20 



The Horists^ Review 



August 21, 1919. 



indicated by the fact that all the hotels 

 had every room reserved days, even 

 weeks, beforehand. A month before 

 the convention opened the Hotel Statler, 

 where headquarters were, planned put- 

 ting beds in the large sample rooms in 

 order to care for as many as possible of 

 those who desired location at the base 

 of activities. If the trade continues to 

 grow as it has of late years, and fittend- 

 ance at the S. A. F. meetings is in 

 proportion, the number of cities with 

 accommodations ample enough to pro- 

 vide lodgings for the visitors will be 

 extremely limited in number. 



Beflected Prosperity. 



How well the florists ' trade has fared 

 in the last year and is faring now is re- 

 flected in the convention this week. The 

 attendance is large and enthusiastic, 

 and, one might add, ready with its hand 

 on its pocketbook to purchase supplies 

 for next season's business, which is ex- 

 l>ected to surpass last year's record. 

 There is a whole trainioad from St. 

 Louis and another one from New York. 

 From the surrounding states florists are 

 coming by droves in automobiles. The 

 fact that so large a percentage uses this 

 means of traveling, one member re- 

 marked, was a good indication of the 

 present status of the trade. Those from 

 farther away came in smaller numbers 

 by train. Though the far west has sent 

 few, the far south is pretty well repre- 

 sented. 



The exhibition floor is covered as com- 

 pletely as it could be. Reductions in 

 space were made to accommodate more 

 exhibitors. If a larger hall had been 

 secured, probably the space sold would 

 have been larger. As it is, the trade's 

 display outdoes all since that at Chicago, 

 and that in the face of the fact that 

 business is too good to demand much 

 effort in advertising. 



At Arcadia Auditorium 



The convention hall, Arcadia audi- 

 torium, is about a mile up Woodward 

 avenue from the Hotel Statler. It is a 

 low building, containing one floor, on 

 which the trade 's display is set up, and 

 a balcony around three sides of the hall. 

 The open space of the main hall renders 

 the place particularly suitable for the 

 exhibition. The only possible drawback 

 was that it was not large enough. 



Upstairs the balcony affords ample 

 space for the display of the American 

 Gladiolus Society along the sides, and at 

 the end are seats, where the business 

 sessions were held. The only feature of 

 the convention hall that was criticised 

 was the place of meeting. The balcony 

 at one end of the auditorium was partly 

 screened from the exhibition hall for the 

 society's sessions. Though ample enough 

 to seat the members present, it was not 

 shut off from the noises of the exhibition 

 space to the extent that would have 

 been desirable. This defect, however, 

 did not inconvenience the members 

 present at the sessions or interfere at 

 all with the procedure. 



Opening Session. 



At 2 p. m. August 19. after an invoca- 

 tion by the Rev. J. M. Barkley, J. F. 

 Sullivan, president of the Detroit Flo- 

 rists 'Club, called the convention to order 

 and welcomed the society to Detroit. 

 For the previous meeting of the S. A F. 

 in Detroit, twenty years ago, the Detroit 

 Florists' Club had been formed to pro- 

 vide arrangements, he said, and now 

 comprised ninety-nine per cent of the 



local florists. In the absence of Mayor 

 Couzens, his secretary delivered the 

 civic welcome to the society. In his reply 

 E. Gurney Hill divided those present 

 into gardeners and orators, and Presi- 

 dent Ammann, when he rose to give his 

 address, asked to be classed with the 

 former. 



Mr. Ammann got much applause — it 

 was of the kind political reports de- 

 scribe as prolonged — when he stated 

 emphatically that retail florists' stores 

 could be closed Sundays without loss of 

 business, and told of Canadian florists 

 closing Saturday afternoon as well. His 

 address was turned over for considera- 

 tion to a committee composed of Fred 

 Lemon, Richmond, Ind.J Paul Kling- 

 sporn, of Chicago, and S. S. Skidelsky, 

 of New York. 



Secretary's Salary Raised. 



The convention voted to approve the 

 minutes of the March meeting of the 

 executive board without reading, includ- 

 ing in the same vote approval of the 

 board's recommendation, in a meeting 

 held in the morning before the conven- 

 tion opened, that the salary of secretary 

 be increased to $5,000. It was thought 

 that the national publicity campaign, 

 the publication of the journal and other 

 activities of the society warranted such 

 increase. 



In his report Secretary Young re- 

 ported a remarkable growth in member- 

 ship during the last year, as the result 

 of efforts made through his oflSce and 

 through other representatives of the so- 

 ciety. Up to August 10, 659 annual 

 members had been gained and 209 life 

 members. The total membership August 

 10 was 3,025, including 710 life mem- 

 bers and twenty-four pioneer members. 



Cross Presented to Gude. 



Following the reading of the treas- 

 urer's report by J. J. Hess, William F. 

 Gude gave an account of his activities 

 as Washington representative of the 

 S. A. F., which have been exceedingly 

 heavy during the last two years. 



Charles H. Grakelow, of Philadelphia, 

 was thereupon introduced by President 

 Ammann to furnish a digression, which 

 he did by proving that if gardeners and 

 orators are two distinct species, he is no 

 gardener. He presented Mr. Gude, as a 

 token of the society's appreciation of 

 his services, a gold cross fashioned in 

 the style of a war cross, but bearing on 

 its face a rose set with a diamond. The 

 presentation was accompanied by cheers 

 from the audience. 



Embargo Subject Opened. 



In his report as chairman of the com- 

 mittee on the development of American 

 products, F. R. Pierson remarked on the 

 hindrances of wartime restrictions to 

 such development and the impetus given 

 it by the embargo placed by Quarantine 

 No. 37. The trade would feel the obstacle 

 the latter presented chiefly in the sup- 

 ply of orchids, although the years re- 

 quired to grow bay trees and boxwoods 

 to the larger sizes would cause difl3culty 

 for a few years. Resourcefulness on the 

 part of American growers would be re- 

 quired to overcome the limitations which 

 the embargo places on the supply of 

 stock. 



E G. Hill questioned the evil effect 

 of the embargo in the end, laying stress 

 on the boxwoods grown in Tennessee and 

 Virginia and the palms grown in Cali- 

 fornia. He defended the Department of 

 Agriculture from criticisms frequently 

 made of it, stating more use should be 



made by the trade of the scientific ai i 

 the government experts could give. 



A letter from J. Horace McFarlam', 

 asking the continuation of the old com- 

 mittee on American horticultural nomen- 

 clature to meet with other societies' 

 conunittees, which involves an appro- 

 priation of $300, was referred to the 

 executive committee for action. 



President's Bec^tion 



At 8:30 p. m. Tuesday evening thn 

 president's reception was held in the 

 ballroom of the Hotel Statler. Elaborate 

 decorations of gladioli covered the 

 walls and the letters 8. A. F. O. H. and 

 the phrase "Say It with Flowers" ap 

 peared large on one side of the room. The 

 attendance was a large one, as the even- 

 ing was comparatively cool and Presi- 

 dent Ammann had decreed the most 

 comfortable and least formal dress for 

 the occasion. Besides the president and 

 oflfieers in the receiving line were Wm. 

 F. Gude, Richard Vincent, J. C. 

 Vaughan, Benjamin Hammond, John G. 

 Esler, Chas. H. Totty, P. J. O'Keefe 

 and several others of the old well-known 

 figures of the trade. 



Nomination of Officers. 



At the session Wednesday morninj; 

 W. F. Gude nominated A. L. Miller for 

 the presidency, seconded by Charles H. 

 Totty, R. Vincent, Jr., and Charles H. 

 Grakelow. Phil Breitmeyer nominated 

 J. F. Sullivan, seconded by Mr. Brown, 

 and an interesting contest developed, to 

 be decided at the close of the conven- 

 tion. 



Secretary Young and Treasurer Hess 

 were unanimously reelected, their work 

 meriting this vote of confidence. 



For directors Paul R. Klingsporn, 

 Irwin Bertormann and H. P. Knoblo 

 were nominated. 



Becommendations Approved. 



The committee to which the presi- 

 dent's address had been referred re- 

 ported commending it in glowing terms. 

 They approved the recommendation that 

 wholesalers and growers form organiza- 

 tions national in the same way that the 

 retailers' organization is; it was advised 

 that a committee of three be appointed 

 to urge early action. The committee 

 also approved the recommendations re- 

 garding Sunday closing for florists, the 

 ones regarding the flower show and the 

 publicity campaign. All these are given 

 in full in the president's address in this 

 issue. 



Credit and Collections Bureau. 



R. C. Kerr, for the committee on 

 credit and collections bureau, advised 

 more educational work on credit lines 

 and asked that the committee be dis 

 charged, believing that the propose) 

 wholesalers' organization can handlt' 

 the credit work most effectively. 



Affiliation Enlarged. 



Joseph H. Hill, for the special com 

 mittee on widening the scope of thr 

 afiSliation plan, presented the amend- 

 ment to the constitution classifying thr 

 states and providing a means by which 

 even the smallest states can obtain rep- 

 resentation on the board of directors of 

 the S. A. F. Many speakers approved 

 the plan and it was adopted. 



Amendment to By-Laws. 



All the proposed amendments to the 

 by-laws were adopted. The most im- 



