THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
249 
the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad Company 
did, and they did it, too, without any restrictions as to 
numbers, leaving the matter wholly in the hands of the 
local committee to say who is a florist and who are his 
friends. The florists of this country should plant a rose 
beside every rail from Cincinnati to Dayton, and send a 
daily boutonniere to Samuel Stevenson, the general pas¬ 
senger agent, in grateful remembrance of a day of unin¬ 
terrupted pleasure. Let us no longer say that corpora¬ 
tions (outside of New York), have no souls. 
The greatest surprise of all was to see so much busi¬ 
ness transacted in so short a time and, too, so unselfishly. 
There were no envyings or jealousies, no bitterness ; no 
shirking of duties, nor strife for positions of honor. 
Our space will not permit us to give a detailed report 
of the proceedings of the convention ; we, however, give 
our readers in this number several of the papers read, 
which were intensely interesting and valuable to all en¬ 
gaged in floriculture. We should advise all lovers of 
plants to have their names enrolled as members, in order 
to obtain the society’s report, which will be complete and 
worth many times the cost of membership. 
There was a fair exhibition of plants and cut-flowers, 
but not so large as we had reason to expect after seeing 
at previous exhibitions what Cincinnati could do. We 
give the report of the Committee on Plants, which is as 
follows: 
“ The chairman, Mr. William Hamilton, of Pittsburgh, 
respectfully reported that after careful examination they 
did not find any plants that could be properly judged as 
‘ new,’ yet feel justified in calling the attention of the 
society to a number of plants exhibited that are of great 
value and that are not as well known, perhaps, as they 
should be.” 
The commended plants were: 
Ficus elastica variegata , Draccena Goldiana, Dra- 
ccena Lindenii, Asparagus plumosus nana, Croton Au- 
dreana —Exhibit of D. Ferguson & Sons, Philadelphia. 
Yucca filamentosa variegata —Exhibit by H. Waterer, 
Philadelphia. 
Bennett Rose—Exhibit of C. F. Evans, Philadelphia. 
Asparagus tenuissiimis —B. A. Elliott, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
Sphcerogyne latifolia , Antkurium Scherzerianum, 
Rhapis humilis, Curculigo recurvata variegata , Kentia 
Australis , Pandanus Veitchii, Ampelopsis Veitchii, 
Nepenthes Osburniana, from seedlings raised in the 
United States; Nepenthes Sz'ebrechtiana —Exhibited by 
Siebrecht & Wadley, of New York. 
Mr. B. P. Critchell’s display of Crotons were reported 
to be, in the opinion of the committee, unsurpassed by 
any other grower in the United States. 
The committee consisted of William Hamilton, James 
Taplin, Thomas M. Ferguson and R. J. Halliday. 
The following officers were elected for the coming 
year: 
President—John Thorpe, of Queens, N. Y. 
Vice-President—Robert Craig, of Philadelphia. 
Treasurer—Myron A. Hunt, of Wright’s Grove, Chi¬ 
cago. 
Secretary—E. G. Hill, of Richmond, Ind. 
All were unanimously chosen, Mr. Jordan declining a 
re-election as Vice-President and placing in nomination 
Mr. Craig. President Thorpe, in thanking the society for 
re-electing him, said he had talked about an organization 
of florists at Cleveland six or seven years ago. Next 
year they had two or three recruits, and the circle grew 
larger until last year at Chicago a good gathering of com¬ 
mon-sense men had formed the Society of American 
Florists. No society in so short a time had accomplished 
so much, and he made the prediction that in five years 
the membership roll would be among the thousands. 
The next annual meeting will be held in Philadelphia, 
date to be fixed by the Executive Committee. The 
members are to be congratulated upon the selection of 
Philadelphia as a place of meeting, as there is not a city 
in the Union that has more intelligent and hospitable 
florists than the Quaker city. « 
* 
* * 
The Board of Managers of the American Institute of 
New York open their fifty-fourth annual exhibition at the 
Institute Building, Third avenue, Sixty-third and Sixty- 
fourth streets, on Wednesday, September 30, and are now 
busily engaged in arranging and perfecting the details 
incidental to a show of such magnitude as this always is. 
The Exhibition will be divided into seven departments, 
consisting of Fine Arts and Education; the Dwelling; 
Dress and Handicraft; Chemistry and Mineralogy ; Ma¬ 
chinery ; Inter-Communication, and Agriculture and Hor¬ 
ticulture. These again will be subdivided into seven 
groups each, each group having three judges, who will 
examine all articles exhibited and make their report 
thereon to the Board of Managers, by whom the awards 
of prizes will be made. 
A special and marked feature of this year’s Exhibition 
will be its opening with a grand show of flowers, palms 
and ferns, which will be continued for four days, viz.: 
from Wednesday, September 30, to Saturday, October 3, 
both inclusive. In this display a large number of the 
best known horticulturists, both amateur and professional, 
have already signified their intention to take part and 
compete for the valuable premiums offered. It is there¬ 
fore anticipated that this innovation will not only be a 
most enjoyable one, but will serve as an additional in¬ 
ducement to exhibitors generally to have their exhibits in 
place on the day of opening. 
A display of fruits and vegetables will take place in the 
second week of the Exhibition, to be followed by others 
in succession of palms, ferns, evergreens, &c., while the 
largest and grandest exhibition of chrysanthemums ever 
seen in this country, including new specimens from China, 
Japan, France and Germany, as well as home grown, will 
bring the floral show to an end. 
Intending exhibitors should without delay send in their 
applications for space to Mr. Chas. Wager Hull, the gen¬ 
eral superintendent, at the offices of the Institute, Clinton 
Hall, Astor place and Eighth street, New York, who will 
also furnish proper forms, and any information that may 
be needed. ^ 
* * 
Lilium lancifolium purpuratum.—Of what are popu¬ 
larly known as Japan lilies there are several distinct va¬ 
rieties, all of the same general character, differing prin- 
