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AUGUST 17, 1003. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



681 



but employ able writers on special sub- 

 jects. They are more than ready to re- 

 ceive reliable information of this class. 

 They will gladly print free of charge 

 all gardening news and cultural infor- 

 mation we will supply them and such 

 articles could be made of great general 

 good to our trade everywhere. 



I find that President Lonsdale in 

 1895 recommended a press bureau to be 

 attached to the local societies to sup- 

 ply monthly, weekly and daily journals 

 with reliable news and cultural notes. 

 A bureau once established would im- 

 mediately become authoritative on 

 these questions and would rid us of 

 the exaggerated statements now freely 

 circulated in irresponsible journals, 

 often of such a nature as to make our 

 best people skeptical regarding all hor- 

 ticultural news. 



National Grandl of Horticulture. 



This society is asked to be one of 

 six or eight societies to contribute to- 

 ward carrying forward the work of 

 iloriculture in a National Council of 

 Horticulture, whose objects are stated 

 as follows: 



To fraternize and concrete the horticultural 

 iiiteretits of North America. 



To consider the questions of public policy and 

 demonstration which are common to these or- 

 ganizations. 



To act as a bureau of publicity In the inter- 

 ests of reliable information pertaining to hor- 

 ticulture in its broadest sense. 



It is expected that the nurserymen, 

 seedsmen, pomologists and other socie- 

 ties will co-operate. 



I suggest the appointment of a com- 

 mittee to confer with the council, with 

 power to co-operate if in their judg- 

 ment the plan is practical and advis- 

 able. 



Exhibitions the Great Uplifters. 



President John N. May said August 



20, 1889, at Buffalo: 



We should do all we can to advance and ex- 

 tend public exhibitions. They are not only edu- 

 cators of florists but of the whole public at 

 large. As worltmen we must Iteep abreast of 

 the times ana the best possible opportunity 

 for us to do so is to meet and freely discuss 

 all matters of interest. 



President Robert Craig said at Chi- 

 cago in 1887: 



When an exhibition Is attempted, every gar- 

 dener and florist in the neighborhood should, as 

 a matter of personal pride and duty, do his 

 part lu the worlc. It is often complained that 

 the public does not surticitntly appreciate the 

 floral shows. Is it not because they are so 

 frequently unworthy? If we open to the people 

 a good show, we can depend upon moral and 

 flnancial support. 



AVith the recent great awakening of 

 public interest in floriculture we have 

 all seen the tendency of the promoters 

 of various charitable and other enter- 

 prises to make prominent the floral 

 sections of their bazaars, or even to 

 institute, on behalf of some worthy so- 

 ciety or charity, a so-called flower 

 show. This tendency is particularly no- 

 ticeable in California and there is need 

 of emphasizing President Craig's coun- 

 sel of 1887. Should it not be the duty 

 of every local florist or gardener 

 wherever an exhibition is attempted 

 under the banner of a flower show, to 

 come forward and insist that the af- 

 fair be a creditable one, since we all 

 know that every exhibition of this 

 Jiind, if poorly carried on, is a direct 

 reflection on every local member of 

 our profession. We are, in the public 

 mind, held responsible. It follows, 

 therefore, that we must take hold antl 

 bave it properly exploited, or deferred 

 until such time as it can be creditably 



carried out. Otherwise, future exhibi- 

 tions in the same locality, undertaken 

 by our craft and with our best efforts, 

 will be discredited by the public be- 

 cause of the fake shows which we have 

 without protest allowed to be under- 

 taken. 



Hortscttlture in the Public Schools. 



At Boston, in 1890, President J. M. 

 Jordan said: "No school of recog- 

 nized ability to graduate a pupil 

 should leave out of its curriculum 

 books teaching the fundamental lessons 

 in horticulture, and even our common 

 schools should teach the rudiments of 

 this art." 



President Lonsdale in 1895 recom- 

 mended the study of botany in the 

 public schools in the primary grades. 

 In this connection Prof. J. F. Cowell 

 in 1895 wrote: 



I have been In position to watch from the be- 

 ginning the efforts to establish "nature study" 

 as a part of our public school curriculum. This 

 teaching, which was taken up but a few years 

 ago in our educational centers, is spreading 

 rapidly, and one can see already some of the 

 results. Not only have the children a better 

 understanding of Nature and her products, but 

 by the methods employed in teaching they come 

 to love the plants which they care for and 

 to appreciate in some degree their value, the 

 lav^ which govern their growth and the loss 

 entailed by their destruction. Now I believe 

 that when these children come to be men and 

 women we shall see flower lovers more abundant 

 and garden makers more skillful than is gener- 

 ally the case now. 



Passing these important broad lines 

 of our work in relation to the public, 

 both as individuals and clubs or socie- 

 ties, I now come to those matters which 

 concern us directly as individual mem- 

 bers of our society and as a society. 



Organization a Necessity. 



At New York City August 21, 1888, 

 President E. G. Hill said: 



The formation of florists' clubs at trade cen- 

 ters is of inestimable value to every member of 

 such cln)>, doing away largely with trade jeal- 

 ousies and bringing our profession more promi- 

 nently before 4 he public. The wt^te and need 

 of association Is recognized in m professions 

 and in all lines of trade, and none need it more 

 than we in our profession. Associated effort in- 

 cites our aspirations, begets fellowship, pro- 

 motes harmony, destroys Ignorance, removes 

 differences, prevents mlsi^nderstandings and en- 

 courages trade. These are some of the fruits 

 of associating together. Then let us renew 

 our fealty to this organization and seal anew 

 our pledge to extend its usefulness. 



This society stands publicly as the 

 official head of North American florists 

 and floral societies. It represents every 

 individual and ought, rightfully, to rep- 

 resent every floral organization. If we 

 do the public work in the present and 

 future that we have done in the past, 

 we may rightfully insist that at least 

 two or more officials from every flo- 

 rists' club and society should also be 

 members of the S. A. F. 



If the S. A. F. is to secure uniform 

 inspection laws, adjust postal matters, 

 strive for equitable freight classifica- 

 tions, for fair legislation to the direct 

 and material benefit of all, it must not 

 only have the support of membership 

 fees, which is a trifle to the individual, 

 but it must also have the working sup- 

 port of many members. Florists' clubs 

 and societies should send one or more 

 public-spirited working delegates to our 

 annual meetings, instructed as to the 

 public aid which their club desires 

 from us. The expenses cf such dele- 

 gates should be paid by the club. To 

 secure the best results, these delegates 



H. M. Altick, Vicc-President-Elect Society of American Florists. 



