November 24, 1921 



The Florists^ Review 



29 



lOWANS' ANNUAL MEETING 



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IOWA FLORISTS JIEOBGANIZE. 



Cooperative Flan Adopted. 



The best and most interesting meet- 

 ing of the Society of Iowa Florists was 

 held at Ottumwa, November 9. Nearly 

 100 state and visiting florists were in 

 attendance. 



The meeting of the society was called 

 to order by President Blaine C. Wilcox, 

 of Council Bluffs, who presented the 

 plans as outlined by the executive board 

 as follows: The establishing of a bu- 

 reau to handle an exchange list of 

 plants, the use of an exchange list of 

 growers, showing the amount or num- 

 ber of certain plants for each florist 

 to carry during the growing season, the 

 cooperative buying of florists' supplies, 

 educational features and legislative 

 matters. 



The affiliation of the Society of Iowa 

 Florists with the Iowa State Horticul- 

 tural Society is, in the opinion of the 

 of&cers, one of the greatest steps toward 

 success that have ever been taken by 

 this society. The Iowa State Horticul- 

 tural Society consists of an aflBliation of 

 six different societies, with the main 

 oflice and secretary at Des Moines, the 

 state capital, where all the business 

 affairs of the different societies are 

 handled. This has much to do with 

 strengthening horticulture as a whole by 

 unifying its various branches. 



Executive Board's Explanation. 



The establishing of a bureau to handle 

 the exchange list of plants is to be ac- 

 complished thus: Every week or so the 

 florists are to send to the secretary a 

 list of plants which they have at their 

 ranges and the secretary will then com- 

 pile a list incorporating all lists sub- 

 mitted and mail to each florist, whole- 

 sale and retail, a complete list of all the 

 plants available. This will enable Iowa 

 florists to buy the plants they need from 

 the florists within the state, thereby 

 cutting down express or freight bills, 

 and also enabling the growers to dispose 

 of their stock within the state. The use 

 of an exchange list of growers, showing 

 the amount or number of certain plants 

 each expects to carry during the growing 

 season, will help to stabilize the market 

 within the state, and also aid in avoid- 

 ing an oversupply of stock. In this 

 way the growers will be able to grow 

 stock which other florists within the 

 state have not on hand. The cooper- 

 ative buying of certain florists' supplies, 

 such as spray and fumigating materials, 

 will be a great saving to the Iowa flor- 

 ists, as the society is able to buy these 

 materials in large quantities and dispose 

 of them to the affiliated societies at a 

 much cheaper rate. The society's work 

 <*n educational features and legislative 

 matters will enable the florists to keep 

 themselves informed regarding them 

 and particularly on laws of the state of 

 Iowa concerning the growing and sell- 

 ing of plants and flowers. 



These plans were thoroughly ex- 

 plained to the members present and, 

 after a lengthy discussion, all of the 

 recommendations by the executive com- 

 mittee were unanimously accepted. 



The convention was addressed by J. F. 

 Leopold, secretary of the Iowa State 

 Chamber of Commerce, on the subject of 

 "The Value of Organization." This 

 address was one of the finest talks ever 

 given to florists and every florist pres- 

 ent derived many helpful points from 

 Mr. Leopold's address; 



Professor E. C. Volz, of the State Col- 

 lege, spoke on the subject of what the 

 Society of Iowa Florists can do by coop- 

 erating at the Iowa State College. He 

 said that florists could have any assist- 

 ance which the State College is capable 

 of rendering in helping them grow bet- 

 ter stock in their greenhouses. 



Election of Officers. 



Following these discussions the con- 

 stitution and by-laws of the society 

 were changed so that it would be able to 

 affiliate with the horticultural society 

 and thus permit E. S. Herrick to act as 

 their secretary. After the constitution 

 and by-laws were amended the election 

 of officers followed. Those elected were: 

 President, Blaine C. Wilcox, Council 

 Bluffs, la., reelected; vice-president, 

 Roy Kimball, Ottumwa, la.; secretary, 

 R. S. Herrick, Des Moines, la.; treas- 

 urer, James Denmead, Marshalltown, 

 la. The directors were: Arthur Smith, 

 Boone, la.; O. B. Stevens, Shenandoah, 

 la.; Homer Richey, Albia, la.; H. J. 

 Watson, Reinbeck, la. 



The meeting was adjourned after the 

 election until 6:30 p. m., for the ban- 

 quet. 



The banquet, free to all florists, was 

 held at the Ottumwa hotel by the Iowa 

 State Floral Society, at which time 

 many new members were secured and 

 several talks by leading florists were 

 heard. 



A. R. Miller, of Washington, la., gave 

 an interesting address. Music was fur- 

 nished by an orchestra and singing by 

 the quartet from Ottumwa. All of these 

 entertainments were furnished at the 

 expense of the Iowa florists, which goes 

 to show that the Iowa florists are strong 

 financially and that, within another 

 year, they hope to have one of the best 

 and largest organizations. 



Every florist left the banquet promis- 

 ing to attend the next meeting and to 

 bring with him any florist in his locality 

 wbo did not attend this meeting. 



Exhibitors at the Show. 



A flower show was also held in con- 

 nection with the meeting of the Iowa 

 florists. Nearly 150 vases of different 

 flowers were exhibited by the following: 

 J. F. Wilcox & Sons, Council Bluffs, la., 

 displayed different varieties of roses, 

 violets, lilies of the valley, chrysanthe- 

 mums and carnations; J. S. Wilson, Des 

 Moines, la., many varieties of pompons 

 and large chrysanfhemums; the Kemble 



Blaine C. Wilcox. 



(Rc-eleclcil Piogldcnt of the Society of Iowa Florists.) 



