126 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
bilities for activity, representing as they 
do, the needs of almost 145 separate and 
differing communities. 
The state organization has a State 
Chairman for each and every department 
of work possible to any club, and there 
are nineteen of these chairmen, with still 
others at the head of special committees, 
such as the Committee on Moving Pic¬ 
tures, etc. Of course, no one club tries 
to do nineteen kinds of work. Some are 
strictly literary clubs, some are musical 
only; others are civic clubs, still others 
are mothers' clubs; some emphasize home 
economics, others, educational work, 
equal suffrage, philanthropy, social ser¬ 
vice, public health, library work, rug and 
general art weaving, needlecraft, bas¬ 
ketry, and so on through an infinite va¬ 
riety. Some clubs follow a single line 
of work; many follow several, and are 
divided into departments ranging from 
two to thirteen in number. 
Out of the entire 145 clubs, 85, with 
possibly 4 or 5 more of the new clubs 
whose scope is not fully known, are doing 
civic work; and while the first civic im¬ 
pulse is, undoubtedly, to “clean up,” the 
second is, just as surely, “to plant and 
beautify.” 
In the Federation edition of The Tam¬ 
pa Times, published a few weeks ago, 
considerable space was devoted to a col¬ 
lection of opinions, under the heading: 
“The Most Valuable Work Our Club 
Has Done,” “by The Club Presidents.” 
It is interesting to note the frequency 
with which statements like this appear: 
“The most valuable work our club has 
done, has been working for a city park.” 
“Planting shade trees,” “Improving rail¬ 
road station grounds,” “Planting trees 
and shrubs around a city monument,” 
“Holding our annual fruit and flower 
show,” “Planting ornamentals along the 
Dixie Highway,” etc., etc. 
Several clubs report commendable im¬ 
provement work in the local cemeteries, 
the Cycadia Cemetery Association of 
Tarpon Springs, which owes much to the 
capable management of Mrs. J. C. Beek- 
man, a past president of the Federation, 
perhaps leading along this particular line. 
School yards come in for attention; also 
church properties, and the grounds 
around all sorts of public buildings. 
Club women are not exclusive in their 
labor, but give gladly of their strength 
wherever a need is manifest; if the 
town council or the county commission¬ 
ers, or the chamber of commerce graci¬ 
ously co-operate, as, fortunately, they 
generally do, so much the better, but the 
women have been known to produce 
gratifying results in the face of seem¬ 
ingly overwhelming odds. 
The materials used in this state-wide 
planting show a correspondingly wide 
range, since this beautiful Florida of ours 
offers a diversification of soil and climate 
that not only admit of, but demands a 
marvelous variety. And clubs are show¬ 
ing their wisdom, by making use of that 
growth which thrives best in each partic¬ 
ular locality. Some are using the na¬ 
tive oak, others, the camphor tree; yet 
others, the sour orange, the Australian 
or silk oak, the Australian pine, the 
