March 20.. 1909 



RETAIL FLORISTS' PROTECTIVE 

 ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK. 



Editor HORTICULTURE: 



Because of the many rumors current 

 in the florist trade in this vicinity re- 

 specting: the alms and purposes of the 

 Retail Florists' Protective Association 

 of New York recently formed, I beg of 

 you the courtesy of a little space in 

 your valuable paper in order to explain 

 some of the main objects of this Asso- 

 ciation. 



For a long time retail florists of New- 

 York City have felt that they were in 

 need of cohesion and co-operation. Ad- 

 verse and predatory conditions, both 

 from within and without the trade, 

 accentuated this need. Retail florists, 

 conducting a business of large volume, 

 paying annually hundieds of thou- 

 sands of dollars in rents and equally 

 large amounts in wages, are perhaps 

 the only commercial men who have 

 no trade organization to elevate their 

 business, to correct abuses, and to 

 suggest from time to time the means 

 for amelioration. It was these circum- 

 stances which called forth the Retail 

 Florists' Protective Association, and 

 which will dictate its policy. 



There has been no established sys- 

 tem of credit, either between the pro- 

 ducer and the retailer, or between the 

 retailer and the customer. It is re- 

 markable that a business of such mag- 

 nitude should be in this anomalous 

 condition; and the Association pur- 

 poses, if it be possible by fair and 

 legitimate means, to find a way mu- 

 tually satisfactory that will conduce to 

 more rational business methods. 



Some people have thought that the 

 Association had a grievance because 

 the wholesale or commission men are 

 enforcing short credits. Quite the con- 

 trary; we believe that moderately 

 short credits are the best for the re- 

 tail floral business, and while we 

 would not assume to question any just 

 rule, which any one may make for the 

 conduct of his business, we believe 

 that any rule established should be a 

 just one and should be impartially en- 

 forced. 



A.gain, it has been said, that the As- 

 sociation is antagonistic to commission 

 houses. This is entirely erroneous. In 

 a large city like New York, it is indis- 

 putable that the retail flower business 

 oould not be conducted without com- 

 mission houses, nor could the growers 

 dispose of their superfluous and lower 

 grade stock without the commission 

 man. But this Association w^ill ask 

 as emphatically as it can, that tire 

 commission man confine himself to his 

 legitimate business; that the commis- 

 sion man refrain from competing with 

 his own customers; and that he keep 

 out of the retail part of the work and 

 not undermine the retailer, who is, 

 after all, the mainstay of his business. 

 This position is eminently fair and 

 just. It is reasonable and businesi?- 

 like. It should appeal to the commis- 

 sion man, no less than to the retail 

 fiorist. And we feel sure that the re- 

 tail florists throughout the length and 

 breadth of this land will adopt this 

 position to a man, and that the com- 

 mission man, once he appreciates the 

 equity and justice of the matter, will 

 freely and voluntarily take the same 

 stand. 



We believe it to be the growers' duty 

 as well as his self-interest to disjour- 

 age competition by commission men 



HORTICULTURE 



393 



in selling at retail. Upon the business 

 of the retailer depends the return to 

 the grower. By injuring and impair- 

 ing, the retailer's business, the grower 

 must and does necessarily suffer. 

 Therefore, the grower, no less than the 

 commission man, is in duty bound to 

 protect those from whom he derives 

 his support and revenue, from unfair 

 competition. This duty should compel 

 the grower and the commission man 

 to take active steps, not to stand by 

 and passively tolerate a practice which 

 strikes at the heart of the trade. A 

 dollar and cent point of view, if no 

 other, should dictate this course. As 

 to the general public, we may be sure 

 of them, because we know they like a 

 square deal. 



Retail florists have suffered much 

 from fraudulent and delinquent cus- 

 tomei-s. We mean to provide against 

 this by a central agency, and shall en- 

 deavor to uplift the general trade by 

 a better standardization of prices. By 

 protecting the retailer against bad 

 debts, we feel that we are in turn pro- 

 tecting the wholesaler, the grower and 

 the commission man, and here again 

 it is but fair that the retailer receive 

 in turn that measure of fair protection 

 which will eliminate unjust competi- 

 tion on the part of those with whom 

 he deals. 



We hope to secure a better enforce- 

 ment of the law as to the sale of 

 Sowers on the streets by unlicensed 

 vendors. The growth of such wrong 

 practices is detrimental not alone to 

 us, but to other men in the floral trade. 



We believe that if the growers, the 

 men having large establishments and 

 investments representing many thou- 

 sands of dollars, were to meet the men 

 who distribute their products to the 

 consumer, and who know the demands 

 and conditions of the trade, it would 

 be of great mutual advantage and pro- 

 ductive of highly satisfactory results 

 to both. 



And so there are many other matters 

 which can well be taken up and de- 

 veloped to the betterment of the retail 

 floral business in New York City; ani 

 if the members of the retail branch of 

 this trade will come forward and as- 

 sist us with their numbers and their 

 counsel, we feel confident that all re- 

 tail florists and their business will be 

 materially improved, and that this 

 improvement will reach over t o the 

 grower and the commission man, and 

 that a more harmonious equitable and 

 mutually beneficial condition will pre- 

 vail in the trade generally. 



CHAS. A. DARDS. 

 President, Retail Florists' Protective 



Association of New York. 



SPRING SHOW AT BOSTON. 



This brilliant annual event is set for 

 March 24 to 28, at Horticultural Hall. 

 Boston. Particular interest attaches 

 to it this year because of the sensa- 

 tional exhibit of Japanese gardening 

 which is being constructed by R. & J. 

 Farquhar & Co., far excelling anything 

 in that line ever attempted indoors in 

 this or any other country. It will oc- 

 cupy about two-thirds of the floor 

 space of the large . exhibition hall. 

 Much of the material has been 

 brought specially from .lapan. M. H. 

 Walsh will as heretofore be a 

 large exhibitor in the Rambler 

 rose classes and extensive contri- 

 butions of forced plants, spring 

 flowering bulbs, etc., are also assured. 



WANTED: HORTICULTURAL 

 EDITORS. 



Mr. Editor: — Being a reader of your 

 paper. I have noticed your frequent 

 hits at the inefficiency of the daily 

 papers on matters pertaining to horti- 

 culture. They are all guilty of giving 

 us poor reports of things connected 

 with gardening. I do not even exempt 

 the Boston Transcript. But, Mr. Edi- 

 tor, according to your knowledge, baa 

 any approach been made to any of the 

 papers by any representative body of 

 horticulturists advising them to secure 

 a practical man; such, for instance, as 

 Robert Cameron of Harvard Botanical 

 Gardens, a man who has the knowl- 

 edge and facilities to know what is 

 true and what is false concerning tbose 

 wonderful creations that we hear so 

 much about. Some of us think the 

 press of the Hub of the Universe 

 should take a hint and secure such a 

 one. They have sporting editors, dra- 

 matic critics, etc.; why not a horticul- 

 tural editor? 



I should like to hear from others on 

 this matter. I am, 



A GARDENER. 



THE GREAT ORCHID EXHIBITION 

 AT BOSTON IN 1910. 

 The preliminary schedule for this 

 notable event has been issued by the 

 Massachusetts Horticultural Society, 

 and those interested can procure cop- 

 ies by applying to Secretary Wm. P. 

 Rich, Horticultural Hall, Boston. 

 Many goM medals are offered and cash 

 prizes from $100 up to $1000 in the 

 various plant classes. 



FROM CURBSTONE BUYER TO 

 CURBSTONE PEDDLER. 



If any street peddler of i-lolets wants to 

 tiecome unpopular all he neetls to do is to 

 try to sell his wares to Mrs. Lillian Ashley, 

 a young woman who lives in the Hotel 

 Markwell. She told the West Side Court 

 yesterday why she did not like the flower 

 sellers, and no one blamed her for having 

 a grievance. 



She stopped in front of the Hotel Cadil- 

 l:ii-. Forty-third street and Broadway, on 

 Saturday afternoon and purchased two 

 bunches of violets for seventy-five cents. 

 She had no chang?. and when the vender 

 saw a ten dollar hill he said, "Just wait 

 here ami I'll get the change." 



He shoved the tray in her hands and 

 went in the front door of the Cadillac and 

 out the side door. '\\Taen last seen he 

 looked as if he was preparing for a Mara- 

 thon, and was running strong, with plenty 

 of reserve ;peed, and getting as far away 

 as he could from his tra.v of violets. 



lliere are some men around that section 

 of Uroad'wa.v who would not look surprised 

 if the subway came to life and did a 

 Salome dance, but a prett.v woman holding 

 a tray of violets and apparently offering 

 them for sale was new. They rose to the 

 occasion, however, and began to form in 

 line. Some of them who dated the' owner- 

 ship of their last violet at the time of 

 Sysonby's death declared life would not be 

 worth living if they did not have a bunch, 

 and some ticket speculators began to trafflc 

 in the advantageous places in the line. 



Mrs. Ashley was dismayed and tried to 

 hide the tray with poor success. "Sam" 

 Berger, a theatrical manager, came along 

 and. seeing her predicament, took the tray. 

 The line faded away, but he sold the vio- 

 lets. Mrs. Ashley saw a man at Forty- 

 seventh street and Broadway yesterday 

 who slie thought was the one who had 

 taken her money, t>ut he proved an alibi in 

 the \Ve.<t Side Court and was discharged.— 

 N. Y. Herald. 



Rmil Lange, a florist of New York 

 city, recovered a verdict of $3,000 

 against the city in the Supreme Court 

 March 11 for injuries he received 

 when he fell into a coal hole on one 

 of the Staten Island municipal ferry 

 boats. 



