The Washington herald., 1908-08-17

row with sublime nature in its primitive
grandeur at Niagara The Society OF
American Florists and Ornamental H0rti-
cuiturists viii be there 10 hold their an
nuaI convention. and with them they VIII
have taken hundreds of the most beauti-
ful speC-nens Of their art for exhibition
They are the men who figurativeIy paint
the flowers and add color to the rainbow
A great painter was once asked with
what he mixed his paints and he laConi-
caIIy replied brains" As 10 the dif-
ference between the splendid American
Beauty rose and its primal ancestor Is
the mixture Of brains which the florist
has applied 90 wild rose. As one looks
at the beautiful creations Of the flower
kingdom the florists give Us to-day he
has TO wonder whether there is anything
beyond them But they hopefully answer
that their art is Yet young. and that It
has many beauties IN store for the fU-
ture. The Niagara meeting IS but one
milestone Ia their march OF progress
toward the ideal IN Horticulture
The peoples love for the art Of God.
as expressed In the flower. costs them not
far from S45. Loo a year in the United
States. There are nearly 1000 florist es-
tablishmenIs. and they have IN the neigh
borhood Of 1lG.o00000 square feet Of glass
surface IN their greenhouses In 1863 there
were only 10000 flower pots sold in the
Uni+ed States BY 1894 the number aunu-
ally manufactured had reached the e1or-
nous total Of 1.00000J pots. To-day the
annual production Of flower pots is esti-
mated al 15.030 90.
In 1890 the largest greenhouse IN the
country had but little more than four
acres OF surface IN II. BY 1902 there were
-
one in Cook County, jus outside Of Chi
cago. with fourteen acres Of ground un-
der glass Since then this great esJab-
Eshment has been ecIipsed in a number
Of instances There were z2.000 acres OF
land devoted 10 commercial Horticulture
ten years ago. and II is estimated that
the census Of returns for next year VIII
almost double that figure
The flower habit has become one firmly
fixed with the people Of the United States
Winter and summer. in hard times, as
vel as in good ones. In seasons OF panic.
as well as in days Of commercial repose.
the people continue TO buy their usual
number Of flowers IN the reports Of the
Florist Society il is stated that the de-
preston Of last winter not only did nor
affect the business OF the florist, the
nurseryman. and the scotsman 10 any
serious extent. but that new firms daily
came into the field Of business The de-
preston OF 1873 affected the Cut-I0wer
business rather seriously. but that was
before The habit OF patrouizing the flower
stores had become as fixed as il is to-
day.
The first greenhouse built in this coun-
try on modern plans was erected in New
York in Il64- but II IS generally accepted
that florists .s-fE-r~r4~lfT ar
Philadelphia. t having gained some com
mercial standing as early as lN-5- The
progress Of the industry from that time
10 the present has been a steady one.
until to-day there are not far from 1000
florists. whose aggregate annual pay roll
for labor is upward Of S5011.551 New
York leads the States in the area and
value OF florists establishments. Penn
syivania follows. close second. and
New Jersey and Illinois third and fourth.
respectively
Prices OF flowers have increased con
s.derably IN the past ten years At the
meeting OF the society last year IN Phila-
delphia the florists were discussing the
glass trust and It's increase Of the price
OF glass 20 them one OF the members
made a ve-- warTn speech against what
he called this iniquitous and arbitrary
raise in the price Of glass" Then an
other speaker arose He said that Ire had
a dream the night before. IN which he
saw the speaker who had just concluded
making a great speech against the glass
trust and its raise Of the price Of glass.
He said that a little later another speaker
arose 10 defend the glass trust. who
showed that the gentleman who had lam
basted the glass trust SC. thoroughly had
advanced the price OF his flowers 20 the
consumer more rapidly than the glass
trust had advanced prices Of glass 20
him This sally brought laughter from
every part Of the hall. but that part Of
the dream which related 10 the rise in
prices was 50 true that the debate on the
question came 70 a rather abrupt end
The Niagara meeting OF the American
Florist Society viii be its twenty-fourth
annual meeting II was founded at Chi
cago in 1SS4 Prior TO that time there
was no national organization OF any kind
among the florists and gardeners Of the
country. One Of the main objects OF the
organization al its founding was 10 get
some plan Tor the insurance OF glass
houses from hail All florists. profes-
sionaI and amateur; gardeners. seeds
men, nurserynec. superiutendsnts OF
parks, and the manufacturers Of wares
OF supplies for florists use are eligible
70 membership The organization Of the
society was followed by the organization
Of the Florists Hail Association Of North
America Il was Incorporated in New
York. IN 1SSG II now iusures 100000
square feet Of glass against damage by
hail and since its organization has paid
over $4,000 IN losses. II has I,500 mem
berS. and over $4,000 IN assets. with no
liabilities
There are many societies which do nor
take in the whole range Of flowers. bur
devote their attention TO a single flower.
The American Pe0ny Society had its birth
at Detroit in 1913. and its work has
given a great stimulus 20 the movement
which has resulted IN the popularizing
again Of this 0ld-fashioned flower The
American Rose Society was organized n
New York in 1859. and il has done much
toward the development OF the rose. A
regular scale OF points for judging roses
has been adopted. and any one exhibiting
- points or more IS awarded a certificate
CT merit II competitive exhibitions size
counts I5 color %. stem q. form sub
stance and foliage, Is each. The Chrysan-
themum Society Of America IS another
organization devotiag its attention 70
single flower. and the present state OF
beauty OF the American mum IS
debt owing largely 10 their development
Of IL and their adoption Of standards OF
excellence. This society was organized
IN 1893 at Buffalo. The American Car
nation Society. which has done so much
toward making the carnation one Of the
most popular flowers Of the day. was
organized in IS1.
All OF these societies maintain stand