..„, 



• -.'it^'rrr/' : 



ttjf ;'^»-»^ <7.' 



^^T ywf^3r^^'>f"^."'' 



"'T" 



■^r'W"" fi'wj^* j'T'-TfTTJ^^j w»^wir.7w^ jin^ ^^ v 



JANUABT 22, 1920. 



The Florists^ Review 



17 



inillillMlllllllUlillH 



THE PRESIDENT'S 



ANNUAL ADDRESS 



fiiiiiiiiiuiiiniiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiH 



rfi'^i: 



|T HAS been our pleasure to 

 meet in convention in Chi- 

 cago on former occasions. 

 It is my pleasure to bid you 

 hearty welcome to the 

 twenty-ninth annual conven- 

 tion. We all know that Chi- 

 cago is noted for its hospitality. The 

 last year has been a prosperous one 

 for all florists, even with what we had 

 to go through. Two years ago it was 

 ;i hard matter for some of us to get 

 coal and we all began to think that his- 

 tory would repeat itself. But by the 

 level heads at the head of our govern- 

 ment the coal strike was brought to an 

 end. It has been a saying, "Always 

 be prepared," and those who bought 

 early had little worry concerning the 

 fuel situation. 



The carnation growers of this coun- 

 try have certainly gone through a criti- 

 cal period since the war began and a 

 worse time since it ended. We were 

 put in the nonessential class during the 

 war, but, as I understand, during the 

 coal strike they told us we belonged in 

 the essential class. The officials of our 

 government have found out at last that 

 we belong in more than the nonessen- 

 tial class, which was 

 glad news for us. 



I wish to inform 

 the members of our 

 society that our 

 membership for the 

 last year has been 

 at a standstill. I 

 think that every 

 member present at 

 this meeting should 

 make it his business 

 to see that ho gets 

 at least one new 

 member. We all 

 know that the more 

 members we have 

 enrolled in our so- 

 ciety, the more pros- 

 perous we shall be. 



Membership. 



Our revenues would 

 be increased, our 

 meetings would be 

 better attended, and 

 our exhibitions 

 would be much 

 larger than ever be- 

 fore. I wish to 

 suggest that our so- 

 ciety offer some re- 

 ward to those get- 

 ting the most new 

 members the fol- 

 lowing year. 



The American 

 Carnation Society 

 should devise some, 

 plan so that our 

 revenue would be 

 increased. We afe 

 running today on 



The address of Theodore Dorner, president of 

 tlie American Carnation Society, read at the 

 Chicago convention, January 21, 1920. 



the same plane that we have in the past, 

 regardlesfe of the high prices. I would 

 suggest that the dues of our society be 

 raised to $3, instead of $2, which would 

 give us a little more revenue. This may 

 cause some criticism, but we should take 

 time and prii'es under consideration. 

 As we all know, it costs a great deal 

 more now to exhibit carnations than 

 it did four or five years ago. 



Shipping Problems. 



The shipping facilities in the last 

 year have been much improved, but we 

 are still a long way from getting what 

 is right. The express companies have 

 taken better care of our packages than 

 thcy^did last year, and are a little more 

 prompt in settling claims. I think the 

 parcel post department should insure 

 parcels against freezing when marked 

 perishable. At present they insure only 

 against non->delivery, the responsibility 

 for breakage being the same as non- 

 insured parcels. I think this matter 

 should be taken up with the S. A. F., 



Theodore Dorner. 



(President American Carnation Society.) 



and it might help if we would cooperate 

 with them. For they are in a condition 

 to handle this matter to better advan- 

 tage. I would suggest that a committee 

 be appointed by our society to cooperate 

 with the S. A. F. in this matter. A 

 great many parcel post packages have 

 been frozen in transit this season, for 

 which the shippers are at a loss. 



We have in the last year lost three of 

 our members by death : Frank Friedley^ 

 of Cleveland; Eobert Montgomery, of 

 Natick, Mass., and Henry Eohrer, of 

 Lancaster, Pa. I would suggest that our 

 society take some action in this mat- 

 ter and that a committee be appointed 

 for that purpose. 



The registration of new varieties in 

 the last year has been much less than in 

 former years, due to the war, fuel, labor 

 and high prices. All carnation growers 

 know that a new variety will in time 

 lose its vigor and vitality, either by 

 propagation or through disease. And it 

 must be replaced by another variety 

 which has vigor and vitality. It costs 

 a great deal more nowadays to put a 

 new variety on the market. Therefore 

 the price of seedling carnations is, and 

 ought to be, higher than in former 

 years. The seedling 

 carnation shown at 

 our exhibitions is 

 always the most in- 

 teresting exhibit in 

 the hall. Why? Be- 

 cause it is human 

 nature for us to be 

 always on the watch 

 to get something 

 ' better than we grow 

 t d a y. Carnation 

 growing in this 

 country in the last 

 three or four years 

 has been at a stand- 

 still. But today we 

 hear that those who 

 quit growing carna- 

 tions are back in 

 the harness again. 



Qreat Future. 



It certainly has 

 been a popular 

 flower in the last 

 twenty years. The 

 breeders of seedling 

 carnations have a 

 great future before 

 them, as most of our 

 standard varieties 

 have taken a back- 

 ward course and 

 must be replaced by 

 new varieties. 



At the board of 

 directors' meeting 

 held in Detroit, in 

 August, it was de- 

 cided to let the 

 Chicago Retailers ' 

 Association rear- 



