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42 



The Florists^ Review 



AnousT 22, 1912. 



limit of which should be placed at not 

 less than 3^000. 



Annual Dues and Membership. 



Although membership in this society 

 is probably worth more today than 

 when it was originated, I do not be- 

 lieve that either the membership fee 

 or the life membership fee should be 

 increased; not, at least, until we have 

 more inducement to offer prospective 

 members. The most important point 

 I have to make is in regard to regula- 

 tion of membership: I urge that this 

 society pass a rule whereby new mem- 

 bers proposed must have the endorse- 

 ment of the vice-presidents -of their 

 respective states or of their florists' 

 dubs, or of two members of the S. A. 

 F. in good standing, before their appli- 

 cation is granted by the society; this 

 to be through its secretary or a mem- 

 bership committee. 



Increase in Membership. 



Much has been said with regard to 

 increasing our membership, but actu- 

 ally little has been done toward that 

 end. Several of our members have dis- 

 tinguished themselves by bringing in 

 many new members, but, taken as a 

 whole, the majority have made *no 

 great effort to influence others to join 

 with us. One need not seek far to 

 ascertain the reasons for this passive 

 condition. With all that has been said 

 and done in the matter, the fact re- 

 mains that until quite recently our 

 society held one big meeting once a 

 year, and when that theeiting adjourned 

 the society was practically dead for 

 the next eleven months and three 

 weeks! The institution of the biennial 

 National Flower Show has already 

 worked considerable change in this 

 apathetic condition, and a few further 

 live moves in the right direction on the 

 part of our society will materially alter 

 the condition of indifference to the S. 

 A. F. prevailing among the trade at 

 large. When we make membership 

 sufficiently attractive to the pocket- 

 books of our fellow florists, we shall 

 obtain their adhesion, not spasmod- 

 ically at each city visited, as has been 

 the case in past* years, but for keeps, 

 just as a live trade paper holds its 

 circulation. 



Annual Convention Date. 



The subject of holding our annual 

 conventions at the same time as the 

 spring flower show created a lively de- 

 bate at our meeting in Baltimore last 

 August, and those in favor of holding 

 the convention in the month of August 

 had the better of the argument. Inas- 

 much as it is absolutely impossible to 

 do convention work while a great 

 flower show is in progress, this fact 

 being fully demonstrated at our last 

 National Flower Show held in Boston, 

 when it was found impractical to bring 

 our members together for a business 

 session, although they were present in 

 great force all through the week, it 

 would seem just as well that this soci- 

 ety continue its August meetings as 

 heretofore. ■>' 



Affiliation of Societies. 



It is useless to further attempt to 

 disguise facts. The society in its early 

 days committed its first tactical error 

 in not assuming the paternity of the 

 Florists' Hail Association, and it has 

 gone on from year to year disregarding 

 the requirements of its specialists in 



all lines until today we have strong 

 societies which, in the value of their 

 work and the influence they wield, are 

 nearly at par with the work done by 

 the so-called parent body, the 8. A. F. 

 More discussion has been offered on 

 the matter of closer relationship than 

 possibly on any other subject, at our 

 various meetings for the last ten years 

 or so; yet, with it all, not one step in 

 advance has been made to clear the 

 situation or bring about the desired 

 ends until the present year. Prospects 

 are now; brighter and, if a good work- 

 ing committee can be gotten together 

 during this convention, results may 

 follow. 



There is no doubt in my mind that 

 the most active of our societies will 

 continue each under its own autonomy. 

 Societies such as the Carnation, the 

 Sose, the Qladiolus, the Sweet Pea, 

 even the Peony, will each continue on 

 its way, fixing their several policies to 

 suit the needs of the hour and enlarg- 

 ing their organizations and scope as 

 the years go by. In great part the men 

 who are prominent in these societies 

 are the men who are prominent in the 

 S. A. F., and it must be said of these 

 men that they are just as loyal to the 

 old S. A. F. as they are to the separate 

 societies in which they take so active 

 an interest. It is for the reasons afore- 

 said that every plan of affiliation 

 which has heretofore been brought for- 

 ward has been laid on the table. There 

 must, however, be some common 

 ground on which these societies can 

 come together in order to form that 

 strong, compact body of horticultural 

 interests which could produce far more 

 good for the business than is possible 

 through the efforts of isolated groups 

 and separate organizations. I ask the 

 most thorough consideration of the 

 plans, which will be presented on this 

 floor with that object in view, the re- 

 sult of a "get together" meeting held 

 in this city. 



With regard to the affiliation of the 

 purely local horticultural societies 

 throughout the country, we think the 

 way should be made easy whereby 

 these may become affiliated with our 

 society. It is for this convention to 

 decide as to whether it would be in 

 opposition to an attempt to form an 

 amateur section of the S. A. F.; our 

 constitution and by-laws and our 

 national charter make provision for 

 the admission of all interested in horti- 

 culture. I ask the privilege of appoint- 

 ing a committee to formulate plans to 

 that effect, said committee to report to 

 this convention in 1913. The admis- 

 sion of local horticultural societies 

 should place no additional burden on 

 the funds of this society, while much 

 mutual benefit would result. The soci- 

 ety itself would become better known 

 locally throughout the country, while 

 the amateur societies represented could 

 have the assistance and advice of the 

 society's officers whenever they were 

 required. The S. A. F. could also afford 

 to contribute silver and bronze medals 

 to the various shows conducted by the 

 affiliated amateur societies, could pro- 

 vide a uniform constitution and by- 

 laws, scale for point judging, and rules 

 for show handling among those affil- 

 iated. A feature of the affiliation 

 should be that officials or members of 

 the S. A. F. be in official evidence at 

 all exhibitions of the societies, an easy 

 detail to provide for on account of our 

 universal membership. 



With regard to the florists' elsbs 

 throughout the country, the question 

 of the affiliation of these is the aext 

 most important to that of the affilia- 

 tion of the various larger societies 

 mentioned. Can we not offer repre- 

 sentation to these clubs on a basis that 

 would be satisfactory to both contract- 

 ing parties? The individual florist 

 clubs form the backbone of the 8. A. 

 F. and deserve better recognition. The 

 same committed appointed to take up 

 the affiliation of the local horticultural 

 societies could also consider this 

 proposition. 



How to Bring About Affiliation. 



Some of the lines on which our soei- 

 eties might be brought together and 

 affiliated with the S. A. F. are as 

 follows: 



Liberty to join or resign — in efteet 

 state sovereignty and home rule. 



Affiliation along coopevative lines. 



Season for affiliation being that 

 there is strength in unitj:. 



Each society to be represented in the 

 S. A. F. directorate. 



S. A. F. to exercise the functions of 

 our federal government. 



In the publication of an annual, each 

 affiliated society could pay its pro- 

 portionate expense of publication, tak- 

 ing as well a certain proportion of the 

 copies printed. 



Attendance at Meetings. 



We most certainly need a reform is 

 this direction. It is scant courtesy to 

 ask a gentleman to prepare a paper on 

 some special feature of interest and 

 then have him lecture to a beggarly 

 array of benches. If the members will 

 not remain in session to hear the 

 essays, we should eliminate them from 

 our programs, and confine ourselves 

 entirely to the matters of business 

 which are presented for our considera- 

 tion. In fact, it has often occurred to 

 me that while in former days, when 

 there were no trade journals to rely 

 upon, the presentation of essays was 

 most advisable, in these days such 

 papers are not so necessary as a part 

 of our meetings, unless they be con- 

 nected with some special feature of the 

 business which calls for elucidation or 

 discussion. Subjects selected should be 

 confined to those which appeal to the 

 entire membership, for a carnation 

 grower does not care to listen to a 

 paper on roses, a rose grower to one on 

 general gardening principles, and so 

 on. Papers on cultural topics can well 

 be confined to the societies which 

 represent one phase of our business. 



The Convention Exhibition. 



Here we can report satisfactory 

 progress. The recent action of the 

 executive committee, which has brought 

 about the long advocated change to the 

 effect that the receipts of the exhibi- 

 tion belong to the society, has met 

 with unqualified success. The further 

 supervision of the exhibitions by the 

 society's secretary is another step in 

 the right direction. The surplus receipts 

 from this and other sources could well 

 go toward the maintenance of our re- 

 quired headquarters. On account of 

 the value of these exhibitions to the 

 trade at large, it does seem advisable 

 that our conventions should be held in 

 cities of large population. The trade 

 exhibition is of more interest to the 

 average attendant than any other fea- 

 ture of our conventions, and its ievsl- 



