variably follow. I can recall instance after instance where some of my friends in the trade at first spurned the idea of belonging to the society, and later became enthusiastic members, as the full value of doing so was borne in upon them. In former years it was more customary than it is today to read papers on subjects directly concerning the interests of the members present. If E. G. Hill or Robert Craig were on the program to read a paper on Roses, Chrysanthemums, or plants of any sort, it was certain there would be an audience of eager listeners, ready to profit by the remarks and apply them to their own needs as the circumstances required.
The closer acquaintanceships and friendships formed were not only among members at distances from each other, but strange as it may seem, among men of the same city as well. I will cite one case which I recall at this moment. J. F. Sullivan and the late Mr. Taplin of Detroit never met in their own city. But they were introduced to each other at the convention in Chicago. They were close friends until the time of Mr. Taplin's death.
Robert Craig, in the early days of the society's existence, took a special interest in its affairs, as indeed he has done ever since. My acquaintance with Mr. Craig dates back to the memorable time when I applied for his line of palms. His easy and amiable manner won me completely at first sight. I had heard of Mr. Craig before. His reputation long preceded my personal acquaintance with him. At the time I met him, he was still in the full vigor of manhood, clear cut in his remarks, and to the point, impressing one that here was a man who did not waste any words but whose every word carried weight. Mr. Craig, though rather careless in dress, is a man whose face once seen is never forgotten. He has the noble cast of head and features that we associate with the old Roman emperors, and that leads one to expect at once a mental capacity that is out of the commonplace. Mr. Craig's appearance indeed does not belie his mind; he is not only an able horticulturist, but a scholar as well. Mr. Craig has all his life been a student of philosophy and a great reader; and while he can tell you what is the best kind of fertilizer for a certain kind of plant, or what temperature is required for another kind, he can talk very intelligently, too, on all sorts of questions outside the field of his own special business. But that doesn't by any means intend to say that Mr. Craig has any artificial ideas about "dignity." When it comes to a frolic of any sort, he can be counted upon to be the life of the party. Mr. Craig has a good-sized repertoire of charming old songs, and it is a. never-failing pleasure when he can be induced to give them. Not that he takes very much inducing, either; he is whole-souled and spontaneous, and always ready to contribute to the entertainment of his colleagues in horticulture.
The annual conventions of the S. A. F. and O. H. are indeed a source of great pleasure to its members everywhere, and are looked forward to with much enthusiasm. Entertainment features are being carried on on a more and more elaborate scale every year, though in this respect it might be well for the society to abstain from over-indulgence. I have often heard remarks that such elaborate entertainments are burdensome to a good many cities. Since no city wants to be outdone by another, quite a number seem rather reluctant to extend the invitation. If I may make a suggestion while on the subject, it would be well for the society to map out its own program, including all the entertainment features in store, and bear the cost itself. The Carnation Society has already recognized the wisdom of such procedure; its annual banquets, given during its conventions, are paid for by each individual member wishing to attend the feast. Another feature might be mentioned in connection with this, and that is the feasibility of curtailing the sporting features of these occasions. Not that I deplore sport as such, but it seems to me that too much prominence is given this part, to the detriment of the chief object of the conventions. After all, it is a trade organization, and as
