THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
227 
THE ANNUAL CONVENTION OF NURSERYMEN 
By Wednesday, June 10, 1908, 250 promiment nursery¬ 
men from the United States and Canada had assembled in 
Milwaukee to attend the annual convention. As early as 
Tuesday afternoon the lobby of the Plankinton Hotel was 
crowded with those who had come to the meeting of the 
Association. The usual greetings and questions were heard 
on every side and good cheer seemed to prevail. Tuesday 
night was mostly given up to committee meetings and to 
talking business. Many took the opportunity to go sight¬ 
seeing and to drink in the glory (?) of Milwaukee. 
At 10:00 o’clock Wednesday morning President J. W. 
Hill called the first sesson to order. In his opening remarks 
he referred to the number of members present and the fact 
that a great many had brought their wives. This, Pres. 
Hill said, was a good custom and one that ought in the future 
to be encouraged. Mr. Watrous was complimented for his 
successful efforts in bringing the Convention to Milwaukee; 
the members’ attention was called to the fine reception 
accorded the nurserymen in the same city in 1902. Mayor 
“PAPA” JOSSELY 
Mr. President, Your Honor the Mayor, and Ladies and 
Gentlemen: 
We heartily thank you for your most cordial welcome to 
your magnificent city and we beg to assure you that your 
welcome is heartily appreciated by this the most intelligent 
band of visitors ever convened in your vicinity. This 
statement might be considered extravagant by those not 
intimately acquainted with us, as on scanning these rows of 
gentlemen in such regular order and position as would be 
appropriate to a vast number of well arranged bottles on a 
wide shelf, Your Honor will instantly perceive that “we 
don’t look it.” Our clothes seem well enough—perhaps, 
it’s the way we wear them that gives us away. 
During one of our conventions at Chicago while a small 
party of us were gazing at the skyscraper Masonic Building 
counting the number of stories (27 wasn’t it Brother Yates?) 
and straining our necks wondering why the sparrow^ on 
top didn’t become dizzy and tumble off, one of a group of 
bootblacks, for the information of his companions, sized up 
our social rating with the single word “Hayseeds.” At 
another of our conventions your humble servant was ap¬ 
pointed one of a committee of two to escort His Honor the 
Mayor to the designated hall where so many of our Members 
once per year have an opportunity to turn on their oratorical 
gas (we can stand it because we have become used to it,) 
at that time, my fellow committeeman said to the Mayor, 
“This Association has selected its two best looking members 
as your escort” and another member (jealous probably) 
was unkind enough to instantly remark, “Mr. Mayor, of 
course, you are already wondering how the rest of them 
look.” 
This afternoon, I believe, will be devoted to a ramble in 
your city and after we have viewed your splendid city 
Rose of Milwaukee was then introduced and made a speech 
of welcome. 
In speaking of Milwaukee the Mayor referred to the 
fine park system and the well-kept streets; he urged the 
nurserymen to give their attention especially to them. 
Among many other things he mentioned the fact that 
Milwaukee was the most orderly, most healthful and most 
thrifty city in the country—as proved by statistics. In 
behalf of the city he welcomed the American Association of 
Nurserymen. 
The honor of responding to the Mayor’s speech of wel¬ 
come had fallen to the lot of Geo. S. Josselyn familiarly 
known as “Papa.” So necessary has Papa become to the 
annual convention that many were heard to say that there 
could be no convention without him. As was expected 
his speech in reply to the Mayor was brimful of wit, and 
playful humor. Those who were not present and those who 
were will take delight in reading “Papa’s” masterpiece. 
’S MASTERPIECE. 
buildings, your public library, ridden through your beauti¬ 
ful parks and last, but not least, visited all your breweries 
our countenances, if they don’t show greater intellectuality, 
will at least exhibit more animation. 
Our homes are in rural localities. We are “tillers of the 
soil”; many would designate us as farmers who, as a class, 
have a good name and, in election seasons, are constantly 
referred to by all our orators of different political parties as 
“honest farmers.” Most of us never tire of the memories 
of the days when we were the kids on the farm. Then we 
retired early and in the rosy morning scrubbed our youth¬ 
ful faces from the tin basin at the pump in the backyard. 
In those days, we always had pie for breakfast and the 
consumption of that pie and other luxuries was much 
accelerated by use of the method now known in fashionable 
circles as the “knife swallowing act.” Now-a-days we 
have more style but less pie. 
But the world is getting back to many old-fashioned 
ideas. The craze for antique furniture, china and many 
other old articles and methods now prevails. It is said 
that a large factory in Chicago is running night and day to 
produce for the citizens of that city a new kind of table 
knife. The peculiarity of this knife consists in its blade 
being turned up at right angles on one side. This prevents 
the peas from falling off. 
There is considerable difference between the noise, 
bustle and travel on your streets and the almost continual 
stillness of our home neighborhoods. When we visit any 
large city we are in almost continual fear of being run over 
by the automobiles or street cars. At home, if we hear a 
wagon passing by, we hasten to ornament the panes of the 
front windows and ascertain who it is. In the large cities, 
we usually can’t sleep at all the first night and the next one 
