AtJouST •J2, lf)07. 



The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



17 



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THE PHILADELPHIA 



CONVENTION 



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THE TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL MEETING OF THE 

 SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS. 



THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE HELD AT NIAGARA FALLS 



OFFICERS FOR 1908: 

 President, F. H. TRAENDLY, New York, N. Y. . 



Vice-Preiident, GEO. McCLURE, Buffalo, N. Y. 



Secretary, PHILIP J. HAUSWIRTH, Oiicago. 



Treasurer, H. B. BEATTY, Oil City, Pa. 



The twenty-third, or skidoo, conven- 

 tion, as some of the irreverent ones 

 called it, of the Society of American 

 Florists, at Philadelphia this week real- 

 ized in fullest measure the sanguine ex- 

 pectations of those who have Avorked 

 so hard for its success. Philadelphia is 

 a splendid convention city in every re- 

 spect save its slightly tropical August 

 climate, and for those who were at Day- 

 ton last year this had no terrors, so that 

 it was a foregone conclusion that the 

 attendance would be up to the best pre- 

 vious record. With this fact in mind 

 the Florists' Club of Philadelphia set 

 out to provide an entertainment which 

 should be in keeping with the prestige 

 of the city as a horticultural center. The 

 arrangements were ideal, with the meet- 

 ings in Broad Street theater, the trade 

 display in Horticultural hall across the 

 street, and the two halls in the center of 

 the hotel district of the city. It was 

 the best location for a convention the 

 society has had in all its twenty-three 

 years. 



The attendance was large, but the west 

 was not strongly represented, excejit for 

 the larger cities, like St. Louis, Chicago 

 and Detroit. The larger part of tne at- 

 tendance came from east of Pittsburg, 

 and hundreds visited the convention 

 merely for a day. William Scott's face 

 was missed and many were the inquiries 

 as to his health. J, A. Valentine, of 

 Denver, missed his second convention 

 in succession. Other familiar faces also 

 were absent, but there were dozens of 

 young ^ men, many of whom had never 

 before attended a convention, and the 

 society's membership roll was added to 

 in a very pleasing manner. 



It often has been said that the trade 

 display is not only possibly the predom- 

 inating feature of the S. A. F. conven- 

 tions, but that Philadelphia is largely 

 to be credited with making it as impor- 

 tant as it is. Whatever has been due to 

 Philadelphia enterprise in the past, cer- 

 tainly this year it would have been a 

 slim affair were it not for tne home ex- 



hibits. Evidently outside people thought 

 it would be a case of carrying coals to 

 Newcastle to take large 'exhibits to com- 

 pete with Philadelphians on their home 

 ground. Several New York houses came 

 over, however, two or three of them with 

 the largest displays they ever had made. 



The trade display has been so large 

 that not since the Milwaukee convention 

 has it all been on one floor. While Hor- 

 ticultural hall is a large builuing, all its 

 rooms were filleii and more space could 

 have been used to advantage. It is a 

 beautiful building and the show made 

 a better general appearance than for 

 several years. David Rust's manage- 

 ment was most efficient. 



Harry Bunyard was sergeant-at-arms 

 and he had a liard job clearing the ex- 

 hibition hall when the hour for opening 

 arrived on Tuesday. After he had shift- 

 ed all the crowd across the street. Broad 

 Street theater was comfortably filled. 

 Viee-president John Westcott called to 

 order and in his characteristic way in- 

 troduced Samuel S. Pennock, president 

 of the Florists' Club of Philadelphia, 

 wlio reail a letter from Governor Stuart. 

 Mr. Westcott then introduced Mayor 

 Keyburn, who delivered an address of 

 welcome whicli, while not as flowery as 

 some the society has listened to, left no 

 doubt of the mayor's sincerity; that 

 Philadelphia was glad to see us he made 

 quite clear. 



W. W. Castle was introduced to re- 

 spond to the mayor and first, on behalf 

 of the S. A. F., presented His Honor 

 with a big bunch of Beauties. Col. Cas- 

 tle is a comparatively recent acquisition, 

 but he is able to voice the sentiments 

 of the society, upon an occasion of this 

 kind, as few of its members can do. The 

 pearly drops of oratory fall from his 

 silver tongue like the mellow notes of 

 the lark upon a glad spring morning. 

 He hails from Boston, called the Hub, 

 but he said he was free to admit thai 

 Philadelphia is the axle of the horti- 

 cultural world. He is a welcome addi- 

 tion to the ranks of our spellbinders. 



President W. J. Stewart, being intro- 



duced, was greeted with hearty applause. 

 He delivered his address, as follows: 



President't Address* 



The occasion which we inaugurate so 

 auspiciously today is a notable eveiit in 

 the life of the organization whose pass- 

 ing years these annual conventions mark. 

 Contemplating the horticultural advance- 

 ment in this country since the founding 

 of the Society of American Florists, we 

 can feel justly proud that in all the high 

 achievements which adorn and signalize 

 this period as one of unprecedented prog- 

 ress in the science and practice of horti- 

 culture this society has had an honorable 

 participation. From the start its roll- 

 book has borne the signatures of the 

 leading spirits in the craft to whose up- 

 lifting it has been pledged, and in what- 

 ever community it has presented itself it 

 has invariably been accorded a welcome 

 and high place in the public esteem. 



Standing here in this fair city, where 

 horticulture has ever been honored and 

 beloved, where from the day of its birth 

 this society has been steadfastly cham- 

 pioned — a community the home of not a 

 few illustrious exponents of our art in 

 the days gone by, a community which 

 can boast horticulturists, florists, plant 

 growers, seed establishments and nurser- 

 ies second to none in the world today, a 

 people wide-awake and enterprising, yet 

 warm-hearted and companionable^here, 

 in this City of Brotherly Love, as 

 we voice our gratitude to the pioneers 

 and extend our hand to the coming gen- 

 eration, we may well stop ajnd take a 

 survey of our field, note conditions as we 

 find them, lay plans and invoke contin- 

 ued success for our society and all that it 

 represents. 



Horticulturists' Mission. 



To clothe the earth with loveliness, to 

 co-operate with Nature in her most beau- 

 tiful functions, to instill into the aflfec- 

 tions of the people an appreciation of our 

 art and zeal for his products and to 

 serve them and gratify this desire is the 

 mission of the horticulturist. The mate- 

 rials in which he deals were once classed 

 among the luxuries of life, but the world 

 is fast coming to recognize them as ne- 

 cessities of healthful and rational living, 

 anil, as this sentiment grows, so also will 

 grow the importance and influence of the 

 horticulturist in the public eye. 



To aid the horticulturist through the 

 influence and power of concentration by 

 tlie gatliering together, molding and as- 

 similating of the concrete wisdom of the 

 many, and to bring the profession to a 

 lively sense of their duties and privileges 

 and a better realization of what is pos- 

 sible through the medium of a well-sup- 

 ported central organization is the task of 

 this society. Its aim and its purpose 

 have ever been to stimulate emulation, to 

 broaden the channels of business, to pro- 

 mote the fraternal spirit, to help the gar- 

 dener and florist in making for himself 

 an honored pofition in the commonwealtli 

 and to inspire the profession with a more 

 correct understanding and better appre- 

 ciation of the nobility of their calling, 

 which, as Downing tells us, "is intrinsic- 

 ally the parent and superior of them all, ' ' 

 because agriculture is the basis of all 

 wealth, and horticulture is the refined es- 

 sence of agriculture. 



Our Land of Promise. 



Agreeably to custom, it becomes my 

 duty to ask your stttention at this time 

 to such suggestions and advice as seem 

 to me sound and wise and conducive to 



