterment of all. 

 In union there is strength and earnest 

 endeavor leads to success. 



THE BOSTON LANDSCAPE 

 CLASSES. 



T he landscape gardening classes of 

 the Gardeners' and Florists' Club of 

 Boston had their first session of the 

 present season at Horticultural Hall, 

 on Tuesday evening, November 7. The 

 teacher is Raymond W. Aldrich, who 

 has an efficient assistant, so that stu- 

 dents will be well cared for. The 

 charges are the same as in previous 

 years, viz.: 50 cents per lesson. The 

 classes will run for approximately five 

 months. 



Meetings will be held on Tuesday 

 evening of each week, except the week 

 of club meetings, when they will be 

 held on Monday evenings. In addition 

 to drawing plans, etc., it is hoped to 

 arrange for several practical talks dur- 

 ing the season, and also at least one 

 field day for practical work, probably 

 in the Boston Park System. 



Instruments needed, also scales, pen- 

 cils, rubbers and thumb tacks will cost 

 about $2.50. The cost of paper and 

 other supplies for the full season may 

 reach $2.00 additional. These are the 

 total costs apart from tuition fees. 



The desire is to benefit young men 

 at a low cost, and make them better 

 fitted for filling places of responsibil- 

 ity. The lack of outdoor gardening 

 continues to be the greatest deterrent 

 to success with many and all who at- 

 tend these classes will find it a most 

 excellent investment, enhancing great- 

 ly as it will their chances for further 

 advancement. 



We read with interest in the news 

 columns of one of our contemporaries, 

 issue of Nov. 2, 1911, that George Par- 

 k< i . florist. Dorchester, Mass., and Miss 

 Ida Spargo had been married on Wed- 

 nesday evening, Oct. 25. As the inter- 

 esting event thus recorded, took place 

 some thirty years ago, the news-gath- 

 ering facilities of our esteemed contem- 

 porary would seem to be just a little 

 antiquated. 



