IdABCH 26. 1908. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



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THE AMERICAN 



ROSE SOCIETY 



OFHCERS ELECTED. 



President, Aus:ust Poehlmann, CIiicas:o, III. 



Vice-president, William F. Kasting, Buffalo, N. Y. 



Secretary, Benjamin Hammond, Fishkill, N. Y. 



Treasurer, Harry O. May, Summit, N. J. 

 Members Executive Committee: Philip Breitmeyer, Detroit; A. Farenwald, Hillside, Pa. 



MEETING PLACE FOR 1909, BUFFALO, N. Y. 



Adolph Farenwald says that the spe- 

 cial feature of the exhibition of the 

 American Rose Society on at Chicago 

 this week is the notable success which 

 has attended the efforts of the Philadel- 

 phia exhibitors, and possibly the other 

 modest gentlemen from the City of 

 Brotherly Love will agree with him, but 

 in the eyes of western growers, magnifi- 

 cent as are the flowers from Philadel- 

 phia, the most wonderful features of the 

 show are two superb vases of Killarney 

 staged by W, H. Elliott, of Brighton, 

 Mass. Chicago growers thought they 

 had mastered the needs of Killarney, but 

 they were unanimous in the opinion that 

 they have yet something to learn. Mr. 

 Elliott's Richmond, while excellent in 

 every particular, did not outclass those 

 locally grown or from Philadelphia. 



The exhibition as a whole is the larg- 

 est display of commercial roses ever 

 staged in this country. How far it ex- 

 ceeds the meeting of last year, when 

 conditions were entirely different, is 

 shown by the fact that last year there 

 was but one exhibit of Beauties, while in 

 one class this season there were nine en- 

 tries of fifty blooms each. Eight were 

 staged, the fine flowers of the Florex 

 Gardens, Philadelphia, not arriving until 

 after the judging had been done. There 

 are several classes for Beauties, with 

 entries in each one. 



It was notable that the growers did 

 not enter for the society's stated prizes, 

 the competition being for the special 

 prizes arranged for locally. Neariy every 

 one of these was competed for and a 

 grander lot of stock never was staged, 

 but one feature of previous exhibitions 

 was lacking: the large pot plants were 

 not in evidence. M. H. Walsh, of Woods 

 iiole, Mass., who has contributed most 

 ? t'l^se in previous years, thought a trip 

 to Chicago too long. There was no entry 

 tor the Breitmeyer-Boddington prizes. 



Aside from the attention attracted by 

 the superlative quality of certain exhib- 

 its, the special features of interest were 

 the new roses. Wyndmoor, which won 

 two silver trophies for Myers & Samt- 

 man, was well liked. Western growers 

 have^seen Mrs. Jardine, exhibited by Rob- 

 ert fecott & Son, on several previous oc- 

 casions but the flowers shown this week 

 were the best yet sent west. E. G. Hill 

 < 0. staged a vase of Rhea Reid, now well 

 Known to Chicago growers. Against it 

 ^•a« Cardinal, by Poehlmann, but the two 

 are really not in the same class. Mrs 

 i-ottor Palmer and Mrs. Marshall Field 



were shown in good shape, each winning 

 a special prize. 



Julius Roehrs Co., Rutherford, N. J., 

 sent a fine display of its new Rambler, 

 Newport Fairy. E. Wienhoeber said it 

 was one of the finest things from a re- 



August Poehlmann. 



(President-elect Anicriean Rose Society.) 



tailer's point of view that he had seen 

 in a long time. 



/•"^^ American Rose Society convened 

 March 25 for its annual business meet- 

 ing. The first order of business was the 

 reports of officers. 



President's Report. 



After reference to the successful meet- 

 ing at Washington last year, and refer- 

 ence to the importance of Chicago as the 

 city * ' where more roses are grown and 

 distributed wider than from any other 

 center in this country," coupled with 

 thanks to the Chicago florists for their 

 hospitality, President Simpson said in 

 part: 



In seeking to make recruits to our or- 

 ganization one frequently hears the re- 

 mark, ''What is the use of having so 

 many societies, anyway, and what benefit 

 would it be to me if I should join the 

 American Rose Society?" The only an- 

 swer that I can give is that practically 

 every grower of repute who has had his 

 attention called to the aims and purposes 

 of this organization has become a mem- 

 ber of it, and if we give the matter a 

 little thought we will find that, with a 

 few exceptions, the men who hold aloof 

 are back numbers in the trade. You will 

 find that the brainiest and most pro- 

 gressive men in the business today are 

 members of the Rose, the Carnation, the 

 Chrysanthemum, or some other society 

 devoted to their specialty. An orchid so- 

 ciety is now being projected as a neces- 

 sary adjunct to the orchid business. Read 

 the printed matter on the back of the 

 Rose Society's letter paper and you will 

 find its aim is "To increase the general 

 interest in the cultivation and to improve 

 the standard of excellence of the rose for 

 all the people. " "To foster, stimulate 

 and increase the production in every pos- 

 sible way of improved varieties of the 

 rose suitable to our American climate and 

 requirements." A very noble aim this, 

 surely, and one that should naturally in- 

 ure to the benefit oi every man engaged 

 in the growing or selling of roses f6r a 

 living. 



The annual exhibitions, affording as 

 they do, to raisers of new roses, the best 

 opportunity of getting their novelties be- 

 fore a critical tribunal, and the oppor- 

 tunity offered the searchers for novelties 

 to see these and judge of their merit, are 

 an important feature of the work of such 

 societies, and the man who follows up 

 these exhibitions and has the judgment 

 to discern the good and bad points of 

 both new and old varieties, and will 

 gauge his planting accordingly, discard- 

 ing the varieties that have become old 

 and common and giving space to newer 

 sorts of undoubted merit, is the man who 

 will have money to build more green- 

 houses and buy automobiles. 



Few of the visitors to the Washington 

 or Boston exhibition returned home with- 

 out receiving inspiration to strive for a 

 higher grade of flowers, with a feeling of 

 satisfaction with his calling, and with a 

 determination to add dignity to it, and 

 to make his business stand for something 

 in the community. 



The Rose Society certainly claims a 

 share in the good work of msJcing condi- 

 tions more favorable for the rose grower 

 of today. What has been done up to the 

 present, however, is as nothing compared 

 to the work that lies before it when, with 

 increased membership and available 

 funds, it is in a position to disseminate 

 knowledge that will enable lovers of the 

 rose, and that includes practically every 

 citizen of this country, to plant varieties 

 and cultivate them in such a way as to 

 give joy, and satisfaction to the planter. 

 There will then be sold by the nursery- 

 man and florist for outdoor planting more 

 roses than we can at present conceive of. 

 More has been done during the term 

 of our present secretary to put the so- 



