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The Florists^ Rcvie\3^ 



33 



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MAKING CONVENTION 



GARDENS PERMANENT 





|HERE can be no question as 

 to the importance and de- 

 sirability of arranging for 

 convention gardens wher- 

 ever our annual meetings 

 are to be held. The use- 

 fulness and value of such 

 gardens as a medium of publicity and 

 education will not be doubted by any- 

 one who gives the subject due con- 

 sideration. 



Question for Local Promoters. 



There is, to the best of my knowl- 

 edge and belief, no great difficulty in 

 establishing such a garden for each 

 convention, and the only real problem, 

 it seems to me, is to make it per- 

 manent. This necessarily is a question 

 which, in the main, must be solved 

 by the local promot- 

 ers of the garden. 

 The same spirit that 

 was employed in its 

 creation should be 

 able to solve the 

 question ot *its fu- 

 ture existence, per- 

 manency and growth. 



I have, in the past, 

 presented the ques- 

 tion whether or not 

 it would be possible 

 to select the conven- 

 tion city two years 

 in advance, instead 

 of one, in order to 

 provide for t y o 

 years' growth of the 

 hardy material which 

 could be used to ad- 

 vantage in the plant- 

 ing of the garden. 



Personally, I wish 

 this could be done, 

 because I realize the 

 great and enduring 

 benefits that would 

 accrue, and I be- 

 lieve that all plants- 

 men will agree with 

 me. There can be no 

 doubt that the value 

 of the gardens, from 

 every point of view, 

 would be greatly en- 

 hanced by this addi- 

 tional time given 

 them in preparation, 

 and that the interest 

 of professionals and 

 the public alike, be- 

 fore and after, as 

 well as during the 

 convention, would be 

 correspondingly in- 

 creased. 



However, if this 

 plan is not deemed 

 feasible, there is still 

 one advantage open 

 with the present ar- 

 rangement, which has 

 not been made use of 



A paper by Theodore Wlrth, of Minneapolis, 

 on "The Problems Attending the Establishment 

 of Permanent Convention Gardens," presented at 

 the San Francisco convention of the Society of 

 American Florists. 



in our past undertakings along this 

 line. 



If our brother florists and horticul- 

 turists of the city ambitious of secur- 

 ing the next convention are anxious to 

 have the best garden thus far made, 

 they will select a piece of land for 

 that purpose far in advance, and will 

 submit a well arranged plan to the 

 convention at which they make their 

 bid for the next meeting. If they 

 land the prize, they should prepare the 

 grounds at once, and secure without de- 

 lay all planting material that can be 

 transplanted to advantage in the fall. 



Theodore Wlrth. 



(The Man .Who Made the Minneapolis Garden.) 



In this way, most of the perennials, 

 shrubs and trees will be well estab- 

 lished in the spring, and make a good 

 showing at convention time. 



Concentrate Control. 



Early solicitation among prospective 

 exhibitors is, for many reasons, abso- 

 lutely necessary, A time limit should 

 be set for allotment of space in the 

 garden, and the special attention of 

 such prospective exhibitors must be 

 called to this. All space not applied for 

 by a certain date should then be offered 

 to nearby and local growers with a 

 slightly extended time limit. This limit 

 should be set so as to give the com- 

 mittee in charge an opportunity to se- 

 cure suitable planting material for fill- 

 ing the unsold spaces in the garden in 

 good time. 



It is absolutely 

 necessary, in my 

 opinion, to give the 

 committee in charge 

 of the garden all 

 necessary power and 

 means, and to concen- 

 trate the actual di- 

 rection and super- 

 vision in one active 

 experienced, depend- 

 able man. Tell this 

 nian to go ahead, and 

 then do not interfere 

 with him, but give 

 him all the assistance 

 he needs when he 

 asks for it. I believe 

 it would be a good 

 investment, generally 

 speaking, to send him 

 on a two months' 

 trip to visit person- 

 ally the principal 

 growers in all parts 

 of the country for 

 the purpose of solicit- 

 ing exhibits. Let 

 him start right at 

 the convention. The 

 right man will there- 

 by awaken the gen- 

 eral interest of the 

 trade and secure the 

 desired support. Cor- 

 respondence would 

 not be nearly so ef- 

 fective. 



I cannot lay too 

 much stress on the 

 necessity of giving 

 all exhibits the best 

 possible attention 

 and care, and of 

 guarding the inter- 

 ests of the exhibitor 

 in every possible 

 way. Be sure that 

 he gets the space he 

 bought, that his 

 plants are properly 

 labeled, and his 

 firm's name is prop- 



