1280 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Mabch 29, 1900. 



Adiantura Farleyensc, making a light 

 and pleasing arrangement. With one 

 exception the remaining competitors used 

 treble the amount of flowers and green- 

 ery needed and the same was true of 

 several of the dinner table decorations. 

 Houghton & Clark used Killarney on 

 their winning table. The general ar- 

 rangement of the mantels and tables was 

 far too heavy, but they aided materially 

 in lending attractiveness to the show. 



The first business session of the Amer- 

 ican Kose Society opened at 8 o 'clock on 

 Friday evening, with a fair attendance. 

 President Alexander Montgomery read 

 his annual address, which was as fol- 

 lows: 



President's Address. 



For the second time I have the honor 

 to report to you on the progress made 

 by this society. During the year the 

 commendable encouragement which we 

 have received from all over the country 

 is evidence that the rose men are grad- 

 ually becoming interested in our work. 

 This interest is in a large measure due 

 to the excellent work of our secretary, 

 and also to the introduction of several 

 new roses that give good promise of be- 

 ing valuable additions to our list of 

 winter flowers. This branch of our busi- 



that responds readily to their efforts 

 toward improvement, while with the rose, 

 even the most expert hybridizer finds it 

 slow work to get anything that is an 

 improvement. However, when one is 

 offered for sale, both large and small 

 growers should buy it and test it for 

 themselves; if you don't succeed at first 

 don 't be in too great a hurry to con- 

 demn, but remember the Liberty and 

 how few had good success with it at 

 first, yet it became one of our most 

 valuable varieties. 



The rose of the future will undoubted- 

 ly be raised from a mixture of the tea 

 and the hybrid blood, for in no other 

 way can we expect to get the bright 

 colors that are so much wanted. We 

 may not be able to grow the future 

 roses in the haphazard way that the 

 true teas have been grown in the past, 

 but by a careful study of their require- 

 ments our progressive rose men will have 

 little difficulty in adapting themselves 

 to the best methods of growing them. 

 From what I have been able to learn 

 from some of those who are devoting 

 their best energies to the raising of new 

 roses, the first great principle they have 

 in mind is that a rose, to be of value, 

 must have a strong constitution and be 

 a vigorous grower, otherwise it will be 



Benjamin Hammond* 



(Secretary of the American Rose Society.) 



ness is worthy of all the eocouragement 

 our members can give it, as the future 

 success of our society depends, to a great 

 extent, upon the interest created by their 

 introduction. 



While we cannot expect to have a 

 Richmond every year, yet there is evi- 

 dence of other valuable varieties in sight 

 that will help to whet the curiosity and 

 consequently the interest of our rose 

 growers. We cannot hope to compete 

 with the carnation men in this respect, 

 as they are fortunate in having a flower 



of little use to the American rose grower. 

 A fine individual flower without these 

 qualities will not satisfy. Many plants 

 found in every batch of seedlings have 

 ideal flowers but are so wanting in vigor 

 of growth that they have to be discarded. 

 It takes considerable courage to do this, 

 yet the honesty of purpose of our seed- 

 ling rose raisers can be depended upon 

 to do it, as only by these heroic methods 

 can the business prosper and the best 

 interests of our society be conserved. 

 I am not the least pessimistic as re- 



gards the future of the rose business^ 

 for the rose will hold her proud place in 

 the commercial world as well as in the 

 world beautiful. The growth of the rose 

 business in the past twenty-five years 

 has been phenomenal ; its growth in the 

 future, I doubt not, will be equally 

 great. Therefore, 1 say to the young 

 men starting in, put forth your whole 

 energy to acquire the best methods of 

 cultivating the queen of flowers that you 

 may produce her in the highest state of 

 perfection. Don 't be afraid to exhibit 

 at our shows, and in this way induce a 

 healthy rivalry ; don 't be afraid of be- 

 ing beaten, you cannot always win. Try 

 again and if you are made of the right 

 material for an exhibitor you will be 

 surprised to find how one or two failures 

 will stimulate to increased effort to win 

 the coveted blue ribbon of our society. 



It should be the duty of the American 

 Eose Society to encourage the amateur 

 rose grower in every possible way by 

 distributing proper literature, giving di- 

 rections how to plant, and also what to 

 plant; yet our greatest effort should be 

 put forth to enroll the commercial cut 

 flower and plant men. We should not 

 rest until we have every rose grower in 

 the country on our membership lis|t. The 

 amateurs' interests are only local, they 

 will not follow our exhibitions from 

 place to place, consequently, when the 

 exhibition goes away, as it must if it 

 is to be a permanent success, they lose 

 interest and drop off our list. Let us 

 make our society of interest to the pro- 

 fessional by making it profitable and 

 distance will not deter him from being 

 there. We may just as well look this 

 question squarely in the face if we aim 

 to be a permanent society, for sentiment 

 doesn't count in the commercial world. 

 ; The carnation man attends his conven- 

 tion that he may exhibit or see the new 

 varieties, or so he can sell or buy stock, 

 not for the love of the flower altogether 

 does lie go. The rose man is no different 

 from his brother, the carnation man — 

 there must be some profitable attraction 

 to bring him out — therefore, it is the 

 duty of every rose grower to make an 

 exhibit of liis wares at our exhibition; 

 if he has something new so much the 

 ])otter, but the small grower, as well as 

 the large, ought to do his part. 



Let our society go to all parts of the 

 country. They say a rolling stone 

 gathers no moss, but I believe a rolling 

 national Bose Society would gather 

 members and corresponding strength. 



In conclusion I wish to thank the mem- 

 bers of the American Kose Society for 

 the honor done me by twice electing me 

 to be your president, and while I have 

 fallen far short of what I wanted to ac- 

 complish for the society, yet I have done 

 the best I could under the circumstances. 

 Although I now step out of office, the 

 society will still have my hearty co- 

 operation and best wishes for its suc- 

 cess. 



Secretary's Report. 



With another year of experience to 

 our credit, we come again as guests of 

 our good friends of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society, to set up one more 

 milestone in the history of the rose in 

 America and the organization devoted 

 to its advancement. How have we fared 

 during the year since we last met in this 

 room? The best answer I can give is to 

 ask you to look at the splendid exhibi- 

 tion in the adjoining hall. Your secre- 

 tary can give you facts and figures of 



