288 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



Jancaky 31, 1901. 



Twentieth Century Troubles. | 



'"Die way to resume is to resume." I 

 Here we are again. How about the trou- 

 bles of the Twentieth Centui-j-? Trou- 

 bles are always with us. They change in 

 character, increase or diminish, but never 

 leave us entirely. 



Is the Business Overdone? 

 We recently had a conversation with 

 a carnation grower who was considerably 

 disturbed over the fact that the prices 

 of fancy carnations had averaged lower 

 in the Chicago market this season than 

 for some years previously. He wondered 

 whether the day was not rapidly ap- 

 proaching when high grade blooms would 

 no longer bring a price that would make 

 them profitable to grow. He asked us 

 what we thought about it. 



Our reply was that many more start- 

 ling changes than this had taken place 

 during the last fifteen years and that 

 the possibilities of the future were im- 

 mense. If anyone had fifteen years ago 

 predicted that the volume of trade in 

 out flowers would in 1901 reach its pres- 

 ent magnitude he would have been con- 

 sidered a fit subject for treatment by a 

 specialist in mental diseases. We live in 

 the greatest age and the greatest country 

 and under the greatest system of gov- 

 errrment the world has ever seen. And 

 we are still infants in swaddling clothes 

 as regards the use of flowers. The great- 

 est development is yet to come. 



It will be necessary for us to adjust 

 ourselves to new conditions as they pre- 

 sent themselves but the expansion of the 

 business as a whole will go on without 

 even a temporary halt. It is true that 

 an immense glass surface is being an- 

 rmally added and that the demahd has 

 at times been caught up with and even 

 passed. But the trade has suffered no 

 injury as a whole. Prices have fallen 

 steadily on low grade stock but those on 

 first class flowers have as a rule been 

 well maintained. 



But will not the early future bring us 

 to the point where even high grade stock 

 will not bring the present rates? It is 

 quite likely, but it will result in a re- 

 duction' of the cost of production in ways 

 now unknown to us, just as the cost of 

 production has been markedly reduced 

 during the past fifteen years. 



Will not the big establishments eat up 

 the little ones? Yes, this is apt to re- 

 sult unless the little place is conducted 

 by a man having sufficient skill in pro- 

 ducing some specialty to overcome the 

 advantages possessed by the large es- 

 tablishment whose strength runs more in 

 producing at a minimum of cost. It will 

 be a case of the survival of the fittest 

 and the fittest will not only survive but 

 will wax fat. 



The time has already arrived for the 

 owner of a small place who produces all 

 ordinary grade stock to so change his 

 methods as to produce strictly high grade 

 or drop out of Ihc race. And if he can't 

 change his methods the sooner he drops 

 out the more he will have left to start 

 with in some other line. 



The business will pass through the 



changes that all other businesses have 

 passed through during the transition 

 from a little trade to a large and im- 

 portant one. 



It will not be many years before there 

 will be but few houses devoted to the 

 production of cut flowers in small places 

 for purely local demand. The reduction 

 in the cost of production at the big es- 

 tablishments near the large shipping cen- 

 ters will make it possible for them to 

 supply cut flowers at prices that will 

 make it folly for the retail grower to 

 produce them himself. And close study 

 of the best methods of cutting, packing 

 and shipping will do away with most of 

 the present troubles regarding delivery 

 at destination in perfect condition. 



But will the glass of the retail growers 

 be thereby lessened in value? Not at 

 all. They will devote more and more 

 of their space to the production of plants 

 — good plants — plants that will meet 

 part of the expanding demand for flowers. 

 And these plants will ever be a check on 

 the prices of cut flowers and prevent ex- 

 orbitant charges for them should the pro- 

 duction eventually be confined to a few 

 hands and trust methods be adopted to 

 push prices up. 



In finely grown, well flowered plants 

 lies the business strength of the retail 

 growers in small places. 



But let them have an eye open for the 

 purely store florist who will invade their 

 territory and take away their trade with 

 outside "grown flowers should they fail 

 to keep up to date and adjust themselves 

 to the changing conditions. 



Yes, the Twentieth Century will have 

 troubles of its own and it will take wis- 

 dom to meet them. 



Maybe we are too free in prophesying, 

 but we think there are some points 

 worth considering in what we have said. 

 Good advice can come from a doubt- 

 ful source. A lady was much taken 

 with the words of w'isdom that appeared 

 in a column in one of the daily papers 

 under the heading "Advice to Mothers." 

 She decided to interview the writer of 

 these hints in person. On arrival at the 

 office she asked for the lady who wrote 

 the "Advice to Mothers." and the office 

 boy replied: "That's him, in the pink 

 shirt, smoking a cigarette." 



Send Them In. 



If you have any Twentieth Century 

 troubles of your own you would like us 

 to tackle, send them in. We don't do 

 this all alone and can bring the experi- 

 ence of many wise men to bear upon 

 your problem. 



Chemical Fertilizers. 



C. R. wants to know whither we are 

 drifting in the matter of chemical fer- 

 tilizers and whether such fertilizers are 

 not doing more harm than good. While 

 it is no doubt true that harm has been 

 done by the too free use of chemicals, 

 it has undoubtedly resulted entirely from 

 mistakes or a misunderstanding of the 

 power of the substances used. It has 

 been predicted that it will not be long be- 

 fore every grower will have his little 



chemical laboratory and we are inclined 

 to believe the prophet. 



Retail Credits. 



Ein Deutseher writes: "I read with 

 interest the articles in the Review on 

 credits. It shuw- tluu something is be- 

 ing done 1 "dit evil. The 

 gi-eat lo-- nrounts is due 

 to the nil inisiou to cus- 

 tomers uli*. - 1 ,:iJicciation of the 



business or muial ubhgalions involved. 

 An axiom of economics is: "That which 

 ;s common loses its savor.' When un- 

 paid for wares are displayed everywhere, 

 what will conscientious buyers do to com- 

 pete with such a display? 



"If the tradesman will bear in mind 

 that it is a sound business principle to 

 cover the cost of production he will be 

 better off financially when the fiscal year 

 is up. Tradesmen are awaking to the 

 seriousness of losses on credit sales and 

 find when they cheek the evil in whole 

 or part they are uplifting the ethics of 



W. F. G. says: "In reference to the 

 question of credits to retail customers, 

 will say we have been in the retail busi- 

 ness eleven years and by careful observa- 

 tion and using ordinary judgment, we 

 are pleased to say that the credit ques- 

 tion gives us little trouble. As a rule, 

 we find most flower lovers and buyers 

 to be honest. Although we have a rath- 

 er large list of credit customers, we have 

 no reason to regret extending credit gen- 

 erally, for in very few instances have we 

 gone amiss or found difficulty in collect- 

 ing our bills. 



"But one matter we consider of ut- 

 most importance, and that is to keep 

 the books posted up to date, so a cus- 

 tomer can at a moment's notice have the 

 amount of his account should he call for 

 it. Another important thing is to mail 

 a statement to each and every customer 

 on the last day of each month. This 

 avoids much misunderstanding and facil- 

 itates bringing in the cash. We feel that 

 with ordinary judgment on the part of 

 the proprietor and clerks, florists need 

 lose very little money through bad bills." 



BUFFALO. 



Business has been pronounced rather 



quiet for the past two 



eeks and with 



the exception of violets the supply has 

 also been quiet. Roses have been quite 

 scarce and carnations might be much 

 more plentiful to the advantage of both 

 grower and retailer. A few parties are 

 straggling along, and will, we hope, till 

 Lent begins. 



Mr. C. F. Christensen with all his salt 

 and gvpsum water has been producing 

 a grand lot of carnations. They have 

 been and are now a very high quality. 

 Most of them, and these the best, were 

 never planted out of doors. They were 

 kept in 3-inch pots till the first of 

 August and then planted on the benches 

 and the glass put on toward the end of 

 September. Crane, White Cloud, Joost 

 and Bradt have been his bread winners. 



At last the Webb greenhouses at Corfu 

 have changed hands. The place has been 

 purchased by Mr. George Troup, the very 

 able superintendent of Forest Lawn 

 Ceineterv. Mr. Troup is not going into 

 the flower business. Oh, no. Buffalo 

 could not spare him. But he has a son 

 for whom the place is purchased. There 

 is lots of room in these houses and this 

 winter indicates that the supply is not 

 vet overdone and never will be" for the 



