276 



1 'he Weekly Florists' Review. 



AUGUST 17, 18W». 



ton, White Maud Dean and J. M. Kel- 

 ler. 



Exhibitions. — In New York city ex- 

 hibitions were given by the American 

 Institute in October last year and 

 June of this year; also by the New- 

 York Gardeners' Society. Flower 

 shows have likewise been held at 

 Mount Kisco. Millbrook and Pough- 

 keepsie, N. Y., with gratifying attend- 

 ances at each. I am unable this year 

 yet to report a flower show under the 

 auspices of the New York Florists' 

 Club. 



New Societies. — An addition has 

 been made to the number of local so- 

 cieties in our vicinity by the forma- 

 tion of the Tarrytown Horticultural 

 Society. This new association is 

 showing commendable aggressiveness 

 and enterprise and will hold a chrys- 

 anthemum exhibition the coming fall.. 



On March 13 of this year the Amer- 

 ican Rose Society was organized in 

 the city of New York. The aims and 

 objects of this body have been very 

 fully set forth by its promoters, but I 

 do not think it will be out of place 

 to here refer to the usefulness of such 

 a society and the benefits likely to ac- 

 crue from its operation to all interest- 

 ed in the rose. While established on 

 grounds somewhat different from oth- 

 er national societies now existing, in 

 that it solicits the support of the ama- 

 teur element, as regards both its mem- 

 bership and exhibitions, that, in my 

 opinion, only makes its claims for en- 

 couragement from you all the strong- 

 er. 



Custom House Delays. — A matter 

 that has caused considerable inconve- 

 nience and loss to importers has been 

 the delay to stock at the custom 

 houses, necessitated by the inspection 

 demanded under the customs regula- 

 tions, much of which was considered 

 altogether unnecessary. A committee 

 of this society took up the matter with 

 those in authority and after consider- 

 able work has been successful in se- 

 curing a modification of the strictures 

 on imported goods, the latest advices 

 in this respect announcing that only 

 one package out of each invoice will 

 be ordered to the public stores for ex- 

 amination, and in all cases where it 

 may be practicable, wharf examina- 

 tion is to rule "for shrubs, trees and 

 similar nursery stock." 



Obituary. — The death roll in East- 

 ern New York has unfortunately been 

 a long one during the year. There 

 have been removed from our section 

 such well known co-workers as Valen- 

 tine Burgevin, W. R. Davison, J. M. 

 Thorburn, Matthew Dummett. John 

 Kadletz, E. F. Rogers, Jacob G. Bebus 

 and Lieutenant Tiffany, of the Rosary 

 Company, who gave up his young life 

 in the service of his country. 



Miscellaneous.— Among other items 

 worthy of note may be mentioned an 

 addition to the number of cut flower 

 commission houses in New York, the 

 agitation now going on for a 'horti- 

 cultural exchange," or general flower 

 market, in some central part of the 

 city. The need of such a market is 



yearly becoming more keenly felt, and 

 the largest shippers are now consider- 

 ing ways and means for its establish- 

 ment. With the hearty co-operation 

 of all interested there does not appear 

 on the surface any good reason why 

 such an institution would not prove a 

 profitable investment for private capi- 

 tal, failing the support of the city au- 

 thorities. ALEX. WALLACE. 



Report of Committee on Co-operative 

 Purchase. 



Your committee of the Department 

 of Co-Operative Purchase, which re- 

 ceived your sanction at the Omaha 

 convention to continue another year, 

 has to report as follows: 



The committee issued circulars to 

 members of the society, and to persons 

 who were not members, similar to 

 those of last year. A number of re- 

 sponses were received, sending their 

 orders and making inquiries for prices 

 for the material needed by them. 



The department has been somewhat 

 handicapped. In the first part of the 

 year prices declined, then advanced 

 rapidly from week to week, so that 

 quotations received this week would 

 be changed the following to a higher 

 price, in many cases before we were 

 able to notify the purchaser, and long 

 before the receipt of the order. The 

 filling of orders for some of the mate- 

 rial was so much delayed that it be- 

 came almost exasperating, but this 

 was not the fault of the department. 

 It is a condition which can be said to 

 exist in all kinds of trade throughout 

 the country. A number of parties who 

 wrote for quotations, after receiving 

 them preferred waiting before giving 

 their order, believing in lower prices, 

 necessitating the writing or" letters no- 

 tifying them of any change in price 

 upon the material they wished to pur- 

 chse. This occasioned considerable 

 clerical work, which the department 

 was not fitted to perform as promptly 

 as it ought to have been. 



The letters would be addressed to 

 the secretary; it might be a number of 

 days before they reached the chairman 

 of the department, and thus replies 

 were not as prompt as they would be 

 were a different system adopted. 

 Enough has been accomplished, how- 

 ever, to indicate what might be the 

 value of this department to the society 

 if placed upon a permanent basis; and 

 we are pleased to present to you the 

 replies of some of the purchasers 

 through this department, stating the 

 value it has been to them as well as 

 their opinion of the future benefit 

 which it would be to the society's 

 members. 



The committee sent letters to those 

 who purchased through the depart- 

 ment, requesting them to write and 

 state what value or benefit (if any), 

 and in what manner, the co-operative 

 department of purchase has been to 

 them. Mr. M. H. Walsh, of Wood's 

 Holl. Mass., writes that the saving to 

 him was $27 on sixty boxes of glass. 

 $3.25 on 200 pounds of putty. $15.50 on 



350 pounds of lead, $24 on 600 feet of 

 hose, $1.05 on sixteen gallons of lin- 

 seed oil — being a total saving of $70.80. 

 He says: "I think the co-operative 

 department of purchase a most impor- 

 tant and valuable branch of the So- 

 ciety of American Florists and Orna- 

 mental Horticulturists. I hope its 

 members will avail themselves of the 

 benefits to be gained by purchasing 

 through your committee, as the larger 

 the amount purchased, the lower the 

 cost." 



Mr. J. D. Imlay, Zanesville, Ohio. 

 writes: "I think I was very fortunate 

 in getting my glass through the So- 

 ciety of American Florists' department 

 of purchase. I saved at least $1.80 

 per box on sixty-two boxes of glass, 

 making about $110 saved, although the 

 uncertainty of getting it was exasper- 

 ating. I felt at one time as though I 

 would not get the glass at all, and 

 should not have built if I had to pay 

 the price now asked for glass. I also 

 want to thank you very, very much for 

 your trouble and assistance in the pur- 

 chase." 



Messrs. E. Hippard & Co., Youngs- 

 town, Ohio, write: "We will say that 

 we saved on our glass purchased 

 through your purchasing department 

 about 90 cents a box of 16x24 double A 

 glass, making a saving of $160.65 on 

 175 boxes." 



It is here shown that the saving to 

 those members who availed themselves 

 of the opportunity to purchase their 

 supplies through the co-operative de- 

 partment of purchase has been large, 

 and, as indicated in last year's report 

 of your committee, the percentage of 

 saving is much greater to the small 

 purchaser than to the larger one, espe- 

 cially when the latter is located in or 

 near the larger cities. 



In continuing this department of 

 purchase, your committee would rec- 

 ommend the following changes in its 

 management: We believe there should 

 be a paid official to have charge of this 

 department, under the direction of a 

 committee of three of the executive 

 committee. He shall devote his entire 

 time to the business of this depart- 

 ment, and shall report once a month 

 or once a quarter to the committee of 

 three having charge. In this way its 

 business would be properly done, and 

 with dispatch. He should be paid by 

 a percentage upon the purchasing 

 price, which percentage should be add- 

 ed to the distributing price. 



The committee would also suggest 

 another form of running this depart- 

 ment, and we believe it to be the bet- 

 ter of the two: By organizing a cor- 

 poration, to be known as the Co-oper- 

 ative Department of Purchase and Dis- 

 tribution of the Society of American 

 Florists and Ornamental Horticultur- 

 ists, with a capital at its organization 

 of not less than $12,000, the society to 

 have 51 per cent of its common stock 

 and its members the balance. When- 

 ever there is any increase of the capi- 

 tal, the society shall always retain 51 

 per cent of the common stock, allow- 

 ing the members to purchase the bal- 



