\ ■ ^■'■:ij*- •>".- . 



684 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



August 17, 1905. 



Partial View of the Trade Exhibits Staged in Masonic Temple. 



(At the Washington Convuntion, Au^uat 15 to 18, 1905.) 



coast cities, where their business is of 

 sufficient importance to require well 

 equipped shops on good streets. There 

 are further good opportunities in hor- 

 ticultural lines for women with business 

 tact who are willing te take the time 

 to equip themselves with a thorough 

 horticultural education. Landscape gar- 

 dening, for instance, is an almost un- 

 tried field for women, although there is 

 no good reason why with training they 

 should not make it a successful and 

 lucrative profession. 



Tariff Hardships. 



The high protective tariff on glass, 

 flowering bulbs and plants has fre- 

 quently been complained of by many of 

 our members, but without effect, and 

 many of those who have labored hard 

 for relief in former years have finally 

 abandoned the case as hopeless. I am 

 glad to see at this time that help seems 

 to be at hand. The continued enforce- 

 ment of a high and arbitrary tariff, which 

 in many cases causes annoying and vex- 

 atious details for both seller and buyer, 

 together with fines and arbitrarily 

 increased valuations, have borne their 

 natural fruit and various foreign coun- 

 tries are meeting us more than half way 

 with high tariff rates for merchandise 

 which we have been selling liberally 

 abroad. Further, they are placing duties 

 as high as seventy-five per cent against 

 goods received from countries whose 

 known protective- tariff is excessive, and 

 are making the duties as low as fifteen 

 per cent when the tariff of such coun- 

 tries is moderate. 



This legislation is evidently aimed at 

 the United States, and the Merchants' 

 Association of New York is alive to the 

 dangers threatening our export trade 



and demands reciprocity treaties which 

 will do justice to all countries. 



It would be well for our legislative 

 committee to give all possible aid to 

 such associations, that our own burdens 

 may be lessened. 



At Detroit in 1899, Patrick O'Mara, 

 chairman of your legislative committee, 

 recommended that specific duties be 

 asked on plants and bulbs instead of the 

 present system of ad valorem duties. 

 He also recommended that our legis- 

 lative committee act with the nursery- 

 men in these matters. 



Postal Reform. 



For our members who print catalogues 

 and mail their wares, and their number 

 and percentage is increasing, this is 

 perhaps the most important national 

 matter affecting us. It seems rea- 

 sonable that the third and fourth 

 class matter should be combined on a 

 basis of one cent for two ounces. We 

 should have a bulk rate per pound for 

 catalogues without the per ounce weight 

 limit which now compels us to trim 

 each catalogue to exact fraction, with 

 no gain to the government. 



Lastly, we shouM have a trial of the 

 parcels ])Ost. Many of those who have 

 given the subject much study and who 

 know its workings, are firm believers in 

 it and it certainly seems well worth 

 while to give it a trial. Each member 

 could write his congressman concerning 

 these reforms and could induce others 

 to write also. We ought to encourage 

 our legislative committee by pledging 

 ourselves at this meeting to give such 

 support. The seedsmen and nursery- 

 men, the agricultural implement asso- 

 ciation, and other strong national as- 



sociations are with us. This is the time 

 to act. 



State Aid on Experimental Lines. 



President Rudd said in 1899: 

 We are not as a class reeelvlnjf from the ex~ 

 perlment stations — Institutions established and 

 conducted with public funds, and for the public 

 Kood — those benefits to which we are entitled. 

 For this state of afTuirs no cne Is to blame but 

 ourselves. We have neglected to wake our 

 v.ants known In an lntclil.!;ent manner, and h.'i\e 

 i.ot accepted gracefull.v what little work ha!< 

 been done in our behalf. 



The state of Illinois expends from 

 $10,000 to $20,000 per year on experi- 

 mental work in horticulture, most of 

 which has been applied to pomology^ 

 Other states are no doubt following the 

 same lines. Our local horticultutal so- 

 cieties may rightfully demand appro- 

 priations for experimental work in flo- 

 riculture, or a share of the appropria- 

 tions already made. The volume of 

 our business and the amount of capital 

 now invested in commercial floricul- 

 t^ire entitle us to this consideration. 

 Plant diseases, fertilizing experiments, 

 storage of cut flowers, etc., need care- 

 ful experimental work. 



That Permanent Home. 



I do not find that the committee 

 appointed to report on this subject ever 

 reported. If as President Breitmeyer 

 said at St, Louis: "We should keep 

 this idea alive even though its accom- 

 plishment be far distant," we should 

 perhaps have a standing committee to 

 have this subject in hand. We can sure- 

 ly do nothing without one. 



Arbitration. 



In 1898 your society established this 

 department on recommendation of your 

 executive committee. Their duty as. 



