' '^*7a^."^ . ' "=**ir*-;J y >\/ . " S.-'*'^ :Tj%. ". "' TM^t*?*' . '; 



AuauST 29, 1907. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



<^>n.<^^'^'^^'*'l%'|^t9^^<m^n.'^^n.'^'ft.<^^'^vt.^^'n.<^^1*^0'^^ >^'n.'<m'n.ym^ 



SOCIETY OF 

 AMERICAN FLORISTS 





I 



J 



■»fe^s-'K^-Wf^Hfe^>'%fe^ '^♦»%fe'^-%fe<^ife» 



G)nventioii Aftermath. 



The Philadelphia convention of the 

 S. A. F. has passed into history as one 

 of the most successful in the long roll 

 of its twenty-two predecessors. The at- 

 tendance was at least as large as any to 

 date and the weather, except for the 

 rain at Dreer's and a shower Friday 

 evening, was perfect. No summer resort 

 could have afforded more suitable tem- 

 peratures than did this city of Brotherly 

 Love and much maligned August 

 weather. While it was a little warm in 

 the middle of the day, it was nothing 

 like the historic weather at Dayton last 

 year, and each night was cool. 



The hospitality of Philadelphians is 

 proverbial, but upon this occasion they 

 outdid themselves. The entertainment 

 was lavish; there was something doing 

 every minute, and not only did the enter- 

 tainment committee do its duty, and 

 more, but the firms and individuals ex- 

 erted themselves to provide for the com- 

 fort and pleasure of the visitors. One 

 could hardly ask where any desired thing 

 was to be had without having some 

 Philadelphian insist on getting it for 

 him. 



It was gratifying to see so much in- 

 terest taken in the business meetings of 

 the society. While no radical steps were 

 taken, the interest was keen and the at- 

 tendance, if anything, increased from day 

 to day. The debate at times verged 

 upon the acrimonious, but such a thing 

 was a call for John Westcott or E. V. 

 Hallock, choice spirits that they are, to 

 pour oil upon the troubled waters, and 

 all wont once more merry as a marriage 

 bell, with the bond of good-fellowship 

 once more cemented, and more firmly 

 than before. John Westcott 's annual 

 love-feast took place in Horticultural hall 

 Thursday evening. To it were invited 

 the officers, ex-presidents, the bowlers 

 and the newspaper men. 



National Flower Show. 



At the session Thuri^day evening, W. 

 F. Kasting, chairman of the committee 

 on national flower show, made a report. 

 He stated that a guarantee fund of $10,- 

 490 has been raised by the committee of 

 fifty, the premium list has been pre- 

 pared and all is in readiness for the fall 

 show in Chicago in 1908. He stated 

 that the reason the schedule had not 

 been printed was the desire to get an 

 expression of opinion on the advisability 

 of changing the date to March, to get a 

 greater variety of exhibits and to get 

 away from the political excitement in 

 November. Many members expressed a 

 preference for a spring show, but .the 

 Chicago people, who will be charged with 

 the bulk of the work and who best know 

 the possibilities in Chicago, spoke for 

 November. On motion it was left en- 

 tirely to the committee's discretion to 

 adhere to or amend the original plan. 



An important ruling was made in this 

 connection. John Burton wanted to 

 know if, having last year instructed the 

 committee to proceed, the society was at 



liberty to upset its arrangements at any 

 time by taking fresh action. President 

 Stewart ruled that it could do so. H. B. 

 Beatty- appealed from the decision of the 

 chair, but on motion of John G. Esler 

 the chair was sustained. 



Mr. Kasting stated that the tentative 

 premium list would be supplied to the 

 trade papers and requested anyone who 

 can suggest an improvement to do so 

 at once, before the committee finally 



tering the new variieties by originators' 

 descriptions be continued and that in 

 addition a certificate of registration be 

 issued for all new plants of approved 

 merit. It was recommended that the 

 country be divided into sections, one 

 for each horticultural center, and that 

 where character of the plant is such 

 that the committee on nomenclature can- 

 not determine its merit without seeing 

 it growing, the district committee shall 

 make such examination and report. 



On motion of P. O'Mara, who said 

 that on a single reading of the commit- 

 tee's recommendations it was difficult to 

 foresee the final result of such a plan, 

 but that he nevertheless favored its trial, 

 the society instructed the executive com- 

 mittee to put its provisions into opera- 

 tion. 



Butinesi Methods. 



Several times during the convention 

 the subject was brought up of a change 



George "W, McClure. 



(Elected Vice-pteaident of the S. A. F. at the Philadelphia Convention.) 



adopts the schedule. Address W. F. 

 Kasting, Buffalo, N. Y. 



Plant Regiftratioa. 



Peter Bisset reported a plan for a 

 change in the department of plant regis- 

 tration which the committee on nomen- 

 clature hopes will result in making the 

 department of real value to introducers of 

 novelties and to the trade. It was recom- 

 mended that the present form of regis- 



in the society's business methods. The 

 debate became warm at several stages, 

 for to many minds the desire for a 

 change was regarded as implying per- 

 sonal criticism, a wholly unwarranted 

 view. The constitution and by-laws tie 

 the society up very tightly in the matter 

 of power to make appropriations, too 

 tightly, many think, where the society 

 meets but once a year, and the board 

 of directors no more frequently. Some 



