922 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



August 30, 1906. 



not remember an address that inspired 

 such lively discussion. The essays were 

 not long-winded, but were gems on their 

 respective subjects. The one on. " The 

 Private Gardener and His Work," by 

 Mr. Palmer, of Brookline, Mass., was 

 finely composed and ably delivered. If 

 It were possible for every private gar- 

 dener to conduct himself according to 

 Mr. Palmer's principles, the private 

 gardener in £^11 large establishments 

 would soon rank alongside other mem- 

 bers of learned professions, to which 

 he really belongs. The earnest talk of 

 Mr. Hallock on "Horticultural Educa- 

 tion in Our Public Schools" was most 

 interesting. No man in our society is 

 better capable of carrying along the 

 good work. It is a great and important 

 subject. It may be of slow growth, like 

 many solid improvements, but it is 

 bound to come, and when horticultural 

 knowledge in candidates for school 

 teachers is recognized and they are given 

 credit over those devoid of it, a great 

 advance will be made. 



The debate on lowering the tariff on 

 glass caused many a laugh. As was 

 said by some speakers, the tariff is a 

 local issue and a selfish one. It was up 

 before the society years ago, without 

 any result, and no resolution passed by 

 our society would do any good. Let the 

 committee now in existence hear the 

 opinions of the florists of the land. It 

 then will know where the majority 

 stands. 



Place of Meeting. 



Good, old Philadelphia has the con- 

 vention for 1907. This great city has 

 been more loyal to the society than any 

 community in the land. When the elo- 

 quent Eobert Craig and the jolly John 

 Westcott both raised their voices for 



hearing his fine address of invitation to 

 that world-famous resort, sympathize 

 with his defeat. His personality is 

 charming. To secure a convention of 

 florists you must have the cordial en- 

 dorsement of the craft in that city, for 

 on them depends the success of the con- 

 vention. 



The Election. 



As usual, the nomination and the 

 election of officers was of the greatest 

 interest. The members thought it would 

 be a graceful thing to tender the presi- 

 dency to W. J. Stewart, who has been 

 the able and faithful secretary for nine- 

 teen years. It is fine that there exists in 

 our society an unwritten law that the 

 president should occupy his seat but 

 one year. There are hundreds of able 

 men in the society too modest to de- 

 clare themselves candidates, but all 

 worthy of the honor. 



With the secretary it is different. It 

 is the important ofiice of the society, 

 and we don't envy the man who suc- 

 ceeds Mr. Stewart. It demands hard 

 and faithful work. Mr. Altick would 

 have made a fine secretary, yet that 

 popular Phil, of Chicago, possesses a 

 quiet, retiring, fascinating personality 

 that charms all of us, and to butt 

 against it for any position is futile. 



Of course, the popular John, of Phila- 

 delphia, was elected vice-president and 

 he will work, don't you forget it, and 

 Mr. Beatty honors the society by ac- 

 cepting the oflfi'ce of treasurer. We 

 hope the defeated candidates and their 

 backers will have only the most loyal 

 support for those receiving the .honors. 



The Social Side. 



It has been proved that a small city, 

 or one of moderate size, is suitable for 



Display of Wertheimer Bros., New York, at (he G>nvention. 



their home city it was irresistible. We 

 had the good fortune to meet Mr. and 

 Mrs. Westcott shortly before our fare- 

 well to Dayton, and John again recited 

 the attractions of ' * lovers ' lane. ' ' Mrs. 

 Westcott pleasantly volunteered the re- 

 mark, "John talks a lot of lovers' 

 lane, but never goes in there himself." 

 There will be inquiries for it next Au- 

 gust. 



All who had the pleasure of meeting 

 Mayor Cutler, of Niagara Falls, and 



our convention. Attractions are not 

 so numerous that a great number stray 

 away from the business sessions, and the 

 few local attractions can be visited by us 

 in a body. That banquet in Welfare 

 hall, with its music and stereopticon 

 views, was simply charming. That dis- 

 solving view from a brilliant American 

 Beauty rose to Mr. Deamud's face was 

 clever, and brought out shouts of ap- 

 plause. The same can be said of the 

 mysterious change of a snowdrop to the 



figure of John Esler, of New Jersey. 

 There is beauty in both, if you can only 

 see it. 



The illumination of President Patter- 

 son's grounds was the grand feature of 

 the week. From the street, where the 

 trolley car landed us, up the long gravel 

 walk to the mansion was an ordeal we 

 shall not soon forget. We had been 

 shooting that afternoon and were tired, 

 and the ascent was made by a rope con- 

 nected to our waist and that of Harry 

 Papworth and a local shooter who 

 dragged us up. When we reached the 

 summit all fatigue was well repaid. It 

 was more fairyland than earth. Lan- 

 terns represented in poem of color every 

 kind of fruit and flower. Our weary 

 trudge up the ascent was enlivened by 

 the sight of huge pumpkins among the 

 creeping vines by the roadside. Apples 

 clustered on the linden trees, bunches 

 of grapes hung from lofty vine-clad 

 elms, apples from the oaks and grand 

 American Beauty roses from flowerless 

 shrubs. But none of this seemed artifi- 

 cial, because it was so artistically ar- 

 ranged. 



A band concert on the summit of this 

 Far Hills park was enjoyed by thou- 

 sands. 



Friday morning all who desired were 

 escorted through the wonderful cash reg- 

 ister works by polite young men, who 

 stopped at interesting points and gave 

 us brief lectures. The writer made a 

 lot of mental memoranda thinking he 

 could relate the wonders of this truly 

 model factory, but they have evaporated. 

 To those not present it may convey a 

 slight idea of the m'agnitude of this 

 wonderful factory to state that half an 

 acre of floor space is devoted to a laun- 

 dry, entirely employed on the sleevelets, 

 collars and aprons of the women em- 

 ployees. I observed no such institution 

 for the men, which is a sad reflection 

 on the fair sex, showing how much more 

 they need washing. But best of all, 

 Mr. Patterson is a friend of horticulture, 

 and if a house-holder does not fix up his 

 yard neatly Mr. Patterson will do it 

 for him, so he has made Dayton beau- 

 tiful. 



Another unique feature of Dayton is 

 the far-famed Soldiers' home. What 

 country in the world's history ever has 

 taken care of the old soldiers as has 

 this United States? Not one. Some 

 may think it has overdone it, to the in- 

 justice of the coming generations. We 

 think not. If you saw the bent or 

 crippled veterans sitting around the 

 shady places of these beautiful grounds, 

 your heart would go out toward them. 

 The grounds are as beautiful and well 

 kept .as any of our parks, and in the 

 magnificent trees and floriculture, supe- 

 rior to most. The writer, through the 

 kindness of H. M. Altick, was given a 

 three-hour automobile ride through this 

 great institution and greatly enjoyed it. 

 No part of it created a thrill more than 

 the burial ground of the veterans. I 

 was informed there is an army of 17,000 

 silent soldiers buried there. The aver- 

 age of deaths in this old army is eight 

 every day. 



Flash Lights. 



No convention now will be complete 

 without the ample presence of Phil 

 Foley, the most polite man on earth, who 

 gave up his seat in a street-car to three 

 ladies. Few can do that. 



It may not look well or proper for 

 a Buffalo man, but we want to say that 

 few presidents of the S. A. F. have fille<1 



