:?'^n 



■■''>'.'•■./:;>*■' f'.- •■f/^'*^^'>t*r 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



^'^^^■■^■'i-'^^y^ 



Mabch 18, 1909. 



more divine; something in the future 

 superior to what we had heretofore. 



"Here we find the real enthusiast, 

 wrapped in wonder at the progress made 

 in the growing of the queen of flowers, 

 the rose. 



"Who, that has any material interest 

 or love for roses, can help but admire 

 the beautiful specimens arrayed here for 

 our inspection? Who of you, lovers and 

 growers of the rose, but came to this 

 gathering with a certain object, that ob- 

 ject to improve yourself in your chosen 

 profession f 



The Garden Roses. 



"In the matter of outdoor roses and 

 other subjects, so many valuable sugges- 

 tions have been submitted at former con- 

 ventions, which appear in the annual bul- 

 letins, that I hardly know what more to 

 offer. 



"To toy mind, the field for and sale 

 of outdoor roses is unlimited wherever 

 good rose soil is located or obtainable. 



"Study well your varieties, their hab- 

 its, wants, and hardiness, the soils and 

 localities wherein they will thrive best, 

 and then proceed. Comparatively little 

 has been done in this line, when we con- 

 sider the immense, unbounded resources 

 at our hands, and the society's aim, 

 which is: *A rose for every home, a 

 bush for every garden.' 



"This branch of the work is left al- 

 most entirely to the nurserymen, many 

 of whom have established an immense 

 business, and who, like the commercial 

 rose growers, are ever on the alert for 

 something new with which to delight 

 their customers, and thereby advance 

 their own interests. 



"By placing the various roses, best 

 adapted to the different localities, past 

 the experimental stage, where good re- 

 sults are obtained, you will do much to- 

 ward discrediting the doubts and fears 

 of the investing public and create an un- 

 precedented demand. 



"In this connection, it occurred to 

 me that a good way to bring outdoor 

 roses more prominently before the public 

 would be to obtain permission from pub- 

 lic ofiScials to plant plots or individual 

 bushes in public squares, gardens or 

 parks, vrithout charge; showing the name 

 of each variety and of the party who 

 supplied them, in small yet plain letters. 



The New Sorts. 



"One of the principal attractions at 

 these annual exhibitions is to see these 

 new creations of the floral world, these 

 new wonders of the rose kingdom. 



"We see, we like, we buy, we try. 

 They make good, or we lose out. On 

 first failure we may try again. 



"A race horse is good only when he 

 makes good. He may be a good looker, 

 but be out of the running. So with many 

 of our pets. They are relegated to the 

 background if the remuneration is not 

 sufScient. The ambitious grower is 

 never satisfied to leave the trial of new 

 varieties to his neighbor, but will try 

 himself to find a winner. Often these 

 new things turn out pretty hot ones. 

 It is quite natural that there are many 

 disappointments. It cannot be other- 

 wise. One winner, however, will cover 

 the shortcomings of a multitude of raw 

 ones. 



"The breeders, hybridizers and intro- 

 ducers of new roses deserve encourage- 

 ment and support, even if they manage 

 to put one over occasionally. New va- 

 rieties pnt life in the business. Keep on 

 striving for high standards. The trade 

 demands it. I 



"In the cut roses, a number of new 

 delegates are in the field looking for 

 recognition. Notable among these are 

 White Killarney and My Maryland. 

 Both will be extensively grown. The 

 society offers ample reward to its ex- 

 hibitors and deals fairly with all new 

 introductions. 



Disseminating Knowledge. 



"Your various committees have faith- 

 fully attended to and accomplished the 

 work imposed on them. Your secretary 

 in particular was indefatigable and con- 

 scientious in the full performance of his 

 duties, to which I can attest by reason 

 of his voluminous correspondence, and 

 deserves the sincere thanks of this so- 

 ciety. 



"I would like to impress once more 

 on all interested in the sale and culture 

 of outdoor roses the need of disseminat- 

 ing reliable knowledge among the public. 



"During our meetings a number of 

 very instructive essays will be read by 

 men experienced in their lines, and which 

 will be entitled to our careful thought 

 and consideration. The discussion which 

 usually follows will open up new sources 

 of knowledge and give to us new ideas. 

 Of one thing we are certain: we are 

 progressing with the times. Let us for- 

 ever keep on doing so. 



"To further the society's work and 

 aim, we want it to be known that all 

 lovers of the rose are welcome to our 

 ranks. The annual bulletin, which con- 

 tains much valuable information, is pub- 

 lished at considerable expense by the 

 earnestness and care bestowed on the 

 various subjects. To place the society 

 on a solid financial footing, we ask you 

 to be with us. Annual membership dues 

 are $3, life membership $50. 



"To the Buffalo Florists' Club and 

 associates, who have provided the society 

 with workers to carry on this exhibition, 

 and have looked after the society's wel- 

 fare, I vdsh to again express our hearty 

 thanJcs, hoping that each of you feels 

 well repaid by the pleasure it has given 

 us to be with you." 



Secretary's Report 



Secretary Hammond read the minutes 

 of the previous session, which were ap- 

 proved, and he then presented his annual 

 report, which was in part as follows: 



"No society could have a more loyal 

 set of backers than has the American 

 Eose Society. The past year has seen 

 the society sustained by a number of men 

 who claimed the privilege of assisting in 

 meeting the expenses. President August 

 F. Poehlmann has taken the keenest in- 

 terest in affairs. Separated by distance, 

 as a society such as this is, it requires a 

 long view to keep all matters together 

 and moving. 



' * The schedule of prizes has been care- 

 fully revised by the committee appointed 

 by the president, J. N. May, Robert 

 Simpson, Alexander Montgomery, Frank 

 B. Pierson and Bejamin Hammond. The 

 first schedule was made up ten years ago 

 and remained in force until this season. 

 Last November, during the national 

 flower show in Chicago, a general meet- 

 ing of the Eose Society was held, at 

 which time the sum of $350 was pledged 

 by the gentlemen then present as a fund 

 for the prizes to be offered this spring. 

 At that meeting the important matter of 

 ways and means was freely discussed. 

 The offer of medals as prizes of honor 

 was advised and stress was laid on the 

 propriety of making use of the society's 

 medals. The mint of the United States 



at Philadelphia has the society die. 

 There never has been a gold medal struck, 

 the value of which would be determined 

 by its weight when struck. A few silver 

 and bronze medals were once made. 

 These have been distributed, except one 

 bronze medal. 



"The secretary would suggest as one 

 practical way to largely extend the use- 

 fulness and membership of this society 

 that one silver and one bronze medal be 

 offered as a rose prize to local horticul- 

 tural societies, to be known as the Amer- 

 ican Eose Society's prize, for the best 

 display of roses without regard to va- 

 riety at the local show, but that each 

 society applying for the same shall have 

 at least one regular and two associate 

 members of the American Eose Society. 

 This idea is advanced as the outcome of 

 the discussion at the meeting referred to 

 above. To put this to an available test 

 I am authorized by a gentleman to say 

 that he will pay for six silver and six 

 bronze medals to be used as a start in 

 this direction to popularize our society. 



"President Poehlmann, in response to 

 a request by interested parties, has ap- 

 pointed a committee to pass upon the im- 

 portant matter of registration of new 

 roses. The chairman of that committee 

 is ex-President Eobert Simpson. This 

 committee would give us prestige as a 

 regular standing committee, as large in- 

 terests may come before it for considera- 

 tion. 



* ' The annual bulletin of the society was 

 issued after the close of the calendar year 

 1908, thus bringing all business up to the 

 year 's end. This book tells its own story. 

 The cost of it was a little more than 

 half covered by the advertisements fur- 

 nished by a few at the rate of $10 for 

 each page. Without the least taint of 

 discourtesy the secretary would bring a 

 matter to notice : That is, a request that 

 when a prize is offered in money, it 

 be sent in as soon as possible and, fur- 

 thermore, if named for a special purpose 

 and not so won, it may revert at once to 

 the general fund to make good the total 

 amount always required for the regular 

 prize list. 



"Our life membership has not in- 

 creased the last year. Our invested fund 

 has, however, reached the total of $2,950 

 in the hands of our eflScient treasurer, 

 Harry O. May. We have tried to keep 

 in touch with each of our members on 

 record, but so far the responses to the 

 annual due bills have not been as full as 

 desirable. 



"At the last annual meeting the sub- 

 ject of a rose journal was one of moment. 

 The tentative effort to start it into be- 

 ing, with the cost defrayed by an adver- 

 tising card, was sidetracked by the propo- 

 sition to launch and support it by sub- 

 scription for a year as a trial. This 

 plan never materialized. In the mean- 

 time the Gardeners' Chronicle has of- 

 fered to give a magazine page each issue 

 for the use of the American Eose Society 

 as its popular paper. I hold a little 

 money sent in for the rose journal pro- 

 ject, which will be returned." 



Treasurer't Report. 



Treasurer Harry O. May made the fol- 

 lowing report of the financial affairs of 

 the society for the year ending March 12, 

 1909: 



EecelptB |2,1S2.07 



Dlsbanements 1,888.M 



To balance on band f 188.14 



"In addition to the above general ac- 

 count, four life members have joined the. 

 society, making a total of fifty-nine. The 



