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PRESIDENT  ROBERT  CRAIG. 


PROCEEDINGS 


SECOND  CONVENTION 


OF  THE 


Society  OF  American  Florists 


HELD  AT 


PHILADELPHIA,  PENN'A, 


Aiagust  ISthi,  20tYi,  and  21st,  1886. 


PUBLISHED  BY  ORDER  OF  THE  SOCIETY. 


HARRISBUKG,  PA.: 
J.  HoBACE  McFarland,  Printer  for  Nurserymen,  Florists  and  Seedsmen. 

1886. 


<>::H. 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
MASSACHUSETTS 


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01,    i\ 


OFFICERS 


OF    THE 


.©GietiY  ®f  Pi^epicsaPi  BI©PisfeS, 


For  1886  =  7, 


Elected  at  Philadelphia  Meeting,  August  20,  1886. 


president: 
ROBERT  CRAIG,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

VICE  president: 
J.  C.  VAUGHAN,  Chicago,  III. 

secretary : 
EDWIN  LONSDALE,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

treasurer ; 
MYRON  A.  HUNT,  Chicago,  III. 


executive  committee: 
.John  Thorpe,  Queens,  N.  Y. 
Robert  J.  Halliday,  Baltimore,  Md.  John  N.  May,  Summit,  N.  J. 

.T.  M.  Jordan,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Henry'  A.  Siebrecht,  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y. 

C.  B.  Whitnall  Milwaukee,  Wis.  .\lex.  Murdoch,  Pittsburgh,  Penn'a 

E.  a.  Hill,  Riohmoml.  Ind.  Wm.  J.  Stewart,  Boston,  Mass. 


CHAPEL    I  ^  «  4  -  %  7 


Statk  Vice  Presidents  for  1887, 

Elected  and  Appointed  to  Date. 


Alabama, C.  H.  Keed,  Birmingham. 

California, J.  H.   Stevees,  San  Francisco. 

Canada, C.  Campbell,  Montreal. 

Colorado,      Aveey  Gallup,  Denver. 

Connecticut, G.  A.  Dickeeman,  New  Haven. 

Dakota,     .    .    . E.  L.  Du  Bell,  Sioux  Falls. 

Delaware, M.  F.  Hayden,  Wilmington. 

District  of  Columbia,      .    .    .  Heney  Pfister,  Washington. 

Georgia, Ed.  W^achendorff,  Atlanta. 

Illinois, A.  W.  Sawyer,  Sycamore. 

Indiana, J.  G.  Heinl,  Terre  Haute. 

loiva, JuDsoN  Keameb,  Marion. 

Kansas, Miss  Emma  Bristol,  Topeka. 

Kentucky, E.  Bell,  Lexington. 

Louisiana, John  Eblen,  New  Orleans. 

Maine, .    .  F.  H.  MoaES,  Bucksport. 

Maryland, R.  J.  Halliday,  Baltimore. 

Massachusetts,      .P.  Welch,  Boston. 

Michigan, Stephen  Taplin,  Detroit. 

Minnesota, R.  J.  Mendenhall,  Minneapolis 

Missouri, Ldthee  Aemstrong,  Kirkwood. 

Nebraska, A.  Donaghue,  Omaha. 

New  Hampshire,      G.  E.  Buxton. 

J.  N.  May,  Summit, 


'  Peter  Henderson,  Jersey  City  Heights. 

,,       -t:^    ,  ,  Henry  A.  Siebrecht,  New  Rochelle. 

New  York,  '  ' 


F.  E.  McAllister,  New  York. 

North  Carolina, G.  B.  Lamb,  Wilmington. 

^,  .        j  Northern,      ....  Robert  George,  Painesville. 

(  Southern,      ....  George  Coebett,  College  Hill. 


6  STATE    VICE    PRESIDENTS. 

^  ,        .         (  Eastern,    .  Thomas  Caktledge,  Philadelphia. 

Pennsylvania,      {  -^    ^    ^  T-.-i,  ,        ^ 

(  Western,    .  B.  A.  Elliott,  Pittsburgh. 

Rhode  Island, George  Burroughs,  Providence. 

South  Carolina, Mrs.  J.  S.  R.  Thomson,  Spartansburg. 

Tennessee, J.  J.  Crusman,  Clarksville. 

Vermont, C.  E.  Allen,  Brattleboro'. 

Virginia,       Benjamin  Reynolds,  Norfolk. 

West  Virginia, AV.  F.  Ivrieger,  Wheeling. 

Wisconsin, William  Carrie,  Milwaukee. 


<XIPROCEEDlNGS.Oo 


FIRST  DAY— Morning. 


Horticultural  Hall,  Philadelphia,  August  iS,  1886. 

At  the  hour  appointed  for  the  assembling  of  the  convention,  the 
officers  of  the  society,  with.  Hon.  William  B.  Smith,  mayor  of  the 
city  of  Philadelphia;  J.  E.  Mitchell,  Esq.,  President  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Horticnltnral  Society ;  and  Robert  Craig,  Esq.,  Vice  President 
of  the  Society  of  American  Florists,  and  President  of  the  Philadelphia 
Florists'  Club,  appeared  upon  the  handsomely  decorated  platform. 

The  session  of  the  convention  opened  at  10.30  o'clock,  a.  m..  Presi- 
dent Thorpe  in  the  chair. 

Mr.  J.  E.  Mitchell,  President  of  the  Pennsylvania  Horticultural 
Society,  upon  being  introduced,  said  : 

Members  of  the  American  Florists''  Association^  ladies  and  gentle- 
men :  In  behalf  of  the  Pennsylvania  Horticultural  Societ3%  it  affords 
me  great  pleasure  to  tender  to  your  association  the  use  of  this  hall 
for  holding  your  convention  therein,  and  to  extend  to  you  a  hearty 
welcome  on  behalf  of  our  members. 

It  is  very  gratifying  to  our  people  that  you  have  accepted  the  in- 
vitation of  our  enterprising  florists  to  hold  your  session  in  this  city ; 
and  rest  assured  that  no  pains  will  be  spared  by  them  and  their  ladies 
to  make  your  stay  among  us  both  profitable  and  pleasant  to  you. 

I  have  the  pleasure  to  announce  that  the  officers  of  the  Union 
League  have  kindly  extended  an  invitation  to  you  to  visit  their  Ijeau- 
tiful  building,  to  which  you  will  be  admitted  at  any  time  on  showing 
your  badges  at  the  door.  I  am  also  authorized  to  extend  to  you  an 
invitation  to  visit  our  new  city  hall ;  Mr.  MacPherson,  the  superintend- 
ent, will  gladly  show  you  through  the  building.  These  invitations  are 
extended  to  both  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  your  association — and  it 
is  an  evidence  of  your  good  taste  that  you  have  brought  your  ladies 


8  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

with  YOU  to  visit  our  Quaker  city.  His  Honor,  the  mayor  of  the  city, 
is  present  to  extend  to  you  an  official  welcome  in  behalf  of  the  nine 
hundred  thousand  people  over  whose  safety  and  comfort  he  so  al)ly 
presides. 

I  close  by  wishing  you  a  pleasant  sojourn  among  us,  Avith  an  ex- 
pression of  tlie  hope  that  you  will  carry  to  your  distant  homes  some 
pleasant  reminiscences  of  your  visit  to  the  city  of  brotherly  love. 

I  have  the  pleasure  to  introduce  His  Honor,  the  mayor  of  the  city 
of  Philadeli)liia. 

Hon.  William  B.  Smith,  mayor  of  Philadelphia,  responded : 

3Ir.  President^  ladies  and  gentlemen  :  There  are  pleasant  lines  even 
in  public  life,  and  the  present  occasion  is  one  of  them.  It  is  a  real 
pleasure  for  me  to  come  to  this  hall,  as  I  have,  to  welcome  to  Phila- 
delphia ladies  and  gentlemen  representing  a  profession  which  is  akin 
to  the  best  interests  of  humanity  and  civilization,  and  wdiich,  in  the 
results  of  its  handiwork,  is  near  and  dear  to  us  both  in  scenes  of  glad- 
ness and  of  sorrow.  There  is,  perhaps,  no  more  efficient  means  of  re- 
lining  and  improving  our  natures  than  is  afibrded  by  a  knowledge  of 
the  florist's  art.  To  that  art,  and  to  the  skill  with  which  the  meml)ers 
of  your  profession  combine  the  products  of  our  fields  and  gardens,  we 
are  indebted  for  tlie  beautifying  of  our  homes  and  for  a  healthful  in- 
fluence upon  our  lives.  I  desire  to  say  to  you,  very  informally  but 
very  earnestly,  that  the  city  of  Philadelphia — which  welcomes  at  all 
times  organizations  founded  for  the  common  good  and  the  advance- 
ment of  the  pul^lic  welfare — is  specially  pleased  to  greet  your  organi- 
zation as  one  entitled  to  a  high  rank  in  public  estimation. 

Philadelphia  is  a  city  of  which  its  people  are  proud,  for  the  reason 
that  within  its  limits  are  more  happy  homes,  possibly,  than  are  to  be 
found  in  any  city  under  the  broad  canopy  of  heaven.  With  a  popu- 
lation approaching,  if  it  has  not  already  reached,  an  aggregate  of  a 
million,  we  have  one  hundred  and  forty-seven  thousand  families  re- 
siding in  their  own  homes,  occupying  their  own  households,  without 
sharing  them  with  others.  With  our  opportunities  for  the  enjoyment 
of  domestic  comfort ;  with  our  exemption  from  scenes  of  turbulance 
and  outlawry,  our  people  are  cosmopolitan  enough  to  guarantee  lib- 
erty to  all  who  respect  law  and  are  law-abiding  enough  to  enforce 
equality  of  rights  among  themselves  and  respect  for  the  rights  of 
others. 

In  welcoming  you  to  our  midst,  I  feel  that  your  presence  will  be 
fruitful  of  good  to  us ;  that,  by  the  knowledge  of  your  art  which  you 
may  impart  to  us,  the  popular  taste  for  floriculture  will  be  stimulated 
and  improved;  and  that  your  stay  with  us  will  be  of  mutual  benefit 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS. 


9 


in  cementing  the  bonds  of  friendship,  which  should  ever  exist  between 
the  people  of  all  sections  of  the  United  States.  The  city  in  which  the 
nation  had  its  birth,  and  which  recently  celebrated  the  one  hundredth 
anniversary  of  popular  government  and  American  independence,  is 
certainly  interested  in  fostering  that  spirit  of  nationality  which  it  has 
done  so  much  to  uphold.  On  behalf  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  I  de- 
sire to  say  to  you,  each  and  all,  that  if  our  offices  can  be  of  any  ser- 
vice to  you  in  securing  for  you  admission  to  any  of  the  i)ublic  institu- 
tions that  you  may  desire  to  visit,  or  in  tendering  an}"  attentions  that 
may  be  agreeable  to  a  stranger  within  the  walls  of  a  great  city,  you 
may  count  upon  receiving  the  same  instantly.  Assuring  you  of  the 
good  wishes  in  your  behalf  of  the  good  people  of  this  city ;  trusting 
that  your  meeting  will  be  a  successful  one,  and  believing  that  you 
will  have  cause  to  preserve  many  happy  recollections  of  your  trip 
here,  I  again  Ind  you  a  hearty  welcome." 

Mr.  J.  M.  Jordan,  of  St.  Louis,  (a  member  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  Societ}"  of  American  Florists,)  being  here  introduced,  re- 
sponded in  behalf  of  the  society  as  follows : 

Mr.  Mayor  of  Philadelphia.,  Mr.  President  of  the  Horticultural 
Society  of  Pennsylvania:  In  response  to  your  hearty  welcomes,  I  have 
to  say  that  we  are  very  thankful.  We  have  been  made  to  feel  at 
home,  made  happy  in  the  few  hours  of  to-day  that  we  have  already 
spent  here,  and  the  jtrospect  which  the  good  citizens  of  Philadelphia 
hold  out  to  us  flatters  our  hearts,  and  we  feel  that  it  is  good  for  us  that 
we  came  a  long  distance  to  receive  your  cordial  greetings.  I  hope 
that  our  stay  with  you  will  be  such  that  we  will  commend  ourselves 
to  your  hearty  approval ;  that  we  will  keep  within  those  bounds  of 
decorum  which  should  never  be  transgressed  by  the  horticulturist ; 
that,  in  receiving  these  hospitalities  from  the  generous  hands  of  the 
city  of  Philadelphia,  we  will  not  fail  to  appreciate  the  friendly  motives 
which  insi^ire  them,  but  will  carry  with  us  to  our  homes  a  pleasant 
remembrance  of  them ;  and  that  the  day  may  not  be  far  distant  when 
we  will  have  an  opportunity  of  welcoming  you  to  a  city  of  the  far 
West. 

Thanking  you,  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  Philadelphia,  for  j^our 
kind  expressions  of  regard,  and  the  earnest  greetings  uttered  in  your 
behalf,  we  hope  that  our  stay  may  be  pleasant  for  you  and  for  us. 

The  first  order  of  business,  according  to  the  programme,  was  here 
disposed  of  by  the  Secretary  in  calling  the  roll  of  officers  of  the  socie- 
ty and  the  State  Vice  Presidents. 


10  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

Opening  Address  by  President  Thorpe. 

The  Chairman  (Vice  President  Robert  Craig  in  the  chair)  :  I 
have  an  exceedingly  pleasant  announcement  to  make.  The  next 
business  on  the  programme  is  an  address  by  a  gentleman  who  needs 
no  introduction — the  father  of  this  society  and  our  President  to-day — 
Mr.  John  Thorpe.     I  have  the  pleasure  of  presenting  him  to  you, 

Mr.  Thorpe  addressed  the  society  as  follows  : 

It  is.again  my  pleasure  to  greet  you,  and  I  do  so  with  unbounded  satisfaction. 
I  am  proud  to  say  tliat  the  two-year-old  seedling  is  developing  finely,  and  already 
shows  signs  of  bearing  good  fruit.  lean  see  in  the  near  future  the  Society  of 
American  Florists  taking  a  position  equal  to  any  organization  in  the  country. 
The  best  talent  in  our  profession  is  heart  and  soul  with  us,  and  is  ready  and  will- 
ing to  make  its  mark. 

The  progressive  florist  is  a  man  who  must  necessarily  be  interested  in  many 
other  branches  of  horticulture,  all  of  which  are  good. 

LOOKING  AHEAD. 

When  the  society  gets  more  deeply  rooted,  and  is  well  stayed  from  every  quar- 
ter, I  hope  to  see  one  of  its  branches  shaped  into  an  experimental  garden  where 
inventions,  appliances,  and  structures  of  all  kinds  can  be  displayed  ;  attached  to 
it  there  shall  be  also  a  good  library.  This  is  a  branch  worthy  of  the  support  of 
those  fortunate  individuals  who  have  not  only  bountiful  wealth,  but  liberal 
hearts  to  bestow  it.  With  such  assistance,  we  could  spread  into  every  town  and 
village  in  the  country. 

Another  branch  should  be  the  establishment  of  local  exhibitions,  controlled  by 
committees  appointed  by  the  society,  whereat  new  and  desirable  plants  and 
flowers  shall  be  reported  upon,  thus  giving  encouragement  to  those  members  who 
are  debarred  from  taking  part  in  competitions  where  distance  is  too  far  from  the 
large  cities. 

1  hope  to  see  established,  on  a  sound  basis,  yet  another  branch,  in  the  shape  of 
a  mutual  benevolent  association,  which  shall  be  so  trained  as  to  afford  slielterfor 
those  members  who  are  overtaken  by  misfortune.  Tliis  would  be  of  incalculable 
good.  Perhaps  this  is  not  the  time  to  handle  such  an  important  question,  but  I 
think  it  will  be  well  for  us  to  ponder  over  it,  as  the  sooner  all  good  undertakings 
are  begun  the  better  for  those  concerned.  Would  it  not  be  wise  for  us  to  appoint 
a  committee  to  report  as  to  the  best  methods  of  forming  such  an  association  at 
our  next  general  meeting  ? 

We  must  also  be  patient  and  persuasive  in  insuring  the  first  side-branch  that 
grew  to  make  a  fresh  start.  From  some  cause  or  other,  it  (the  hail  question)  got 
cliecked,  and  I  do  hope  that  before  the  termination  of  this  meeting  we  shall  have 
solved  the  question. 

These,  then,  are  a  few  of  the  bristling  shoots  of  the  society  which  require  at- 
tention. 

THE  PROGRAMME. 

We  present  to  you  to-day  a  programme  rich  in  those  topics  in  which  we  are  the 
most  interested.  Indeed,  if  signs  do  not  fail,  we  shall  have  sucli  a  fund  of  in- 
formation to  digest  as  to  give  us  material  for  next  year's  consideration. 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  11 

I  cannot  help  expressing  myself  concerning  this  master-piece  which  the  ex- 
ecutive committee  has  given  us.  All  the  subjects  selected  ai'e  of  the  greatest 
importance,  and  for  the  reason  that  great  subjects  should  be  given  to  many 
minds,  this  is  the  time  to  get  the  most  out  of  them. 

BUSINESS   OUTLOOK. 

During  the  past  year,  business  on  the  whole  has  been  equal  to  that  of  previous 
years,  excepting,  perhaps,  in  some  localities.  The  unfortunate  labor  troubles 
during  the  spring  caused  a  falling  off  in  the  sale  of  market  plants.  By  market 
plants  it  will  be  understood  tliat  I  refer  to  tliose  plants  which  are  grown  and  sold 
in  flower;  for,  be  it  remembered,  the  mechanics  and  artisans,  with  their  wives, 
are  large  buyers  of  plants  when  labor  is  not  in  the  throes  of  disturbance.  The 
sales  of  cut  flowers  have  been  greater  than  ever.  Stock  of  the  finest  quality  never 
sold  higlier,  on  the  average,  and  it  truly  can  be  said  that  stock  of  poor  quality 
never  sold  lower. 

No  radical  change  has  been  made  as  to  new  additions  or  eliminations  of  varie- 
ties. Of  course,  roses  are  in  the  van,  with  a  longer  list  than  usual  of  other  flow- 
ers before  arriving  at  the  last  one. 

Many  varieties  of  summer-flowering  plants  are  now  grown  for  cut-flowers,  and 
•meet  with  ready  sales  in  limited  quantities.  A  few  years  since,  all,  or  nearly  all, 
the  flowers  sold  at  this  season  were  those  used  only  for  funerals. 

The  demand  for  good  roses  (at  really  good  prices)  was  greater  tlian  the  supply 
during  June  and  part  of  July,  and  some  growers  are  providing  a  supply  for  "all 
the  year  round,"  which  is  another  milestone  on  the  progressive  way. 

The  new  roses,  Aryurican  Beauty  and  William  F.  Bennett,  introduced  in  1885, 
have  proved  so  far  very  desirable,  and  may  be  safely  placed  among  tlie  list  of  good 
tilings.  Tlie  new  candidates  this  year  are  2'he  Bride,  a  sport  from  Catherine 
Mermet,  w^hich  seemingly  has  all  the  good  qualities  of  its  parents,  and  Her  Maj- 
esty, which  as  yet  has  not  had  a  fair  opportunity  to  flower. 

EXHIBITIONS  THE  CAUSE  OF  DEVELOriNG  THE  BUSINESS. 

There  are  so  many  divisions  in  our  calling  that  what  1  have  to  say  is  applicable 
to  all.  Don't  be  afraid  to  exhibit  whatever  you  have  to  dispose  of.  Do  it  always. 
Make  exhibitions,  join  your  local  societies,  and  be  there  with  something.  Never 
mind  if  you  do  not  happen  to  secure  the  first  prize  ;  everybody  cannot  have  the 
first  prize  until  the  millenium  ;  go  again  and  show  next  time.  Wliile  you  are 
aiming  to  get  first  prizes,  you  are  doing  good  to  your  business  and  floriculture 
generally. 

,If  there  had  been  no  exhibitions,  half  of  the  number  of  florists  would  not  be  in 
the  business,  and  the  other  lialf  never  could  have  come  to  Philadelpliia  to-day. 

Exliibitions  made  Baroness  Rothschild,  Magna  Gharta,  and  Paul  Neron  roses 
realize  tJie  prices  that  they  have.  Exhibitions  made  the  forcing  of  Dutch  bulbs 
assume  such  proportions.  Exhibitions  made  the  sale  of  chrysanthemums  for  the 
past  two  years  foot  up  to  a  million  of  plants.  So  don't  go  away  with  the  impres- 
sion that  exhibitions  are  useless,  and  that  if  you  do  not  happen  to  have  a  roll  of 
bills  to  take  home  with  you  from  each  one  that  you  are  tlie  loser.  You  are  sow- 
ing the  seed,  the  crop  of  which  will  be  harvested  as  it  ripens — the  more  you  sow, 
the  larger  the  crop. 

Some,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  are  not  interested  in  public  exhibitions,  from  the  fact 


12  PEOCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

that  they  are  always  tliinking  of  the  cost  and  too  much  of  the  time ;  but  I  can 
assure  you  that  it  is  money  and  time  well  expended. 

By  the  aid  of  the  press,  even  outside  of  the  professional,  tlie  society  has  obtain- 
ed a  very  widespread  reputation.  We  cannot  forget  how  much  interest  the  Cin- 
cinnati press  took  in  our  first  convention.  Nearly  all  the  professional  papers  and 
magazines  also  had  representatives  there,  and  the  society  is  greatly  indebted  to 
them  all.  It  was  there  that  The  Am".rican  Florist  ixnd  Populai-  Gardening  made 
their  first  appearance. 

The  country  is  still  in  need  of  a  comprehensive,  well-managed  horticultural 
weekly,  one  that  will  give  sound  information  on  all  gardening  matters  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  be  easily  understood  by  our  many  patrons  who  are  pining  for  cor- 
rect information. 

The  backbone  of  the  florist's  business  lias  been  much  strengthened  tlie  past  few 
years  by  the  accession  of  so  many  gentlemen  having  a  taste  for  floriculture  and 
the  means  to  gratify  it.  It  is  to  this  class  that  we  have  to  look  for  our  best  sup- 
port. Many  build  fine  houses,  lay  their  grounds  out  tastefully,  and  at  once  begin 
to  look  around  for  something  more.  First,  perhaps  a  half-dozen  roses  and  the 
same  number  of  shrubs  are  bought  from  some  itinerant  agent ;  though  the  prices 
charged  are  high,  and  the  roses  do  not  bloom  every  day,  nor  theslirubs  have  scar- 
let and  blue  flowers  on  at  tlie  same  and  all  tiie  time,  the  ground  has  been  turned 
over  and  an  interest  awakened.  This  is  followed  by  tlie  addition  of  a  bed  of 
roses  from  the  local  florist,  then  a  plantation  of  bulbs,  and  so  on  until  in  a  short 
time  a  fine  collection  is  gathered  together,  and  the  next  gentleman  becomes  in- 
terested. This  is  a  trade  worth  cultivating,  as  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  the  actual 
money  outlay  is  not  a  consideration  when  satisfaction  is  given.  To  illustrate 
what  can  be  done  by  such  an  acquaintance,  I  will  relate  to  you  what  occurred  to 
a  friend  whom  you  all  know. 

It  was  a  blustering  day  in  March,  1883,  when  a  ruddy-faced  gentleman  and  his 
groom,  in  a  two-wheeled  vehicle  drawn  by  two  horses,  tandem,  abruptly  pulled 
up  in  front  of  our  friend's  greenhouses.  The  gentleman,  alighting,  asked  for 
some  one  who  could  sell  him  roses,  and  remarked  that  he  wanted  none  but  the 
best  plants,  but  must  liave  the  following  kinds:  Ma  Capucine,  NijjJietos,  Cornelia 
Cook,  Catharine  Merrnet,  Souvenir  d''un  A7ni,  Perle  des  Jardins,  Madame  Cusin, 
Bon  Silene,  Magna  Charta,  Baroness  liothschild,  General  Jacqueminot,  Anna  de 
Diesbach  and  Marechal  Neil.  Our  friend,  the  florist,  listened  attentively,  and 
then  the  following  (]uestions  and  answers  were  given  : 

"  What  do  you  intend  doing  with  these  roses  ?" 

"I  want  them  to  plant  in  my  garden  to  flower  all  summer." 

"  How  did  you  obtain  such  a  list  ?  " 

"  I  have  always  been  interested  in  roses,  and  so  during  the  winter,  whenever  I 
have  attended  either  a  dinner  or  reception,  I  made  it  a  point  to  get  the  names  o'f 
the  roses  from  whoever  I  could,  so  as  to  have  the  best,  and  the  list  I  have  given 
you  pleased  me  the  most,  as  I  saw  the  flowers ;  and  I  want  them  to  live  out  all 
winter." 

"  Well,  out  of  the  whole  list  you  have  given  me,  there  are  just  four  varieties 
that  will  answer  your  purpose.  I  can  supplement  those  four  by  twelve  or  more 
kinds  that  will  give  you  satisfaction.  " 

Which  he  did,  and  the  result  was  that  this  same  gentleman  has  to-day  five 
hundred  roses  in  his  garden  because  he  was  well  advised.  He  wants  now  all  the 
new  roses  that  will  fill  the  bill.    Last  year  he  obtained  six  plants  of  American 


SUCIETT    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  13 

Beauty  at  three  dollars  apiece ;  this  year  six  of  Her  Majesty  at  two  dollars  and  a 
half  each  ;  and  this  is  not  all,  for  he  advertises  our  florist  friend  among  all  his 
friends,  and  I  know  tliat  tliis  same  florist  has  done  over  two  thousand  dollars' 
worth  of  business.  Why  ?  Because  when  the  list  of  roses  so  unsuitable  for  the 
purpose  was  condemned  and  suitable  ones  recommended,  3onfidence  was  gained 
and  they  became  fast  friends. 

AMERICAN   SKEDLINGS. 

Tiie  raising  of  new  varieties  of  plants  from  seed,  I  am  pleased  to  say,  is  receiv- 
ing more  attention  than  formerly ;  but  yet  this  is  not  carried  out  to  the  extent 
that  it  ought  to  be. 

It  is  a  branch  of  floriculture  w^orthy  of  the  greatest  encouragement,  and  is 
fraught  with  a  great  amount  of  good,  as  we  are  to-day  too  much  dependent  upon 
importations  for  our  new  introductions.  The  new  varieties  obtained  from  impor- 
tations are  about  ninety-five  per  cent,  against  home  productions,  and  when  it  is 
acknowledged  that,  as  a  rule,  more  than  two  thirds  of  those  imported  are  never 
heard  of  after  the  first  or  second  year's  cultivation,  it  is  time  for  us  to  be  up  and 
doing.  I  know  it  is  frequently  remarked  that  we  have  already  too  many  varie- 
ties of  plants  and  flowers,  and  that  the  old  varieties  are  good  enough.  If  tliis 
doctrine  had  always  been  believed,  where  should  we  look  to-day  for  our  Ferle  des 
Jardin,  J\Jei-met,  Bride,  Bennett,  or  American  Beauty  roses,  our  Graudiflorum 
chrysanthemums,  America  verbenas,  or  Golden  Dawn  geraniums  ?  In  fact,  none 
of  the  fine  varieties  of  flowei-s  grown  to-day  would  have  ever  been  known  had 
those  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  the  best  of  everything  believed  that  the 
old  varieties  were  good  enougli.  I  want  to  impress  upon  you  all  that  the  very 
best  old  varieties  were  once  new.  In  connection  with  this,  I  wish  to  say  to  the 
young  members  of  our  society,  tliat  as  soon  as  ever  you  get  back  again  to  busi- 
ness, select  some  popular  plant  for  improvement.  Begin  raising  seedlings  by 
judicious  cross-fertilization  and  careful  selection  ;  use  sound  judgment  in  laying 
the  foundation  and  a  model  to  guide  you  in  building;  then,  by  patience  and  per- 
severance, the  results  will  be  more  than  satisfactory ;  furthermore,  I  can  promise 
you,  after  long  years  of  experience,  one  of  the  most  delightful  pursuits  there  is 
in  the  world.  The  task  is  never  finished,  and,  with  perseverance,  results  far  more 
than  expected  will  be  realized. 

I  am  afraid  I  cannot  guarantee  you  very  large  fortunes  of  money  in  following 
this  particular  line  of  business,  but  you  can  make  a  fortune  of  another  kind, 
such  as  Bryant,  Emerson  and  Longfellow  made  and  left  us.  We  are  the  poets 
in  our  spheres,  and  those  who  are  devoted  to  the  raising  of  new  varieties  will  be 
remembered,  if  not  as  millionaires,  as  having  contributed  something  toward 
life's  enjoyment. 

AVe  have  reason  to  congratulate  ourselves  over  what  the  society  has  accom- 
plished during  the  past  year.  It  will  be  remembered  that  we  had  to  fight  an  ob- 
noxious postal  bill  in  Congress,  which  proposed  to  double  the  amount  of  postage 
on  all  plants,  bulbs,  and  seeds.  With  the  interest  which  the  members  have 
taken,  and  the  work  of  the  committee  that  visited  Washington  to  oppose  the 
passage  of  the  bill,  no  change  was  made  in  the  rates  of  postage.  Now,  I  main- 
tain that  if  the  society  has  done  no  further  good  than  to  defeat  this  bill,  we  have 
reason  to  be  well  satisfied. 

I  will  ask  you  to  consider  at  this  meeting  a  plan  of  electing  members,  wherein 
we  shall  have  some  protection  against  imposition.    We  have  been  very  happy  to- 


14  PEOCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

gether  so  far,  and  I  think  we  should  endeavor  to  keep  so.    If  nothing  ntiore  is 
done,  candidates  for  membership  sliould  be  indorsed  by  at  least  two  members. 

IN  MEMOKIAM. 

And  now  conies  the  saddest  part  of  my  duty.  I  have  to  report  that  four  of 
onr  members  liave  been  removed  by  Him  who  will  ultimately  remove  us  all. 
First  on  tlie  list  is  William  Bennett,  a  man  known  the  country  over  as  a 
thorough  horticulturist,  equally  well  informed  in  all  of  its  branches ;  a  grower 
of  plants  without  an  equal ;  a  genial  friend,  loved  and  respected  by  all  who  knew 
him. 

Second  is  Henry  J.  Sackersdorff,  who  had  established  himself  as  one  of 
the  most  expert  rose-growers.  Ambitious,  honorable,  full  of  knowledge,  desirous 
to  please,  his  late  employer  pays  high  tribute  to  his  work. 

Tliird,  James  Hodges,  a  man  long  connected  with  the  profession  and  greatly 
respected. 

The  last  one  is  James  Young  Murkland,  a  member  of  our  executive  com- 
mittee, for  eight  years  the  secretary  of  the  Xew  York  Horticultural  Society, 
secretary  of  tlie  American  Seed  Trade  Association,  and  connected  with  tlie  house 
of  Young  &  Elliott  for  twenty  years.  He  was  one  of  the  shining  lights  in  liis 
profession,  was  devoted  to  horticulture,  most  brilliant  in  conversation,  a  verita- 
ble encyclopaedia  of  knowledge,  full  of  ambition,  and  no  truer  friend  ever  lived. 
His  loss  to  us  all  is  irreparable. 

(Note. — Upon  the  conclusion  of  his  address,  at  this  point,  President 
Thorpe  was  privately  informed  of  an  announcement  in  a  New  York 
journal  of  this  date,  wdien  he  made  the  following  additional  statement : ) 

Mr.  Thorpe  :  Ladies  and  gentlemen :  It  is  my  sad  duty  to  announce 
that  the  name  of  another  of  our  members  has  been  added  to  the  list 
of  the  dead.  I  read  in  the  New^  York  Sun^  of  this  morning,  that  Mr. 
Boomkamp  died  very  suddenly  yesterday.  The  statement  is  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  William  H.  Boomkamp,  of  Passaic,  an  importer  of  flower  bulbs  at  47  Broad- 
way, New  York,  died  yesterday  of  an  overdose  of  laudanum,  which  he  liad  taken 
for  insomnia.  He  was  one  of  the  last  passengers  taken  from  the  sinking  Oregon, 
and  was  going  to  Holland  this  fall  to  be  married  to  a  lady  in  Amsterdam." 

treasurer's  report. 

Mr.  Myron  A.  Hunt,  of  Chicago,  (Treasurer  of  the  Society,)  in  re- 
sponse to  the  call  of  the  chair,  said  : 

Mr.  President  and  gentlemen :  The  Treasurer  has  to  report  for  the  fiscal  year 
ending  August  17, 1886,  as  follows: 
"  The  Society  of  American  Florists,  in  account  with  M.  A.  Hunt,  treasurer. 

Receipts. 

By  balance  from  1885, $183  00 

By  membership  fees  for  1886,    '. 687  00 

$870  00 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  15 

Disbursements. 

To  gas  bills  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio, $13  76 

To  rent,  paper,  tables,  etc., 44  00 

To  stenographer, 62  75 

To  postage  and  stationery, 41  15 

To  printing  reports,  stationery,  etc., 271  90 

To  bill  for  postage,  stationery,  telegraphing,  expressage,  etc.,  132  90 

To  expense  account  of  secretary, 25  00 

To  additional  salary  voted  secretary  for  1885, 50  00 

To  secretary's  percentage  for  1885  and  1886, 68  70 

To  premiums  offered  at  Philadelphia  Chrysanthemum  show,  50  00 

To  lithogruplis,      10  60 

To  badges  for  Philadelphia  meeting,      60  00 

To  cash  on  hand, 39  24 

$870  00 

Examined  and  found  correct. 

J.  N.  May. 

ROIJERT  J.  HALLIDAY. 

John  Tuorpe. 

The  Treasurer  would  report  further  that  the  membership  for  this  year,  a  large 
portion  of  which  is  now  present,  is  four  hundred  and  fifteen. 

As  some  of  the  members  present  failed  to  receive  a  copy  of  the  proceedings  of 
our  last  annual  meeting,  and  may  have  felt  aggrieved  or  annoyed  thereat  and 
blamed  the  secretary  for  it,  it  is  perhaps  only  just  that  1  should  state  that  the 
failure  occurred  through  no  fault  of  our  secretary.  The  cause  of  it  was  this : 
During  the  day  on  which  the  convention  attended  the  reception  given  to  it  at 
Dayton  by  the  Cincinnati  florists,  all  the  papers  which  had  accumulated  during 
the  sessions  of  the  convention  were  stolen  by  some  one.  This  happened  in  our 
transit  from  Dayton  to  Cincinnati.  It,  of  course, removed  from  beyond  our  reach 
all  data  relating  to  the  payment  of  the  membersliip  fees.  The  cash  accounts 
with  the  society  were  proved  correct  because  the  Treasurer  knew  the  amount  of 
money  belonging  to  the  society,  and  was  not  dependent  for  that  data  upon  the 
books  which  were  lost.  I  would  state  further,  that  any  member  who  did  not 
receive  it  will  be  able  to  obtain  the  report  of  the  Cincinnati  meeting,  during  the 
meeting  now  being  held,  from  the  secretary. 

secretary's  report. 

Mr.  E.  GuRNEY  Hill,  of  Richmond,  Indiana,  (the  secretary,)  being- 
next  called  npon,  came  forward  and  read  his  report.     It  ^vas  as  fol- 

lo"ws  : 

August  IS,  1886. 
Mr.  President  and  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 

The  executive  committee  met  in  Philadelphia  November  11,1885,  and  a  second 
meeting  was  held  April  1,  1886,  at  Summit,  New  Jersey,  wlien  the  programme 
was  revised  and  a  few  changes  made.  The  subjects  had  been  selected  with  great 
care  as  to  their  general  interest,  and  assigned  to  gentlemen  well  able  to  present 
them  clearly.  The  essayists  will  give  us  little  theory,  probably,  but  we  shall  have 
the  benefit  of  their  actual  experience. 


16  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

The  past  year  has  been  a  very  busy  one,  the  society  grownig  fast,  and  inspiring 
interest  among  florists  everywhere.  Of  the  work  accomplished  we  must  not  fail 
to  record  tlie  defeat  of  Senator  Wilson's  bill  proposing  an  increased  rate  of  post- 
age on  fourth  class  matter.  I  believe  the  sharp  eye  of  Mr.  Alexander  Murdoch 
detected  the  first  move  in  this  matter.  He  promptly  reported  to  ti)e  society,  the 
officers  went  to  work,  and  the  members  at  call  displayed  an  energy,  promptness, 
and  unanimity  of  action  most  commendable  in  an  organization  not  two  years 
old.  This  occasioned  a  great  deal  of  correspondence,  in  which  your  secretary 
was  almost  completely  submerged.  Letters,  protests,  telegrams,  editorials,  cir- 
culars, poured  in  on  the  Senate  committee  having  this  in  charge,  until  they  must 
have  decided  that  tiie  florists  of  tlie  country  are  an  innumerable  throng.  Mr. 
Wilson'  not  only  withdrew  his  bill,  but  presented  a  second  one,  calling  for  a  re- 
duction of  postage  on  plants,  scions,  buds  and  bulbs.  It  will  be  well  for  us  as  a 
society  to  watch  closely  any  proposed  changes  in  postal  rates. 

The  interest  in  our  second  annual  meeting  was  manifested  very  early  in  the 
year,  and  promptly,  May  15,  we  began  work  with  the  railroads  for  securing  good 
rates.  Owing  to  pool  arrangements,  both  East  and  West,  the  work  has  been  at- 
tended with  most  exasperating  difficulties.  AVe  are  sure  that  Messrs.  Hunt, 
Thorpe,  Craig,  Vaughan,  Whitnall,  and  others  will  verify  the  statement  that  up 
to  a  very  late  date  our  dealings  with  these  corporations  were  unsatisfactory  and 
vexatious  in  the  extreme.  After  over  two  months  of  correspondence  and  fre- 
quent journeyings  to  secure  personal  conference  with  railroad  officials,  we,  at  the 
last  moment,  obtained  a  reasonable  rate  over  one  of  the  great  Trunk  lines. 
This  has  given  us  great  satisfaction,  although  arrangements  were  perfected  so 
late  that  we  could  advertise  it  only  by  personal  letters. 

The  society  numbers  on  its  roll  the  leading  florists  of  the  country,  and  also  a 
majority  of  the  young,  energetic,  pushing  men  of  the  craft.  By  a  little  personal 
work  on  the  part  of  each  member,  it  can  be  made  to  double  its  enrollment  in  a 
short  time. 

The  best  feeling  prevails,  and  your  secretary  wishes  to  express  his  gratitude 
for  the  unifoi  m  courtesy  so  kindly  extended  him  in  the  prosecution  of  society 
business.  He  has,  however,  one  suggestion  to  offer  :  When  a  member  of  tiie  so- 
ciety takes  the  name  and  fee  of  a  new  member,  it  should  be  reported  to  the  treas- 
urer or  secretary  at  once.  The  secretary  needs  the  name  of  every  member  of  the 
society  immediately  upon  entering,  that  any  society  notices,  programmes,  re- 
ports, or  papers  may  be  forwarded  promptly.  When  a  name  is  withheld  and  not 
reported  till  the  annual  meeting,  the  new  member  loses  all  the  society  notices  up 
to  that  time.  Most  of  our  members  who  have  induced  others  to  join  with  us 
have  retained  the  names  until  the  annual  meeting,  and  then  reported  their  list 
of  accessions.  This  has  led  to  much  unnecessary  correspondence,  as  these  new 
members  almost  invariably  write  the  secretary,  reporting  their  payment  of  dues- 
and  asking  why  he  has  not  forwarded  receipt,  report  and  badge.  As  they  be- 
lieve their  fee  has  been  promptly  forwarded,  and  no  attention  paid  them,  a  sus- 
picion of  carelessness  is  created,  and  a  lack  of  confidence  in  the  secretary. 

While  making  suggestions,  I  would  also  propose  that  the  society  pay  the  mile- 
age of  the  members  of  the  executive  committee  to  the  executive  committee  meet- 
ing, as  too  great  an  expense  is  entailed  upon  these  gentlemen. 

I  wish  to  apologize  for  not  a  few  imperfections  in  last  year's  report,  and  also 
for  the  misspelling  of  names.  To  avoid  this  the  coming  year,  members  address- 
ing the  president  will  please  give  their  names  and  States,  that  the  officers  may 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLOBISTS.  17 

easily  identify  tliem  and  place  tlie  names,  properly  spelled,  against  the  words 
uttered. 

Weliave  to  report  the  death  of  five  members  during  tlie  year  :  Mr.  J.  Hodges 
Globe  Village,  Massachusetts:  William  Bennett,  Flatbush,  New  York;  H.  j] 
Sackersdorff,  Bayside,  New  York  ;  James  Y.  Murkland,  New  York  city,  and 
William  Oberly,  Richmond,  Indiana. 

At  the  close  of  this, meeting,  1  shall  return  to  the  society  the  trust  held  by  me 
since  the  preliminary  organization.  Press  of  private  business  compels  me  to  de- 
cline further  service  in  this  capacity.  I  have  tried  to  fill  conscientiously  and  to 
the  best  of  my  ability  this  important  office.  The  work  connected  with  the  secre 
taryship  increases  yearly,  and  the  measure  of  time  required  is  no  small  item. 
With  a  high  appreciation  of  the  honor  conferred,  I  return  you  hearty  thanks  for 
your  kind  cooperation. 

The  Chairman  (Vice  President  Craig) :  The  next  business,  accord- 
ing to  the  programme,  is  "  enrollment  of  new  members  and  payment 
of  dues;"  but,  at  the  request  of  the  secretary,  if  there  is  no  objection, 
we  will  defer  that  for  the  present,  and  take  up  the  order  which  imme- 
diately follows  on  the  programme,  viz :  An  essay  upon  "  What  the 
Craft  has  been  Doing  the  Past  Forty  Years." 

The  gentleman  who  presents  this  paper  has  been,  for  almost  half 
a  century,  in  the  front  rank  of  liorticulture  in  this  country.  He  has 
made  his  mark  by  unflagging  perseverance  and  successful  effort.  I 
have  the  pleasure  of  introducing  to  you  the  essayist,  Mr.  Peter  Hen- 
derson, of  Jersey  City  Heights,  New  Jersey. 

Mr.  Peter  Henderson  here  made  his  appearance  at  the  president's 
desk,  and  was  cordially  greeted  by  the  society  in  long-continued  ap- 
plause.    He  read  as  follows  : 

Like  nearly  everything  else  in  this  fast  age  of  the  world,  floriculture  has  made 
an  advance  in  the  past  forty  years  so  astonishing  that  the  wonder  is,  when  we 
look  back,  how,  in  so  many  things,  our  operations  were  tin  n  so  primitive  and 
crude. 

Forty  years  ago,  I  doubt  if  there  was  a  green-house  having  a  fixed  roof,  on  the 
whole  continent  in  use  for  commercial  i)urposes ;  at  least,  I  have  no  remembrance 
of  ever  having  seen  one  until  about  18-57,  when  the  system  was  advocated  by 
Peter  B.  Mead,  in  the  NewYork  Horticulturist.  Previous  to  that  time,  all  green- 
house structures  for  commercial  purposes  were  formed  of  portable  sashes,  and 
nearly  all  were  constructed  as  '•  lean-to's,"  with  high  back  walls,  and  none  were 
connected— all  were  separate  and  detached— placed  at  all  angles,  witliout  system 
or  plan.  Then  the  heating  was  nearly  all  done  by  horizontal  smoke-flues,  al- 
though here  and  there  was  a  crude  attempt  at  heating  by  hot  water,  by  some 
private  individuals  for  their  own  use,  as  early  as  1835  ;  but  the  first  use  of  heat- 
ing by  hot  water  on  anything  like  a  large  scale  was  done  in  1839,  by  Plitchings  & 
Co.,  who  heated  a  large  conservatory  for  Mr.  William  Niblo,  of  New  York  ;  and 
from  that  time  until  nearly  twenty  years  after  heating  by  hot  water  was  almost 
exclusively  confined  to  green-houses  and  graperies  or  private  places,  as  few  pro- 
fessional gardeners  in  those  days  could  afford  to  indulge  in  such  luxuries.  All 
2 


18 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    SECOND    CONVENTION. 


the  work  liad  to  be  done  by  smoke-flues,  whicli,  together  with  the  green-house 
structures,  was  usually  the  work  of  their  own  hands. 

Heating  green-houses  by  steam,  to  tlie  best  of  ray  information,  was  unheard 
of  in  tiie  United  States  at  that  date,  though  I  am  informed  by  Mr.  Isaac  Buch- 
anan, of  New  York,  that  wiien  he  was  employed  in  the  Botanic  (hardens  of  Ed- 
inburgh, Scotland,  as  early  as  1S30,  the  green-houses  there,  whicli  consisted  of 
fifteen  thousand  square  feet  of  glass,  were  successfully  heated  by  steam,  but  that 
later  for  some  reason  this  method  had  been  abandoned,  and  hot  water  had  been 
substituted.  So  it  would  appear  that  the  use  of  steam  heating  witli  us  to-day  is, 
like  many  otlier  things  in  human  progress,  but  the  revival  of  a  lost  art. 

To  give  an  instance  of  how  excellent  methods  hnig  in  use  have  been  abandoned 
and  forgottoii,  I  may  mention  that  some  fifteen  years  ago,  on  a  visit  to  Philadel- 
phia, on  calling  on  our  friend,  AV.  K.  Harris,  lie  showed  me  where,  with  one  fire, 
he  successfully  heated  a  green-house  twenty  by  one  iiundred  feet,  by  tiie  excellent 
plan  of  returning  the  flue  so  that  the  chimney  was^  placed  on  top  of  the  furnace. 
It  was,  no  doubt,  original  witii  Mr.  Harris,  and  I  gave  him  the  credit  of  the  inven- 
tion, which  I  described  in  the  American  AyrkuUurist  of  that  date.  But  it  had  no 
sooner  been  printed  than  a  gentleman  in  Salem,  Massachusetts,  wrote  me,  say- 
ing that  if  I  would  refer  to  the  transactions  of  the  London  Horticultural  So- 
ciety for  1822, 1  would  find  the  same  plan  there  described  ;  but  like  many -other 
valuable  things  it  had  been  lost  sight  of  and  forgotton,  for  there  were  few  books, 
and  fewer  magazines,  obtainable  by  the  gardeners  in  those  days. 

Heating  green  houses  by  steam  here  for  commercial  purposes  was,  I  believe, 
first  successfully  practiced  by  E.  H.  Bochman,  in  Pittsburgh,  about  1875,  but  it 
is  only  in  the  past  five  years  tliat  its  merits  have  been  so  fully  proved. 

Progress  is  slow  in  many  things,  mainly  for  the  reason  that  publicity  is  not 
given  to  new  ideas ;  hence  the  great  value  of  such  an  association  as  ours.  It  is 
somewhat  singular  that  few,  if  any,  of  the  large  green-house  establishments  in 
Eng'and  yet  use  st^am ;  and  it  may  be  that  we  are  yet  to  show  tiiem  that  it  is 
not  only  much  cheaper,  but,  I  believe  also,  the  best  method  of  heating  for  any 
green-house  structure  having  five  thousand  square  feet  of  glass. 

Not  only  has  a  great  advance  been  made  in  the  structure  of  green-houses  and 
their  heating,  but  methods  of  propagating  and  growing  plants  have  also  been 
much  improved  upon.  The  propagator,  forty  years  ago,  for  the  few  large  estab- 
lishments in  the  country,  was  generally  imported  from  England,  and  was  usu- 
ally a  most  important  personage- often  full  of  mystery  and  overweening  con- 
ceit, wlio  guarded  liis  knowledge,  of  which  lie  had  often  not  a  very  large  stock, 
witli  a  miser's  hand.  One  of  these  gentlemen  was  a  sort  of  autocrat  in  the 
green-house  establishment  of  the  late  Robert  Buist,  when  I  worked  there  in 
184-4.  lie  not  only  refused  to  impart  any  knowledge  he  possessed  on  the  subject, 
but  actually  locked  tlie  door  of  the  propagating  house  against  all  his  fellow  em- 
ployes ;  and  he  was  sadly  put  out  one  day  when  a  sarcastic  wag  tacked  to  the  door 
of  the  propagating  house  the  following  transposition  of  Goldsmith's  famous 
couplet : 

''  And  still  we  gaze,  and  still  the  wonder  grows, 
How  one  small  head  can  carry  all  he  knows." 

We  are  glad  to  know  that  few  of  that  ilk  can  get  a  foothold  here  to-day.  The 
knowledge  of  propagating  has  now  been  so  diffused  by  books  and  magazines  de- 
voted to  floriculture,  and  the  rules  laid  down  are  so  simple,  tliat  all  the  mystery 
that  was  thrown  around  it  in  those  early  days  has  been  dispelled.    But  every 


SOCIETY    OF    AMEEICAN    FLORISTS.  19 

now  and  then— even  now — we  find  some  fellow  arrogating  to  himself  some 
"  special  secret  "  in  onr  trade.  There  are  no  secrets  in  liorticultnre.  The  laws 
that  govern  the  germination  of  a  seed,  the  rooting  of  a  cutting,  or  tlie  taking 
of  a  bud  or  graft,  are  the  same  now  as  tliey  were  a  thousand  years  ago,  and  any 
one  pretending  to  a  "  special  '*  knowledge  (unknown  to  others)  in  the  matter  is 
eitlier  an  ignoramus  or  an  impostor.  Of  course  experience  or  special  advantages 
give  a  knowledge  that  the  want  of  such  cannot  give.  But  the  underlying  prin- 
ciples never  change,  tliough  undoubtedly  in  the  methods  of  making  them  avail- 
able, we  have  made  vast  strides  in  tliis  country,  particularly  in  the  matter  of 
propagating,  in  tlie  past  twenty  years.  Whether  we  liave  made  mucli  advance 
in  the  classes  of  plants  grown  now,  from  what  was  grown  forty  years  ago, 
there  may  be  some  question.  Certain  it  is  tliat  there  were  many  fine  varieties 
of  plants  then  grown  whicli  we  fail  to  find  to-day,  particularly  in  tiie  hard 
wooded  or  New  Holland  section,  such  as  heaths,  epacris,  correas,  pimelias,  etc., 
etc.  Mr.  Buist,  of  Philadelphia,  and  Mr.  Hogg,  of  New  York,  over  lialf  a 
century  ago,  both  had  collections  rich  in  these  classes,  together  with  nearly  every- 
thing desirable  in  stove  and  green-house  plants,  but  they  gradually  became 
diminished,  as  it  was  found  that  their  culture  was  attended  with  special  care 
in  our  hot  and  dry  summers.  Sales  diminished  in  consequence,  and  their  collec- 
tions were  allowed  to  run  down,  to  be  replaced  by  such  plants  as  were  found  to  be 
better  adapted  to  our  tropical  summers. 

But  the  most  wonderful  advance  in  floriculture  has  been  in  the  construction  of 
cut  flowers  into  bouquets  and  other  designs.  Forty  years  ago,  in  New  York,  in 
constructing  a  simple  hand  bouquet,  some  of  us  did  not  know  enough  to  use  a 
thread  to  keep  each  flower  in  place  as  the  construction  went  on,  and  it  was  some 
years  later  that  the  center  stick  was  used  to  steady  the  structure.  The  wire  de- 
sign man  did  not  put  in  an  appearance  until  nearly  twenty  years  later,  and  when 
a  cross  or  wreath  of  flowers  had  to  be  made,  the  one  was  usually  constructed  on 
pieces  of  lath  on  which  the  flowers  were  tied,  and  the  floral  wreath  had  the 
ground-work  of  a  piece  of  old  barrel  lioop  or  a  willow  twig.  The  bouquet  was  usu- 
ally a  one-sided  affair,  the  ground-work  being  a^flat  buncii  of  arbor  vitae  through 
which  the  flowers  were  drawn.  Occasionally,  a  round  bouquet  was  attempted  by 
some  artist  of  local  fame,  but  with  a  result  that  must  have  done  violence  to  the 
feelings  of  the  poor  flowers  that  were  used  in  the  structure. 

Tlie  character  of  the  flowers  used  for  cut  flower  puri)oses  has  also  been  radical- 
ly changed;  forty  years  ago  camellia  flowers  freely  retailed  at  one  dollar  each, 
and  Philadelphia  used  to  send  thousands  to  New  York  florists  at  the  holidays, 
getting  five  hundred  dollars  per  thousand  ;  while  roses  were  then  going  a  beg- 
ging at  one  tenth  of  that  sum.  Now  the  rose  is  queen  indeed,  and  the  poor  came- 
lia  finds  none  so  poor  as  to  do  her  homage.  The  culture  of  tuberoses  came  a 
little  hiter.  I  find  from  an  old  schedule  of  prices  that  in  1865  tuberoses  were 
quoted  in  November  at  eight  dollars  per  hundred,  and  a  reference  to  my  own 
books  shows  that  in  that  year  my  receipts  from  a  house  ten  by  one  hundred  feet 
of  tuberoses  sold  for  fifteen  hundred  dollars  in  November;  now  tliey  are  rarely 
sold  at  all  in  New  Yoi'k  unless  to  the  poorest  classes— Dame  Fashion  has  stamp- 
ed them  out,  as  she,  twenty  years  before,  stamped  out  camellia  flowers, -and  just 
here  comes  the  question,  may  there  not  be  danger  of  a  rebound  in  the  rose  boom? 
May  there  not  be  danger  ahead  in  so  many  of  us  placing  so  many  eggs  in  one 
basket,  fascinating  though  the  basket  be  V 

The  increase  in  the  sales  of  all  products  of  floriculture  in  the  past  forty  years 


20  PROCEEDINGS    OF    SECOND    CONVENTION. 

has  certainly  kept  pace  with  most  other  industries,  and  has  probably  exceeded 
many.  In  January  of  1844,  I  was  employed  by  a  New  York  florist,  who  did  near- 
ly the  whole  business  of  the  city  at  tiiat  time.  His  sales  of  cut  flowers  for  New 
Year's  day  of  that  year  footed  up  the  sum  of  two  hundred  dollars,  I  have  but 
little  doubt  that  the  aggregate  sales  of  cut  flowers  in  the  city  of  New  York,  on 
the  first  of  January,  1886,  were  not  less  tlian  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and 
the  aggregate  for  the  past  year  cannot  be  short  of  three  millions,  which  is  prob- 
ably twice  that  of  any  European  city  of  its  size.  An  equal  advance  has  been 
made  in  the  output  of  plants.  We  have  good  reason  to  believe  that  Mr.  William 
Elliott,  the  well-kiiown  horticultural  auctioneer  of  New  York  city,  often  sells 
more  plants  in  two  hours  from  lijs  warerooms  than  were  sold  during  a  whole 
season  by  the  florists  of  New  York  in  1844.  I  know  that  he  repeatedly  sells  at 
one  sale  fifty  tiiousand  plants;  and  it  is  exceedingly  doubtful  if  that  number  was 
sold  in  New  York  during  the  whole  year  in  1844.  Tlie  past  season  there  was 
probably  shipped  and  sold  in  the  market  and  at  auction  not  less  than  fifty  mil- 
lions of  flowering  and  ornamental  plants,  of  which  perhaps  one  tenth  was  sold  at 
auction.  The  aggregate  value  of  tiie  sales  can  only  be  approximated,  but  I 
should  tliiiik  it  safe  to  say  tliat  the  average  would  be  quite  five  cents  apiece,  or 
two  million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Miss  E.  L.  Taplin,  a  most  careful 
writer,  in  an  article  in  the  January  number  of  the  Floral  Cabinet  for  1886,  says  : 

"According  to  the  best  information,  there  arc  over  eight  thousand  florists  es- 
tablished in  business  in  this  country,  who,  with  their  work  people,  make  a  con- 
siderable showing  in  tlie  population.  Tlie  number  of  Americans  engaging  in  the 
business  increases  yearly,  for,  thougli  England  contributes  the  largest  quota  to 
the  trade,  with  Germany  and  France  following  closely,  Americans  are  now  wak- 
ing up  to  the  possibilities  of  the  business.  Allowing  foqr  hundred  feet  of  glass- 
covered  surface  to  each  florist, — a  low  estimate, — would  give  a  total  of  three  mil- 
lion two  hundred  thousand  feet,  or  six  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  glass  surface, 
liast  year  the  tr;ule  sold  twenty-four  million  cut  roses,  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty  million  carnation  flowers." 

If  the  business  increases  in  the -same  ratio  for  the  next  forty  years,  rest  assured 
the  now  somewhat  humble  florist  will  have  a  place  in  the  community;  and  that 
the  increase  will  be  even  greater,  tliere  is  good  reason  to  believe.  In  the  early 
days  of  floriculture,  nearly  all  tlie  men  engaging  in  the  business  were  old  coun- 
trymen, who  iiad  been  private  gardeners,  often  lacking  in  education  and  intelli- 
gence, and  utterly  untrained,  from  the  nature  of  their  occupation,  in  business 
habits.  Now  hundreds  of  young  men,  with  tiieir  better  opportunities  of  educa- 
tion, are  training  direct  in  tlie  business  in  all  sections  of  the  country;  and  I 
think  it  safe  to  predict  that  the  leading  florists,  forty  years  hence,  will  be  far 
better  business  men  than  even  the  most  prominent  among  us  now.  And  it  may 
be  that  if,  when  the  Society  of  American  Florists  meets  again  in  this  good  old 
city  four  decades  hence,  some  other  veteran,  now  a  stripling  here  to-day,  will 
tell,  as  I  have  done,  of  tlie  primitive  ways  of  the  craft  as  practiced  "  forty  years 
ago." 

The  Chair^ian  :  I  am  sure  you  will  agree  with  me  when  I  say  that 
the  gentleman  from  New  Jersey  (Mr.  Henderson)  has  given  us  a  very 
interesting  paper,  and  one  which,  when  it  appears  in  the  reports  of 
the  society,  will  bear  reading  more  than  once. 

I  see  by  the  programme  that  the  committee  has  arranged,  and  I 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  21 

think  very  wisely,  that  we  shall  devote  a  little  time  to  a  glance  at  the 
past.  There  are  many  gentlemen  present — veterans  in  the  service — 
whose  experience  wonld  give  great  valne  and  interest  to  their  words, 
and  I  hope  they  will  now,  as  the  spirit  moves  them,  favor  us  with  some 
of  the  results  of  their  observations.  If  no  one  is  prepared  to  respond, 
I  will  take  the  liberty  of  calling  on  Mr.  Saunders,  of  Chicago,  for  a 
few  remarks. 

Mr.  Edgar  Saunders,  of  Chicago,  (correspondent  of  The  Prairie 
Farmer^)  responded  to  the  call  of  the  chair,  as  follows: 

Mr.  Chairman.,  ladies  and  gentlemen:  I  did  not  come  prepared  to 
make  a  single  remark  at  this  meeting,  having  other  business  before 
me ;  but  as  one  of  those  who  may  probably  be  considered  as  the  older 
members,  having  been  engaged  in  the  business  of  floriculture  nearly 
as  far  back  as  the  time  to  which  the  author  of  the  essay,  Mr.  Hender- 
son, has  referred — although  what  we  at  that  time  thought  was  consid- 
erable of  a  business  was,  in  fact,  but  a  small  affair  as  compared  with 
the  transactions  of  any  one  of  many  floriculturists  in  later  days — I 
will  venture  to  make  one  or  two  suggestions  in  response  to  the  call. 

One  thought  that  occurred  to  me  as  our  friend,  Mr.  Peter  Hender- 
son, was  speaking  was  this,  that  we  are  greatly  indebted  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  florists'  interests  in  this  country  to  the  public  parks, 
which  are  becoming  well  distributed  all  over  the  country  and  are  even 
appearing  in  our  wild  West.  The  floral  plantings  and  displays  which 
are  invariably  seen  in  these  parks  are  proving  of  great  benefit  in  giv- 
ing the  public  an  insight  into  the  beauties  of  floriculture,  and  attract- 
ing popular  attention  to  the  styles  of  flowering  plants  and  to  their 
appearance  when  in  masses.  Possibly  the  time  may  never  come  when 
the  private  grounds  of  our  wealthy  fellow-citizens  in  this  country  will 
compare  in  extent  with  like  inclosures  in  the  old  world,  although  you 
have  here  in  the  East,  I  understand,  some  pretty  large  private  places ; 
and  therefore  the  public  parks  are,  for  that  reason,  more  worthy  of 
commendation  because  of  the  facilities  they  aftbrd  for  attracting  atten- 
tion to  and  imparting  information  concerning  the  skill  of  the  florist 
and  the  value  of  his  work.  These  floral  combinations  are  sometimes 
rather  fanciful ;  and  I  have  heard  it  said  by  men  in  the  trade — and  I 
believe  the  observation  is  a  common  one  in  Europe — that  these  odds 
and  ends  that  are  to  be  seen  in  parks  are  hardly  worthy  of  the  atten- 
tion of  florists,  but  I  repeat  that  they  are  of  great  value  in  educating 
the  popular  taste.  I  have  often  observed  in  Chicago  the  attention 
which  the  outlines  of  animals,  of  sun-dials,  of  portraits  and  repre- 
sentations of  floral  carpet  Avork  have  attracted.  A  portrait  of  General 
Grant,  last  year,  is  specialh'  worthy  of  mention  in  connection  with 


22  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

this  phase  of  the  subject.  On  the  other  hand,  a  fine  piece  of  planting, 
the  only  object  of  which  is  to  show  the  peculiarities  and  beauties  of 
the  individual  plants,  would  be  comparatively  unnoticed  by  the  public. 

With  respect  to  the  bouquet  business,  to  which  the  essayist  has  re- 
ferred, I  have  to  say  a  word.  In  1853,  the  city  of  Albany,  of  which  I 
was  then  a  resident,  was  supposed  to  be  unable  to  furnish  bouquets 
that  were  considered  sufficiently  handsome  for  bridal  purposes.  My 
friend  Hendrick,  if  present,  will  undoubtedly  say  they  can  do  it  now. 
I  was  then  a  private  gardener  in  that  city,  and  was  requested  by  my 
employer  to  procure  from  New  York  citj^  bouquets  for  a  bride.  These, 
when  they  arrived,  ai^peared  to  be  so  different  from  any  I  had  seen 
that  I  proceeded  at  once  to  ascertain  exactly  of  what  they  were  com- 
posed. Notes  were  made  bj^  me  of  the  results  of  my  investigation  as 
I  proceeded,  and  I  now  regret  liaving  left  those  notes  at  my  home,  as 
by  reading  them  here  I  could  "  a  tale  unfold  "  that  would  astonish 
this  society.  (Merriment.)  I  began  my  work  on  a  bouquet  by  pick- 
ing off  portions  on  the  outside,  piece  by  piece,  and  unwinding  the 
thread  which  held  the  whole  in  place.  I  found  tliat  the  flowers  were 
fastened  to  pieces  of  rushes,  and,  upon  concluding  my  labors,  dis- 
covered that  I  had  unwound  a  quantity  of  cotton  thread  whicli,  in 
actual  length,  exceeded  that  usually  contained  on  an  ordinary  sized 
spool.  It  was  a  fanciful-looking  arrangement,  liaving  three  or  four  or 
more  camelias  interwoven  in  it.  I  do  not  know  where  that  bouquet 
was  made,  but  I  do  kno^v  that  its  method  of  composition  led  me  to  do 
some  thinking  in  regard  to  it,  and  I  can  positively  say  that  I  made  a 
number  of  such  bouquets  afterwards,  and  they  were  said  to  be  "  very 
nice."     (Renewed  merriment.) 

Another  reminiscence  that  occurs  to  me — one  that  jjerhaps  Mr. 
Peter  Henderson  and  others  of  the  older  members  have  knowledge 
of — has  reference  to  the  horticultural  societies  that  were  started  then 
and  whicli  I  was  accustomed  to  attend.  If  my  recollection  is  correct, 
some  difficulty  was  experienced  at  that  time  in  inducing  people  to  at- 
tend the  exhibitions  given  by  such  societies.  I  recollect  well  the  ef- 
forts made  to  that  end,  and  the  fact  that  a  number  of  fancy  plants 
were  brought  down  to  the  place  for  our  exhibition  from  Albany.  Mr. 
Menand  often  brought  there  some  heaths  and  various  plants  of  that 
sort  of  the  best  possible  growth. 

I  observe,  among  the  members  present,  a  gentleman  from  the  city 
from  which  I  come  who  has  long  been,  and  still  is,  practically  engaged 
in  the  business  of  a  florist,  while  my  own  time  has  been  largely  occu- 
pied by  my  duties  in  connection  with  the  press.  That  gentleman  and 
I  have  had  some  battles  upon  the  issue  between  us  as  to  whether  he 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS. 

or  I  made  the  first  venture  in  florieultnre.     He  may, 

mind  some  reminiscences  of  that  early  time  to  which 

I  allude  to  Mr,  Charles  Reissig,  of  Chicago,  X^ 

The  Chairman  (having  had  a  consultation  with  the  geni 
called  upon)  stated  that  Mr.  Reissig  requested  to  be  excu^^^^ from  *^ 
speaking  at  this  time,  and  that  his  rec^uest  was  granted,  but  that  Tbe — 
convention  would  expect  to  hear  from  that  gentleman  before  its  close. 

He  added  that  ten  minutes  remained  of  the  time  which  had  been 
set  apart,  according  to  the  programme,  for  "  Reminiscences  by  mem- 
bers of  the  society," 

Mr,  Robert  McCrox,  of  Thompsonville,  Connecticut,  addressed  the 
chair.  He  remarked  that  he  thought  the  time  would  be  more  profit- 
ably occupied,  and  the  duty  of  the  society  performed,  if  attention  was 
now  given  to  the  i)resent  wants  and  interests  of  florists  and  the  mere 
reminiscences  of  the  past  temporarily  ignored.  He  asserted  that  the 
prosperity  of  floriculture,  like  that  of  all  other  businesses,  depended 
upon  the  workingraen  engaged  in  it  rather  than  upon  the  enunciation 
of  mere  theories  such  as  the  convention  had  heard  to-day. 

He  continued  :  No  trade  or  occupation  can  be  successful  except  by 
the  cooperation  of  the  workingmen  engaged  in  it.  You  cannot  write 
a  book,  build  a  steam  engine,  or  drive  a  plough  without  calling  upon 
the  workingman  to  help  you.  We  are  here  as  laboring  men  to  look 
the  facts  in  regard  to  our  business  fairly  in  the  face,  and  to  con- 
sider the  actual  condition  of  that  business ;  but,  before  this  conven- 
tion breaks  up,  we  Avill  discuss  whether  steam  or  hot  water  is  the  bet- 
ter for  heating,  and,  when  we  have  got  through  with  the  subject,  no 
living  mortal  man  will  be  able  to  tell  whether  there  is  any  reason  for 
preferring  one  to  the  other.  We  will  discuss  whether  this  or  that 
house  is  the  better  kind  for  keeping  our  plants  in  good  condition,  and, 
after  it  all,  we  will  say  that  we  really  cannot  tell  which  is  the  better. 
We  have  made  no  real  improvements  or  actual  advancement  in  our 
art  as  compared  with  the  progress  of  other  industries.  The  discovery 
of  the  cotton-gin  brought  the  price  of  cotton  down  at  once,  but  what 
invention  in  our  art  has  saved  any  labor? 

The  Chairman  here  reminded  the  speaker  of  the  necessity,  in  view 
of  the  limited  time  remaining,  of  confining  his  remarks  more  closelv 
to  the  subject  for  discussion. 

Mr.  McCron  responded  with  an  emphatic  "  yes,  sir,"  but,  regardless 
of  the  admonition  of  the  chair,  went  on  in  the  general  line  of  thought 
upon  which  he  had  started,  creating  much  amusement  by  his  earnest- 
ness.    He  continued : 

What  I  want  to  do  at  this  stage  of  the  convention  is  to  set  men 


24  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

thinking  on  what  they  are  doing,  and  on  where  they  have  arrived  in 
their  business.  Now,  it  is  said  there  are  so  many  flowers  and  phmts 
auctioned  in  New  York,  and  I  say  that  the  auctioning  of  flowers  and 
I)lants  has  injured  every  workingman  here  and  every  other  one  in  the 
business,  and  has  taken  from  the  workingman  his  bread.  It  is  the 
truth  I  tell  you,  gentlemen.  I  hold  in  my  hand  a  resolution  on  this 
subject,  which  I  desire  to  present. 

The  Chairman  here  explained  tliat  the  presentation  of  resolutions 
not  being  in  order  at  this  time,  lie  was  obliged  to  ask  the  gentleman 
from  Connecticut  to  withhold  his  proposition  for  the  present,  as  ample 
opportunity  for  its  consideration  would  be  allbrded  at  a  subsequent 
stage  of  the  proceedings.  He  added  that  as  economy  of  time  was  de- 
sirable, the  convention  would  be  glad  to  liear,  in  the  ten  minutes  re- 
maining, from  some  of  the  older  memliers  present.  The  chair  then 
named,  as  one  whom  he  thought  well  qualifled  to  instruct  and  interest 
the  audience,  Mr.  C.  L.  Allen. 

IN  MEMORIAM — JAMES  Y.  MURKLAND. 

Mr.  C.  L.  Allen,  of  Garden  City,  New  Jersey,  came  forward  and 
said : 

Mr.  Chairman,  ladies  and  gentlemen :  Our  President,  Mr.  Thorpe, 
in  referring  a  few  days  ago  to  a  subject  that  has  not  been  mentioned 
here,  asked  me  to  speak  to  you  upon  it.  I  allude  to  the  death  of  our 
friend,  ]\Ir.  James  Y.  IMurkland.  As  I  cannot  trust  to  my  memory  in 
the  presence  of  an  audience  such  as  the  one  I  have  now  the  honor  to 
address,  I  have  committed  my  thoughts  to  paper,  and  will  now  read 
what  1  have  written. 

It  is  pleasant  to  speak  of  a  departed  friend  when  little,  if  any, 
occasion  exists  for  mental  reservation.  It  is  doubly  sweet  to  say  a 
kind  w^ord  when  it  can  be  said  impartially,  and  when  we  are  free  from 
that  bias  wdiicli  evolves  from  a  long  personal  friendship.  In  a  busi- 
ness way,  I  have  known  Mr.  Murkland  well  for  the  past  fifteen  years. 
During  this  time,  we  were  ever  friendly,  but  never  intimate  friends 
until  the  day  previous  to  his  death.  We  had  much  to  do  with  each 
other  in  the  society  work,  and  we  differed  materially  in  our  methods, 
as  well  as  in  social  and  political  ethics,  yet  we  Avorked  together  in  the 
most  perfect  harmony,  and  respected  each  other's  opinions  and  feel- 
ings most  sacredly.  While  his  opinions  were  of  a  positive  character, 
based  upon  his  keen  perception  of  right  and  duty,  and  ui)on  Avhat  he 
considered  the  best  possible  way  of  accomplishing  a  given  purpose, 
at  the  same  time,  if  a  better  plan  than  his  was  shown,  he  would  lay 
aside  his  own  opinions  and  adopt  the  better,  and  would  do  this  most 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  ZO 

cheerfully  and  with  alacrity.  His  was  in  many  respects  a  most  beau- 
tiful character.  I  do  not  pretend  to  say  he  was  faultless ;  men  with 
positive  opinions  and  strong  personal  characteristics  seldom  are.  But 
of  James  Y.  Murkland,  we  can  truly  say  that  we  have  rarely  met  a 
man  in  whom  we  saw  more  virtues  to  admire  and  imitate,  and  less 
vices  to  abhor  and  shun. 

It  may  be  truly  said  of  him,  as  Emerson  said  of  John  Bradshaw, 
that  "■  wherever  he  sat  down,  honor  came  and  sat  beside  him."  We 
can  add  to  this  that  integrity,  purity,  manly  virtue,  kindly  sympathy, 
the  rich  fruits  of  honor,  ever  followed  him,  not  as  sentinels,  but  they 
were  simply  the  outcroppings  of  his  noble  manhood,  and  followed  him 
as  the  needle  follows  the  magnet.  His  industry,  both  i)hysical  and 
mental,  w^as  phenomenal.  Rapidity  of  thought,  happily  blended  with 
executive  ability,  enabled  him  to  accomplish  tasks  easily  that  many 
would  have  thought  impossibilities.  He  was  to  the  New  York  Horti- 
cultural Society  what  Samson  was  to  the  Philistines — a  giant :  and 
had  not  that  society  been  nourished  from  the  fountains  of  his  noble 
intellect  and  indefatigable  industry,  it  would  have  died  from  exhaus- 
tion long  aco. 

While  intellectual  ability,  persistent  industry,  and  thorough  hon- 
esty were  his  marked  characteristics,  they  were  not  alone  all  that 
illumined  his  character.  All  these  were  results,  throbbings  of  a  high 
moral  and  spiritual  nature. 

The  CHAIE3IAN :  As  the  hour  for  closing  the  morning's  session  is 
rapidly  approaching,  we  will  now  proceed  with  the  enrollment  of  new 
members  and  the  payment  of  dues.  The  delegates  will  please  come 
forward  to  the  secretary's  desk.     He  is  prepared  to  receive  them. 

(Note. — Complying  with  the  invitation,  the  delegates  to  the  con- 
vention congregated  around  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  table  at  which 
the  Secretary  and  Treasurer  were  stationed,  and  the  work  of  enroll- 
ment and  receiving  of  dues  occupied  the  time  until  noon.) 

fl 

EXHIBITION    OF   FLORISTS'    SUPPLIES,    ETC. 

In  the  interim  between  the  sessions,  the  delegates  visited  the  lower 
hall  of  the  convention  building,  which  had  been  reserved  for  the  dis- 
play of  floral  and  other  exhibits.  The  exhibition  hall  was  well  filled 
with  plants  and  flowers,  pottery,  green-house  apparatus,  appliances 
for  the  destruction  of  insect  life,  specimens  of  lithograph  and  printing 
Avork,  model  green-houses,  a  grand  collection  of  cacti  and  aquatic 
plants,  and  a  variety  of  florists'  suj^plies.  This  magnificent  exhibition 
remained  open  to  the  public  throughout  the  four  days'  sessions  of  the 
convention. 


26  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

FIRST  DAY— Afternoon  Session. 

President  Thorpe  announced  a  change  in  the  order  of  business  for 
to-day,  (necessitated  by  the  trip  to  Athmtic  City  to-morrow,)  in  con- 
sequence of  which  the  programme  for  the  remainder  of  the  day  had 
been  re-adjusted  so  as  to  read  as  follows : 

Afternoon  Session. 

Treatment  of  Tea  Roses  during  the  Summer,  witli  List  of  Best  Bedding  Vari- 
eties,   Antoine  Wintzer,  West  Grove,  Pa. 

Hybrid  Perpetual  Roses  for  Out-door  Summer  Bloom,  with  List  of  Best  Varieties, 

John  Henderson,  Flushing,  L.  I. 
Pot-grown  Roses  for  Market  Purposes :  their  Care  and  Treatment, 

Robert  Craig,  Philadelphia. 

Evening  Session. 

Fungoid  Diseases  of  the  Rose,  .  H.  J.  Sackersdorff,  (dee'd,)  Bayside,  N.  Y. 
Model  Green- [louses  and  How  to  Build  Them  .  .  John  X.  May,  Summit,  N.  J. 
Pot-grown  Decorative  Foliage  Plants  for  General  Purposes, 

James  Tapliv,  Maywood,  N.  J. 
Carnations  and  their  Treatment, Joseph  Tailby,  Wellesley,  Mass. 

THE    question-box. 

The  President  here  stated  that  the  question-box,  for  the  reception 
of  queries  which  any  member  might  feel  disposed  to  propound,  had 
been  placed  in  position.  He  invited  members  to  deposit  therein  any 
pertinent  questions  upon  which  they  desired  information,  and  assured 
them  that  these  would  receive  attention  at  the  earliest  possible  moment. 

(Note. — A  large  printed  placard  containing  tlie  invitation  just  stated 
by  the  President  was  here  placed  on  the  box  to  indicate  its  location 
upon  the  platform,  in  a  position  where  it  was  easily  accessible. 

committees  on  exhibits. 

The  President  further  announced  that  committees  to  make  awards 
on  the  exhibits  displayed  in  the  lower  hall  had  been  constituted  as 
follows : 

On  Cut  Flowers — William  K.  Harris,  Luther  Armstrong,  Alexander 
Murdoch,  Louis  Siebrecht,  William  J.  Stewart,  A.  D.  Rohrer. 

On  Plants  and  Bulbs — James  Taplin,  R.  J.  Hallidaj^,  W.  C.  Smith, 
Robert  George,  Walter  W.  Coles,  Avery  Gallup. 

On  Florists''  Requisites  and  Supplies — Charles  Reissig,  W.  H.  Wil- 
liams, H.  A.  Siebrecht,  James  Hendrick,  James  Griffiths,  J.  N.  Gasser. 

On  Lithographs^  Printing^  and  Miscellaneous — C.  L.  Allen,  H.  A. 
Dreer,  F.  R.  Pierson,  Henry  Sunderbruch,  J.  G.  Heinl. 

On  Green- House  Structures  and  Appliances — Peter  Henderson,  J. 
T.  Anthony,  John  Henderson,  J.  H.  Taylor,  Frank  Pentland. 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLOEISTS.  27 

The  President  stated  that  exhibitors  would  be  required  to  have  all 
their  goods  in  position  at  four  o'clock,  p.  m.,  this  day,  and  that  the 
committees  would  begin  their  labors  two  hours  later,  reporting  at  the 
earliest  posible  moment. 

The  President  here  read  a  communication  (received  through  Mr. 
William  F.  Dreer,  of  Philadelphia,)  from  the  Zoological  Society,  signed 
by  William  Hacker,  treasurer,  tending  to  the  Society  of  American 
Florists  an  invitation  to  visit  the  Zoological  grounds  in  Fairmount 
Park. 

The  President  also  read  the  following  communications: 

Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society, 

Boston,  July  6, 1886. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society,  held  July  3,  1886, 
the  following  vote,  offered  by  Edward  L.  Beard,  was  unanimously  passed  : 

Voted,  That  the  secretary  be  authorized  to  send  to  the  Society  of  American 
Florists,  at  their  meeting  in  Philadelphia,  August  18,  a  letter  expressing  tiie  sym- 
pathy of  this  society  with  the  aims  and  efforts  of  the  Society  of  Florists,  and 
that  William  J.  Stewart  be  the  bearer  of  the  letter  as  the  representative  of  this 
society. 

In  pel-forming  the  duty  devolved  on  me  by  this  vote,  I  would  say  that  as  one  of 

tlie  oldest  horticultural  societies  in  tliis  country,  we  appreciate  the  advantage  of 

organization  among  the  florists  of  the  country.    Although  the  commercial  view 

of  floriculture  may  occupy  a  larger  place  in  your  discussions  than  it  does  in  our 

own,  we  know  that  those  who  gain  their  liveliliood  by  tlie  cultivation  of  these 

most  charming  productions  of  nature,  also  appreciate  the  beauty  of  the  flowers 

and  foliage  which  they  aim  to  bring  to  the  utmost  perfection ;  and  tliis  society, 

which  lias  done  so  mucli  to  develop  horticulture  as  a  means  for  the  delight  and 

higher  education  of  the  people  of  this  country,  will  welcome  every  effort  made 

by  the  florists  of  America  to  elevate  and  ennoble  their  calling. 

Very  respectfully, 

Robert  Manning, 

Secretary  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society. 
To  E.G.  Hill,  Esq., 

Secretary  of  tlie  Society  of  American  Florists. 


New  Orleans  Horticultural  Society, 

August  12,  1886. 
To  the  Society  of  American  Florists: 

The  bearer,  Mr.  John  Eblen,  will  represent  the  New  Orleans  Horticultural  So- 
ciety at  the  meeting  of  American  Florists  in  Pliiladelphia.  As  our  representa- 
tive and  as  a  progressive  florist,  we  take  pleasure  in  recommending  him  to  the 
good  ofllces  of  the  Society  of  American  Florists. 

E.  Dager, 

President. 
H.  A.  Despommier, 

Seen  tary. 


28  PROCEEDINGS    OF    SECONIl    CONVENTION. 

Mr.  Eblen,  111)011  invitation  of  the  chair,  here  came  forward  and 
was  i^resented  to  the  convention  as  the  rei)resentative  of  tlie  New 
Orleans  florists.  The  gentle.man  bowed  his  acknowledgments  and 
retired. 

The  Chairman  (Vice  President  Craig  in  the  chair:)  We  will  now 
proceed  with  the  regular  order  of  business — a  paper  on  "  Treatment 
of  Tea  Roses  during  the  Summer,  with  List  of  Best  Bedding  Varie- 
ties,'- by  Mr.  Antoine  Wintzer,  of  West  Grove,  Pennsylvania ;  a  gen- 
tleman who  has,  perhaps,  had  more  experience  with  roses  than  any 
other  in  this  country. 

Mr.  Antoine  Wintzer  here  appeared  upon  the  platform,  and,  after 
a  friendly  greeting  from  the  convention,  read  the  following  paper: 

TREATMENT    OF    TEA    ROSES    DURING    THE    SUMMER,     AVITH    LIST    OF    BEST 

VARIETIES. 

How  sliould  we  treat  our  roses  ?  What  is  tlie  best  culture  to  give  to  liave  them 
grow  ami  bloom  satisfactorily  ?  What  is  the  best  soil  to  plant  in,  and  what  slioukl 
be  done  to  keep  off  insects  ?  These  and  numerous  other  questions  are  frequently 
asked  by  those  purcliasing  roses. 

SELECTION  OF  SOIL  AND  LOCATION. 

Roses  thrive  best  in  a  good  rich  loam.  The  soil  should  not  be  too  light,  or  so 
heavy  as  to  retain  moisture  after  heavy  rain-falls ;  in  the  latter  case,  under- 
drainage  is  necessary.  Should  the  soil  be  inclined  to  bake  hard  after  rains,  a 
judicious  application  of  sand  or  coal  ashes  will  prove  beneficial.  After  suitable 
soil  has  been  selected,  avoid  planting  near  large  trees,  as  the  shading  of  tlie 
ground  robs  the  roses  of  sunlight  required  for  a  vigorous,  healthy  growth,  and 
the  roots  are  equally  injurious,  as  tiiey  absorb  the  moisture  necessary  for  the 
proper  nourislmient  of  tiie  plants. 

PREPARATION  OF  SOIL. 

The  proper  preparation  of  the  soil  for  roses  is  of  the  utmost  importance.  If 
the  plot  of  ground  is  large,  it  can  be  plowed  to  good  advantage ;  sink  the  plow 
about  nine  or  ten  inches.  A  great  deal  depends  on  this  ;  as  is  well  known,  the 
roots  of  roses  run  deeji,  and  should  have  every  chance.  After  plowing  in  man- 
ner described,  the  surface  sliould  be  t'lorouglily  pulverized  with  a  good  harrow, 
followed  by  a  land-roller,  after  which  the  ground  will  be  in  condition  for  planting. 
In  beds  of  ordinary  size  the  operation  can  be  better  performed  with  a  good  spade, 
with  which  the  ground  should  be  dug  deeply  and  then  carefully  raked. 

FERTILIZERS. 

In  our  experience,  the  best  results  have  always  been  obtained  from  the  applica- 
tion of  well  decomposed  barn-yard  manure  in  liberal  quantities.  When  this  can- 
not conveniently  be  obtained,  a  dressing  of  fine  bone-meal  will  give  good  results  ; 
it  can  be  applied  on  the  surface  and  raked  in. 

SELECTION  OF  PLANTS  AND  PLANTING. 

The  selection  of  roses  for  out-door  planting  sliould  be  carefully  considered. 
In  our  experience,  we  have  always  found  that  good  healthy  young  plants,  well 


SOCIETY 'of    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  29 

grown  ill  two  and  one  half  or  three  inch  pots,  have  usually  given  the  best  re- 
sults. If  immediate  effect  is  the  desired  object,  good  plants  from  four  to  five 
inch  pots  can  be  planted  to  advantage. 

Tlie  proper  time  for  planting,  as  is  understood,  varies  according  to  locality. 
It  is  usually  safe  to  plant  roses  when  the  fruit  trees  are  in  blossom.  The  distance 
apart  for  planting  depends  on  the  manner  of  cultivation ;  if  it  is  intended  to 
work  the  roses  with  a  horse,  the  rows  should  be  three  or  three  and  one  half  feet 
wide,  and  the  plants  from  ten  to  twelve  inches  apart  in  the  rows.  In  ordinary- 
sized  beds,  where  good  effect  is  desired  for  tlie  first  season,  the  rows  can  be  about 
fourteen  inches  wide,  and  the  plants  ten  inches  apart  in  the  rows.  Before  plant- 
ing, the  roots  of  plants  should  be  well  soaked  with  water.  The  proper  way  to 
plant  roses  is  to  put  them  in  a  little  deeper  than  they  were  growing  in  the  pots. 
It  is  now  very  important  to  press  the  earth  firmly  around  the  plants.  Tliis  can 
easily  be  done  with  the  foot,  and  will  prevent  the  air  from  drying  the  roots  and 
also  helps  to  retain  the  moisture.  After  this  has  been  well  done,  the  ground  can 
be  leveled  nicely  around  the  plants.  We  usually  prefer  to  use  the  back  of  the  rake 
for  this  purpose. 

CULTIVATION. 

After  the  roses  have  been  planted  a  few  days,  the  surface  of  the  ground  should 
be  lightly  stirred  with  a  hoe.  This  should  be  done  with  care,  as  many  plants  are 
frequently  injured  by  careless  hoeing.  After  tlie  roses  have  attained  a  fair 
growth,  they  should  be  worked  to  the  depth  of  three  or  four  inches,  but  it  must 
always  be  understood  that  this  operation  should  be  done  carefully,  so  as  not  to 
injure  the  growing  plants.  In  our  opinion,  the  ground  should  be  worked  about 
once  a  week  until  it  is  covered,  after  which  any  straggling  weeds  that  may  ap- 
pear can  be  pulled  by  hand. 

TREATMENT   OF   MILDEW  AND  GUU15-WORMS. 

If  the  foliage  of  your  roses  become  affected  by  mildew,  dust  them  with  fine 
sulphur.  Sometimes,  after  a  rose  has  been  growing  finely  for  some  weeks,  it 
suddenly  hangs  its  head.  In  nearly  all  cases,  this  will  be  found  to  have  been  caused 
by  a  thick  white  grub  worm,  from  one  half  to  three  fourths  of  an  inch  in  length, 
which  cuts  the  roots.  The  best  method  to  get  rid  of  this  pest  is  to  dig  under 
and  around  the  affected  plant,  when  they  can  mostly  be  found  and  destroyed, 
preventing  further  ravages.  This  grub  is  the  larva?  of  the  common  brown  May 
beetle,  and  is  numerous  in  old  sod  ground.  Should  the  plant  be  attacked  by  cater- 
pillars, iiand  picking  is  the  best  way  to  get  rid  of  them— poisons  are  generally 
unsafe. 

THE  SELECTION   OF  VARIETIES. 

This  is  no  easy  task  to  undertake,  for  no  matter  how  well  informed  in  regard 
to  varieties  in  general,  persons  differ  in  taste  and  opinion,  and  what  might  be 
considered  a  good  variety  f(.)r  the  purpose  in  question  by  one  would  be  consid- 
ered second  or  third-class  by  another,  and  for  no  specific  reason.  Then  again, 
some  varieties  are  first-class  in  one  section  of  the  country,  and  almost  worthless 
in  another.  In  this  respect  they  are  much  like  any  other  plant  or  shrub.  ^^ early 
all  are  good  in  localities  adapted  to  their  nature.  When  we  take  into  considera- 
tion the  vast  extent  of  our  country,  reaching  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific 
oceans,  and  extending  from  the  Great  Lakes  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  it  can  easily 
be  understood  that  a  variety  suitable  for  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States  would, 
perhaps,  be  of  little  value  in  a  Southern  climate  or  in  the  Pacific  States. 


30 


PEOCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTIOX. 


With  the  preceding  qualifications,  I  submit  tlie  following  list  of  roses  wliich, 
in  a  general  wa}-,  have  given  the  best  results  in  this  section.  It  will  be  noted 
that  many  high-class  varieties  have  been  omitted ;  this  is  because  they  could  not 
properly  be  classed  under  the  heading  of  this  article.  Varieties  of  the  following 
classes  are  mentioned  in  this  list:  Tea,  Bourbon,  and  China. 


LIST  OF   GOOD  BEDDING  ROSES. 


Agrippina. 

Aline  Sisley. 

Anna  OUiver. 

Archduke  Charles. 

Archduchess  Isabella. 

Aurora. 

Belle  fleur  d'Anjou. 

Bon  Silene. 

Charles  Rovelli. 

Catharine  Mermet. 

Comtesse  Riza  du  Pare. 

Comtesse  du  Barbentanne. 

Coquette  de  Lyon. 

Cornelia  Cook. 

Cramoise  Superieur. 

David  Pradel. 

Devoniensis. 

Douglas. 

Ducliess  de  Brabant. 

Duchess  of  Edinburgh. 

Etoile  de  Lyon. 

Gen.  de  Tartas. 

Glorie  de  Dijon. 

Hermosa. 

Homer. 

Isabella  Sprunt. 

Jean  Ditcher. 

Jean  Fernet. 

Jules  Finger. 

Laurette. 

La  Fhffinix. 

La  Princess  Vera. 


Letty  Coles. 

Louisa  de  la  Rive. 

Louis  Richard. 

LuculUis. 

Mad.  Bravy. 

Mad.  Bosanquet. 

Mad.  Camille. 

Mad.  de  Vatry. 

Mad.  de  Watteville. 

Mad.  Falcot. 

Mad,  Joseph  .Schwartz. 

Mad.  Lambard. 

Mad.  Margottin. 

Mad.  Villermoz. 

Mad.  Welche. 

Marie  Duclier. 

Marie  Gulliot. 

Marie  Sisley. 

Marie  Van  Iloutte. 

Papa  Gontier. 

Perle  des  Jardins. 

Red  Malmaison . 

Regal  is. 

Rose  Nabonnand, 

Rubens. 

Safrano. 

Sombreuil. 

Souv.  de  la  Malmaison. 

Souv.  de  Mad.  Fernet. 

Souv,  d'un  Ami. 

Vallee  de  Chamounix, 


Upon  the  reading  of  the  paper  being  concluded — 
Mr,  James  Pentland,  of  Baltimore,  said:  I  would  like  to  ask  the 
gentleman  (Mr,  Wintzer)  a  question  which  I  think  is  pertinent  to  the 
subject.  A  rose  that  I  heard  him  mention  just  now  I  have  known 
myself  for  the  last  forty-five  or  forty-eight  years — the  Cramoise  Su- 
perieu?\  I  have  bought  that  rose  in  three  different  places,  and  it  has 
turned  out  to  be  the  old  Rulens  that  I  used  to  know  forty-five  or 
forty-eight  years  ago ;  and  I  think  there  are  gentlemen  here  whose 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  31 

experience  has  been  the  same  as  mine.  I  would  like  to  have  the 
nomenclature  of  that  rose  determined  so  that  I  may  know  whether  I 
am  correct.  The  gentlemen  mentioned  another  rose  as  the  Souvenir 
dhm  Ami.  I  would  like  to  know  whether  he  has  allusion  to  that  good 
old  rose,  which  is  not  a  red  rose  exacth%  but  is  a  salmon-colored  rose 
like  the  Levison  Gower.  I  bought  that  rose  at  three  different  places 
out  West  for  the  Levison  Gower.,  but  it  turned  out  to  be  the  Souvenir 
d'un  Ami.  I  ask  whether  growers  are  not  getting  these  names  con- 
fused. 

Mr.  WiNTZER :  I  beg  pardon — I  did  not  have  Red  Safrano  on  my 
list.  I  called  from  the  list  Red  Malmaison.,  a  new  rose  that  was  sent 
to  us  a  few  years  ago  from  France.  I  grow  Red  Safrano-^  but  I  did 
not  put  it  in  this  list. 

Mr.  Pextland  :  I  did  not  speak  of  Red  Safrano.,  but  of  one  that  you 
call  Cramoise  Superieur.  It  is  a  synonym  of  Agrippina.,  as  Queen's 
Scarlet  is  a  synonym  of  Agrippina. 

Mr.  WiNTZER :  I  beg  to  say  that  I  do  not  claim  to  be  an  authority  on 
rose  nomenclature.  I  simply  give  you  these  names  as  I  have  them. 
The  French  growers  are  supposed  to  know  what  they  are  raising — a 
man  is  supposed  to  know  his  own  children — and  thej^  send  us  the 
Cramoise  Superieur  by  that  name.  The  rose  that  we  have  grown  as 
Ruhens  is  one  that  is  very  similar  in  color  and  habit  of  growth  to  the 
old  Devoniensis.  Unlike  the  gentleman  from  Baltimore,  I  cannot  go 
back  in  mj  recollection  forty-five  years,  for  I  am  not  forty-five  years 
of  age.  It  is  true,  as  he  suggests,  that  errors  in  nomenclature  may 
have  occurred  in  the  past,  but  we  cannot  apply  the  remedy,  as  we  are 
.obliged  to  take  history  as  we  receive  it.  If  the  historian  erred,  how 
are  we  to  correct  his  error? 

The  Chairman  :  Permit  me  to  state  that  Mr.  Halliday,  of  Baltimore, 
is  expected  to  prepare  a  paper  covering  this  matter.  I  do  not  know 
that  it  will  clear  up  the  question  as  to  the  nomenclature  of  this  partic- 
ular rose,  but  I  know  that  that  gentleman  has  something  to  communi- 
cate on  subjects  kindred  to  the  one  here  referred  to. 

The  Chairmax  :  The  next  paper  is  from  one  of  our  oldest  and  most 
successful  rose-growers.  I  am  much  pleased  that  we  have  the  gentle- 
man with  us  to-day,  and  I  present  to  you  Mr.  John  Henderson,  of 
New  York. 

Mr.  JoHX  Henderson,  of  Flushing,  Long  Island,  New  York,  here 
read  an  essay  on  "  Hybrid  Perpetual  Roses  for  Out-door  Summer 
Bloom,  with  a  List  of  Best  Varieties."     It  is  as  follows  : 


32  PROCEEDINGS    OF    SECOND    CONVENTION. 

HYBRID  PERPETUAL  ROSES  FOR  OUT-DOOR  SUMMER  BLOOM. 

It  is,  perhaps,  unnecessary  that  I  sliould  go  into  the  liistory  of  the  rose,  as  tliat 
is  a  subject  that  has  been  so  often  and  so  fully  discussed  by  others  more  compe- 
tent than  myself.  I  will,  tlierefore,  only  remark  that  the  rose  has  been  the  ac- 
knowledged "  queen  of  flowers  "  for  over  two  thousand  years.  It  was  Sappho,  I 
believe,  who  first  christened  the  rose  the  "  queen  of  flowers,"  and  it  still  main- 
tains that  distinguished  position,  and  probably  will  ever  continue  to  do  so.  I 
might  here  quote  a  few  lines  from  her  writings  : 

"  Would  Jove  appoint  some  flower  to  reign 
In  matchless  beauty  on  the  plain, 
The  rose  (mankind  will  all  agree)  — 
The  rose,  the  queen  offlowers  should  be." 

Hybrid  perpetual  roses  are  so  called  from  crossing  the  hybrid  China  and  hybrid 
Bourbon  with  the  China,  Bourbon  and  tea-scented  varieties,  by  this  means  ob- 
taining serai-perpetual  blooming  roses,  which  are  named  by  the  French  growers 
Iti/bridcs  rcniontantes— that  is.  roses  that  throw  up  flowers  again.  They  are  among, 
the  most  beautiful  of  our  summer-flowering  roses,  having  size,  color  and  frag- 
rance combined.  They  are  of  quite  modern  origin,  the  first  of  the  race  only  dat- 
ing back  to  1837.  At  first  there  was  a  great  similarity  in  color,  but  the  improve- 
ments made  during  the  last  thirty  years  have  been  so  great  that  we  now  have  al- 
most every  siiade  of  color  except  yellow  and  blue. 

CULTIVATION. 

If  a  permanent  rose-bed  is  desired,  with  the  view  of  growing  fine  roses  fit  for 
exhibition,  it  will  be  necessary  to  choose  an  open  situation,  but  protected  from 
cold,  cutting  winds,  and  then  ascertain  what  the  sub-soil  is.  If  of  a  wet,  clayey 
nature,  it  sliould  be  thoroughly  drained  after  whicli  the  ground  sliould  be  trench- 
ed eighteen  to  twenty -four  inches  deep,  mixing  witli  it  during  the  i)rocess  some 
good,  rotted  manure  and  an  occasional  sprinkling  of  coarse  ground  bone.  A  bed 
thus  formed  will  last  for  years  and  will  well  repay  the  extra  expense  of  making 
it.  But  for  persons  of  limited  means,  or  those  wiio  have  only  a  city  garden  and 
who  wish  to  grow  a  variety  of  plants  in  it,  I  would  recommend  that  whenever  a 
rose-busli  is  to  be  planted,  the  ground  be  dug  out  one  foot  square  and  eighteen" 
inches  deep,  then  filled  in  w'ith  some  good,  turfy  loam,  having  some  rotted  manure 


mixed  through  it. 


PLANTING. 


Some  prefer  to  do  this  in  the  fall,  but  from  my  own  experience,  I  prefer  to  plant 
in  the  spring,  as  soon  as  the  ground  can  possibly  be  worked,  for  when  done  in 
the  fall,  the  i)lants  are  apt  to  be  thrown  out  of  the  ground  by  the  action  of  the 
frost,  so  that  in  many  instances  the  work  has  to  be  done  over  again.  In  planting, 
roses  on  their  own  roots  are  to  be  preferred,  but  these  cannot  always  be  obtain- 
ed ;  besides,  there  are  some  kinds  that  succeed  better  worked  than  on  their  own 
roots.  When  worked  i)lants  are  used,  they  should  always  be  planted  deep  enough 
for  the  stock  to  be  completely  buried  in  the  ground  two  or  more  inches,  for, 
when  this  is  the  case,  after  a  time  the  plant  will  throw  out  rootsabove  the  stock, 
so  that  practically  it  is  supported  by  its  own  roots  as  well  as  the  additional  roots 
of  the  stock.  The  plants  should  be  well  trodden  in,  and  as  soon  as  they  com- 
mence to  grow,  spread  over  thelground  a  good]mulching  of  manure,  which  sliould 
be  forked  in  during  the  summer.    In  tiie  fall,  spread  lightly  among  the  plants  a 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  33 

coating  of  loose  litter  or  leaves,  or  even  plough  or  hoe  up  the  earth  to  the  stems  ; 
the  latter  I  have  seen  most  effectually  done  ;  it  preserves  the  lower  branches  and 
eyes  from  the  frost,  and  in  the  spring  can  be  drawn  from  them,  and  the  ground 
forked  over  and  mulched  with  manure  as  before. 

PRUNING. 

This  should  be  done  the  second  or  third  week  in  March  or  later,  according  to 
the  weather.  I  have  known  the  first  week  in  April  to  be  early  enough.  In  prun- 
ing, first  take  out  all  the  small  or  sickly-looking  shoots,  then  prune  the  remain- 
der from  six  to  eighteen  inches,  according  to  their  growth.  On  examining  the 
roses  in  the  spring,  it  will  frequently  be  observed  that  many  shoots  have  black 
blotches  or  rings  on  the  last  year's  growth.  In  all  such  cases,  the  shoots  should 
be  cut  away  below  such  spots,  even  if  in  so  doing  you  have  to  prune  to  the  plant 
itself.  It  is  very  difficult  to  give  any  fixed  rules  for  pruning  otherwise  than  ac- 
cording to  their  growth,  but  as  a  general  rule, _,moderate-growing sorts  should  be 
pruned  to  about  six  inches,  and  strong-growing  ones  from  twelve  to  eighteen 
inches.  Let  me  note  here  that  the  whole  pitliof  the  subject  of  pruning  and  after- 
growth depends  on  tlie  careful  observance  of  the  habits  of  each  individual 
plant,  also  the  object  in  view,  as  some  prefer  to  keep  their  plants  dwarf  and 
bushy,  and  to  do  this  tliey  will  necessarily  have  to  be  kept  well  pruned  in  ;  but 
others,  such  as  have  small  gardens  and  to  such  I  more  particularly  address  these 
remarks — should  not  prune  too  closely,  but  rather  aim  to  make  fine,  tall  bushes^ 
as  all  village  gardens  are  generally  so  surrounded  by  trees,  fences,  etc.,  that  it  is 
only  when  the  bushes  get  a  considerable  heiglit  that  they  can  obtain  the  neces- 
sary light  and  air. 

This  has  been  brought  prominently  to  my  notice  during  the  last  two  years  by 
observing  the  gardens  of  two  of  my  neighbors,  who  have  had  some  of  the  finest 
hybrid  and  moss  roses  that  one  could  desire.  They  were  planted  three  years 
since  from  two-inch  pots,  and  this  summer  when  in  bloom  were  seven  feet  higli, 
and  covered  w^ith  a  mass  of  flowers,  a  sight  wortli  going  a  distance  to  see.  They 
had  been  but  slightly  pruned  each  year,  and  liad  grown  so  tall  tiiat  they  were 
above  tlie  surrounding  fences,  and  thus  were  enabled  to  get  plenty  of  light  and 
air,  which  no  plant  requires  more  tlum  the  rose. 

It  is  estimated  that  since  tlie  appearance  of  the  first  hybrid  perpetual  roses, 
over  one  thousand  varieties  have  been  introduced  to  commerce.  In  making  a 
selection  from  so  numerous  a  list,  we  naturally  wish  the  best,  and  the  question 
arises,  what  are  the  qualities  most  to  be  desired  ?  First,  I  would  say  a  strong 
constitution,  producing  fine,  robust  foliage,  with  flowers  of  good  substance,  fine 
form,  distinct  colors,  and,  if  possible,  sweet-scented.  Second,  a  disposition  to 
bloom  freely  in  the  fall.  This  latter  quality  can  be  greatly  enhanced  by  good 
cultivation. 

I  liave  made  a  selection  of  over  sixty  varieties  that  have  come  under  my  per- 
sonal observation,  but  as  I  am  aware  that  roses,  like  strawberiies,  succeed  bet- 
ter in  some  localities  than  others,  I  tlierefore  placed  myself  in  communication 
with  Messrs.  EUwanger  «&  Barry,  of  Rochester;  John  B.  Moore  &  Son,  of  Con- 
cord, Mass.,  and  the  Dingee  &  Conard  Company,  of  West  Grove,  Pa.  I  might 
here  mention  that  I  had  an  opportunity  of  submitting  my  list  to  Mr.  Wintzer, 
who  so  ably  represents  the  Dingee  &  Conard  Company,  and  he  fully  indorsed  all 
my  varieties  as  succeeding  well  with  them  ;  therefore,  for  the  sake  of  brevity,  it 
will  be  understood  that  my  list  embraces  that  section  of  the  country  also. 
3 


34 


PKOCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION, 


Selection  of  John  Henderson,  Flushing,  L.  I.,  and  also  of  the 

DiNGEE   &   CONARD   CO.,   WEST   GrOVE,   PA. 


Abel  Carrieie. 
*Abel  Grand. 
*  Alfred  Colomb. 

Anna  Alexieff. 
*Anna  de  Diesbach. 
*Antoine  Mouton. 

Baron  de  Bonstettin. 
*Baroness  Rothschild. 
*Baronne  Prevost. 
*Beauty  of  Waltham. 

Boieldieu. 
*Boule  de  Neige. 

Captain  Cliristy. 
*Ciiarles  Lefebre. 

Comtesse  de  Serenye. 
*Coquette  des  Blanches. 

Countess  of  Oxford. 

Dr.  Andry. 

Duke  of  Albany. 

Duke  of  Edinburgh. 

Edward  Morren. 
*Elise  Boelle. 

Elie  Morel. 
*Elizabeth  Vigneron, 

E.  Y.  Teas. 
*Fisher  Holmes. 

Francois  Michelon. 
*General  Jacqueminot. 
*General  Wasliington. 

Hippolyte  Jamain. 
*Jean  Liabaud. 


*  Jules  Margottin. 

Jules  Finger. 
*La  France. 

Louis  Van  Houtte. 
*Lyonnaise. 
*Mabel  Morrison. 

Madame  Cliarles  Wood. 

Madame  de  Cambaceres. 

Madame  Gabriel  Luizet. 
*Madame  Victor  Verdier. 
*Mlle.  Annie  Wood. 
*Mlle.  Eugenie  Verdier. 

Magna  Charta. 
♦Marguerite  de  St.  Amand. 

Marie  Bauraann. 

Marquise  de  Castellane. 
*Marquise  de  Moitemart. 

Marshall  P.  Wilder. 

Mary  Bennett. 

Maurice  Bernardin. 
*Merveille  de  Lyon. 

Monsieur  Boncenne. 
*Paul  Neron. 

Paul  V^i'dier. 
*Pierre  Netting. 

Pride  of  Reigate. 
*Prince  Camille  de  Rohan. 
*Pride  of  Waltham. 
*Queen  of  Queens. 

Senateur  Vaisse. 

Ulrich  Brunner. 


John  Hopper. 

Selection  of  Ellw anger  &  Barry,  Rochester. 


*  Alfred  Colomb. 
*Anna  de  Diesbach. 

Baroness  Rothschild. 

Baron  de  Bonstettin. 

Boieldieu. 
*Charles  Lefebre. 
*Climbing  Jules  Margottin. 

Comtesse  de  Serenye. 

Coquette  des  Alps. 

Countess  of  Oxford. 

Edward  Morren. 
*Elise  Boelle. 
*Eugenie  Verdier. 
*Fisher  Holmes. 
*Fran9ois  Michelon. 


*John  Hopper. 
*La  France. 
*La  Reine. 

Mabel  Morrison. 

Madame  Gabriel  Luizet. 
*Marguerite  de  St.  Amand. 
*Marie  Baumann. 
*Marshal  P.  Wilder. 

Maurice  Bernardin. 

Merveille  de  Lyon. 
*Paul  Neron. 
*Pierre  Netting. 

Prince  Camille  de  Rohan. 
*Rev.  J.  B.  Camm. 
*Victor  Verdier. 


*General  Jacqueminot. 

•  Those  marked  with  a  star  bloom  well  in  the  Fall. 


society  of  american  flobists.  35 

Selection  of  Taventy-five  of  the  Best  Varieties  doing  well  tx 
Boston,  by  John  B.  Moore  &  Son,  Concord,  Mass. 

Abel  Carriere,  La  Rosiere. 

Alfred  Colomb.  Louis  Van  Houtte. 

Baron  de  Bonstettin.  Madame  Eugenie  Verdier. 

Baroness  liotlischild.  Madame  Gabriel  Luizet. 

Charles  Lefebre.  Madame  Marie  Finger. 

Duke  of  Edinburgh.  Madame  Victor  Verdier. 

Duke  of  Teck.  Marguerite  de  St.  Amand. 

Duke  of  Wellington.  Marquise  de  Castellane. 

Etienne  Levet.  Monsieur  E.  Y.  Teas. 

Eugenie  Verdier.  Merveille  de  Lyon. 

Francois  Miclielon.  Thomas  Mills. 

Jean  Liabaud.  White  Baroness. 
Jolni  Hopper. 

In  addition  to  the  above,  tliere  is  a  growing  class  of  roses  called  "Climbing 
Hybrids."  These  are  not  strictly  climbers  in  the  same  sense  as  the  Ayrshires, 
Boursoults,  etc.,  but  sliould  rather  be  called  "Pillar  Roses."  They  are  strong, 
rampant  sports  from  well-known  liybrids,  with  flowers  in  every  way  identical 
with  those  of  their  parents,  and  will  grovv  from  ten  to  twelve  feet  high.  This 
class  should  be  encouraged  either  for  small  or  large  gardens.  In  the  former  case, 
from  their  height  they  could  be  more  easily  cleared  of  those  pests  of  the  rose,  the 
aphides,  red  spider,  and  caterpillars,  by  syringing  witii  any  of  the  different  solu- 
tions for  that  purpose,  as  from  their  height  the  under  part  of  the  foliage  can  be 
well  sprayed,  and  it  is  on  the  under  part  of  the  foliage  that  the  principal  trouble 
comes.  Secondly,  they  can  be  made  very  effective  in  large  gardens,  either  planted 
singly  or  in  groups  of  three  or  more  varieties,  or  in  rows,  thus  forming  a  beau- 
tiful background  for  the  dwarf-growing  varieties.  The  following  are  well  adapted 
for  this  purpose,  but  the  observant  rose-grower  will  find  many  other  rampant- 
growing  sorts  that  he  can  make  use  of  for  the  same  purpose : 

Baronne  Prevost.  Glory  of  Waltham. 

Bessie  Johnson.  General  Jacqueminot. 

Captain  Christy.  Eugenie  Verdier. 

Charles  Lefebre.  Jules  Margottin. 

Countess  of  Oxford.  Madame  de  Cambaceres. 

Duchess  of  Sutherland.  Maurice  Bernardin. 

Duke  of  Edinburgh.  Paul  Verdier. 

Edward  Morren.  Princess  Louise  Victoria. 

Glory  of  Cheshunt.  Red  Dragon. 

I  might  here  mention  that  to  insure  getting  these  varieties  it  will  be  necessary 
to  ask  for  the  climbing  varieties  of  these  sorts,  as  they  are  called  in  the  catalogues. 

Before  closing  this  article,  I  would  like  to  make  a  few  remarks  on  rose-growing 
in  general.  Tlie  great  lack  of  personal  observation  of  the  requirements  of  each 
particular  rose,  in  regard  to  its  cultivation,  pruning,  etc. ;  also  want  of  attention 
and  quickness  in  detecting  caterpillars,  mildew,  etc.,  is  the  cause  of  failure. 
When  the  first  leaf  is  discovered  folded  by  a  caterpillar,  go  for  it,  and  then  hunt 
over  the  whole  lot  continuously  from  that  time.  So,  also,  when  the  first  speck 
of  mildew  is  discovered,  do  not  wait  till  to-morrow,  but  apply  the  remedy  right 


36  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

away.  Unsuccessful  rose-growing  is  due  to  lack  of  attention  to  what  at  first  is 
a  little  matter.  When  the  leaves  are  eaten  away  like  lace-work,  the  bushes  white 
witli  mildew,  it  is  rather  late  to  begin  to  apply  remedies.  Such  persons  will  never 
succeed  in  growing  good  roses. 

Mr.  James  Hendrick,  of  Albany,  New  York :  Mr.  Chairman.,  ladies 
and  gentlemen :  You  doubtless,  as  well  as  myself,  have  been  specially 
entertained  and  instructed  by  our  friend  from  Long  Island,  Mr.  John 
Henderson ;  and  if  the  men  of  "  the  hub  "  do  not  know  how  to  grow 
hybrid  perpetual  roses  after  so  excellent  a  paper,  they  deserve  to  be 
called  ''men  of  the  hub"  no  longer;  and  if  you  gentlemen  from  the 
West  and  the  East,  and  we  poor  fellows  from  the  middle  district,  are 
ignoramuses  after  hearing  this  paper,  we  deserve  no  longer  to  be  rose- 
growers  or  growers  of  anytliing  else.  Th  paper,  I  think,  deserves 
the  thanks  of  this  association,  and  I  feel  great  pleasure  in  moving 
now  that  the  thanks  of  the  association  be  given  to  Mr.  Henderson  for 
liis  very  able  and  instructive  essay. 

The  motion  of  Mr.  Hendrick  was  adopted  by  a  unanimous  vote. 
.  Mr.  Hendrick  :  Now  I  would  not  make  a  bridge  of  my  friend  Wintzer 's 
nose,  and,  while  thanking  one  man,  fail  to  thank  another.  Although 
he  has  given  us  the  names  of  roses  that  have  l)loomed  since  Adam 
was  a  boy  until  now,  he  has  given  evidence  of  having  exercised  great 
care  in  the  preparation  of  his  essay,  and  deserves  our  cordial  acknowl- 
edgment of  it.  I  move  that  the  thanks  of  the  association  be  given  to 
Mr.  Wintzer  for  his  j)aper. 

The  motion  of  Mr.  Hendrick  was  adopted  by  a  unanimous  vote. 

Mr.  McCron,  of  Connecticut,  moved  that  the  thanks  of  the  society 
be  tendered  to  Mr.  Peter  Henderson,  of  Jersey  City,  New  Jersey,  for 
his  article  read  at  the  morning  session. 

The  motion  of  Mr.  McCron  was  adopted  by  a  unanimous  vote. 

The  Chairman  (Mr.  J.  ]\[.  Jordan,  of  St.  Louis,  in  the  chair) :  We 
will  now  be  favored  with  a  i^aper  by  Mr.  Robert  Craig,  of  Philadel- 
phia, upon  the  treatment  of  pot-grown  roses,  etc. 

Vice  President  Craig  here  came  forward,  and,  for  some  time,  held 
the  attention  of  the  convention  upon  the  subject  of  "  Pot-grown 
Roses  for  Market  Purposes — Their  Care  and  Treatment."  His  essay 
was  received  by  the  audience  with  many  evidences  of  appreciation, 
and  was  as  follows : 

POT    ROSES    FOR   MARKET    PURPOSES — THEIR    CARE    AND    TREATMENT. 

Roses  in  pots  will  always  be  of  great  importance  to  tlie  market  gardener,  as 
they  are  one  of  the  main  sources  of  his  revenue,  and  it  is  well  worth  wliile  to  con- 
sider which  are  the  best  varieties  to  grow,  and  what  are  the  methods  by  which 
they  can  be  best  developed  at  the  minimum  cost;  not  forgetting  that  first  quality 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  37 

is  the  prime  consideration,  and  must  always  be  kept  in  view.  Nothing  is  easier 
than  to  waste  time  and  material  in  tlie  production  of  plants,  so  that,  althougli 
tlie  result  is  a  good  article,  the  cost  has  been  too  great.  It  is  related  of  Horace 
Greeley  that  when  he  was  farming,  he  raised  tlie  best  turnips  that  had  ever  been 
grown  in  his  section,  but  when  lie  estimated  the  value  of  the  labor  and  materials 
expended  upon  them,  he  found  they  had  cost  him  exactly  $1.12  apiece.  He  could 
not  sell  them  at  a  protit!  The  problem,  from  a  commercial  point  of  view,  is  to 
produce  good  plants  by  tlie  best  and  quickest  methods. 

Most  of  the  varieties,  especially  the  teas,  hybrid  teas  and  hybrids,  can  be 
grown  more  profitably  under  glass  in  summer  than  when  planted  out-doors, 
especially  in  tliis  section  of  the  country.  As  i»iarket  gardeners  usually  have  their 
houses  empty  in  summer,  this  use  of  them  will  not  be  costly,  and  when  the  diffi- 
culties of  out-door  cultui'e  are  considered,  tlie  plan  proposed  is  the  better  one.  I 
am  aware  that  many  good  growers  still  plant  in  open  ground  most  of  the  varie- 
ties, but  how  frequently  are  they  disappointed  in  the  size  of  the  plants  in  the 
fall !  A  few  strong-growing  kinds,  such  as  Magna  Cliarta,  Jacqueminot,  Hermosa, 
Agrippina  and  Madame  Plantier  may,  on  new  ground,  in  favorable  seasons, 
grow  to  a  sufficient  size,  but  this  is  not  the  case  witli  sucli  valuable  kinds  as  La 
France,  Madame  Charles  Wood,  Baroness  liotlisckiJd,  and  many  otiiers  ;  but  all 
sorts  worth  growing  at  all,  will,  under  glass,  with  suitable  treatment,  grow  to  a 
large  size. 

1  am  informed,  on  good  autliority,  that  in  some  sections  of  the  country  (partic- 
ularly in  parts  of  the  8outli)  roses  can  be  grown  to  extremely  large  size  in  one 
season.  Of  course  the  above  remarks  do  not  apply  to  such  favored  localities.  It 
certainly  cannot  now  be  done  in  the  neigliborhood  of  Pliiladelpliia  and  New 
York,  and  many  other  sections,  as  we  ail  know.  Flatbusli,  Long  Island,  and 
Union  Hill,  New  Jersey,  where  roses  are  extensively  grown  for  market,  are  cases 
in  point.  In  both  these  places,  ten  or  twelve  years  ago,  roses  would  grow  in  one 
season  large  enough  for  six-inch  and  seven-inch  pots;  now  they  do  not  attain 
one  fourth  that  size.  Tiiis  falling  off  is  not  caused  by  continual  cropping  on 
same  ground,  for  the  failure  is  equally  great  when  land  that  has  laid  in  sod  for  a 
number  of  years  is  used.  Whether  this  bad  state  of  affairs  is  wholly  or  partially 
caused  by  the  prevalence  of ''  black  spot,"  I  am  not  prepared  to  say,  and  would 
like,  if  time  permits,  to  hear  an  expression  of  opinion  on  the  subject.  Leaving 
the  cause  of  the  trouble  out  of  the  question,  I  am  satisfied  the  in-door  treatment 
will  insure  better  and  more  uniform  results. 

A  very  important  question  to  consider  is,  "  What  varieties  should  be  grown  V" 
There  are  many  grand  roses  whicli  are  not  suitable  for  market.  The  requisite 
qualities  in  a  rose  for  the  purpose  are,  good  habit  and  freedom  of  bloom,  with 
good  constitution  and  vigorous  growth,  so  that  it  may  not  take  too  long  to  get  a 
good-sized  plant.  Tlie  addition  of  fragx'ance  is,  of  course,  always  desirable.  I 
will  give  further  on  a  partial  list  of  the  varieties  which  have  proved  to  be  the 
best,  first  detailing  the  methods  of  their  culture  as  far  as  I  have  had  experience  and 
opportunity  to  observe.  It  is  not  necessary  to  go  into  the  details  of  propagating, 
further  than  to  say  that  the  best  way  to  get  healthy  plants  is  to  take  cuttings  of 
well-ripened  wood  (that  grown  under  glass  will  usually  root  easiest)  in  Novem- 
ber, or  early  in  December.  At  this  time  the  plant  may  be  cut  back  and  the 
prunings  saved  for  this  purpose;  if  the  largest  flowers  are  desired,  prune  closely. 
Put  the  cuttings  in  a  cold  house  with  slight  bottom  heat,  maintained  by  three  or 
four  feet  of  fresh  tan  under  the  sand  bed.    It  will  be  found  of  advantage  to  have 


38  .PROCEEDINGS    OF    SECOND    CONVENTION. 

one  or  two  hot-water  or  steam  pipes  running  through  the  tan  at  a  depth  of  two 
feet  to  supply  a  little  additional  heat,  which  should  be  turned  on  as  soon  as  the 
callous  is  well  formed.  The  main  point  is  to  keep  the  top  of  the  cutting  as  cool 
as  possible  witiiout  freezing.  By  the  first  of  March  the  cuttings  should  be  well 
rooted,  and  may  be  potted  off  and  put  into  a  cool  house  or  frame.  Shade  for  a  few 
days,  and  give  air  and  water  as  required,  until  the  houses  are  emptied  by  spring 
sales,  when  tlie  youns  i)lants  will  be  in  a  condition  to  shift  into  four  or  five-inch 
])ots,  or  to  be  planted  out  on  benches,  which  should  be  done,  if  possible,  not  later 
than  June  15.  In  preparing  the  soil,  use  five  parts  fibrous  loam,  one  part  well- 
rotted  cow  or  horse  manure,  one  part  pure  ground  bone,  and  if  the  soil  be  lieavy, 
one  partsliarp  sand  or  rotten  micaceous  rock. 

Where  the  soil  is  of  a  heavy,  clayey  nature  (which  is  usually  good  for  roses) 
the  addition  of  finely  ground  oyster  shells  (carbonate  of  lime)  in  the  proportion 
of  one  i)art  to  twenty-five  of  the  whole  mass  will  be  found  useful ;  not  so  much 
from  the  food  it  contanis  as  in  keeping  the  soil  sweet.  Any  of  the  steam  marble- 
dust  mills  will  grind  tiie  shells  at  a  cost  not  exceeding  five  dollars  a  ton.  Burnt 
eartii  is  also  valuable,  and  may  be  used  in  the  proportion  of  one  quarter  of  the 
whole.  If  the  plants  are  potted,  they  should  be  plunged  iialf  way  to  the  rim  in 
old  refuse  hops  or  other  light  material,  taking  care  not  to  over-water.  Unless 
great  care  is  taken  in  watering,  it  is  better  to  dispense  with  the  plunging. 
Syringing  and  watering  should  be  regularly  attended  to,  and  the  plants  kept 
staked  up.  By  October  1,  they  should  be  from  one  to  four  feet  high,  according 
to  variety.  Those  in  pots  may  then  be  put  outside  to  make  room  for  a  crop  of 
chrysanthemums  or  other  fall  plants,  and  should,  after  being  ripened  by  the  frost 
and  air,  be  plunged  in  frames  or  put  into  cold  houses  until  it  is  time  to  force 
them  into  bloom.  While  in  a  dormant  state,  little  water  is  required.  Tliose 
grown  on  benches  should  be  potted  the  middle  of  October  and  treated  likewise. 

In  planting  out,  it  may  be  well  to  put  some  of  the  sorts,  such  as  La  France^ 
Pierre  GuilloU  and  JMalmaison,  in  a  house  by  themselves  and  keep  them  growing 
without  intermission  until  after  the  holidays.  When  cold  weather  sets  in,  tliey 
will,  of  course,  require  fire  heat.  The  temperature  should  be  kept  at  from  fifty- 
five  to  sixty  degrees  at  night.  The  blooms  obtained  will  pay  for  the  expense  of 
growing.  The  plants  may  be  potted  late  in  December  or  early  in  January,  and 
after  being  kept  a  week  or  two  in  same  temperature  to  somewhat  establish  them 
in  pots,  may  be  put  away  in  a  very  cold  house  or  plunged  in  frame  (taking  care 
that  severe  frost  does  not  injure  the  roots)  until  spring.  Witl)  this  treatment, 
they  will  make  fine  plants  for  late  spring  sales.  If  fine  specimens  are  desired,  do 
not  place  tlie  pots  close  togetlier,  but  allow  a  space  of  at  least  one  inch,  so  that 
the  ait  may  liave  access,  causing  the  plants  to  swell  their  low^er  buds,  and  become 
furnislied  with  foliage  from  the  rim  of  the  pot  upwards.  If  crowded,  they  will 
break  only  towards  the  top,  the  lower  branches  remaining  bare. 

When  brouglit  into  the  house,  they  will  require  more  room  as  growtii  advances. 
Those  grown  out-doors  should  be  lifted  and  potted,  in  this  latitude,  from  first  to 
middle  of  November,  or  as  soon  as  slight  frost  has  checked  the  growth.  In  lift- 
ing, great  care  should  be  taken  to  keep  the  roots  from  getting  dry,  and  the  plants 
should,  when  potted,  be  shaded  for  a  week  or  two  to  keep  the  wood  fresh  and 
plump.  Tlie  first  crop  for  selling  is  usually  not  wanted  before  Easter,  and  should 
be  brought  in  from  cold  frame  seven  to  nine  wrecks  previous  to  that  time.  After 
bringing  in,  the  temperature  should,  for  the  first  three  weeks,  not  exceed  forty 
degrees  at  night,  and  may  be  gradually  increased  to  fifty-five  degrees.    Other 


SOCIETY    OF    AMEEICAN    FLORISTS.  39 

lots  may  be  broiigbt  in  at  intervals  to  keep  up  a  succession.  A  critical  period 
occurs  when  firing  for  the  season  is  discontinued.  Mildew  is  then  to  be  guarded 
against.  Many  houses  are  ruined  by  it  at  this  time.  An  effectual  remedy  is 
made  by  l)oiling  five  pounds  tobacco  stems  and  ten  pounds  flowers  of  sulphur  in 
thirty  gallons  water,  until  it  is  reduced  to  ten  gallons.  Apply  this  mixture  with 
syringe  in  the  proportion  of  one  pint  to  two  gallons  water.  Use  of  it  as  a  pre- 
ventive should  be  commenced  before  firing  is  stopped.  While  firing,  the  occa- 
sional sprinkling  of  the  heating  pipes  with  sulphur,  and  caution  against  exposure 
to  cold  drafts,  will  be  sufficient.  Syringe  with  diluted  fir-tree  oil  (or,  better  still, 
dipping  tlie  plants)  is  an  effectual  remedy  for  red  spider;  if,  however,  syringing 
with  water  be  regularly  attended  to,  there  is  not  much  danger  from  this  pest.  An 
occasional  watering  with  weak  guano  or  manure  water  after  the  plants  have  set 
buds  will  improve  the  blooms.  Before  taking  the  plants  to  market,  it  is  well  to 
tie  the  blooms  in  tissue  paper  to  prevent  injury  from  jolting  on  the  journey.  If 
the  buds  (particularly  of  the  teas)  are  tied  in  stiff  paper,  leaving  one  end  open 
when  they  first  show  color,  they  will  attain  greater  size. 

Among  the  very  best  hybrids  to  grow  are  Gen.  Jacqueminot,  Magna  Charta, 
Paul  Neron,  Merveille  de  Lyon,  Baroness  de  Botliscliild,  John  Hopper,  Anna  de 
Dieshach,  Madame  Masson,  Queen  of  Queens,  Pceonia,  and  Duchesse  de  Morny ; 
tlie  latter  two  varieties  do  not  produce  particularly  fine  flowers,  but  they  are  of 
such  good  habit  and  freedom  of  bloom  as  to  merit  growing  in  large  quantities. 
Of  the  hybrid  teas  none  are  superior  to  La  France,  Pierre  Guillott,  Lady  Mary 
Fitzwilliam,  Autoine  Verdier,  and  Countess  of  Pembroke.  In  the  teas,  none  are 
better  than  Perle  des  Jardins,  Madame  Welch,  Marie  Van  Ilontte,  Etoile  de 
Lyon,  Madame  de  Vatry,  Madame  Cusin,  Coquette  de  Lyon,  and  Marie  Guillott 
The  latter  variety  is  one  of  the  most  profitable ;  its  flowers  are  pure  white  and  of 
good  substance  ;  it  pays  to  grow  it  for  flowers  in  summer  alone,  and  it  is  the  best 
white  tea  for  pots  in  spring;  it  requires  a  stony,  clayey  soil.  Coquette  de  Lyon 
also  deserves  special  mention.  It  lias  been  called  the  "  Yellow  Ilerraosa,"  and 
the  name  is  appropriate,  for  it  flowers  as  constantly  and  abundantly  as  that  well- 
known  sort.  In  tlie  Bourbon  and  Chinese  classes,  we  may  grow  Hermosa, 
Agrippina,  Archduke  Charles,  Sour,  de  la  Malmaison,  Bourbon  Queen  and  Queen 
of  Bidders;  and  in  tlie  climbers,  Tennessee  Belle,  Gem  of  the  Prairies,  Baltimore 
Belle,  Peine  Marie  Henriette,  Glorie  de  Dijon,  and  Marechal  Neil.  With  the  ex- 
ception  of  the  three  last  named,  they  should  be  planted  out-doors  in  summer. 
Very  strong  plants  make  a  fine  appearance  when  trained  on  trellises  in  oval 
form. 

The  Polyantha  roses  are  dainty  little  beauties  and  well  worth  growing.  The 
best  are  Mignonette,  Madame  Cecil  Brunner,  Little  Pet,  and  Perle  d''Or.  A  few 
of  the  moss  roses  are  desirable.  The  best  for  pot-culture  are  Countess  de  Muri. 
nais.  Glory  of  3Iosses,  Crestuta,  Princess  Adelaide,  and  Henry  Martin.  The 
latter,  although  not  producing  first-class  flowers,  blooms  so  easily  and  freely  as 
to  well  merit  a  place  on  the  list.  If  grown  under  glass  in  pots,  they  will  bloom 
well  the  first  spring,  which  is  not  the  case  (excepting  Henry  Martin)  if  they  have 
been  planted  out-doors.  Under  the  latter  treatment,  they  are  likely  to  produce 
only  blind  shoots.  Coquette  des  Alps  (hybrid  noisette)  is  not  only  first-class  in 
pots,  but  will  give  satisfaction  as  a  vigorous  grower  and  bloomer  when  planted 
out.  It  is  surprising  that  it  is  not  more  largely  grown.  Coquette  des  Blanches  is 
also  distinct  and  good.  American  Beauty  promises  to  be  very  valuable,  but  has 
not  yet  been  sufliciently  tested  as  a  market  pot-rose.    Of  one  thing  I  am  thor- 


40  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

oughly  convinced,  and  that  is  that  tlie  operator  confining  himself  to  eight  or  ten 
varieties  in  the  hybrids  and  to  twelve  or  fifteen  in  tiie  teas  will  realize  more 
money  than  one  endeavoring  to  grow  a  great  number  of  kinds. 

In  growing  cut  flowers  for  winter  bloom,  the  growers  have  been  compelled  to 
drop  all  but  less  tlian  a  dozen  in  each  class,  and  those  of  us  who  grow  for  market 
in  pots  will  be  wise  if  we  take  the  hint  and  reduce  our  lists  accordingly ;  re- 
member, I  speak  of  roses  for  market  purposes.  I  can  readily  understand  how 
those  who  publisli  catalogues  and  minister  to  the  wants  of  educated  amateurs, 
can  afford  to  grow  more  kinds,  for  their  patrons  are  more  or  less  familiar  with 
future  results.  Such  stock  may  be  sold  as  very  small  plants  or  even  in  an  en- 
tirely dormant  state  and  still  give  satisfaction,  but  the  successful  market  plant 
must  be  a  ''  thing  of  beauty  "  on  the  day  it  is  taken  to  be  sold. 

The  Chairman  (J.  M.  Jordan):  The  paper  that  you  have  just 
heard  is  now  your  iDroperty,  and  it  is  quite  fitting  that  some  discus- 
sion be  had  upon  the  subject.  There  are  many  here  who  know  some- 
thing of  it,  and  I  hope  that  what  is  said  will  be  to  the  point. 

Mr.  James  Hendrick,  of  Albany,  N,  Y. :  I  ought  to  feel  grateful 
that,  when  called  into  existence,  I  was  destined  to  stand  as  a  living 
monument  of  thanks,  and  when  I  look  at  my  present  surroundings 
and  into  the  cheery  faces  about  me,  I  thank  God  that  I  am  just  that 
monument !  I  think  it  w^as  Emerson  who  said  if  you  want  to  succeed, 
you  must  hook  on  your  wagon  to  a  star  and  work  up  to  your  ideal. 
Now,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  you  have  before  you  a  paper  from  a  suc- 
cessful man.  I  want  to  take  Emerson's  advice  and  work  up  to  the 
ideal.  The  paper  w^hich  has  been  presented  in  your  hearing  and  mine 
is  one  upon  which  mucli  thought  has  been  expended. 

Who  has  not  read  of  and  admired  the  crags  of  the  North  of  Scot- 
land? Those  bold  outlines  have  been  transferred  to  a  more  genial 
clime:  the  "Crag"  of  the  North  has  been  transformed  into  the 
"Craig"  of  the  South,  and,  in  the  genial  atmosphere  of  Philadelphia, 
this  descendant  of  a  Scotchman,  unlike  the  "  canny  "  Scot  who  locked 
up  everything  within  himself,  opens  his  heart  to  you  and  tells  you  all 
that  there  is  in  on  this  subject.  I  think  that  because  he  has  done  so 
— and  he  has  withheld  nothing;  he  is  honest;  every  sentence  that  he 
has  enunciated  demonstrates  his  sincerity,  his  honesty,  and  his  truth- 
fulness. The  first  thing  you  ought  to  do  is  to  accept  his  paper  and 
thank  him  for  it. 

The  motion  of  Mr.  Hendrick  was  adopted  by  a  unanimous  vote. 

Mr.  Craiu  :  I  think  that  this  "  black  spot,"  which  is  interfering  so 
seriously  with  the  growth  of  roses  all  over  the  Northern  States,  is  en- 
titled, perhaps,  to  a  little  of  our  time ;  and,  if  there  is  a  disposition  to 
discuss  the  question,  w^e  would  be  pleased  to  hear  from  any  of  the 
gentlemen  who  have  made  observations  concerning  it. 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLOEISTS.  41 

Mr.  Peter  Henderson,  of  Jersey  City,  N.  J. :  In  view  of  the  tho- 
roughness with  which  the  subject  has  been  treated  by  the  essayist, 
Mr.  Craig,  so  little  has  been  left  to  be  said  and  the  ground  has  been 
so  full}"  covered  that  I  really  do  not  know  how  anything  can  be  added 
that  would  be  of  much  benefit  to  American  florists. 

I  will  just  remark  that,  some  twenty  years  ago,  the  jjlants  from  which 
we  propagated  were  entirely  diff"erent  from  those  that  are  now  general- 
ly used  in  propagation.  Then,  as  Mr.  Craig  has  stated,  we  used  plants 
that  were  taken  from  the  open  ground,  outside.  Those  plants  Avere 
lifted,  potted,  put  in  cold  frames  and  kept  there  usually  until  March. 
Then,  after  starting,  we  took  the  cuttings  from  these  in  the  usual  way, 
propagated  them  in  the  regular  course  and  planted  them  out  again. 
Now,  the  great  majority  of  roses  are  propagated  from  plants  that  have 
had  no  rest.  I  remember  when  I  first  deviated  from  our  old  plan  of 
proiDagating  i^lants  from  those  that  had  been  rested  in  the  winter.  On 
one  occasion  I  planted  out  about  four  thousand  plants  of  Safrano. 
About  half  of  them  had  been  propagated  from  plants  that  had  been 
forced  in  winter,  and  the  other  half  were  those  of  which  the  cuttings 
had  been  taken  from  plants  that  had  been  kept  in  frames  in  the  usual 
manner.  In  the  fall  the  plants  that  had  been  propagated  from  the 
forced  plants  were  but  very  little  larger  than  tliey  were  when  set  out 
in  the  spring,  while  the  cuttings  that  had  been  taken  from  plants  kept 
in  cold  frames,  (and  which  were  set  out  at  the  same  time  that  the 
others  were,)  had  attained  a  height  of  from  eighteen  to  twenty 
inches ;  thus  demonstrating  that  the  former  had  shown  the  effects  of 
exhaustion  in  consequence  of  their  having  been  forced.  I  think  that, 
in  all  probability,  this  trouble  of  black  spot  is  attributable  to  this 
cause.  Whenever  you  outrage  nature,  it  is  m}^  opinion,  nature  will 
hit  back.  AVe  have  been  forcing  carnations  for  i)robably  twenty-five 
years  without  giving  them  any  rest  whatever.  We  put  in,  to  force, 
in  the  fall,  at  a  temperature  of  probably  sixty  degrees,  and  con- 
tinue this  through  the  winter;  taldng  the  cuttings  from  them  while 
thus  forced ;  planting  them  from  the  green-houses  on  the  open 
ground,  to  run  the  round  of  our  tropical  summers ;  then  to  be  again 
lifted  and  to  go  through  the  same  course  of  treatment ;  thus  denying 
them  the  rest  that  their  nature  demands.  As  a  consequence,  we  have 
disease.  Of  late  vears,  we  have  the  same  results  in  violets — the  black 
spot  and  disease.  AVhy  is  this  ?  It  is  because  we  have  been  going 
through  almost  the  same  course,  propagating  them  under  artificial 
heat,  until  their  system  has  become  exhausted,  and,  being  given  no 
rest,  thej"  rebel  against  this  unnatural  treatment. 

All  who  have  had  experience  in  forcing  vegetables  will  agree  with 


42  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

me  in  this.  I  can  take  the  strongest  plant — rhuliarb  or  asparagus — 
force  it  so  that  it  will  mature  in  mid-winter,  and  in  that  case  the  plant 
will  be  rendered  almost  worthless.  So  it  is  with  our  hyacinths,  tulips, 
lilies  of  the  valley  and  other  bulbs,  together  with  many  other  hardy 
plants.  When  grown  and  forced  under  artificial  treatment,  thej^  are 
injured  less  or  more  according  to  their  nature.  Put  them  through  an 
unnatural  course  for  one  season  by  giving  them  no  rest,  and  they  re- 
sent the  ill-treatment.  I  believe  that  this  has  probably  more  than 
anything  else  to  do  with  black  spot  and  all  kindred  diseases  that  seem 
to  be  caused  by  lessened  vitality. 

Mr.  James  Hendrick,  of  Albany,  N.  Y. :  I  was  going  to  observe, 
Mr.  Ciiairman,  that,  in  that  good  Old  Book,  we  read  that  in  the  long 
past  there  was  a  race  they  called  Anakims — "'  there  were  giants  in 
those  days '' — and  in  more  recent  times  we  read  of  a  race  of  pigmies 
called  the  Aztecs.  The  cause  of  the  human  stature  descending  from 
the  giant  to  the  pigmy  is  doubtless  known  to  you  as  well  as  it  is  to 
me.  Pray  what  occasioned  the  difference  in  size  between  those  two 
classes  of  men  ?  The  one  is  a  little  fellow  not  three  feet  high ;  the 
other  is  seven  feet  six.  The  remarks  made  by  my  good  friend  Hen- 
derson. I  think,  cover  a  great  deal.  He  says  you  cannot  get  a  strong 
plant  from  a  weak  constitution.  If  j^ou  force  the  rose,  it  is  only  a 
question  of  time  when  it  will  force  you.  My  impression  is  just  this: 
that  you  cannot  raise  strong  plants  from  unhealthy  parents ;  nor  can 
you  obtain  healthy  stock  from  parents  of  antagonistic  races.  From 
improper  associations,  our  race  is  degenerating,  and  we  have  l)een 
troubled  with  nervous  and  liver  diseases,  in  the  last  twenty-five  years, 
to  a  greater  extent  than  ever  before.  It  would  be  well,  therefore,  to 
consider  that  the  true  way  of  avoiding  diseases,  in  human  races  as  well 
as  diseases  in  vegetation,  is  by  selecting  pure  and  healthy  stock. 

Mr.  Hexry  a.  Siebrecht,  of  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y. :  The  worthy 
gentleman  from  Albany  (Mr.  Hendrick)  has  expressed  my  views  in 
part.  I  wish  to  say  upon  that  subject  that,  in  subjecting  stock  plants 
to  too  severe  a  pressure,  in  forcing  them  and  propagating  our  stock 
from  them.  I  think  we  try  to  take  too  much  and  give  back  too  little ; 
that  the  practice  of  rushing  things,  of  trying  to  get  along  very  rapidly, 
will  certainly,  sooner  or  later,  leave  us  in  the  lurch.  We  cannot  take 
everything  while  giving  nothing  in  return.  Therefore,  I  would  advise 
and  suggest  that  those  of  ns  who  grow  roses  as  specialties  go  back  to 
the  old  method  with,  at  least,  a  portion  of  our  stock.  By  that  means, 
we  will  secure  a  good  healthy  growth  in  some  of  our  roses  and  will 
get  new  blood,  as  it  were,  for  propagating  purposes. 

Twelve  months  ago  I  made  the  suggestion  which  I  am  now  stating 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  43 

with  a  view  to  renovating  violets  of  disease.  I  promised  myself  to 
take  a  number  of  Marie  Louise  violets,  i^lant  them  out  of  doors  in 
a  somewhat  slieltered  spot,  protect  them  from  severe  frost,  and  use 
them  as  stock  plants  for  propagation — in  this  way  producing  once 
more  the  violet  as  we  have  had  it  in  all  its  luxuriance.  If  we  try  a 
little  experimenting  of  tliis  kind,  we  will  be  richly  repaid  for  it. 

The  Chairman  (Mr.  Craig) :  A  delegate  desires  to  hear  from  Mr. 
Charles  Anderson  on  this  subject.  The  gentleman  named  is  certainly 
well  qualified  to  speak  upon  it,  and  no  better  selection  for  the  purijose 
could  be  made. 

Mr.  Charles  Anderson,  of  Flushing,  N.  Y.,  (who  was  cordially  re- 
ceived,) said:  I  do  not  know  that  I  can  add  anything  to  what  has 
already  been  said,  except  to  take  a  little  exception  to  a  few  remarks 
that  some  of  our  delegates  have  made  in  connection  with  this  disease. 
I  regard  this  disease  among  roses  as  being  purely  of  fungoid  origin ; 
and  this  fungus  I  regard  as  being  generated  by  atmospheric  conditions. 
Where  the  roses  are  all  out  of  doors,  a  weak  rose  will  of  course  be 
affected  sooner  than  a  strong  rose,  yet  if  there  are  no  weak  ones  to  be 
afi'ected,  the  disease  will  attack  the  strong  ones.  A  neighbor  of  mine 
who  has  never  propagated  his  roses  except  upon  the  old  metliod  never 
had  such  a  thing  as  black  rust  or  black  mildew,  but,  in  the  past  two 
or  three  years,  lie  has  had  black  spot.  His  roses  have  never  been 
forced.  Not  only  is  that  the  fact,  but  it  is  also  true  that  he  grows 
none  but  the  very  strongest  of  the  older  varieties.  I  cite  the  fact  as 
one  which  seems  to  sustain  the  theory  that  the  fungus  is  specially  gen- 
erated by  certain  atmospheric  conditions.  Witli  respect  to  roses 
under  glass,  we  know  that  we  can  control  black  sjDot  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent by  a  dry  atmosphere,  and  by  a  little  increased  temperature  at 
times,  or  by  a  change  of  it.  We  also  know  tliat  sulphur  is  a  very  poor 
protection  from  destruction  by  the  black  mildew.  It  has  not  the  same 
virtue  that  it  has  in  the  ordinary  white  mildew  to  which  we  are  all 
accustomed. 

I  consider  the  subject  one  deserving  of  our  patient  consideration, 
as  the  disease,  if  permitted  to  go  unchecked,  threatens  to  undermine 
the  constitutions,  not  only  of  the  out-door  roses,  but  of  the  in-door  roses 
as  well,  so  that  eventually  we  may  be  unable  to  grow  a  rose  of  the 
same  strength  and  vigor  possessed  by  those  groAvn  in  years  gone  by. 
It  is  not  unusual  in  some  localities  to  see  thousands  of  roses  which 
have  been  planted  out  of  doors  decimated  of  their  foliage  from  top  to 
bottom.  I  am  not  prepared  to  speak  of  it  as  a  scientific  man  or  a 
microscopist,  but  I  may  say  that,  in  my  opinion,  fungus  of  the  same  char- 
acter is  attacking  many  other  of  our  products  as  well  as  roses.     I  have 


44  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

noticed  on  maple  trees  a  spot  very  similar  in  appearance  to  that 
which  comes  on  roses.  It  has  also  appeared  on  difterent  kinds  of 
grass  and  on  clover  in  the  fields.  You  can  all  observe  it.  Wherever 
it  is  very  prevalent,  the  vegetation  has  a  very  sickly  look.  While  we 
may  not  be  able  to  apply  a  remedy  out  of  doors,  I  think  it  is  quite 
possible  to  control  atmospheric  conditions  within  our  green-houses, 
and  that  we  can,  to  a  large  extent,  eliminate  this  rust  from  our  roses 
in-ddors.  This,  however,  can  only  be  done  by  careful  watching.  It 
would  appear  that  the  best  measure  to  counteract  its  ravages  is  to 
carefully  pick  otF  all  the  leaves  that  are  affected  the  moment  that  its 
presence  in  any  green-house  is  detected.  When  it  first  makes  its  ap- 
pearance, it  is  a  minute  spot,  one  not  bigger  than  the  point  of  a  pin, 
and  it  gradually  spreads.  If  at  that  time  the  green-liouse  is  subjected 
to  a  drier  atmosphere  for  a  few  days  and  a  little  manure  is  applied, 
the  plants  will  probably  recover  and  break  into  a  strong,  healthy 
growth. 

Concerning  what  has  been  said  upon  another  phase  of  the  subject, 
I  wish  to  repudiate  the  idea  of  any  of  our  roses  being  weakened  by 
forcing.  I  consider  that  the  condition  of  almost  all  our  tea  roses 
when  under  glass  is  very  nearly  tlieir  natural  condition.  We  do  not 
force  them  under  an  excessive  heat.  They  are  kept  at  very  nearly 
their  natural  temperature,  and  they  get  all  the  sunlight  that  they  could 
possibly  get  in  their  native  climes. 

Mr.  J.  D.  Carmody,  of  Evansville,  Ind. :  I  shall  not  attempt  to  give 
any  instruction  on  this  point,  but  will  merely  state  a  circumstance 
that  occurred  in  my  experience  in  relation  to  the  black  spot  in  roses. 
Last  winter  I  made  some  cuttings  of  the  Perle  rose  from  good  healthy 
stock  and  removed  them  to  my  propagating  house,  which  is  several 
degrees  cooler  than  my  blooming  house.  In  a  very  short  time,  every 
cutting  had  black  spot,  and  I  did  not  save,  I  suppose,  one  tenth  of  the 
whole.  The  plants  from  which  the  cuttings  were  taken  remained 
healthy  all  the  time.  You  can  draw  whatever  conclusion  you  like  from 
that. 

Mr.  Peter  Henderson:  Allow  me  to  make  one  additional  remark. 
It  is  in  regard  to  a  case — a  very  remarkable  one,  I  think, — which 
would  go  to  prove  that  black  rust  or  black  spot  is  a  consequence  of 
lessened  vitality.  I  agree  entirely  with  Mr.  Anderson  in  what  he  has 
said  about  the  influence  of  atmospheric  conditions,  but  I  also  believe 
that  all  mildew  developments,  as  a  rule,  are  a  consequence  of  some 
shock  to  the  system  of  tlie  plant.  Nearly  twenty-five  years  ago  I  had 
an  instance  illustrating  this,  and  it  was  one  which  I  will  never  forget. 
AVe  had  an  old  lean-to  green-house,  where  the  sashes  were  let  down 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  45 

in  the  old  fashioned  way  so  as  to  secure  ventilation.  One  evening, 
the  sashes  were  neglected  and  the  windows  allowed  to  remain  open. 
Next  morning  the  x>lants,  which  were  roses  just  coming  into  bloom, 
were  frozen  right  under  the  place  where  the  sashes  were  let  down. 
They  were  frozen  sufficiently  hard  to  blacken  the  buds,  although  not 
enough,  seemingly,  to  injure  the  foliage.  After  the  lapse  of  sixty 
hours  from  the  time  when  they  had  been  thus  frozen,  the  space  under 
the  sashes,  measuring  about  three  by  four,  was  covered  with  mildew  and 
the  lines  defining  this  space  were  clearly  visible,  while  in  no  other  part 
of  the  house  was  there  a  vestige  of  mildew.  Why  was  this  ?  It  was  be- 
cause the  vitality  of  the  plants  had  been  lessened  by  the  shock  they  had 
received,  and  the  presumption  is  a  fair  one  that  the  germs  of  the  mil- 
dew, floating  in  the  atmosphere,  had  found  suitable  soil  for  their  ger- 
mination. 

I  have  another  case  in  ijoint,  and  my  statement  in  regard  to  that 
can  be  verified  l)y  gentlemen  here  present  who  recently  visited  my 
place.  We  had  some  six  or  seven  hundred  of  American  Beauty  roses. 
One  half  of  these  are  now  in  perfect  health,  and  I  do  not  tliink  you  can 
find  scarcely  a  black  spot  among  the  whole  of  them.  They  are  grow- 
ing in  ten-inch  pots,  and  are  about  two  feet  high.  This  lot  was  from 
plants  that  had  been  grafted  on  Manettl  stock  in  the  first  week  of 
March,  the  stock  having  been  taken  from  cold  frames  at  that  date. 
After  grafting,  they  were  shifted  and  forwarded  in  the  usual  way. 
They  were  placed  in  the  open  air  about  the  first  day  of  June  last,  with 
another  lot  of  Ainerican  Beauty  with  which  tliey  were  almost  iden- 
tical in  size  and  apparent  vigor,  but  which,  however,  had  been  grown 
in  the  green-houses  during  the  winter,  without  rest.  At  this  time, 
two  months  after  being  thus  exposed  in  the  open  air,  the  grafted  lot 
(which  had  the  winter's  rest)  are  in  perfect  health,  while  the  others 
are  becoming  affected  to  a  considerable  extent  with  black  spot.  This 
experiment  is  one  of  the  most  satisfactory  I  have  ever  tried,  and,  in 
my  judgment,  it  shows  as  clearly  as  anything  can  show  that  it  is  the 
continued  unrest  to  which  we  subject  the  plants  which  causes  lessen- 
ed vitality  and  consequent  disease. 

The  Chairman  (Mr.  Craig) :  Will  IMr.  Henderson  permit  a  ques- 
tion before  leaving  the  floor?  His  theory,  as  I  understand  it,  is  that 
continued  forcing  has  so  undermined  their  constitutions  that  the  roses 
have  for  that  reason  become  more  liable  to  this  disease  which  we  call 
black  spot? 

Mr.  Henderson  :  Yes,  thej^  have  thus  become  liable  to  that  and 
other  diseases.  That  is  only  one  of  the  diseases  which  may  afllict 
them. 


46  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

The  Chairman  :  I  believe  that  the  assumption  upon  which  that 
theory  is  predicated  is  the  truth,  but  I  do  not  think  that  the  gentle- 
man's statement  covers  the  whole  of  the  subject.  It  has  occurred  in 
our  experience,  in  importing  from  Europe  roses  that  had  been  grown 
on  the  "rest"  principle,  that  had  been  rested  all  winter,  that,  after 
bringing  them  over,  and  planting  them  out,  they  soon  became  iilled 
with  black  spot.  I  do  not  attempt  to  controvert  the  theory  that  con- 
tinued forcing  will  so  enfeeble  the  plant  as  to  make  it  subject  not 
only  to  black  spot  but  to  all  other  diseases,  but  I  think  that  black 
spot  will  attack  the  healthiest  plants  as  well  as  the  unhealthy. 
What  does  the  gentleman  (Mr.  Henderson)  think  of  cases  of  this  kind? 

Mr.  Henderson  :  I  have  only  to  answer  by  citing  the  fact  which 
was  demonstrated  in  the  case  to  which  I  have  just  called  attention, 
viz :  that  where  the  plants  were  given  rest,  where  we  have  a  stronger 
growth,  there  has  been  no  black  spot ;  while,  in  the  other  case,  where 
we  have  a  weakened  growth  consequent  upon  the  want  of  rest,  we  do 
have  the  disease.  I  can  only  account  for  the  case  which  Mr.  Craig 
has  stated  by  supposing  that  in  some  way  the  roots  have  been  hurt  by 
over  or  under-watering, — either  might  do  it, — as  we  well  know  that 
these  extremes  bring  black  spot,  rust,  burning  or  whatever  the  differ- 
ent phases  of  such  disease  may  be  called  upon  many  other  plants  be- 
sides the  rose. 

Mr.  E.  G.  Hill,  of  Indiana :  I  think  we  are  arguing  from  wrong 
premises.  Take  Victor  Verdier  and  roses  of  that  type,  and  you  find 
that  they  are  subject  to  black  spot.  The  first  instance  in  which  black 
spot  came  under  my  notice  was  one  in  which  it  was  developed  in  Vic- 
tor Verdier  roses  imported  from  France.  If  you  take  any  one  of  the 
type  of  the  Victor  Verdier^  you  find  that  it  is  the  first  to  be  affected 
by  black  spot.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  American  Beauty  has 
Victor  Verdier  blood  in  its  veins.  It  has  been  placed  out  of  doors  in 
a  healthy  condition,  and  before  three  weeks  have  elapsed,  the  black 
spot  has  been  seen  upon  it.  Only  two  years  ago  we  had  roses  of  the 
Victor  Verdie?'  type  from  over  the  water  with  tea  blood  in  them,  and 
found  them  the  first  to  develop  this  particular  kind  of  fungoid  disease. 
The  Victor  Verdier  is  a  result  of  the  cross  between  a  hybrid  per- 
petual and  the  tea  rose  Safrano,  and  was  raised  by  Lacharme  of  Ly- 
ons, France.  Here  you  have  a  union  of  the  tender  tea  variety  and 
the  hardy  hybrid  rose.  I  repeat  that  roses  of  that  kind,  with  tea  blood 
in  them,  are  more  subject  to  black  spot  than  others.  I  believe  that 
in  the  rose,  as  in  the  human  family,  peculiarities  of  disease  are  trans- 
mitted in  the  constitution,  and  the  question  that  I  have  evolved  in 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  47 

my  mind  is,  whether  the  trouble  here  has  not  come  from  that  union 
or  from  the  results  of  crossing  those  varieties. 

Mr.  Antoine  Wintzer,  of  West  Grove,  Pa. :  Referring  to  my  per- 
sonal experience,  I  have  to  say  that  our  first  bad  case  of  black  spot 
was  in  a  lot  of  imj)orted  roses  from  one  of  the  old  English  growers. 
They  were  as  fine  and  healthy-looking  plants  as  any  in  our  establish- 
ment, and  during  the  months  of  July  and  August  were  growing  vig- 
orously. Suddenly  they  became  affected  with  black  siDot.  I  knew 
how  to  handle  mildew,  red  sf)ider,  and  all  the  old  pests,  but  this  was 
something  new.  I  studied  the  subject,  and  reasoned  that,  unless 
checked,  the  disease  would  not  leave  us  a  healthy  rose  in  the  country 
in  the  course  of  ten  years.  My  observations  convince  me  that  the 
fungoid  spot  on  the  leaf  results  from  a  disease  of  the  circulation,  and 
that  the  disease  may  be  produced  by  climatic  influences,  abuse  in  the 
treatment  of  the  plants,  or  other  unfavorable  conditions.  I  have  no- 
ticed that,  when  in  the  most  vigorous  condition,  plants  would  be  sud- 
denly attacked  by  this  disease.  I  do  not  coincide  in  the  view  ex- 
pressed by  the  gentleman  from  Indiana  (Mr.  Hill)  that  the  disease  is 
confined  exclusively  to  the  Victor  Verdier  class,  although  I  admit  the 
Victor  VercUer  class  and  its  family,  with  the  exception  of  Bennett's 
hybrid  teas,  are  the  most  liable  to  it.  About  eighteen  years  ago,  I 
grew  the  Victor  Verdier  in  open  ground.  It  did  not  have  the  disease 
at  that  time.     In  fact,  with  us,  the  disease  is  of  recent  origin. 

The  only  remedy  I  have  found  is  to  procure  good  healthy  stock 
plants  for  proi)agating  purposes, — plants  that  are  grown  in  open 
ground  under  favorable  climatic  conditions.  But  I  do  not  say  that 
because  a  plant  has  not  black  spot  at  present  it  will  therefore  never 
get  it.  A  man  may  not  have  consumption  in  his  system,  but  he  may 
contract  it  from  self-abuse  or  from  any  one  of  many  other  causes  that 
produce  the  disease ;  and  black  spot  is  almost  as  fatal  among  plants 
as  is  consumption  in  the  human  race.  Through  the  Southern  States 
roses  may  be  seen  that  form  their  leaves  in  March  and  will  retain 
them  until  late  in  autumn,  which  is  something  very  unusual  in  our 
latitude. 

The  quality  of  the  rose  is  in  the  stamina.  If  you  produce  your  cut- 
tings from  good,  well-conditioned  plants,  the  progeny  will  have  a  good 
send-off  and  will  be  able  to  endure  our  changeable  climate.  Propa- 
gating from  plants  that  have  been  grown  under  glass  for  a  number  of 
years  has  a  tendency  to  impair  the  vitality  of  the  future  stock.  In 
this  climate  roses  must  be  grown  under  glass  to  produce  good  flowers ; 
but  the  young  stock  should  not  be  produced,  year  after  year,  from 


48  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

such  plants.  Rose  cuttings  from  plants  grown  in  the  open  ground 
have  more  vitality. 

Mr.  WiNTZER  went  to  say  that  sulphur  fumigation  and  other  reme- 
dies that  would  cure  other  diseases  had  no  effect  whatever  on  black 
spot ;  that  it  was  as  great  a  mistake  to  assume  that  the  disease  was 
caused  by  starvation  as  it  would  be  to  suppose  that  a  man  was  in  good 
health  because  he  weighed  tw^o  hundred  pounds,  when  his  weight  was 
due  to  the  fact  that  he  was  "  all  the  time  full  of  beer."  He  reiterated 
that  it  was  an  error  to  attempt  to  grow  roses  by  the  over-heating  pro- 
cess. He  contended  that  the  reason  why  there  was  so  much  disease 
among  the  American  Beauty  roses  last  year  was  that  everybody  was 
harassing  them,  and  that  stock  could  not  be  procured  from  plants 
grown  in  open  ground. 

Mr.  Hexry  a.  Siebrecht  here  interposed  to  say  that  he  thought  the 
view  expressed  by  the  gentleman  from  Indiana  (Mr.  Hill)  concerning 
the  origin  of  the  disease  was  more  nearly  correct  than  any  other 
which  had  found  expression.  That  view  was  that  in  producing  new 
roses  such  as  American  Beauty^  La  France^  and  other  hybrid  tea 
roses,  two  roses  of  differently  constituted  natures  were  used,  viz  :  the 
hardy  hybrid  perpetual  rose  and  the  tea  rose — the  one  being  a  soft 
rose  that  would  grow  throughout  all  the  year,  if  required,  and  the 
other  a  rose  that  needed  rest.  Consequently,  the  product  of  this 
union  would  be  a  rose  of  two  distinct  and  opposite  natures.  He  (Sie- 
brecht) coincided  in  the  view  that  the  disease  was  traceable  to  this 
cross-hvbridization.  He  further  stated  that,  in  a  conversation  with 
Mr.  Henderson,  several  months  ago,  the  subject  was  talked  over,  and 
both  Mr.  H.  and  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  hybrid  blood  in 
the  American  Beauty  and  other  roses  wanted  rest  at  a  certain  time, 
while  the  tea  blood  in  that  rose  rebelled  and  wanted  to  push  and 
grow. 

About  a  half  dozen  years  ago,  Mr.  Henry  Bennett,  of  Stapleton, 
now  of  Sheppardton,  introduced  his  pedigree  "  hybrid  tea"  roses  into 
commerce.  We  expected  wonderful  results  from  them.  One  of  the 
progeny  was  Duke  of  Connaught.  Where  is  the  Duke  of  Connaught 
to-day  ?  What  has  he  accomplished  with  it  as  an  out-door  rose  ?  Of  the 
ten  roses  introduced  by  him  in  that  year  very  few  have  been  satisfac- 
tory as  out  door  roses.  All  of  that  class  of  roses,  grown  under  out- 
door culture,  have  been  more  subject  to  black  spot  than  A?nerican 
Beauty  or  any  other  rose  of  which  I  know  anything.  I  can  show  you 
to-day  an  American  Beauty  rose  propagated  from  original  stock  that 
had  black  spot  and  which  w^as  absolutely  cured  of  the  disease.  The 
disease  is  not  one  that  is  confined  to  any  particular  rose.    Some  of  our 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  49 

best  roses  are  liable  to  get  it,  among  others  the  Manetti,  imported 
from  Europe.  Last  summer,  when  we  had  about  five  thousand  Ma- 
netti, we  were  visited  by  a  north-east  storm,  with  a  drop  of  twenty- 
five  degrees  in  temperature,  and  in  less  than  twenty-four  hours  black 
spot  appeared  in  large  quantities  among  the  lot. 

Mr.  Charles  Anderson,  of  N.  Y.,  here  interposed  and  remarked 
that  he  had  Manetti  stock,  which  had  been  imported  and  had  been 
planted  out,  and  that  that  stock  was  afflicted  with  black  spot.  He 
suggested  an  inquiry  as  to  the  cause  in  that  case. 

A  delegate  here  inquired  whether  any  grower  had  subjected  a  case 
of  black  sj)ot  to  the  microscope  with  a  view  to  ascertaining  the  nature 
of  the  disease.     (No  response  was  made.) 

Mr.  WiNTZER  (continuing)  explained  that  the  cause  inquired  about 
by  Mr.  Anderson  was  probably  due  to  climatic  influences.  He  went 
on  to  say  that  the  Manetti  stock,  which  was  one  of  the  hardiest  and 
most  vigorous,  was  as  liable  to  be  aff'ected  by  the  disease  as  any  other 
variety.  In  point  of  fact,  it  had  been  aifected  for  the  last  two  or  three 
years.  So  far  as  he  knew,  none  of  the  roses  aifected  had  been  produced 
in  any  other  way  than  by  the  old-fashioned  system  of  hard-wood  cut- 
tings in  open  ground. 

A  delegate  here  moved  that,  in  the  discussion  of  subjects  before  the 
convention,  a  five-minute  rule  be  enforced. 

The  motion  was  adopted  without  objection. 

Mr.  WiNTZER,  being  given  permission,  continued :  A  sudden  check 
to  a  plant  of  any  of  the  varieties,  no  matter  how  healthy,  would,  in 
his  judgment,  produce  black  spot.  He  held  that  the  rule  in  this  re- 
spect w^as  the  same  in  plants  as  in  human  beings,  and  that  a  healthy 
man  who,  under  certain  conditions  was  exposed  to  a  draught  of  air, 
would  contract  pneumonia  as  quickly  as  one  in  delicate  health.  (Ap- 
plause.) 

Mr.  ScHULTHEis,  of  Long  Island,  N.  Y.,  being  awarded  the  floor, 
stated  that  in  his  view,  the  forcing  of  roses  impaired  their  vitality. 
He  added :  ''  Now  if  you  use  rain  water,  you  will  never  be  troubled 
with  black  spot.     That  is  all  that  I  have  to  say." 

Mr.  John  Thorpe  (humorously):  I  am  afraid  that  Mr.  Schultlieis  is 
"ofl""  with  regard  to  soft  water.  I  use  nothing  but  soft  water  and  I 
have  tlie  finest  crop  of  black  spot  on  my  hands  that  you  would  care 
to  see! 

The  Chairman  :  I  am  compelled  to  announce  that  the  last  five 
minutes  for  discussion  have  expired,  and  also  the  time  which  we  are 
at  liberty  to  devote  to  this  subject.  I  am  pleased,  however,  to  be  able 
4' 


50  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

to  announce  that,  before  we  adjourn,  we  are  to  be  favored  with  a  few 
words  from  a  gentleman  known  to  many  of  you,  one  eminent  in  our 
profession,  a  thoughtful  man,  one  who  is  known,  not  only  throughout 
this  country,  but  is  recognized  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic  as  a 
high  authority  on  all  subjects  connected  with  our  business.  I  have 
the  honor  and  the  very  great  pleasure  of  presenting  to  you  Mr. 
Thomas  Meehan,  of  Philadelphia. 

Mr.  Thomas  Meehan,  (editor  of  the  Gardener's  Monthly^)  of  Phila- 
delphia, rising  in  his  place  on  the  platform  and  being  cordially  greet- 
ed with  applause,  said  : 

Mr.  Chairman  :  I  feel  very  grateful  to  you  for  the  kind  words  you 
have  spoken  of  me,  and  to  my  friends  in  the  audience  who  have  re- 
sponded so  cordially  to  your  remarks  concerning  me.  I  wish  I  could 
feel  that  it  was  in  my  power  to  make  a  return  which  would  be  some- 
what commensurate  with  the  kindness  and  good  feeling  with  which 
you  have  welcomed  me.  If  I  were  in  some  other  place  than  Phila- 
delphia, I  might  perhaps  feel  disposed  to  try  at  once  to  fill  the  measure 
of  my  gratefulness ;  but,  remembering  that  I  am  in  the  Quaker  City 
and  that  Quaker  ideas  have  pervaded  the  whole  community,  I  feel 
that  it  is  my  duty  to  speak  only  ''  when  the  spirit  moves  me."  For- 
tunately, the  spirit  has  moved  many  of  our  friends,  who  have  come 
to  pay  us  a  visit,  and  the  result  has  been  seen  in  the  excellent  ad- 
dresses which  have  been  heard  this  afternoon.  But,  as  I  am  an  out- 
sider in  a  measure,  only  a  listener,  and  with  nothing  of  my  own  to 
communicate,  I  may,  perhaps,  be  permitted  to  comment  on  what 
others  have  said.  I  have  been  led  to  think,  by  what  has  been  said, 
how  much  I  would  like  to  be  present  at  some  pomological  convention 
this  evening,  where  the  experience  that  I  have  gathered  to-day,  con- 
cerning the  wearing  out  of  varieties,  might  come  into  good  use.  That 
theory,  or  speculation  rather,  originated  with  Thomas  Andrew  Knight, 
of  England,  who,  observing  that  certain  pear  trees  fail,  conceived  the 
idea  that  plants  had  only  a  specified  time  to  live, — a  pear  tree  proba- 
bly five  hundred  years, — and  that,  at  the  end  of  that  time,  even  the  cut- 
tings taken  from  that  tree  necessarily  became  diseased  and  died  be- 
cause the  limit  of  that  period  had  been  reached  that  the  cuttings  would 
live  only  as  long  as  the  parent  stem  lived ;  consequently,  when  the 
natural  length  of  life  for  an  individual  tree  had  been  reached,  it 
would  die  and  the  younger  plants  from  it  would,  necessarily,  die  also. 
But  the  facts  that  we  have  gathered  here  this  afternoon  would,  I 
think,  have  a  very  strong  bearing  as  against  that  theory,  because  one 
individual  rose  will  not  live  for  fifty  or  sixty  years,  and  yet  we  have  in 
existence  to-day  varieties  which  were  well  known  fifty  years  ago,  and 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  51 

were  not  new  then,  and  which,  notwithstanding  the  many  difficulties 
surrounding  their  culture,  because  of  disease  and  bad  conditions,  are 
still  the  most  popular  of  our  modern  varieties.  This  is  a  strong  point 
against  the  original  doctrine  of  the  wearing  out  of  varieties. 

Although  individual  varieties  will  not,  necessarily,  wear  out,  I  am 
sorry  to  note,  in  gazing  at  the  sea  of  faces  before  me,  that  individuals 
of  the  human  family  do  wear  out,  for  of  those  whom  I  knew  in  the 
business  twenty-five  years  ago,  there  are  few  now  living.  But  while 
the  individual  members  of  the  Society  wear  out,  neither  the  art  which 
they  are  fostering,  nor  the  love  for  flowers  which  they  have  inherited 
from,  and  will  transmit  to  others,  will  ever  wear  out. 

I  was  a  rosarian  in  comparatively  youthful  years.     At  my  tenth 
year  I  commenced  to  study  roses,  and  when  between  ten  and  fifteen 
years  of  age,  I  knew  every  variety  of  rose  that  was  in  existence  at 
that  time.     It  is  because  of  that  fact  that  I  make  the  statement,  based 
upon  the  speeches  which  I  have  heard  this  afternoon,  that  the  roses 
which  were  fashionable  at  that  time  are  still  popular  to-day.     In  listen- 
ing to  the  lists  read  by  Messrs,  Henderson  and  Wintzer,  I  was  inter- 
ested in  noting  how  many  roses  had  lost  their  original  names  in  his- 
tory, and  were  now  being  introduced  under  new  names.     For  instance, 
what  we  knew  as  Gonhault  is  now  Bon  Silene^  and  roses  which,  like 
Niphetos^  were  of  no  account  in  former  days  are  popular  now,  because, 
although  varieties  do  not  run  out,  old  thoughts  do  run  out.     We  are 
compelled  to  find  new  thoughts  and  new  wants,  and  the  old  flowers 
very  often  provide  for  those  new  thouglits  and  new  wants  to  a  larger 
extent  than  do  some  of  the  newer  varieties.     Therefore,  it  is  alwa3''s  nec- 
essary to  look  for  new  varieties  by  either  cross-fertilization  or  other 
scientific  methods,  for,  after  having  gotten  once  the  new  variety  or  the 
new  idea,  we  can  frequently  find  among  the  older  varieties  the  neces- 
sary material  for  filling  new  thoughts  and  wants,  and  such  material 
can  generally  be  used  to  much  better  advantage  than  even  the  new 
kind.     Only  a  few  days  ago  I  was  told  of  a  rose  which  is  now  being 
introduced  in  Europe.     It  is  a  German  variety — recently  the  Ger- 
mans have  been  competing  with  the  French  in  introducing  new  varie- 
ties, though  this  distinction  is  one  that  has  been  supposed  to  be  a 
special  perquisite  of  the  French  people.     I  supposed  we  had  some- 
thing entirely  new,  and  was  informed  that  its  peculiar  name,  in  Ger- 
man, was  Namelose   Schoene^  signifying   "  The  Nameless   Beauty." 
Struck  by  its  name,  I  was  induced  to  inquire  into  its  history,  when  I 
found  that  that  also  was  an  old  rose!     It  was  an  old  rose,  the  name  of 
which  had  been  lost.     It  had  been  certainly  under  culture  for  over 
twenty  years,  and  without  having  any  recognized  merits ;  but  the  new 


52  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

thoughts  and  the  new  wants  to  which  I  before  had  reference  led  to 
the  discovery  in  that  old  rose  of  just  the  merits  which  the  new 
thoughts  and  the  new  ideas  required,  and  thus  it  became  of  value. 
It  was  ver}^  nearly  allied  to  JVip/iefos,  but  it  was  found  to  be  a  regular 
bloomer,  continuing  in  bloom  for  six  weeks ;  furnishing  nearly  as 
many  flowers  at  the  end  of  that  period  as  it  did  at  the  first  part  of  its 
blooming ;  and,  moreover,  was  so  floriferous  that  even  small  plants  in 
the  cutting  pots  would  bear  flowers.  This  quality,  with  others,  there- 
fore, in  this  age  when  we  are  cultivating  roses  and  flowers  especially 
for  profit,  gave  it  a  value  which  it  would  not  have  possessed  in  former 
times  wlien  flower  buds  were  not  so  much  in  demand  as  at  present. 

I  have  only  to  add  that,  whether  new  varieties  wear  out  or  not,  old 
love  of  flowers  will  never  die ;  and  although,  in  looking  over  the  faces 
here,  I  am  impressed  with  the  fact  that  the  florists  whom  I  knew  forty- 
eiglit  3'ears  ago  are  passing  awaj'^  and  new  ones  are  coming  up,  I  can 
see  that  the  old  love  is  not  dead.  I  hope  that  the  influence  of  your 
meeting  will  stimulate  that  love  which  is  destined  to  continue  long 
after  the  oldest  of  us  have  passed  away.  (Long-continued  enthu- 
siasm.) 

The  Chairman  here  announced  the  hour  of  adjournment,  and  made 
several  additional  announcements  for  general  information.  Briefly 
stated,  tliese  were  as  follows  :  An  invitation  to  delegates  who  had  not 
recorded  their  names  to  visit  the  registrj^  book  in  one  of  the  outer 
rooms ;  an  invitation  from  the  officials  of  the  United  States  mint,  with 
a  statement  of  the  hours  for  visiting  that  institution ;  and  notifications 
from  Mr.  Sturtevant,  of  New  Jersey,  that  the  flower  of  Victoria  Beffia, 
in  the  exhibition  hall,  could  be  inspected  during  the  hours  of  the  ses- 
sions; and  from  the  local  committee  of  the  Florists'  Club,  apprising 
the  excursionists  to  Atlantic  City  of  the  time  at  which  the  last  boat 
would  leave  on  the  following  morning. 

Mr.  W.  K.  Harris,  by  way  of  testing  the  sentiment  of  the  conven- 
tion on  the  point,  moved  that  the  excursion  fixed  for  to-morrow  be 
made,  "  rain  or  shine." 

The  motion  was  carried  without  objection. 

Adjourned. 


FIRST  DAY— Evening. 

The  Chairman  (Vice-President  Craig  in  the  chair)  announced  as 
the  regular  order  of  business,  per  programme,  a  paper  on  "  Fungoid 
Diseases  of  the  Rose,"  by  Mr.  H.  J.  Sackersdorff,  of  Bayside,  N.  J. 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLOKISTS.        f  ^       Ha  o  " ..  53 

He  added  that  the  President  (Mr.  Thorpe)  desired  tq^  maK^^stat^:^^t 
in  regard  to  the  paper.  \  ^^     '  & .       \     •. 

Mr.  John  Thorpe,  (the  President:)  As  the  menibe^e  of  JthecduvenrX 
tion  have  doubtless  olDserved  by  the  programme,  Mr.  Sa^efsiJorfE,  the  •  ) 
essayist  on  this  topic,  has  been  removed  by  death.     Prior '^  his  si(*k-  / 
ness,  he  preptared  some  notes  on  this  important  paper,  and  I  ha^'^4h£>8e'   - 
notes  now  in  my  possession,  but  they  are  in  such  a  condition  of  con- 
fusion that  we  have  not  yet  been  able  to  disentangle  them.     I  suggest 
that  the  society  place  these  notes  in  the  hands  of  a  committee,  with 
instruction  to  them  to  get  at  the  pith  of  tlie  matter  and  prepare  the 
same  for  insertion  in  the  printed  report  of  our  proceedings.     If  this 
meets  with  favor,  a  motion  to  carry  the  suggestion  into  eftect  would 
now  be  in  order. 

On  motion,  it  was  here  ordered  by  the  society  that  the  paper  pre- 
pared by  the  late  H.  J.  Sackersdorif  be  completed,  and  that  it  be 
published  in  the  report  of  the  proceedings  of  this  annual  meeting. 

(Note. — Up  to  the  time  of  going  to  press  with  these  proceedings, 
the  above-named  committee  had  not  reported,  wherefore  the  essay 
cannot  be  inserted.) 

The  Chairman  :  The  next  topic  treated  of  on  the  programme  is 
'•  Model  Green-houses  and  How  to  Build  Them,"  which  will  be  pre- 
sented by  a  gentleman  well  qualified  to  instruct  us,  Mr.  John  N.  May, 
of  Summit,  N.  J. 

MODEL    GREEN-HOUSES,   AND   HOW    TO    BUILD    THEM. 

To  build  a  greenhouse  in  the  best  practicHl  manner,  and,  at  the  same  time,  in 
a  reasonably  cheap  way,  is,  perhaps,  the  most  important  part  of  the  construction 
to  the  working  florist ;  and  to  sliow  how  to  do  so  is  my  present  purpose. 

LOCATION. 

This  is  the  first  step  to  consider.  If  for  beginners,  I  would  strongly  advise 
them  to  work  out  a  plan  suitable  to  all  their  future  requirements,  and  start  the 
first  house  so  as  to  form  a  part  of  such  plan  complete ;  but  in  locating,  it  is  advis- 
able to  get  a  position  as  nearly  facing  south  as  possible.  It  should  also  be  so  sit- 
uated that  perfect  drainage  can  be  secured  at  all  times,  for  no  greenhouse  will 
ever  be  satisfactory  where  it  is  subject  to  floods,  or  where  the  bottom  is  damp  or 
unhealthy.  Another  consideration  is  level  ground ;  the  nearer  level  it  is  the  bet- 
ter. Although  a  slight  rise  in  tlie  run  of  a  greenhouse,  of  not  more  tlian  two  feet 
to  one  hundred,  is  not  out  of  tlie  way,  still,  for  all  practical  purposes,  I  prefer  it 
level  all  thiough. 

SIZE. 

Having  selected  the  position  and  location  for  the  house,  the  next  thing  to  con- 
sider is  the  size ;  and  here  I  would  remark  that,  having  tried  nearly  every  con- 
ceivable shape  and  size  of  greenliouse  for  growing  plants  of  various  classes  in,  I 
have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  houses  of  moderate  size  are  much  the  best  for 


54 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 


nearly  every  puriiose.  A  very  large  house  has  the  objection  of  keeping  the  i)lants 
too  far  away  from  the  glass,  and,  moreover,  does  not  give  the  amount  of  space 
in  proportion  to  the  glass  area;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  my  experience  with 
small  liouses  of  ten  feet  wide,  and  from  that  up  to  sixteen  feet,  is  that  they  are 
subject  to  considerable  fluctuations  in  temperature  during  very  cold  or  very  hot 
weather.  To  avoid  both  these  extremes,  I  struck  a  line  between  the  two,  and 
built  nearly  all  my  houses  eighteen  feet  six  inches  in  the  clear  (surface  measure), 
and  after  seven  years' experience  with  this  i)articiilar  size,  I  find  they  are  the  best 
suited  for  my  purpose  by  a  long  way,  for  while  I  have  one  sixteen  feet  wide  and 
one  twenty-four  feet  wide,  I  find  they  neitiier  are  as  satisfactory  or  as  handy  to 
work  as  those  of  eighteen  feet  six  inches.  Where  it  is  convenient  to  build  houses 
that  widtli,  I  certainly  advise  them.  Presuming  that  is  the  size  selected,  decide 
on  the  lengtli ;  then  start  at  the  end  farthest  from  the  boiler  or  shed,  and  stretch 
a  line  wliere  the  front  row  of  posts  is  to  be  set ;  then  square  from  the  corner 
post  in  front  to  the  corner  post  for  the  back  eighteen  feet  six  inches.  Next  take 
small  pegs;  place  the  first  down  for  the  corner,  then  put  one  in  at  three  feet 
eleven  inches  from  the  outside  of  corner,  and  tlie  next  at  three  feet  eleven  inclies 
from  center  to  center,  and  so  continue  placing  them  close  beside  the  line  till  the 
right  length  required  is  reached.  Next,  mark  out  where  the  door  is  to  be  placed 
on  the  end;  place  a  peg  down  for  each  door-post,  allowing  three  inches  for  the 
jambs  between  the  post  and  door  ;  then  place  pegs  at  equal  distances  between  that 
and  the  corners. 


Ground  Plan  of  Green-House. 

Next,  stretch  another  line  for  the  back  row  of  posts  parallel  with  the  first,  and 
eighteen  feet  six  inches  from  it ;  then  drive  in  pegs  at  same  distance  from  each 
other  as  for  the  front  row.  Now,  take  a  spade  and  mark  out  for  each  hole  around 
the  peg,  about  four  inches  on  the  outside  of  each  and  eight  or  nine  inches  in- 
side of  it ;  this  gives  room  for  the  post  to  stand  and  touch  the  line,  and  gives 
room  to  ram  it  firmly  after  placing  it  in  position. 

Then  dig  the  holes  to  the  right  depth  -usually  about  three  feet  is  enough,  un- 
less the  ground  is  not  solid  at  that  depth.  As  soon  as  it  can  be  ascertained  what 
depth  is  required,  have  the  post  long  enough  so  as  to  allow  whatever  depth  is  to 
go  below  ground  level,  and  to  stand  three  feet  ten  inches  above  the  level 
for  the  front  and  end  posts,  and  eight  feet  two  inches  above  ground  for  the  back 
post.  These,  of  course,  must  be  faced,  before  setting,  on  the  side  next  to  the 
boarding. 

At  the  shed,  or  boiler  end,  the  wall  of  cellar  should  be  built  so  as  to  project  six 
inches  to  house  proper.  In  this  wall  pi  ice  a  sill,  and  from  this  sill  build  up  tliis 
end  of  the  house,  and  place  two  studs  to  carry  the  ends  of  gutters,  which  will 
answer  in  place  of  the  last  two  posts. 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS. 


55 


Ltl 


POST 

Fia.  1. 


ISHOTHINCi 


Wlien  the  posts  are  all  set  in  position, 
prepare  your  gutter  strips  four  by  eight 
inches  (Fig.  1),  by  digging  them  out 
the  required  depth,  starting  at  one 
quarter  inch,  and  deepening  it  one 
eighth  inch  to  every  three  feet ;  plow 
the  under  side  for  drip  and  edge  of 
weather-boarding,  as  shown  in  tlie  same 
figure ;  select  sticks  twenty  feet  long 
for  this  purpose.  When  worked  all  ready,  level  the  tops  of  posts  all  tlirough,  the 
front  one  at  three  feet  eight  inches  from  ground  level,  the  back  ones  eight  feet 
from  grade.  Saw  them  all  off  square,  tlien  fit  tlie  gutters  on,  saw  the  joints  witli 
square  butts  and  tight,  and  then  spike  tliem  fast  to  post,  first  applying  tar  or 
white  lead  to  the  under  side  of  plate  and  top  of  post.  When  this  is  completed, 
and  the  run  of  the  gutter  is  even  all  through  to  center  where  leader  is  put  in, 
take  some  gas  tar,  boil  it  for  some  time,  and  give  the  hollowed-out  part  a  good 
coat  from  end  to  end  ;  this  prevents  cracking  and  keeps  tiie  water  from  soaking 
into  the  wood. 

Next,  get  the  ridge  plate  (see  Fig.  2)  and  purlin  ready  (Fig.  3).  These  are 
best  jointed  by  a  half  splice,  and  if 
fitted  nicely,  the  joints  leaded  and 
well  nailed  together,  it  makes  a  very 
neat  finish.  As  soon  as  they  are 
ready,  a  scaffold  must  be  built  so  as 
to  allow  the  workmen  to  get  up  near 
their  work.     Then  cut  three  or  four 


'A 


Fio.  3. 


pairs  of  rafters  as  near  as  possible  to  sixteen  feet  on 
the  glass  line  for  the  front  ones,  and  six  feet  on  the 
glass  line  for  the  back  ones ;  place  these  at  five  or 
six  feet  apart,  and  put  the  ridge  plate  between  them  ; 
get  the  pair  of  end  rafters  (Fig.  9)  up,  and  start 
plumb  with  these,  bracing  tliem  securely  so  tliat  they  remain  in  v^lace.  As  soon 
as  this  is  done,  put  np  tlie  balance  of  ridge  plate  all  through,  and  tack  it  so  as  to 

I 1    prevent  its  getting  out  of  place.    Then  commence  next 

i^       ^  to  end   rafters,  first  put  np ;   make   three   pattern-sticks 
to  measure  twelve  inches  and  one  twelftli  of  an  inch  long 
(tliis  allows  twelve-inch  glass  to  bed  well) ;   then  com- 
mence and  cut  the  rafters  (Fig.  12)  witli  a  crow  foot,  so 
.  '^  )  as  to  bring  the  glass  line  wlien  fitted  even  with  the  hoi-  i-TL 
FiG.  12.  lowed  edge  of  gutter.    Nail  them  fast  with  finishing  nails         Fig.  9. 
as  fast  as  fitted,  placing  a  pattern  stick  between  at  each  nailing  place.    The  pur. 
lin  slionld  be  put  in  place  before  nailing  any  of  the  rafters,  and  held  there  by 
temporary  supports  from  the  ground  ;  tlie  same,  also,  for  the  ridge  plate. 

In  nailing  to  the  ridge  plate,  be  careful  to  keep  it  as  near  straight  as  possible, 
particularly  on  the  south  side,  as  the  ventilating  sash  fits  so  much  better  if  the 
ridge  is  quite  straight.  Each  alternate  rafter  on  the  top  need  only  be  thirteen 
feet  long,  and  at  top  can  be  left  loose  till  the  whole  of  the  rafters  are  on. 

As  soon  as  completed,  stretch  a  line  the  full  length  of  roof  and  three  feet  from 
the  ridge  plate ;  square  the  top  ends  of  each  of  the  thirteen-feet  rafters,  and  cut  a 
header  between  each  pair  of  sixteen-feet  rafters ;  and  across  top  of  the  short  one 


'^ 


56 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 


nail  header  to  eacli  of  tliem,  in  a  plumb  line— of  course  keeping  the  groove  for 
glass  in  it  flush  with  glass  line  on  bars  (Fig.  4).    As  soon  as  this  is  completed  it  is 
ready  for  the  sash,  wliicli,  if  properly  made,  are  ready  to  fit  on,  ex- 
cept that  the  under  side  of  top  rail  will  want  beveling  off  to  fit 
evenly  to  the  ridge  plate.     When  fitted  all  througli,  they  should 
show  one  inch  of  the  header  below  the  sash;  on  this  they  are 
hung  with  galvanized  iron  butts,  liaving  a  brass  pin — the  best  size 
is  one  and  tlu-ee-fourths  by  two  and  one-half.     These  fit  nicely,  and 
are  plenty  heavy  enougli ;  they  require  an  inch  and  a  quarter  screw,       Fi«.  4, 
No.  7.    Before  putting  the  sash  on,  I  advise  that  iron  columns,  made  of  gas 
pipe,  be  put  under  ridge  and  purlin  at  about  ten  feet  apart,  and  braced  up  tight ; 
this  secures  everything  in  its  place. 
Next,  take  the  bevel  strips  (Fig.  5),  fit  iu  carefully  between  the  rafter  on  the 
beveled  edge  of  gutter,  lead  them  well,  and  nail  fast  with  finishing 
nails.    As  soon  as  this  is  completed,  the  roof  is  ready  for  painting  and 
glazing.    I  prefer  twelve  by  twenty-four  glass  for  the  back,  which  just 
Fig.  5.    takes  tiiree  lights ;  for  tlie  front  any  length  can  be  used,  but  for  the  ven- 
tilators one  thirty-inch  liglit,  or  two  of  fifteen  inches,  can  be  used. 
Next,  finish  up  tlie  ends.    If  glass,  (which  makes  much  the  neatest  finish,)  is 
to  be  used,  work  out  a  plate  (Fig. 
6),  which  fits  on  post  over  board- 
ing, etc.,  the  same  as  the  gutter 
does.    When  this  is  completed,    n       |    [_ 


'^, 


^ 


Fig.  11. 


4 


take  strips  sixteen  feet  long  (Fig.  11),  place  Fig.  6. 

on  outer  edge  of  gutter,  and  nail  fast.  This  makes  the  gutter  one  inch  deeper, 
which  is  very  requisite,  particularly  during  heavy  thunder  showers,  etc.,  when, 
if  this  is  not  put  on,  a  good  deal  of  the  water  would  rush  over  the  outer  edge  of 
the  gutter. 

In  boarding,  I  prefer  hemlock  boards,  eight  or  ten  inches  wide.  Start  at  the 
top ;  use  a  lever,  and  get  each  board  as  tight  as  possible.  When  this  sheathing 
is  all  on,  take  the  best  rosin-sized  paper,  cover  the  whole  outside,  then  put  on  the 
outside  weather  boards,  slate,  or  wliatever  is  preferred.  Novelty  siding  is,  per- 
haps, the  neatest  looking;  if  this  is  used,  commence  at  the  top,  and  let  the  top 
edge  of  board  fit  up  tight  into  groove  of  gutter,  and  nail  the  top  edge  of  board- 
but  before  nailing  lower  side,  get  the  next  line  of  boards  into  position,  etc. 

If  slate  is  used,  the  slater  must  begin  at  bottom,  and  measure  off  the  distance 
for  each  course  to  come  out  even. 

The  benches,  etc.,  inside,  of  course  can  be  fitted  up  any  way  to  suit  the  class  of 
plants  to  be  grown  ;  but  for  roses,  I  think  the  best  is  a  front  bench  two  feet  nine 
inches  wide,  middle  bed  eight  feet  six  inches,  and  back  bench  one  foot  ten  inches 
wide.  This  gives  a  front  walk  two  feet  three  inches,  and  a  back  walk  one  foot 
ten  inches  wide,  with  a  ten-inch  board  laid  on  the  soil  of  bed  to  get  through  the 
center  for  cutting  buds,  cleaning,  etc.  (See.  Fig.  7).  This  style  of  benching  I 
have  found  the  most  satisfactory  of  any,  as  it  gives  every  plant  a  portion  of  di- 
rect sunlight. 

For  ventilating,  I  prefer  a  crank  and  shafting  running  all  through  the  house, 
and  lifting  the  whole  continuous  line  of  shafting  at  once.  It  costs  but  little 
more  in  the  first  outlay,  saves  an  immense  amount  of  time  and  trouble  in  after 
years,  and  when  once  up  will  last  as  long  as  the  house  does,  only  requiring  a  lit- 
tle oil  at  the  cogs  occasionally. 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS. 


57 


Fig.  7. 


Fig.  8. 
I  have  liad  a 
all    whom  it 


In  opening  ventilators  from  the  ridge,  it  is  necessary  to  put  a  cap  (Fig.  8)  on 
top  of  ridges.  This  prevents  any  drip  during  heavy  rains,  and  also  allows  the 
ventilators  to  be  opened  in  any  sort  of  weather  required.  One  great  advantage 
of  ventilating  this  way  is  that  it  lets  the  heated  air  out  at  the 
highest  point,  thereby  avoiding  cold  draughts  and  currents  of  air, 
which  are  sure  to  be  more  or  less  troublesome  when  tlie  ventila- 
ators  are  opened  the  reverse  way. 

For  the  better  illustration  of  how  such  a  house  is  constructed, 
model  made,  which  is  on  exhibition  here  for  the  inspection   of 
may  interest. 

There  is  considerable  diiference  in  the  material  used  for  building  greenhouses 
For  posts,  locust  is  the  best  and  cheapest  in  the  long  run  ;  next  in  point  of  dura 
bility  is  red  cedar.  If  neither  of  these  can  be  had,  take  good  sound  white  oak 
for  this  purpose.  For  the  gutters,  rafters,  etc.,  pine  is  the  best,  but  there  must 
not  be  the  least  bit  of  sap  in  any  part  of  it  if  yellow  pine  is  used — and  there 
ought  not  to  be  any  in  the  siding  either.  For  benches,  etc.,  inside,  hemlock  is 
decidedly  better  and  cheaper  than  pine. 

Where  the  saving  of  water  from  the  roof  of  the  greenhouse  is  no  object,  the 
gutter  recommended  above  can  be  substituted  by  a  three  by  eight  dressed  plate, 
placed  on  a  level  to  run  the  water  off,  thereby  saving  some  expense  and  trouble 
in  preparing  the  gutter  ;  and,  if  in  building  the  greenhouse,  it  is  decided  to  build 


58  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

it  of  less  width,  say  sixteen  feet,  rafters  of  one  and  one-fourth  by  two  and  one 
lialf  inches  are  lieavy  enough. 

One  tiling  from  long  experience  I  have  learned  is,  that  it  is  better  to  build  less 
and  do  it  well,  than  to  build  to  a  large  extent  and  never  have  it  satisfactory. 

The  Chairman,  (after  the  convention  had  asserted  its  appreciation 
of  the  excellence  of  Mr.  May's  effort  in  a  tumnlt  of  applause,)  said: 
I  wish  to  state  that  Mr.  May  has  prepared  a  model,  which  is  below  in 
the  exhibition  room,  illustrating  very  clearly  points  set  forth  Ijy  him 
in  the  paper  just  read.  The  model  may  be  examined  by  members  at 
any  time  during  the  present  Aveek. 

The  Chairman  :  I  hold  in  my  hand  the  reports  of  the  Committees  on 
Green-House  Construction  and  Other  Appliances,  and  on  Cut  Flowers, 
etc.,  which  will  be  read. 

Tlie  reports  were  here  read  (in  the  temporary  absence  of  the  Secre- 
tary, Mr.  Hill,)  by  President  Thorpe,  and  will  be  found  in  the  ap- 
pendix. 

(Note. — At  subsequent  stages  of  the  meeting  of  the  convention, 
additional  reports  Avere  received  from  the  committees  on  exhibits. 
These  reports  will  be  found  in  the  appendix. 

On  motion,  the  committee  reports  which  had  been  read  were  re- 
ceived, the  committees  discharged  from  tlie  further  consideration  of 
the  subjects  treated  of,  and  the  reports  ordered  to  be  printed  as  a  part 
of  the  proceedings  of  the  annual  meeting. 

The  Chairman  announced,  as  the  next  business,  the  reading  of  a 
paper  on  "  Pot-grown  Decorative  Foliage  Plants  for  General  Purposes," 
bv  Mr.  James  Taplin,  of  Mavwood,  N.  J. 

POT    GROWN   decorative    PLANTS. 

This  includes  a  very  wide  area,  not  only  comprising  variegated  plants,  but  also 
decorative  plants  generally.  I  am  afraid  tliis  class  does  not  receive  tlie  attention 
it  deserves,  for  the  reason  that  few  of  the  foliage  plants  have  very  striking  flow- 
ers. As  a  rule,  the  average  amateur  asks  if  it  is  a  lily  or  if  it  is  a  fern,  and  what 
the  flower  is  like.  The  Society  of  American  Florists  wish  to  spread  information 
on  plants  in  general,  foliage  plants  included.  This  will  prevent  many  amateurs 
who  are  willing  to  buy  plants  from  being  victimized  by  the  "fakirs,"  who  are 
always  willing  to  sell  wonderful  plants  and  the  buyer  at  the  same  time. 

It  is  difficult  to  draw  a  line  in  this  article,  for  it  has  been  often  shown  that 
decorative  foliage  plants  and  variegated  plants  should  not  be  shown  in  tlie  same 
class  if  prizes  are  offered  ;  but  we,  as  free  and  unhampered  florists,  make  no  dis- 
tinction in  this  point,  but  include  all  the  decorative  plants  in  the  same  class. 

CALADIUMS. 

1  may  mention  a  class  of  plants  which,  of  late  years,  has  gone  rather  out  of 
repute  without  any  just  cause;  that  is  caladiums.  These  plants  ai-e  not  only 
useful  during  the  summer  as  pot  plants  for  decorating  rooms  and  green-houses, 
but  are  also  fine  for  cutting  leaves  to  decorate  vases  mixed  with  flowers.    In 


SOCIETY    OF    AMEBICAN    FLOEISTS.  59 

addition,  it  is  one  of  the  best  plants  for  putting  outside  under  trees  wliere  bed- 
ding plants  will  not  grow  well.  These  plants  are  among  the  easiest  to  cultivate  ; 
the  tubers,  after  the  plant  is  at  rest,  can  be  stowed  in  any  place  that  will  keep 
sweet  potatoes  well,  and  the  plants,  wiien  growing,  only  require  good  rich  soil. 

Years  ago,  when  I  grew  caladiums  at  Chatswortli,  the  plants  were  large  masses 
in  tubs  with  some  of  the  tubers  twelve  or  more  inches  in  diameter,  and  foliage 
in  proportion.    These  were  grown  in  the  Victoria  house. 

I  presume  I  may  call  the  Victoria  Regia  a  decorative  plant,  although  not  grown 
in  a  pot ;  also  tlie  Nelumhimn  speciosum,  wiiich  can  be  grown  in  a  pot.  The  strange 
leaves  with  the  stem  in  the  center,  and  the  wonderful  (lowers  and  seed  stems,  ap- 
pear to  include  this  plant  among  the  foliage  plants.  But  I  need  not  ramble 
away  from  the  strict  letter  of  this  paper,  or  I  will  require  an  hour's  reading  at 
least.  So  i  will  give  a  few  descriptive  notes  of  some  of  the  most  useful  decora- 
tive plants. 

PALMS. 

A  selection  of  palms  is  useful,  as  J:liey  stand  tolerably  rougli  treatment,  and 
also  the  dry  air  of  rooms  in  the  winter.  Lutania  Borhonica  is  one  of  the  best, 
being  a  regular  fan  palm,  and  will  stand  more  rough  usage  than  other  palms.  If 
it  is  well  watered,  and  the  temperature  does  not  go  below  fifty  degrees,  it  will 
flourish  in  an  ordinary  room  all  the  winter.  I  saw  some  last  winter  on  the  man- 
tel above  tlie  stove  growing  well,  but  the  lady  was  an  enthusiast  in  plants. 

Among  otlier  palms,  Artca  lutescens,  A.  rubra,  and  A.  Verschajfeltii  are  first-rate 
varieties  to  grow.  Cocos  WedcUUiana  is  said  to  stand  the  treatment  in  rooms 
well,  but  being  a  variety  making  but  few  roots,  it  would  be  more  delicate  than 
some  others. 

The  Kentias  are  among  the  most  useful  palms  grown,  and  also  among  the  most 
ornamental.  These  palms  also  make  fine  specimens  without  its  being  necessary 
to  raise  the  roof  of  the  green-house. 

Among  other  ])alms,  we  may  mention  Phoniicophorium  sechellarum ,  the  cele- 
brated ''  thief  pahn,"  wliicli  requires  a  very  high  temperature,  and  is  too  scarce 
for  general  decorative  purposes. 

Tlie  Phcenix  or  date  palms  are  among  the  most  useful  decorative  plants,  both 
for  the  green-liouse,  and  also  for  room  decoration.  The  variety  ritfirestris,  a  very 
strong  grower,  is  good  for  the  green-house,  and  also  for  rooms,  but  the  newer 
variety,  rupicola,  is  far  superior  to  it. 

The  Chamcerops  are  also  well  adapted  for  general  decoration.  The  variety 
excelsa  will  survive  a  few  degrees  of  frost. 

The  Senforthias  are  also  good  decorative  plants,  but,  being  very  free  rooting, 
require  more  attention  in  watering  than  most  palms.  We  can,  of  course,  in- 
clude among  this  general  collection  Zamias,  Macrozamia,  and  Cycas,  the  latter 
being  among  the  most  useful  plants  for  general  purposes,  more  especially  Cycas 
revolida,  or  sago  palm,  so  well  knovvri  for  furnishing  "  palm  leaves  "  for  funerals  ; 
why  this  should  be  so  I  cannot  tell,  the  Cycas  not  being  a  palm. 

But  I  must  mention  a  few  of  tlie  more  fancy  foliage  plants,  leaving  out  num- 
bers of  useful  plants  both  for  conservatory  and  house  decoration. 

CROTONS. 

The  Crotons,  when  well  grown,  are  among  the  most  showy  plants  in  cultiva- 
tion, both  in  growtli  and  color;  but  to  grow  tliese  plants  well,  they  require  liberal 
treatment,  especially  in  giving  abundant  heat,  and  also  what  few  variegated 


60  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

plants  need,  abnndant  light.  A  small  plant  well  colored  is  better  than  a  large 
one  without  color.  Tliere  have  been  so  many  sports  and  seedlings  among  Crotons 
of  late  years  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  say  wliich  is  the  best,  but  among  all 
the  new  varieties,  (and  I  have  grown  a  number  of  tliem  tolerably  well,)  1  think 
I  would  prefer  the  old  angusHfoUum,  as  exhibited  by  Tliomas  Bains  in  England 
many  years  ago.  I  exhibited  many  varieties  before  the  New  York  Horticultural 
Society  some  years  ago,  including  angustifoUum,  perfectly  colored,  like  a  fountain 
of  gold,  and  I  think  yet  I  like  tliat  better  than  the  Mooreana,  Disraeli,  Veitch'ii, 
or  any  of  tlie  other  sorts.  15ut  Crotons  require  liberal  treatment,  and  are  not 
plants  suited  to  room  decoration,  as  tiiey  must  have  a  temperature  not  less  than 
sixty  degrees  at  any  time,  including  plenty  of  moisture  in  the  atmosphere.  A 
good  loam,  with  plenty  of  drainage,  is  the  best  pot  treatment.  I  may  mention 
that,  altliough  this  country  has  abundance  of  insects,  I  liave  noticed  we  can  ob- 
tain various  new  and  choice  species  with  the  imported  Crotons,  which  usually 
prevent  any  imported  plants  from  making  specimens,  the  only  chance  being  to 
obtain  a  shoot  on  the  top  and  make  a  plant  from  the  cutting.  I  mention  this 
from  numerous  trials,  and  I  may  also  observe  that  I  never  saw  any  insects  on 
plants  from  their  native  country,  and  seldom  any  plants  without  from  Europe. 

DRAC^NAS. 

Dracjenasare  indispensable  plants  in  general  decoration,  and  most  of  the  species 
and  varieties  will  stand  rougli  treatment.  Tliere  has  been  a  number  of  species 
and  varieties  introduced  of  late  years,  from  their  native  tropics,  and  also  large 
numbers  of  seedlings  raised  both  in  Europe  and  America.  I  saw  several  seed- 
lings, raised  near  Boston,  quite  up  to  the  mark. 

There  is  always  a  good  demand  for  D.  terminalis  wlien  well  colored,  and  this 
species  will  always  sell,  it  being  a  good  room  plant. 

ASPIDISTRA. 

This  old  plant  is  quite  useful  to  fill  boxes  and  vases  in  rooms.  It  will  stand  any 
rough  usage,  including  ten  degrees  of  frost. 

PANDANUS. 

Although  there  are  many  species  of  these  Screw  pines,  all  more  or  less  distinct, 
the  only  sort  of  general  utility  is  P.  utilis,  the  most  valuable  of  all,  whicli  is  used 
for  room  decoration  more  than  any  other  plant.  It  will  stand  any  sort  of  rough 
treatment  short  of  freezing.  P.  javanicus  variegatus  and  P.  VeitcliH  are  both 
variegated,  but  much  more  tender  than  utilis.  These  two  should  never  remain  in 
a  temperature  below  sixty  degrees  for  any  length  of  time. 

NEPENTHES. 

We  can  scarcely  avoid  mentioning  the  Nepenthes  or  pitcher  plants,  which  cer- 
tainly are  included  in  decorative  foliage  plants.  In  former  times  there  was  sup- 
posed to  be  a  secret  in  growing  these  plants,  but  this  was  dissipated  years  ago, 
when  people  discovered  that  tiiese  plants  could  be  raised  from  seed  by  thousands, 
and  propagated  from  cuttings  like  verbenas,  and  also  grown  easier  than  verbenas 
of  late  years.  I  do  not  say  we  can  plant  them  out  in  beds  on  the  lawn,  but  if  we 
have  a  warm,  close  house,  with  temperature  from  seventy  degrees  upwards,  with 
some  rough  peat  and  live  sphagnum  to  grow  in,  the  plants  require  less  attention 
than  an  ordinary  bed  of  verbenas. 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    PLORISTS.  61 

SARRACENIA, 

an  American  lutcher  plant,  mnst  also  be  included  in  this  article,  being  plants 
of  easy  culture,  and  none  of  the  varieties  require  very  much  heat.  Tiie  species 
purpurea  is  a  native  of  swamps  from  New  York  to  Canada,  and  although  I  have 
seen  it  growing  in  a  warm  house  in  England,  I  have  gathered  it  in  a  swamp  on 
a  mountain  In  New  Jersey.  The  pitcher  on  these  plants  varies  in  growth  and 
color  as  much  as  the  flower.  S.  imypurea,  the  native  of  the  Northern  States, 
grows  but  a  few  inches  above  the  soil,  while  S.  Drummondii,  from  the  South, 
will  grow  two  feet  high.  Although  all  the  flowers  are  strange  and  wonderful, 
one  species  smells  like  violets,  while  another  smells  like  anything  but  violets !  1 
have  seen  various  sorts  of  insects  perish  by  the  thousand  in  the  pitchers  of  both 
these  plants,  and  also  in  the  pitchers  of  tlie  Ifepenthesso  much  so  that  the 
pitcher  decayed,  wiiich  refuted  Darwin's  theory  that  they  fed  on  them. 

MARANTAS. 

These  are  among  the  most  beautiful  of  foliage  plants,  and  wiien  well  grown  are 

excellent,  but  they  require  a  very  high,  moist  temperature,  with  shade  at  all 

times  from  briglit  sun.    Under  these  conditions,  the  plants  are  easily  grown,  and 

well  repay  the  grower  for  the  trouble.    Among  tlie  varieties,  virginalis  major, 

Veitchii,  rosea-picta,  and  2)rinceps  are  about  the  best. 

ARUNDO  DONAX   VARIEGATA 

is  among  the  decorative  plants,  both  inside  and  out  of  doors.  Years  ago  it  was 
grown  for  exhibition  in  a  collection  of  foliage  plants. 

FICUS  ELASTICA, 

or  India-rubber  plant,  is  indispensable  as  a  pot-plant  for  winter  decorations.  It 
will  stand  any  heat  and  gas,  if  it  is  kept  from  very  low  temperature,  well  sup- 
plied with  water,  and  the  leaves  frequently  washed  to  clean  from  dust. 

CISSUS  AND  DIOSCOREA. 

Of  climbing  foliage  plants,  the  Cissus  and  Dioscorea  are  the  most  showy,  the 
one  being  related  to  the  grape-vine  and  the  other  to  the  sweet  potato.  Both  re- 
quire <i  dense,  moist,  shady  house,  with  abundance  of  heat  to  keep  them  in  good 
condition.    A  tropical  water-lily  house  is  one  of  the  best  places  for  these  plants. 

CYANOPHYLLUM  AND  SPH.EROGYNE. 

Oyanophyllum  magnificum  and  Sjjhceroqyne  lutifoUa  are  both  splendid  plants 
when  well  grown.  Both  require  the  same  treatment  as  Cissus,  and  both,  if  ex- 
posed to  a  dry  or  cold  atmosphere,  will  drop  the  leaves,  only  the  bare  stem  re- 
maining. 

MUSA, 

or  bananas,  are  best  known  in  this  country  by  the  fruit,  but  are  very  ornamental 
plants,  either  for  a  large  conservatory  or  planted  in  a  sheltered  place  out  of  doors 
during  the  summer.  31,  ensete  is  conspicuous  for  large  foliage,  and  M.  coccinea 
for  its  brilliant  spathe  of  flowers. 

PHORMIUM. 

The  New  Zealand  flax,  or  Phormiurtu  tenax  variegata,  is  an  excellent  plant,  both 
for  green-house  and  room  decoration  in  the  winter.  They  are  very  easily  grown 
for  planting  outside  in  the  summer,  only  requiring  plenty  of  water. 


62  PROCEEDINGS    OF    SECOND    CONVENTION. 

SONEUILA. 

These  are  among  the  genus  of  foliage  plants,  and,  although  belonging  to  the 
same  natural  order  as  Cyanophyllum,  which  would  grow  twenty  or  more  feet 
high  under  favorable  circumstances,  the  Sonerila  seldom  exceeds  six  inclies  in 
height.  For  many  years  only  one  species  was  in  cultivation — S.  margaritacea. 
It  was  a  charming  little  plant,  with  small,  oval  leaves,  dotted  with  silver,  and 
in  the  winter  covered  with  spikes  of  rose-colored  flowers.  Being  a  native  of 
Java,  it  needs  a  very  liigh  temperature,  but  requires  propagating  each  year,  as 
it  must  be  almost  an  annual.  A  few  years  ago  tliere  were  several  distinct  vari- 
eties introduced,  which  varied  much  in  the  foliage,  but  with  the  same  type  of 
flowers.  Some  of  the  leaves  were  silvered  over,  and  otiiers  striped.  I  do  not 
know  if  these  varieties  were  seedlings  or  sports,  but  from  variations  I  have  seen 
in  cultivation,  i  think  they  were  sports.  At  any  rate,  they  are  all  beautiful,  and 
all  require  tlie  same  treatment. 

BERTALONIAS. 

These  are  charming  decorative  plants  related  to  the  Sonerihis,  but  with  much 
larger  and  more  beautifully  colored  leaves.  Tliey  require  much  tlie  same  treat- 
ment as  tiie  above,  but  need  a  closer  and  moister  place;  in  fact,  a  glass  case  in  a 
warm  iiouse  with  dense  sliading  suits  them  best. 

BEGONIAS. 

The  Bex  varieties,  of  which  tliere  are  many,  will  do  for  conservatory  decora- 
tion, and  also  for  inside  and  outside  baskets.  Any  light,  rich  soil  will  grow  these 
plants  well,  with  lots  of  water  in  the  summer,  but  nearly  dry  in  the  winter. 

COLEUS. 

A  few  of  the  most  distinct  and  bright  colors  make  useful  plants  for  conserva- 
tory decorations.  With  ricii  soil  and  an  abundance  of  water,  grown  in  full  sun, 
they  make  a  flne  display. 

FERNS, 

of  course,  are  indispensable,  but  in  the  space  of  this  article  I  cannot  mention 
many  varieties.  All  the  sorts  require  more  or  less  shade  and  abundance  of 
water,  esi)ecially  during  the  summer,  but  such  as  Gtjmnogramma  and  Pteris  tri- 
color must  not  be  watered  over  the  foliage.  Adkmtum  and  Pteris  are  among  the 
most  generally  useful  for  ordinary  decorations,  both  in  glass-houses  and  in  rooms ; 
whilst  the  Dicksonia  and  Cyhotium  are  among  the  best  tree  ferns  for  those  who 
have  laige  green-houses.  Nothing  is  more  delicate,  eitlier  as  plants  or  for  cut- 
ting, than  the  Oleichcnia,  which  only  requires  a  green-house  kept  at  a  tempera- 
ture of  forty  degrees  in  winter.  These  plants,  throwing  out  suckers  in  the  way 
of  a  raspberry  cane,  naturally  require  more  surface  space  than  depth,  and  are 
best  grown  in  pots  wider  than  they  are  deep. 

AGAVES  AND  YUCCAS. 

Tiiese  are  very  handsome  foliage  plants,  and  are  especially  useful  for  outside 
decorations  during  the  summer,  and  require  less  attention  in  winter  than  plants 
in  general.  The  very  thick-leaved  varieties,  such  as  A.  Americana,  will  stand  in 
a  warm  shed  from  autumn  until  spring  without  being  watered. 

MONSTERA   DELICIOSA. 

An  old  plant  not  much  in  cultivation  ;  does  well  out  of  doors  during  summer, 


SOCIETY    OF    AMEBICAN    FLORISTS.  63 

but  grown  in  a  warm  green-house,  where  its  roots  can  wander  in  a  tank  of  water, 
it  is  most  at  home  and  will  fruit  freely.  Its  strange  arum-like  fruit,  which  re- 
quires a  year  to  ripen,  is  beautifully  scented,  and  of  a  tine  flavor,  but  must  be 
eaten  at  a  certain  stage  of  ripeness  ;  otlierwise  there  are  numerous  sharp  prickles 
in  tlie  sections  of  fruit,  which  act  on  the  throat  somewhat  the  same  way  as 
prickly  pear  spines. 

PAPYRUS  ANTIQUOKUM, 

said  to  be  the  paper  plant  of  the  Egyptians,  is  a  handsome  decorative  plant  for 
the  green-house  in  tlie  winter,  or  for  lakes  and  ponds,  or  even  in  tlie  sub-tropical 
garden,  during  tlie  summer.  It  has  a  grace  peculiar  to  itself,  but  assorts  well 
with  such  plants  as  Nelumbimn  or  Caladiiim  esculentum. 

The  Chairman  announced,  as  the  next  business,  the  reading  of  a 
paper  on  "  Carnations  and  Their  Treatment,"  by  Joseph  Tailby,  of 
Wellesley,  Mass. 

THE    PROPAGATION    AND    CULTIVATION   OF    THE    PERPETUAL    CARNATION. 

We  will  begin  with  the  propagation.  The  best  time  for  this  is  about  the  last 
week  in  February  to  the  middle  of  March.  Before  taking  the  cuttings,  perhaps 
it  would  be  best  to  prepare  a  place  for  them.  I  use  six-inch  pans,  three  and  one 
half  inches  deep.  Boxes  will  answer  the  same  purpose.  Place  crocks  over  the 
holes  in  the  bottom,  then  about  one  inch  of  coal  ashes,  and  fill  up  with  clean  sand. 
Make  firm,  give  a  good  watering,  and  they  are  then  ready  for  use.  I  prefer  this 
to  the  bench  system,  and  will  give  my  reaS'Mis  further  on. 

In  selecting  the  cuttings,  choose  short-jointed,  tolerably  firm,  but  not  too  hard 
wood,  with  one  pair  of  fully  developed  foliage.  Pull  at  a  joint  as  near  the  base  as 
possible.  Place  them  in  the  hand  with  the  lower  ends  even,  and  wlien  you  have 
as  many  as  you  can  conveniently  hold,  trim  off  the  tips.  I  do  not  think  this 
makes  much  difference.  It  is  about  the  same  as  cutting  a  dog's  ears  -  it  makes 
him  look  a  little  neater,  and  there  is  not  so  much  of  him  to  wilt  if  he  gets  into  a 
fight.     This  is  the  time  the  carnation  begins  to  fight  on  its  own  account. 

As  soon  us  the  cuttings  are  prepared,  place  them  in  water,  as  they  should  not 
be  allowed  to  got  dry.  Then  dibble  firm  in  the  pans,  give  a  good  watering,  place 
in  a  cool,  shady  position,  and  sprinkle  often.  When  well  calloused,  give  a  little 
air.  As  soon  as  they  are  rooted,  shift  to  a  more  exposed  position,  (this  is  where 
the  pan  has  an  advantage  over  the  bench,)  so  as  to  harden  them  off  before  trans- 
planting in  boxes  or  pots,  as  the  case  may  be.  I  plant  in  boxes  about  one  and  one 
half  inches  apart,  using  boxes  about  three  inches  deep,  with  about  one  inch  of 
drainage.  For  compost,  take  two  parts  of  loam  to  one  of  well-rotted  manure. 
If  the  loam  is  stiff ,  add  a  little  sand.  After  planting,  water  moderately,  just 
enough  to  settle  the  soil  firmly  about  the  roots,  Sliade  and  sprinkle  for  a  few 
days  until  they  are  established.  After  this  give  more  air  and  not  too  much 
bright  sun.  The  most  critical  time  is  from  now  until  they  get  into  the  open 
ground.  If  they  are  allowed  to  become  di"y  or  get  scorched,  the  rust  or  canker  is 
sure  to  attack  them.  Keep  from  green  fly  and  red  spider.  As  soon  as  perfectly 
established,  move  to  cold  frame.  Give  all  the  air  possible,  but  do  not  let  them 
freeze. 

As  soon  as  the  weather  will  permit,  and  the  land  is  in  good  working  order, 
plant  out  in  rows  fifteen  inches  apart,  and  ten  inches  in  the  rows.  The  best  soil 
is  good  yellow  loam,  rather  light.    They  will  make  more  fibrous  roots,  but  not  so 


64  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

much  growtli  as  in  lieavy  soil.  It  is  not  robust  growtli  we  want,  but  good,  firm 
wood.  For  manure,  I  find  horse  manure  the  best.  If  the  soil  is  old,  tliat  is, 
been  under  cultivation  a  long  time,  give  a  good  dressing  of  lime.  The  reason 
that  the  carnation  does  not  do  well  in  old  land,  is  the  deficiency  of  lime.  The 
carnation  is  something  like  wheat.  Too  much  manure  and  a  deficiency  of  lime 
will  not  only  produce  an  abundance  of  coarse  straw  and  bran,  but  disease  also. 
The  flour  from  such  wheat  is  coarse  and  of  poor  quality.  It  is  just  the  same  with 
the  cai-nation.  New  land  is  the  best,  although  I  have  grown  my  plants  on  the 
same  land  for  the  past  ten  years,  and  they  have  always  done  well.  Any  one  else 
can  do  the  same  by  following  the  above  treatment.  Of  course  the  plants  must 
be  stopped  during  the  season  so  as  to  make  them  stocky. 

Get  the  plants  inside  before  the  cold  weather  sets  in,  so  as  to  have  them  well 
started  before  using  fire  heat.  For  compost,  use  three  or  four  parts  of  good 
maiden  loam  to  one  of  rotten  manure.  Plant  about  ten  inches  apart  and  give  a 
good  watering,  so  as  to  settle  the  soil  well  at  the  roots.  Sprinkle  two  or  three 
times  a  day  until  plants  are  well  established,  and  begin  to  make  new  roots. 
After  this,  they  will  take  more  water  and  all  tlie  air  you  can  give  tliem.  Look 
out  for  the  green  fly.  Cneck  it  as  soon  as  it  makes  its  appearance.  Tlie  tempera- 
ture of  the  house  should  not  be  lower  than  forty-five  degrees  at  niglit,  and  from 
fifty-five  to  sixty-five  degrees  by  day.  This,  of  course,  will  depend  upon  the 
weather.  Give  plenty  of  air,  even  at  the  expense  of  a  bit  of  coal.  Do  not  give 
too  much  water.  Unless  airing  and  watering  are  properly  attended  to,  you  cannot 
get  good  flowers  or  keep  your  plants  in  a  iiealtliy  condition. 

About  tlie  beginning  of  January,  give  them  a  dressing  of  good  fertilizer  or 
liquid  manure.  You  can  repeat  the  dose  once  a  month.  I  have  not  yet  men- 
tioned anything  as  to  pot  culture.  The  treatment  is  the  same,  only  the  compost 
should  be  made  richer  and  coarser.  The  best  is  rotted  turf  chopped  about  half 
the  size  of  an  egg ;  pot  firmly.  A  six-inch  pot  is  large  enough  to  grow  them  in. 
Give  one  and  a  half  inches  of  drainage,  using  the  same  material  as  for  the  cutting 
pans.  When  the  pots  get  tolerably  full  of  roots,  give  liquid  manure  once  a  week. 
A  very  good  liquid  is  made  by  using  one  ounce  of  sulphate  of  ammonia  to  three 
gallons  of  water.  I  prefer  this  to  liquids  made  from  manure,  as  it  is  cleaner  to 
handle,  and  does  not  clog  the  pores  of  the  soil  in  the  pots,  and  answers  the  same 
purpose. 

In  regard  to  the  disease  of  the  carnation,  I  am  not  sure  that  there  is  any  cure 
for  it.  I  am  now  experimenting  on  it.  To  prevent  it,  keep  these  rules  in  mind:. 
Get  healthy  cuttings,  root  them  slowly,  and  as  soon  as  rooted,  give  them  air  and 
more  room.  This  you  can  do  if  they  are  in  pans  and  boxes.  If  in  cutting  bed, 
get  them  out  as  soon  as  rooted.  Should  they  stay  in  bed  they  get  weak.  This 
is  when  the  disease  attacks  them.  Tliis  point  I  am  sure  of.  Do  not  check  them 
in  their  growth  from  the  time  they  are  rooted  until  they  are  in  the  open  ground. 
If  your  soil  is  in  good  condition,  I  do  not  think  that  the  disease  will  trouble  you, 
I  am  satisfied  if  the  treatment,  as  laid  down  in  this  article,  is  adhered  to,  that 
you  will  not  be  troubled  with  any  disease. 

The  best  houses  to  grow  them  in  are  large  and  roomy,  with  a  southern  aspect; 
due  south,  that  is,  if  you  want  them  for  winter  use  only  ;  a  little  east  of  south,  if 
you  wish  to  grow  them  all  summer,  as  I  do.  In  small  houses  you  cannot  give 
air  at  times  when  it  is  wanted.  Take,  for  instance,  when  the  tliermometer  indi- 
cates zero  outside  with  a  bright  sun  shining.  As  soon  as  you  open  the  ventila- 
tors, the  cold  air  is  on  the  plants,  and  your  house  is  chilled,  when,  before  the  air 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  65 

was  put  on,  it  was  up  to  ninety-six  or  one  hundred  degrees.  With  a  large  liouse, 
you  can  give  air  at  any  time  wlien  necessary.  The  weather  outside  may  be  dull 
and  raw,  but  never  mind.  The  air  admitted  is  fresh,  and  in  a  large  house  is 
moderated  to  the  temperature  of  the  house  before  it  gets  to  the  plants.  It  will 
take  a  little  more  coal,  but  this  is  a  slight  matter  when  the  health  of  your  plants 
and  tlie  quality  of  the  flowers  are  taken  into  consideration, 

Mr.  Hendrick,  of  Albany,  N.  Y :  From  that  little  island  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  we  have  had  imported  some  rare  specimens 
of  men  and  things,  and  among  them  is  this  "  Tail-boy,"  or  Tail-by, 
who  has  given  us  some  useful  information  on  the  subject  of  carnation- 
growing.^  We  shall  not  forget  his  quaint  remark  about  the  trimming 
of  the  dog's  ears  and  like  expressions,  and  we  shall  remember  him 
most  pleasantly  for  his  paper  of  this  afternoon.  I  have  no  doubt  you 
will  agree  w'ith  me  when  I  say  that  he  deserves  our  united  thanks  for 
his  very  excellent  paper,  and  I  most  cheerfully  accord  him  mine.  I 
would  like  to  include  in  the  vote  of  thanks  a  similar  cordial  acknowl- 
edgment to  our  genial  friend  and  able  plantsman,  James  Taplin. 

The  Chairman  here  stated  the  motion,  viz  :  That  a  vote  of  thanks 
be  extended  to  Messrs.  Tailby  and  Taplin  for  their  able  and  excellent 
papers  on  ''Carnations"  and  "Decorative  Foliage  Plants." 

The  motion  w^as  carried  by  a  unanimous  vote. 

THE   QUESTION   BOX. 

The  Chairman  :  A  number  of  queries  have  been  deposited  in  the 
Question  Box,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  the  Chair  to  see  that  they  are  an- 
swered. 

The  President  (Mr.  Thorpe):  One  of  the  questions  deposited  in 
the  box  is  this :  ''  Do  the  auction  sales  injure  the  poor  florist  'i "  (Gen- 
eral merriment  and  applause.)  The  Chair  does  not  know  a  gentle- 
man more  capable  of  making  a  satisfactory  reply  to  that  question  than 
Mr.  Peter  Henderson. 

"  Mr.  Peter  Henderson  responded  :  I  am  afraid  that  I  am  indebted 
for  this  honor  to  my  friend,  the  Hon.  Robert  McCrone,  an  ex-member  of 
the  Connecticut  Legislature,  and  at  one  time,  I  believe,  a  presiding 
officer  in  that  body.  AVill  the  Chair  kindly  repeat  the  question  so 
that  I  may  know  what  it  is  ? 

The  President  :     ''  Do  auction  sales  injure  the  poor  florist?  " 

Mr.  Henderson  :  Tliere  is  no  doubt  that  they  do,  and  there  is  no 
doubt  whatever  that  they  injure  the  rich  florist,  if  such  a  person  exists. 
I  believe  "that  the  practice  is  one  that  affects  the  business  of  the  flor- 
ist, whether  he  is  rich  or  poor,  more  seriously  than  any  other  possible 
thing  could.  I  would  give  to-day,  gentlemen,  five  thousand  dollars  a 
year  if  I  could  stop  auction  sales  in  New  York,  and  I  would  make 
5 


66  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

ten  thousand  dollars  a  year  by  so  doing.  I  have  tried  my  best  to  pen- 
sion off  William  B.  Elliott  and  to  endeavor  to  have  him  stop  every- 
body else,  but  he  Avill  not  accommodate  me. 

You  may  ask  me,  ''  Why  do  you  countenance  auction  sales  ?  "  My 
reply  is  that,  I  do  it  in  self-defense.  Until  about  six  or  seven  years 
ago  I  did  not  sell  a  plant  at  auction  in  the  spring.  I  then  found  that 
my  entire  sales  for  an  area  of  two  hundred  miles  around  New  York 
had  been  cut  off  by  somebody  else  selling  at  auction,  and  that  I  had 
to  take  a  hand  in  it  if  I  would  save  myself.  That  is  the  real  fact 
about  the  matter.  But,  gentlemen,  you  cannot  stop  this  thing.  There 
is  no  way  of  stopping  it  that  I  know  of.  It  is  simply  a  natural  inci- 
dent of  the  competition  of  trade,  and,  no  matter  how  much  we  all 
suffer  from  it,  (because  we  all  do  suffer  from  it,)  there  seems  to  be  no 
way  by  which  we  can  stop  it. 

A  Delegate  :     It  is  like  the  black  spot — you  cannot  stop  it. 

Mr.  Henderson  :  Yes,  exactly.  If  any  of  you  gentlemen  can  tell 
me  of  a  way  of  stopping  it,  I  would  be  glad  to  hear  it. 

The  Chairman  (after  Mr.  Henderson  had  retired)  called  attention 
to  the  interesting  character  of  the  subject,  and  invited  five-minute 
remarks  by  gentlemen  disposed  to  throw  light  upon  it. 

A  delegate  moved  that  the  gentleman  from  Connecticut  (Mr.  Mc- 
Crone  be  now  given  an  opportunity  to  be  heard  upon  the  question,  in 
opposition  to  auction  sales. 

The  motion  prevailed  without  objection. 

Mr.  Robert  McCrone,  of  Thomson ville,  Conn.,  here  made  his  appear- 
ance in  the  open  space  in  front  of  the  i)latform,  and  was  received  with 
a  furore  of  enthusiasm  and  genuine  good  humor.     He  said  : 

Gentlemen :  In  speaking  on  this  question,  it  is  not  my  intention  to 
cast  any  reflection  upon  what  are  called  "  large  growers."  I  contend 
simply  to-night  that,  in  this  matter,  large  growers  are  the  largest  suf- 
ferers. I  had  intended  to  submit  a  motion  here  on  the  subject,  and 
it  was  one  with  a  benevolent  purpose  and  designed  to  save  all  men, 
but  more  particularly  the  large  growers.  The  operation  of  this  auc- 
tion system  shows  that  it  arises  from  a  selfish  disposition  in  human 
nature  to  centralize  everything  in  the  hands  of  a  comparative  few  by 
crushing  out  the  small  growers.  Practically,  it  has  brought  about  this 
condition  of  things,  that  all  small  growers  are  crushed  out,  and  now 
the  large  growers  are  going  to  crush  out  each  other ;  and  they  are  going 
to  be  the  great  losers  in  the  matter. 

Now,  gentlemen,  the  question  has  been  very  pertinently  asked  here 
to-night,  "  What  are  we  going  to  do  about  it  ?"  They  ask  us,  •'  Isn't 
this  a  land  of  liberty — can't  every  man  sell  his  goods  as  he  likes  ?" 


SOCIETY    or    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  "     67 

To  be  sure  it  is;  to  be  sure  he  can;  but,  gentlemen,  the  situation  is 
this — humanity  through  all  its  progress  has  shown  the  same  thing — 
that  men  operate  from  two  motives ;  one  motive  being  a  fear  of  con- 
sequences, while  the  great  motive  that  actuates  mankind  is  a  regard 
for  the  good-will  of  our  fellow-men.  Now  I  say  that  if  this  conven- 
tion expresses  its  opinion  on  this  subject,  it  will  declare  that  its  regard 
for  the  good-will  of  all  men  dictates  that  it  shall  protest  against  indi- 
vidual liorists  being  ruined  by  a  few  growers.  We  do  not  come  here 
as  Knights  of  Labor,  gentlemen ;  we  do  not  come  here  to  enunciate 
the  ideas  of  that  class,  but  we  come  here  to  protect  our  individual 
selves ;  and  if  we  do  not  do  that,  it  is  useless  for  us  to  come  here  to 
flatter  each  other,  and  go  home  with  mere  nonsense  in  our  mouths. 
(Merriment.)  Why  is  a  civilized  man  the  superior  of  a  savage?  It 
is  because  he  has  the  capacity  to  look  after  his  own  interests  in  a  care- 
ful, cool,  and  intelligent  way.  We  came  here  to  do  that.  We  have 
undertaken  to-day  to  look  over  our  business  historically,  and  forty 
years  is  the  period  over  which  we  have  looked  back.  Forty  years  ago 
a  bricklayer  was  getting  from  $1.50  to  $2  per  day,  and  by  taking  care 
of  his  own  interests — as  we  propose  to  do  here  to-night — lie  now  gets 
$3. .50  per  day.  He  is  not  a  Knight  of  Labor  any  more  than  we  are 
Knights  of  Labor.  Now,  what  we  want  is  this  :  that  we  should  get  as 
much  from  the  product  of  our  labor  as  the  market  will  fairly  give  us, 
and  that  we  should  get  as  large  a  percentage  of  the  product  of  our 
labor  as  the  markets  of  the  country  will  give  us.  Is  not  that  going 
to  make  us  better  off,  to  make  us  more  intelligent  and  better  men  ? 
Now,  I  say  that  tliis  auction  system  originates  in  selfishness,  and  greed, 
and  tyranny,  and  that  its  effect  is  to  crush  the  small  florists  in  our 
midst.  AVhy,  gentlemen,  the  grand  maxim  of  Christianity  is  this : 
"  Love  your  neiglil)or.-'  This  auction  system  is  the  climax  of  the  op- 
posite doctrine,  '•'■  Kill  your  neighbor  as  quick  as  you  can."  We  are 
in  an  historic  city — one  with  a  wonderful  history  of  peace — and  we  are 
taught  to-day,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  tliat  we  ought  to  love 
each  other.  The  i)eople  of  this  city  are  true  to  its  traditions ;  and  even 
those  in  the  same  business,  if  in  different  localities,  love  each  other 
like  brothers,  but  if  they  happen  to  live  on  the  same  street,  they  have 
a  Belfast  riot ! 

(Note. — At  this  point  the  utterances  of  the  speaker  became  wholly 
inaudible  at  the  reporter's  seat,  being  completely  drowned  in  the  up- 
roar of  hilarity  i^rovoked  by  his  i)eculiar  earnestness  and  enthusiasm. 
In  the  interval  of  quiet  which  followed  an  announcement  by  the  Chair 
that  the  allotted  ten  minutes  had  expired,  Mr.  McCrone  was  heard  to 
reply  that  he,  with  others,  having  come  all  the  way  from  Connecticut , 


68  I'KOCEEDISGS    OF    SECOND    CONVENTION. 

meant  to  speak  their  minds  on  tlie  pending  question,  and  lie  was  now 
satisfied  with  the  opportunity  that  had  been  given  him.) 

The  President  :  Another  question  found  in  the  box — I  don't  know 
whetlier  I  dare  submit  it — is  this  :  "  Shall  we  deal  direct  with  the  re- 
tail florists  or  through  brokers?"  The  Chair  would  request  Mr.  Stew- 
art to  kindly  reply  to  that  query. 

Mr.  W>M.  J.  Stewart,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts,  promptly  responded 
as  follows : 

The  duty  of  answering  that  question  ought  to  have  been  assigned 
to  some  one  other  than  myself,  if  an  unbiased  answer  is  wanted,  be- 
cause you  can  all  anticipate  what  would  naturally  be  my  reply  to  such 
a  query.  I  answer,  '•  Certainly  deal  with  a  broker."  I  will  tell  you  in 
a  very  few  words  the  reason  for  it,  and  I  trust  that  in  what  I  say  it  will 
not  be  inferred  that  I  am  influenced  by  any  undue  personal  consider- 
ation. 

In  dealing  with  the  retailers,  your  transactions  are  distributed 
among  a  number  of  people,  and  you  are  compelled  to  keep  a  number 
of  accounts,  some  of  whicli  are  of  considerable  length.  In  dealing 
with  a  broker,  your  business  transactions  are  conducted  with  only  one 
individual,  and  vou  have  easv  access  to  your  account,  and  are  not 
su1))ected  to  loss  of  time  in  hunting  around  to  collect  bills  in  driblets. 
Another  consideration  is  that,  through  the  broker,  j^ou  have  facilities 
for  reaching  a  better  market  than  you  are  likely  to  reach  in  the  other 
case.  The  broker,  with  the  means  of  communication  which  he  com- 
mands through  the  medium  of  telegraphic  and  railroad  facilities,  and 
his  acquaintance  with  the  details  of  the  business  and  with  the  people 
engaged  in  it.  can  readily  bring  you  into  communication  with  all  the 
markets  that  are  within  a  thousand  miles  of  your  door.  By  this  means 
you  save,  also,  the  cost  of  one  man's  time.  I  do  not  know  that  I 
ought  to  say  it,  but  it  has  been  truly  said  that  we  have  found,  in  Bos- 
ton, when  a  man  goes  to  the  city  in  the  morning  to  sell  flowers,  he  is 
not  worth  much,  if  anything,  for  the  rest  of  tlie  day.  I  trust,  how- 
ever, that  that  may  not  have  been  the  experience  of  those  whom  I 
now  address.  You  might  as  well  take  it  for  granted,  however,  that 
if  you  are  going  to  sell  to  retailers  you  have  to  charge  yourselves  with 
this  item  of  one  man's  time. 

I  would  suggest  further  that,  in  dealing  with  the  broker,  you  are 
more  apt  to  secure  uniform,  as  well  as  better,  prices.  The  considera- 
tion which  is  entitled  to  the  greatest  weight  is,  perhaps,  the  fact  that 
very  few  growers  who  have  made  a  practice  of  consigning  their  goods 
to  brokers  have  abandoned  that  practice.  Many  who  have  tried  the 
plan    of   selling    to  retailers  have  afterwards  tried  the  commission 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLOEISTS.  69 

men.  You  may  say  that  the  hitter  have  not  invariably  given  satis- 
faction ;  bnt,  after  all,  the  fact  remains  that,  as  a  rule,  those  who  patron- 
ize them  stick  to  them ;  and  it  is  fair  to  assume  that  they  know  their 
own  business  best.  I  think  that  what  I  have  now  stated  may  be  con- 
sidered as  answering  the  question. 

A  Delegate  :  How  is  it  when  the  commission  men  do  not  pay  you 
anything? 

Mr.  Stewart  :  I  would  reply  to  that  by  asking,  how  is  it  when  the 
retailer  don't  pay  you  anything?  I  have  myself  sent  to  many  retail- 
ers, and  have  got  nothing;  and  it  may  be  fairly  assumed  that  in  that 
respect  your  chances,  when  consigning  your  goods,  are  about  even  in 
either  case.  If  a  commission  man,  with  three  or  four  hundred  ac- 
counts on  his  books,  collects  within  five  per  cent.,  he  does  well. 

A  Delegate  :  If  he  gives  you  nothing  on  Avhat  he  collects — if  he 
keeps  the  whole  business — how  is  it  then? 

Mr.  Stewart:  I  would  prefer  not  entering  into  a  discussion  of  the 
subject  at  this  time,  as  the  duty  assigned  me  is  discharged  by  a  direct 
reply  on  my  part  to  the  question  as  submitted.  The  subject  is  not 
presented  in  the  form  of  an  essay,  and  in  the  few  words  to  which  I 
have  called  your  attention,  I  have  endeavored  to  reply  to  the  best  of 
my  ability. 

The  President  :  "■  Wiiich  will  be  the  most  fashionable  flowers  for 
next  winter's  use  ?"  is  the  next  question  from  the  box.  Mr.  J.  M.  Jor- 
dan will  please  reply. 

Mr.  J.  ]M.  Jordan,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  responded  that,  when  a  boy,  he 
was  taught,  in  attempting  to  elucidate  an  idea,  not  to  volunteer  his 
own  opinion,  but  to  cite  proofs  or  facts  having  a  tendency  to  substan- 
tiate the  idea.  He  desired  to  say  that,  as  he  did  not  claim  to  be  an 
embodiment  of  wisdom,  he  could  only  answer  the  question  by  citing 
the  results  of  his  e very-day  observations,  and  by  judging  of  the  prob- 
abilities of  the  future  by  the  actual  developments  of  the  past  under 
like  conditions.     He  continued  : 

When  I  look  around  me  in  the  various  places  in  which  tlorists  are 
preparing  their  product  for  next  winter,  what  do  I  see?  When  I  visit 
one  of  these  places  with  fifty  thousand  feet  of  glass,  to  what  do  I  find 
it  devoted?  I  find  that  one  small  house  has  been  given  to  violets, 
another  little  house  to  lilies  of  the  vallej^ ;  but  that  the  great  bulk  of 
the  establishment,  about  four-fifths  of  it,  is  appropriated  to  roses.  If 
I  go  into  the  market  and  ask  the  florists  who  are  making  up  the 
flowers  for  the  trade,  I  am  told  that  about  four-fifths  of  the  product  of 
their  stores  consists  of  roses.  If  I  find  that  the  sales  of  roses  in  the 
establishment  of  one  florist  amount  to  one  thousand  per  day,  of  what  do 


70  PBOCEEDINGS    OF    SECOND    CONVENTION. 

I  find  the  balance  to  consist  ?  He  will  have,  perhaps,  a  few  hundred 
lilies  of  the  valley  and  a  comparatively  small  quantity  of  difterent  vari- 
eties. Flowers  that  are  the  most  fashionable  are  naturally  those  for 
wdiich  there  is  the  most  demand  and  readiest  sale,  and  these  are  the  flow- 
ers which  are  generally  produced  by  the  growers.  I  do  not  know  what 
may  be  the  most  fashionable  flower  in  the  coming  winter,  but  I  can 
surmise  what  it  will  be  from  what  experience  in  the  past  has  shown, 
I  know  that,  ten  years  ago,  in  the  establishment  with  which  I  am  con- 
cerned, w^e  had  probably  about  one  hundred  roses  per  week,  and  used 
from  five  or  six  hundred  to  one  thousand  camelias.  Now  that  is 
changed,  and  we  use  our  thousand  or  more  of  roses  per  day,  more  in 
one  day  than  we  formerly  used  in  an  entire  winter ;  and  I  think  the 
end  is  not  yet. 

The  President  :  Still  another  question  remains  for  reply.  It  is 
this :  "Are  orchids  the  coming  flowers,  or,  in  other  words,  will  the 
orchid  drive  out  the  rose  as  that  flower  has  driven  out  the  tuberose 
and  camelia?"     Mr.  Siebrect  will  reply. 

Mr.  Henry  A.  Siebreciit,  of  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y. :  This  question 
is  rather  a  bold  and  a  sharp  one,  and  requires  a  broad  answer,  l)ut  I 
do  not  propose  to  answer  it  to  the  point.  Orchids,  as  you  all  know, 
have  been  introduced  among  our  growers  of  late  years,  though  this 
claim  can  hardly  be  made  for  them  from  a  commercial  stand-point,  as 
private  parties  have  had  their  own  way,  so  far  as  orchids  are  con- 
cerned, until  within  the  last  three  or  four  years.  The  reason  for  this 
was  because  of  the  price  of  the  plants,  either  in  the  way  of  imj^orting 
them  from  Europe  as  established  plants,  or  in  getting  them  from  their 
native  clime  in  the  dormant  state.  My  friends  say  I  am  an  enthusiast 
on  orchids.  Perhaps  I  am,  for  I  confess  to  you  it  is  my  firm  belief 
that  orchids,  some  day  or  another,  will  be  "  the  flower."  I  do  not 
say  that  roses  are  going  to  be  driven  out — not  at  all.  The  rose  will 
still  be  the  "  queen  of  flowers."  There  is  no  getting  away  from  that 
fact,  because  there  are  too  many  well-founded  reasons  why  orchids 
can  never  take  the  place  of  roses.  In  the  first  place,  you  cannot 
have  them  in  quantities.  In  the  next  place,  you  cannot  produce  them 
for  the  million.  On  the  other  hand,  roses  and  other  flowers  are  pro- 
liferous. The  rose  business  is  now  conducted  with  such  precision,  and 
the  future  supply  so  well  regulated  in  advance,  that  dealers  can  safely 
make  contracts  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  for  large  quantities  of 
roses  at  a  specified  price,  to  be  delivered  at  some  time  in  the  future. 
It  is  impossible  to  do  this  with  orchids — their  time  has  not  yet  come. 
Nevertheless,  as  I  said  before,  I  am  a  firm  believer  that,  at  some  time 
or  other,  orchid's  wall  find  a  place  for  themselves  and  may  take  the 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  71 

place  of  your  fancy  roses.  M}^  reason  for  this  belief  is  based  upon  the 
proneness  of  our  profession  to  copy  after  the  old  country.  We  have 
introduced  their  roses  as  they  came  along,  and  have  grown,  sold,  and 
used  them.  The  orchid  is  the  choice  flower  in  England  and  other 
European  countries  to-day.  Under  present  conditions,  however,  as  I 
have  said,  the  orchid  cannot  drive  out  the  rose,  because  of  the  impos- 
sibility of  tilling  large  contracts  for  orchids  exclusiveh^,  as  the  supply 
is  insufficient.  Xo  amount  of  money  could  induce  a  florist  to  take  an 
order  for  furnishing  orchids  for  an  extensive  floral  decoration,  as  he 
could  not  possibly  procure  them.  AVhenever  the  supply  has  suffici- 
ently increased  to  warrant  their  sale  at  a  reasonable  market  price, 
orchids  will  begin  to  pay  in  a  commercial  sense  and  will  be  fashion- 
able, but  we  will  have  to  wait  until  that  time  arrives.  In  the  event  of 
the  rose  dropping  out  because  of  black  spot  or  disease,  the  orchid 
would  very  probably  be  its  successor. 

The  President  :  The  next  question  from  the  box  is  this :  "  Should 
not  this  Society  take  some  action  condemning  the  practice  of  rich 
men  going  into  the  business  of  raising  cut  flowers  for  the  city  market." 
The  Chair  calls  upon  Mr.  ITexdrick  to  respond. 

Mr.  James  Hexdrick,  of  Albany,  N.  Y.  :  I  prefer  not  to  reply';  but, 
as  it  becomes  my  duty,  I  answer,  most  emphatically  and  decidedly, 
"  no  '' — a  thousand  times  "  no  !"  AVhat  constitutes  wealth  ?  Is  it 
more  than  the  result  of  accumulated  labor,  and  which  of  you  has  not 
the  same  aims  that  the  wealthy  man  has  ?  As  long  as  God  has  given 
me  a  head  to  tliink  and  a  two-handed  estate  to  work  with,  what  need 
I  care  for  the  man  of  Avealth  in  a  country  like  this  of  ours,  where  com- 
petition will  always  bring  to  tlie  front  the  best  ?  I  have  listened  with 
much  interest  to-night  to  the  various  questions  and  the  answers  to 
them,  and  have  kept  quiet  in  listening  to  this  reported  evil  of  auction- 
ing plants  off,  and  I  ask,  as  Tweed  once  did,  ''  What  are  you  going  to 
do  about  it  ? "  If  William  B.  Elliott  was  to  cease  to-morrow,  others 
would  rise  in  his  place  like  mushrooms.  If  this  Society  condemns  the 
auctioning  of  plants,  and  those  engaged  in  that  business  should  relin- 
quish it  instantly,  we  should  find,  in  less  than  six  months  from  now, 
that  the  number  of  people  engaged  in  and  willing  to  sustain  the  prac- 
tice is  fully  equal  to  the  number  now  engaged  in  it  and  who  are  op- 
posed to  it.  To  modify  evils  of  that  character,  we  have  to  meet  them 
like  men.  If  the  auctioneer  is  the  best  man  to  sell  our  product,  let 
him  sell  it  and  be  subject  to  private  competition.  All  other  classes 
of  business  are  subject  to  the  same  competition.  Wliat  better  is  ours 
than  theirs  ?     Submit  to  competition — the  public  will  appreciate  it. 

I  have  answered  this  question  as  well  as  I  knew  how.     I  noted  with 


72  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

pleasure  the  enthusiasm  of  my  friend  McCrone.  Enthusiasm  is  one 
of  the  forces  of  nature.  AVhat  would  business  be,  nay,  what  would 
the  world  be,  wliat  would  this  Society  be,  if  deprived  of  enthusiasm  ? 
While  I  may  not  approve  of  his  theories,  I  would,  in  the  strongest 
manner,  exhort  this  Society  to  infuse  as  much  enthusiasm  as  possil)le 
into  all  of  its  operations.  AVhat  I  said  this  morning  I  now  repeat:  If 
you  want  to  excel,  do  as  Emerson  advises — hitcli  your  wagon  to  a 
star  and  drive  up  to  it. 

The  President  :  The  next  question  is,  "  What  is  the  cause  of  the 
disease  called  '  club  root '  on  roses,  and  what  is  the  remedy  ? "  Mr. 
J.  N.  May  will  kindly  reply. 

Mr.  John  N.  May,  of  Summit,  N.  J.,  resjDonded  :  It  is  caused  by  an 
insect  wliich  deposits  its  eggs  on  the  roots,  the  deposits  developing 
in  what  is  known  as  "  club  root."  The  remed}^  is  to  clean  out  the 
old  soil  and  substitute  fresh  maiden  loam,  taken  from  a  place  where 
no  trees  are  growing. 

One  word  upon  another  sul)ject.  Tlie  rose  is  not  tlie  only  plant  in 
existence  which  is  subject  to  black  spot.  In  my  experience,  1  have 
found  orchids  very  much  afflicted  with  that  disease.     (Merriment.) 

Tlie  President  (Inimorously):  Gentlemen,  I  think  tlie  black  spot 
is  spreading  very  rapidlj^ ! 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Hendrick,  the  convention  here  adjourned  until 
ten  o'clock,  a.  m.,  on  Fridaj^,  20th  instant. 


Atlantic  City,  N.  J., 
Thursday,  August  -?£*,  1886. 

The  Society  of  American  Florists  arrived  here  on  a  pleasure  excur- 
sion this  morning,  escorted  by  the  Florists'  Club  of  Philadelphia. 
Many  of  the  visitors  were  accompanied  by  ladies,  and  their  number 
was  estimated  to  be  six  hundred  and  thirty-five.  The  United  States 
Hotel  was  the  head-quarters  and  place  of  rendezvous.  The  visitors 
occupied  themselves  in  bathing,  fishing,  sailing,  sight-seeing,  and  the 
other  pastimes  of  a  seaside  resort. 

At  noon  the  excursionists  sat  down  to  a  lunch  in  the  spacious  din- 
ing-room of  the  United  States  Hotel.  Mr.  William  F.  Dreer,  chair- 
man of  the  reception  committee  appointed  by  the  Florists'  Club  of 
Philadelphia,  made  the  following  address  : 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen  :  It  gives  me  great  pleasure,  on  behalf  of 
the  Florists'  Club,  of  Philadelphia,  to  welcome  you  all  to  the  "  city  by 
the  sea."     We  are  anxious  that  you  should  enjoy  j^ourselves,  and  hope 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLOEISTS. 


73 


that  the  attractions  of  tliis  resort  will  be  sufficiejit  to  divert  your 
minds  from  all  business  thoughts.  They  remove  us  temporarily,  from 
business  to  soil,  water,  and  wind,  the  three  opposites  to  our  pursuits  ; 
but  we  hope  that  they  will  stimulate  appetites  such  as  only  horticul- 
turists can  enjo3^ 

We  anticipate  for  you  a  promenade  on  the  beach ;  music  in  the 
pavilion  ;  a  dip  in  the  sea;  and,  by  seven  o'clock,  p.  m.,  a  safe  return 
to  tlie  City  of  Brotherly  Love. 

Chairman  Dreer  further  announced  that  no  set  toasts  would  be 
given,  as  it  had  been  arranged  to  defer  all  speeches.  He  also  stated 
that  the  ladies'  local  committee  would  hold  a  session  to-morrow, 
21st  inst,  at  nine  o'clock,  a.  31.,  at  the  Colonnade  Hotel,  Philadelphia, 
and  would  escort  their  lady  guests  to  Fairmount  Park  and  other 
places  of  interest. 

The  orchestra  here  began  a  series  of  performances,  and  the  ban- 
queters x)roceeded  to  do  justice  to  the  feast  set  before  them. 

The  festivities  terminated,  and  the  excursionists  took  tlieir  depar- 
ture at  seven  o'clock,  for  Philadelphia,  which  was  reached  at  half  past 
nine,  p.  m. 


SECOND  DAY— Morning. 

Horticultural  Hall,  Philadelphia, 

Fridau,  August  20,  1886. 

The  convention  re-assembled  pursuant  to  the  adjournment  on  the 
18th  instant,  Mr.  J.  M.  Jordan  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  in  the  chair. 

President  Thorpe,  in  an  informal  way,  expressed  the  hope  tliat  all 
the  ladies  and  gentlemen  present  had  enjoyed  themselves  as  he  had 
on  the  Atlantic  trip.  He  declared  his  firm  belief  that  the  day  was 
the  most  enjoyable  one  of  his  life. 

The  Chairman  announced,  as  the  first  business  in  order,  tlie  selec- 
tion of  a  place  for  the  next  annual  meeting. 

Mr.  John  Henderson,  of  Flushing,  NeAv  York,  suggested  that  the 
meeting  in  1887  be  held  at  Chicago. 

Mr.  Myron  A.  Hunt,  of  Chicago,  cordially  seconded  the  suggestion? 
and  pleaded  the  claims  to  recognition  to  which  he  believed  Chicago 
to  he  entitled  at  the  hands  of  the  Society  of  American  Florists.  He 
reminded  the  convention  tliat  two  years  ago  last  June,  the  Society 
had  its  birth  in  tliat  city.     Now,  when  it  had  developed  into  an  in- 


74  PROCEEDINGS  OF  bECOND  CONVENTION. 

strumentality  of  great  influence  and  usefulness,  the  Society  should 
not  deny  to  its  foster-mother  the  gratification  of  embracing  her  own 
off  spring.  In  behalf  of  the  florists  of  Chicago,  he  urged  the  adoption 
of  the  proposition  without  dissent,  and  stated  that  he  held  in  his  hand 
a  letter  which  he  had  received  this  morning  from  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative men  of  Chicago,  who  was  largely  engaged  in  the  business 
of  floriculture,  expressing  regret  in  being  unable  to  attend  the  con- 
vention at  this  time,  and  an  assurance  of  his  desire  that  the  next 
annual  meeting  should  be  held  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  C.  B.  AViiiTNALL,  of  Milwaukee,  AVisconsin,  supplemented  the 
appeal  just  made  by  stating  that  many  of  the  delegates  from  the 
North-West,  m  ho  came  from  towns  which  did  not  possess  the  requisite 
facilities  for  accommodating  the  convention,  would,  with  the  consent 
of  the  Chicago  delegates,  gladly  join  hands  with  the  latter  in  welcom- 
ing the  Society  at  its  next  meeting. 

The  CiiAiR:\rAX  remarked  that,  as  the  apparent  unanimity  of  senti- 
ment in  favor  of  Chicago  foreshadowed  the  selection  of  that  city,  he 
desired  to  say,  on  l)ehalf  of  St.  Louis,  he  believed  the  visitors  would 
be  heartily  welcomed,  and  tliat  the  delegations  from  Boston  and  all 
other  points  throughout  the  East  would  have  an  exceedingly  pleasant 
experience  if  they  would  only  come  out  and  see  their  friends  in  the 
AYest.  He  added :  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  are  neighbors,  close  together, 
and  have  a  common  interest  in  each  other's  success.  As  you  all  know, 
we  are  always  very  friendly  toward  each  other!     (Great  laughter.) 

Mr.  James  Hexdrick,  of  Albany,  New  York.  It  affords  me  great 
pleasure  to  enunciate  the  fact  that  the  millenium  is  approaching,  if 
we  are  not  already  in  the  midst  of  it.  Chicago,  St.  Louis,  and  Mil- 
waukee join,  and  they  join  in  inviting  us  to  Chicago!  Can  we  re- 
f u  se  ?     No !     ( Applause. ) 

The  Chairman  here  submitted  the  question  to  the  convention,  and  it 
was  determined  by  a  unanimous  vote  to  hold  the  next  annual  meet- 
ing in  Chicago. 

The  Chairman  announced,  as  the  next  business,  the  election  of  of- 
ficers of  the  Society  for  the  ensuing  year,  and  invited  nominations  for 
the  office  of  president. 

Mr.  John  N.  May  of  Summit,  New  Jersey :  I  rise  to  nominate  a 
gentleman  of  whom  I  can  speak  from  actual  personal  observation  in 
my  association  with  him  in  a  business  way,  and  who,  by  reason  of 
his  general  aptitude  and  experience,  is  eminently  fitted  to  discharge 
the  duties  of  the  chief  executive  officer  of  this  Society.  I  am  confi- 
dent that  when  I  mention  it,  all  who  hear  his  name  will  coincide  with 
me  in  recommending  him.     He  is  a  man  of  sterling  worth,  of  indom- 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  75 

itable  energy,  and  one  who  is  untiring  in  his  zeal  for  the  promotion  of 
tlie  interests  of  this  Society.  I  regret  that  business  of  a  more  tlian  ordi- 
narily urgent  character  calls  him  from  our  midst  this  morning.  Doubt- 
less you  have  all  realized  to  whom  I  allude.  He  is  to  be  found  in  the 
person  of  Mr.  Robert  Craig. 

Several  delegates  seconded  the  nomination. 

Mr.  James  Hendrick,  of  Albany,  New  York :  I  rise  for  the  purpose 
of  indorsing  most  cheerfully  and  emphatically  every  word  that  has 
been  said  to  the  credit,  the  renown,  and  the  energy  of  Mr.  Craig,  of 
Philadelphia.  But  I  would  be  false  to  j^ou,  false  to  myself,  and  to  my 
convictions  if  I  did  not  say  one  word  or  two  additional  l)efore  this 
election  takes  place,  and  I  trust  you  will  bear  witli  me  if  I  try  to  be 
in  order  and  not  make  my  speech  too  long. 

Looking  on  the  face  of  nature,  every  observer  realizes  how  short 
the  life  of  the  alder  is,  and  how  long  that  of  the  oak  is.  We  under- 
stand perfectly  well  the  dilference  between  the  annual  and  the  per- 
ennial flower.  That  good  old  book  pf  ours  tells  us  that  grass  lasts  for 
a  day.  It  is  cut  down  and  burned  in  the  oven  and  is  no  more.  On 
the  face  of  all  nature  there  is  this  constant  change.  There  is  no 
greater  curse  to  the  age  in  which  we  live  than  this  constant  desire  for 
change  in  governmental  offices.  It  is  marked  by  defalcation  in  every 
prominent  city.  If  that  is  so,  is  it  not  time,  and  is  not  the  opportun- 
ity presented  in  the  commencement  of  this  Society,  that  we  should 
lay  our  foundations  deep  and  permanent,  and  not  prone  to  the  evils 
of  constant  change  ?  With  tliis  view,  I  propose  just  at  this  time,  for 
the  consideration  of  the  Executive  Committee  entrusted  with  the  man- 
agement of  the  affairs  of  this  Society,  that  in  arranging  for  its  future 
officers,  the  provision  be  embodied  in  our  rules  that  elective  officers 
are  eligible  for  re-election  for  a  term  not  exceeding  three  years. 

In  a  society  like  this  one.  which  is  scarcely  past  the  age  of  infancy,  it 
would  have  afforded  me  pleasure  to  indorse  the  entire  officers  of  the 
Society  for  at  least  another  term.  I  would  have  done  that  under  the 
conviction  that  I  was  serving  the  best  interests  of  the  organization  in 
laying  a  foundation  that  would  last  longer  than  these  gray  hairs.  But 
since  the  custom  is  otherwise,  I  am  not  here  to  oppose  the  nomination 
of  Mr.  Craig — I  am  here  to  second  that — but  I  wish  to  put  in  the  sug- 
gestion just  here  that  the  committee,  at  its  next  meeting,  should  con- 
sider whether  the  president,  at  least,  should  not  only  be  eligible  to 
reelection  for  three  successive  years,  but  should  be  elected  for  that 
term  by  a  direct  vote. 

The  Chairman  :  The  Chair  pauses  to  hear  any  other  name  suggested 
for  president. 


76  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

A  delegate  here  nominated  Mr.  John  Thorpe. 

Mr.  Thorpe  :  1  am  sorry  to  be  obliged  to  decline  the  compliment — 
not  that  the  office  is  distasteful  to  me,  but  because  its  duties  are  so 
arduous  that  I  cannot  possibly,  in  the  future,  give  that  attention  to 
them  which  they  ought  to  have.  For  this  reason  alone  I  must  posi- 
tively decline  the  nomination.  I  tidnk  that  Mr.  Craig  is  one  of  the 
most  energetic  and  efficient  men  whom  you  could  pick  out  of  your 
body ;  and  I  am  pleased  to  say  to  you,  gentlemen,  that  I  am  sure  he 
will  make  a  most  excellent  president,  and  a  much  better  one  proba- 
bly than  I  have  been. 

The  Chairman:  Gentlemen,  you  have  heard  the  declination  of  your 
president.  I  think  that,  unless  there  is  objection,  we  will  have  to  re- 
ceive his  declination. 

Mr.  Edwin  Lonsdale,  of  Philadelphia  :  I  nominate  Mr.  John  Hen- 
derson, of  Flushing,  New  York. 

Mr.  John  Henderson  :  I  must  decline  the  honor,  for  I  feel  that  I 
could  not  undertake  to  discharge,  the  duties  of  the  place.  You  are 
aware  that  I  have  been  living  a  very  active  life  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  I  now  wish  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  my  labor  and  to  take  a  little 
more  leisure  than  I  have  yet  l)een  able  to  secure.  For  this  reason  I 
must  respectfully,  but  emphatically,  decline  the  honor. 

Mr.  Thomas  DeWitt,  of  Bristol,  Pa.:  I  move  that  nominations  for 
president  now  close. 

Adopted  without  dissent. 

On  motion,  the  Secretary  was  directed  to  cast  a  ballot,  as  indicative 
of  a  unanimous  vote  for  Robert  Craig,  of  Philadelphia,  for  president 
for  the  ensuing  vear. 

The  secretary  reported  that  the  direction  had  been  complied  with, 
and  the  chairman  made  proclamation  of  the  fact. 

The  Chairman  announced,  as  the  next  business,  the  election  of  a 
vice  president  at  large. 

Mr.  R.  J.  Halliday,  of  Baltimore,  nominated  J.  C.  Vaughan,  of 
Chicago. 

Mr.  J.  M.  Hicks,  of  Summit,  N.  J.,  nominated  John  N.  May,  of 
Summit,  N.  J. 

Mr.  May  :  I  thank  the  gentleman  who  has  kindly  nominated  me. 
but  I  respectfully  decline  the  honor,  for  the  reason  that  I  can  do  more 
good  to  the  Society  as  a  humble  worker  in  the  ranks,  or  as  a  "  whip," 
if  you  like  to  call  it  that,  than  I  could  in  any  important  office. 

Mr.  Peter  Henderson,  of  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  nominated  Mr.  J.  M. 
Jordan,  of  St.  Louis. 

The  Chairman,  (Mr.  Jordan:)  J.  M.  Jordan  most  emphatically  de- 


SOCIETY    OF    AMEKICAN    FLORISTS.  i  i 

clines.     I  have  tlie  honor  to  speak  for  him !     You  have  already  nom- 
inated the  right  man,  gentlemen,  if  I  can  speak  for  you. 

On  motion,  the  nominations  here  closed,  and  the  Secretary,  in  ac- 
cordance with  a  unanimous  vote  of  the  convention,  cast  a  ballot  for 
J.  C.  Yaughan,  of  Chicago,  for  the  office  of  vice  president.  Mr. 
Yaughan  was  declared  to  have  been  elected. 

The  Chairman  invited  nominations  for  the  office  of  secretary. 

Mr.  Henry  A.  Siebrecht,  of  Xew  Rochelle,  N.  Y.,  nominated  Mr. 
Edwin  Lonsdale,  of  Philadelphia. 

Mr.  E.  G.  Hill,  (the  Secretary:)  I  wish  to  second  the  nomination 
just  made.  I  know  of  no  one  with  more  aptitude  for,  or  better  quali- 
fied to  fill,  this  important  position  than  Mr.  Lonsdale.  He  has  every 
qualification  necessary,  and,  not  only  that,  but  he  is  known  for  his 
largeness  of  heart  and  soundness  of  judgment.  I  am  sure  jow  will 
appreciate  his  ability,  and  that  he  will  fill  the  office  better  than  it  has 
been  filled  in  the  past.     I  lieartily  second  the  nomination. 

On  motion,  the  nominations  closed. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  James  Hendrick,  the  Secretary  was  instructed,  by 
a  unanimous  vote,  to  deposit  the  ballot  of  the  association  for  Mr. 
Lonsdale,  wlio  was  duly  proclaimed  to  be  the  Secretary-elect.  (Ap- 
plause.) 

The  Chairman  invited  nominations  for  treasurer. 

Mr.  Charles  F.  Evans,  of  Philadelphia,  nominated  Mr.  Myron  A. 
Hunt,  of  Chicago. 

The  nomination  was  greeted  with  applause,  and,  being  the  only  one 
made,  was  ratified  bj^  a  unanimous  vote  and  a  ballot  deposited,  as  in 
the  case  of  the  otlier  officers. 

The  Chairman,  (Mr.  Jordan,)  after  announcing  that  the  regular 
business  of  the  morning  session  had  been  concluded,  stated  that  he 
had  been  requested  to  occupy  a  portion  of  the  brief  interval  preced- 
ing the  exhibition  to  be  given  by  Mr.  Le  Moult,  the  New  York  fiorist. 
He  then  went  on  to  congratulate  the  convention,  first,  upon  tlie  glor- 
ious good  time  it  was  having  in  Philadelphia,  and,  next,  upon  the 
wonderful  success  which  had  attended  the  national  organization  of 
the  American  Florists  from  its  inception.  Starting  about  two  years 
and  a  quarter  ago,  the  idea  of  the  organization  being  conceived  in 
Chicago,  the  Society  was  brought  into  life  in  the  great  city  of  Cincin- 
nati, a  city  which,  though  not  territorially  as  great  as  some,  was  emi- 
nent for  the  excellence  of  the  tastes  of  its  people,  as  shown  by  their 
appreciation  of  flowers  and  plants  and  their  encouragement  of  the  fine 
arts,  such  as  painting,  sculx)ture,  and  music.  It  might  now  be  said 
that  the  organization  of  the  Society  had  been  christened  in  Philadel- 


78  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

phia  and  at  the  "  city  by  the  sea."  A  jollification  at  the  birth  and  a 
glorions  christening  having  introdnced  the  Society  to  the  notice  of  the 
country,  he  thought  the  organization  should  now  begin  to  show  its 
natural  vigor  and  its  capacity  to  accomplish  results.  He  expected 
that  next  year  it  would  go  to  Cliicago,  that  city  of  uprightness,  hon- 
esty, and  beauty,  with  all  the  enthusiasm  and  power  of  a  young  giant. 
He  desired  to  repeat  to  his  Eastern  friends  the  remark  made  on  the 
previous  day  by  a  gentleman  from  Chicago,  when,  for  the  first  time, 
his  attention  was  called  to  the  glorious  Atlantic,  with  its  mighty  bil- 
lows rolling  into  the  shore.  ''  Yes,  it  is  very  fine,"  he  observed,  "  but 
you  ought  to  see  Lake  Michigan !"  The  delegates  had  now  seen  the 
Atlantic, but  he  (Mr.  Jordan)  wanted  to  say  to  them  that  they  "ought 
to  see  Lake  Michigan." 

Mr.  Hunt  expressed  his  appreciation  of  the  compliment  to  Chicago 
which  he  had  heard,  and  assured  the  convention  of  fair  treatment  in 
that  city  a  year  hence. 

The  Chairman  (President  Thorpe  in  the  chair)  announced  the  ar- 
rival of  the  hour  appointed  for  an  exhibition  by  Mr.  A.  Le  Moult,  of 
New  York  city,  of  his  handiwork  in  making  cut-flower  designs.  He 
explained  that  this  gentleman  had  kindly  come  from  New  York  to 
give  the  convention  an  illustration  of  wliat  he  could  do  in  floral  work 
within  a  specified  time. 

Mr.  A.  Le  Moult  here  came  forward,  and  was  introduced  by  the 
Chair  as  a  gentleman  devoted  to  his  profession  and  a  prince  among 
floral  artists.  He  stated  that  he  would  accompany  his  work  of  making 
up  floral  designs  in  the  most  effective  manner  with  suggestions  for  the 
development  of  the  best  taste,  and  would  show  how  quickly,  with 
plenty  of  flowers  on  hand,  an  order  could  be  filled. 

[Note  by  the  Secretary. — The  exhil)ition  here  began  with  the  receipt 
by  Mr.  Le  Moult,  through  an  imaginary  telephone,  of  an  order  for  an 
entirely  new  and  original  table  decoration,  to  be  presented  to  the  So- 
ciety of  American  Florists,  and  to  be  ready  for  delivery  at  the  expi- 
ration of  one  hour  and  a  half  from  the  receipt  of  the  order.  With  a 
force  of  assistants  on  the  stage  and  an  abundance  of  fresh  flowers, 
supplied  b}'-  the  Philadelphia  florists,  the  work  of  preparing  the  de- 
sign— a  wheel  of  fortune — was  instantly  begun.  Producing  a  wheel 
made  from  plain  lumber,  the  floral  work  was  executed  skillfully  in 
exactly  one  hour  and  twenty  minutes.  The  design  w^as  three  feet  in 
height,  and  was  surmounted  by  a  cornucopia,  with  wings  on  each 
side  of  it.  Pesting  on  a  large  base  of  ferns,  smilax,  and  tropical 
plants,  was  an  anchor  attached  to  the  design  by  a  chain,  (indicating 


SOCIhTY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS. 


79 


hope  for  the  profession.)  Later  in  the  day,  the  "wheel  of  fortune '' 
was  presented  to  Mr.  George  W.  Childs,  of  Philadelphia,  at  his  country- 
seat  at  '^  Wootton."] 

Mr.  Le  Moult  also  exhibited  a  floral  design  of  a  lion,  (full-size,) 
which  he  said  was  intended  to  represent  the  retiring  President,  Mr. 
Thorpe.  He  remarked :  ''  I  had  in  mind  the  making  of  a  floral  por- 
trait of  Mr.  Thorpe,  but  found  I  could  not  bring  his  features  out  cor- 
rectly, and,  as  he  is  '  the  lion  of  the  hour,'  this  design  may  be  taken 
as  a  representation  of  him." 

Seven  additional  designs  were  presented,  these  representing  a  full- 
sized  pony,  the  yacht  Galatea^  the  steamer  Amerique,  a  train-man's 
lantern,  a  scroll  containing  names  of  deceased  members,  viz :  W.  T. 
Bennett,  H.  J.  Sackersdorfl",  and  J.  Y.  Murkland,  and  a  miniature 
gondola,  (much  in  demand  for  children's  parties  in  New  York.) 

Mr.  Le  Moult  made  remarks,  at  different  times,  as  follows :  "  That, 
in  executing  an  elaborate  piece  of  work  at  short  notice,  it  was  most 
essential  for  the  florist  to  have  confidence  in  the  ability  and  fidelity 
of  his  assistants ;  that  ordinarily  he  did  not  come  in  contact  with  the 
flower-growers,  as  he  dealt  with  the  commission  men ;  that,  as  a  rule, 
the  florists  who  had  achieved  success  were  those  wlio  had  been  edu- 
cated in  the  profession  and  possessed  a  natural  affinity  for  flowers." 

At  this  point,  the  exhibition  closed  with  a  round  of  applause. 


SECOND  DAY— Afternoon. 

WooTTON,  Montgomery  County,  Pa. 

Having  accepted  the  invitation  of  Mr.  George  W.  Childs,  of  Phila- 
delphia, to  visit  him  at  his  country-seat,  the  members  of  the  Society. 
many  of  Avhom  were  accompanied  by  their  Avives  or  others  of  their 
families,  arrived  here  by  rail  to  Bryn  Mawr,  and  thence  by  teams  or 
on  foot.  After  leisurely  strolling  througli  the  farmer's  cottage,  the 
circular  spring-house,  the  green-houses,  and  making  a  circuit  of  the 
extensive  grounds  surrounding  Mr.  Childs'  mansion,  the  visitors  finally 
sought  shelter  from  the  heat  of  the  sun  in  the  grove  on  the  premises. 
In  this  delightful  place,  the  visitors  iDartook  of  a  collation  and  were 
entertained  with  vocal  music  by  the  "Keystone  Male  Quartette." 
Finally  the  notes  of  a  cornet  commanded  attention,  A\'hen  the  follow- 
ing formalities  took  place : 

Mr.  Thomas  Meehan,  editor  of  the  Gardeners^  Monthly^  Pliiladelphia, 
mounting  a  rustic  bench  at  the  foot  of  an  oak,  welcomed  the  visitors 
as  follows  : 


80  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Society  of  American  Florists^  and  of 
the  Florists'  Cluh  of  Philadeljihia  :  I  have  had  the  honor  placed  upon 
me  by  my  friend,  Mr.  Cliilds,  of  tendering  yon  his  sincere  thanks  ibr 
3^onr  presence  here  tliis  afternoon,  and  his  cordial  welcome  to  these 
grounds;  I  would  say,  if  I  did  not  feel  that  I  was  speaking  in  a 
measure  for  him — and  I  am  sure  you  would  pardon  me  for  saying  it — 
these  beautiful  grounds.  It  is  his  wish  that  you  make  yourselves  here 
entirely  at  home.  He  believes  that  his  fellow-citizens  have  en- 
deavored to  make  your  stay  as  pleasant  and  comfortable  to  you  as 
possible,  and  that,  when  you  return  to  your  homes,  you  will  take  with 
you  pleasurable  recollections  of  wliat  you  have  seen  and  experienced 
here ;  and  lie  liopes  that,  in  the  distant  future,  when  looking  back 
upon  your  visit  to  Phihidelphia,  you  will  not  forget  the  pleasant  after- 
noon you  sjjent  with  him  here  on  these  grounds. 

Ladies  and  gentlemen,  it  seems  to  have  been  a  happy  thought  which 
suggested  to  you  to  hold  your  meeting  in  Philadelphia  on  this  the  sec- 
ond anniversary  of  the  birth  of  your  association;  for  it  has  been 
found  by  experience  that  horticulture  in  connection  with  Philadelphia 
auspices  has  always  been  a  permanent  success.  Your  meeting  here, 
therefore,  may  be  considered  as  an  augury  of  a  long-continued  career 
of  prosperity.  You  may  remember  that  the  first  botanic  garden  in 
the  United  States  that  was  establislied  b}'"  an  American,  was  estab- 
lished in  Philadelphia  by  John  Bartram  ;  that  the  oldest  horticultural 
society  in  the  United  States  is  still  in  existence  in  this  city;  and  that 
(although,  perhaps,  in  making  this  statement  I  may  be  charged  with 
a  lack  of  modesty)  the  oldest  existing  horticultural  journal  in  the 
United  States  is  i)ublished  in  this  city ;  so  that  I  may  feel  safe  in  say- 
ing that  your  having  met  in  this  "  city  of  brotherly  love  "  is  a  happy 
augury  of  the  permanent  success  of  your  organization. 

I  may  further  observe,  in  connection  with  that  phrase  "  brotherly 
love,"  that  it  does  seem  that  the  old  adage  that  "  two  of  a  trade  can- 
not agree"  is  not  correct  so  far  as  it  applies  to  florists;  for  they  have 
alwaj^s,  in  a  measure,  had  cause  to  realize  that  fraternal  feeling  and 
brotherlj"  love  are  intimately  associated  with  the  cultivation  of 
flowers.  So  far  as  Philadelphia  itself  is  concerned,  I  am  satisfied  that 
no  small  share  of  the  pleasure  which  its  citizens  enjoy  is  derived  from 
the  general  and  widespread  love  of  flowers  and  gardening  which  pre- 
vails everywhere  about  this  city.  It  is  eminentl}^  appropriate,  there- 
fore, that  our  citizens,  who  have  found  so  much  pleasure  and  relaxa- 
tion in  horticultural  pursuits,  should  welcome  the  members  of  the  So- 
ciety of  American  Florists,  who  have  done  so  much  throughout  the 


SOCIETr    OF    AMEEICAN    FLORISTS.  81 

United  States  to  foster  a  love  for  the  art  of  gardening  and  the  culture 
of  flowers.  I  can  safely  say,  for  the  proprietor  of  these  beautiful 
grounds,  that  he,  at  least,  has  derived  no  inconsiderable  comfort  and 
happiness  from  gardening  and  kindred  pursuits  ;  and  the  grounds 
which  you  see  around  you  furnish  abundant  illustrations  of  his  high 
appreciation  of  the  art  which  it  is  your  good  fortune  to  cherish  and 
promote.  These  magnificent  grounds  were,  but  a  few  years  ago,  woods 
and  cornfields ;  but,  by  recourse  to  your  art,  and  Avith  the  aid  of  brains 
and  money,  the  face  of  nature  has  been  gradually  improved  until  it 
presents  the  beautiful  garden  which  you  behold  to-day.  We  have 
with  us,  this  afternoon,  the  landscape  gardener,  Mr.  Miller,  by  wJiom 
Wootton  was  laid  out,  and,  if  time  and  opportunity  permitted,  he 
would  be  glad,  I  have  no  doubt,  to  give  you  some  description  of  the 
way  in  which  this  labor  and  money  were  expended.  I  have  merely 
referred  to  this,  however,  to  impress  more  forcibly  upon  you  an  idea 
of  the  extent  to  which  the  proprietor  of  these  grounds  is  indebted  to 
the  art  in  the  pursuit  of  which  you  are  engaged. 

As  I  have  said,  the  sentiment  of  brotherly  love  is  one  that  is  indis- 
solubl}'^  interwoven  with  the  florist's  art.  I  do  not  know  of  any  trade 
or  professsion  in  which  so  much  of  good  feeling  exists .  between  the 
members  of  it  as  that  of  the  florists.  It  has  not,  however,  if  classical 
history  tells  the  truth,  always  been  thus;  and,  while  on  that  subject, 
permit  me  to  recall  a  fable  which  may  be  familiar  to  some  of  you.  It 
may  have  been  a  myth,  but  I  refer  to  it  because  it  Avill  illustrate  the 
origin  of  this  feeling  of  brotherly  love  which  pervades  all  followers 
of  horticultural  pursuits.  Though  descriptive  of  what  is  said  to  have 
occurred  two  or  three  thousand  years  ago,  the  lesson  which  it  incul- 
cates is,  nevertheless,  just  as  fresh  as  it  would  be  if  tliat  which  is  de- 
scribed had  occurred  to-day.  The  story  runs  that  the  first  person  to 
engage  in  putting  up  flowers  was  a  young  lady  named  Glyzera,  the 
daughter  of  a  Grecian  citizen.  I  suppose  she  was  handsome — for  all 
ladies  who  put  up  flowers  are  accorded  to  be  handsome !  She  made 
garlands  and  wreaths,  and  the  Grecians  saw  how  handsome  was  her 
work,  and  competed  with  each  other  for  the  honor  of  placing  on  the 
heads  of  their  heroes  in  the  Parthian  games  the  garlands  made  by 
Glyzera.  Finally,  there  came  along  a  young  man  from  Byzantium 
(now  Constantinople)  Avho  thought  that  he  could  do  anything  that  he 
tried  to  do — no  doubt  a  father  of  the  modern  Yankee ! — and,  not  having 
the  gallantry  of  a  modern  florist,  he  undertook  to  start  business  against 
Glyzera.  He  succeeded  in  carrying  on  the  business  of  making  wreaths 
to  so  great  an  extent  that  he  got,  at  least,  the  poets'  trade,  who  found 
that  the  work  put  up  by  the  new  comer.  Lychnis,  was  superior  to  the 
G 


82  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

work  put  up  by  Glyzera.     The  result  was  that  Glyzera  became  jealous. 
This  ought  to  cast  doubt  on  the  truth  of  the  story ;  I  do  not  believe 
that,  for  I  do  not  think  that  the  ladies  who  go  into  the  business  of  ar- 
ranging flowers  do  get  jealous !     But  that  is  the  way  the  story  goes. 
We  are  told  that  Glyzera  had  a  lover,  (Satyrion,)  to  whom  she  intimated 
that  her  competitor  was  a  pretty  bad  sort  of  a  fellow,  and  ought  to  be 
put  out  of   the  way ;  and  her  lover,  taking  the  hint  more  seriously 
than  was  intended,  murdered  the  unsuspecting  Lychnis.     The  poets, 
so  the  story  goes,  felt  very  much  annoyed  that  one  who  had  succeeded 
in  business  and  had  treated  them  well  should  be  disposed  of  in  such 
a  summary  manner,  and  they  appealed  to  Apollo  to  punish  the  lady 
who  had  been  the  means  of  the  young  man's  destruction.     What  did 
the  gods  do  '^  They  turned  Lychnis  into  a  flower.     The  story  goes  that 
the  "  florist's  pink,"  a  beautiful  carnation,  sprang  up  from  his  blood 
right  on  the  place  where  the  young  man  fell.     Glyzera  was  to  be  pun- 
ished by  being  compelled  to  use  the  carnation  in  hor  garlands.     The 
carnation,  with  its  fragrance  and  its  sweetness,  became  a  competitor 
of  the  rose,  and  forever  afterwards  Glyzera  was  doomed  to  learn  to 
love,  through  this  flower,  the  one  she  had  despised — to  learn  the  lesson 
of  brotherly  love — by  taking  her  former  competitor  as  one  of  the  es- 
sential ingredients  in  forming  her  garlands  of  flowers.     So  that,  it 
seems  to  me,  the  reason  why  fraternal  feeling  is  always  noticeable 
among  florists  may  be  from  the  will  of  the  gods,  wlio  would  not  coun- 
tenance ill-will.     But  this  is  not  the  time  to  go  into  reasons  as  to  wliy 
we  are  so  friendly  together ;  the  fact  is  enough.     The  reference  to 
brotherly  love  caused  me  to  think  of  the  old  story.     I  have  now  only 
to  repeat,  on  behalf  of  the  owner  of  these  grounds,  that  I  hope,  in  the 
future,  when  you  come  to  think  of  the  pleasures  you  have  had  in  your 
intercourse  with  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  and  in  connection  with 
Philadelphia  gardening,  not  the  least  among  the  bright  spots  in  the 
retrospect  of  pleasure  will  be  your  visit  to  these  beautiful  grounds 
to -da}'". 

Mr.  James  Hendrick,  of  Albany,  New  York,  responded  on  behall 
of  the  guests.     He  said : 

Mr.  Childs :  I  appear  before  you,  sir,  to  thank  you  from  the  bottom 
of  my  heart  for  the  kindness  with  which  you  have  received  us  this 
day,  and  to  assure  you  of  our  sincere  appreciation  of  your  hospitality 
in  inviting  us  to  be  present  on  these  grounds. 

It  was  the  royal  prophet  of  a  peculiar  people  who  cried  out  with  his 
prophetic  voice  and  repeated  in  ecstasies  of  joy,  ^  Unto  us  a  child  is 
born — unto  us  a  son  is  given."  May  I  not,  without  irreverence,  on 
behalf  of  the  American  Florists,  exclaim  to-day,  "  Unto  us  a  Child 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  83 

is  born,"  and  his  name  is  George  William?  Am  I  not  right  in  think- 
ing that  this  "Child"  has  so  grown  that  his  name  and  his  fame  have 
become  household  words,  not  only  in  Bryn  Mawr  and  in  Philadelphia, 
but  in  all  the  United  States  ?  Am  I  not  right  in  saying  that  wherever 
poverty  was  present  he  never  closed  his  hand  ?  Am  I  not  right  in 
declaring  that  when  victor}^  perched  upon  the  banners  of  the  great 
captain  of  our  armies,  there  was  no  man  in  the  United  States  so  near 
to  him  as  was  George  W.  Childs?  [Three  rounds  of  cheers  for  Mr. 
Childs  were  here  given  witli  great  cordiality.]  Am  I  not  right  in  as- 
serting that  when  a  gloomj^  cloud  appeared  upon  the  horizon  of  that 
great  captain's  life  and  he  seemed  appalled  under  the  load  imposed 
upon  him,  and  when  false  friends  sought  to  pull  him  down,  George 
W.  Ohilds  assured  him,  "I  am  here  at  your  back?"  [Applause.] 
Then,  gentlemen,  if  I  am  right  in  my  thoughts  and  utterances,  it  fol- 
lows that  you  are  to-day  associated  with  a  man  whose  personal  record 
is  as  honorable  as  that  of  any  man  whom  I  can  name.  ["  Our  next 
President "  and  long-continued  cheers.] 

AVhether  he  be  President  or  not,  he  lives  in  the  esteem  of  every 
patriot,  he  lives  in  the  affection  of  every  good-minded  man  in  the 
community.     [Applause.] 

Let  me  say  to  you,  Mr.  Childs,  that  you  have  done  well  in  extend- 
ing your  invitation  to  the  American  florists.  We  belong,  sir,  to  a  very 
ancient  tribe.  My  good  friend  tliere  (Mr.  Meelian)  spoke  about  the 
woman  who  made  the  first  garland.  Does  he  not  know  that  the  only 
business  on  this  earth  which  is  of  Divine  origin  is  that  which  God 
created  wlien  He  commissioned  man  to  superintend  the  garden  which 
He  Himself  had  planted?  Does  he  not  remember  that  we,  as  earth's 
artists,  had  been  commissioned  by  God  for  His  own  work,  and  that 
we  were  not  to  beautify  the  lily,  nor  to  paint  the  rose,  nor  to  tint  na- 
ture with  unnatural  crimson,  but  that,  having  given  us  brains,  He 
works  through  us  and  makes  this  garden  of  ours  like  a  paradise? 

My  friends,  if  I  am  right  in  the  few  remarks  I  have  made,  we  are 
entitled  to  feel  that  this  gentleman,  in  the  hospitality  he  has  extended 
to  us,  has  by  his  association  with  us  made  us  better  men.  In  going 
hence  from  Wootton,  this  place  at  one  time  a  corn-field,  but  now  so 
beautified  by  art  that  it  presents  a  scene  of  beauty  which,  in  my  judg- 
ment, is  unequaled,  let  us  go  from  it  pledging  ourselves  and  i)ledging 
each  other  that  we  shall  be  better  men  and  better  women  and  better 
citizens,  and  have  a  more  friendly  regard  for  our  entire  race.  Gentle- 
men, on  your  behalf  I  have  said  these  few  words.  Here  is  the  man 
(indicating  Mr.  Childs)  to  whom  your  thanks  are  due.  His  spokesman 
has  spoken  well.  Let  us  wish  that  our  host,  when  his  work  is  done,  when 


84  PROCEEDINGS    OF    SECOND    CONVENTION. 

the  earth  is  vanishing  from  his  sight,  when  he  is  called  up  before  that 
great,  high  throne,  the  welcome  will  be  given  him,  "  Here  is  the  Child 
who  has  been  a  source  of  great  comfort  and  blessing  to  many  a  man." 
[The  speaker  here  retired  amid  a  chorus  of  cheers,  which  seemed  to 
rustle  the  leaves  of  the  trees  overhead.] 

Mr.  Meehan  here  announced :  Ladies  and  Qentlemen:  Mr.  Childs, 
overwhelmed  hj  the  cordiality  oi"  your  greeting,  desires  me  to  say 
that  he  will  be  pleased  to  shake  hands  with  you,  if  you  will  pass  by 
him  in  this  direction.     I  hoi)e  you  will  accord  him  I  hat  gratification. 

A  RECEPTION. 

At  this  point,  the  visitors  filed  along  the  pathway,  and  each  in  turn 
grasped  the  extended  hand  of  Mr.  Childs,  being  introduced  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  Society,  Mr.  E.  G.  Hill,  of  Indiana,  and  Mr.  William 
F.  Dreer,  of  the  reception  committee  of  the  Philadelphia  Florists' 
Club.  The  hand-shaking  and  reception  formalities  continued  for 
thirty  minutes ;  after  which,  when  Mr.  Childs  and  a  portion  of  the 
guests  had  retired,  impromptu  remarks  were  made  by  Col.  Fitzgerald 
and  John  W.  Frazier,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia,  who  concurred  in  sug- 
gesting the  propriety  of  naming  a  new  flower  in  honor  of  the  host, 
the  •'  George  AV.  Childs." 

The  hour  was  uoavso  late  that  the  formal  speaking  here  terminated. 
On  their  way  to  the  exits  fi'om  the  grounds,  the  visitors  paused  on  the 
terrace  in  front  of  the  mansion  of  Mr.  Childs,  and  were  photographed 
in  a  group.  With  expressions  of  good-will  and  rounds  of  hearty  cheers 
for  their  generous  host,  the  assemblage,  after  having  spent  a  most  en- 
joyable afternoon,  made  its  way  to  the  waiting  trains  and  returned  to 
the  city. 


SECOND  DAY— Evening. 

Horticultural  Hall,  Philadelphia, 

Friday,  August  20,  1886. 
The  convention  re-assembled  at  a  quarter  to  nine,  p.  3i.,  when  a  re- 
cess of  fifteen  minutes  was  taken  to  permit  members  to  examine  ex- 
hibits in  the  lower  hall.     ~ 

The  session  was  resumed  at  nine  o'clock,  p.  m..  President  Craig  in 
the  chair. 

The  President  announced  as  the  first  business  the  presentation  of 
a  report  on  hail  insurance  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Taylor,  of  Bayside,  New  York, 
the  secretary  of  the  committee  on  that  subject. 

Mr.  J.  H.  Taylor  came  forward  and  read  the  report  prepared  b}^  him. 
«It  was  received  Avith  much  interest.     It  is  as  follows  : 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  85 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  The  following  work  has  been  accomplished  by  your 
committee  during  the  year: 

Immediately  after  the  adjournment  of  the  Society  meeting  at  Dayton,  a  meet- 
ing of  the  Committee  on  Hail  was  held,  and  Mr.  John  Js .  May  was  elected  chair- 
man. It  was  then  decided  by  your  committee  to  see  what  rates,  if  any,  could 
be  had  from  the  already  existing  insurancecompanies,  and,  failing  in  this,  to  sub- 
mit to  you  some  plan  for  mutual  protection.  Your  committee  proceeded  at 
once  to  place  the  matter  before  the  insurance  companies.  Presidents  and  agents 
were  interviewed,  and  in  New  York  it  was  placed  before  the  board  of  under- 
writers. 

We  were  informed  that  nothing  could  be  done  in  the  matter,  unless  exact  data 
were  furnished,  that  they  miglit  judge  whetlier  it  would  pay  them  or  not  to 
touch  it. 

As  it  would  involve  a  large  expenditure  of  money  to  issue  circulars  to  all  own- 
ers of  glass  in  this  country,  tlie  matter  was  submitted  to  the  Executive  Committee 
of  the  Society,  at  Pliiladelphia,  in  November.  It  was  tliere  decided  by  the  Ex- 
ecutive Committee  tliat  the  Society  would  not  be  warranted,  at  tlie  i)resent  stage, 
to  spend  the  amount  of  money  required  for  that  purpose.  Mr.  Vaughan,  how- 
ever, generously  offered  tiie  medium  of  his  paper,  calling  on  all  those  interested 
to  notify  us  as  to  what  they  would  do  in  the  matter.  We  thus  hoped  to  get  the 
desired  information,  but  the  result  obtained  was  very  discouraging.  It  is  as 
follows : 

Total  number  of  replies  received, 26 

Total  number  wanting  insurance, 25 

Total  number  replying  in  negative, 1 

Total  number  of  square  feet  given, 46,330 

Total  amount  of  insurance  wanted, $9,580 

Only  tln-ee  did  not  give  tlie  amount  they  wished  to  insure  for,  and  four  did  not 
mention  the  number  of  square  feet  they  owned. 

This,  of  course,  is  a  very  incomplete  report,  and  it  would  be  impossible  to  base 
any  calculations  on  it.  The  best  result  so  far  obtained  in  giving  us  some  idea  of 
the  matter  was  in  Cincinnati,  on  the  train  to  Dayton,  by  Mr.  F.  R.  Pierson,  of 
Tarry  town,  N.  Y.,  who  went  through  the  train  submitting  the  following  ques- 
tion : 

"  That  if  a  satisfactory  arrangement  could  be  made  with  an  insurance  com- 
pany already  established,  would  you  insure  V" 

He  received  tifty-two  replies,  which  were  as  follows: 

Answered  in  the  affirmative, 36 

Answered  in  the  negative, 16 

Total  number  of  square  feet  in  the  affirmative, 675,200 

Total  number  of  square  feet  in  the  negative, 521,000 

Difference  in  favor  of  insurance, 154,200 

This  shows  that  most  of  the  large  establishments  are  willing  to  take  their  own 
risk,  and  that  the  smaller  favor  insurance  against  hail.  Our  chairman  has  called 
four  genei'al  meetings,  besides  personal  work  having  been  done  by  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  committee. 

The  results  obtained  would  tend  to  show  that  a  mutual  association  might  be 


86  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

successfully  formed,  and  secondly,  that  nothing  can  be  done  at  present  with  the 
insurance  companies  already  established. 

We,  tiierefore,  not  having  been  able  to  accomplish  anything  with  insurance 
men,  submit  to  you  a  plan  for  a  mutual  protective  association. 

The  Chairman:  You  have  heard  the  report  of  the  Secretary.  If 
there  is  no  objection,  it  will  be  filed  as  received,  and  entered  on  the 
minutes. 

•  An  additional  report  from  the  chairman  of  the  committee,  Mr.  May, 
will  now  l)e  submitted  by  that  gentleman. 

Mr.  John  N.  May,  of  Summit,  N.  J.,  upon  coming  forward,  said: 

Ladies  and  Gentlemeu  :  I  hold  in  mj^  liand  a  statement  of  a  plan  of 
hail  insurance  which,  I  think,  as  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  study  it,  is 
about  the  most  feasible  that  I  have  been  able  to  get  at — assuming  that  it 
will  contain  some  few  alterations  and  corrections  which  have  occurred 
to  me.  It  is  the  plan  of  Mr.  John  G.  Esler,  of  Saddle  River,  N.  J.  I 
will  read  it  just  as  I  received  it  from  him,  and  then  afterwards  read 
the  additions  and  alterations  which  I  suggest. 

Mr.  May  here  read  two  papers,  the  first  of  which  was  the  plan  sub- 
mitted by  Mr.  Esler.  Tiie  other,  under  the  head  of  "  Hail  Insurance,'' 
contained  the  alterations,  etc.,  of  Mr.  Esler's  plan  which  were  suggested 
by  Mr.  May. 

(Note. — Attached  to  the  papers  were  communications  from  Mr. 
Lothrop  White,  from  The  American  Architect  and  Building  News., 
from  a  report  by  the  Fargo  Insurance  Company,  of  Fargo,  Dakota.) 
The  papers  as  submitted  are  as  follows : 

MR.  JOHN  G.  KSLER'S  PLAN. 

Saddle  River,  N.  J.,  August..  1S8G. 
Mr.  J.  N.  May, 

Sir:  In  reply  to  yours,  I  respectfully  submit  to  the  Hail  Committee  of  the  So- 
ciety of  American  Florists  the  following  plan  of  mutual  hail  insurance : 

Kesolved,  That  a  mutual  hail  insurance  comi)any  be  organized,  to  be  known 
as  the  Florists'  National  Hail  Insurance  Company.  The  offict^rs  of  such 
company  to  be  a  president,  vice  ]nesident,  secretary,  and  treasure;  also  a  board 
of  directors  of  not  less  than  five,  to  be  chosen  each  year  by  general  election. 

Duties  of  Officers. — The  president  shall  preside  over  all  meetings  of  the  com- 
pany, or  its  officers,  and  he  shall  inspect  the  yearly  accounts  of  the  secretary 
and  treasurer. 

The  vice  president  shall  perform  the  duties  of  the  president  in  his  absence. 

The  secretary  shall  record  tlie  name  of  each  member  in  a  book  provided  for  the 
purpose,  together  with  the  number  of  square  feet  of  glass  insured  by  each,  and 
the  amount  paid  the  treasurer  for  sucii  insurance,  and  also  in  case  of  loss, 
he  shall  record  the  number  of  square  feet  of  glass  broken,  and  the  amount  of 
loss  paid,  togetlier  with  the  date  of  the  payment  of  the  claim,  and,  if  correct,  he 
shall  countersign  properly  filed  claims  for  loss,  before  mailing  them  to  the  treas- 
urer, and  he  shall  have  power  to  investigate  concerning  any  proof  of  loss  which 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  87 

he  may  suspect  to  be  fraudulent,  at  the  expense  of  the  company.  The  secretary 
shall  also  notify  each  member  when  an  assessment  is  levied,  and  at  the  annual 
meetinf?  lie  shall  report  to  the  president  tlie  number  of  members  in  the  company, 
the  number  of  square  feet  of  glass  insured,  tlie  amount  received  by  the  treasurer 
for  such  insurance,  tlie  number  of  losses  by  hail,  the  quantity  of  glasS  destroyed, 
and  the  amount  paid  for  sucli  losses.  He  siiall  also  furnish  blanks  for  the  proof 
of  loss,  and  all  other  blanks  that  may  be  necessary  to  prosecute  the  business  of 
the  company.  Tiie  secretary  shall  file  all  applications  for  membership  in  his 
office. 

Tiie  treasurer  shall  have  charge  of  the  funds  of  the  company,  and  shall  ac- 
knowledge the  receipt  of  money  forwarded  by  members,  and  shall  report  to  the 
secretary  tlie  name  of  each  member,  the  number  of  feet  of  glass  insured  by  each, 
and  the  amount  of  money  received  from  each  member  ;  and  he  shall  pay  from  the 
funds  in  his  hands  such  losses  as  shall  be  properly  proved  and  filed  with  tiie  sec- 
retary, after  such  proof  has  been  countersigned  and  recorded  by  that  official. 
Tlie  proof  of  loss  shall  be  filed  by  the  treasurer  as  a  record.  He  shall  also  render 
an  annual  report  to  the  president  and  board  of  directors,  at  the  yearly  meeting  of 
the  company.  He  shall  also  notify  the  secretary  when  an  assessment  is  neces- 
sary, and  shall  pay  to  the  secretary  every  three  months  tlie  dues  which  he  has 
collected  for  that  official. 

Meetings.— T\ie  ofticers  of  the  company  shall  hold  a  yearly  meeting  at  the  same 
time  and  place  as  the  meeting  of  the  Society  of  American  Florists,  at  which  meet- 
ing the  secretary  and  treasurer  shall  render  their  annual  reports  to  the  president. 

The  officers  of  the  company,  at  their  yearly  meeting,  shall  have  power  to  pro- 
pose changes  of  the  by-laws,  to  be  reported  to  the  annual  meeting  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  comiiany,  which  meeting  shall  be  held  at  the  same  time  and  place  as 
the  meeting  of  the  Society  of  American  Florists. 

Atembership. — Application  for  a  membership  shall  be  accompanied  by  a  dia- 
gram showing  the  length  and  width  of  houses,  and  giving  length  of  sash  in  each 
house,  and  specifying  the  number  of  square  feet  of  glass  to  be  insured.  Any 
person  paying  tiie  sum  of  one  dollar  ($1.00)  may  become  a  member  of  the  Florists' 
National  Hail  Insurance  Company,  together  with  twenty-five  (25)  cents  as  a  fee 
to  the  secretary  for  recording  his  name  and  filing  application  ;  but  to  receive 
benefit  for  loss  by  hail,  each  member  shall  pay  one  dollar  ($1.00)  for  every  one 
thousand  (1,000)  square  feet  of  glass,  or  fraction  thereof,  in  his  green-houses,  (ori 
if  this  is  thought  too  high  a  rate,  being  the  rate  of  two  per  cent,  per  year,  I  pro- 
pose a  rate  of  one  per  cent,  per  year  for  actual  value  insured,)  and  for  every 
square  foot  of  glass  broken  by  hail,  he  shall  receive  the  sum  of  five  cents ;  or,  if 
double-thick  glass,  at  the  rate  which  he  is  insured  for;  and  to  retain  mem- 
bership shall  pay  whatever  assessment  is  requisite  pro  rata  with  all  otlier  policy- 
holders, to  keep  the  reserve  fund  at  one  thousand  dollars  ($1,000)  in  the  treas- 
urer's hands. 

Proof  of  Loss. — Within  ten  days  after  a  loss  by  hail,  the  secretary  must  be  noti- 
fied of  such  loss,  and  claim  for  damages  must  be  filed  with  that  officer  within 
thirty  days  after  such  loss.  The  proof  of  loss  shall  be  by  his  own  affidavit,  and 
that  of  two  disinterested  persons  not  in  the  employ  of  the  loser,  to  be  sworn  to 
before  a  notary  public  or  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  if  taken  by  the  latter  officer, 
then  the  certificate  of  the  county  clerk  of  the  county  in  which  he  resides  shall 
be  appended. 

No  damages  shall  be  paid  for  glass  destroyed  by  elements  other  than  hail. 


O  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

The  treasurer  shall  pay  all  claims  for  loss  within  ten  days  after  tlie  secretary 
shall  send  liim  a  properly  filed  claim  of  damages,  countersigned  as  being  correct. 

Asf<essnie)its. — Whenever  tlie  sum  in  the  hands  of  the  treasurer  sliall  have  been 
reduced  by  payment  of  losses  to  the  sum  of  one  th<uisand  dollars,  ($1,000)  he  shall 
notify  tlie  secretary,  and  tiiat  official  shall  levy  an  assessment  of  one  dollar  ($1.00) 
per  thousand  square  feet  of  glass,  or  fraction  thereof,  upon  each  member  of  the 
company. 

Any  i)erson  who  shall  fall  to  pay  his  assessment  within  the  space  of  ninety 
days  after  notice  thereof  has  been  mailed  by  the  secretary,  shall  lose  his  mem- 
bership in  the  company,  and  receive  no  furtiier  benefits  therefrom. 

I'eriu  of  Officers.— OfficevH  shall  be  elected  for  tliree  years,  and  shall  be  elected 
at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  company  when  their  term  of  office  expires. 

Salari's  of  Officers.— The  president  and  vice  president  shall  receive  three  dol- 
lars ($3.00)  per  day  for  each  day's  service  in  the  employ  of  the  company. 

The  secretary  shall  receive  the  sum  of  twenty-five  (25)  cents  for  tlie  recording 
of  each  member's  name  and  application,  and  twenty-five  (25)  cents  for  recording 
each  proof  of  loss  ;  also  twentj'-five  cents  for  making  record  of  the  payment  of 
each  assessment. 

The  treasurer  sliall  receive  the  sum  of  thirty  dollars  ($30.'!0)  yearly,  in  lieu  of 
expeiises  for  i)ostage,  and  shall  be  entitled  to  tlie  use  of  the  money  in  his  hands, 
subject  to  call  whenever  loss  is  properly  proved. 

Bonds.— The  treasurer,  upon  taking  office,  shall  place  in  the  hands  of  the  pres- 
ident a  bond  for  five  thousand  dollars,  ($5,000)  signed  by  at  least  two  responsible 
sureties  besides  himself,  and  properly  executed  before  a  notary  public  or  a  justice 
of  the  peace. 

Exjicnses. — Necessary  expenses,  such  as  printing  of  blanks,  etc.,  shall  be  paid 
from  the  funds  in  the  hands  of  the  treasurer ;  but  postage  shall  be  paid  by  the 
officers  themselves,  and  not  allowed  from  funds  in  the  hands  of  the  treasurer. 

Miscellaneous. — The  annual  report  of  the  secretary  and  treasurer  shall  be  pub- 
lished in  tlie  American  Florist  within  sixty  days  after  being  rendered. 

The  reserve  fund  in  the  iiands  of  the  treasurer  shall  be  limited  tO  one  thousand 
dollars  ($1,000). 

The  above  is  offered  by  Mr.  John  G.  Esler  for  the  consideration  of  this  cora- 
mittee,  and,  in  the  main,  I  think  is  practical,  but  I  offer  for  consideration  the 
following : 

That  in  consideration  of  the  great  difference  in  the  value  of  one  man's  glass 
over  another,  i.  e.,  one  man  may  have  double-thick  French  glass,  which  cost  him 
seven  or  eight  cents  per  foot,  and  another  man  have  only  single-thick  American, 
costing  about  half  that  price;  and  whereas  such  single-thick  glass  is  so  much 
more  likely  to  breakage  from  hail  than  double-thick,  I  consider  that  a  higher 
rate  of  insurance  of  one  third  or  one  half  of  one  per  cent,  be  charged  for  insur- 
ing single-thick  glass  than  for  double-thick,  or  possibly  it  may  be  found  requisite 
to  charge  double  rate  ;  and  whereas  single-thick  glass  costs  about  four  and  a  half 
to  five  cents  a  foot,  parties  wishing  to  insure,  and  having  only  single-thick  glass 
to  insure,  shall,  on  making  application  for  insurance,  distinctly  state  the  size  and 
thickness  of  such  glass  they  wisli  to  insure,  and  shall  be  charged  the  prorata 
advance  for  insuring  such  as  may  be  single-thick  only. 

As  an  example,  suppose  a  man  having  twenty  thousand  feet  of  glass,  all  double- 
thick,  which  cost  him  seven  cents  per  foot.  If,  on  careful  consideration,  it  is 
found  necessary  to  charge  that  man  at  the  rate  of  one  per  cent,  per  year  for  in- 
surance, such  insurance  would  cost  him  fourteen  dollars  per  year. 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  89 

Now,  another  man  having  twenty  thousand  feet  of  glass,  all  single-thick, 
which  cost  him  not  over  five  cents  per  foot,  if  charged  at  tlie  same  rate  of  one 
per  cent,  per  year,  would  only  have  to  pay  ten  dollars  per  year  for  insurance,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  would  be  much  more  likely  to  suffer  from  hail  than  tlie  man 
having  double-thick  glass,  wliich  appears  to  be  wholly  unjust  to  the  man  liaving 
double-thick  glass.  To  regulate  this  difference,  some  extra  charge  should  be  made 
to  the  man  having  single-thick] glass,  which,  if  he  be  charged  one  and  one  third 
of  one  per  cent,  on  twenty  tiidusand  feet  of  single-tliick  glass,  would  make  his 
insurance  tliirteen  dollars  and  thirty-three  cents  per  year  ;  or  if  at  one  and  one 
half  per  cent.,  it  would  be  fifteen  dollars  per  year. 

In  Mr.  Esler's  plan  just  read,  he  proposed  a  fee  or  assessment  of  one  dollar  for 
every  one  thousand  square  feet  of  glass  or  fraction  thereof.  This  appears  to  me 
to  be  too  high  a  rate,  being  at  the  rate  of  two  per  cent,  per  annum.  And, 
furthermore,  I  think  that  only  actual  amount  of  glass  should  be  paid  for.  A 
man  having  two  thousand  one  Iiundred  feet  should  not  be  charged  for  three  thou- 
sand feet,  but  only  for  two  thousand  one  hundred  insurance,  or,  if  at  tlie  rate 
of  one  per  cent.,  he  siiould  pay  two  dollars  and  ten  cents  actual  insurance. 

If  the  one  per  cent,  here  recommended  on  actual  trial  is  not  found  sufficient 
to  cover  all  claims  for  the  year,  an  assessment  on  all  insured  in  the  company  at 
pro  rata  sufficient  to  cover  all  losses  could  be  made,  such  assessment  to  be  not 
more  than  ten  per  cent,  above  the  actual  amount  required  to  settle  all  claims 
and  provide  for  a  reserve  fund  of  one  thousand  dollars  ($1,000). 

COMMUNICATIONS  RECEIVED. 

Farmingham,  Mass.,  Aug.  6,  1SS6. 
Mr.  J.  N.  May, 

Dear  Sir:  I  inclose  cojiyof  an  article  from  the  Architect  and  Builder,  wiiich  I 
think  will  interest  you  and  the  convention  at  Piiiladdlphia.  I  sent  a  copy  to  the 
American  Florist^  but  the  editor  did  not  print  it,  finding  it,  perhaps,  a  little  too 
interesting  for  his  side  of  the  question.  A  fatal  objection  to  tlie  proposed  hail 
insurance  association  is  that  its  members  are  called  upon  to  take  risks  without 
its  members  being  paid  for  doing  so;  wiiich  is  not  business,  but  charity.  In  fire  in- 
surance, those  wlio  do  the  insuring  are  paid  for  doing  it,  and  in  mutual  compa- 
nies that  payment  takes  the  form  of  reduced  premiums.  In  order  to  justify  the 
existenceof  a  mutual  liail  insurance  company,  it  would  be  necessary  to  guarantee 
a  rebate  to  all  insuring,  wliich  would  reduce  their  premiums  below  tlie  amount 
they  would  ])ay  to  an  outside  company,  which  is  manifestly  impossible.  On  the 
contrary,  if  the  exiierience  of  the  past  is  of  any  value,  instead  of  reduced  pre- 
miums tiiere  would  be  heavy  assessments. 

You  will  observe  in  the  inclosed  article  that  the  very  thing  occurred  to  which  you 
allude  in  the  second  point  of  your  article  in  the  Florist,  a  point  which  the  editor 
seems  to  have  misunderstood.  There  can  be  no  analogy  between  hail  insurance 
and  fire  insurance  ;  in  the  latter,  insurance  is  universal,  and  the  great  majority  of 
insurers  never  have  lost  and  never  will  lose  ;  in  the  former  case,  there  are  large 
districts  whicli  hail  seldom  visits,  and  then  but  lightly,  and  from  those  districts 
but  few  premiums  will  come.  Most  of  the  insuring  will  be  done  by  men  who 
have  already  lost  and  are  likely  to  lose  again,  and  every  one  of  whom  expects, 
sooner  or  later,  to  draw  out  more  money  than  he  pays  in. 

.Such  an  association  is  bankrupt  in  principal  before  it  begins  work,  and  will  be 
bankrupt  in  fact  soon  after.  If  thorougidy  organized  and  equipped  insurance 
companies,  with  an  agent  located  in  nearly  every  town  in  the  country,  cannot 
afford  to  insure  us,  it  is  certain  that  we  cannot  afford  to  insure  ourselves.  If 
hail  fell  as  regularly  as  fire  occurred,  and  with  the  same  even  distribution,  insur- 
ance would  be  a  simple  matter,  and  there  would  be  plenty  of  companies  now  in 
successful  o])eration  ;  but,  as  it  is,  hail  insurance  is  as  impossible  as  fire  insur- 
ance would  be  if  sucli  calamities  as  the  Boston  and  Chicago  fires  were  sure  to 
visit  us  at  frequent  intervals. 


90  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  only  way  to  deal  with  tlie  question  is  to  form  a  mutual 
aid  society,  modeled  upon  those  great  cliarities  which  play  sucli  a  useful  part 
among  the"  various  guilds.  All  contributions  to  be  funded  and  interest  only  ap- 
plied to  the  relief  of  sufferers.  In  course  of  time,  this  fund  would  become  large, 
and  might  accomplish  much  good  in  various  directions.  I  hoped  to  go  to  Pliila- 
delphia  and  take  part  in  the  discussion  of  this  question,  but  can't  go,  so  1  ven- 
ture to  send  yon  my  opinion,  whicli  would  be  of  no  value  alone,  but  is  supported 
by  nearly  all  the  florists  in  my  neighborhood. 

Very  truly  yours,     ,  Loturop  Wight. 

From  the  American  Architect  and  Building  News,  of  May  SD,  1SS6. 

A  good  deal  is  said  just  now  about  insurance  against  hail,  and,  not  withstand- 
ing the  misfortunes  of  the  older  hail  insurance  comi)anies,  the  florists  of  the 
country,  wlio  have  a  very  serious  interest  in  tiie  matter,  are  at  the  moment  en- 
gaged in  trying  to  form  new  ones.  Fortunately,  perhai)s,  foi"  the  florists  wlio  are 
tempted  to  enter  into  mutual  obligations  of  the  kind,  tiie  Specialor  lias  collected 
some  statistics  of  tlie  iiistory  of  the  liail  insurance  companies  now  existing  here. 
Four  of  these  are  incorporated  in  Pennsjlvania,and  doa  considerablebusinessin 
insuring  growing  tobacco  against  loss  or  injury  by  hailstones.  After  from  three 
to  six  years'  experience,  tiie  directors  of  tiie  Pennsylvania  companies  have  con- 
cluded that  tiiey  are  doing  a  losing  business.  The  premiums  cliarged  were  high, 
the  comi)anies  demanding  one  and  one  third  per  cent,  in  casli  and  a  note  for  six 
per  cent,  on  tlie  amount  insured,  but  even  tliese  resources  were  far  too  small  to 
pay  the  losses  of  the  last  year,  in  the  course  of  wliicli  forty  ])er  cent,  of  tlie]iolicy 
holders  claimed  indemnity  to  a  greater  or  less  amount.  The  coUecticni  of  the 
six  per  cent,  premium  note,  as  migiit  be  expected,  excited  the  indignation,  if  not 
the  iiositive  resistance,  of  nearly  all  the  policy-holders;  while,  as  tlie  whole 
amount  so  collected  did  not  pay  one  half  tlie  losses,  the  policy-holders  who  lost 
property  grumbled  still  more  than  those  who  escaped.  Tlie  net  result  seems  to 
have  been  dissatisfaction,  repining,  and  broken  contracts  all  around.  Two  out  of 
four  companies  in  existence  last  year  have  already  retired  from  the  business,  a 
third  is  in  process  of  winding  up  its  affairs,  and  the  managers  of  the  remaining 
one  are  deliberating  wiietlier  tiiey  iiad  not  better  follow  the  example  of  their  fel- 
lows. The  fact  seems  to  be  that  the  business  of  any  hail  insui-ance  company, 
particularly  a  mutual  one,  is  usually  conflned  to  so  small  a  territory  that  every 
storm  afflicting  a  jiortion  of  its  territory  is  likely  to  cover  tlie  whole,  and  forty  per 
cent,  losses  are  quite  as  liable  to  occur  as  smaller  ones.  The  remedy  for  this  would 
be  to  extend  operations  over  a  wide  field,  and  equalize  the  losses  in  that  way,  and 
if  to  tliis  could  be  joined  regulations  analogous  to  tliose  of  tiie  factory  mutual 
fire  insurance  conqianies,  requiring,  for  example,  that  members  should  use  noth- 
ing but  double-tliick  glass  in  their  greenhouses,  a  florists'  hail  insurance  com- 
pany, at  least  at  such  premium  rates  as  those  adopted  in  Pennsylvania,  might 
perhajjs  be  made  to  pay  expenses. 

Extract  from  Fargo  Insurance  Company,  of  Fargo,  Dakota. 

"  With  many  other  companies,  we  last  year  did  some  hail  insurance  in  Dakota. 
Unlike  most  of  the  other  comi)aiiies,  we  have  settled  and  paid  most  of  our  hail 
losses  and  abandoned  hail  insurance  entirely.  In  the  hail  department,  we  took 
in  sixty  thousand  dollars  in  premium  notes,  and  there  liave  been  adjusted  and 
paid  by  the  comi)any  claims  for  hail  losses  amounting  to  more  than  tifty  thou- 
sand dollars.  We  have  now  only  seven  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  of  unad- 
justed liail  claims,  and  have  still  on  hand  about  nine  thousand  dollars  in  hail 
premium  notes,  secured  by  chattel  mortgages.  AVe  expect  to  adjust  and  pay  all 
remaining  hail  claims  by  mutual  agreement,  and  witliout  recourse  to  the  courts, 
although  some  of  the  companies,  like  the  Continental  Fire  of  New  York,  have 
thought  that  they  could  secure  fairer  adjustments  by  letting  claimants  sue,  and 
having  the  courts  fix  the  amount  of  hail  losses,  which  are  certainly  very  difficult 
claims  to  adjust  fairly.  Thus  far  the  company  has  adjusted  all  liail  losses  witli- 
out the  aid  of  the  courts,  and  we  trust  that  no  law-suit  will  ever  be  necessary." 

Mr.  May  :  I  am  reminded  of  your  inquiries  in  regard  to  hail,  on  reading  the 
above,  and  so  send  it. 

Truly  yours, 

Racine,  Wis.  S.  Whiteley. 


SOCIETY    OF    AMEKICAN    FLORISTS.  91 

In  estimating  careful]}^  the  amount  of  glass  in  my  own  immediate  neighbor- 
liood  in  use  for  commercial  purposes,  I  find  that  there  is  about  two  hundred  and 
ninety  thousand  feet  witliin  a  distance  of  ten  miles.  Of  this  amount,  there  is 
certainly  not  more  than  forty  thousand  feet  that  could  be  depended  upon  to  take 
policies  at  a  rate  of  three-fourtiis  of  one  per  cent,  per  year.  Tliis  is  for  my  own 
immediate  section  ;  what  other  sections  will  do  I  do  not  know,  but  from  all  I  can 
glean,  the  feeling  is  pretty  generally  against  mutual  hail  insurance. 

But,  notwithstanding  this,  if  a  plan  of  insurance  can  be  settled  upon  at  this 
meeting  and  a  joint  stock  company  formed,  I  am  ready  to  join  it  by  insuring  the 
whole  of  my  glass,  (about  thirty  thousand  feet,)  and  will  do  all  I  can  to  get  others 
to  join  also. 

The  proof  of  the  ])aste  is  in  eating,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  the  proof  of  the 
practical  working  of  this  hail  insurance  business  can  only  be  tested  by  actual  ex- 
perience. I,  therefore,  advocate  a  careful  consideration  of  the  plans  given  above 
and  its  adoption  in  some  shape  or  otlier.  If  it  is  a  success,  some  deserving 
brotiier  of  the  craft  will  certainly  be  benefited  by  it,  and  if  it  should  prove  a  fail- 
ure, we  shall  have  tlie  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  we  tried  our  best,  which  is 
all  that  we  can  be  expected  to  do. 

The  President  :  Tlie  convention  lias  lieard  the  report  of  the  chair- 
man of  the  Hail  Insurance  Committee.  What  action  does  it  take 
thereon  ? 

( No  response.) 

If  there  is  no  objection,  the  report  will  be  filed,  and  we  will  now 
hear  a  statement  in  the  nature  of  a  report  from  another  member  of  the 
committee,  Mr.  Pierson. 

Mr.  F.  R.  Pierson,  of  Tarrytown,  New  York,  (of  the  committee,)  here 
responded  to  the  call  of  the  Chair  as  follows : 

As  a  member  of  the  committee,  I  have  given  the  subject  consider- 
able thought  from  the  stand-point  of  a  practical  business  man,  and 
have  found  it  to  be  one  so  comijlicated  and  so  far  removed  from  the 
line  of  our  legitimate  business  as  florists,  that  I  was  not  surprised 
upon  learning  that  a  wide  difference  of  opinion  existed,  both  as  to  the 
advisability  of  creating  an  organization  such  as  the  one  proposed,  and 
as  to  the  form  which  such  an  organization,  if  created,  should  assume. 
Personally,  I  am  opposed  to  a  purely  assessment  plan,  because  I  fore- 
see difficulties  inherent  in  the  very  nature  of  such  a  plan,  particularly 
with  reference  to  the  responsibility  of  the  company  or  the  readiness 
with  which  claims  against  it  may  be  liquidated,  as  in  cases  of  heavy 
losses,  possibly  no  guarantee  fund  would  be  at  hand  to  insure  im- 
mediate payments. 

Then  there  is  a  question  whether,  upon  any  such  wild-cat  basis,  we 
could  operate,  with  any  degree  of  uniformity  or  harmony,  throughout 
the  country,  in  view"  of  the  special  requirements  and  restrictions  pecu- 
liar to  the  laws  of  individual  States,  as  our  organization  would  neces- 


92  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

sarily  be  subject  to  the  regulations  of  tlie  Insurance  Department  of  the 
State  in  which  its  business  is  conducted. 

The  project  presents  itself  in  so  many  different  and  complex  forms 
that  I  think  it  would  be  advisable  to  get  at  the  sense  of  this  meeting, 
as  to  whether  we  should  entertain  the  subject  at  this  time.  If  the 
response  is  favorable  to  it,  the  details  of  the  scheme  could  then  be  con- 
sidered, item  by  item,  action  being  first  taken  as  to  whether  the  organ- 
ization is  to  he  purely  that  of  an  assessment  company,  or  an  organ- 
ization providing  for  the  payment  of  a  premium  covering,  as  nearly  as 
possible  the  payment  of  a  sum  more  than  sufficient  to  pay  all  loss  aris- 
ing from  hail  damage  for  an  entire  year. 

The  plan  proposed  by  Mr.  Esler  is  in  very  crude  sliape.  Under  it 
we  w^oukl  practically  issue  what,  in  fire  insurance  parlance,  would  be 
termed  "  a  valued  policy,"  which  is  one  providing  for  the  payment  of 
a  stipulated  sum.  It  would  be  inequitable  for  this  reason :  tliat  an 
owner  of  a  green -house  who  had  been  insured  would  receive  a  stated 
sum,  whether  his  glass  was  worth  five  cents  per  foot  or  not.  To  an 
owner  who  luid  been  insured  for  single-thick  glass,  that  would  be  a 
blessing  rather  than  anything  else.  The  guarantee  should  be  less, 
rather  than  more. 

I  suggest,  as  an  additional  consideration,  that  an  organization  such  as 
proposed  would  devolve  upon  us  an  excessive  amount  of  work  and  ex- 
traordinary responsibility.  With  our  lack  of  experience  and  the 
limited  facilities  at  our  command,  I  doubt  our  capacity  to  make  the 
undertaking  a  success,  though  I  do  not  question  the  desirableness  of 
it  under  more  favorable  auspices.  And  unless  we  can  have  at  the 
outset  a  reasonable  assurance  of  success  it  would  be  better  for  us  not 
to  enter  into  it. 

There  is  one  other  feature  of  the  matter,  and  I  allude  to  it  for  the 
two-fold  pui'i^ose  of  adding  force  to  my  suggestion,  that  an  expression 
of  opinion  by  the  Society  at  this  time  is  desirable,  and  of  removing 
any  misapprehension  as  to  my  motive  in  making  that  suggestion.  The 
statement  that  the  florists  of  this  country  desire  to  have  an  association 
such  as  the  one  here  contemplated,  has  been  reiterated  from  many 
quarters,  and  with  special  emphasis  by  Western  men.  I  am  an 
Eastern  man,  and  do  not  want  to  appear  as  antagonizing  that  senti- 
ment if  it  in  fact  exists.  I  want,  however,  to  mention  one  fact  which 
would  seem  to  disprove  the  assumption  that  the  interest  on  the  subject 
has  assumed  wide-spread  iDroportions  among  the  florists  of  America. 
I  refer  to  the  sending  out  of  circulars — one  of  which  was  sent  to  every 
member,  I  believe — asking  that  the  committee  be  informed  in  each  in- 
stance as  to  the  amount  of  glass  surface  exposed,  and  the  amount  of 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  93 

the  loss  sustained  in  the  breakage  of  glass  by  hail.  The  report  of  the 
secretary  of  the  committee,  Mr.  Taylor,  states  that  the  data  obtained 
in  that  way  is  very  meagre.  In  the  preceding  year,  we  tried  to  secure 
the  same  information  by  personal  appeals,  and  we  would  again  have 
had  recourse  to  that  means  of  solicitation  if  it  had  been  thought  that 
the  expense  attending  the  previous  effort  was  warranted  by  the  mea- 
gre results  then  obtained. 

I  ask  whether  this  showing  can  be  construed  to  indicate  a  very 
earnest  desire  on  the  part  of  the  florists  of  the  United  States  for  the 
establishment  of  a  plan  of  hail  insurance.  The  more  reasonable  in- 
ference is  that  there  is  a  deplorable  lack  of  interest  in  the  subject. 
Talk  is  cheap !  The  cost  to  any  one  of  the  gentlemen  to  whom  we 
applied  would  not  have  been  more  than  two  cents  for  furnishing  us 
with  the  required  information,  and  yet  they  failed  to  make  any  re- 
sponse. At  the  same  time,  the  data  was  indispensable  if  we  were  to 
make  any  progress.  An  insurance  man,  with  whom  I  conversed,  ridi- 
culed our  going  into  the  thing  without  data  as  "  a  wild-cat  operation." 
I  know  of  no  men  of  business  ability  who  would  go  into  a  scheme  of 
the  cliaracter  of  this  one  with  no  guarantee  in  regard  to  what  it  is 
going  to  cost  them.  Tlie  plan  of  paying  a  premium,  which  really  is 
the  plan  of  a  valued  policy,  would,  in  my  judgment,  run  us  into  debt 
and  bankruptcy  in  less  than  six  months. 

Mr.  John  G.  Esler,  of  Saddle  River,  N.  J.,  (yielding  to  the  solicita- 
tion of  friends  around  hiin,  who  urged  their  desire  to  hear  him  in  de- 
fense of  his  plan,)  said  : 

I  agree  with  the  gentleman  from  Tarry  town.  New  York,  (Mr.  Pier- 
son,)  that  the  time  is  not  yet  ripe  for  hail  insurance.  I  do  not  think 
the  florists  have  taken  sufficient  interest  in  it  to  warrant  the  forma- 
tion of  a  company  at  the  present  time ;  but  I  do  believe — speaking 
from  the  stand-point  of  one  who  has  had  some  practical  dealings  in 
insurance — that  the  plan  submitted  by  me  is  one  that  will  work,  and 
that  that  fact  would  be  demonstrated  if  the  florists  had  confidence 
enough  in  it  to  test  the  plan.  I  doubt  whether  they  have  that  confi- 
dence. 

The  single  suggestion  which  I  rose  to  make  was  this  :  that  it  should 
be  borne  in  mind  that  hail  insurance  commends  itself,  not  to  all  florists 
indiscriminately,  but  only  to  those  who  want  it.  Owners  of  double- 
thick  French  glass,  supposed  to  be  capable  of  withstanding  the  pelting 
of  hail-stones,  do  not  want  to  insure  against  hail ;  and  it  is  useless  to 
create  a  system  which  is  dependent  for  its  success  upon  such  owners 
coming  into  it. 

Mr.  Charles  Anderson,  of  Flushing,  N.  Y.,  moved  that,  by  way  of 


94  PEOCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

ascertaining  the  sense  of  the  Society  upon  the  report  of  the  committee, 
a  vote  be  now  taken  upon  the  question,  Shall  the  present  discussion 
continue  ? 

A  delegate  suggested  that  Mr.  Anderson's  motion  was  superfluous, 
as,  according  to  ordinary  parliamentary  usage,  the  pending  question 
was  upon  the  acceptance  of  the  report,  and  the  vote  thereon  would 
necessarily  involve  an  expression  of  the  sense  of  the  Society  upon  the 
subject  of  hail  insurance. 

Mr.  Anderson's  motion  was  subsequently  withdrawn. 

The  President,  (Mr.  Craig,)  commenting  upon  tlie  difficulty  in  the 
way  of  a  direct  expression  by  the  Society  upon  the  question,  explained 
that,  owing  to  the  complicated  nature  of  the  subject,  the  Hail  Com- 
mittee had  been  unable  to  unite  in  recommending  any  specific  plan 
of  insurance.  The  communications  from  the  committee  wliich  had 
been  read  were,  therefore,  not  committee  reports,  but  simply  expres- 
sions by  members  of  the  committee  of  the  views  entertained  by  them 
individually. 

Mr.  D.  R.  Woods,  of  New  Brighton,  Pa.,  submitted  a  motion  as 
follows  :  "  That,  in  the  judgment  of  the  delegates  present,  it  is  unwise 
for  the  Society,  at  this  time,  to  adopt  any  plan  of  hail  insurance." 
He  explained  that  a  direct  expression  by  the  Society,  affirming  or  nega- 
tiving the  proposition,  was  desirable  by  way  of  economizing  time  and 
in  the  interest  of  a  regular  and  orderly  method  of  procedure.  If  a 
majority  of  those  present  favored  insurance,  as  he  believed  they  did, 
the  consideration  of  the  details  of  a  plan  could  then  be  proceeded  with. 

Mr.  J.  C.  Vaughan,  of  Chicago :  I  had  not  intended  to  say  a  single 
word  on  this  subject,  but.  having  been  a  member  of  the  former,  as  I 
am  also  of  the  present.  Committee  on  Hail  Insurance,  I  feel  called 
upon  to  reph'"  to  the  criticism  of  the  gentleman  from  New  York,  (Mr. 
Pierson,)  upon  the  failure  of  the  committee  te  secure  sufficient  re- 
ports in  response  to  their  solicitations  for  information.  The  subject 
of  hail  insurance,  when  first  presented  to  the  Society,  was  committed 
to  the  vice  presidents  from  the  various  States.  Circulars  soliciting 
data  upon  the  topics  mentioned  therein  were  sent  out  by  the  latter  to 
a  large  number  of  florists — in  fact,  to  florists  in  nearly  every  State. 
This  work  involved  a  considerable  expenditure  of  time,  labor,  and 
money,  and,  so  far  as  I  have  knowledge,  was  carefully  performed,  ex- 
cept in  one  case.  Having  helped  to  compile  the  returns  which  were 
received,  I  am  consequentlj^  in  a  position  to  know  whereof  I  speak. 
Responses  were  received  from  two  hundred  and  fifty-six  florists,  who 
were  mainly  people  who  had  suffered  from  losses  by  hail.  From  those 
who  had  not  met  with  loss  no  reports  were  received,  as  the  under- 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS. 


95 


standing  among  the  florists  appears  to  have  been  that  in  such  cases 
they  were  not  expected  to  make  report.  These  returns,  showing  a 
total  of  several  million  feet  of  glass,  were  handed  to  the  former  com- 
mittee— I  believe  they  were  given  to  the  Secretary,  Mr.  Taylor. 
Mr.  Taylor  :  Yes,  sir ;  there  was  quite  a  large  number  of  them. 
Mr.  Vaughan  :  The  one  exception  in  which  a  report  was  not  re- 
ceived was  that  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  the  cause  of  this  was 
that  the  vice  president  from  that  State  did  not  turn  a  pen  in  the  way 
of  attending  to  his  duty  in  that  matter. 

Mr.  Pierson:  I  "acknowledge  the  corn!"  [Merriment.] 
Mr.  Vaughan  :  Those  of  you  who  were  present  at  Cincinnati,  last 
year,  will  remember  with  what  persistence  I  then  urged  the  claims  of 
this  subject  upon  your  attention.  I  then  said  what  I  did  because  I 
appreciated  the  fact  that  some  of  my  customers  were  illy  able  to  bear 
the  losses  to  which  they  had  been  subjected  by  hail-storms,  and  be- 
cause it  was  thought  by  many  desirable  to  adopt  some  plan  for  mu- 
tual protection.  I  was  forced  to  take  a  positive  position  on  the  ques- 
tion, because  a  number  of  friends  and  acquaintances  came  to  me  in 
the  Grand  Hotel,  in  Cincinnati,  and  declared :  "  We  have  come  a  long 
distance  to  discuss  the  plan  of  mutual  protection  against  losses  by 
hail,  and  if  you  do  not  take  hold  of  this  matter  we  will  not  come 
again."  Having  the  interest  of  this  Society  at  heart,  as  I  still  have, 
I  resolved  to  stand  in  the  breach  in  behalf  of  those  people,  and  I  can 
truthfully  say  that  I  have  faithfully  stood  there. 

Now,  after  these  reports  had  been  carefully  gathered  from  all  the 
States— excepting,  as  I  have  said,  the  State  of  New  York— tlie  present 
committee  found  themselves  confronted  with  this  condition  of  affairs, 
viz :  that  while  the  sufferers  from  hail  had  responded,  stating  their 
actual  losses  and  the  amount  of  glass  exposed  by  them  during  the 
period  specified,  no  reports  whatever  had  been  received  from  a  large 
number  of  owners  who  had  suffered  no  loss,  and  who,  for  this  reason, 
supposed  that  no  report  from  them  was  expected.  The  fact  was  that 
the  committee  needed  to  have  a  report  from  every  owner,  so  that  the 
specific  amount  of  glass  owned  by  each  during  the  year  might  be 
shown,  as  also  the  fact — if  it  was  a  fact — that  during  the  time  for  wliich 
the  glass  was  exposed  no  loss  had  occurred.  To  that  extent,  there- 
fore, these  reports  were  defective.  It  is  sought  to  remedy  this  defect 
by  appeals  to  these  parties  through  the  columns  of  The  American 
Florist.  It  has  been  said  that,  in  many  issues  of  the  Florist.,  appeals 
were  made  for  reports,  but  that  few  answers  were  obtained.  The  fact 
was  that  these  people  had  already  been  furnished  with  the  proper 
blanks  and  envelopes  to  enable  them  to  report,  and  had  reported,  and, 


96 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 


their  reports  being  on  file  with  the  committee,  they  could  not  under- 
stand why  they  should  be  called  upon  to  make  new  ones.  In  some 
instances,  those  who  were  applied  to  for  this  information  had  gone 
back,  in  examining  their  books  and  compiling  data,  for  a  period  of 
twenty  years.  I  would  appeal  to  the  gentleman  from  Cliicago  (Mr. 
Hunt)  for  a  corroboration  of  my  assertion. 

Mr.  HuxT :  I  have  understood  the  fact  to  be  as  the  gentleman  states 
it. 

Mr.  Vaughax  :  The  florists  who  had  prepared  and  forwarded  reports 
to  the  committee,  to  the  number  of  two  hundred  and  fifty-six,  might, 
therefore,  with  entire  propriety,  ask  why  they  should  do  the  same 
work  over  again.  This  is  all  that  I  wanted  to  say.  My  purpose  was 
to  make  more  apparent  the  fact  that  the  subject  of  hail  insurance  is 
one  that  is  not  without  interest  to  the  florists  of  America. 

Mr.  Joiix  Thorpe  :  Possibly  what  I  said  in  my  opening  address  about 
the  first  branch  being  stunted  would  be  applicable  here.  It  seems  to 
me  to-night  that  there  is  no  chance  for  progress  in  this  matter.  I  re- 
gret much  that  we  have  not  had  a  plan  presented  in  such  a  form  that 
the  delegates  could  accept  or  reject  it.  This  going  over  details,  such 
as  so  much  per  foot  or  so  much  per  year  or  so  much  per  month,  seems 
to  me  to  be  of  no  use.  AVe  should  liave  a  plan.  If  we  cannot  bring 
a  plan  to  bear,  let  us  reject  the  wliole  proposition. 

I  believe  that  the  third  paragrapli  in  our  constitution  or  our  plat- 
form provides  that  we  should,  if  possible,  present  a  form  of  insurance 
against  loss  by  hail  and  fire ;  and  I  must  acknowledge,  gentlemen, 
before  you  all,  that  if  that  paragraph  had  not  been  embodied,  the  So- 
ciety of  American  Florists  would  not  be  in  existence  to-day.  If  hail 
insurance  is  an  impossibility,  let  us  show  tlie  fact  in  black  and  white. 
If  it  is  possible  to  carry  it  out,  let  us  have  a  plan  formed,  showing  that 
there  are  so  many  thousand  feet  of  glass  to  be  insured  at  so  much 
money,  and  there's  an  end  to  it.  Let  us  have  a  plan  drawn  up  which 
we  can  accept  or  reject.  Let  us  give  the  figures  and  the  data,  and  if 
we  cannot  undertake  it,  let  us  drop  the  subject  altogether. 

Mr.  J.  H.  Taylor  :  It  may  be  inferred  from  the  remarks  which  have 
been  made  that  the  failure  to  report  some  tangible  basis  for  action  is 
the  fault  of  the  present  committee,  and  I,  therefore,  desire  to  show 
that  any  such  inference  is  erroneous.  Your  committee  was  appointed 
last  year,  at  Cincinnati,  for  the  purpose  of  having  submitted  to  you 
here  some  plan  by  which  insurance  could  be  taken  hold  of,  or  of  find- 
ing out  whether  any  insurance  company  already  in  existence  would 
insure  our  green-houses  at  reasonable  rates.     We  have  learned  that 


SOCIETV    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  97 

the  insurance  comi^anies  will  not  touch  the  matter,  unless  we  give 
them  in  advance  some  exact  data  upon  which  they  can  make  their 
calculations.     It  has  been  impossible  to  do  that. 

The  committee  has  labored  faithfully  and  laboriously,  every  mem- 
ber of  it,  individually  and  as  a  whole,  and  we  have  tried  in  every  way 
possible  to  get  the  insurance  companies  interested  in  the  project,  but 
found  it  impossible  to  do  so.  In  fact,  one  company  that  had  insured 
green-house  glass  sent  on  a  detailed  report  of  their  transactions  for 
two  years,  showing  that  in  that  period  they  had  suffered  heavy  losses, 
and  had,  in  consequence,  decided  to  go  out  of  the  business.  Our  chair- 
man (Mr.  May)  has  presented  a  detailed  report  of  a  plan  for  the  or- 
ganization of  a  mutual  company — or,  in  fact,  a  value  company — for 
your  approval ;  and  what  we  should  like  now  is  to  know  whether  you 
approve  of  that  plan.  If  you  do  approve  of  it,  we  can  discuss  it,  point 
by  point.  I,  therefore,  think  a  vote  should  be  taken  at  once,  in  order 
to  get  the  sense  of  the  meeting. 

Mr.  EsLER  here  explained  that  the  valuation  set  forth  in  his  i)lan 
was  based  upon  the  report  made  by  Mr,  Hunt,  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee, at  the  last  annual  meeting.  He  had  taken  his  data  from  that 
report  in  making  tlie  assessment  of  one  doHar  per  thousand  square 
feet  of  glass,  and  the  payment  of  five  cents  per  square  foot. 

Mr.  F.  R.  PiERSOX :  The  data  received  in  response  to  the  circulars 
were  valueless  for  this  reason:  that  those  florists  who  reported  were  only 
those  who  had  met  with  losses,  and  we  had  no  guarantj^  that  all  who 
had  met  with  losses  did  report.  AVe  had  no  data  that  were  complete, 
and,  therefore,  that  which  we  liad  were  worse  than  none.  For  that 
reason  I  considered  it  valueless  to  the  committee. 

(The  pending  question  being  the  motion  of  Mr.  Woods,  declaring 
that,  in  the  judgment  of  the  delegates  present,  it  is  unwise  for  this 
Societ}"  to  adopt  any  plan  of  hail  insurance  at  this  time,  was  here  put 
to  a  vote  and  determined  in  the  negative.  The  discussion  then  i)ro- 
ceeded.) 

Mr.  E.  G.  Hill  asked  President  Craig  to  favor  the  convention  with 
his  opinion  on  the  subject. 

(Mr.  John  N.  May  temporarily  assumed  the  chair.) 

Mr.  Craig  responded :  The  members  of  the  committee  difi"er  so 
widely  in  their  views  as  to  be  unable,  after  all  these  months,  to  agree 
upon  a  plan ;  and  I  do  not  see  liow,  in  the  present  condition  of  things, 
we  can  do  anything  in  the  matter  as  a  Society,  except  to  refer  it  back 
to  the  committee  for  another  twelve  months,  or  ask  for  the  discharge 
of  that  committee,  and  the  appointment  of  another,  with  the  hope  of 


98  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

getting  a  plan.  Until  a  plan  is  presented,  we  can  do  nothing.  In  or- 
der to  dispose  of  the  qnestion,  I  move  that  the  matter  of  hail  insur- 
ance be  given  up  as  at  this  time  imi^racticable. 

Mr.  D.  R.  AVooDS  seconded  the  motion. 

Mr.  David  Bearn,  of  Philadelphia,  suggested  the  experiment  of  try- 
ing to  incorporate  a  hail  insurance  company,  so  tliat  the  Society 
might  see  how  much  capital  for  the  purpose  it  could  get.  If  mem- 
bers of  the  Society  put  capital  in  it,  an  insurance  organization  would 
be  secured,  and  then  its  workings  could  be  seen. 

Mr.  J.  0.  Vaughan  (to  Mr.  May) :  Did  I  understand  that  you  rec- 
ommended the  plan  ? 

Mr.  J.  N.  May  :  I  recommended  the  plan  as  modified  with  my 
amendments. 

Mr.  Vaughan  :  I  understand  then  that  you,  as  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee on  hail  insurance  of  the  Society  of  American  Florists,  have 
recommended  the  plan  as  proposed  to  be  amended  ? 

Mr.  May  :  Certainly. 

Mr.  Vaughan  :  I  tliink  that  is  satisfactory  on  that  point. 

Mr.  James  Horan,  of  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  remarked  that  he 
thought  a  large  majority  of  those  present  favored  insurance.  He,  for 
one,  wanted  it.  He  had  been  unfortunate  enough,  about  tliree  years 
ago,  to  lose  about  three  thousand  dollars  in  damage  by  hail.  He  in- 
sisted, however,  that  the  motion  made  by  President  Craig  was  sub- 
stantially identical  with  the  one  which  had  been  voted  upon  and  re- 
jected. 

The  President  (after  a  brief  controversy  as  to  the  form  of  the  pend- 
ing question) :  In  order  that  there  may  be  no  further  misunderstand- 
ing, before  we  take  the  vote,  I  will  again  state  the  motion.  It  is  this : 
"  That  it  is  unwise  for  the  delegates  to  adopt  any  plan  of  life  insur- 
ance at  this  time." 

(The  error  of  the  Chair  in  substituting  life  for  hail  insurance  here 
provoked  general  merriment.) 

The  President  :  You  know  what  Emerson  has  said  about  the  misuse  of 
a  word,  and  he  is  pretty  high  authority.  He  says  that  the  word  does 
not  make  any  diiference  so  long  as  you  have  the  idea.  Now,  I  had 
the  idea,  and  so  had  you  all.  I  do  not  object  to  this  little  fun,  be- 
cause the  matter  is  one  over  which  we  are  liable  to  fall  into  a  little  ill- 
humor.  Indeed,  I  am  glad,  in  view  of  the  laugh  it  raised,  that  I  made 
the  slip  of  the  tongue  that  I  did.  Now,  that  there  may  be  no  mistake, 
I  will  state  that  those  who  favor  dropping  this  whole  matter  of  hail 
insurance  will  vote  "  aye  "  on  the  motion,  and  those  who  want  to  have 
the  subject  further  discussed  will  vote  "  no." 


SOCIETY    OF    AMEHICAN    FLORISTS.  99 

Mr.  William  Graham,  of  Philadelphia,  suggested  that  the  vote  be 
taken  by  the  members  rising. 

The  President,  acting  upon  the  suggestion,  ordered  a  rising  vote ; 
and,  this  being  taken,  the  result  was  announced  as  follows :  In  the 
affirmative,  55 ;  in  the  negative,  67.  He  then  announced  that  the 
motion  had  been  negatived,  and  that  the  subject  was  still  open  for 
discussion,  and  invited  further  remarks. 

Mr.  A.  B.  Fowler,  of  Exeter,  N.  H.,  remarked  that  two  reports  had 
been  read — one  by  the  Secretary,  Mr.  Taylor,  and  the  other  by  the 
chairman,  Mr.  May — and  he  desired  to  know  which  was  presented  as 
the  report  of  the  committee. 

The  President  replied  that  the  understanding  of  tlie  Chair  was  that 
the  committee  as  a  whole  did  not  make  a  report. 

Mr.  J.  C.  Vaughan  stated  that,  in  response  to  a  direct  inquiry  on 
the  point,  the  chairman  (Mr.  May)  had  stated  that  his  report  was 
presented  by  him  as  chairman  of  the  committee. 

Mr.  G.  L.  Grant,  of  Chicago  :  I  move  that  the  plan  offered  by  Mr. 
May,  with  the  suggestions  and  amendments  reported  by  him.  be 
adopted  by  this  Society. 

The  motion  was  seconded. 

Mr.  A.  B,  Fowler  reminded  the  audience  that  an  insurance  organi- 
zation, as  proposed,  would  be  obliged  to  conform  to  the  laws  in  each 
State  in  which  it  operated,  and  that,  as  the  insurance  laws  of  the 
States  were  dissimilar  and  at  variance  with  each  other,  it  might  be 
found  impossible  to  put  in  practical  operation  a  sj^stem  such  as  the 
one  proposed  by  the  report.  He  thought  that  the  adoption  of  any 
plan  of  this  kind  would  be  premature. 

Mr.  F.  R.  Pierson  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  question  was 
simply  upon  approving  of,  or  adopting,  the  committee's  report,  and 
that  this  action  would  not  commit  the  Society  to  the  support  of  the 
I)roposed  insurance  company.  So  far  as  concerned  the  difficulty  sug. 
gested  by  Mr.  Fowler,  his  own  opinion  was  that  the  company  could 
be  organized  under  the  laws  of  any  one  State,  and  tliat  its  members 
in  other  States  would  receive  all  the  benefits  of  it.  He  thought  that 
an  organization  could  be  effected  in  the  State  of  New  York,  under  the 
mutual  benefit  laws  of  1883,  with  very  little  expense.  It  would  not 
be  necessary  to  organize  in  every  State. 

Mr.  Fowler  inquired  Avhether  it  would  not  be  necessary  for  the 
company  to  conform  to  the  special  requirements  imposed  by  the  laws 
of  certain  States  before  it  could  do  business  in  those  States.  Some 
little  trouble  in  this  way  had  arisen  in  the  State  of  New  Hampshire, 


100  PROfJEEDlNGS    OF    SECOND    CONVENTION. 

and  he  had  been  informed  that  these  exceptional  provisions  of  law 
existed  in  Massachusetts,  Pennsylvania,  and  other  States. 

Mr.  PiERSON  replied  that  the  proposition  was  not  that  the  company 
should  do  business  in  every  State,  but  only  in  the  State  in  which  its 
organization  was  effected.  He  explained  that  tlie  life  insurance  com- 
pany of  which  lie  was  a  member  organized  under  the  law  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  included  in  its  membership,  and  among  those  re- 
ceiving its  benefits,  citizens  of  many  other  States, 

Mr.  E.  G.  Hill  coincided  with  Mr.  Pierson  in  the  view  just  ex- 
pressed. He  thought  that  if  the  company  did  not  establish  agencies 
in  States  other  than  the  one  in  which  it  was  organized,  it  would  not  be 
subjected  to  any  diihculty  because  of  the  restrictions  of  the  insurance 
laws  of  other  States.  He  stated  further  that  he  desired  to  enunciate 
more  fully  the  vieAV  suggested  by  ]\Ir.  Thorpe.  He  agreed  witli  that 
gentleman  that,  when  the  Society  of  American  Florists  was  organized, 
the  idea  was  that  it  should  originate  and  carry  forward  some  plan  of 
mutual  insurance  for  the  protection  of  its  members  against  loss  by 
hail.  He  desired  it  now  to  be  understood  that  it  was  entirely  oi)tional 
witli  each  member  to  go  into  or  stay  out  of  the  proposed  organization. 
He  failed  to  see,  however,  that  any  advantage  was  to  be  gained  by 
withholding  assistance  from,  or  by  placing  obstacles  in  the  way  of,  those 
who  desired  to  have  such  an  organization.  (Applause.)  He  had 
given  the  subject  some  little  thought,  and  it  appeared  to  him  that  the 
committee  had  pulled  together  in  every  direction  but  the  right  one. 
He  believed  they  sliould  have  made  more  strenuous  efforts  to  reconcile 
ditferences.as  to  details  with  a  view  to  presenting  at  the  present  meeting 
some  plan  upon  which  action  could  be  taken.  The  supposed  difficulty 
of  operating  in  difierent  States,  under  the  varying  conditions  of  the 
laws  of  each,  had  been  suggested  to  the  committee  at  the  meeting  in 
Cincinnati,  and  that  point  was  emphasized  at  the  time,  with  the  ex- 
pectation that  the  committee  would  inquire  into  and  report  upon  that 
feature  of  the  subject  so  that  action  could  be  taken  intelligently  at 
this  time.  Mr.  Thorpe,  with  his  great  benevolent  heart,  taking  in  the 
opinions  and  needs  of  everybody,  had  correctly  stated  the  position  of 
the  matter,  and  the  spirit  which  he  had  shown  was  one  which  others 
should  seek  to  emulate,  so  that  all  the  delegates  might  be  enabled, 
leaving  aside  petty  differences  as  to  details,  to  unite  in  support  of  a 
practical  and  earnest  experiment.  If  it  was  found  that  such  an  exper- 
riment  could  not  succeed,  the  wliole  matter  could  then  be  dropped. 

Mr.  D.  R.  Woods,  of  New  Brighton,  Pa.,  remarked  that  he  tliought 
he  fairly  expressed  the  sentiment  of  a  majority  of  those  present  when 
he  declared  that  in  voting  down  the  motion  which  had  been  made, 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLOKISTS.  101 

they  did  not  wish  to  be  understood  as  opposing  hail  insurance.  The 
point  was  this:  that,  in  their  judgment,  it  was  not  advisable  for  the 
society  to  adopt  the  insurance  plan  as  a  society.  They  evidently 
thought  that,  while  it  might  be  wise  for  the  florists  of  America  to 
adopt  a  plan  of  hail  insurance,  it  was  not  prudent  for  the  society  to 
do  it,  because  the  florists  of  America  and  the  Society  of  American 
Florists  were  not  identical.  For  one,  Mr.  Woods  said,  he  was  opposed 
to  the  Society  forming  a  company  such  as  proposed.  As  individuals, 
the  members  could  do  as  they  pleased,  but  as  a  society,  they  should 
make  haste  slowly. 

Referring  to  parliamentary  law  and  usage,  Mr.  Woods  argued  that 
the  effect  of  a  motion  to  adopt,  rather  than  merely  to  accept,  the  re- 
port of  a  committee,  would  bind  the  Society  to  carry  out  whatever  the 
report  proposed.  Hence  the  adoption  of  the  insurance  plan  reported 
by  the  committee  would  pledge  the  society  to  push  the  matter,  and 
would  imply  that  every  delegate  present  was  to  become  a  member  of 
the  insurance  company. 

The  President  combated  the  position  taken  by  Mr.  Woods.  He  said 
he  thought  that  the  gentleman  was  laboring  under  a  misapprehension ; 
that,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Chair,  the  adoption  of  tlie  report  from  the 
committee  would  not  obligate  the  members  of  the  Society  to  do  any- 
thing, but  would  leave  them  free  to  join  tlie  insurance  company  or  to 
stay  out  of  it,  as  there  was  no  compulsion.  He  added  that,  if  in  error, 
he  would  be  glad  to  be  corrected. 

Mr.  J.  H.  McFarland  of  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  here  submitted,  as  a  point 
of  order,  that,  the  report  having  been  received,  the  pending  question 
was  the  motion  of  Mr.  Grant. 

The  President  decided  the  point  well  taken. 

Mr.  John  Thorpe  asked  to  say  a  few  words  before  the  question  was 
decided.  He  explained  that,  some  twenty  years  ago,  the  growers  on 
the  eastern  and  northern  shores  of  England  suffered  consideralily 
from  hail,  while  around  London,  (which  he  likened  to  the  city  of 
New  York  at  the  present  day,  in  respect  to  the  attitude  of  its  florists 
on  the  question,)  no  concern  was  felt  about  it,  as  hail  storms  were  al- 
most unknown  there.  Some  six  or  eight  years  ago,  he  read  an  account 
of  losses  from  hail  at  points  around  London — a  liail  storm  of  great 
severity  having  occurred  there,  and  the  destruction  caused  by  it  being 
so  great,  that  the  creation  of  a  fund  was  made  necessary  for  the  relief 
of  the  sufferers,  and  to  aid  in  reestablishing  them  in  business.  Mr. 
Thorpe  went  on  to  say  that  there  was  no  question  in  his  mind  about 
"the  hail  bill."  The  hail  bill  was  to  be  seen  wherever  hail  came,  and 
not  where  it  did  not  come.     When  the  hail  comes  along  in  the  West, 


102  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

in  loAva,  or  Dakota,  or  away  out  on  the  plains,  where  there  are  not  so 
many  green-houses,  its  visits  are  not  long  remembered;  but  if  hail 
storms  should  come  around  Union  Hill,  Jersey  City,  and  College 
Point,  where  green-houses  are  as  thick  as  bees  in  summer  time,  the 
losses  would  be  terrible,  and  the  sutierers  would  be  the  loudest  in  de- 
manding some  means  of  protection  thereafter.  It  should  be  remem- 
bered that  destruction  from  hail,  unlike  loss  by  fire,  could  not  be 
guarded  against  and  provided  for.  The  question  seemed  to  the  speaker 
to  be  a  serious  one.  He  said  that  if  the  effort  to  formulate  a  plan 
should  fail  altogether,  some  means  for  rendering  mutual  assistance  in 
emergencies  sliould  he  provided  voluntarily.  If  the  men  in  the  busi- 
ness in  the  West  were  stricken  down  by  their  losses,  their  Eastern 
brethren  should  help  them,  and  tlie  former,  in  their  turn,  should  recip- 
rocate  Avhen  florists  in  the  East  became  the  sufl'erers. 

Mr.  Peter  Henderson  said  he  did  not  believe  that  a  single  one  of 
the  florists  present  would  hesitate  to  insure  against  loss  by  hail  if  any 
practical  method  for  doing  it  could  be  devised.  He  had  understood 
that  the  purj^ose  in  sending  out  the  blank  circulars  was  to  acquire  the 
necessary  data,  so  that  ordinary  insurance  companies  would  have 
something  to  estimate  on.  For  himself  he  could  ^ay  that,  in  a  period 
of  thirty-seven  years,  he  had  not  suffered  any  loss  from  hail.  He  had 
no  hope,  however,  that  tliis  Society  would  ever  take  hold  of  the  hail 
question,  as  a  society,  in  a  practical  way. 

Mr.  J.  M.  Jordan,  of  St.  Louis,  said  he  did  not  regard  an  insurance 
company  and  a  florists'  association  as  analogous.  He  thought  that 
the  dissimilarity  between  the  two  bodies  would  practically  keep  them 
distinct  and  separate  from  each  other.  The  Florists'  Association  asso- 
ciated together  all  persons  interested  in  the  trade  whose  cooperation 
would  tend  to  elevate  it.  Its  circle  of  membership  included  gentle- 
men, like  the  owner  of  the  beautiful  place  at  Wootton,  whose  natural 
affinity  for  flowers  attracted  them  to  the  Society,  practical  gardeners, 
who  are  employed  to  raise  supplies  for  the  market,  and  the  employes 
of  gardeners.  Among  the  mem])ers,  therefore,  there  were  many  who 
were  not  interested  in  insuring  glass,  because  they  own  no  glass.  He 
believed  that  the  Society,  as  such,  had  not  the  right  to  identify  itself 
with  an  insurance  organization,  except  so  far  as  to  give  its  moral  sup- 
port for  the  encouragement  of  the  individual  efl'orts  of  deserving  mem- 
bers. 

He  coincided  in  the  view  that  a  hail  insurance  company,  organized 
under  the  laws  of  a  particular  State,  could  carry  on  its  business  in 
other  States,  under  the  laws  of  other  States.  He  cited  an  instance  in 
which  a  company,  organized  under  the  laws  of  Kentucky,  and  which 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  103 

had  paid  out  in  losses  at  the  rate  of  about  three  millions  of  dollars  a 
year,  did  not  have  its  principal  offices  in  Kentucky,  but  in  Missouri, 
because  they  thought  the  latter  State  a  better  place  in  which  to  do 
business.  The  question  as  to  whether  they  could  remove  the  prin- 
cipal offices  from  the  State,  after  a  bitter  contest,  had  gone  to  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  Kentucky,  and  that  court  had  said  that  the  company 
had  a  right  to  do  business  where  it  pleased,  provided  it  complied  with 
the  laws  of  Kentucky.  The  speaker  thought  that  a  company  organ- 
ized in  Philadelphia  could  do  business  in  any  of  the  States,  but  he 
reiterated  that  the  Society  ought  not  to  go  further  than  to  say  that  a 
company  would  have  its  moral  support. 

Mr.  William  R.  Smith,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  said  he  thought  there 
would  be  no  difficulty  in  procuring  a  charter  in  the  District  of  Col- 
umbia for  a  mutual  association  of  the  kind  proposed.  He  belonged  to 
a  life  association  there  which  had  been  in  existence  for  twenty-five 
years,  and  the  members  of  whicli  were  scattered  throughout  the  Union. 
The  association  could  have  its  headquarters  there  nominally,  if  not 
really,  and  do  business  all  over  the  United  States.  He  felt  that  he 
could  almost  guarantee  the  procurement  of  a  charter  there.  He  did 
not  propose,  however,  to  disciiss  the  feasibility  of  such  an  organiza- 
tion. 

Mr.  M.  A.  Hunt,  of  Chicago,  said  he  did  not  think  that  the  idea  of 
binding  the  Society  to  any  proijosition  emanating  from  the  committee 
would  be  seriously  entertained,  but  he  thought  that  the  members  of 
an  organization  formed  within  the  Society  would  be  greatly  strength- 
ened by  the  Society  giving  them  its  support  in  the  start.  It  seemed 
to  him  now,  as  it  did  last  year,  while  reflecting  on  the  matter,  that 
the  creation  of  a  fund  upon  which  actual  sufterers  from  loss  by  hail 
could  draAV  would  i)rove  of  great  benefit.  He  had  not  given  the  sub- 
ject sufficient  thought  to  enable  him  to  feel  satisfied  that  such  a  means 
of  help  could  be  availed  of  upon  strictly  business  principles,  but  his 
thought  had  been  that,  for  one,  he  would  be  willing,  if  others  would  join 
him,  to  throw  in  fifty  or  seventj^-five  dollars  a  year  for  a  general  fund 
upon  which  hail  sufferers  could  draw.  This  w^as  his  feeling  to-day. 
It  seemed  to  him  that  the  committee,  instead  of  simplifying  the  mat- 
ter, had  moved  in  the  other  direction,  and  that  all  the  imaginary  hin- 
drances which  seemed  to  lie  in  the  way  of  the  project  had  risen  up 
before  them. 

Mr.  G.  L.  Grant,  of  Chicago,  expressed  the  thought  that  an  equit 
able  plan,  one  that  would  be  satisfactory  to  everybody,  could  be  ar- 
ranged and  made  successful.     As  both  sides  of  the  question  had  been 
presented,  he  now  asked  for  a  vote. 


104  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

Mr.  William  Graham,  of  Philadelphia,  inquired  of  the  Chair 
whether,  if  tlie  pending  motion  prevailed,  the  elfect  would  be  to  adopt 
the  plan  presented  by  Mr.  May,  and  to  require  the  Society  to  carry  it 
out. 

The  President  replied  in  the  affirmative. 

Mr.  JoHX  G.  EsLER,  of  Saddle  River,  New  Jersey,  then  moved  to 
amend  the  motion  so  as  to  make  it  read  as  follows :  "  That  the  Society 
accepts  tlie  report,  and  directs  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  or- 
ganize a  company,  with  the  understanding  that  the  Society  of  Amer- 
ican Florists  will  not  be  liable,  linancially,  because  of  such  organ- 
ization." 

The  President  remarked  that  the  exemption  of  the  Society  from  an 3'^ 
liability  was  generally  understood,  and  therefore  need  not  be  expressed. 

]Mr.  EsLER  here  made  the  statement  that  the  report  which  had  been 
made  by  Mr.  May  provided  all  the  way  through  for  an  bi-ganization 
separate  from  that  of  the  Society. 

Mr.  A.  B.  Fowler,  of  Exeter,  New  Hampshire,  suggested  that,  as  the 
report  of  tlie  secretary  of  the  Insurance  Committee  was  first  submitted, 
it  was  entitled  to  precedence  over  tlie  other  report,  and  that  action 
should  be  had  upon  it  before  the  plan  of  the  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee was  taken  up. 

The  President  replied  that  the  plan  submitted  by  Mr.  May  was  the 
one  now  under  consideration. 

The  President  (  after  conferring  with  the  author  of  the  original 
motion,  who  had  accepted  the  amendment  as  a  modification  of  his 
motion)    stated  the   question   upon  the  pending  motion  as  follows: 

"  That  the  plan  reported  by  Mr.  May  be  received,  and  that  a  com- 
mittee be  appointed,  with  instructions  to  organize  a  company." 

A  vote  being  here  taken,  this  motion  was  adopted. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  J.  G.  Esler,  the  present  committee  on  Hail  In- 
surance was  discharged  with  the  thanks  of  the  Society. 

Mr.  AViLLiAM  Graham,  of  Philadelphia :  I  move  that  Mr.  George  W. 
Childs  be  elected  an  honorary  member  of  the  Society  of  American 
Florists. 

The  motion  was  carried  by  a  unanimous  vote. 

On  motion  of  Heniy  A.  Siebrecht,  of  New  Rochelle,  New  York, 
moved  the  offer  of  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  George  W.  Childs  for  his 
kind  hospitality  upon  the  occasion  of  the  visit  of  the  Society  to  that 
gentleman's  country-seat  this  afternoon. 

Mr.  D.  R.  Woods,  of  New  Brighton,  Pa.,  suggested  the  appointment 
of  a  committee  of  three  to  draft  resolutions  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Childs 
and  to  forward  the  same  to  him. 


SOCiETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  105 

Mr.  SiEBRECHT  accepted  the  suggestion. 

The  motion  of  Mr.  Siebrecht,  as  modified  by  Mr.  Woods'  sugges- 
tion, was  adopted  by  a  unanimous  vote. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Esler,  the  committee  to  organize  the  hail  in- 
surance company  was  ordered  to  consist  of  five  members ;  and, 
on  motion  of  Mr.  H.  M.  Smith,  of  New  York  city,  the  Chair  was 
autliorized  to  appoint  the  committee  at  such  time  as  he  might  think 
best. 

Both  motions  were  adopted  without  dissent. 

Mr.  McFarland  moved  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  James  Hendrick,  for 
his  response  in  behalf  of  the  Society  at  the  reception  given  this  day 
by  Mr.  George  W.  Childs. 

Adopted  unanimously. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  D.  D.  L.  Farson,  of  Philadelpliia,  it  was  ordered 
that  a  copy  of  the  constitution  and  by-laws  be  mailed  to  each  member 
of  the  Society. 

Adjourned. 


THIRD  DAY— Morning. 

Horticultural  Hall,  Philadelphia, 

Saturday^  August  21^  1886. 

President  Craig  announced  the  following  appointment : 

Executive  Committee. — ^Joiin  Thorpe,  Queens,  N,  Y.;  Egbert  J. 
Halliday,  Baltimore;  J.  M.  Jordan,  St.  Louis;  C.  B.  Whitnall,  Mil- 
waukee; E.  G.  Hill,  Richmond,  Ind.;  John  N.  May,  Summit,  N.  J.; 
H.  A.  Siebrecht,  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y.;  Alexander  Murdoch,  Pitts- 
burgli,  Pa.,  and  W.  J.  Stewart,  Boston,  Mass. 

Also,  in  accordance  with  the  reports  from  the  various  State  delega- 
tions, the  election  and  appointment  of  the  State  vice  presidents,  a 
list  of  whom  will  be  found  on  page  4. 

The  President  announced  that  the  following  had  been  constituted 
the  committee  to  organize  a  hail  insurance  company,  pursuant  to  the 
resolution  previously  adopted : 

J.  M.  Jordan,  St.  Louis,  chairman ;  Henry  A.  Siebrecht,  New  Roch- 
elle, N.  Y.;  E.  G.  Hill,  Richmond,.  Ind.;  J.  G.  Esler,  Saddle  River, 
N.  J.;  J.  0.  Vaughan,  Chicago. 

The  President  announced  the  following  as  a  Committee  on  Final 
Resolutions : 


106  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

Peter  Henderson,  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  chairman  ;  J.  H.  Taylor,  Bay- 
side,  N.  Y.,  W,  J.  Stewart,  Boston. 

Mr.  J.  N.  JMay  :  I  move  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  consider 
the  advisability  of  changing  tlie  first  day  of  our  annual  meeting  from 
Wednesday  to  Tuesday,  and  of  so  amending  our  by-laws  as  to  provide 
against  an  interruption  of  the  convention  during  its  business  sessions, 
such  as  we  have  had  at  the  present  meeting.  Tlie  point  for  consider- 
ation is  whether  any  interruption  shall  be  permissible  while  the  busi- 
ness of  the  annual  meeting  remains  undisposed  of. 

The  President  :  It  is  evident,  from  our  present  experiences,  that 
our  local  committee,  in  their  kindness  of  heart,  have  made  a  mistake. 
They  were  actuated  by  the  best  of  motives,  and  would  promise  not  to 
again  err  in  the  same  direction,  at  least  not  to  the  extent  to  which 
they  have  erred. 

Mr.  J.  C.  Vaughan:  I  had  hoped  the  Chair  would  not  construe  the 
motion  as  intended  to  cast  any  reflection  upon  any  one.  No  member 
of  this  Society — I  think  I  speak  for  every  one  of  them — would  suggest 
a  complaint  concerning  the  manner  in  which  our  time  has  been  occu- 
pied, in  view  of  what  has  been  done  for  our  pleasure  and  comfort 
here.     The  motion  looks  onh'  to  the  future. 

The  President  :  The  Chair  would  add  one  word  on  the  point  before 
dismissing  it.  He  is  sure  that  every  one  understands  that  the  arrange- 
ments by  the  local  committee  were  made  with  the  best  intentions. 
There  is  the  best  of  feeling  here,  but  there  is  a  clear  conviction  that 
the  time  appropriated  to  festivity  has  been  of  such  length  as  to  inter- 
fere with  business ;  and  everybody  seems  to  be  of  opinion  that  we 
should  attend  to  business  before  pleasure  next  year.  I  do  not  think 
there  is  any  dissatisfaction  or  fault-finding  about  it,  but  there  seems  to 
be  a  decided  disposition  to  attend  to  business  hereafter  without  delay, 
and  to  leave  our  little  pleasure  trips  until  our  business  is  finished. 

The  motion  of  Mr.  May  was  adopted  by  a  unanimous  vote  amid  ap- 
plause. 

The  President  announced,  as  the  next  business,  an  essay  on  "  The 
Advantages  of  Hot  Water  over  Steam  for  Heating  Purposes,"  by  J.  D. 
Carmody,  Evansville,  Indiana. 

Mr.  Carmody  came  forward,  and  was  heartily  welcomed.  He  said : 
"  Before  reading  my  paper  on  this  subject,  I  wish  to  state  that  I  claim 
to  be  a  florist  in  a  small  way.  The  plants  that  I  cultivate  are  covered 
by  about  nine  thousand  feet  of  glass.  I  have  been  engaged  in  the  busi- 
ness for  fifteen  years,  and  the  paper  Avhich  I  now  submit  has  been 
written  from  a  florist's  stand-point  onl}'"." 

The  essayist  h«re  read  as  follows  : 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  107 

THE  ADVANTAGES  OF  HOT  WATER  OVER  STEAM  FOR  HEATING  PURPOSES. 

In  advocating  hot  water  as  a  lieating  medium  in  preference  to  steam,  we  do 
not  condemn  the  latter  to  tlie  extent  of  calling  it  a  failure,  for  where  all  condi- 
tions are  favorable  and  proper  attention  is  paid,  good  results  have  been  achieved. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  the  old  brick  flue.  No  doubt  there  are  many  florists 
present  who  are  raising  as  fine  plants  and  flowers  by  tlie  aid  of  its  heat  as  ever 
bloomed  under  the  aid  afforded  by  the  most  approved  steam  or  hot  water  appa- 
ratus ;  but  who,  for  conveniences  sake  and  general  results,  would  not  exchange 
the  flue  for  either  steam  or  hot  water  ? 

Before  making  the  change,  it  is  wise  to  set  the  two  systems  in  question  side  by 
side,  turn  them  inside  out,  expose  every  weak  point,  and  exhibit  such  commend- 
able quality  for  public  inspection,  that  we  may  adopt  the  better  method.  In 
order  to  present  the  subject  under  discussion  in  the  most  comprehensive  manner, 
we  will  examine  it  in  detail  and  introduce  to  vour  notice. 

1.— LOCATION   OF   HOILEU   WITH   REGARD   TO   CONVENIENCE. 

Steam,  to  work  well,  must  have  the  boiler  located  low  enough  for  the  water 
line  to  come  below  the  level  of  the  return  pipes  in  the  green-liouse.  This  neces- 
sitates a  pit  or  cellar  in  immediate  proximity,  not  lesstlian  six  or  eight  feet  deep, 
wliicli  can  only  be  constructed  at  considerable  expense  ;  and  necessity  often  com- 
pels the  location  to  be  inconvenient  of  access,  laborious  to  supply  with  coal  and 
in  removing  the  ashes.  In  many  localities  sucli  an  excavation  will  at  times  give 
a  world  of  trouble  from  surface  water.  We  have  personal  knowledge  of  several 
such  instances. 

Hot  water  circulation  is  independent  of  location.  It  flows  as  well  with  the 
boiler  above  as  below  the  ground  line.  No  dark  pit  or  subterranean  cellar  is 
necessary,  in  which  to  generate  its  radiating  current.  Convenience  only,  with 
regard  to  location,  is  consulted.  ' 

2.— COMPARATIVE  SIZE  OF  BOILERS. 

A  steam  boiler  must  be  large  enough  to  hold  a  generous  supply  of  steam,  and 
at  the  same  time  water  enough  to  cover  the  fire-box.  This  necessitates  a  bulky 
mass,  difficult  to  get  in  place,  and  often  times  occupying  much  valued  room. 

Hot  water  boilers  are  small  and  compact,  requiring  little  space. 

3.— COMPLICATION  OF  BOILER  AND  ATTACHMENTS. 

Every  well-regulated  steam  boiler  is  applied  with  numerous  appendages,  known 
as  water  gauge,  steam  gauge,  safety  valve,  check  valve,  draught  regulator, 
damper  regulator,  injector  or  supply  pump,  and  every  distinct  line  of  pipe  in  the 
houses  must  have  an  air  cock.  The  use  and  management  of  all  these  necessary 
adjuncts  must  be  learned  by  the  man  in  charge,  and  when  the  knowledge  is  at- 
tained, he  thinks  he  is  entitled  to  the  rank  of  engineer,  and  demands  correspond- 
ing wages. 

Hot  water  boilers  have  no  need  of  these  expensive  ornaments,  and  a  cheap 
hand,  witli  sense  enough  to  tlirow  in  coal  and  pull  out  ashes,  is  competent  to-run 
the  fire. 

4.— COST   OF   BOIL*ER. 

A  new  wrought-iron  steam  boiler,  with  all  tlie  necessary  appliances,  will  cost 
from  one  half  more  to  double  the  amount  required  for  a  hot  water  boiler  to  heat 
a  house  of  a  given  size. 


108  PROCEEDINGS    OF    SECOND    CONVENTION. 

5.— COST  OF   PIPKS. 

Steam  pipes  (from  the  liigli  temperature  tliey  attain  i  are  much  smaller  than 
those  used  for  hot  water,  and  less  quantity  in  length  is  generally  required.  They 
are  also  laid  quicker,  but  always  require  experienced  labor,  with  expensive  tools, 
to  do  the  job. 

Hot  water  pipes  are  generally  larger  and  of  cast  iron,  put  togetiier  in  so  simple 
a  manner  tiiat  cheap  labor  and  inexpensive  tools  can  be  employed.  But  the  work 
is  slowTr  and  the  pipe  more  expensive,  rtud  the  result  is  that  steam  piping  is  the 
cheaper. 

6. — TE3IPERATURE  OF  CIRCULATION. 

Steam  is  said  to  be  the  product  of  water  heated  to  a  temperature  of  212^  Falir. 
It  is  true  that  steam,  at  atmospheric  pressure,  registers  only  212°  of  perceptible 
heat,  but  to  raise  steam  sufficient  to  expel  the  air  from  the  pipes,  and  fill  them 
■with  steam,  requires  966°  of  additional  units  of  heat.  So  steam  is  really  the  pro- 
duct of  1,178- of  heat ;  966- are  lield  in  the  boiler  latent,  while  only  212'  enter 
into  the  circulation. 

But  please  notice  that  it  requires  just  as  much  fuel  to  generate  the  966°  of 
latent  heat,  as  if  it  were  so  many  degrees  of  sensible  heat  tliat  entered  into  the 
circulation.  Again,  to  produce  any  lieat  at  all,  the  radiating  pipes  must  reg- 
ister at  least  212°  to  215°.  This  temperature,  in  mild  w^eather,  is  too  high  for 
plant  growing,  and  if  steam  is  turned  on  or  off  to  regulate  the  temperature,  close 
attention  is  demanded,  and  a  waste  of  fuel  is  going  on  in  keeping  up  steam  heat 
in  the  boiler. 

With  hot  water,  as  soon  as  fire  is  started  in  the  boiler,  circulation  commences 
at  once,  and  every  unit  of  heat  imparted  to  the  water  is  sensible,  and,  entering 
into  the  circulation,  is  transniitted  to  the  atmosphere  of  tlie  houses.  In  moder- 
ate weather,  when  a  little  heat  is  needed,  a  steady  supply  at  low  temperature  is 
easily  maintained,  with  no  waste  of  fuel,  and  but  little  attention  to  the  fire. 

7.— COMPARATIVE  DURATION  OF  HEAT  WHEN  FIRE  IS  EXHAUSTED. 

When  the  feed  water  of  a  steam  boiler  falls  below  212°,  circulation  ceases. 
Steam  is  very  volatile,  and  radiates  its  heat  quickly,  and  tlie  pipes  being  small, 
cool  off  in  a  very  short  time,  leaving  tiie  houses  without  heat,  though  tliere  may 
be  some  fire  and  a  large  amount  of  heat  in  tlie  boiler. 

Hot  water  pipes  are  generally  large,  and  tlieir  content?,  when  heated  to  180° 
or  200°,  retains  heat  a  long  time,  dispensing  it  gradually,  little  by  little,  as  the 
surrounding  atmosphere  demands  it,  continually  drawing  on  the  fire  and  boiler 
for  its  last  particle  of  heat,  carrying  the  liouses  safely  through  the  early  morning 
hours,  when  winter's  fierce  breath  becomes  most  penetrating,  and  the  florist 
finds  his  warm  bed  most  attractive.    We  will,  in  this  connection,  refer  to 

8. — THE   ATTENTION   REQUIRED 

by  each  system  to  maintain  an  even  temperature  of  heat. 

With  steam,  the  numerous  appliances  to  keep  in  order  about  the  boiler,  the  air- 
cocks  in  the  radiation  pipes,  (which,  if  not  automatic,  must  be  opened  and  closed 
every  time  steam  is  raised,)  the  high  tem|)erature  necessary  to  be  maintained, 
the  rapidity  with  which  the  pipes  cool  off,  require  close  and  constant  attention 
that  only  a  competent,  sober,  intelligent  man  can  be  trusted  with.  No  matter 
how  automatic  your  regulators  are,  it  is  not  safe  to  fill  up  the  fire-box  and 
leave  it,  especially  when  soft  coal  is  used.    A  sudden  spurt  of  the  fire  is  liable  to 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  109 

occur  or  it  may  smother  out  entirely.  Too  raucli  lieat  endangers  the  pipes  or 
boiler,  and  raises  the  temperature  too  high  for  the  plants.  Too  little  fire  gives 
no  steam  and  the  pipes  are  cold,  though  the  feed-water  is  just  ready  to  boil. 

I  have  the  statement  of  reliable  persons,  and  I  know,  from  my  own  experience, 
that  it  is  not  safe  to  leave  a  steam  apparatus  on  a  cold  night  more  tlian  thirty 
minutes  without  attention,  and  little  heat  will  be  left  in  one  hour.  To  make 
steam  economically,  a  bright,  quick  fire  of  flame  is  best.  This  is  attained  by  fre- 
quent firings  with  small  quantities  of  fuel,  which  requires  the  constant  attention 
of  a  diligent  man. 

The  proprietor,  who  has  everything  at  stake,  is  really  the  surest  man  to  trust, 
but  are  they  all  willing  to  lose  rest  night  and  day  when  there  is  an  easier  plan  in 
the  hot-icater  system  ? 

Here,  all  that  needs  attention  is  the  fire,  and  after  the  water  is  hot,  a  quantity 
of  fuel  may  be  thrown  in,  and  the  draught  regulated  to  maintain  a  slow  fire  that 
will  last  from  one  to  two  hours.  When  tlie  fuel  is  consumed,  we  have  left  the 
heat  of  tlie  water  as  a  reserve  force,  wiiich  is  good  for  one  or  two  hours  more. 
Thus  you  can  hfive  a  respite  of  three  to  four  liours,  instead  of  one  hour  wit]\ 
steam. 

yhould  the  fireman  of  a  hot-water  system  so  forget  his  duty  as  to  raise  steam 
in  his  own  system  by  an  overdose  of  stimulant,  and  under  its  influence  fall  asleep, 
or  in  any  other  way  neglect  his  trust  after  the  hour  of  midnight,  no  damage 
would  be  likely  to  occur ;  but  the  plants  protected  by  steam  under  like  circum- 
stances, would  hang  their  heads  in  sorrow  when  t lie  morning  sun  melted  away 
the  icy  fetters  that  Iiad  crushed  out  tlieir  life. 

!'.— DURABILITY   OF   BOILERS. 

Steam  boilers  are  generally  made  of  wrougI>t-iron  as  a  safe-guard  against  acci- 
dent, while  tlie  majority  of  water-boilers  are  of  cast-iron.  Xow,  if  tliese  boil- 
ers were  kept  in  constant  use,  they  would  be  alike  durable,  but  when  not  in  use 
the  wrought-iron  will  rust  out  very  rapidly,  especially  where  soft  coal  has  been 
used  that  contained  siili)hur.  In  this  case,  the  flues  of  a  wrought-iron  boiler  will 
not  last  more  tiian  three  or  four  years,  while  a  cast-iron  boiler  is  good  for  many 
years.  1  have  now  a  cast  boiler  in  good  condition  that  has  been  in  use  for  twelve 
years,  while  a  wrought-boiler  I  had  made  as  an  experiment  was  useless  after  the 
third  season. 

10. — COST  OF   JUEL. 

The  difference  between  tiie  cost  of  fuel  by  the  two  systems  is  so  little  that  ac- 
tual experiments,  conducted  in  the  most  careful  manner,  only  will  tell  the  amount. 
To  decide  this,  the  same  boiler  must  be  used,  the  same  houses  heated,  with  the 
same  man  to  do  the  firing  in  an  impartial  manner,  and  the  same  weather  must 
be  met.  Until  this  test  is  made,  A  will  tell  C  his  steam  system  used  less  coal 
than  B"s  hot-water,  and  B  will  tell  C  how  little  fuel  he  used  for  his  hot-water 
heating,  in  comparison  with  A's  coal-eating  steam  works. 

11. — HOT-WATER    UNDER  PRESSURE. 

Advocates  of  steam  claim  for  their  system  quicker  heat  and  higher  tempera- 
ture than  can  be  had  by  hot  water.    This  is  a  mistake. 

Give  water  the  same  pressure  as  steam,  use  small  pipes,  and  iiot  water  pos- 
sesses the  same  capacity  as  steam.  The  pipes  will  be  just  as  hot  and  circulation 
just  as  rapid  as  steam.    It,  furthermore,  has  the  advantage  of  circulating  at  a 


110  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

lower  temperature,  and  retaining  heat  for  double  tlie  time  that  steam  can.  For 
tliose  wlio  desire  liigh  temperature,  we  can  recommend  tliis  plan  as  possessing 
many  advantages  over  steam.  We  shall  be  pleased  at  any  time  to  explain  this 
system  more  fully  to  those  wiio  are  unacquainted  witii  the  laws  governing  high 
pressure  water  lieat,  and  desire  furtiier  information  on  the  subject. 

12.— CONDITION   OF   PLANTS  — STEAM   VCTSUS  HOT   WATER. 

Is  a  higli  temperature  conducive  to  perfect  health  and  sturdy  growth  of  bed- 
ding plants  ?  We  say  no  ;  and  the  florist,  in  spring,  will  tell  you  Ins  cold  pit 
sheltered  Ins  best  plants.  Does  a  high  temperature  produce  the  best  flowers? 
We  say  no ;  the  florist  that  studies  natureand  adopts  her  plans  is  most  successful. 
Does  nature  produce  lier  best  flowers  under  the  seorcliing  rays  of  a  .July  sun  ? 
Are  not  her  delicate  ferns  and  most  luxuriant  foliage  raised  in  cool  retreats— 
'neath  shading  bouglis  ? 

Mild,  balmy  spring  brings  forth  the  rose  in  her  beauty,  wdiich  lingers  till  sum- 
mer's fevered  breatli  blasts  her  loveliness.  Then  a  struggling  life  she  leads  till 
autumn's  dewy  nights  bring  refresliing  balm  that  starts  anew  the  stagnated  cur- 
rent, and  with  life  renewed,  the  queen  of  flowers  is  seen  in  all  her  glory. 

This  is  the  lesson  nature  teaches:  8i)ring  and  fall  are  the  seasons  for  flowers. 
Summer's  heat  brings  tlie  fruit.  AVe  are  florists,  and  if  we  would  liave  flowers,  we 
must  maintain  in  our  liouses  a  steady  temperature  at  a  medium  degree,  and  avoid 
sudden  changes.  Tliis  condition  every  florist  knows  can  better  be  obtained  by 
large  pipes  fllled  with  water  at  a  moderate  temperature  tlian  by  small  pipes  filled 
with  volatile  steam  at  a  burning  heat,  liable  in  one  siiort  hour  to  become  cold  as 
death. 

A  temperature  conducive  to  man's  health  is  the  proper  one  for  plants.  The 
celebrated  Dr.  Mussey,  of  Cincinnati,  who  wrote  me  last  fall  in  relation  to  hot- 
water  apparatus  for  his  dwelling-house,  says  hot-air  furnances  and  steam  iieat- 
ers  can  be  placed  in  tlie  same  category,  and  neitlier  are  tlie  proper  system  with 
which  to  heat  a  dwelling.  Tlie  only  proper  heat,  outside  of  the  old-fashioned 
wood  fire-place,  is  found  in  the  hot- water  system.  I  liave  received  several  let- 
ters from  florists  wlio  now  use  steam,  tiiat  express  tlieir  determination  to  return 
to  hot  water,  both  for  convenience's  sake  and  general  results. 

In  conclusion,  we  will  advise  the  florists  who  wish  to  heat  under  five  thousand 
feet  of  glass  with  one  fire,  to  use  hot  water  with  four-inch  pipes  and  an  open 
tank.  Tiiose  who  have  more  than  that  quantity  to  heat  with  one  fire,  should 
use  hot  water  under  pressure  in  two-inch  wrougiit-iron  pipes.  A  little  closer  at- 
tention is  required  to  keep  the  heat  up,  but  the  system  is  much  less  confusing 
tlian  steam. 

The  President  :  Before  proceeding  with  the  discussion  of  this  ques- 
tion, we  will  hear  from  the  opposite  side  of  tlie  issue,  viz :  an  essay  by 
Mr.  J.  H.  Taylor,  of  Bayside,  New  York,  on  ''The  Advantages  of 
Steam  over  Hot  Water  for  Heating  Purposes." 

THE    ADVANTAGES    OF    STEAM    OVER    HOT    WATER. 

I  have  been  asked  to  champion  steam-heating  for  green-house  purposes,  and  I 
shall  endeavor  to  give  you  a  fair  and  impartial  review  of  the  subject  from  a 
grower's  stand-point,  not  from  tlie  scientist's  view,  as  the  space  allowed  is  lim- 
ited, and  the  theoretical  portion  has  been  most  ably  treated  by  Mr.  A.  B.  Fowler, 


SOCIETY    OP    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  Ill 

in  a  recent  article  written  by  Iiim.  I  shall  endeavor  to  show  the  working  of  steam- 
heating  as  applied  to  our  purposes,  that  you  may  form  your  own  opinions.  In 
order  to  elucidate  my  subject  more  clearly,  I  shall  take  it  up  under  different 
heads. 

CAN   PLANTS  BE   GROWN  AS   WELL   BY   THE   SYSTEM   OF   STEAM   HEAT   AS   BY 

THAT   OF   HOT   WATER  V 

I  answer  most  decidedly  in  the  aflirmative,  and  go  a  step  further  and  hold  that 
they  can  be  better  grown.  This  is  owing  to  the  fact  of  having  the  temperature 
and  moisture  entii'ely  under  control  during  the  winter  months.  Therefore,  the 
grower  using  steam  to  heat  his  houses  lias  this  advantage  over  the  one  using  hot 
water,  that  lie  is  not  as  dependent  on  the  outside  conditions  of  the  atmosphere. 
Having  the  heat  under  sucli  perfect  control,  it  is  possible  to  fire  early  and  late 
in  the  fall,  and,  if  necessary,  during  the  summer  months.  This  is  highly  impor- 
tant to  the  grower  of  stove  plants  as  well  as  of  roses.  Tiiis  can  be  accomplished 
from  the  fact  that  steam-pipes  radiate  heat  immediately  upon  tlie  steam  being 
turned  into  them,  and  cool  in  fifteen  minutes  after  it  has  been  shut  off. 

CONVENIENCE   OF   HANDLING. 

Again,  only  one  or  more  boilers  are  required  in  places  heated  by  steam.  With 
very  little  trouble  or  expense,  it  is  possible  to  make  a  wood  or  light  coal  fire  and 
run  steam  through  the  green-house,  and.  when  no  longer  required,  it  can  be  shut 
off  immediately.  An  inch-and-a-tiuarter  pipe  with  steam  at  low  i)ressure  circu-. 
latiiig  through  it,  on  a  rainy  day,  will  not  materially  raise  the  temperature,  but 
will,  by  leaving  a  little  air  on  at  the  ventilators,  change  the  atmosphere,  thus 
preventing  all  forms  of  fungi  wliich  breed  in  a  warm  and  muggy  one.  In  this 
way,  also,  fumes  of  sulphur  can  be  given  during  any  season  of  the  year. 

Another  advantage  that  steam  possesses  is  that  of  being  able  to  heat  green- 
houses in  the  coldest  climate  to  any  desired  degree.  Owing  to  the  requisite  size 
of  pipe  for  hot-water  heating,  there  is  a  limit  to  the  piping  of  a  house,  whereas 
with  steam  this  is  not  tlie  case. 

COST   OF  FUEL,  ETC. 

The  next  important  consideration  is  that  of  fuel.  I  have  tried  to  get  some 
exact  data  to  lay  before  you  bearing  on  tliis  point,  but  without  much  success. 
An  accurate  comparison  of  heating  between  tlie  establishments  of  different 
growers  is  very  difficult  to  draw,  owing  to  construction,  location,  aspect,  and 
stock  raised.  Just  wliat  allowance  to  make  for  the  influence  of  any  of  these 
conditions  it  is,  of  course,  impossible  to  estimate,  and  an  absolute  comparison  of 
fuel  cannot  be  obtained.  I  can,  however,  give  you  my  own  experience,  which 
shows  a  decided  saving  of  fuel  between  the  two  systems  of  heating.  Since  using 
steam,  we  have  added  seven  thousand  live  hundred  square  surface  feet  of  glass. 
Our  consumption  of  fuel  during  the  past  live  years  has  been  as  follows:  During 
the  year  1879-80,  with  hot-water  piping,  four  hundred  tons  of  coal  were  con- 
sumed;  in  1880-81,  four  hundred  tons;  in  1881-82,  using  both  steam  and  hot 
water,  four  hundred  and  twenty-five  tons,  (this  was  owing  to  our  havhig  a  larger 
steam  boiler  than  was  necessary ;)  in  1882-83,  using  steam  alone  and  with  an  ad- 
dition of  two  thousand  four  hundred  square  feet  of  glass,  we  burned  three  hun- 
dred tons;  in  1883-84,  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  tons;  in  1884-85,  three 
hundred  and  tiiirty-five  tons;  in  1885-86,  three  hundred  and  seventy  tons,  with 
an  addition  of  five  thousand  one  hundred  square  feet  of  glass. 


112  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

During  the  first  two  of  these  years,  we  raised  almost  exclusively  bedding  stuff, 
but  gradually  filled  the  houses  with  tea  roses  and  carnations,  and  during  last 
winter  we  I'an  two  houses  of  lilacs,  which  we  maintained  at  eighty  degrees. 
Thus  tlie  stock  whicli  Ave  have  raised  latterly  has  required  a  much  higiier  tem- 
perature, and  we  can  still  show  a  saving. 

COMPARATIVE  FIRST  COST. 

The  first  cost  is  by  no  means  a  small  consideration,  and  here  again  steam  has 
the  advantage.  The  cost  of  heating  a  house  two  hundred  by  sixteen  feet  by  hot 
water  would  be,  exclusive  of  the  items  of  cliiraney,  etc.,  six  hundred  and  eighty- 
four  dollars.  To  heat  the  same  house  by  steam  would  cost  five  hundred  and 
sixty-seven  dollars.  We,  therefore,  iiave  a  saving  in  the  first  instance  of  one 
hundred  and  seventeen  dollars.  On  a  larger  range,  jthe  saving  would  be  even 
greater,  not  only  in  the  same  ratio,  lut  on  account  of  boilers,  for  large  steam 
boilers  cost  less  tlian  several  iiot-water  boilers.  Thus,  a  man  putting  up,  for  in- 
stance, six  houses  two  hundred  feet  long  would  save  on  tlie  first  cost,  at  the  same 
ratio,  seven  hundred  and  two  dollars,  but  actually  even  more.  A  comparison  of 
cost  of  the  boilers  on  my  place  will  give  us  an  approximate  understanding  of  the 
matter.  Our  old  hot-water  boilers  cost,  at  the  market  price,  three  tliousand  nine 
hundred  dollars  ;  our  present  steam  boilers  cost  one  thousand  nine  hundred  dol- 
lars. Here  alone  we  show  a  saving  of  two  thousand  dollars,  and  if  we  add  to 
that  the  difference  in  the  cost  of  pipe,  a  saving  in  the  first  cost  over  hot  water  of 
thirty  per  cent,  would  be  a  mild  statement. 

FURTHER  ECONOMY. 

There  are  other  reasons  wiiy  steam,  properly  put  in,  should  be  more  economical 
than  hot  water;  not  because  more  heat  is  made  from  a  pound  of  coal,  but  from 
the  metliod  of  applying  tlie  heat.  Hot  water  boilers,  as  a  rule,  lose  a  large  per- 
centage of  their  heat  up  the  chimney  ;  it  is  not  as  tlioroughly  utilized  as  in  steam. 
Again,  it  is  necessary  to  fire  with  hot  water  at  times  when  the  steam  boilers  could 
be  banked,  in  order  to  keep  the  water  hot  for  any  emergency.  Another  point 
which  saves  coal  in  steam  heating  is  the  fact  that  when  the  lieat  is  not  needed,  it 
can  be  shut  off.  This  is  a  thing  impossible  to  do  with  the  hot  water  boiler  on  a 
cold  day.    These  are  probably  the  main  reasons  why  a  saving  of  fuel  is  obtained. 

HIGH  PRESSURE  verSUS   LOW. 

'  For  our  purpose,  tiie  low-pressure  system  of  heating  is  decidedly  the  best.  In 
the  first  place,  it  requires  less  attention  ;  unskilled  labor  can  be  employed,  and, 
witli  ordinary  care,  we  have  absolute  safety.  On  the  other  hand,  high  pressure 
requires  a  good  engineer,  constant  watching,  and,  therefore,  the  risk  that  the 
man  in  charge  may  fall  asleep,  the  water  get  low  in  the  boilers,  and  the  man, 
green-houses  and  boilers  be  things  of  the  past. 

There  are  a  few  essential  points  regarding  a  proper  low-pressure  apparatus 
which  I  would  call  your  attention  to : 

First.  Ample  boiler  capacity. 

Second.  A  main  large  enough  to  convey  the  "required  volume  of  steam  with 
little  friction. 

Third.  To  have  the  pipes  so  laid  that  water,  starting  from  the  highest  point  of 
the  main  steam  pipe,  after  leaving  the  boiler,  will  return,  by  gravity,  to  the  same; 
not  to  have  any  pockets  along  the  route,  and  to  have  a  good  drip  from  the  circula- 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  113 

tions  to  the  return  main,  the  same  to  be  connected  to  the  main  return  independ- 
ently of  one  another.  Thus,  all  snapping  and  banging  will  be  avoided,  as  should 
and  would  be  tlie  case  in  perfect  steam  work. 

If  all  green-houses  heated  by  steam  were  properly  piped,  and  had  ample  boiler 
capacity,  we  should  not  hear  about  the  failure  of  this  method  of  heating  as  ap- 
plied to  green-houses. 

Everytliing  considered,  it  seems  to  be  the  best  method  known  of  heating.  It 
has  its  defects,  but  its  advantages  are  so  numerous  that  when  it  is  better  under- 
stood, and  growers  and  help  find  means  of  remedying  the  former,  it  will  undoubt- 
edly be  the  system  most  used  until  science  suggests  something  else.  When  we 
take  into  consideration  the  fact  that  steam  for  heating  green-houses  has  only 
been  tested  for  a  few  years,  the  number  of  places  so  lieated  already  speak  loudly 
in  its  favor. 

The  President  :  The  subject  is  now  open  for  discussion.  Remarks 
on  the  advantages  of  hot  water  over  steam  are  first  in  order. 

Mr.  Peter  Henderson  moved  that  the  remarks  be  limited  to  ten 
minutes.     Adopted. 

Mr.  C.  B.  Whitnall,  of  Milwaukee,  here  remarked  that  Mr.  Taylor, 
in  his  essay,  had  asserted  that  a  large  number  of  hot-water  boilers 
were  required  to  take  the  place  of  a  steam  boiler,  but  had  not  given 
the  reason  for  it. 

Mr.  Taylor  :  It  depends,  of  course,  upon  the  extent  of  the  area 
covered  by  your  glass.  Thus  far,  I  have  failed  to  see  a  hot-water 
boiler  that  would  heat  fifty  thousand  square  feet  of  glass.  It  w^ould 
take  from  twelve  to  eighteen  hot-water  boilers  to  do  that.  We  have 
had  on  our  place  eighteen  hot-water  boilers. 

Mr.  J.  M.  Jordan,  of  St.  Louis,  advised  those  of  his  hearers  whose 
hot-water  apparatus  was  doing  well  to  continue  its  use,  and  those  who 
were  about  to  put  in  an  entirely  new  plant,  to  decide  for  themselves 
upon  tlie  relative  merits  of  hot  water  and  steam  by  a  personal  inspec- 
tion of  the  two  methods.  The  jjoint  was  one  upon  which  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  give  advice,  and  he  thought  it  was  equally  inadvisable  for  the 
Society  to  commit  itself  in  favor  of  either  method.  By  way  of  cor- 
recting possible  misapprehensions,  he  suggested  that  the  allusion  of 
Mr.  Carmody  to  the  temperature  of  a  steam  furnace,  which  that  gen- 
tleman had  stated  at  nine  hundred  degrees  of  heat,  should  be  stated 
more  specifically,  so  as  to  show  that  units,  not  degrees,  of  heat  were 
referred  to ;  also  that  an  exaggeration  had  occurred  in  Mr.  Taylor's 
estimate  of  the  cost  of  heating  a  green-house  Avith  hot  water.  He 
said  that  that  gentleman  had  put  the  cost  of  the  apparatus  for  a  house 
of  two  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  width  at  about  $1,000,  but,  in  point 
of  fact,  a  boiler  with  a  capacity  to  heat  a  greater  space  could  be  pur- 
chased for  a  less  sum  than  the  one  named.  So  far  as  the  utility  and 
healthfulness  of  green-house  heating  ^vas  concerned,  the  speaker  was 
8 


114  PROCEEDINGS    OP    SECOND    CONVENTION. 

unable  to  see  that  there  was  practically  much  diiFerence  between  hot 
water  and  steam,  though  he  had  no  doubt  that  in  a  large  place,  situ- 
ated as  was  that  of  Mr.  Taylor's,  heat  could  be  secured  more  econ- 
omically by  the  use  of  steam. 

Mr.  Taylor  replied  that  his  figures  were  $684  for  a  house  of  two 
liundred  and  twenty  feet  long. 

Mr.  S.  C.  Moon,  of  Morrisville,  Pa.:  There  is  one  point  in  favor  of 
hot-water  boilers  which,  I  think,  has  been  omitted.  I  think  when  you 
have  fifty  or  eighty  thousand  feet  of  glass,  and  have  but  one  boiler, 
your  whole  place  is  liable  to  be  completely  frozen  up  in  case  that 
boiler  happens  to  break  down  or  give  way  on  a  cold  night ;  whereas, 
if  the  same  amount  of  glass  is  heated  by  several  hot- water  boilers  in 
operation,  the  danger  I  have  suggested  is  less  than  it  would  be  with 
the  use  of  steam,  as  only  one  boiler  is  liable  to  give  out  at  a  time. 
Therefore,  it  would  be  an  advantage,  instead  of  a  disadvantage,  to 
have  a  number  of  boilers. 

Mr.  Taylor  :  I  think  the  gentleman  (Mr.  Moon)  is  quite  right  about 
that,  but  that  very  thing  can  be  done  by  steam ;  in  fact,  most  of  the 
large  places  heated  by  steam  have  two  or  more  boilers.  Additional 
safety  is  thus  assured,  and  in  moderate  weather  only  one  boiler  need 
be  used. 

Mr.  T.  Edwards,  of  Bridgetoii,  N.  J.,  here  rose  to  speak  in  behalf  of 
the  hot  water  side  of  the  question,  but  was  ruled  out  of  order  by  the 
Chair,  as  the  ensuing  ten  minutes  had  been  appropriated  for  the  use 
of  the  advocates  of  steam. 

Mr.  J.  Y.  Smith,  of  Doylestown,  Pa.,  said  that  a  ten-minute  limit 
upon  an  old  man  like  himself,  who  moved  slowly,  would  not  i^ermit 
him  to  say  much.  He  referred  to  the  discovery  of  the  power  of  steam 
in  the  raising  of  the  lid  of  a  tea-kettle,  and  to  the  development  of 
that  power  in  the  low-pressure  engine,  the  condensing  engine,  and  the 
steam-boat  engine.  He  said  he  had  in  use  in  his  green-houses  a  boiler 
which  he  had  purchased  from  the  Philadelphia,  Wilmington  and 
Baltimore  Railroad,  and  had  known  of  for  nearly  thirty  years.  Its 
cost  was  one  hundred  dollars,  and  he  knew  from  experience  that  it 
had  kept  up  the  circulation  of  steam  throughout  his  green-houses  for 
about  nine  hours  daily  without  attention.  His  green-houses  were  eight 
in  number,  and  of  these  four  were  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and  four 
were  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  in  length.     He  continued : 

I  am  not  a  florist,  but  do  pretend  to  be  an  engineer.  The  boiler 
which  I  have  in  use  was  condemned  and  thrown  out,  but  I  may  con- 
tinue to  use  it  during  my  lifetime.  It  has  already  lasted  many  years, 
I  have  another  boiler,  purchased  in  Philadelphia,  which,  I  was  told. 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  115 

had  been  in  use  for  many  years  in  heating  honses  or  hotels.  I  am  not 
a  practical  man  in  the  cultivation  of  flowers,  though  I  have  served 
four  years'  apprenticeship  in  the  business.  I  am  using  the  refuse  coal, 
which  costs  very  little,  delivered  in  Doylestown.  With  respect  to  the 
pipes,  I  would  say  that  it  is  one  of  the  simplest  things  in  the  world  to 
secure  a  perfect  circulation  in  a  green-house ;  but,  if  you  do  not  have 
a  perfect  circulation,  the  heating  of  jonr  houses  will  prove  quite  ex- 
I)ensive.  If  you  have  to  force  your  water  up  hill,  whether  by  pump- 
ing or  other  means,  it  will  cost  you  a  great  deal  of  money.  The 
speaker  urged  the  importance  of  a  projjer  arrangement  of  the  heating 
pipes  in  a  green-house. 

Mr.  Peter  Henderson,  of  Jersey  City,  N.  J. :  Two  j^ears  ago  I  built 
a  house  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long  and  twenty  feet  wide  for  the 
special  purpose  of  enabling  me  to  compare  the  relative  merits  of 
steam  and  hot  water.  In  this  house  I  placed  tw^o  boilers  for  steam, 
which  were  almost  identical  in  size  with  two  boilers  I  had  in  a  house 
of  exactly  similar  dimensions,  which  was  heated  by  hot  water.  My 
object  was  to  decide  the  point  whether  there  was  any  ditference  in 
the  growth  of  plants  in  either  case.  I  found  that,  in  our  season's 
trial,  there  was  no  difference  whatever  that  I  could  detect.  The 
plants  grown  in  the  steam  house,  wliich  were  roses,  were  just  as  good 
as  those  grown  in  the  house  in  which  hot  water  was  used.  In  the  cost 
of  fuel  we  found  the  test  to  be  a  very  satisfactory  one.  In  the  steam 
boiler  pit  we  placed  four  measured  tons  of  coal,  and  in  the  hot  water 
boiler  pit  the  same  quantity.  When  the  coal  was  exhausted  in  the 
hot  water  boiler  pit,  we  found  that  we  had  one  ton  remaining  in  the 
steam  boiler  pit.  To  further  test  the  matter,  we  placed  three  tons  in 
the  steam  boiler  pit,  and  again  four  tons  in  the  hot  water  boiler  pit. 
When  this  was  exhausted  in  the  hot  water  pit,  we  again  found  one  ton 
left  in  the  steam  boiler  pit — showing  a  clear  saving  of  twenty-five 
per  cent.  The  temperature  in  each  house  was,  as  near  as  possible, 
identical,  and  the  conditions  of  both  were  as  nearly  the  same  as  they 
well  could  be ;  if  anything,  the  advantage  was  a  little  in  favor  of  the 
house  heated  by  hot  water,  because  it  was  placed  between  two  other 
houses,  thus  saving  the  exposure  of  the  outer  Avails. 

By  way  of  deciding  why  it  was  that  steam  at  two  hundred  and 
twelve  degrees  did  not  injure  the  plants  (as  we  found  it  did  not)  any- 
more than  did  hot  water  at  probably  one  hundred  and  fifty  or  one 
hundred  and  sixty  degrees,  I  took  a  thermometer  and  made  tests  at 
two,  four,  six,  eight,  ten,  twelve,  fourteen,  sixteen  and  eighteen  inches 
from  a  two-inch  steam  pipe  and  a  four-inch  hot  water  pipe.  This  was 
some  time  about  the  first  of  February.     We  found  that,  when  placed 


116  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

at  a  distance  of  two  inches  from  tlie  two-inch  steam  pipe,  the  tlier- 
mometer  marked  70° ;  at  two  inches  from  the  hot  water  pipe,  68°  ;  at 
four  inches  from  the  steam  pipe,  68° ;  at  four  inches  from  the  hot 
water  pipe,  67° ;  at  six  inches  from  the  steam  pipe,  67° ;  and  at  six 
inches  from  the  hot  water  pipe,  66°.  At  fourteen  inches  from  the 
steam  pipe,  and  fourteen  inclies  from  the  hot  water  pipe,  in  each 
case,  62°  appeared.  This  showing,  therefore,  demonstrated  that  the 
difference  was  merely  nominal,  tliat  practically  no  difference  existed. 
Consequently,  the  general  opinion  about  the  injury  done  by  steam 
pipes  wlien  heated  up  to  212°,  has  really  no  foundation  in  fact.  The 
radiation  is  almost  the  same  in  both  cases. 

[The  ten  minutes  liere  expired.] 

Mr.  H.  A.  SiEBREciiT :  The  last  point  made  by  Mr.  Henderson  is  cer- 
tainly a  very  important  one,  althougli  it  has  almost  invariably  been 
overlooked.     I  wisli  to  tliank  him  for  stating  it. 

Mr.  J.  D.  Cahmody,  being  given  ten  minutes  on  the  side  of  liot  water 
explained,  in  reply  to  Mr.  Jordan's  reference,  that  his  own  essay 
treated  of  units — not  degrees — of  heat.     He  continued: 

The  possibilities  of  hot  water  under  pressure  have  never  been  de- 
veloped, though  tests  have  been  made  in  isolated  cases  in  which  it  has 
been  in  practical  use.  If  you  apply  to  hot  water  the  same  i)ressure 
which  is  applied  to  steam,  you  will  have  the  same  heat  that  you  have 
with  steam,  but  with  a  slower  radiation ;  in  other  words,  the  hot  water 
will  retain  the  heat  for  more  than  twice  the  length  of  time  for  wliich  it  is 
retained  by  the  same  amount  of  steam.  If  you  use  two-incli  pipes 
and  apph^  a  steady  pressure,  you  can  heat  your  pipes  with  a  pressure 
of  twenty  pounds  up  to  a  temperature  of  257^°.  That  is  as  high  a 
temperature  as  is  often  reached  by  steam.  You  seldom  raise  your 
steam  more  than  from  five  to  ten  pounds'  j)ressure.  I  claim,  there- 
fore, that  you  will  get  the  same  amount  of  heat  in  your  pipes  from  hot 
water  that  you  will  get  from  steam.  At  the  level  of  the  sea,  the  boil- 
ing point  is  212°.  On  the  top  of  a  high  mountain  it  is  regulated 
by  the  altitude.  Put  the  water  under  pressure,  fill  the  pipes  up 
tight,  expel  all  the  air,  and  the  boiling  point  will  never  be  reached  as 
long  as  those  pipes  hold  the  water  in  them.  There  will  be  neither 
steam  or  air  in  those  pipes.  In  that  way,  you  can  get  a  high  degree  of 
temperature  and  a  rapid  circulation,  using  the  same  pipes  for  hot 
water  that  you  use  for  steam.  Furthermore,  you  get  circulation  in  your 
hot  water  pipe  more  quickly  than  in  your  steam  pipe,  because  hot  water 
circulates  immediately ;  that  is,  as  quicklj^  as  heat  is  imparted  to  the 
water ;  whereas  with  steam  the  operation  is  slower,  as  you  have  to 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  117 

expel  the  air  from  the  pipes  before  filling  them  with  steam.  Your 
water,  to  produce  steam,  is  required  to  be  heated  to  212°,  with  the  ad- 
ditional units  of  966°  besides.  Then,  when  your  fire  is  extinguished 
you  can  only  draw  what  heat  remains  in  the  pipes.  Of  course  that 
latent  heat  will  last  awhile,  but  it  quickl}^  cools  off.  If  j^our  pipes  are 
filled  Avith  hot  water,  that  heat  is  retained  in  them  longer,  and  you 
draw  on  what  little  heat  there  is  in  the  fire,  and  all  the  heat  that  is  in 
the  boiler.  I  say  if  you  want  high  temperature  and  quick  circulation, 
you  will  use  hot  water  under  pressure.  You  will  thus  have  all  the 
advantages  of  steam  with  tlie  additional  advantages  of  hot  water  cir- 
culation. 

Mr.  John  N.  May  (being  called  upon  by  Mr.  Peter  Henderson) 
said :  I  am  a  hot  water  advocate,  gentlemen.  M}^  reason  is  that  I  am 
a  workingman,  that  I  have  to  work  for  my  living,  and  prefer  to  attend 
to  my  business  myself  rather  than  to  deputize  some  one  to  attend  to 
it  for  me.  I  tell  you,  honestly,  that  you  cannot  manufacture  a  steam 
boiler  with  which  I  could  sleep  soundly  at  night,  if  it  was  in  opera- 
tion in  my  place. 

Mr.  Thomas  DeWitt  :  I  would  ask  Mr.  Carmody  how  it  is  that  he 
can  get  water  to  circulate  in  the  hot  water  pipes  immediately  after 
making  a  fire,  wliere  there  is  no  pressure.  The  hot  water  will  not 
move  until  it  begins  to  exi)and,  and  it  will  not  expand  until  it  gets 
to  al)out  the  boiling  point. 

Mr.  Carmody  :  At  212°  the  water  indicates  no  pressure.  By  adding 
to  it  one  pound  of  pressure,  you  have  215°  of  heat,  at  two  pounds 
219°,  and  so  on  as  you  go  up.  One  degree  of  heat  will  cause  the  water 
to  expand  immediately,  and,  if  you  have  a  stand-pipe,  you  can  see  the 
effect  of  a  single  degree  of  heat  in  raising  the  water,  so  that  it  will 
cover  the  bottom  of  your  expansion  tank.  The  more  heat  you  impart 
to  it  the  more  rapidly  the  water  will  move. 

Mr.  E.  G.  Hill  :  I  am  an  advocate  of  the  use  of  steam,  and  a  be- 
liever in  its  superior  utility,  because  it  enables  you  to  fit  out  a  plant 
at  a  saving  in  cost  of  one  third  as  compared  with  hot  water.  In  the 
second  place,  it  furnishes  a  medium  by  which  absolute  control  of  the 
temperature  in  the  houses  can  be  secured.  I  think  that  that  is  a  val- 
uable consideration.  The  saving  of  one  tliird  in  the  cost  of  fuel 
would  put  enough  money  in  the  pocket  of  any  one  of  our  friends  to 
warrant  him  in  taking  a  little  jaunt  during  the  year,  and  getting  back 
home  without  feeling  that  he  had  indulged  in  an  extravagance  which 
he  could  not  aftbrd.  I  admit  that  there  is  something  in  the  claim  that 
is  made  of  the  advantages  of  heating  by  hot  water  under  pressure.  I 
know  of  a  gentleman  in  Cincinnati  who  adopts  that  method,  and  is 


118  PEOCEEDINQS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

very  successful  with  it,  aud  that  it  enables  him  to  show  a  decided  sav- 
ing in  his  fuel  bill. 

With  respect  to  Mr.  May's  distrust  of  a  steam  boiler,  I  have  only  to 
say  that  a  steam  boiler  is  not  likely  to  get  out  of  order  sooner  or  more 
frequently  than  a  hot  water  boiler  which  is  run  on  the  low  pressure 
principle,  as  there  is  no  strain  on  the  latter.  Upon  another  i)oint,  I 
have  to  say  that  when  the  thermometer  shows  fifteen  or  twenty  de- 
grees below  zero,  if  j^our  house  is  properly  piped  for  steam,  you  have 
only  to  open  the  valve  and  there  will  be  no  tension  or  strain  on  the 
boiler.  On  the  other  hand,  I  have  found  that  it  is  necessary,  when 
the  state  of  the  thermometer  is  as  I  have  indicated,  to  force  a  hot 
water  boiler  to  its  utmost  capacity.  I  think  there  is  notliing  of  value 
in  what  lias  been  said  al)out  people  going  to  sleep  and  neglecting  the 
boiler.  Indeed,  I  think  we  had  better  not  become  too  serious  over 
this  question  of  steam  and  hot  water.  Let  me  suggest  this  considera- 
tion that,  in  the  use  of  anthracite  coal,  you  have  the  advantage  of  be- 
ing able  to  fix  your  boiler  for  either  hot  water  or  steam,  and  to  leave 
it;  but  that  with  bituminous  coal,  this  cannot  be  done,  and  you  are 
required  to  employ  a  man  to  attend  to  the  boiler,  because  of  the  lia- 
bility of  your  coal  to  coke.  The  suggestion  made  by  Mr.  Moon  has 
already  been  answered,  because  I  think  if  there  is  risk  with  one  steam 
boiler,  there  is,  of  course,  risk  with  one  hot  water  boiler.  Moreover, 
the  cost  of  purchasing  two  large  steam  boilers  and  setting  them  up 
would  be,  perhaps,  the  same  as  that  of  the  purchase  and  fitting  up  of 
four  hot  water  boilers. 

Mr.  J.  H.Taylor:  Inrej^lyto  the  gentleman  fromlndiana,  (Mr.  Hill,) 
I  have  to  say  that,  two  years  ago,  at  Christmas  time,  a  neighbor  of  mine, 
who  uses  hot  water,  had  a  fine  house  of  lilies  of  the  valley,  and 
these,  at  that  season,  were  worth  considerable  mone}".  He  went  to 
bed  one  night,  and,  like  Mr.  May,  slept  soundl5^  The  next  morning 
he  found  that  frost  had  entered  his  house,  the  boiler  having  cracked 
during  the  night.  In  another  instance,  one  of  my  neighbors,  Avhose 
green-houses  are  also  heated  by  hot  water,  upon  going  out  to  look  at 
his  houses  early  one  morning,  found  his  watchman  asleep ;  the  fires 
nearly  out,  and  the  temperature  in  the  houses  near  the  freezing  point. 
So  that,  as  far  as  sleeping  is  concerned,  I  do  not  think  Mr.  May,  on  a 
cold  night,  sleeps  any  more  soundly  than  I  do. 

Mr.  David  Cliffe,  of  Philadelphia :  I  have  tried  all  the  methods. 
Three  years  ago  I  bought  two  boilers,  and  have  attended  to  them  my- 
self. Though  at  times  I  found  the  temperature  in  the  houses  getting 
a  little  low  at  night,  I  was  enabled  to  get  it  up  more  quickly  than  I 
could  have  done  if  I  had  been  using  hot  water.     I  have  not  suffered 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  119 

from  frost,  and  am  a  strong  advocate  of  steam,  because  I  have  found  it 
to  be  more  economical — both  in  labor  and  coal.  In  my  judgment,  it 
has  advantages  over  either  flues  or  hot  water.  I  have,  perhaps,  twenty 
thousand  feet  of  glass,  and  can  heat  my  houses  with  steam  quite  satis- 
factorily. 

Mr.  Peter  Henderson  :  Referring  to  what  I  have  said  about  my  ex- 
periment with  the  tw^o  boilers,  one  for  steam,  and  the  other  a  power- 
ful hot  water  boiler,  both  almost  identical,  let  me  add  that  I  have 
had  them  running  for  two  years,  and  have  asked  my  men  repeatedly 
whether  they  could  leave  the  steam  boilers  for  as  long  a  time  as  they 
could  leave  the  hot  water  boilers.  They  assured  me  that  they  could 
leave  them  for  two  or  three  hours  longer  than  they  could  leave  the 
hot  water  boilers.  [Applause.]  To  make  my  statement  more  definite, 
I  will  say  that  on  an  ordinary  cold  night  the}^  could  leave  the  steam 
boilers  for  from  eight  to  ten  hours. 

Mr.  John  Thorpe  :  We  have  a  steam-heating  apparatus,  and  only 
four  times  during  the  past  winter  have  we  sat  up  at  night  with  our 
steam  boiler.  Before  that  time,  we  had  hot  water  boilers,  and  were 
obliged  to  sit  up  occasionally  during  the  season.  As  a  rule,  the  fire  is 
made  up  at  nine  o'clock  at  night,  and  is  not  touched  again  until  seven 
o'clock  next  morning,  week  in  and  week  out.  I  have  run  it  for  three 
years  now.  We  have  had  no  accident,  and  no  hitch  or  trouble  in  any 
shape  or  form. 

Mr.  Thorpe,  in  reply  to  an  inquiry  at  this  point,  was  understood  to 
say  that  he  used  hard  coal. 

Mr,  David  Cliffe  :  I  use,  principally,  hard  coal  screenings,  whicli 
are  delivered  to  me  at  a  cost  of  three  dollars  per  ton. 

Mr.  Murdoch,  of  Pittsburgh,  remarked  that  the  boiler  in  use  at  his 
green-houses  was  insi^ected  by  the  boiler  insi^ector  once  a  year,  so  that 
there  Avas  little  apprehension  of  an  explosion  of  the  boiler  because  of 
its  defectiveness.  He  did  not  consider  that  steam  1)oilers  were  more 
dangerous  than  hot  water  boilers,  but  thought  that  one  was  quite  as 
safe  as  the  other  in  every  respect.  In  regard  to  economy  of  fuel,  he 
thought  that  steam  had  some  little  advantage  over  hot  water. 

Mr.  Cliffe  was  understood  to  say  that  he  could  run  his  green-houses 
by  circulating  steam  through  them  without  any  pressure  at  all. 

Mr.  Taylor  :  In  the  spring  and  fall,  or  in  moderate  weather,  we  cir- 
culate our  steam  also  with  no  indicative  pressure  on  the  boilers.  I 
would  say  here  that  I  hope  to  make  a  further  saving  in  fuel  by  burn- 
ing pea  coal — a  difficult  thing  to  do  with  a  hot-water  boiler. 

A  Delegate  :  We  have  burned  nothing  but  pea  coal  for  three  years 
under  our  hot-water  boilers. 


120  PEOCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

Mr.  D.  D.  L.  Farson,  of  Philadelphia,  referring  to  a  statement  by 
Mr.  Cliffe,  remarked  that  that  gentleman  liad  not  shown  any  advan- 
tage in  the  use  of  steam,  as  compared  -with  hot  water,  in  the  saving 
of  fuel.  In  defense  of  the  claims  of  hot  water  to  favorable  consider- 
ation, he  explained  that  he  had  torn  out  a  patent  hot-water  boiler, 
and  in  about  fifteen  hours,  had  constructed  and  put  in  perfect  work- 
ing order  one  of  his  own  design.  This  he  had  used  for  several  years. 
He  had  used  for  fuel,  coke  screenings  from  the  gas  works,  the  term 
for  which  material  in  this  vicinity  was  "coke  breeze."  He  main- 
tained that  when  the  question  came  to  a  matter  of  saving  in  fuel, 
there  was  nothing  in  the  statements  which  had  been  made  in  regard 
to  low-priced  fuel  for  steam  which  showed  that  any  material  Avas  so 
cheap  as  this  "  coke  breeze,"  which,  he  said,  was  formerly  bought  for 
about  two  cents  a  bushel.  He  thought  that  some  of  the  figures  which 
had  been  given  as  to  the  cost  ol'  I'uel  were  what  might  be  called 
"  pretty  stiff  prices "  for  poor  florists  to  pay  for  material  for  firing 
their  green-houses.  In  conclusion,  he  suggested  that,  while  in  large 
establishments  steam  might  have  some  advantages,  hot  water  was 
preferable  in  the  smaller  establishments,  which  were  more  numerous. 

Mr.  J.  D.  Car]\iody,  of  Indiana,  said  he  disliked  to  be  like  a  jack- 
in-a-box,  bobbing  up  every  second  or  two,  but  there  was  somebody  all 
the  time  pulling  the  string,  and  he  couldn't  help  it!  He  continued: 
I  want  to  state  right  here  that  not  a  single  one  of  the  hot- water  advo- 
cates here  has  tested  hot  water  to  its  utmost  caiDabilities,  whereas  the 
other  side  have  brought  steam  down  to  the  ver}^  finest  point.  No 
florist  here,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  has  had  hot  water  under  pressure,  and 
that  is  something  with  which  florists  should  have  some  familiaritv. 
Do  not  do  away  with  a  system  until  you  have  got  out  of  it  all  that 
is  in  it,  and  you  have  not  really  begun  with  hot  water.  Put  hot  water 
under  pressure,  and  we  will  have  every  advantage  that  you  claim  for 
steam,  and  two  or  three  more. 

Mr.  Peter  Henderson  here  interrogated  Mr.  Carmody  with  a  view 
to  having  that  gentleman  fix,  definitely,  at  what  temperature  he  would 
Avork  hot-water  pipes  under  x)ressure.  He  continued :  The  gentleman 
complains  that  the  steam-pij)e  endangers  the  health  of  the  plant  be- 
cause it  is  heated  at  too  high  a  temperature. 

Mr.  Carmody  :  The  gentleman  is  mistaken. 

Mr.  Henderson  and  others  :  We  understand  that  that  statement 
was  made  in  the  paper  read  bj^  you. 

Mr.  Carmody  :  My  statement  was  that  you  were  compelled  to  have 
a  high  temperature  when  only  a  low  temi^erature  was  necessary. 
Now,  let  me  explain  for  one  moment.     We  will  say  that  for  a  cool 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  121 

day  in  the  fall,  we  need  a  little  heat.  In  order  to  get  any  at  all  when 
using  steam,  you  are  obliged  to  heat  your  feed-water  from  212°  to 
215°,  and  your  heating  pipes  have  to  register  from  212°  to  215°  through 
their  circulation.  Now,  with  hot  water  under  pressure  you  can  heat 
your  feed-water  to  100°.  Your  pipes,  at  the  same  time,  are  throwing 
out  heat  from  a  basis  of  100°  all  through  the  house — that  being  a  low, 
mild  temperature.  You  can  increase  that  heat  then,  and  make  it  just 
as  high  as  you  please.  Consequently,  the  temperature  you  maintain 
in  your  pipes  and  boiler  is  regulated  bj''  your  own  will  and  desire. 
Of  course,  if  it  is  colder  out  of  doors,  it  is  colder  in  your  house,  and 
you  want  a  higher  temperature  in  your  pipes.  I  would  run  my  pipe 
according  to  the  demand,  from  its  normal  condition,  or  from  50°  up 
to  as  high  as  257° ;  and  you  can  keep  your  fjipes  right  there  at  that. 

Mr.  Peter  Henderson:  I  would  any  that,  in  practical  operation, 
that  would  be  a  very  difficult  thing  to  do.  If  the  pipe  was  under  your 
own  personal  supervision  and  j^ou  were  watching  it,  that  might  be  done; 
but  if  you  had  to  leave  it  to  others,  it  is  not  likely  that  it  would  be 
done.  My  green-houses,  the  great  bulk  of  them,  are  heated  by  hot 
water,  and  we  have  them  regulated  so  that  if  we  want  40°  of  heat,  we 
place  four  pipes  in  a  twenty-foot  house ;  if  we  want  50°,  we  place  six 
pipes  in  a  house  of  tlie  same  dimensions,  and  if  we  want  60°,  we  place 
eiglit  pipes  in  the  house.  Consequently,  the  fireman  would  have 
nothing  to  do  but  to  keej)  up  his  jfires — the  temperature  would  regu- 
late itself  by  the  amount  of  pipe  placed  in  each  house. 

Mr.  J.  D.  Carmody  :  You  regulate  your  temperature  hj  the  open 
tank  system,  just  as  you  do  with  the  pressure  system,  so  far  as  the 
hot  water  is  concerned.  Now,  do  you  raise  those  jjipes,  on  a  mild  fall 
day,  to  the  same  temperature  that  you  have  when  the  thermometer 
is  down  to  zero  ? 

Mr.  Peter  Henderson  :  Certainly  not ;  but  the  fireman  regulates 
that,  because  the  pipes  are  there  graded  to  suit  the  temperature  we 
want. 

Mr.  J.  D.  Carmody  :  When  you  start  to  heat  the  pipes,  you  have  not 
the  same  temperature  that  you  have  after  the  fire  has  been  going  fou 
or  five  hours.     Consequently,  during  that  time  your  pipes  will  registe 
all  of  the  intermediate  degrees.     One  night  you  may  not  run  the 
temperature  over  150° — the  next  night  it  is  cold,  and  you  run  the 
same  pipe  up  to  180°. 

Mr.  Jordan  :  Perhaps  the  discussion  has  gone  as  far  as  may  be  de- 
sirable, but,  as  there  is  some  little  misunderstanding  in  regard  to  the 
terms  used  here,  I  would  like  to  add  a  word.  Water  boils  at  212°  at 
the  ocean's  level — that  is,  a  pressure  of  fourteen  pounds  to  the  square 


122  PROCEEDINGS    OF    SECOND    CONVENTION. 

inch  of  atmospheric  pressure.  When  tliere  is  more  pressure  than 
the  atmospheric  pressure,  then  you  increase  the  degrees  of  heat  in 
proportion  to  the  pressure  that  is  put  on  the  water.  There  is  such  a 
thing  as  heating  water  so  hot  that  it  will  dissolve  lead.  The  sugges- 
tion seems  to  have  been  made  by  one  of  the  speakers  here  that  water 
could  not  be  heated  above  212°,  and  must  boil  there.  That,  how- 
ever, is  not  the  fact,  because  you  can  keep  the  pressure  down  on  water 
so  as  to  rise  to  300°  or  400°,  but  it  takes  an  immense  i)ressure.  I  am 
running  my  boilers  with  a  pressure  of  eight  pounds  to  the  square  inch, 
and  I  do  it  by  having  the  water  elevated  in  the  tank,  by  giving  it 
about  seventeen  feet  of  an  elevation,  which  produces  a  pressure  on 
the  boiler.  By  that  I  am  enabled  to  carry  the  water  two  hundred 
and  twenty-five  feet  through  the  green-houses,  coming  into  the  ex- 
pansion tank  at  the  boiling  point.  That  is  when  the  pressure  is  taken 
off.  There  is  the  advantage  of  having  water  under  pressure,  and  you 
can  continue  to  put  that  pressure  on.  If  you  have  the  same  pressure 
in  hot  water  that  you  have  in  steam,  when  your  pipes  are  filled,  you 
will  have  the  same  heat.  Water  will  take  up  the  heat,  because  the 
steam  cannot  be  any  hotter  than  the  water  from  which  it  is  imparted. 

Mr.  J.  H.  Taylor  :  In  heating  by  steam,  we  do  not  increase  the  heat 
by  raising  or  lowering  the  temperature  in  the  boiler,  but  by  increas- 
ing or  decreasing  the  number  of  radiating  pipes  in  the  green-house. 
From  two  to  five  pounds'  pressure  at  the  boilers  is  all  that  is  required 
to  properly  circulate  steam  at  low  pressure. 

Mr.  Joseph  Tailby,  of  Mass.,  remarked  that,  as  between  the  two, 
he  thought  that  in  a  large  establishment,  where  it  was  necessary  to 
keep  an  eye  to  fires,  steam  might  be  cheaper.  He  suggested  the 
thought,  in  connection  with  this  view,  that  while  all  the  garden  men 
were  attending  this  convention  to-day,  a  sudden  change  in  the  atmos- 
phere might  send  the  thermometer  down  to  zero  to-night.  He  re- 
marked that  florists  wanted  to  manage  their  green-houses  with  the 
least  amount  of  fuel,  and  at  the  same  time  with  safety,  so  that  they 
could  go  to  bed  at  a  reasonable  hour  at  night.  (At  this  point,  owing 
to  temporary  confusion,  the  speaker's  remarks  were  inaudil)le  at  the 
reporter's  seat.  He  was  understood  to  detail  a  method  which  he  had 
originated  and  made  practical  in  heating  his  green-house.) 

The  President  said  that  the  last  five  minutes  of  the  time  for  the 
discussion  would  be  utilized  by  Mr.  Fowler. 

Mr.  A.  B.  Fowler,  of  Exeter,  N.  H.,  said  he  professed  to  know 
something  on  the  subject,  as  he  had  started  in  steam-heating  when 
engaged  in  the  green-house  business.  He  felt,  however,  that  he  could 
say  he  was  not  Avholly  an  advocate  of  steam ;  that  certainly  he  would 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS. 


123 


as  gladly  sell  to  the  trade  machines  for  hot  water  use  as  he  would 
machines  in  which  steam  was  to  be  used.  His  purpose,  he  said,  at 
this  time,  was  to  correct  what  he  regarded  as  erroneous  statements 
upon  several  points  in  the  essay  read  by  the  gentleman  from  Indiana, 
Mr.  Carmody.  That  gentleman  had  stated  that  an  air-valve  was  re- 
quired on  each  pipe,  when  his  statement  should  have  been  that  an 
air-valve  was  required  on  each  nest  of  pipes. 

Mr.  Carmody  here  remarked  that  the  statement  he  had  made  was, 
as  stated,  with  reference  to  a  nest  of  pipes. 

Mr.  Fowler  went  on  to  say,  in  reference  to  Mr.  Carmody's  state- 
ment, that  in  the  use  of  steam  in  green-houses,  it  was  necessary  to 
keep  an  engineer,  that  if  the  opinion  of  florists  accustomed  to  heating 
by  steam  was  consulted,  their  reply  to  that  statement  would  show  that 
they  disagreed  with  the  gentleman  from  Indiana.     He  continued : 

Water  boils  under  atmosplieric  pressure,  as  we  all  know,  at  212° — 
that  is,  at  the  level.  Of  course  this  varies  at  an  altitude.  When  you 
go  up  on  a  mountain,  you  liave  to  apply  greater  pressure  for  cooking 
purposes.  The  gentleman  from  Indiana  did  not  tell  us,  and  I  did  not 
ask  him,  whether  the  point  was  higher  or  lower  at  an  altitude  such  as 
that.  You  have  in  steam  at  no  indicated  pressure  a  sensible  heat  of 
212° ;  but  what  is  the  ditference  between  hot  water  at  212°  and  steam 
at  212°  ?  The  difference  is  these  966°.  Gentlemen  have  been  talking 
about  latent  heat,  and  let  me  say  to  them  that  in  that  latent  heat  is 
contained  the  most  of  the  heat  that  you  get  in  your  green-houses  when 
you  heat  them  by  steam ;  and  when  you  extract  that  latent  heat  the 
steam  goes  back  into  water  again.  The  question  with  respect  to  keep- 
ing up  a  fire  has  been  covered  by  others.  As  to  the  question  of  cast- 
iron  and  wrought-ivon  boilers,  it  need  only  be  said,  perhaps,  that 
when  you  pay  your  monej''  you  take  your  choice.  Tlie  gentleman 
from  Indiana  (Mr.  Carmody)  told  us  about  the  flowers  blooming  in  the 
spring  and  fall,  but  did  not  say  anything  about  the  roses  that  bloom  in 
July,  except  to  ask  if  flowers  grew  in  the  hot  July  sun.  In  Massa- 
chusetts they  do,  and  that  is  what  is  called  summer  blooming. 

Mr.  Carmody  (liumorously) :  In  Labrador  tliey  bloom  better  in  July 
than  in  any  other  month,  I  suppose. 

Mr.  Fowler:  The  gentleman  probably  knows  the  fact;  I  do  not, 
as  I  never  was  there.  So  far  as  steam-heating  is  concerned,  I  went 
into  it  many  years  ago,  and  the  gentlemen  here  from  Boston  probably 
recollect  that  I  fought  hard  for  steam.  I  was  told  that  I  was  wasting 
my  money,  but  I  persisted,  and  was  successful.  I  have  followed  it  up 
ever  since  then,  and  you  see  where  it  is  to-day. 

The  President  :  Since  making  the  announcement  that  the  discus- 


124  PROCEElJiNGS    OF    SECOND    CONVENTION. 

sion  would  close  ^Yith  the  remarks  of  Mr.  Fowler,  the  Chair  has  been 
apprised  of  a  general  desire  to  hear  from  a  gentleman  of  known  prac- 
tical experience  on  the  steam  side  of  the  question — Mr.  H.  M.  Smith, 
of  New  York,  manager  of  the  Wilson  Boiler  Company — who  is  now 
cordially  invited  to  take  the  floor. 

Mr.  H.  M.  Smith,  of  New"  York,  responded :  During  an  experience 
of  twenty  years,  it  has  been  my  fortune  to  encounter  nearlj^  every 
question  that  has  been  suggested  in  connection  with  steam  or  hot- 
water  circulation ;  and  this  is  especially  true  of  recent  years,  since  I 
have  been  endeavoring  to  determine  the  best  plan  of  "remodeling" 
for  the  adoption  of  the  street  system  controlled  by  the  New  York 
Steam  Company,  in  buildings  situated  on  the  line  of  their  pipes.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  there  are  points  about  the  street  sj'stem  which,  if 
they  could  be  adopted  in  green-house  warming,  would  discount,  in 
absolute  superiority,  all  the  advantages  claimed  for  any  man's  boiler 
for  eitlier  purpose.  Of  course,  it  is  impracticable  to  warn;i  a  green- 
house in  Indiana  with  steam  generated  in  the  city  of  New  York,  not 
because  we  could  not  send  tlie  steam  out  there,  but  because  to  do  that 
would  cost  too  much,  and  it  would  be  cheaper  to  use  a  local  boiler. 
In  regard  to  diflerent  temperatures  and  economy  of  heating  by  the 
different  methods,  I  have  to  sa}'  that  I  think  the  gentleman  from  In- 
diana (i\Ir.  Carmody)  is  correct  in  his  statement  as  to  the  temperature 
of  hot  water  under  pressure.  There  is  no  doubt  that  hot  water  can  be 
raised  to  the  temperature  of  steam,  due  to  any  pressure  that  you  may 
care  to  adopt,  if  your  boiler  is  in  the  hands  of  an  experienced  engi- 
neer. But  if  you  do  raise  hot  water  to  the  temperature  of  steam  by 
placing  it  under  a  pressure,  you  at  once  create  a  different  state  of  cir- 
cumstances. It  will  then  be  necessary  to  increase  the  cost  of  your 
hot-water  plant,  because  you  must  increase  the  strength  of  that  plant. 
If  3"ou  place  that  pressure  at  ten  pounds,  for  instance,  you  increase 
the  temj)erature  and  the  exx)ansive  force  of  the  water,  also  the  expan- 
sion of  the  pipes,  due  to  the  increased  temperature  of  the  metal. 
What,  then,  will  become  of  your  packed  joints  which  have  been  made 
by  this  cheap  labor,  and  what  becomes  of  the  argument  that  a  hot- 
water  boiler  can  be  handled  by  such  cheap  labor?  If,  after  jou  have 
put  the  hot  water  under  pressure,  you  get  a  temperature  which  is  the 
same  as  that  of  steam,  what  becomes  of  the  claim  that  hot  water  is 
preferable  because  its  temperature  is  not  as  high  as  that  of  steam  ? 
I  fail  to  see  any  difference  l)etween  the  temperature  of  a  pipe  warmed 
b}'  hot  water  and  one  heated  by  steam  where  the  pressure  is  the  same 
in  both  cases.  If  you  pass  fire  through  that  pipe,  the  external  effect,  or 
the  effect  upon  the  surface  of  the  iron,  is  the  same  at  even  tempera- 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLOEISTS.  125 

ture.  The  idea  that  the  exterior  of  a  Avater  or  steam-pipe  is  more 
moist  than  it  would  be  if  heated  by  some  agent  other  than  hot  water 
or  steam  is  a  mistaken  one. 

With  respect  to  the  point  raised  on  the  hot  water  side  of  the  ques- 
tion, viz  :  that  the  temperature  of  your  apparatus  is  not  liable  to  fluc- 
tuate during  sudden  changes  of  the  external  atmosphere,  I  would  say 
merely  that  you  do  not  depend,  either  in  the  case  of  hot  water  or 
steam,  upon  the  temperature  of  the  metal  for  the* accomplishment  of 
that  result.  When  you  heat  the  air  of  the  apartment,  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  atmosphere  of  that  apartment  is  affected  by  the  circula- 
tion of  the  heated  air  through  that  room.  The  table  of  figures  from 
which  the  gentleman  from  New  Jersey  (Mr.  Peter  Henderson)  has 
quoted  partially  demonstrates  this  fact,  as  it  shows  that  at  two  inches 
from  the  iron  a  diff'erence  of  only  two  degrees  is  apparent,  and  that, 
at  a  distance  of  sixteen  inches,  you  have  the  same  temperature  in 
either  case.  Indeed,  if  3'our  plants  were  to  be  placed  in  direct  con- 
tact with  the  coils,  no  substantial  difference  in  result  would  be  per- 
ceptible, so  far  as  concerns  the  means  by  which  those  coils  are  heated. 

A  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  circulation  is  indispensable  in 
dealing  with  heating  apparatus,  and  it  seems  to  me  tliat  the  essayists 
upon  either  side  are,  to  say  the  least,  arguing  from  a  lack  of  familiarity 
with  the  facts.  Indeed,  the  trouble  has  been  that  users  of  steam  and 
hot  water,  taking  the  average  of  them — like  our  good  friend  from 
Cincinnati,  (Dr.  Hawes,)  who  wanted  to  heat  his  house  and  thought 
he  had  but  two  ways  of  doing  it — are  not  sufficiently  well  informed 
upon  the  subject.  If  those  Avho  introduce  the  hot- water  system  into 
a  house  have  not  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  principles  governing 
its  operation  and  can  exercise  no  intelligent  supervision  over  it,  ob- 
jections to  it  will  naturally  arise  that  will  cause  it  to  be  condemned. 
The  same  observation  may  be  made  where  steam  is  introduced  with- 
out proper  attention  being  given  to  the  areas  of  pipes.  If  you  use  a 
boiler  of  a  certain  construction,  (and  being  myself  a  manufacturer  of 
a  boiler.  I  am  not  disjjosed  to  take  advantage  of  this  opportunity  to 
criticize  any  particular  method  of  construction,)  you  are  obliged  to 
rely  upon  the  quality  of  the  draft  for  a  large  part  of  the  effectiveness 
of  the  apparatus.  In  this  respect,  the  advocate  of  tlie  hot-water 
boiler  has  an  advantage,  because  the  entire  principle  upon  which 
a  hot-water  boiler  is  constructed  is  to  present  a  horizontal  surface 
upon  which  the  fire  will  radiate,  ajid  which  will  afford  the  most 
efficient  medium  for  taking  advantage  of  the  radiant  heat  of  the  fire. 
That  is  the  instrumentality  to  which  reference  is  made  when  it  is 
claimed  that  you  can  rely  upon  hot  water  because  you  get  certain  re- 


126  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

suits  after  the  fire  becomes  low.  Every  hot- water  boiler  of  which  I 
know  anything  is  constructed  on  that  basis.  I  heard  a  gentleman  ar- 
guing, in  conversation,  this  morning,  on  the  advantage  of  a  boiler  of 
fifteen  feet  in  length,  but  the  only  object  to  be  attained  by  that  con- 
struction, in  my  judgment,  is  to  cause  the  heat  to  keep  circulating 
under  that  horizontal  surface,  thereby  utilizing  all  the  radiation  from 
the  fire  that  is  possible,  because,  as  you  know,  heat  is  radiated  from 
the  fuel  in  all  directions  so  long  as  combustion  goes  on,  be  it  ever  so 
slowly.  In  other  words,  my  claim  is  this :  that  the  success  of  either 
system  depends  largel}",  first,  upon  the  area  of  pipe,  and  then  upon 
the  fire  surface  exposed  to  radiation  from  the  body  of  fuel.  If  the 
boiler  is  not  defective  and  the  apparatus  is  so  constructed  that  you 
can  get  the  best  results  upon  either  principle,  it  will  then  be  time  for 
you  to  begin  to  argue  as  to  the  relative  economy  of  the  two.  I  ques- 
tion much  whether  any  gentleman  here  has  a  steam  apparatus  in  one 
house  and  a  hot-water  apparatus  in  another,  upon  the  practical  work- 
ings of  wliich  a  test  can  be  fairly  based  which  will  show  the  relative 
economy'  of  the  two. 

Mr.  Peter  Hend.erson,  of  Jersey  City,  N.  J. :  It  was  with  that  ob- 
ject in  view  that  I  constructed  the  two  houses,  in  which  I  placed 
steam  and  hot  water  boilers  respectively,  as  I  have  already  stated, 
and  I  have  given  the  results  of  that  experiment. 

Mr.  Smith  :  I  beg  pardon.  I  did  not  understand  that  the  gentle- 
man had  made  the  test.  I  Avill  not  occupy  the  time  longer,  as  it  was 
not  my  intention  to  make  any  remarks,  but  simply  to  hear  what 
others,  having  practical  experience  with  the  subject  of  green-house 
warming  as  florists,  had  to  say  upon  it.  It  seems  to  me  that  both 
sides  have  presented  good  points,  and  that  these  could  be  fairly  gath- 
ered by  some  one  competent  to  compile  them  from  the  two  essays, 
and  from  the  stenographic  report  of  this  discussion.  In  tliis  way  a 
paper  might  be  prepared,  which  would  be  of  inestimable  value  to  this 
association. 

(At  this  point,  the  audience  manifested  its  appreciation  of  the  re- 
marks to  which  it  had  listened  with  evident  satisfaction  by  a  tumult 
of  applause.) 

On  motion  of  Mr.  E.  G.  Hill,  of  Indiana,  the  thanks  of  the  Society 
were  tendered  to  Mr.  Smith,  by  a  unaniiuous  vote,  for  "  his  able  and 
disinterested  exposition  of  the  relative  advantages  of  steam  and  hot 
water." 

Mr.  Henry  A.  Siebrecht  (being  allowed  two  minutes)  said  that  he 
proposed  to  speak  for  both  sides  of  the  question.  He  tliought  that 
the  weight  of  the  argument  in  the  discussion  which  had  just  taken 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  127 

place  was  slightly  in  favor  of  steam  as  against  hot  water.  Mr.  Hen- 
derson had  iDroved  by  facts  that  in  the  use  of  steam  he  had  saved  coal. 
While  conceding  as  true  all  that  has  been  said  in  behalf  of  steam,  Mr. 
Siebrecht  advised  those  who  had  introduced  hot  water  apparatus  into 
their  places  at  great  expense  not  to  discard  its  use,  but  to  proceed 
cautiously.  For  one,  he  was  satisfied  with  hot  water,  but  he  thought 
that  parties  who  were  about  to  open  new  places  and  purchase  new 
heating  plants  should  give  steam  a  trial.  If  starting  on  a  small  scale, 
it  might  be  well  for  them  to  take  the  safer  way ,  and  purchase  a  little 
hot  water  boiler. 

Mr.  David  Cliffe,  of  Philadelphia,  submitted  a  motion  as  follows : 
"  That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  meeting  that  in  this  discussion  it  has  been 
shown  that  steam  combines  more  advantages  than  hot  water." 

Mr.  D.  D.  L.  Farson,  of  Philadelphia,  in  opposition  to  the  motion, 
said  he  thought  that  at  i)i'esent  the  convention  was  not  qualified  to 
give  an  indorsement  to  any  scheme  which  had  not  been  fairly  tested 
to  the  satisfaction  of  all,  as  such  an  indorsement  would  have  an  effect 
to  mislead  many  florists  when  contemplating  improvements.  He 
hoped  that  Mr.  Cliff"e's  motion  would  be  voted  down,  as  the  Society, 
he  thought,  has  not  prepared  to  give  an  unqualified  indorsement  to 
either  scheme. 

Mr.  Cliffe  replied  that  he  had  made  his  motion  for  the  reason  that 
he  thought  the  opinion  of  the  convention  was  preferable  to  that  of  an 
individual  or  a  nural)er  of  individuals  acting  separately. 

Mr.  Peter  Henderson  :  I  would  move  to  amend  tlie  motion  so  as  to 
make  it  read  that,  in  the  opinion  of  the  association,  hot  water  is  pre- 
ferable to  steam  in  all  cases  where  the  construction  is  under  five  thou- 
sand square  feet  of  glass ;  and  that  where  a  construction  is  to  be  made 
exceeding  five  thousand  feet  of  glass  steam  is  the  better. 

A  Delegate  :  That  is  a  mere  expression  of  opinion.  I  think  the 
convention  should  be  careful  not  to  adopt  mere  individual  opinions. 
We  want  not  opinions,  but  facts. 

Mr.  J.  D.  Carmody  :  At  this  time  it  would  be  impossible  to  secure 
more  than  a  minority  vote  upon  any  proposition  as  a  majority  of  the 
members  of  the  convention  have  retired  from  the  hall. 

Mr.  H.  M.  Smith,  of  New  York  city :  I  would  like  to  make  a  sug- 
gestion. As  a  member  of  the  convention,  it  seems  to  me  that  the 
time  has  not  arrived  for  expressing  the  sense  of  the  body  on  this  sub- 
ject. I  think  we  have  been  feeling  around  a  little,  and  have  attained 
some  good  results.  I  make  the  suggestion — if  any  one  will  put  it  in 
,  the  form  of  a  motion,  I  would  be  glad  to  hear  it — that,  instead  of  ex- 
pressing an  opinion  at  this  time,  we  declare  it  to  be  the  sense  of  the 


128  PROCEEDINGS    OF    SECOND    CONVENTION. 

convention  tliat  we  are  all  deeply  interested  in  the  subject,  but  have 
not  squeezed  the  lemon  dry  by  any  means !  Therefore,  in  order  that 
we  may  have  more  light  on  the  subject,  and  more  "juice,"  I  move 
that  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  by  the  Chair,  to  select  an  ex- 
pert in  the  matter  of  green-house  lieating,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to 
prepare  an  essay,  to  be  delivered  before  this  convention  at  our  next 
annual  meeting. 

Mr.  Robert  Kift,  of  Philadelphia,  by  way  of  suggesting  the  desir- 
ableness of  precautionary  measures  against  accidents  in  the  jji-elimi- 
nary  work  attending  the  introduction  of  steam-heating  apparatus  into 
green-houses,  narrated  an  incident  in  his  own  experience,  in  which, 
when  putting  in  a  boiler,  his  father  had  been  obliged  to  excavate  the 
ground  to  a  depth  of  some  fifteen  feet.  On  the  morning  after  the  ex- 
cavation had  been  completed,  the  hole  thus  made  was  found  to  have 
become  one  third  filled  with  earth,  from  the  caving  in  of  the  sides. 
The  speaker  remarked  that  if  the  accident  had  occurred  in  the  day- 
time, while  the  work  was  progressing,  some  of  the  men  employed  in 
the  work  of  excavation  would  probably  have  been  killed.  He  said  he 
mentioned  the  circumstance  for  the  information  of  florists  engaging 
in  similar  operations,  and  suggested  that  the  proper  course  in  such, 
cases  was  to  shore  the  hole  up. 

The  convention  here  proceeded  to  vote,  when  (Mr.  Cliff"e's  motion 
having  been  withdraAvn)  the  motion  of  Mr.  II.  M.  Smith  was  adopted 
without  objection. 

GENERAL   BUSINESS. 

Mr,  H.  A.  SiEBRECiiT,  of  New  Rochelle,  New  York,  moved  that  the 
Chair  be  authorized  to  appoint  a  committee  of  two  upon  the  best 
method  of  glazing,  the  committee  to  report  to  this  convention. 

Adopted  without  objection,  and  Messrs.  H.  A.  Siebrecht  and  P.  R, 
Quinlan  were  constituted  the  committee, 

Mr,  William  K,  Harris,  of  Philadelphia,  moved  that  the  treasurer 
of  the  Society  of  American  Florists  be  directed  to  defray  expenses  of 
the  Executive  Committee  incurred  in  attending  the  meetings  of  the 
Society, 

Mr.  David  Cliffe  :  The  traveling  expenses,  do  you  mean  ? 

Mr.  Harris  :  Yes,  sir. 

Adopted  without  dissent. 

Mr.  D.  D.  L.  Parson,  of  Philadelphia,  moved  that  the  President  be 
authorized  to  appoint  a  committee  of  two  to  make  a  practical  test  of 
the  merits  of  the  fumigators  now  on  exhibition,  and  to  report  the  re- 


SOCIETY    OF    AMEKICAK    FLORISTS.  129 

suit  of  their  labors  in  the  columns  of  The  Amevican  Florist  at  as 
early  a  day  as  possible. 

Adopted  without  objection. 

Mr.  D.  D.  L.  Farson  moved  tlie  appointment  of  a  committee  of 
three,  whose  duty  shall  be  to  examine  into  the  merits  of  any  insecti- 
cide that  may  be  offered  for  consideration,  and  decide  whether  the 
same  possesses  the  qualities  claimed  for  it,  with  power  to  grant  a  cer- 
tificate from  the  Society  of  American  Florists,  stating  the  facts  in  re- 
gard to  such  insecticide. 

Adopted  without  objection. 

Tlie  President  stated  that  he  would  defer  the  appointment  of  the 
committee  just  mentioned  until  opportunity  had  been  afforded  him 
to  determine  upon  its  membership. 

Mr.  D.  D.  L.  Farson,  of  Philadelphia,  here  said :  The  Keystone 
Male  Quartette  Company,  of  Philadelphia,  accompanied  us  yesterday 
to  Mr.  Childs'  place,  and,  while  there,  entertained  us  with  vocal  music. 
I  move,  therefore,  that  the  convention  tender  its  tlianks  to  the  Key- 
stone Male  Quartette  Company,  of  Philadelphia,  for  its  kindness  in 
rendering  its  services  on  the  occasion  referred  to. 

Mr,  J.  C.  Vaughan,  of  Cliicago,  suggested  the  reference  of  Mr.  Far- 
son's  motion  to  the  Committee  on  Final  Eesolutions,  in  order  tliat  it 
might  be  included  with  matters  of  similar  import  upon  which  the 
committee  was  expected  to  report. 

(The  reference  was  made  as  suggested.) 

Mr.  Walter  F.  Fancourt  remarked  that,  in  the  discussions  of  the 
convention,  many  subjects  had  been  comparatively  ignored  which  he 
thought  were  entitled  to  precedence,  and  tliat  the  time  had  been 
mainly  occupied  in  considering  two  or  three  specialties.  He  submit- 
ted a  motion  reciting  this  fact,  and  proposing  the  appointment  of  a 
committee  of  three  to  ascertain  whether  the  reason  for  it  was  to  be 
found  in  the  diffidence  of  the  florists,  or  a  lack  of  appreciation  by  the 
public. 

A  vote  being  taken,  twenty-two  gentlemen  arose  in  the  affirmative, 
and  thirty-seven  in  the  negative ;  therefore,  the  motion  was  not  agreed 
to. 

Mr.  F.  H.  iJMiLLMAN,  of  Cumberland,  Maryland :  There  is  a  small 

matter  on  the  programme  Avhich  has  either  not  been  thought  of,  or 

willfully  neglected.     I  refer  to  the  matter  of  dry  flues.     At  different 

points  in  our  sessions,  one  or  two  gentlemen  wanted  to  speak  upon  it, 

and  one  did  attempt  to  speak.     I  move  that  the  rules  be  suspended, 

and  remarks  be  permitted  on  that  question. 

Tlie  President:  The  subject  is  quite  in  order.     Mr.  Thorpe  informs 
9 


130  PEOCELDINGS    OF    SECOND    CON'S  ENTION. 

me  that  he  has  a  communication  upon  that  very  matter,  and  would  like 
to  read  it.  It  will  only  take  a  moment  or  two.  The  subject  will  now 
be  considered. 

Mr.  John  Thokpe  :  The  statement  which  I  would  like  to  make  is  tliis: 
Mr.  Hamilton,  of  Allegheny  City,  Pennsylvania,  was  instructed  to 
give  us  a  paper  on  the  subject  of  "How  to  Build  a  Flue."  On  yes- 
terday^ morning,  I  received  a  letter  from  him,  sajdng  that  his  family 
was  sufl'ering  from  quite  a  severe  sickness,  and  that  it  was  impossible 
for  him  to  leave  home ;  that  as  it  was  not  Ins  custom  to  commit  any- 
thing to  paper  until  the  last  moment,  he  had  not  prepared  anything; 
and  we  would  have  to  get  along  without  a  paper  on  the  subject. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  H.  A.  Siebreciit,  ten  minutes  were  Iiere  appro- 
priated for  the  purpose  of  hearing  remarks  by  gentlemen  present  on 
the  question  of  flues. 

Mr.  xVntoine  Wintzer,  of  West  Grove,  Pennsylvania,  said  he  would 
feel  that  he  had  been  x)ersonally  derelict  if  he  failed  to  make  a  few 
remarks  before  the  adjournment  in  regard  to  the  much  despised  flue  or 
hot-air  apparatus,  or  whatever  it  might  be  called.  It  was  the  motive 
power  used  by  our  fathers,  and  he  claimed  it  furnished  the  foundation 
of  the  florists'  business.  Years  ago,  when  steam  was  not  applied  to 
the  heating  of  green-houses,  when  very  few  hot-water  apparatuses 
were  in  use,  the  operator,  here  and  there  over  the  country,  Avho  had 
but  small  capital,  built  his  flue  and  raised  his  few  plants.  The  flne 
was  dropped.  Why?  Because  builders  of  flues  generally  made  a 
botch  of  their  work.  The  fault  was  not  in  the  flue,  but  in  the  l)uilder 
of  it.  The  speaker'  asserted  that  he  could  prove  that  plants  could  l)e 
grown  to-day  with  the  old  flue  in  successful  competition  with  hot 
water  or  steam  apparatus,  and  that  he  had  the  facts  to  prove  this.  He 
said  he  was  handling  to-day  sixty  green-houses,  every  one  of  which  is 
heated  by  a  flue,  there  being  sixty  flues.  He  held  that  it  was  the 
matter  of  labor  required  which  had  driven  flues  out  of  general  use, 
and  asserted  that  it  did  not  take  very  much  more  labor  to  run  a  sec- 
tion by  flues  than  was  required  by  any  other  means.  In  the  establish- 
ment with  which  he  is  connected,  the  fires  could  be  made  up.  in  ordi- 
nary winter  w^eather,  at  five  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  then  left 
without  watching  or  attendance  until  seven  o'clock  the  next  morning. 
They  were  growing  roses  to-day  in  competition  with  all  other  estab- 
lishments that  were  heated  by  means  of  the  improved  systems.  If 
the  system  of  which  he  spoke  proved  a  failure,  he  \Vould  be  willing  to 
be  held  to  some  responsibility,  but  if  it  held  its  own  with  other  estab- 
lishments, he  would  want  to  have  some  credit  for  it.  Others,  besides 
those  connected  with  his  establishment,  were  interested  in  the  matter. 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  131 

as,  he  claimed,  it  was  one  which  concerned  every  small  florist  through- 
out the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  Everybody  engaged  in  the 
business  of  growing  flowers  who  did  not  have  thousands  of  dollars  of 
capital  at  his  command  was  interested  in  it.  To  those  people  he  Avould 
say  that  nothing  would  give  them  the  advantages  which  they  would 
secure  in  the  use  of  the  old  flue  with  its  improvements.  A  green- 
house could  be  built  and  completed  with  a  flue  at  far  less  expense 
than  with  any  other  modern  heating  apparatus.  In  1875,  he  (speak- 
ing for  the  Dingee  &  Conard  Company)  reconstructed  a  section  of 
houses  that  had  been  heated  with  hot  water,  and  substituted  flues  in  the 
place  of  the  hot-water  apparatus.  The  speaker  claimed  that  he  could 
heat  a  larger  area  of  glass  by  the  flue  system  than  by  the  hot-Avater 
system.  If  an  advance  had  been  made  in  the  latter,  and  none  in  the 
flues,  that  fact  was  no  fault  of  the  flue,  but  the  fault  of  the  American 
public  in  neglecting  to  appreciate  the  capacity  of  the  flue,  and  the 
utility  of  dry-air  heating. 

Mr.  WiNTZER  added  that  his  establishment  had  four  workmen,  but 
no  night  watchman,  and  had  never  sufl"ered  from  fire  or  from  gas. 

(The  ten  minutes  here  expired.) 

Mr.  SiEBRECiiT  sugge'sted  tliat  permission  be  given  to  Mr.  Wintzer 
to  prepare  his  views  on  the  point  at  greater  length  for  publication. 

Mr.  A.  Gallup,  of  Denver,  Colorado,  here  called  attention  to  the 
motion  which  had  been  adopted  in  regard  to  defraying  the  expenses 
of  the  Executive  Committee.  He  stated  that  a  great  deal  of  work  de- 
volved on  the  committee,  and  quite  a  heavy  expense  was  entailed 
upon  them  in  preparing  for  the  annual  meetings.  He  did  not  tldnk 
that  the  honor  conferred  upon  them  by  their  positions  was  a  sufficient 
recompense  for  them.  He  therefore  moved  that,  in  addition  to  an 
allowance  for  mileage,  the  members  of  the  Executive  Committee  be 
allowed  necessary  hotel  expenses  when  preparing  programmes  for  the 
annual  meetings  of  the  convention. 

Mr.  David  Cliffe  asked  if  an  estimate  could  be  given  of  the  prob- 
able amount  of  the  expenses.  He  said  he  thought  the  Society  ought 
to  know  what  expenses  had  been  incurred. 

The  President  explained  that  the  object  was  not  to  defray  expenses 
already  incurred,  but  to  provide  for  the  necessary  outlay  incident  to 
any  meeting  the  Executive  Committee  might  be  obliged  to  hold  in 
the  coming  year. 

Mr.  Gallup  :  That  is  the  idea. 

The  President  :  The  author  of  the  motion  can  have  no  basis  upon 
which  to  form  an  estimate,  for  it  is  not  yet  known  where  the  meeting 
will  be  held. 


132  PEOCEEDINGS    OF    SECOND    CONVENTION. 

The  motion  of  Mr.  Gallup  was  adopted  without  objection. 

Mr.  H.  M.  Smith,  of  New  York  city  :  I  wish  to  modify  amotion  which 
was  adopted  upon  my  suggestion,  so  that  the  same  shall  provide  that 
the  committee  appointed  l\y  the  Chair  to  secure  the  services  of  an  ex- 
pert, who  is  to  make  a  report  to  the  convention  next  year  on  the 
matter  of  lieating,  shall  be  authorized  to  expend  such  sum  as  they 
may  think  i^roper  in  securing  the  service  of  such  expert.  I  would 
suggest  that  the  committee  will  not  find  an  expert  who  will  be  willing 
to  devote  his  time  to  the  service  of  this  association  unless  paid  for  it. 

The  motion  of  Mr.  Smith  was  adopted  by  an  unanimous  vote. 

GENERAL   BUSINESS. 

Mr,  H.  A.  SiEBRECiiT :  In  order  to  get  through  with  the  business.  I 
move  that  all  reports  on  exhibits,  as  well  as  other  reports  which  have 
not  been  offered  or  read,  be  received ;  tliat  the  reading  of  them  be  dis- 
pensed with,  and  tliat  they  be  printed  in  the  pamphlet  report  of  this 
meeting. 

The  President  (replying  to  an  incpiiry) :  The  motion  does  not  in- 
clude the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Final  Ilesolutions. 

Tlie  motion  of  Mr.  Siel)recht  was  adopted  by  a  unanimous  vote. 

The  President  (replying  to  a  suggestion,  to  which  no  objection  was 
heard,  that  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Final  Resolutions  be  includ- 
ed among  the  reports  provided  for  in  the  motion  just  adopted)  said: 
If  there  is  no  objection,  then  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Final  Reso- 
lutions will  be  printed  with  the  other  reports. 

The  suggestion  of  the  Chair  was  generally  assented  to,  and  the  re- 
port of  the  Committee  on  Resolutions  is  here  inserted.    It  is  as  follows  : 

Resolmd,  That  tlie  Society  of  American  Florists  extend  its  thanks 
to  Miss  Schaeiler  and  Mr.  J,  E.  Mitchell  for  the  use  of  Horticultural 
Hall,  in  which  was  held  the  convention.  And  to  the  Florists'  Club  of 
Philadelphia  we  extend  our  most  grateful  thanks  for  the  royal  way  that 
we  have  been  entertained,  but  while  fully  appreciating  its  great  kind- 
ness and  attention,  that  has  involved  so  mucli  labor  and  expense,  we 
most  earnestly  trust  that  this  kind  attention  should  not  be  taken  as  a 
precedent  for  future  conventions,  and  that  at  the  meeting  to  be  held 
in  Chicago,  next  August,  the  delegates  there  will  best  please  those  of 
the  Society  in  general  by  an  entire  omission  of  these  courtesies. 

Resolved^  Tliat  the  members  of  the  Society  of  American  Florists 
render  their  most  hearty  thanks  to  Mr.  George  W.  Childs  for  the  spon- 
taneous and  most  princely  hospitality  which  we  have  received  at  his 
hands. 


SOCIETY    OF    AMERICAN    FLORISTS.  133 

Resolved^  That,  knowing  that  the  Society  of  American  Florists,  noAV 
a  solid  success,  was  the  inception  of  its  retiring  president — Mr.  John 
Thorpe — who,  despite  great  opposition  from  many  members  of  the 
Nurserymen's  and  Seedmen's  dissociation,  determinedly  sowed  the 
seed  that  has  now  become  such  a  fruitful  tree,  deserves  in  the  highest 
degree  our  most  hearty  thanks  for  the  time  so  generously  given,  and 
the  great  ability  so  markedly  displayed  in  bringing  the  work  to  such 
a  high  degree  of  success. 

Resolved.,  That  the  thanks  of  the  members  of  the  Society  of  Ameri- 
can Florists  be  tendered  to  our  retiring  secretary,  Mr.  E.  G.  Hill,  to 
whom,  more  than  any  other,  is  due  to-day  the  credit,  and  the  honor, 
and  the  success  we  all  enjoy,  and  it  is  only  because  of  his  early  and 
positive  declaration  not  to  be  able  to  further  serve  that  he  was  not 
unanimously  re-nominated  and  consequently  re-elected. 

Resolved.,  That  a  vote  of  thanks  be  extended  to  Mr.  Adolph  Le  Moult 
for  the  novel  and  instructive  entertainment  which  he  alforded  the  dele- 
gates in  his  practical  address  and  performance  of  "  How  to  Arrange 
Cut  Flowers,"  etc.  Also,  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  for  the 
kind  invitation  extended  to  us  to  visit  their  rooms  and  to  partake  of 
the  benefits,  etc. 

To  the  managers  of  the  Girard  College  and  Mr.  Huster,  superin- 
tendent of  the  grounds,  for  tlie  invitation  to  visit  and  examine  all  that 
is  worthy  of  our  inspection  at  tliat  monumental  institution. 

To  the  directors  and  superintendent  of  the  Zoological  Gardens  for 
their  generous  invitation  to  visit  this  instructive  institution. 

To  the  Union  League  Club,  of  Philadelphia,  for  the  kind  invitation 
to  visit  its  building  and  partake  of  its  hospitalities,  which,  from  the 
active  and  unsparing  support  which  its  members  rendered  to  the  cause 
of  liberty,  which  is  extended  at  all  times  by  its  members,  is  gratefully 
acknowledged  by  your  committee. 

Peter  Henderson, 
John  H.  Taylor., 
W.  J.  Stewart. 

On  motion,  it  was  agreed  that  the  president  appoint  a  committee  of 
three  to  make  a  practical  test  of  the  "■  Excelsior  Fumigator,"  said  com- 
mittee to  report  through  the  columns  of  The  American  Florist  as  soon 
as  possible.  The  Chair  appointed  as  this  committee  Messrs.  D.  D.  L. 
Farson,  John  Savage,  and  David  Beam. 

On  motion,  it  was  agreed  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  thor- 
oughly test  any  insecticide  that  maybe  brought  before  them,  and  said 
committee  to  have  the  power  to  grant  a  certificate  to  any  insecticide 


134  PROCEEDINGS  OF  SECOND  CONVENTION. 

that  may  be  found  to  be  worthy  of  it.  The  Chair  appointed  as  this 
committee  Messrs.  W.  K.  Harris,  Fifty-fifth  street  and  Woodbind 
avenue,  Phibidelphia,  and  George  Anderson,  Fifty-third  street  and 
Woodland  avenue,  Phibidelphia. 

[Note  by  the  Secretary. — AVhen  insecticides  are  sent  to  the  com- 
mittee for  trial,  the  express  charges  must  in  all  cases  be  ^''paid  through 
to  destination  f  otherwise  they  will  not  be  received.] 

Mr.  H.  A.  Siebrecht  moved,  and  the  motion  was  duly  seconded, 
that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  test  and  report  on  the  value  of  J. 
M.  Gasser's  system  of  glazing;  whereupon  President  Craig  stated 
that  he  would  undertake  to  make  the  necessary  trial,  and  w^ould  re- 
port in  due  time. 

On  motion,  the  convention  adjourned  until  1887 — the  time  of  re- 
convening to  be  jfixed  by  the  Executive  Committee. 

Edwin  Lonsdale,  Secretary^ 
Chestnut  Hill^  Philadelphia^  Pa. 


APPENDIX. 


I.     THE  QUESTION  BOX,  WITH  ANSWERS. 

The  various  questions  found  in  the  box  during  the  hist  hours  of  tlie  conven- 
tion are  here  presented,  witli  answers  thereto. 

1.  David  CLiFFEasks  :  What  varieties  of  carnations  does  Mr.  Tailby  recom 
mend  to  grow  ? 

[A}iswer:  Grace  Wilder,  Fred.  Johnson,  Princess  Loicise.] 

2.  What  would  be  the  cost  of  the  design  made  by  Mr.  LeMoult  at  present 
(August  20)  New  York  prices  ? 

[Aijswer:  $35  to  $50.] 

3.  Is  it  profitable  to  force  lilies  of  the  valley  early  in  the  season  ? 

[Answer:  No;  although  the  price  per  spray  may  be  higher,  in  the  fore  part  of 
December  the  risk  of  getting  a  good  crop  is  mucli  greater.— J.  II.] 

4.  Can  Dutch  bulbs  be  grown  profitably  in  the  low  lands  of  the  South  for 
wholesale  purposes  ? 

["Observer"  says:  "The  soil  about  Jacksonville,  Ga.,  seems  identical  with 
the  Holland  sand."  "Observer"  also  saw  offsets  that  had  been  grown  into 
flowering  bulbs  in  one  season,  in  Florida.] 

5.  How  can  the  rose  Iler  Majesty  be  prevented  from  attacks  of  mildew  ? 
[Answer:  No  positive  preventive,  up  to   the  present  time,  has  been  found. 

To  keep  it  under  glass  all  summer,  with  fire  heat  nearly  all  the  time  at  niglit, 
might  be  tried,  with  lots  of  sulphur  on  tlie  pipes.— J.  N.  M.] 

6.  My  benches  in  a  green-house  are  infested  with  a  small  white  ant.  It 
likes  moisture,  and  eats  away  the  wood  so  as  to  make  a  bench  too  weak  to  hold 
plants  witliiu  one  year.  It  enters  the  pots  at  the  bottom,  eats  the  roots  off 
geraniums,  and  ruins  them.  It  is  believed  that  tliey  were  introduced  with  plants 
that  were  imported.  Can  any  member  speak  from  experience  as  to  wliat  will  rid 
my  place  of  them  ? 

[Answer:  The  best  of  all  remedies  for  the  destruction  of  mites  and  ants  is 
crude  petroleum.     Put  it  on  the  benches  thickly  with  a  paint  brusli. — J.  Thorpe.] 

7.  Since  last  year,  a  green  metallic  bug  eats  all  tlie  leaves  of  tlie  fuchsia  in 
a  desperate  manner.    What  is  the  name  of  it,  and  what  the  remedy  V 

[Answer :  According  to  Professor  Riley,  this  fuchsia  pest  belongs  to  the  flea 
beetles,  and  is  scientifically  know  as  Graptodcra  carinata  (family  Chrysomelidce.) 
Pyrethrum  not  only  numbed  them,  but  kept  them  off  tlie  plant.  Paris  green  was 
tried,  but  it  did  little  or  no  good.] 

9.  How  many  feet  of  four-inch  pipe  is  required  in  a  carnation  house  contain- 
ing about  750  square  feet  of  glass  in  latitude  iOV-"  V  The  house  runs  east  and 
west,  and  is  between  two  other  houses. — Strauch  Bros. 

[Answer :  One  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  four-inch  pipe,  with  a  butterfly  valve 
to  regulate.  -J.  D.  Carmody.] 


136  APPENDIX. 

8.  What  is  the  best  remedy  for  black  beetle,  "wliich  is  so  destructive  to 
dahlias  and  asters  when  in  bloom?  They  seem  to  be  worse  in  the  Ohio  valley 
than  anywhere  else. 

[Ansn-er :  Specimens  of  the  insect  complained  of  were  sent  to  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture,  and  a  i-eply  was  received  as  follows  : 

United  States  Depautmkxt  of  Agriculture, 

Division  of  Entomology, 
Washington,  D.  C,  August  28,  18S6. 

In  the  absence  of  Professor  Riley,  I  be<?  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  yours  of 
yesterday,  accompanied  by  beetles  injuring  your  CMiina  asters.  These. are  speci- 
inens  of  "the  common  Peinisylvania  blister  beetle  [EiAcauta  Pennsijlvanica.)  The 
habit  which  this  beetle  has  of  destroying  Cliina  asters  is  very  well  known  in  this 
city,  and  for  whicli  tliere  seems  to  be  almost  no  remedy.  Florists  here  kill  the 
beetles  l)y  hand,  using  for  tliis  purpose  a  pair  of  llat-bladed  wooden  sliears. 
(Jare  should  be  taken  in  crushing  the  beetle  not  to  get  the  juices  of  the  body  on 
the  naked  skin,  as  their  vesicating  properties  are  very  strou'x— so  strong  in  fact 
that  if  a  sutlicient  number  could  be  gatliered  tliey  would  really  have  some  com- 
mercial value  in  the  manufacture  of  "  Uy-blisters." 

Yours  truly, 

L.  O.  KOWAKD, 

Assistant  in  charge. 

II.  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  TO  AMEND  BY-LAWS. 

The  committee  appointed  on  motion  of  Mr.  J.  N.  May  to  amend  the  by-laws 
of  the  Society,  tiie  object  being  to  change  the  day  of  meeting  in  convention,  and 
also  to  look  into  the  matter  of  conducting  the  business  of  tlie  convention  with- 
out interruption  until  completed,  respectfully  submit  the  following  additional 
by-law  : 

Article  5.— This  Society  sliall  hold  an  annual  meeting,  commencing  on  the 
third  Tuesday  in  August^  and  continuing  three  days,  unless  the  business  before 
tiie  meeting  cannot  be  fniisiied  in  tliat  time,  when  tlie  time  may  be  extended  by 
consent  of  two  tliirds  of  members  .i)resent. 

Tlie  convention  shall  liold  tiiree  sessions  each  day  uninterruptedly,  until  the 
business  of  tlie  Society  be  completed,  and  no  local  committee,  nor  the  officers  of 
the  Society,  shall  have  power  to  set  aside  this  by-law,  except  as  provided  in  sec- 
tion eight. 

(Signed)  J-  ^-  May, 

E.  G.  Hill, 
-  J.  C.  Vaughan, 
Comntittee. 

III.    REPORT  OF  COMMITTEES  OX  EXHIBITS. 

The  various  committees  appointed  (see  page  26)  to  make  awards  on  exhibits 
have  reported,  up  to  the  time  of  going  to  press,  as  follows  : 

REPOKT   OF   COMMITTEE   ON   PLANTS   AND  BULBS. 

E.  D.  SrURTEVANT,  Bordentown,  X.  J.— One  of  the  leading  features  of  the 
convention  and  most  interesting  exhibits,  was  tlip  disjilay  of  aquatics  made  by 
this  gentleman.  It  occupied  two  tanks;  one  was  filled  with  the  foliage  and  up- 
wards of  one  hundred  blooms  of  the  "Sacred  Egyptian  Lotus,"  [Ifehimbium 
specioswn.)  In  the  other  tank,  was  a  leaf  of  the  Victoria  Regia,  which  was  about 
five  feet  in  diameter,  and  a  bloom  measuring  about  twelve  inches.  There  were 
also  the  showy  M gmphea  Bevonieusis,  Zanzihariensis,  azarea,  and  rosea,  (the  pink 
"  Cape  Cod  pond  lily,")  and  a  variety  of  other  water  plants. 


APPENDIX.  137 

Craig  &  Brother,  of  Pliiladelphia,  exhibited  a  rave  and  interesting  collec- 
tion of  ferns,  among  whicli  were  Pkitycerum  JEthiopicum,  and  Actinopteris  ra- 
diata,  together  with  fine  palms  and  crotons. 

Charles  D.  Ball,  Holmesburg,  Pa.,  exhibited  an  interesting  collection  of 
ferns,  which  included  Adianhon  Seemanii  and  A.  Rhombnidi'inum. 

SiEBRECHT  &  Wadley,  of  ISTew  llochelle,  N.  Y.,  showed  a  few  fine  speci- 
meiis  of  orchids — Cditleya  gigas,  Saunderiana^  and  Cattleya  Speciosum,  wliich 
attracted  considerable  attention. 

Ernest  Asmus,  of  Union  Hill,  N'.  J.,  made  a  novel  exhibit  in  blooming  tulips, 
lilies  of  the  valley,  and  miniature  lilac  bushes.  Thes?  are  tilings  rarely  seen  in 
August,  and  proved  to  be,  as  they  deserved,  one  of  the  most  instructive  and  in- 
teresting displays  on  exliibition. 

David  Fergusson  &  Soxs,  Laurel  Hill  Xursery,  Philadeli)hia,  exhibited  a 
choice  collection  of  rare  plants,  amongst  which  were  Alocasia  ISanderianat 
Dieffenbachia  Siemanii  and  Araulia  Kerchoviana. 

The  Dingee  &  Conard  Company,  of  West  Grove,  Pa.,  exliibited  a  collec- 
tion of  healtliy  liybrid  perpetual  and  tea  roses  in  two  and  a  half  inch  pots. 

Den  YS  ZiRNGiEREL,  Ncedham,  Mass.,  exhibited  a  collection  of  i)ink  and  white 
pearl  Asters. 

A.  Blanc,  of  Pliiladelpliia,  exhibited  a  large  and  superior  collection  of  cacti, 
in  whicli  were  over  four  hundred  species  or  distinct  varieties,  the  most  of  which 
were  of  esi)ecial  merit.  The  Agave  Victoria  lirgina  is  probably  as  fine  a  speci- 
men as  there  is  in  this  country. 

CiiARtLES  Fox,  of  Pliiladelphia,  exhibited  two  fine  specimens  of  Bilbergia 
rosea. 

SciiuLTiiEis  Bros.,  College  Point,  N.  Y.,  showed  a  collection  of  strong  budded 
roses. 

A.  Warne,  Philadelphia,  exhibited  some  fine  blue  Hydrangeas. 

David  Clikfe,  of  Germantown,  Pa.,  had  an  Abutilon  with  variegated  foliage, 
which  attracted  some  attention.  The  same  exhibitor  also  had  a  grand  specimen 
l)lant  of  Awaucaria  iiubricata.  and  a  variegated  Begonia. 

J.  KiFT  &  Son,  of  Philadelphia,  exhibited  a  novel  fern  jianel,  wdiich  is  very 
useful,  and  when  filled  with  growing  plants,  as  these  were,  it  is  very  beautiful. 

Henry  A.  Dreer,  of  Pliiladeli)hia,  made  a  fine  display  of  Gloxinias  in  full 
bloom,  and  of  tuberous-rooted  Begonias.  These  formed  a  prominent  feature 
of  the  exhibition,  as  did  some  well-grown  plants  of  Thrinix  Parviflora,  and 
well-grown  pans  of  Advnitum.  In  bulbs,  the  same  exhibitor  showed  four  varie- 
ties of  Lilium,  some  Paper-White  Narcissus,  and  Freesias. 

F.  E.  McAllister.  New  Y'ork,  had  on  exhibition  fine  buUis  of  Lilium  candi- 
dum  and  Harrisli;  also  Paper- AVhite  Narcissus  and  Freesia  bulbs. 

J.  C.  Vaighan,  Chicago,  had  an  extra  fine  exhibit  of  hyacinths,  tulips,  nar- 
cissus, and  Lilium  candidam.    Some  of  the  varieties  of  hyacinths  were  excel, 
tionally  fine ;  noticeable  amongst  them  were  Hermann,  Norma,  Cosmos,  Grand 
Muitre  and  Czar  Peter.    This  display  was  one  of  the  features  of  the  show. 

R.  J.  Halliday, 
W.  C.  Smith, 
Walter  W.  Coles, 
James  Taplin, 
Avery  Gallup, 

Committee. 


138  APPENDIX. 

REPORT   OF   COMMITTEE   ON  FLORTSTS'   REQUISITES   AND   SUPPLIES. 

Exhibit  of  Edward  Jansen,  of  New  York.— A  most  elegant  display  of  floral 
designs  and  floral  baskets,  both  ancient  and  modern,  embracing  many  novelties 
which  are  worthy  of  commendation  to  the  Society,  and  the  committee  recom- 
mend tliat  Mr.  Jansen  be  given  the  liighest  award  for  artistic  taste  and  tlior- 
ongh  workuiansliip,  as  well  as  for  originality  of  designs. 

Tliis  committee  also  recommend  a  further  award  to  Mr.  Jansen  for  his  fine 
display  of  mounted  wliite  doves,  immortelles,  letters,  and  emblems  of  immor- 
telles, monograms,  etc. 

Exliibit  of  MaPvSCHuetz  &  Bacharacii,  of  PJiiladelpliia.— An  extensive  dis- 
play of  straw  baskets  of  all  descriptions ;  also  a  fine  display  of  gilt  and  other 
baskets  and  designs,  slieaves  of  wlieat,  colored  grasses,  immortelles,  letters  and 
emblems  of  immortelles,  bouquet  liolders,  and  bouquet  pai)ers.  Your  committee 
recommend  a  special  mention  of  this  very  comi>lete  disi)lay. 

Exhibit  of  F.  E.  McAllister,  of  Xew  York. — An  extensive  and  general  dis- 
play of  flower-baskets  of  various  descriptions,  and  a  full  supply  of  grasses,  mosses, 
immortelles,  bouquet  papers,  and  general  florists'  supplies. 

Exliil)it  of  C  S.  Ford,  Jr.,  Pliiladelphia:  A  first-class  display  of  immortelles, 
letters,  words,  and  emblems. 

Exhibit  of  A.  Heriimann,  of  New  York. — A  limited  but  choice  display  of 
i-amples  of  fancy  and  oilier  grasses;  also  wreaths  of  grasses  and  everlastings 
tastefully  arranged.  Also,  a  very  fine  display  of  letters,  monograms,  and  em- 
blematic designs;  and  this  committee  recommend  a  special  award  for  superior 
workmanship. 

Exhibit  of  the  Philadelphia  Immortelle  Design  Company.— This  exhi- 
bit is  really  superb,  and  certainly  the  finest  and  richest  display  of  funeral  and 
memorial  designs  ever  exliibited.  The  committee  wishes  to  call  special  attention 
to  the  unique  and  artistic  workmanship. 

Exhibit  of  M.  M.  Bayersdorfer  &  Co.,  of  Philadelphia. — The  largest  dis- 
play, and  a  full  line  of  florists'  requisites,  consisting  of  willow  baskets  of  all  de- 
scriptions, w'hite  and  gilt  baskets  and  stands,  straw  baskets,  sheaves  of  wheat, 
colored  and  other  grasses,  immortelles  and  iiumortelle  letters,  bouquet  holders, 
white  doves,  etc.  Your  committee  wish  to  call  special  attention  to  this  exliibit 
for  the  simple  and  business-like  manner  in  which  the  various  samples  were  ar- 
ranged;  and  therefore,  they  commend  this  business-like  method  to  all  future 
exhibitors  upon  like  occasions.  The  committee  recommend  an  award  of  merit 
to  Messrs.  Bayersdorfer  &  Co. 

Exhibit  of  Ernst  Kaufmann,  Pliiladelphia.— A  very  fine  general  display  of 
flower  baskets,  including  some  novelties  worthy  of  notice. 

Exhibit  of  Koeiiler  Brothers,  Nicetown,  Pliiladelphia.— A  very  tasteful 
display  of  white  doves  and  mounted  peacocks  for  florists'  use,  deserving  of  special 
mention. 

W.  C.  Keck,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  exiiibits  a  complete  assortment  of  immor- 
telle letters,  inscriptions,  and  names. 

A.  T.  Cefrey.  Boston,  Mass.,  exhibits  immortelle  letters  and  inscriptions, 
ready  for  florists'  use,  of  superior  workmanship. 

The  Henderson-Achert  Co.,  Cincinnati,  Oiiio,  has  on  exhibition  a  large 
sheet  of  engravings  of  various  floral  designs. 

Exhibit  of  Whilldin'&  Co.,  Philadelphia. — A  substantial  display  of  flower- 
pots, seed  pans,  and  lianging  baskets  of  pottery.    Your  committee  call  the  atten- 


APPENDIX. 


139 


tion  of  the  Society  to  rim-pots,  and  tlie  advantages  which  they  have  in  packing 
and  nesting. 

Exhibit  of  Jacob  C.  Cassel,  Philadelphia.— A  very  fine  display  of  imitation 
wood  pottery  or  terra-cotta  ware,  consisting  of  vases,  pedestals,  logs,  and  hang- 
ing baskets,  fancy  flower-pots,  window  boxes,  etc. 

Exhibit  of  A.  H.  Hews  &  Co.,  Xorth  Cambridge,  Massacluisetts.— Thisis  cer- 
tainly the  best  display  of  natural  clay-colored  pottery,  consisting  of  novelties  in 
vases  for  decorative  purposes  and  cut  flowers;  also,  a  fine  exhibit  of  samples  of 
flower-pots,  wliich  are  higlily  recommended  for  their  good  finish  and  their  dura- 
bility.   This  committee  recommend  an  award  to  them  of  the  first  order. 

Exhibit  of  Galloway,  Graff  &  Co.,  Philadelphia.- This  is  really  a  hand- 
some display  of  fancy  pottery  and  fine  art.  In  addition  to  tlie  imitation  of  wood 
ware,  this  firm  exhibits  the  now  celebrated  "Limoges"  ware,  and  this  commit- 
tee feel  it  their  duty  to  recommend  an  award  to  this  very  artistic  ware,  of  a  first- 
class  certificate  of  the  Society,  as  tliis  is  the  first  of  this  higldy  artistic  pottery 
manufactured  in  tiiis  couiitry.  It  was.  until  quite  recently,  imported  from 
Europe  at  fabulous  prices.     The  committee  call  special  attention  to  this  exhibit. 

Joseph  Kift  &  Son,  of  Pliiladelpliia,  exhibited  a  porous  fern  vase  and 
bracket,  which  the  committee  higlily  recommended  as  a  valuable  new  article, 
well  adapted  for  ferns  for  house  culture,  and  an  excellent  tiling  on  which  to  grow 
Platyceriums,  etc. 

KosE  Manufacturing  Co.,  of  New  York,  exhibit  a  tobacco  soap  insecticide. 

Australian  Garden- Wash  Co.,  of  New  York,  also  have  on  exhibition  an 
assortment  of  insecticides. 

Benjamin  Chase,  Jr.,  Derry,  N.  H.,  has  an  exhibit  of  pot-labels  and  stakes 
of  excellent  finish. 

Eisii  &  Gibson,  Whitney's  Point,  N.  Y.,  also  show  insecticides. 

H.  A.  Seibrecht, 
Chairman  of  the  Commitiee. 

REPORT  of  committee  ON   LITHOGRAPHS,  PRINTING,  ETC. 

J.  Horace  McFarland,  of  Ilarrisburg,  Pa.— This  exhibit  of  printing  for 
florists'  use,  catalogues,  cards,  etc.,  is  of  the  highest  perfection  in  the  art  of 
printing— clearness,  neatness,  and  artistic  display  are  marked  characteristics  of 
the  work,  and  the  illustrations  are  of  a  very  high  order. 

Messrs.  Beatty  &  Co.,  of  New  York,  exhibit  a  collection  of  colored  litho- 
graphs worthy  tlie  higliest  praise,  they  being  especially  adapted  for  florists'  use, 
while  the  drawings  are  remarkably  accurate,  and  the  colors  true  to  nature  and 
happily  blended.  A  collection  of  chrysanthemums  excels  anything  which  has 
come  under  your  committee's  notice  in  this  art,  as  regards  color,  form,  and  per- 
spective, most  truly  representing  the  respective  flowers  they  are  intended  to  de- 
lineate. 

C.  L.  Allen, 

WiLLiA3r  F.  Dreer. 

REPORT   of   COM3HTTEE   ON   GREEN-HOUSE   STRUCTURES  AND   APPLIANCES. 

Daniel  B.  Long,  of  Buffalo,  New  York,  exhibits  models  of  a  flower-box  for 
shipping  cut  flowers.  It  is  a  very  perfect  box  for  said  purpose,  but  probably  too 
costly  for  extensive  use.  / 


140  APPENDIX. 

J.  H.  Ives.  Danbuiy,  Connecticut,  exliibits  a  puttying  machine,  vvhicli  your 
committee  would  hesitate  to  give  an  opinion  about  until  actual  trial  had  been 
given  it  on  a  green-house  roof. 

Williams  &  Sons,  Batavia,  Illinois,  exhibit  a  point-driver,  in  regard  to  which 
your  committee  hesitates  on  giving:  an  opinion  without  a  practical  trial. 

Herrmann  Perlich,  183  Broadway,  Baltimore,  Maryland,  exhibits  a  furai- 
gator.  Your  committee,  while  believing  it  to  be  a  useful  article,  have  found,  in 
actual  practice,  owing  to  the  material  of  which  it  is  made,  that  it  rusts  out  very 
rapidly,  and  would  advise  tliat  it  be  made  of  more  durable  material. 

The  Summit  Manufacturing  Company,  Summit,  Union  county.  New 
Jersey,  exhibits  a  patent  carrier,  which  may  do  very  well  when  used  for  carrying 
peaches  and  baskets;  but  when  applied  to  flower-pots,  we  sliould  say  it  was  of  no 
practical  value. 

J.  M.  Gasser,  Cleveland,  Ohio,  exhibits  a  patent  zinc  joint  for  glazing,  which 
your  committee  believe  is  well  worthy  of  a  trial.  He  also  exhibits  an  ingenious 
contrivance  for  warning  the  florist  when  the  temperature  of  his  houses  falls  too 
low. 

CAT.EF  Manufacturing  Company,  293  Broadway,  Xew  York,  exhibits 
spades,  scoops,  and  shovels.  Your  committee,  some  of  which  have  had  a  prac- 
tical trial  with  the  shovel,  but  not  the  spade,  have  found,  though  from  only  a 
limited  trial,  that  it  possesses  no  advantage  for  shoveling  puri)oses,  and  could 
not  be  as  useful  for  digging  purposes  as  the  ordinary  spading  fork.  We,  how- 
ever, would  not  condemn  it  without  further  trial. 

The  Lockland  I^umber  Company,  of  Lockland,  Ohio,  exhibit  specimens  of 
cypress  sash-bars,  which  are  claimed  to  be  very  durable. 

Egbert  T.  Ueakin  &  Co.,  of  Philadelphia,  exhibit  a  good  line  of  brass  green- 
house syringes  and  pumps,  which  are  deserving  of  special  mention. 

B.  F.  Goodrich  &  Co.,  Akron,  Ohio,  exhibit  rubber  hose,  suitable  for  green- 
house use,  and  of  excellent  quality. 

Manly  &  Cooper  Manufacturing  Co.,  Philadelphia,  show  hot-bed  frames 
and  sash  of  good  workmanship. 

F.  A  Smith,  of  Piiiladelpiiia,  shows  green-house  sash-bars. 

JosEPHUS  Plenty,  New  York,  exhibits  a  section  of  a  green-house  showing  the 
Helliwell  system  of  glazing,  which  is  very  strong  and  durable. 

John  N.  May,  of  Summit,  N.  J.,  exliibits  a  model  green-house,  illustrative  of 
his  essay,  which  is  very  comi)lete,  and  well  worthy  close  attention  from  those 
who  contemplate  building. 

J.  Evans,  Richmond,  Indiana,  exhibits  a  patent  ventilating  apparatus.  Sev- 
eral members  of  your  committee  have  seen  and  examined  the  said  apparatus  at 
Messrs.  Craig  &  Brothers'  place,  and  do  not  think  it  superior  to  those  already  in 
use,  for  the  reasons  that  it  works  hard,  and  when  tiie  handle  is  let  go,  in  lower- 
ing, it  drops  witli  increasing  speed,  thus  making  it  liable  to  break  or  shake  out 
the  glass  of  tlie  ventilators,  as  well  as  other  parts  of  the  house. 

J.  D.  Carmody,  Evansville,  Indiana,  exhibits  a  sectional  water  iieater.  None 
of  your  committee  having  had  a  practical  test  of  this  boiler,  decline  to  give  an 
opinion  on  it. 

Thomas  W.  Weathered,  of  New  York,  exhibits  his  well-known  hot-water 
boiler,  which  has  many  good  points. 

Denys  Zirngiebel,  Needham,  Mass.,  shows  a  model  of  a  boiler  for  hot  water 
under  pressure. 


APPENDIX.  141 

C.  W.  Jenkings,  Philadelphia,  shows  a  well-designed  valve  for  use  in  hot- 
water  circulations. 

Davjd  Cliffe,  Germantown,  exhibits  rubber  packing  for  hot-water  pipes. 

Peter  Henderson, 
John  Henderson, 
John  H.  Taylor. 

REPORT  or  committee  on  cut  flowers. 

Henry  A.  Dreer,  Pliiladelphia,  exhibits  a  collection  of  splendid  strains  of 
petunias,  verbenas,  and  hollyhocks,  showing  great  improvement  in  these  plants. 

Oscar  R.  Kreinberg,  Pliiladelphia,  shows  a  collection  of  handsome  pansies. 

SA3IUEL  C  Moon,  Morrisville,  Pa.,  exiiibits  a  splendid  assortment  of  named 
gladioli,  which  attracts  much  attention.  He  also  lias  on  exhibition  a  plant  of 
Exochorda  grandijlora,  a  meritorious  hardy  slirub. 

Conrad  Kirchner,  Pliiladel[)hia,  shows  some  fine  seedling  carnation  blooms. 

John  Stewart,  Wilmington,  Del.,  exhibits  a  collection  of  cut  verbenas. 

Peter  Henderson,  New  York,  exhibits  cut  asters,  petunias,  geraniums,  and 
anthemis,  all  of  much  merit. 

V.  11.  H  ALLOCK,  Son  &  Thorpe,  East  Hinsdale,  N.  Y.,  exhibit  a  large  collec- 
tion of  gladioli  of  great  beauty,  covering  many  of  the  finest  named  varieties  known . 

W.  K.  Harris, 
Chairman  Committee. 

report  of   committee  on  MR.   LE  MOULT'S  EXHIBIT  AND  LECTURE. 

The  committee  would  especially  commend  tlie  designs  exhibited  by  Mr.  A.  Le- 
Moult,  of  New  York,  for  the  great  attention  which  had  been  paid  to  detail,  as 
every  part  of  the  work  seemed  to  be  wrought  out  and  finished  in  good  taste- 
The  first  design  displayed  was  made  of  immortelles,  and  represented  a  horse 
saddled  and  bridled.     It  presented  a  natural  appearance. 

The  yaclit  Galatea  was  very  graceful,  and  was  a  good  imitation  of  a  vessel 
under  full  sail  with  a  good  breeze. 

The  gondola,  with  the  monogram  of  the  Society  on  the  sail,  was  also  artisti- 
cally arranged,  and  would  make  a  capital  design  for  the  center  of  a  dinner-table. 

The  original  design  representing  "a  wheel  of  fortune,''  flying  through  the  air, 
bearing  a  cornucopia,  was  a  very  effective  piece  of  work,  and  the  rapidity  with 
wliich  it  was  executed  was  remarkable,  only  one  hour  and  a  half  being  consumed 
in  its  construction,  during  wliich  time  the  frame  was  made,  mossed,  and  all  the 
flowers  stemmed,  as  well  as  arranged. 

The  committee  would  especially  recommend  the  use  of  growing  plants,  as  seen 
at  the  base  of  this  design.  Growing  plants  and  ferns  can  often  be  used  in  this 
way  to  take  the  place  of  cut-flowers  when  the  latter  are  scarce,  and  be  made  to 
produce  as  good,  if  not  better,  effect,  and  will  continue  beautiful  long  after  the 
cut-flowers  have  wilted. 

The  committee  recommends  that  the  thanks  of   this  Society  of  American 

Florists  be  tendered  to  Mr.  LeMoult  for  his  interesting  and  instructive  address 

given  in  connection  with  his  elaborate  display. 

Alexander  Murdoch, 

Robert  Kift, 

Frank  Huntsman, 

J.  M.  Gasser, 

John  White, 

Comviittee. 


142 


APPENDIX. 


LIST  OF  MEMBERS  FOR  1886-1887. 


Alabama. 


Pfingstal,  Joseph,  Montgomery. 
Reed,  C.  H.,  Birmingliam. 


Zioiraer,  Alfred,  Montgomery. 


California. 

Sievers,  J.  H.,  25  Post  street,  San  Francisco. 

Colorado,  • 

Gallup,  Avery,  Denver. 

CunnecHciit. 


Dassick,  E.  C,  liridgeport. 
Dickerman,  George  A.,  New  Ha- 
ven. 
Geduldig,  G.,  Norwich. 
Horan,  James,  Bridgeport. 
Ives,  J.  II.,  Danbury. 

Delaware. 

Bayliss,  L.  E.,  AVilmington. 
Brown,  J.  L.,  Wilmington. 
Grant,  Henry,  Wilmington. 
Hargardine,  R.  W.,  Felton,  Kent 
county. 

District  of  Coluw  hia. 

Adams,  William  W.,  335  Missouri 

avenue,  Washington. 
Durfee,  Benjamin,  Washington. 
Evans,  Frank  M.,  Washington. 
Field,    George,    Jjincoln    avenue, 

Washington. 
Field,  Tliomas,  Lincoln  avenue, 

Washington. 
Freeman,  J.  R.,  Thirteenth  and  E 

streets,  N.  W.,  Washington. 
Gude,  A.,  Jr.,  Washington. 
Hale,  C.  F.,  Washington. 

Georgia. 

Kiessling,  G.,  Savannah. 
Meyer,  Fritz  R.,  Savannah. 


Lines,  C.  P.,  23  Beers  street.  New 

Haven. 
McCrone,  Robert,  Thompsonville. 
Reck,  John,  Bridgeport. 
AVliiting,    A.,    Franklin    avenue, 

Hartford. 


Ilayden,  Matthew,  Wilmington. 
Sparks,  Charles  E.,  Wilmington. 
Stewart,  Jolin,  Wilmington. 


Pollock,  George,  24  t  Centre  Mar- 
ket, Washington. 

Pfister,  Henry,  gardener  White 
House,  Washington. 

Sniitii,  William  R.,  Botanic  Gar- 
dens, Washington. 

Studer,  Nicholas,  421  Centre  Mar- 
ket, Washington. 

Schmidt,  Louis,  317  Twelfth  street, 
N.  W.,  Wasliington. 

Saul,  John,  621  Seventh  street,  N. 
W.,  Washington. 


Oelschig,  A.  C,  Savannah. 
Wackendorff,  E.,  Atlanta. 


APPENDIX. 


143 


Illinois. 


Anthony,  J.  T.,  Chicago. 

Balmer,  A.,  Danville. 

Calvert,  Edward  S.,  Lake  Forest. 

Calvert,  Frank,  Lake  Forest. 

Carten,  Theodore,  Wright's  Grove. 

Clark,  Sidnej',  Lake  Forest. 

Donovan,  R.  J.,  Havelock. 

Forster,  John  S.,  Box  .392,  Evans- 
ton. 

Gardener, Mrs. Sarah  P.,  Hinsdale. 

Grant,  G.  L.,  54  La  Salle  street, 
Chicago. 

Hay,  Charles  E.,  Springfield. 

Harting,  Charles,  Wright's  Grove. 

Heinl,  Joseph,  Jacksonville. 

Hunt,  M.  A.,  Wright's  Grove. 

Keenan,  T.  F.,  42  La  Salle  street, 
Chicago. 

King,  F.  J.,  Ottawa. 


Kropf,  John  W.,  Collinsville. 

Lane.  John,  Chicago. 

Law,  P.  F..  Turner  Park. 

Newitt,  Alexander,  Millard  ave- 
nue, Chicago. 

Pepper,  S.,  Belvidere. 

Phelps,  H.  L.,  Springfield. 

Eiessig,  Charles,  Chicago. 

Sawyer,  A.  W.,  Sycamore. 

Scott,  D.  W.,  Galena. 

Sillimau,  J.  C,  Chicago. 

Yaughan,  J.  C,  42  La  Salle  street, 
Chicago. 

Van  Dyke,  Mrs.,  Shellyville 

Viberts,  W.  A.,  16  Thirty-eighth 
street,  Ciiicago. 

Williams,  W.  H.,  Batavia. 

Williams,  C.  O.,  Batavia. 


Indiana. 


Carmody,  J.  D.,  Evansville. 
Dorner,  Frederick,  Lafayette. 
Heinl,  John  G.,  Terre  Haute. 
Hill,  E.  G.,  Richmond. 
Palmer,  Mrs.  F.  H..  La  Porte. 


Rieman,  Cliarles,  Indianapolis. 
Teas,  E.  Y.,  Dunreith. 
Troxell,  A.,  Knightstown. 
Wade,  F.  H.,  Evansville. 
Wiegand,  A.,  Indianapolis. 


lo  wa. 


Cole,  C.  C,  Des  ]SIoines. 
Green,  W.,  Davenport. 
Harkett,  AV.  A.,  Dubuque. 
Higley,  H.  G.,  41  Second  avenue. 
Cedar  Rapids. 


Hoffmeister  Bros.,  Fort  Madison. 
Kellenberger,     John      U.,     Fort 

Dodge. 
Kramer,  .Judson  IL,  Marion. 
Temple,  John  T.,  Davenport. 


Kansas. 

Bristol,  Miss  E.  R.,  Topeka. 


Kirkpatrick,  Archie,  Leavenworth. 


Kftitucky. 

Bell,  W.  S.,  Lexington. 
Fries,  John,  Covington. 
Jackson,  Thomas,  Covington. 
Morat,  Francis,  Ormsby  avenue, 

Louisville. 
Nanz,  C.  J.,  Ovvensborough. 

Loutsiati  a. 

Eblen,  John,  Sixth  street.  New  Or- 
leans. 


Power,  Edmond,  Frankfort. 

Schulz,  Jacob,  Cave  Hill,  Louis- 
ville. 

Walker,  William,  Highland  and 
Everett  avenues,  Louisville. 


Luciens,  F.,  White  st.  bet.  St.  Peter 
and  Toulouse  sts. ,  New  Orleans. 


144 


APPENDIX. 


Maine. 

Dennett,  Miss  N.,  Brunswick. 

Marylati  d. 

Barger,  Frederick  G.,  208  Green 

Mountain  avenue,  Baltimore. 
Cook,  Jolni,  74  N.  (Jliarles  street, 

Baltimore. 
Dahoff,  Mrs.  ,J.  W.,  North  street, 

Hagerstowi). 
Donn,  John.  Baltimore. 
Eichelberger,  II.,  188  Madison  av- 

enne,  Baltimore. 
Feast,  J.  E.,  Baltimore. 
Frazier,  AVilliam,  277  E.  Baltimore 

street,  Baltimore. 
Grant,    Donald    8.,    Govanstown, 

Baltimore  county. 

Massachusett  - . 

Adams,  C.  Thompson,  West  Med- 

way. 
Breed,  E.  W.,  Clinton. 
Brydon,  J.,  Yarmouthport. 
Barrett,  E.  C.,57  Ilaskinson  street, 

Maiden. 
Bock,  Wm.  A.,  North  Cambridge, 
Chandler,  G.  F.,  South  Lancaster. 
Elliott,  William,  Kendrick  street, 

Boston. 
Fisher,  F.  C,  South  Sudbury. 
Gale,  W.  F.,  Springfield. 
Gleason,  F.  B.,  Marlboro'. 
Herrick,  N.  J.,  Springiield. 
Liunell,  J.  W.,  14  Chapman  Place, 

Boston. 
McCarthy.  N.  F.,  9  Park  street, 

Boston. 

Michigan. 

Boehme,  A.,  Battle  Creek. 
Chapman,  F.  A.,  Grand  Rapids. 
Hancock,  J.  G.,  Grand  Haven, 
Hughes,  Wellington,  Hillsdale. 
Jones,  D.  C,  Detroit. 

Minnesota. 

Blumm,  Edward,  St.  Paul. 
Mendenhall,  B.  J.,  Minneapolis. 
Smith,  C.  A.,  Minneapolis. 


Moses,  F.  H.,  Bucksport. 


Haliiday,     William     J.,    Liberty 

IJoad,  Baltimore. 
Haliiday,  Robert  J.,  Baltimore. 
Harold,  F.  W.,  Salisbury. 
Herman,  Charles,  Frederick. 
Iless,  Conrad,  Waverly. 
Millmaij,  F.  X.,  Cumberland. 
McCormick,  John,  74  \V.  Charles 

street,  Baltimore. 
Pentland,  James,  Baltimore. 
Thomas,    Mrs.    Mary    J.,    83    N. 

Charles  street,  Baltimore. 


Meade,  Thomas  II.,  Dorcliester. 

Montgomery.  Alexander,  Natick. 

Moss,  II.  B,,  Natick, 

O'Brien,  James,  Jamaica  Plains. 

Patten,  Marcellus,  Lowell. 

Palmer,  Frederick,  Brookline. 

Shaw,  E.  D.,  Holyoke. 

Sheppard,  E.,  Lowell, 

Stewart,  William  J.,  67  Bromheld 
street,  Boston. 

Sully,  George  II.,  Springfield. 

Tailby,  Joseph,  Wellesley. 

Ward,  J.  M.,  Peabody. 

Welch,  P..  Tremont  street,  Bos- 
ton. 

White,  John,  Pittslield. 

Wood,  W.  R.,  West  Newton. 

Zirngiebel,  1).,  Needham. 


Mann,  Harry,  Lansing. 

Smith,  D.  P.,  Flint, 

Sullivan,  J,  Frederick,  985  Gratiot 

avenue,  Detroit. 
Taplin,  Stephen,  Detroit. 


Swanson,    A.    S.,    State    Reform 

School,  St.  Paul, 
Wunder,  John,  Winona, 


APPENDIX. 


145 


Missout  i 


Armstrong,  Luther,  Kirkwood. 

Berdan,  Albert,  2724  W.  Grand 
avenue,  St.  J^ouis. 

Brown,  Daniel  S.,  2311  S.  Thir- 
teenth street,  St.  Louis. 

Brown,  R.  S.,  Kansas  City. 

Connor,  Charles,  2742  Olive  street, 
St.  Louis. 

Davison,  James,  70S  Olive  street, 
St.  Louis. 

Ellison,W., 2602  Olive  st.,St.  Louis. 

Jordan,  J.  M.,  706  Olive  street,  St. 
Louis. 

Juengel,  C.  A.,  1843  Linn  street, 
St.  Louis. 


Kuehn,  C.  A.,  1432  Morgan  street, 
St.  Louis. 

Michel,  Henry,  708  Olive  street, 
St.  Louis. 

]^eilson,  Hans,  St.  Joseph. 

Sanders,  C.  C,  1214  Olive  street, 
St.  Louis. 

Schray,  William,  4104  Pennsyl- 
vania avenue,  St.  Louis. 

Waldbert,  Alexander,  cor.  Grand 
avenue,  St.  Louis. 

Young,  William,  St.  Louis. 

Young,  James,  St.  Louis. 


Nebrasl.  a. 

Dunaghue,  A.,  Omaha. 


New  Jersey. 

Asmus,  Rudolph,  New  Durham. 
Bishop,  William  R.,  Burlington. 
Binstead,  George  W.,  Summit. 
Boch,  .Jerome,  Burlington. 
Bridgeman,  Thomas,  Raraseys. 
Butler,  C,  Summit. 
Carre,  W.  P.,  Mantna. 
Chew,  Charles  W.,  Glassboro'. 
Chinnick,  W.  J.,  Trenton. 
Collins,  Lew,  Bordentcwn. 
Cook,  John  A.,  Beverly. 
Cosgrove,  Frank,  Madison. 
Dahl,Carl,  Mt.  Holly. 
Denman,  C.  S.,  Summit. 
Edwards,  Theodore,  Bridgeton. 
Esler,  J.  G.,  Saddle  River. 
Esler,  A.,  Saddle  River. 
Field,  G.  T.,  Middletown. 
Gardiner,  John  G  ,  Jobstown. 
Gates,  Nicholas,  Summit. 
Gates,  George,  Summit, 
Goode,  James,  Summit. 
Goble,  Frederick,  Verona. 
Hancock,  L.  R.,  Burlington. 
Henderson,  Peter,  Jersey  City. 
Henderson,  Charles,  Jersey  City. 


Hicks,  J.  M.,  Summit. 
Jones,  Thomas,  Short  Hills. 
Leonard,  J.  H.,  lona. 
Leonard,  James  L.,  lona. 
Lukens,  J.  H.,  Bmlington. 
May,  Jolm  N.,  Summit. 
Marple,  C.  C,  Camden. 
McDonald,  Robert,  Summit. 
McGall,  H.  J.,  Orange. 
McMahon,  Frank,  Seabright. 
Miller,  John,  West  Hoboken. 
Monahau.  James,  Madison. 
O'Neil,  Thomas,  Long  Branch. 
Roehrs,  Julius,  Rutherford. 
Schmidt,  P.  A.,  Long  Branch. 
Schweiuhagen,  C,  Camden. 
Schultz,  Alexander,  Pliillipsburg. 
Sturtevant,  E.  D.,  Bordentown. 
Taplin,  James,  May  wood. 
Thurston,  W.  J.,  Ramseys. 
To  well,  Josepli,  Patterson. 
Turuley,  C.  William,  Camden. 
Vogt,  William,  Camden. 
Ward,  P.  J.,  Bloomfield. 
Witheridge,  Charles,  Newark. 


10 


146 


APPENDIX. 


Nt  IV  Tork. 

Allen,  W.  S.,  940  BroadwHy,  New 
York. 

Allen,  C.  L,,  Garden  City. 

Allen,  J.  W.,  Hudson. 

Anderson,  Charles,  Flushing,  L.  I. 

Belding,  George  S.,  Middletown. 

Benz,  Albert,  Douglaston. 

Bennett,  W.  G.,  Flatbush. 

Bennett,  A.  W.,  Flatbush. 

Benedict,  George  H.,  Utica. 

Bussard.  Henry,  Yonkers. 

Burke,  F.  H.,  Long  Island  City. 

Buchanan,  Isaac,  407  Fifth  ave- 
nue. New  York. 

Childs,  J.  L.,  Queens. 

Cosgrove.  J.  A.,  Sparkhill. 

Colton,  George  T.  N.,  079  Broad- 
way, New  York. 

Crosman  Bros.,  Rochester. 

Dean,  James,  Bay  Ridge. 

Dingwall,  John,  1020  Broadway, 
Albany. 

Ellwanger  &  Barry,  Rochester. 

Falconer,  William,  Glen  Cove. 

Ferris,  J.  D.,  120  Liberty  street. 
New  York. 

Fish,  J.  G.,  Whitney's  Point. 

Gordon,  Frederick,  71  Broadway, 
New  York. 

Gross,  George,  17  S.  William  street, 
New  York. 

Hammond,  James  A.,  51  W.  Thir- 
tieth street,  New  York. 

Hamilton, F., 290  Bay  st.,Stapleton. 

Hall,  W.  W.,  E.  Holley,  Hudson. 

Hart,  .James,  117  W.  Thirtieth 
street.  New  York. 

Hermann,  A., 413  E.  Thirty-fourth 
street.  New  York. 

Henshaw,  Samuel,  New  Brighton, 
Staten  Island. 

Hittman,  Peter  B.,  Box  85,  E.  New 
York. 

Koran,  Edward  C,  905  Broadway, 
New  York. 

Howland,  T.  A.,  401  Wells'  Build- 
ing and  18  Broadway,  New  York. 

Hunter,  F.  D.,  51  W.  Thirtieth 
street,  New  York. 


Jansen,   E.,  154    W.    Nineteenth 

street.  New  York. 
Joosten,  C.  H.,  22  New  Church 

street.  New  York. 
Kadletz,  John,  Stapleton,  Staten 

Island. 
Keller,  J.  N.,  Bay  Ridge. 
Kellar,  Samuel,  122   W.  Twenty- 
fifth  street.  New  York. 
Keelar,  L.  J.,  Rochester. 
Kelsey,  F.  W.,  208  Broadway,  New 

York. 
Kricks,  W.  C.,950  Gates  avenue, 

Brooklyn. 
Krombach,  Charles,  Brooklyn. 
Long,  D.  B.,  57  Niagara  street, 

Buffalo. 
Lord,  F.  A.,  Irvington. 
Lorenze,  George,  Astoria. 
Matthews,  William,  Utica. 
Marc,  Charles  J.,  Woodside. 
Mensing,  C.  J.  S.,  Rochester. 
Meissner,  B.,  Flatbush. 
Messeburg,  Gus.,  Flatbush. 
Messeburg,  Gus.,  Jr.,  Flatbush. 
Mills,  M.  H.,  Biiighamton. 
Miller,  E.  S.,  Wading  River. 
McAllister,  F.  E.,22  Dey  street. 

New  York. 
Morgan,  James,  Auburn, 
Nilson,  William,  Woodlawn. 
Nutt,   S.   A.,  224   W.   Forty-first 

street.  New  York. 
Parsons,  Edward  W.,  West  Chester. 
Peck,  John  B.,  Rye,  West  Ciiester 

county. 
Pierson,  F.  R.,  Tarry  town. 
Pickle,  Samuel,  124  S  street.  New 

York. 
Plenty,  Joseph,  144  Pearl  street, 

New  York. 
Quinlan,  P.  R.,  199  W.  Genesee 

street,  Syracuse. 
Ross,  Duncan,  525  Fifth  avenue, 

New  York. 
Roehrs,  Theodore,  153  W.  Thirty- 
first  street,  New  York. 
Rolker,  J.  E.,  44  Dey  street.  New 

York. 


APPENDIX. 


147 


Neiv  York — Continued. 

Salter,  R.  G.,  Rochester. 

Salter,  A.  H.,  Rochester. 

Savage,  George,  care  W.  S.  Kim- 
ball, Rocliester. 

Scollay,  Joiin  A.,  74  Myrtle  avenue, 
Brooklyn. 

Scollay,  U.  G.,  74  Myrtle  avenue, 
Brooklyn. 

Schultheis,  T.,  College  Point. 

Schlegel,  Frederick,  260  South  av- 
enue, Rochester. 

Scott,  William,  Buffalo. 

Shuplielt,  R.  E.,  Chatham. 

Siebrecht,  Henry  A.,  409  Fifth  av- 
enue, New  York. 

Siebrecht,  Louis,  East  Hinsdale. 

Siebrecht,  W.  H.,  Astoria. 

Smith,  H.  W.,66  Cortlandt  street. 
New  York. 


Steffens,  N.,  335  E.  Twenty-first 
street.  New  Y'ork. 

Stetson,  George  T.,  Port  Jervis. 

Taylor,  John  H.,  Bayside. 

Terwillifjer,  S.  F.,  Saratoga  Sp'ngs. 

Thorpe,  John,  East  Hinsdale. 

Thomman,  Gustav,  462  Tenth  av- 
enue. New  York. 

Vick,  P'rank  H.,  Rochester. 

A-^ick,  Edward  H.,  Rocliester. 

Wall,  II.  M.,  192  West  street.  New 
York. 

Wagner,  R.  H.,  22  Vesey  street, 
New  York. 

Weathered,  T.  W.,  40  Marion 
street,  New  York. 

Weimer,  E.  W.,  Mt.  Vernon. 

Wilson,  W.  C,  Astoria. 

Young,  Thomas,  Jr.,  New  York. 


North  Carolina. 

Lamb,  James  M.,  Fayetteville. 
Lamb,  George  P.,  Wilmington. 


Stienmetz,  W.,  Raleigh. 


Ohio. 


Behrens,  H.,  Middletown. 

Bolia,  William,  1047  Colerain  ave- 
nue, Cincinnati. 

Bonsall,  Joseph  E.,  Salem. 

Brosius,  A.  I).,  Wooster. 

Corbett,  George,  College  Hill. 

Congdon,  A.  R.,  Oberlin. 

Dunlap,  John,  Queen's  Hotel,  To- 
ronto. 

Eadie,  Andrew,  Cleveland. 

Evans,  Maurice,  Columbus. 

Gasser,  J.  M.,  Cleveland. 

Georsre,  Robert,  Painesville. 

Glinns,  Henry,  639  Vine  street, 
Cincinnati. 

Glens,  Joseph,  Cumrainsville. 

Graliam,  Adam,  Cleveland. 

Harrison,  Bert.  T.,  Painesville. 

Harrison,  J,  J.,  Painesville. 

Heinl,  G.  A.,  Toledo. 

Hippard,  E.,  Youngstown. 

Huntsman,  Frank,  Walnut  street, 
Cincinnati. 


Imlay,  .John  D.,  Zanesville. 

Jaynes,  Harry  C,  84  Euclid  ave- 
nue, Cleveland. 

Jackson,  S.  S.,  Cincinnati. 

James,  A.  C,  Mt.  Healthy. 

Kayser,  Karl,  Newburg. 

Koethen,  E.  L.,  Zanesville. 

Lamborn,  Leroy,  Alliance. 

Loder,  John,  Hamilton. 

McCuUough,  A.,  134  Walnut  street, 
Cincinnati.  " 

McFaddan,  F.  T.,  119  Broadway, 
Cincinnati. 

McKinney,  W.  H.,  187  and  189  W. 
Fourth  street,  Cincinnati. 

Mitchell,  C.    L.,  P.   O.   Box  188, 
Cincinnati. 

Miller,  Mrs.  E.,  Ironton. 

Murphy,  Roger,  Urbana. 

Murphy,  George  C,  Urbana, 

Murphy,  Robert  J.,  Beecliwood. 

Nolan,  W.  C,  Cincinnati. 

Paddock,  E.  J.,  Newberg. 


148 


APPENDIX. 


Ohio— Continued. 

Penney,  John  M.,  Newark. 

Pentland,  Francis,  Lockland. 

Peterson,  Julius  A.,  195  W.  Fourth 
street,  Cincinnati. 

Pierce,  L.  P.,  Tallmadge. 

Keeser,  C  A.,  Springfield. 

Eitter,  Herman,  Dayton. 

Romans,  John  B.,  24  N.  High 
street,  Columbus. 

Schaefer,  R.,  Denham  street,  Fair- 
mount,  Cincinnati. 

Sell  ram  m,  B.,  Toledo. 

Smith,  n.  P.,  Piqua. 

I'ennsylx  ania. 

Alburger,  E.  F.,  Ridge  avenue  and 

Huntingdon  street,  Piiila. 
Anderson,    (ieorge.    Fifty-second 

and  Woodland  avenue,  Phila. 
Ander,  John  E.,  Doylestown. 
Ball,  C.  D.,  Holmesburg. 
Barrows,  James,  Wakefield  street, 

(jrermantown. 
Bader,  John,  Allegheny. 
Banyard,  Edward,  Thirtieth  street 

and  Ridge  avenue,  Phila. 
Ballantine,  J.  D.,  714  S.  Eleventh 

street,  Philadelphia. 
Battles,    H.    H.,    1204    Chestnut 

street,  Philadelphia. 
Bayersdorfer,  H.,   56  N.  Fourth 

street,  Philadelphia. 
Beam,  David,  2311  Wallace  street, 

Philadelphia. 
Becker,  Jacob,  Fifty-second  and 

Market  streets,  Pliiladelphia. 
Bell,  W.  T.,  Franklin. 
Bender,  George  J.,  Lewisburg. 
Billger,  William  A.,  5670  German- 
town  avenue,  Philadelphia. 
Bissett,  Miss  Annie  A.,  333  Tasker 

street,  Philadelphia. 
Blanc,  A.,  314  N.  Eleventh  street, 

Pliiladelphia. 
Brogan,  Joiin,    Fifty-fourth    and 

Woodland  avenue,  Philadelphia. 
Brechemin,  W.  K.,  935  S.  Second 

street,  Philadelphia. 


Stearns,  A.  M.,  Lockland. 
Sunderbruch,    H.    L.,    200>^    W. 

Fourth  street,  Cincinnati. 
Swaby,  R.  W.,  O.  S.  and  S.  O.  Home, 

Xeuia. 
Underwood,  J.  N.,  Cheviot. 
Walz,  Frederick,  Cumminsville. 
Wills,  Bert  F.,  Akron. 
Wilson,  John,  707  Superior  street, 

Toledo. 
Wilson,  .John,  College  Hill. 
White,  Miss  Annie,  Salem. 
Wheeler,  H.  M.,  Perry. 


Burton,  John,  Wyndmoor,  Chest- 
nut Hill,  Philadelphia. 

Burpee,  W.  Atlee,  475  N.  Fifth 
street,  Philadelphia. 

Cassell,  J.  C,  1207  Columbia  ave- 
nue, Philadelphia. 

Cartledge,  A.  B.,  1514  Chestnut 
street,  Philadelphia. 

Cartledge,  Tiiomas,  1514  Cliestnut 
street,  i'hiladelphia. 

Campbell,  J.  H.,  8601  Germantown 
avenue,  Philadelphia. 

Childs,   Tliomas    H.,  725   Filbert 
street,  Philadelpliia. 

Cliffe,  David,  Johnson  street,  Ger- 
man to  wii. 

Clark,  G.  R.,  Scranton. 

Coiton,  E.  B.,  Tenth  and  Chest- 
nut streets,  Philadelphia. 

Cochrane,   W.,  211   Price   street, 
Pliiladelphia. 

Colflesh,  J.   William,  Fifty-third 
and  Woodland  avenue,  Phila, 

Coles,  W.  W.,  Lansdowne. 

Copper,   John,   Xewtown,    Bucks 
county. 

Connelly,  John  J.,  Bryn  Mawr. 

Connell,  Benjamin,  West  Grove. 

Conner,  D.  T.,  Chester. 

Crawford,  W.  N.,  106  S.  Sixteenth 
street,  Pliiladelphia. 

Craig,    Robert,    Forty-ninth    and 
Market  streets,  Philadelphia. 


APPENDIX. 


149 


Pennsylvania— Continued. 

Crall,  C.  S.,  Monongahela  City. 

Crawford,  Robert,  Jr.,  235  8.  Elev- 
enth street,  Philadelphia. 

Curtin,  T).,  Twentieth  street  and 
Nicetown  avenue,  Philadt^lphia. 

Curwin,  John,  Jr.,  Villa   Is'ova, 
Philadelphia. 

Dewitt,  Thomas,  Bristol. 

Dick,  .Joliii,  Jr.,  Fifty-second  and 
Woodland  avenue,  Philadelphia. 

Dillon,  J.  L.,  Bloomsburg. 

Dorrance,  B.  F.,  Wilkesbarre. 

Downs,  Alexandei-,  Ridse  and  Le- 
high avenues,  Philadelphia. 

Dreer,  William  F.,  714  Chestnut 
street,  Piiiladelpl)ia. 

Dreer,  Mrs.  IT.  A.,  Pliiladelphia. 

Edwards,  W.  L.,  Moore's  P.  O. 

Edwards,  Odin  R.,  1029  Chestnut 
street,  Philadelphia. 

Eisele,  C,  1500  N.  Eleventh  street, 
Philadelphia. 

Eldridge,  W.  M.,  Wilkesbarre. 

Elliott,  Benjamin  A.,  Pittsburgh. 

Engler,  Henry,  Forty-seventh  st. 
and  Lancaster  avenue,  Phila. 

Evans,  C.  F.,  Rowlandville,  Phil- 
adelphia. 

Evans,  George  C,  Rowlandville, 
Philadelphia. 

Evans,  Frank  M.,  Washington. 

Farson,  D.  D.  L.,  Fiftieth  street 
and  Westminster  avenue,  Phila. 

Fancourt,    W.   F.,   Thirty-fourth 
street  and  Ridge  avenue,  Phila. 

Fancourt,  George  E.,  Wilkesbarre. 

Fergusson,  Miss,  Ridge  and  Le- 
high avenues,  Philadelphia. 

Fergusson,  F.  M.,  Ridge  avenue, 
Philadelphia. 

Fergusson,  Robert,  Ridge  avenue, 
Philadelphia. 

Finley,  J.  G.,  1020  Arch  street, 
Philadelphia. 

Fitzgerald,  William  J.,  Bryn  Mawr. 

Foukls,  Thomas,  Hoyt  P.  O.,  Mont- 
gomery county. 

Fries,  J.  A.,  Bethlehem. 

Frederick,  William,  Jenkintown. 


Garrow,  H.  S.,  47  Federal  street, 

Allegheny. 
Gebhai'd,  William,  Germantown. 
Geiger,  H.  C,  614  Chestnut  street, 

Philadelphia. 
George,  James,    Supt.   Allegheny 

Cemetery,  Pittsburgh. 
German,  Edward,  Altoona. 
Giles,  J.  H.,  Reading. 
Graham,  Hugh,  Seventeenth  and 

Thompson  streets,  "Phila. 
Graham,    William,     Seventeenth 

and  Thompson  streets,  Pliila. 
Grigg,  C.  H.,  1204  Chestnut  street, 

Philadelphia. 
Haubert,  John,    Belmont,    Phila- 
delphia. 
Harris,    W.    K.,    Fifty-fifth    and 

Woodland  avenue,  Phila. 
Haenze,  C.  A.,  Pliiladelphia. 
Hanson,  AVilliam  H.,  1731  Filbert 

street,  Philadelphia. 
Hahman,   F.,  Harrowgate  Lane, 

Philadelphia. 
Hacker,  William,  Philadelphia. 
Heron,    Richard,    1735    Cliestnut 

street,  Philadelphia. 
Herr,  Albert  M.,  Lancaster. 
Heacock,  Joseph,  Jenkintown. 
Hillborn,  Watson   T.,  Newtown, 

Bucks  county. 
Hoskins,  G.  H.,  Reading. 
Hoffmeistler,    Cliristian,    Jumon- 

ville. 
Hutton,    James,    Righter    street, 

Lower  Roxborough,  Phila. 
Hunter,  C.   F.,   5550  Lansdowne 

avenue,  Philadelphia. 
Hughes,  J.  M.,  Bryn  Mawr. 
James,  H.  Q.,  Altoona. 
Jennings,  C.  W.,  Olney,  Philadel- 
phia. 
Jennings,  J.  W.,  Olney,  Philadel- 
phia. 
Jones,   A.   E.,  Eighth   and  Arch 

streets,  Pliiladelphia. 
Joyce,  William,  Philadelphia. 
Kaufmann,  Ernst,  Fourth  street, 

above  Race,  Philadelphia. 


]50 


APPENDIX. 


Pennsylvania—  Cuviinue'i. 

Kahlert,  C.  W.,  1514  Chestnut 
street,  Pliiladelpliiiv. 

Kemp,  J.  G.,  Asylum  Road,  Pliil- 
adelphia. 

Kift,  Robert,  1721  Chestnut  street, 
Pliiladelphia. 

Kift,  Joseph,  West  Chester. 

Kirchner,  Conrad,  Twenty- first 
street  and  Allegheny  avenue, 
Pliiladelphia. 

Koehler,  Julius,  Frankford,  Phil- 
adelphia. 

Koehler,  W.  II., 4000  Germantown 
avenue,  Philadelphia. 

Krayer,  J.  E.,  Media. 

Kreles,  F.  8.,  543  Belgrade  street, 
Philadelphia. 

La  Roche,  M.  F.,  Thirteenth  and 
Chestnut  streets,  Piiiladelpiiia. 

Lamb,  Cliarles  P.,  Wyndmoor, 
Chestnut  Hill,  Philadelphia. 

Landes,  Lemon,  Lancaster. 

Lonsdale,  Edwin,  Wyndmoor, 
Chestnut  Hill,  Philadelphia. 

Lucking,  Mrs.  Kate  E.,  Fifty- 
fourth  street  and  Fairmount  av- 
enue, Pliiladelphia. 

Lul/.,  August,  311  N.  Thirty- 
second  street,  Philadelphia. 

Marchuetz,  Joseph,  25  N.  Fourth 
street,  Philadel|>hia. 

Marvin  &  Wagle,  387  and  389  Main 
street,  Wilkesbarre. 

Maybury,  Thomas,  Pittsburgh. 

Maule,  William  II.,  1713  Filbert 
street,  Philadelphia. 

Makin,  E.,  Paschalville,  Philadel- 
phia. 

Mack,  Christopher,  321  S.  Twen- 
tieth street,  Philadelphia. 

Ma'-ot,  C.  H.,  814  Chestnut  street, 
Philadelphia. 

Mernaw,  William,  Sixth  and  Som- 
erset streets,  Philadelphia. 

Meyers,  Jacob,  Lancaster. 

Meehan,  W.  E.,  Germantown, 
Philadelphia. 

McCarthy,  T.  J.,  Ridge  and  Le- 
high avenues,  Philadelphia. 


McClintock,  Logan  E.,  Harris- 
burg. 

McFarland,  J.  Horace,  107  and  109 
Cumberland  St.,  Harrisburg. 

McMurray,  Joseph,  1502  Master 
street,  Philadelphia. 

Michell,  H.,  714  Chestnut  street, 
Philadelphia. 

Mish,  D.  Hammond,  cor.  Fourth 
and  Chestnut  streets,  Lebanon. 

Moore,  G.  S.,  2259  Franklin  street, 
Philadelpliia. 

Moon,  S.  C,  Morrisville. 

Myers,  Thomas  J.,  Jr.,  1173  8. 
Ninth  street,  Philadelphia. 

Myers,  F.  II.,  1173  S.  Ninth  street, 
Philadelphia. 

Myers,  J.  II.,  Altoona. 

Murdock,  Alexander,  Pittsburgh. 

Murdock,  William,  Pittsburgh. 

Murdock,  F.  C,  Pittsburgh. 

Nisbet,  John,  1735  Chestnut  street, 
Philadelphia. 

Nitterhouse,  J.  F.,  Waynesboro'. 

O'Brien,  M.  J.,  Sliaron. 

Otter,  Harold,  Doylestown,  Bucks 
county. 

Pegge,  Henry,  Howard  and  Som- 
erset streets,  Philadeliihia. 

Perkins,  John  J.,  Sixteenth  street, 
Philadelphia. 

Pennock,  C.  E.,  30  S.  Sixteenth 
street,  Philadelphia. 

Petterson,  Gustave,  Harrisburg. 

Pennock,  A.  L.,  Lansdowne. 

Price,  C.  S.,  Lansdowne. 

Ramsden,  J.  B  ,  Morton. 

Reist,  Nathe  E.,  Limerick. 

Reig,  John,  Jenkintown. 

Reineuian,  E.  C,  Allegheny. 

Rice,  M.,  Eightli  and  Arch  streets, 
Philadelphia. 

Rimby,  Horace,  Collegeville. 

Robb,  R.  R.,  Jr.,  Pliiladelphia, 

Rohrer,  A.  D.,  Lancaster. 

Ilohrer,  H.  D.,  Lancaster. 

Robertson,  Thomas,  22 J3  Fair- 
mount  avenue,  Philadelphia. 

Roberts,  C.  C,  Philadelphia. 


AITENDIX. 


151 


Pennsylvania-  Continued. 

Kupp,  Henry  S.,  Shiremantown. 

Savage,  John,  43   Brown    street, 
riiiladelphia. 

Scott,  Alexander  B.,  Nineteenth 
and  Catharine  streets,  Phila. 

Schroyer,  George  AV.,  Lancaster. 

Schi'oj'er,  H.  A.,  Lancaster. 

Schmidt,  Joseph,  Harrisburg. 

Schafmeister,  John,  Harrisburg. 

Slieetz,  Peter  E.,  Kensington  ave- 
nue, Philadelphia. 

Siielmire,  W.  IL,  Avondale. 

Sliumard,  William  P.,  Avondale. 

Simpson,  Robert,  Frankford,  Phil- 
adelpiiia. 

Siebert,  Charles  T.,  Pittsburgh. 

Smith,  W.  H.,  1018  Chestnut 
street,  Philadelphia. 

Smith,  J.  Y.,  Doylestown. 

Stuetzer,E.,Germantown  and  Sus- 
quehanna avenues,  Phila. 

Stevens,  F.,  Lansdowne. 

Stauffer,  Abram,  Lancaster. 

Strong,  O.  H.,  Oil  City. 

Strouch,  C.  L.,  Pottsville. 

Strouch,  N.  P.,  Pottsville. 

Stone,  H.  C,  Woodland  avenue, 
Philadelphia. 

Stahl,  B.,  Thirteenth  and  Chest- 
nut streets,  Philadelpliia. 

Starr,  Charles  T.,  Avondale. 

Swayne,  William,  Kennett  Square. 

Taplin,  W.  H.,  Holmesburg. 

llhode  Island. 

Batclier,  William,  Pitman  street, 

Providence. 
Burrough, George  A.,  Cook  street. 

Providence. 


Thomas,  AV.  D.,4121  Parish  street, 
Philadelphia. 

Wagner,  W.  H.,  1224  Ridge  ave- 
nue, Philadelphia. 

Waterer,  H.,  f6  N.  Thirty-eighth 
street,  Philadelphia. 

Westcott,  W.  H.,  Second  street, 
below  Tioga  street,  Pliila. 

Weiss,  Eugene,  Eighth  and  Arch 
streets,  Philadelphia. 

Westcott,  John,  1514  Chestnut 
street,  Pliiladelphia. 

Whilldin,  J.  G.,  713  and  715  Whar- 
ton street,  Pliiladelphia. 

Whiting,  W.  H.,  Wellsboro'. 

Wilkinson,  Sidney,  714  Chestnut 
street,  Philadelphia. 

Winters,  Thomas  J.,  Commerce 
street,  Harrisburg. 

Wintzer,  A.,  West  Grove. 

Williams,  Albert,  Sharon. 

Woods,  D.  R.,  New  Brighton. 

Woods,  David,  Holmewood  Ceme- 
tery, Pittsburgh. 

Wood,  James  P.,  39  S.  Fourth 
street,  Philadelphia. 

Wuttke,  F.  W.,Etna. 

Wynings,  R.  AV.,  Lebanon. 

Wyatt,  William  H.,  236  N.  Thir- 
teenth street,  Philadelphia. 

Young,  W.  J.,  School  street,  Ger- 
mantown,  Philadelphia. 


Connor,  T.  O.,  Providence. 
Johnson,  George,  Elmwood. 
Jurgens,  Carl,  Newport. 


South  Carolina. 

Thompson,  Mrs.  J.  S.  R.,  Spartanburg. 


Vermont. 

Allen,  C.  E.,  Brattleboro'. 
Bryant,  Henry,  St.  Albans. 

Virginia. 

Reynolds,  Benjamin,  Norfolk. 
Robertson,  John,  Alexandria. 


Cook,  George,  St.  Albans. 


Roper,  C.  E.,  408  West  C  street, 
Richmond. 


152 


APPENDIX. 


West  Virginia. 

Hiehle,  Adolph,  Wlieeling. 
Krieger,  William  F.,  Superintend- 
ent Parks,  Wheeling. 

Wisconsin. 

Carrie,  William,  Milwaukee. 
Dilger,  F.  P.,  Milwaukee. 
Dilger,  M.  P.,  Milwaukee. 
Dorner,  II.,"  Milwaukee. 
Ellis,  Frank  R.,  Milwaukee. 
Freytag,  J.,  Milwaukee. 
Gordon,  Mrs.  George,  Milwaukee. 

Canada. 

Bennett,  J.,  Montreal. 
Campbell,  C,  40  Rudegonde  street, 
Montreal. 

France. 

Benard,  E.,  51  Route,  Orleans. 


Meyer,  Fritz  R.,  Savannah. 


Haentze,  E.,  Fond  du  Lac. 
Jewett,  Z.  K.,  Sparta. 
Le  Febre,  John,  North  Greenfield. 
Middlemass,  A.,  Milwaukee. 
Ninicke,  C,  Milwaukee. 
Salzer,  H.  A.,  La  Crosse. 


Cape,  John,  Winnipeg. 
Dale,  IL,  Brampton,  Ontario. 
Eraser,  Mrs.  Agnes,  Toronto. 


APPENDIX. 


153 


SUPPLEMENT  TO  MEMBERSHIP  LIST. 


Asmus,  Ernest,  West  Hoboken,  K.  J. 

Auger,  B.  C,  Fort  Wayne,  Ind. 

Avery,  Cliarles  H.,  Madison,  Wis. 

Appleton,  Thomas,  Lake; Forest,  111. 

Butz,  Paul,  New  Castle,  Pa. 

Bastow,  W.  D.,  Wellington,  Kan. 

Beck,    (/harles    K.,    iSoldiers'    Home, 
Dayton,  O. 

Bellville,  J.  B.,  Cedar  Point,  Hamilton 
county,  O. 

Bertrand,  Henry, Carthage  Pike,  Avon- 
dale,  O. 

Becker,  Frank,  Cambridge,  Mass. 

Bettman,  John  G.,  New  Albany,  Ind. 

Buettner,  C,  Deadwood,  Dakota. 

Bonner,  E.,  Xenia,  O. 

Bunde,  A,  H.,  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Brunner,  C.  A.,  Cincinnati,  O. 

Berterman,  William,  Indianapolis, Ind. 

Berterman,  Jolm,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Bussard,  Henry,  Yonkers,  N.  Y. 

Bochman,  E.  II.,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Bauuigarten,('harles,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Coglan,  R.  W.,  Miles  Center,  111. 

Critchell,  B.  P.,  Fourth  street,  Cin- 
cinnati, O. 

Cornelli,  Edward,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Clark,  David,  Broadway,  New  York 
city. 

Clark,  Samuel,  Fountain  Grove,  Santa 
Bosa  county,  Cal. 

Cartwright,  George,  Dedham,  Mass. 

Carbon,  Joseph,  Des  Plaines,  111. 

Cooley,  Mrs.  H.  Clay,  Manchester,  O. 

Cefrey,  A.  T.,  37  Tremont  street,  Bos- 
ton, Mass. 

Crusman,  J.  J.,  Clarksville,  Tenn. 

Cincinnati  Desiccating  Company,  Cin- 
cinnati, O. 

Clarke,  E.  C,  Springfield,  Mass. 

Calvert,  F.,  Lake"  Forest,  111. 
Carington,  R.  C.  S.,  Worcester,  Eng. 

Caldwell,  Thomas  N.,  Carthage,*0. 


Casper,  L.  A.,  Council  Bluffs,  la. 

Carters,  Thomas  J.,  Lake  View,  111. 

Conroy,  Edward,  Cincinnati,  O. 

Drobisch,  Gustave,  Columbus,  O. 

Dorval,Victor,Woodside,  Long  Island, 
N.  Y. 

DeVry,  H.  J.,  Ciiicago,  111. 

Dresel,  Augustus,  Chicago,  111.  , 

Dumont,  S.  M.,  Vevay,  Ind. 

Deneke,  Charles,  Henderson,  Ky. 

Downs,  William,  Evanston,  111. 

Doswell,  George  W.,  Fort  AVayne,  Ind. 

DeForest,  W.  IL,  Summit,  N.  J. 

Devine,  Peter,  183  Canal  street,  Chi- 
cago, 111. 

Eliot,  Edward,  411  Milwaukee  street, 
Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Ellis,  Marcus,  Keene,  N.  H. 

Edlefson,  Lavis,  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Edlefson,  William,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Forder,  Alfred,  East  Walnut  Hills, 
Cincinnati,  O. 

Fisclier,  Albert,  Woodburn  avenue, 
Cincinnati,  O. 

Fries,  John,  Newport,  Ky. 

Fairchild,  O.  P.,  20  East  Fifth  street, 
Covington,  Ky. 

Finn,  John,  Second  avenue.  New  York 
city. 

Fisher,  Sewell,  Framingham,  Mass. 

Franks,  Thomas,  Champaign,  111. 

Frazer,  William,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Goode,  Frank,  Springfield,  O. 

Goode,  John,  Chicago,  111. 

Getz,  Charles  A.,  Harrison  Pike,  Cin- 
cinnati, O. 

* 

Genteman,  C.  F.  W.,  Quincy,  111. 

Gibbs,  J.  F.,  Perrysville,  Pa. 

Gray,  Walter,  Kirby  Road,  Cummins- 

ville,  Cincinnati,  O. 
Glins,  Joseph,  Spring  Grove  avenue, 

Cincinnati,  O. 
Griffitli,  N.  L.,  Independence,  Mo. 


154 


APPENDIX. 


Guy,  Everett  W.,  Belleville,  111. 

Grimmer,  C.  P.,  51  West  street,  Bos- 
ton, Mass. 

Grew,  Mrs.  J.  W.,  Independence,  Kan. 

Gallup,  C.  R.,  Denver,  Col. 

Guy,  T.  W.,  Klmmswiek,  Mo. 

Guy,  E.  AV.,  Belleville,  111. 

Giddings,  A.,  Danville,  111. 

Huston,  Frank,  Milton,  Ind. 

Hellenthal,  John  11.,  Columbus,  O. 

Hamilton,  William,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Heath,  Robert,  Woodstock,  Ontario, 
Can. 

Hasp,  Philip  F.,  College  Hill,  Hamil- 
ton county,  O. 

Heikes,  W.  F.,  Huntsville,  Ala. 

Hoeffner,  Henry,  Hamilton,  O. 

Hall,  William  E.,  Clyde,  O. 

Henaker,  D.,  Louisville,  Ky. 

Hilker,  Henry,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Hodson,  George,  North  Springfield, 
Mo. 

Heffron,  D.  S.,  Washington  Heights, 
HI. 

Henecke,  C,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Heinl,  Lawrence,  Terre  Haute,  Ind. 

Hews,  A.  T.,Xorth  (Jambridge,  ISIass. 

Herline,  Herman,  Cumminsville,  Cin- 
cinnati, O. 

Hoppenmutte,  Paul,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Ilerinze,  K.,  Fond  da  Lac,  Wis. 

Hull,  William,  College  Hill,  O. 

Hoffman,  Jacob,  Sta.  A.,  Cincinnati,  O. 

Helms,  Walter,  Janesville,  Wis. 

Jackson,  Tliomas,  Sycamore  street, 
Cincinnati,  O. 

Jackson,  8.  S.,  Cincinnati,  O. 

Jackson,  Albert  T.,  Bowmanville,  111. 

Jones,  John,  Madison,  N.  J. 

King,  James,  Chicago,  111. 

Knott,  David,  Jr.,  Avondale,  Cincin- 
nati, O. 

Kolthoff,  Frederick  K.,  Oak  street, 
Walnut  Hi. Is,  Cincinnati,  O. 

Knost,  C  Portsmouth,  O. 

Knott,  David,  Sr.,  Avondale,  O. 

Keller,  John,  15  Lexington  avenue, 
Indianapolis,  Ind. 

LeMoult,  A.,  174  Bowery,  New  York 
city. 


Losey,  J.  W.,  LaCrosse,  Wis. 

Lanham,  Harry,  Memphis,  Tenn. 

Lauer,  Anton,  Cave  Hill,  Louisville, 
Ky. 

Lockhurst,  Frederick  J.,  Chicago,  111. 

Mumma,  George  R.,  Dayton,  O. 

Morat,  Francis,  Ormsby  avenue,  Louis- 
ville, Ky. 

Murdocii,  James,  Smithfield  street, 
Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Maitre,  R.,  Magazine  street.  New  Or- 
leans, La. 

Mclntyre,  J.  W.,  Fulton,  Mo. 

McConnell,  J.  T.,  Fulton,  Mo. 

Mclntyre,  Daniel,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

McGall,  II.  J.,  Orange,  N.  J. 

Morat,  Edward,  Fourtli  street,  Louis- 
ville, Ky. 

Moore,  George,  Milton,  Ind. 

McKellar,  William,  Chillicothe,  O. 

McBeth,  Thomas,  .Springfield,  O. 

Morton,  William  E.,  615  Congress 
street,  Portland,  Me. 

Mensiug  &  Steelier,  336  North  St.  Paul 
street,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

McNally,  E.,  Louisville,  Ky. 

Manthey,  A.,  Cincinnati,  O. 

Mullert,  Hugo,  Cincinnati,  O. 

Miller,  Charles,  Westwood,  Cincin- 
nati, O. 

Mathews,  W.  G.,  Dayton.  O. 

Newitt,  W.  G.,  Grand  Boulevard,  Chi- 
cago, 111. 

Neuner,  Charles,  St.  Matthews,  Jeffer- 
son county,  Ky. 

Neuner,  Alfred,  Fourth  street,  Louis- 
ville, Ky. 

Norton,  Michael,  Hotel  Berkeley,  Bos- 
ton, Mass. 

Nixon,  E.  S.,  Chattanooga,  Tenn. 

Ohmer,  Nicholas,  Dayton,  O. 

Purvis,  R.  J.,  Havelock,  111. 

Parker,  George  L.,  Dorchester,  Mass. 

Probasco,  Henry,  Oakwood,  Clifion, 
Cincinnati,  O. 

Pitcher,  James  R.,  Short  Hills,  N.  J. 

Peters,  C,  A.,  Price's  Hill,  Cincinnati, 
O. 

Palmer,  W.  J.,  306  Main  street,  Buf- 
falo, N.  Y. 


APPENDIX. 


155 


Ray,  Alfred,  33  Drummond  street, 
Montreal,  Can. 

Ramsey,  James  R.,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

Reed,  John,  Everett,  Mass. 

Rliodemeyer,  George  E.,  Pliiladelphia. 

Roeskey,  H.,  Marysville,  Kan. 

Smith,  W.  L.,  Aurora,  111. 

Sunderbruch,  Augustus,  Cincinnati,  O. 

Schuster,  Mrs.  Theodore,  519  Herkimer 
street,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Singler,  N.,  Washington  Heights,  111. 

Schiller  &  Kuske,  Niles  Center,  111. 

Sulzer,  Frederick,  Lake  View,  Chi- 
cago, 111. 

Spence,  John,  Santa  Barbara,  Cal. 

Seitner,  E.,  Dayton,  O. 

Schaefner,  R.,  Denham  street,  Cincin- 
nati, O. 

Sailer,  Isaac  D.,  Third  and  Walnut 
streets,  Philadelphia,  Pa 

Smith,  W.  B.,  Cincinnati,  O. 

Swartling,  C,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Simmons,  D.  C,  115  Monroe  street, 
Chicago,  111. 

Starr,  A.  R.,  Joliet,  111. 

Saunders,  Edgar,  Wright's  Grove, 
Chicago,  111. 

Sayler,  J.  A.,  Baysville,  Long  Island, 
N.Y. 

Swalm,  A.  J.,  Hazleton,  Pa. 

Shaw,  J.  Austin,  Cook  county,  111. 

Suder,  Mrs.  E.,  181  Summit  street,  To- 
ledo, O. 


Treadway,  J.  T.,  Brandt,  O. 

Tracy,  S.  M.,  Columbia,  Mo. 

Tait,  Thomas,  Port  Richmond,  IST.  Y. 

Tliompson,  George,  Cave  Hill,  Louis- 
ville, Ky. 

Taylor,  D.  L.,  Melrose,  Mass. 

Therkidson,  P.  H.,  Ironton,  O. 

Taylor,  C.  W.,New  Brighton,  Pa. 

Underwood,  William,  Ludlow,  Ky. 

Union  and  Advertiser  Company,  Roch- 
ester, N.  Y. 

Unverzogt,  Louis,  Springfield,  111. 

Vogt,  William,  Camden,  N.  J. 

Whitcomb,  A.,  Lawrence,  Kan. 

Whitnall,  F.,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Wilson,  William  C,  Aatoria,  N.  Y. 

AVelch,  George,  Madison,  N.  J. 

Weiniioeber,  E.,  417  Elm  street,  Chi- 
cago, 111. 

Will,  Oscar  H.,  Bismarck,  Dak. 

Warder,  R.  IL,  North  Bend,  O. 

Wilson,  George  W.,  Maiden,  Mass. 

Walker,   Herbert  G.,  New   Albany, 
Ind. 

Woolcott,  F.  A.,  Batavia,  111. 

Whiteley,  S.,  Racine,  Wis. 

Williams,  John,  College  Hill,  O. 

Wilson,  John,  College  Hill,  O. 

Wilson,  James  S  ,  3415  Olive  street, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Young    &    Elliott,    54    Dey    street, 
New  York  city. 


• .  ^-^ 


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