44 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



August 18, 1910. 



many jirosidonts who have preceded me, 

 and, while u j^reat deal has been ae- 

 comjdishcd in the past by those who 

 have occupied this office, we all admit 

 that we do not have as many members 

 in our society as we sliould have. There 

 are many who do not fully realize what 

 a great benefit the Society of American 

 Florists really is, and what good a 

 society of earnest workers can accom- 

 plish with the proper support. I be- 

 lieve it is the duty of every man in the 

 business to belong to our national or- 

 ganization. 



Life Fee and Annual Dues. 



In regard to the recommendation of 

 the executive committee fixing the life 

 membership fee at $50, I expressed my- 

 self at length on this subject at the last 

 convention. I believe that $50 is none 

 too much for a life membership in our 

 national organization. Many local clubs 

 and smaller societies charge as much as 

 this, or more. The right way to suc- 

 ceed is not to (jiteaSfen the Jrife mem- 

 bership, but to increase tli«--^lue of the 

 organization, so thatirman will be will- 

 ing to pay almost any price for mem- 

 l)ership in the society. 



Further, 1 believe that the annual 

 dues might well be increased from $3 

 to $5. It seems to me that $5 is little 

 enough for a membership in our so- 

 ciety. Now, every member attending 

 a convention gets more than $5 worth 

 of entertainment alone, to say nothing 

 about the other benefits derived there- 

 from. A member of the society who 

 pays his annual dues of $5 for ten 

 years consecutively might be made a 

 life member, allowing the payment of 

 further dues to cease. I think that an 

 inducement such as this would prevent 

 a great many from allowing their mem- 

 bership to lapse, as has been the case 

 frequently in the past. 



1 would also recommend for your con- 

 sideration that any member of the so- 

 ciety, to be eligible to the presidency, 

 should have first served on the board of 

 <lireptors. My reason for this is that 

 such a man, if elected to the presidency, 

 would have familiarized himself with 

 the detail work of the society and 

 would, consequently, be better equipped 

 to act as the chief executive officer of 

 the society. 



The National Flower Show. 



I wish to call the attention of the 

 members to the most important event 

 of the year, namely, the organization 

 of the National Flower Show, which is 

 to be held in Boston next spring. A 

 guarantee fund of over $10,000 has been 

 raised; Mechanics Hall — the finest hall 

 in the city of Boston — has been leased; 

 a manager and secretary have been en- 

 gaged, and everything points to a suc- 

 cessful show. 



The first national flower show was a 

 great success, but the second, which is 

 to be held in Boston next spring, is the 

 most ambitious project that has ever 

 been attempted in this country, and I 

 believe that every live florist should en- 

 deavor to attend this exhibition, as it 

 undoubtedly will be the finest show of 

 flowering plants that has ever been 

 gathered together in the United States 

 at one time. No effort will be spared 

 to make this a magnificent exhibition. 

 Premiums aggregating over $10,000 

 will be offered. There is no place in 

 the country where such a magnificent 

 collection of plants can be gathered as 

 in the vicinity of Boston, and I ask the 



hearty support of every member of the 

 national organization to make this ex- 

 hibition a red letter day in the annals 

 of horticulture in this country. 



I have to congratulate the society on 

 the splendid exiiibition in Convention 

 hall at this time. The value of these 

 trade exhibits to the society cannot be 

 overestimated, as they are of great edu- 

 cational, as well as financial, benefit. I 

 want to express to the Chamber of 

 Commerce of the city of Rochester at 

 this time, on behalf of the Society of 

 American Florists, our appreciation of 

 the magnificent building which has been 

 tendered to the society without cost. 

 I think you will all agree with me that 

 we have never had finer facilities at 

 any of our conventions. 



I wish, also, to congratulate the so- 

 ciety on the splendid attendance at 

 this convention. The vice-presidents 

 should be commended for the splendid 

 work that they have done in bringing 

 here such a large representation as we 

 see here today. 



In conclusion, let me urge every mem- 

 ber of the society to feel that our fu- 

 ture success depends, not so much upon 

 the officers elected from time to time, 

 as upon the individual effort of each 

 member. Looking back over the last 

 twenty-five years of horticulture in this 

 country, one cannot help but feel proud 

 of the progress that has been made in 

 our profession; and amid such auspi- 

 cious circumstances as we find surround- 

 ing us today, we should be inspired to 

 greater effort, that the history of the 

 next quarter century may record even 

 greater progress. 



CANADIAN FLORISTS MEET. 



Officers Elected. 



At its successful thirteenth annual 

 convention, held at St. Catherines, Cut.. 

 August 10 to 12, the Canadian Horti- 

 cultural Association elected the follow 

 ing officers for the ensuing year: 



President — J. Connon, Hamilton 

 Ont. 



First vice-president — Alfred Wilshiro, 

 Montreal, Que. 



Second vice-president — K. L. Dunn. 

 St. Catherines, Ont. 



Secretary — W. C. Hall, Montreal. 

 Que. 



Treasurer — C. H. Janzen, Berlin, Ont. 



Executive committee — H. B. Cowan. 

 Peterboro; Walter Must on, Davis ville; 

 H. J. Mepstead, Ottawa. 



Member nomenclature committee — 

 Wm. Hunt, Guelph. 



The Tariff. 



A large part of the time of the con- 

 vention was taken up by the discussion 

 of the Canadian tariff on stock im- 

 ported by florists, and of the regulations 

 regarding the inspection of nursery 

 stock and plants. In the matter of 

 rates of duty the secretary had sent 

 each member a blank, asking him to 

 write down his views covering each 

 article.' With the replies as a basis, tiic 

 committee had sought to average the 

 opinion and had prepared a schedule 

 recommending that cut flowers, greens 

 (smilax and asparagus), rose plants, 

 carnations and cuttings, bedding plants, 

 stove plants, ferns, cannas and gladioli, 



F. J. Keller. 



(ChalnnaD Committee on DeooratiODs.) 



