January 26, 1922 



The Florists'' Review 



27 



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HARTFORD IS HOST 



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CARNATION MEN IN SESSION. 



Meeting Like Prewar Days. 



At Hartford, Conn., this week is be- 

 ing held one of the largest, if not the 

 largest, midwinter gatherings of the 

 trade that ever assembled. After so- 

 journing in wegtern parts for several 

 years, the American Ciirnation Society 

 has again visited New England, and the 

 florists of that section of our country 

 have responded to the honor by promot- 

 ing a notable convention. The cut flower 

 section of the American Eose Societv 

 lias cooperated .in hearty fashion, so 

 that there is a real rose show. The an- 

 nual meeting of the National Flower 

 Growers' Association and tlie meeting 

 of the national flower show committee 

 are added trade attractions. 



The members of the Hartford Florists ' 

 Club are to be commended for the show- 

 ing they have made, as a result of well 

 laid plans, in the exhibition at the 

 Foot Guard armory. The cooperation 

 of the growers and retailers in this city 

 is remarkable. It is expected the at- 

 tehdance of the public at this show will 

 reach over 50,000, indicating what real 

 advertising will do. Entries, which 

 closed January 15, showed a total of 

 12,000 carnations and 5,000 roses. Flow- 

 erdom was never so well represented in 

 Hartford as it is this week. The promi- 

 nent 'retail florists have several booths 

 ])rettily decorated and some novel de- 

 signs calculated to cause the attending 

 public to comment. 



Local Workers Conunended. 



Too much credit cannot be given to 

 Wallace Pierson for his efforts as chair- 

 man of all the Hartford Florists' Club's 

 committees. He has given time and 

 energy unstintedly and hundreds of 

 roses have come from the big range at 

 Cromwell. 



The other local workers have been 

 equally industrious. N. C. Osborn, vice- 

 president of the American Carnation 

 Society and superintendent of the show, 

 has been indefatigable. Assisting him 

 are Charles Cawte and Al Linder. Mem- 

 bers of the local committees are as fol- 

 lows: Hall, Joseph Coombs, chairman, 

 V. H. Olmstead and I. Piedmont; pub- 

 licity, George F. Lane, chairman, Al 

 Linder and Charles B. McDonald; 

 finance, W. W. Thomson, chairman, Jo- 

 seph Coombs, J. Albert Brodrib; hotel, 

 Andrew Welch, cliairman, Roy Thomson, 

 Fred Cawte; transjjortation and recep- 

 tion, J. Albert Brodrib, cliairman, 

 George McClunie and Harry Anderson. 

 The women accompanying the visitors 

 are entertained l)y the following com- 

 mittee of Hartford women: Mrs. Jo- 

 seph McManus, Mrs. Ellen Welch, Mrs. 

 J. A. Brodrib, Mrs. Charles Coite and 

 Mrs. Wallace R. Pierson. 



The banquet was held Wednesday 

 evening and the opening session of the 

 annual meeting of the American Car- 

 nation Society was delayed until next 

 day. 



President's Message. 

 At the annual meeting. President W. 



D. Howard sjjoke, in his presidential 

 address, as follows: 



"It seems but a short time since we 

 met in Washington, one year ago, when 

 I was made president of this society, 

 thirteen years after I became a member 

 in the same city. Some spoke to me of 

 thirteen being an unlucky number and 

 said that I would have a liard time 

 getting ahead. But when Hartford was 

 (lecided upon as our next meeting place 

 and I found that ])lace full of enthusi- 

 asm, I decided that for once the old 

 adage had failed. As we look through 

 the exhibition hall and see the quan- 

 tity and quality of the flowers, it seems 

 as though this had -been a successful 

 year. 



"The American Carnation Society 

 was organized thirty-one y8ars ago and, 

 speaking of the first meeting, I believe 

 that we have at least one or more of 

 the charter members here today. We 

 had forty-nine members then; now there 

 are 355. It has taken thirty-one years 

 of conscientious work to reach the high 

 standard we have now attained. Many 

 varieties have been put on the market. 

 While some, perhaps, do not equal the 

 older varieties, they |iave some good 

 points. \ 



More Seedlings, 



' ' As we examine the wonderful 

 blooms in the hall we remark, 'How can 



there be a better quality grown?' We 

 need the determination to grow more 

 seedlings. What will njake our meet- 

 ings more interesting than to have a 

 dozen or more new seedlings shown each 

 year^ I believe that is what will really 

 make this society much stronger. At 

 this time let me say to the members 

 who are so diligently working to pro- 

 duce new varieties, do not forget fra- 

 grance and keejiing qualit\'. Fragrance, 

 1 believe, is one great point, and I 

 think we should have ten points. Speak- 

 ing of keeping (|uality, it has been said 

 by one of our leading retailers that the 

 carnation is the poorest keeper of any 

 of the flowers he handles. Fellow mem- 

 bers, what will do more to in- 

 jure the reputation of the carnation 

 than that? I don't think there is a 

 memlier in this room who will not agree 

 with me in saying that although some 

 of the flowers at this show have been 

 shipped hundreds of miles, still they 

 look as fresh as when cut. 



"There were eleven seedlings and 

 three sports registered this last year. 

 I think the raising of new seedlings has 

 been given a big boom the last few 

 years. Only last month I had occasion 

 to visit two greenhouses near Boston, 

 and it was indeed pleasing to me to see 

 over 500 different seedlings. Some had 

 but one plant of a kind, others perhaps 



V. D. Howard. 



(President of tlie American Carnation Society. > 



