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March 30, 1906. 



I 



The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



1061 



AMERICAN ROSE SOCIETY. 



THE BOSTON MEETING. 



The annual exhibition and meeting of 

 the American Rose Society, held in con- 

 junction with the spring show of the 

 Massachusetts Horticultural Society, at 

 Boston, March 23 to 26, proved, in spite 

 of some previous pessimistic talk, to be 

 a most successful one, far outclassing 

 the meeting of the Chrysanthemum So- 

 ciety in November in variety of interest- 

 ing exhibits and enthusiasm. 



The Bose Society is still an infant, but 

 as a result of what was seen and heard 

 at the recent exhibition we anticipate for 

 it a field of far wider and more practi- 

 cal usefulness than it has filled in the 

 past. In fact, in some respects the S. 

 A. F. and the more lusty Carnation So- 

 ciety might profitably copy some of its 

 prospective work. As was truthfully 

 stated by President Montgomery, the 

 lack of rose novelties of American intro- 

 duction, as compared vrith carnations, 

 is one of the chief causes of the appar- 

 ent lack of interest on the part of many 

 rosarians. As increasing attention is now 

 being paid to this by a number of hy- 

 bridizers, the near future should give 

 us a more distinctively American race of 

 roses than exists today and interest in 

 these meetings will be stimulated. An- 

 other thing which will vastly strengthen 

 the society is to be not too exclusively 

 commercial. Its aim is, or should be, to 

 gather into its fold many of the increas- 

 ing army of wealthy amateur rose lovers, 

 particularly of hardy varieties, as is 

 done by the powerful National Rose So- 

 ciety of England. The issuing of bul- 

 letins, which is to be started ere long, 

 will do much to strengthen the society 

 and if carefully followed should event- 

 ually make the Rose Society what it 

 ought to be, the strongest organization 

 of its kind in America. 



The Rose Society is of eastern birth 

 and its exhibitions have been confined to 

 the cities of New York, Philadelphia and 

 Boston. We think the decision to re- 

 main in the east until it grows to be a 

 inore lusty youngster, and then travel 

 westward, is a good one and while some 

 of our western friends may not agree 

 with this policy, we believe they will 

 eventually be brought to see its wisdom, 

 but we are digressing and must return 

 to the exhibition. 



There have been larger displays of cut 

 roses at other shows, particularly in the 

 west, but the quality at Boston was re- 

 markably fine. Then, when it came to 

 pot roses, no other show in the country 

 could eomnare with it. This opinion 

 seemed to be universal. The fifty Ameri- 

 can Beauties which won the executive 

 committee 's prize as well as the Tjord & 

 Burnham trophy and Welch Bros.' prize 

 for the best vase of roses in the hall, 

 and which came from the Waban Rose 

 Conservatories, were magnificent. Briar- 

 cliff Greenhouses, W. IT. Elliott. F. R. 

 Pierson Co. and others also showed grand 

 Beauties. The Queen of Edgely, from 

 the Floral Exchange, and Ivory, from 

 the same firm, were excellent. 



Brides and Bridesmaids were especial- 

 ly well shown by Waban Conservatories 



and W. H. Elliott. The Montrose Green- 

 houses also had some superb vases, show- 

 ing very high culture. Liberty from A. 

 Farenwald and Elliott attracted even 

 more notice than the American Beauties. 

 Breitmeyer's vases of La Detroit and 

 Mme. Hoste came in fine shape, the for- 

 mer, especially, being much admired. 

 Gen. Mac Arthur from John N. May, 

 came in for much favorable notice, as 

 did Wellesley from Waban Conserva- 

 tories, which won the prize for the best 

 American seedling not in commerce. 

 Killarney, shown in pots as well as in 

 vases, seemed to be a great favorite with 

 the ladies. 



There was a good display of hybrid 

 perpetuals, George Melvin, gardener to 

 Col. Charles Pfaff; M. H. Walsh and 

 John McFarland being the chief exhibi- 

 tors, Brunner, Frau Karl Druschki, Mrs. 

 John Laing, Margaret Dickson, Clio, 

 Jacqueminot, Baron Bonstetten and 

 Merveille de Lyon being especially good. 



was the most remarkable feature of the 

 show and attracted the admiration of 

 the throngs of visitors. Some of itheSe 

 were in pots, but the majority wer* 

 in tubs. The task of conveying 

 this big collection from the shores 

 of Cape Cod to Boston must have been 

 quite an arduous one. The most ad- 

 mired plants in Mr. Walsh's group were 

 his Lady Gay, very similar to Farquhar 

 in color and beautifully flowered. Other 

 varieties, such as Wedding Bells, Hia- 

 watha, La Fiamma, Sweetheart, Debut- 

 ante, made up a magnificent collection, 

 alone worth a journey of hundreds of 

 miles to see. In addition to the F. R. 

 Newbold prize for best group of Ram- 

 blers, Mr. Walsh won the three prizes 

 offered by the society and first and third 

 prizes for the best individual specimens. 

 Tne following are the awards in full: 

 Teas and hybrid teas, twenty-flre cut blooms, 

 open to all: American Beauty, second prize to 

 W. H. Elliott. Bride, first, W. H. Elliott 

 Bridesmaid, first. W. H. Elliott; second," Mont- 

 rose Oreenbonses. Mme. Hoste, . first, Joha 

 Breitmeyer's Sons. Carnot, first, B. T. Mc- 

 Gorum; second, J. McFarland. Golden Gate, 

 first, Floral Exchange; second, Robert Simpson. 

 Bon SUene, first, Jobn Breitmeyer's Sons. Mrs. 

 Oliver Ames, first, W. H. Elliott. Ivory, first. 

 Floral E^zchange. Safrano, first, W. H. BlUott. 

 Liberty, first, W. H. Elliott; second, Wabaa 

 Rose CJonservatorles. Any other named dls- 

 semlnated variety, first prlie, "A," Mr. Blti- 

 patrlck, Killarney; first prize, "B," Robert 

 Simpson, Uncle Jobn; first prize, "0," Xoha 

 Breitmeyer's Sons, La Detroit. Queen of Edge- 

 ly, first. Floral Exchange. 



Alexander Montgomery. 

 (Re-elected President of the American Bose Society). 



Roses in pots and tubs were quite ex- 

 tensively shown by W. W. Edgar, F. B. 

 Pierson Co. and M. H. Walsh. The first 

 named had quite a collection of large 

 specimens of hybrid perpetuals. F. R. 

 Pierson showed a fine lot of Mme. Nor- 

 bert Levavasseur. M. H. Walsh showed 

 a large group of Urania, one of his nov- 

 elties, which promises to be a useful hy- 

 brid perpetual, also many other stand- 

 ard sorts. His collection of Rambler 

 roses, practically all his own seedlings. 



Twelve cut blooms: American Beanty, first, 

 BrlarcliS Greenbonses. Bride, first, Montrose 

 Greenhoases; second, R. T. McGornm. Brides- 

 maid, first, Montrose Greenhouses; second, Rob- 

 ert Montgomery. Carnot, first. Robert T. Mc- 

 Gornm; second, J. McFarland. Mrs. Oliver 

 Ames, second, Robert Montgomery. 



Dlrlch Brnnner, first, J. McFarland. Mrs. 

 John Lalng, first, J. McFarland. Magna 

 Charta, first. Col. Charles Pfaff. 



Special prize presented by Benjamin Dorrance 

 for display of cut blooms of roses grown out- 

 side of a radius of 150 miles of Boston, Brant 

 Bros., Dtica, N. Y., a silver cop. 



Special prize offered by John B. Nngent, Jr., 

 for twenty-five blooms of any red rose not dis- 



