Series IV. Records from Other Horticultural Societies, 1925-1980

This series contains records of organizations other than HSNY. The majority of the material is from the National Plant, Flower and Fruit Guild and its various local branches, and includes records such as annual reports, legal and financial records, publications and correspondence. The records date from 1927 to 1980. It is not clear how these records came to be part of the HSNY's archive.

The NPFFG was founded in Montclair, New Jersey, in 1893 by Laura S. Stewart. The NPFFG's motto was "share your flowers" and its purpose was to get surplus garden flowers and fruits to people without access to gardens, especially those in hospitals, prisons and other institutions, as well as shut-ins at home. By the 1960s, there were local branches of the Guild across the United States. The records, though spotty, provide a good sense of the activities of the organization, and the letters of appreciation received testify to their impact.

Almost half of the records in this series are from the Brooklyn Plant Flower and Fruit Guild, which was founded in 1874 as the Brooklyn Flower and Fruit Charity, and joined the NPFFG as a local chapter in 1909. The Brooklyn chapter was dissolved in 1972, and records relating to the dissolution are included here.