AOODST 22, 1912. 



The Florists^ Review 



28 



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THE CHICAGO «=«^^;^ 



1 



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CONVENTION^. 



i 



i. 



TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE 



SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS 



BREAKS ALL RECORDS. 



THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE HELD AT MINNEAPOLIS. 



OFFICERS FOR 1913: % 



Pfesident. JOHN K. M. L. FARQUHAR, of Bostoo. 



Vice-president, THEODORE VIRTH, of Minneapolis. 



Secretary, JOHN YOUNG, of New York, N. Y. 



Treasurer, WM. F. KASTING, of Buffalo, N. Y. 



AFTER a lapse of a quarter of a 

 century, the Society of American 

 Florists has this week met again 

 at Chicago, for the twenty-eighth an- 

 nual convention. With a location so 

 favorable, in the heart of the great 

 buying section of the countty) And with 

 the enthusiasm with which Chicago 

 undertook the local arrangements, the 

 » oonvention showed so marked an ad- 

 vrance in size that the society actually 

 found itself for the first time in its his- 

 tory with no city anxious to under- 

 take the task of equaling the magni- 

 tude and interest of the meeting. In 

 •ther words, no city cared to follow 

 Chicago and the society was without 

 aa invitation for 1913. 



As usual, the trade's display was the 

 great attraction. It exceeded all pre- 

 vious records. While the attendance 

 was unusually large, that at the busi- 

 >ess sessions was deplorably small. A 

 •omparison of the illustration in this 

 issue, showing the convention during 

 the opening ceremonies, when the at- 

 tendance usually is the largest of the 

 week, with the illustrations showing 

 the trade's display, will demonstrate 

 the disparity of the two branches of 

 the «ociety'8 work. Unfortunately, a 

 factor which detracted from the attend- 

 ance at the sessions was the miserable 

 acoustic properties of the dance hall 

 ia which the sessions were held; only 

 tfae most leather-lunged could make 

 Memselves heard. 



The essay feature was cut down to 

 a point where there was only one set 

 paper and the sessions were so divided 

 that there was ample time for inspec- 

 tioB of the trade's display, sight-seeing, 

 and visits to the growers' establish- 

 Ments. The business sessions proved 

 fall of interest. While no vital mat- 

 ters were up, the debate, especially on 

 the first day, was probably the most 

 animated even the pioneer members 

 «ver have listened to. The entire mem- 

 bership would have been well repaid 

 hf being present. 



The Opening Formalities. 

 I« the past it has been the practice 



to start the conventions on Tuesday 

 afternoon, but this year August Foehl- 

 mann, chairman of the Allied Trades 



make an address of welcome. Response 

 was by W. J. Vesey, who said that he 

 noted Mr. Payne subscribed to the new 

 beatitude: "Blessed be they who 

 speak briefly, for they shall be called 

 to speak again." Both speakers con 

 fined their remarks to a few graceful 

 sentences, after which Mr. Poehlmann 

 introduced President Vincent, who read 

 his anuual address, a document of 

 nearly 7,000 words, which is printed in 

 another section of this issue. 



Next Meeting Place. 



At the opening session the constitu- 

 tion and by-laws were amended so that 

 the selection of the next meeting place 

 will in future occur on the evening of 

 the first day of the convention. Act- 

 ing under this new rule, consideration 

 of invit;ations for place of meeting in 

 1913 came up at the afternoon session 

 of the first day — but it developed that 

 there was no invitation for next year. 



After a pause in anticipation of an 

 invitation, which was not forthcoming, 

 W. A. Manda said that the society now 

 found itself right where he liked to see 

 it; he did not believe it right to put 

 any city to the work and expense of 

 entertaining so large a body as the so- 

 ciety now brings to its convention; that 

 when we go uninvited there is no obli- 

 gation to do any entertaining what- 

 ever. He said the society and the mem- 

 bers are well able to take care of them- 

 selves and that the limit evidently had 



John K. M. L. Farquhar. 



(Presldont-clect of the Society of American Florists. > 



Committee at Chicago, called for order 

 at the opening session Tuesday morn- 

 ing, introducing John Barton Payne to 



been reached at Chicago. He moved 

 that the 1913 convention be held at 

 Atlantic City, N. J. W. F. Kasting 



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