THE GAIIDE^ERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA 
449 
iiiatically Iji I'oiiie vico-prcsiileiits of tlie Natiuiial Association on 
tlioir eUciioM to tho local otlico is not legarilcd [iractical by your 
coniniittct', for a man may prove a most poinilar president of his 
local society and yet J^o^sess no (jnalitications to tit him foi' the 
dntics that may !»■ imposed on liim in an active co-operative 
movement as an executive of the National Association. 
It was proposed that the Service Bureau of tlie association 
should be placed under the direct control of the ditl'erent local 
gardeners' societies. Though this may be practical, as was 
elainud, in European countries, where the territory is confined, 
in this country it would not prove so, for in such an expansive 
territory there must be a central operating source in control ol 
sucli a service. There are, however, many ways that the local 
societies can advantaiieously co-ojierate with a national service 
bureau which could be properly worked out under the acts of 
the co-operative movement. 
The establishment of a benetit fund for widows and orphans, 
deserving members in distress, and for other similar purposes 
was proposed. In your committee's opinion such an undertaUing 
would be inadvisable, for an association operating an insurance 
benefit order must secure a charter for that purpo.se, maintain a 
substantial reserve, and come luider the jurisdiction of drastic life 
insurance laws. The numagenu'nt of such a department would 
entail nuich detail and expense and would jdace great responsi- 
bility on the association. On the other haiul, tlie regularly or- 
ganized insurance companies today ofl'er policies which cover 
nearly every phase of disability and provide other benefits at 
premiums that cannot be competed with by outside organizations 
for any length of tinu'. 
The proposal that the country be divided into districts in 
which quarterly meetings may be held by delegates representing 
the ditlcrcnt local socii'tii's within those districts for tlie purpose 
of co-operating with the National Association should have favor- 
able consideration at this time, as it appears to offer the best 
solution so far submitted to bring a national co-operative move- 
ment between the Gardeners' National Association and the local 
societies into actual being. At these quarterly meetings op- 
portunities v.ill be provided to thrash out the problems confront- 
ing the jirofession whether of national or local import. 
Heports of the proceedings of these meetings, forwarded to the 
secretary of the National A.-<soeiatiiui to be publislied in suitable 
form for distribution among the local societies, ]iarticipating in 
the co-operative movement, would furnish interesting data for 
general discussion at the meetings, and in this way the members 
would be kept in constant touch with the progress of the pro- 
fession and the doings of those engaged in it in all parts of 
the country. Affairs of national scope pertaining to the profes- 
sion can be referred to the annual convention of the National 
Association with such recomnu'iidations accomjianying them as 
the local organization may propose for consideration. 
Through tliese co-opeiative meetings ideas will evolve tliat can 
be put into practice to furtlicr the cause of the gardener locally 
and nationally. 
Your committee recommends that the secretary be instructed 
to comnninicate with the diU'crent local societies throughout the 
country to enlist their interest in the district meetings as ]>ro- 
posed, and that the National Co-operative Committee be em- 
powered, if a sufficient number of favorable responses are re- 
ceived, to place this plan in operation as the first step towards 
secviring a more united affiliation between the different gar- 
deners' associations. 
The National Co-operative Committee. 
THOMAS W. HEAD. 
THEODORE WIRTH, 
JAMES STUART, 
MARTIN C. EBEL. 
MR. HEAD: The committee recommends that tlic secretary be 
instructed to commnnicate with dilVerent local societies through- 
out the country, to enlist tlieir interest in ilistrict meetings; has 
proposed tlurt National Co-operative Committee be empowered to 
place the co-operative movement in force if responses warrant it. 
A motion made that report be received and that recommenda- 
tions be adopted was carried. 
COiVIMITTEE ON REVISION OF BY-LAWS. 
Your ciimniittee, after very carefully considering the existing 
By-Laws of the National Association of Gardeners, are unalile to 
recommend more than trilling changes. 
Our recommendations are as follows: 
ARTia^E I— 
The committee, after very carefully considering this article, 
was uiuilile to suggest anything which would broaden it or 
strengthen it. 
ARTICLE 2, Section 2— 
Amend to read as follows: Active members shall be composed 
of those actually engage;! in the jirofession of gardening, viz.: 
head and assistant ganleners, and shall include superintendents 
of private estates, parks and cemeteries. 
ARTICLE .3, Section 1 — 
As amended at annual convention LU.'i reading as fidhiws: 
"The annual dues for active and associate nn'mlier^ shall be two 
dollars a j'ear. Due and payable on rjaiuu\ry 1 of each year. 
Members in arrears of dues for more than one year shall be sus- 
pended and cannot be reinstated to good standing in the asso- 
ciation luitil their indebtedness to it is paid." 
ARTICLE 4, Section I — 
The question of reducing the nvnnber of ilirectors was consid- 
ered, but it was deemed best to leave the number as at present 
in order to give wider representation and insure a better number 
at the quarterly meetings. 
ARTICI.E 5, Section I, Section 3, Section 4— 
We would suggest that the word monej's would be better used 
than monies. 
WILLIAM N. CRAIG, 
ROBERT CAMERON, 
JOHN W. EVERITT, 
JOHN F. JOHNSTON. 
MR. HEAD: You have heard the recommendations. What 
action would you care to take on these? 
MR. JENSEN: I would like jiermission of the convention that 
each section be voted on separately. 
MR. HEAD: Article 2, Section 2, will be amended to read as 
follows : 
''Active members shall be composed of those actually engaged 
in the profession of gardening, namely, head and assistant gar- 
deners, and shall also include superintendents of private estates, 
parks and cemeteries. Active members shall have exclusive con- 
trol of the management of the affairs of the Association, and 
shall alone have voting power." 
ilR. HI'^AD: Article 3, Section 1, to read as amended: "The 
annual dues for active members and associate members shall be 
$2 a year, due and payable on January 1 of each year. Members 
in arrears of dues for more than one year shall be suspended and 
cannot be reinstated to good standing in the association until their 
indebtedness to it is paid." 
MR. JENSEN: I would like to make an amendment to this 
amendment, that the $2 be made $3. 
MR. HEAD: The amendment is to change it to ,$3. I have read 
this as amended in 101.5, just as it is in the By-Laws. Now, 1 
will read to you as it is. and there has been an amendment to raise 
it to $3. And there is an amendment to that amendment to keep 
it as it is, $2. 
After nuich discussion pro and con, and a strong argument by 
Mr. Head in favor of raising dues, he asked a vote on the amend- 
ment to the amendment, which provided for dues to be left at $2. 
O)iposition unanimous. 
Vote on amendment providing for raising dues to .$3 was then 
carried uiuinimously. 
Mr. Jensen suggested an amendment covering sustaining mem- 
bers, saying many employers would like to aid the organization; 
proposed the establishment of a sustaining membership with dues 
of $\0 per year, which members should have no voting power. 
Mr. .Jensen then moved sustaining memliers shall consist of 
estate owners and others interested in ornamental horticulture, 
who shall hove no voting power, dues to be ,$10 a year. 
A motion to adopt the above as ])art of By-Laws carried. 
MR. CAilERON; I should like to nuike another amendment to 
-Article 6, which reads: "The annual convention shall be held each 
year during the first week of December, if practical." I have 
found for several years that the meeting of this Association has 
come too late in the year. We come a thousand miles here, and 
nothing to see outdoors. Two months ahead, a gardener would 
enjoy it more, and we could get more members. I suggest we 
make it the first week in October instead of first week in Decem- 
ber, and that this be made an amendment. 
Article 6, as amended, reads: "The annual convention shall be 
held each year during the first week of October, if practical. The 
exact date of the convention and the meeting place shall be 
decided by ballot at the summer meeting of the Executive Board. 
Twenty-five members shall constitute a meeting at the annual 
convention." 
Jlotion made and seconded that the above amendment be 
passed. Motion carried. 
Next Meeting Place. 
MR. EBEL: The Association was invited to hold the 1018 con- 
vention in Pittsburgh, and voted in favor of it. I have just 
received this telegram: "Gardeners in this section not in favor of 
convention in Pittsburgh this year. May not be represented at 
Chicago. Barnet Sewickley." This gives us due notice that the 
convention is iuit desired in Pittsburgh next year. 
^IR. AVEEKS: Those of you who read the Good Book know that 
the Almighty on one occasion wanted to speak to one of His 
men; that first there came an earthquake, but the man did not 
hear. He said he did not hear, and then there was a mighty 
throbbing wind, and still the man did not hear the voice of his 
Maker; and then there came a still small voice, and then the 
man heard. Yesterday morning, l>efore it was yet light, there 
was a still small delegation at one of the stations at Cleveland 
