NATIONAL COUNCIL OF HORTICULTURE 107 



This Council has held approximately semi-annual meetings since 

 that date, and while these meetings have not been largely attended, 

 number three of the stated objects has been carried forward with re- 

 markable success, mainly through the earnest and unselfish labor of its 

 Secretary, H. C. Irish. 



So effective and obviously valuable to the seedsmen, florists and 

 nurserymen has this Publicity Bureau proven, that the national socie- 

 ties representing these three interests have, at their annual meetings, 

 after full consideration and discussion, voted liberal sums to carry on 

 this work, and I believe that no one of such organizations has ever 

 voted similar sums for a work practically established outside of its 

 membership, and I am sure that no cause has been similarly supported 

 by all of them. 



It is not denied that any one of the horticultural interests in 

 America having a national organization could undertake similar work, 

 but it is contended that with the moderate funds available and obtain- 

 able from each society, a much better showing can be made, and with 

 greater economy, by carrying forward the work as it has been under- 

 taken by the Council, and its position in this regard is now well estab- 

 lished. 



One word further as to the possibilities and value of this enter- 

 prise to the commercial interests above mentioned. So urgent has 

 become the demand for reliable horticultural information from the 

 leading daily and weekly newspapers of the country, that bureaus 

 have been organized to supply this information, and such articles are 

 being sold regularly, although the articles supplied by the Council of 

 Horticulture have been sent out free. I am satisfied that if the Coun- 

 cil had more funds to work with, enabling it to produce desirable news- 

 paper articles, these having so far been written free of charge, that we 

 might almost establish the bureau on a self-supporting basis by selling 

 some of the articles to a selected list of the largest daily newspapers 

 It will be readily understood that the articles sent out under the author- 

 ity of the Council of Horticulture carry weight and could be more 

 readily sold than those undertaken by private individuals. 



Now as to the second object for which the National Council of 

 Horticulture was organized to consider questions of public policy and 

 administration which arc common to the national horticultural organisa- 

 tions. All who have attended with reasonable regularity the meetings 

 of our national societies realize how much time is spent and often 

 wasted on discussion of subjects most properly handled by committees, 

 and further how often the work of such committees is the same in the 

 different societies. I may mention as examples the- subjects civic 

 improvement, transportation, customs, postage and some sides of the 

 nomenclature question. Now the work of each of the above commit- 

 tees from a single society, were it done in connection with another 

 national society, would be much more effective, and still more were 

 they all combined. A committee on customs, or on transportation, 

 with the backing of all the national societies in horticulture, would 

 mean something when presenting their claims for consideration to the 



