Guide to the Records of the Colorado Flower Growers Association

Prepared by Linda M. Meyer


Colorado State University, Colorado Agricultural Archive
Morgan Library, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1019 USA


Copyright 2005 Colorado State University. All rights reserved.
Colorado State University logo
Finding aid encoded in EAD Version 2002 by Alicia Conrardy, 2005.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Collection Summary

Restrictions

Index Terms

History

Scope and Contents

Arrangement

Administrative Information

Related Material

Series Descriptions

Inventory

Collection Summary

Creator: Colorado Flower Growers Association
Title: Records of the Colorado Flower Growers Association
Dates: 1928-1980
Bulk Dates: 1958-1972
Quantity: 15.5 linear feet
Identification: ACFG
Abstract: The Colorado Flower Growers Association was founded in 1928 to support the production and marketing of greenhouse flowers grown commercially in the state. In 1979 the organization changed its name to the Colorado Greenhouse Growers Association to reflect the increasing diversification of the industry. The Colorado Greenhouse Growers Association merged with the Colorado Nursery Association in 2005 to form the Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association. The collection consists of documents pertaining to the Association prior to its 1979 name change and includes minutes from general, board and committee meetings, correspondence, newsletters, financial reports, clippings, scrapbooks and photographs.
Contact Information: Colorado Agricultural Archive
Archives and Special Collections
Morgan Library
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1019 USA
Phone: 970-491-1844
Fax: 970-491-1195
Email: specialcollections@library.colostate.edu
URL: http://lib.colostate.edu/archives/agriculture/

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Restrictions on Use

Not all of the material in the collection is in the public domain. Researchers are responsible for addressing copyright issues.

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Index Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Colorado State University Libraries online catalog. Researchers seeking materials about related subjects, persons, organizations or places should search the catalog using these headings.
Subjects:
Floriculture--Colorado.
Plants, Potted--Colorado.
Carnation industry--Colorado.
Organizations:
Colorado Flower Growers Association.
Special Document Types:
Minutes.
Photographs.
Slides (photographs).
Scrapbooks.

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History

The Colorado Flower Growers Association (CFGA) was founded in 1928 to support the production and marketing of greenhouse flowers and plants grown commercially in the state. The CFGA accomplished this goal through vigorous promotion of greenhouse products, cooperative group action, and financial support of plant research conducted at Colorado State University. Called by several names after its inception, including the Colorado State Flower Growers, the Colorado State Florists Association, and the Colorado Growers Association, the Association established its official name as the Colorado Flower Growers Association in 1956.

In order to increase control over quality, prices, supply and demand in the local flower market the growers voted to organize the Colorado Flower Growers Cooperative Association in 1933. Members of the CGFA entered into contractual agreements to sell their products through the cooperative rather than directly to retailers. This cooperative became inactive a few years later, was revived in 1947 and resumed full operations in 1962.

Initially, the members of the Colorado Flower Growers Association cultivated carnations as their major flower crop. During the first half of the twentieth century, Denver became known as the "Carnation Capital" of the world. The emphasis of producers shifted in the latter part of the century to other cut flowers and potted plants. The name of the association was changed in 1979 to the Colorado Greenhouse Growers Association to reflect the increasing diversification of the industry. In 2005, the Colorado Greenhouse Growers Association merged with the Colorado Nursery Association to form the Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association.

Dick Kingman, hired in 1969 as the first Executive Director of the CFGA, wrote the book entitled A History--Colorado Flower Growers and It's [sic] People, published in 1986. This history describes the greenhouse industry in Colorado from its beginnings in 1891 and includes biographical information on fifty-five growers and their families. Two other individuals mentioned frequently in the collection were horticulture professor W. D. "Bob" Holley and Ralph "Tex" Baker, professor of plant pathology. Their research, supported by CFGA grants to Colorado State University, contributed significantly to the industry.

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Scope and Contents

The Records of the Colorado Flower Growers Association consists of documents dated 1928 to 1980, with the bulk falling between 1958 and 1972. The collection includes minutes from meetings of the association, the board of directors, and several committees, as well as correspondence, newsletters, financial reports, scrapbooks, clippings and photographs.

Major topics of interest include advertising and publicity for Colorado carnations and the creation of a trademark, research in propagation, cultivation and tinting of carnations, flower shipping via airlines, and relationships of the CGFA with other florist organizations.

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Arrangement

The collection consists of eight series in eleven boxes:

Series I: Minutes, 1928-1979
Series II: Correspondence, 1960-1972
Series III: Newsletters and press releases, 1969-1976
Series IV: Financial records, 1955-1976
Series V: Related associations, 1928-1972
Subseries A: National associations, 1965-1972
Subseries B: State associations, 1928-1971
Series VI: Events, 1936-1980
Series VII: Scrapbooks and clippings, 1948-1979
Series VIII: Photographic material, 1950-1972

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Records of the Colorado Flower Growers Association, Colorado Agricultural Archive, Colorado State University.

Acquisition

The Records of the Colorado Flower Growers Association was donated to the Colorado Agricultural Archive on June 9, 1981, by Dick Kingman, Executive Director of the Colorado Greenhouse Growers Association. When the Colorado Agricultural Archive was transferred from the Colorado State University Department of History to the Colorado State University Libraries (CSUL) in 2004, the Records of the Colorado Flower Growers Association was moved to the CSUL Archives and Special Collections Department.

Processing

Processing was completed in March 2005. Materials were re-housed in acid-free folders and boxes and partially rearranged to correspond to series. Metal fasteners were removed and news clippings were placed between sheets of acid-free paper. Duplicates beyond a second copy were discarded. Photographs found within the general files were separated and placed with the photographic material series.

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Related Material

Related Material

Related materials in the Colorado Agricultural Archive include the Records of the American Carnation Society, the Records of the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Records of the Colorado Cooperative Extension Service. A complete run of the Colorado Flower Growers' Bulletin, produced in cooperation with the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station, is available through the Colorado State University Libraries.

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Series Descriptions

Series I: Minutes, 1928-1979 (3 linear feet)

This series consists of minutes from the meetings of the growers association, the board of directors, and numerous committees. Files are arranged alphabetically by committee or group name and then chronologically, with the exception of the organization-wide growers meeting minutes and board of directors meeting minutes, which are placed first.

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Series II: Correspondence, 1960-1972 (4.5 linear feet)

This series contains correspondence relating to the operations of the Association, its board of directors, committees, membership and special projects. Arrangement is alphabetical by committee or category, then chronological.

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Series III: Newsletters and press releases, 1969-1976 (0.25 linear feet)

This includes monthly newsletters of the Colorado Flower Growers Association as well as occasional press releases announcing annual meetings, elections, scholarships, greenhouse and research facility tours and competitive shows. Arrangement is chronological.

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Series IV: Financial records, 1955-1976 (0.75 linear feet)

These financial statements, showing sources of income and listing monthly expenditures, are arranged chronologically in files corresponding to the Association fiscal year, from June through the following May.

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Series V: Related associations, 1928-1972 (1.5 linear feet)

This series consists of correspondence, printed materials and office files from other florist and grower associations, illustrating the nationwide connections of members of the Colorado Flower Growers Association to others in the industry. The series is arranged in two subseries.
Subseries A: National associations, 1965-1972
This subseries includes materials from the American Carnation Society, American Marketing Council, Florists Association Executives, Florist Information Committee and the Society of American Florists, arranged alphabetically by association name.
Subseries B: State associations, 1928-1971
In addition to materials from Colorado Agri-Business International, the Allied Florists Association of Colorado and the United Floral Industry of Colorado, this subseries includes early office files of the Colorado Flower Growers' Cooperative and the Denver Flower Growers Association, two organizations closely related to the Colorado Flower Growers Association. Arrangement is alphabetical by association.

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Series VI: Events, 1936-1980 (0.5 linear feet)

These materials relate to conferences, conventions, meetings, programs and competitive shows conducted or attended by members of the Colorado Flower Growers Association. Arrangement is alphabetical.

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Series VII: Scrapbooks and clippings, 1948-1979 (4.5 linear feet)

This series includes twelve large scrapbooks, ten file folders and the production record for a book on carnation arrangement published by the Association. The scrapbooks and folders contain news articles, certificates, programs and other memorabilia as well as tearsheets (carnation advertisements) from periodicals. Arrangement is chronological.

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Series VIII: Photographic material, 1950-1972 (0.5 linear feet)

This series includes black-and-white publicity photographs (mostly 8x10 size), negatives, color prints and color slides demonstrating care and arrangement of carnations. Arrangement is chronological.

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Inventory

Note: Title information supplied by the archivist is bracketed. Two identical copies of the same item are indicated by the phrase "2 copies" at the end of the entry, following the number of pages of each copy. Authored articles, books and studies are listed in bibliographic form.

Series I: Minutes

Box Folder
1 Minutes - Growers' Association.
1 1 1928-1929.
1 2 1930-1931.
1 3 1932-1934.
1 4 1944-1957.
1 5 1958.
1 6 1959.
1 7 1960.
1 8 1961.
1 9 1962-1963.
1 10 1964-1965.
1 11 1965-1966.
1 12 1967-1968.
1 13 1969-1970.
1 14 1971-1972.
1 15 1973-1974.
1 Minutes - Board of Directors.
1 16 1956-1957.
1 17 1958.
1 18 1959.
1 19 1960-1961.
1 20 1962-1963.
1 21 1964.
1 22 1965.
1 23 1966.
1 24 1967.
1 25 1968.
1 26 1969.
1 Minutes - Advertising and Publicity Committee.
1 27 1950-1957.
1 28 1958.
1 29 1959.
1 30 1960.
1 31 1961.
1 32 1962.
1 33 1963.
2 1 1964.
2 2 1965.
2 3 1966.
2 4 1967.
2 5 1968.
2 6 1969.
2 7 1970.
2 8 1971.
2 9 1972.
2 10 1973.
2 11 1974.
2 12 1975-1976.
2 13 1977.
2 14 1978-1979.
2 15 Minutes - Agricultural Commodity Committee (CSU). 1972.
2 16 Minutes - Legislative Committee. 1968-1969.
2 Minutes - MCFPP [Misc. Cut Flowers & Pot Plants] Committee.
2 17 1959.
2 18 1960.
2 19 1961-1964.
2 20 Minutes - Personnel Practices Committee. 1968.
2 Minutes - Research Committee.
2 21 1949.
2 22 1950-1958.
2 23 1959.
2 24 1960.
2 25 1961-1962.
2 26 1963.
2 27 1964.
2 28 1965.
2 29 1966.
2 30 1967.
2 31 1968.
2 32 1969.
2 33 1970.
2 34 1971.
2 35 1972.
2 36 1973.
2 37 1974.
2 38 1975.
2 39 1976.
2 Minutes - Trade Relations Committee.
2 40 1970-1971.
2 41 1972.
2 42 1973-1974.
2 43 1975.
2 44 1976-1979.
2 Minutes - Traffic Committee.
2 45 1957-1960.
2 46 1961.
2 47 1962.
2 48 1963.
2 49 1964.
2 50 1965.
3 1 1966.
3 2 1967.
3 3 1968.
3 4 1969.
3 5 1970.
3 6 1971.
3 7 1972.
3 8 1973.
3 9 1974 -1978.

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Series II: Correspondence

Box Folder
3 Correspondence - Advertising and Publicity.
3 10 1965.
3 11-12 1966.
3 13 1967.
3 14 1968.
3 15 1969.
3 16-17 1970.
3 18-19 1971.
3 20-21 1972.
3 Correspondence - Associate Members.
3 22 1965.
3 23-24 1966.
3 25-26 1967.
3 27 1968.
3 28 1969.
3 29 1970.
3 30-31 1971.
3 32 1972.
3 Correspondence - Board of Directors.
3 33 1966.
3 34 1967.
3 35 1968.
4 1 1969.
4 2 1970.
4 3 1971.
4 Correspondence - General.
4 4-6 1967.
4 7-8 1968.
4 9 1969.
4 10-12 1970.
4 13-17 1971.
4 18 1972.
4 Correspondence - Publication.
4 19 1970.
4 20-21 1971.
4 22 1972.
4 23 Correspondence - Re: Executive Secretary. 1969.
4 Correspondence - Research.
4 24 1960-1961.
4 25 1962.
4 26 1963.
4 27 1964.
4 28 1965.
4 29-30 1966.
4 31 1967.
4 32-33 1968.
4 34 1969.
4 35-36 1970.
5 1-4 1971.
5 5 1972.
5 Correspondence - Rose Committee.
5 6 1970.
5 7-8 1971.
5 9 1972.
5 10 Correspondence - Special Gas Committee. 1971-1972.
5 11 Correspondence - Stoffel Seal. 1970.
5 Correspondence - Trade Relations.
5 12 1970.
5 13 1971.
5 14 1972.
5 Correspondence - Traffic.
5 15 1961.
5 16 1962-1965.
5 17 1966.
5 18 1967.
5 19-20 1968.
5 21 1969.
5 22 1970.
5 23 1971.
5 24 1971.
5 25-28 Correspondence - Traffic - Air Cargo Workshop. 1964.
5 29 Correspondence - Traffic - Air Consolidation. 1961-1967.
5 30 Correspondence - Traffic - Air Service Development. 1964-1966.
5 31 Correspondence - Traffic - Containerization. 1965-1968.
5 32 Correspondence - Traffic - Port of Origin. 1967-1969.
5 33-34 Correspondence - Traffic - Research Project 176. 1966-1967.
5 Letters of Appreciation.
5 35 1967.
5 36 1968.
5 37 1969.
5 38 1970.
5 39 1971.
5 40 1972.
6 1 Letters - Testimonials for Carnation Book. 1968-1969.

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Series III: Newsletters and press releases

Box Folder
6 2 1969-1970.
6 3 1971.
6 4 1972-1973.
6 5 1974-1976.

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Series IV: Financial records

Box Folder
6 Financial Statements.
6 6 1955 - May 1957.
6 7 Jun 1957 - May 1958.
6 8 Jun 1958 - May 1959.
6 9 Jun 1959 - May 1960.
6 10 Jun 1960 - May 1961.
6 11 Jun 1961 - May 1962.
6 12 Jun 1962 - May 1963.
6 13 Jun 1963 - May 1964.
6 14 Jun 1964 - May 1965.
6 15 Jun 1965 - May 1966.
6 16 Jun 1966 - May 1967.
6 17 Jun 1967 - May 1968.
6 18 Jun 1968 - May 1969.
6 19 Jun 1969 - May 1970.
6 20 Jun 1970 - May 1971.
6 21 Jun 1971 - May 1972.
6 22 Jun 1972 - May 1973.
6 23 Jun 1973 - May 1974.
6 24 Jun 1974 - May 1975.
6 25 Jun 1975 - May 1976.

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Series V: Related associations

Box Folder
Subseries A: National associations.
6 26 1966-1972.
6 American Carnation Society.
6 27 1966 - Jul 1967.
6 28 Aug 1967 - Jan 1968.
6 29 Feb - Jul 1971.
6 30 Aug 1971 - Feb 1972.
6 31 American Florists Marketing Council. 1970-1972.
6 Florist Information Committee.
6 32 Manual. n.d.. 2 copies
6 33 1965.
6 34 1966-1967.
6 35 Florists Association Executives. 1971-1972.
6 Society of American Florists.
6 36 1966 - Jun 1967.
6 37 Jul 1967 - Jan 1968.
6 38 Apr - Aug 1970.
6 39 Sep - Dec 1970.
7 1 Jan - Jun 1971.
7 2 Jul - Dec 1971.
7 3 1972.
Subseries B: State associations.
7 4 Allied Florists Association of Colorado. 1954.
7 5 Colorado Agri-Business International. 1968-1971.
7 Colorado Flower Growers' Cooperative.
7 6 Bulletins. 1933-1934.
7 7 Bulletins. 1935-1936.
7 8 Co-op Files. 1932-1947.
7 9 Co-op Files. 1952-1963.
7 10 Co-op Files. 1964-1975.
7 11 Financial Records. 1947-1975.
7 12 Minutes. 1947-1968.
7 13 Denver Flower Growers Association. 1928-1935.
7 14 United Floral Industry of Colorado. 1957-1958.

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Series VI: Events

Box Folder
7 15 ACS Convention. 1971.
7 16 ACS Convention. 1972.
7 17 ACS Regional Meeting. 1970-1971.
7 18 CFGA Annual Meeting. 1969-1970.
7 19 CFGA Annual Meeting. 1971.
7 20 CFGA Annual Meeting. 1972.
7 21 CFGA Seminar. 1968.
7 22 Colorado Nursery Conference. 1980.
7 23 Competitive Show. 1971.
7 24 Florists Association Executives Meeting. 1971-1972.
7 25 Florists' Short Course. 1936.
7 26-27 FTD National Convention. 1967.
7 28 Growers Advisory Council. 1970.
7 29 Metropolitan State College Horticulture Program. 1966-1967.
7 30 Rocky Mountain Floral Convention. 1971.

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Series VII: Scrapbooks and clippings

Box Folder
7 31-33 Production Record for Carnation Book. 1968.
7 34 Tearsheets. 1969-1970.
7 35 Tearsheets. 1971-1972.
7 36 Tearsheets. 1973-1979.
7 37 House Beautiful and supplements. 1948-1950.
8 Colorado Flower Growers Association, Inc.. [Scrapbooks in large black binders]
8 1951-1952. (pages from disintegrated scrapbook)
8 1958-1959.
8 1959-1960.
8 1960-1961.
8 1961-1962.
8 1962-1963.
8 1963-1964.
9 1964-1965.
9 1965-1966.
9 1966-1967.
9 1967-1968.
9 1968-1969.
9 The Story of Colorado Carnations. n.d.. [large black binder]
10 Newspaper and magazine clippings.
10 1 1949.
10 2-3 1950.
10 4 1951.
10 5 1952-1953.
10 6 1954-1955.
10 7 1956.
10 8 1957.
10 9 1958.
10 10 1961-1965.
10 11 1968.
10 12-13 Thanksgiving and Christmas Publicity Releases. 1968.
10 14 1969.
10 15 1970-1971.
10 16 1972.
10 17 1973.
10 18-21 n.d..

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Series VIII: Photographic material

Box Folder
11 1 Governor and Mrs. Knous. 1950. 1 photograph
11 2 Table arrangements. 1950. 3 photographs
11 3 NBC Program Presentation. 1951. 1 photograph
11 4 Houston International Flower & Garden Show. 1952. 1 photograph
11 5 Heart Fund. 1954. 14 photographs, 4 negatives
11 6 May Company Display. 1956. 55 photographs, 22 negatives
11 7 DNB Flower Show. 1959. 1 photograph
11 8 Best in the Midwest show. 1967. 1 photograph
11 9 Series II: Correspondence - Advertising and Publicity. Miss Colorado Smile Contest. 1967. 4 photographs
11 10 Series II: Correspondence - Advertising and Publicity. Miss Colorado Smile Contest. 1968. 3 photographs
11 11 Publicity Release. 1968. 5 photographs, 5 negatives
11 12 Unidentified. 1968. 1 color photograph
11 13 Series II: Correspondence - Advertising and Publicity. Miss Colorado Smile Contest. 1969. 2 photographs
11 14 Series II: Correspondence - Advertising and Publicity. Television flower show, Helen Plagman. 1970. 12 color photographs
11 15 Series II: Correspondence - Research. Horticulture scholarship recipients. 1971. 11 photographs
11 16-17 Color slides illustrating flower arranging. n.d.. 26 sheets
11 18 Unidentified. n.d.. 2 photographs

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