826 



HORTICULTURE 



December 21, 1907 



THE RETAILER'S POSITION TO- 

 WARDS THE WHOLESALER. 



A paper read before the Florists' Club of 

 riiiladelphia, by Cbas. H. Grakelow. 



The retailer of today is a much 

 harassed man, as, with endeavoring to 

 realize the constantly increasing op- 

 portunities of the business, trying to 

 adjust the prospective customer to the 

 ever-varying prices of grower and 

 commission house, and a desire to hold 

 and add to his most valuable asset, 

 customer, his is an unenviable lot. 

 Wholesaler of cut flowers, temper your 

 prices with the knowledge of past sales 

 and the possibilities of the future, and 

 at the first sign of scarcity do not 

 make advances so rapidly that the re- 

 tailer stands mutely by, thinking it a 

 Shakesperean drama and expecting to 

 hear that world-famous quotation, 

 "Lay on, Macduff, and damned be him 

 that first cries, 'Hold, enough!' " A 

 slight knowledge of the conditions of 

 the market and the orders entered on 

 the book which are paid for and wait- 

 ing to be delivered educate the retailer 

 to the advance, a duplication of last 

 week's effect for the same amount or 

 a slight increase, if any, is all the pros- 

 pective customer can see. The Thurs- 

 day before Easter Sunday last year a 

 little girl asked your humble servant 

 for $.15 worth of cut flowers and 

 "Mamma did not wish too many of one 

 kind." Another instance: "Carna- 

 tions are $.35 per dozen; give me three 

 and put them in a box; plenty of wax 

 paper so they won't bruise, as I am 

 taking them across the mountains. ' 

 Will some wholesaler kindly advise 

 the best method of handling the retail 

 trade? Gentlemen, I know this is the 

 extreme, and is simply quoted to give 

 you a slight idea of the troubles a re- 

 tailer encounters without advancing 

 prices. Help us to educate them to a 

 more generous use of flowers; do not 

 discourage, as our business is in its 

 infancy and abnormal profits today 

 will not meet all the obligations of the 

 future. Now, then, when the occasion- 

 al short notice, non-important order 

 (except for the knowledge of the value 

 of the cugtomer in the past and the 

 prospects of future business) comes 

 along, should not the wholesaler pleas- 

 antly share our misfortune as well as 

 our prosperity? While no doubt un- 

 reasonable demands are made upon 

 you, fixed rule in this case is not prac- 

 tical; the wise man measures his cloth 

 to fit the customer. The amount saved 

 by the wholesalers by a united stand 

 for thirty days' credit only would more 

 than meet the carfare charges and as- 

 sist the legitimate florist by effectual- 

 ly removing the "take-the-order-at- 

 any-price" retailer. The small occa- 

 sional payments on a constantly in- 

 creasing account enables him to take 

 an order at almost any price and st.U 

 figure on a 100 per cent, profit. That 

 which he does not pay for can be sold 

 at any price and with a handsome 

 profit. Laxity in credit invites men of 

 no stability to embark in any business, 

 making unequaled competition for the 

 paying man and a sad experience when 

 the Inevitable failure takes place for 

 the wholesaler. Give the small fellow 

 the same attention as the big fellow 

 as our baby of today is our man of 

 the future. Keep in close touch with 

 your consignors, impress on them the 

 necessity of shipping when requested, 

 the stock desired, so that the poor re- 



EXTRA FINE BOXWOOD $ 1 7.50peGWT. 



fSfll AY I EAUrC CREEN SI.OO per lOOO. 



UALAA LCAYCO bronze, new crop in a few days. 



Headquarters for HARDY FERNS, MOSS, LAUREL, 

 PRINCESS PINE, FESTOONING, Etc. 



Best Ferns In Market $1.25 per 1000. See Our Cut Flower Ad. 



15 Province St., and 

 9 Chapman PI., BOSTON 



HENRY M. ROBINSON & CO., ^umui 



taller does not have to substitute and 

 thereby lose a good customer. Whe;i 

 stock is scarce and out-of-town orders 

 stiong, before filling orders on file ask 

 yourself, "Where were the shipping or- 

 ders when the summer glut was on?" 

 Then fill according to your judgment, 

 realizing that the high dollar policy is 

 not always the most profitable in the 

 end. Whether the fakir is the god- 

 send to the business which the whole- 

 saler would have us believe is a ques- 

 tion in my mind. That he instills in 

 the heart of the public a desire for 

 flowers is true, but would not more 

 good be derived by the business in the 

 future by allowing the storekeeper to 

 purchase at the same price when the 

 glut is on, thereby enabling him to 

 run a SDecial or use the extra quan- 

 tity (which he would purchase at the 

 reduced figure) to make a window dis- 

 play? The attention would attract 

 credit to that store and incidentally 

 create a heavier demand from the 

 wholesaler by reason of the increased 

 patronage which the retailer would re- 

 ceive. True, they move stock we 

 couldn't; but is it right that we should 

 pay a higher price than they for the 

 good stock we so often see upon the 

 street, when we in winter pay the price 

 which they will not? The up-to-date 

 retailer, if given a chance at low- 

 priced stock, will consider a display of 

 same a good form of advertising. You 

 claim the fakirs move stock which 

 would otherwise stand; when next 

 overstocked, give us a chance to do a 

 little moving and the result will, 1 

 think, be a pleasant, profitable sur- 

 prise. The retailer is a grateful but 

 independent man, and does not desire 

 something for nothing, but only asks 

 the same desire to serve him in Jan- 

 uary as is displayed in July and his 

 sun will always shine bright. Discuss 

 all subjects with your retailer that 

 conceni him, inject into every club 

 meeting a social feature, and the dis- 

 trust new existing throughout the 

 trade will give way to a better feeling 

 between wholesaler and retailer, ind 

 good fellowship will be the stepping 

 stone to a belter understanding of 

 each other. 



Under the title of "A Remarkable 

 New Fern," The Garden, London, in 

 its issue of November 30, 1907, con- 

 gratulates P. R. Pierson upon raising 

 and introducing so fine a novelty as 

 Nephrolepis superbissima. A drawing 

 of the fern accompanies the article. 



E. A. BEAVEN 



Southern Wild Smilax, 



Log Mosses, 



Natural and Perpetuated — at Wholesale, 



EVERGREEN, ALABAMA. 



BOSTON FLORIST LEHER CO. 



Maniificturertof FLORISTS' LETTERdI 



This wooden box nicely stained and 

 Tarnished, 18x30x12, made in two sec- 

 tions, one for each size letter, given 

 away with first order of 500 letters 



Block Letters, i}4 or 2 inch size per 100, $2. 



Script Letters, 3. Fastener with each letter or 

 word. Used by leading florists everywhere and 

 for sale by all wholesate florists and supply dealers 



N. r. NcCARTnY, Manager 



66 Pearl Street, BOSTON, MA55. 



KORAL SCRIPT LETTERS 

 AND EMBLEMS 

 ONCE USED ALWAYS USED 

 Forsale by all first classsui'piy houses. Madeby 

 ORAL MFC. CO. 



26 Hawley St., Boston 



Tlie"Japana"Cut Flower Holder 



A handy article for florislB. 

 "^f^TG Q q"""-'-^ Sells to the tiade on sight, 

 'oi ,--M^-55~Jo FV/\ Madcof elassip threcsires. 

 .H^^S§J „Th."Angl.U" Table 

 C> _iO "^-i-iTca^a^ Decoration, somethme 

 "^ ^ 'S tf=^^^J entirely new, lorg necdeo. 

 P ■ >V '^^^ florist and housewife 

 ■^Z^-f^^ will apprrciate this article, 

 as it simplifies the art of 

 table decorating. 

 Ask for catalog. 

 M. V. CARNSEY, Dept. D, 

 ISO Waiola Ave., La Grange, III. 



GALAX LEAVES 



New crop, fresh from the patch, prices as follows: 



Bronze and Green Qalax Leaves $0.50 per 1000 



Fancy and Dagger Ferns i.oo per 1000 



Green Leucothoe Sprays 2.50 per 1000 



Bronze " " 4.00 per 1000 



K hododendron Sprays 2.50 per 1000 



KalmJa or Mountain Laurel 2.50 per zooo 



Discount on large orders. Fourteen years' experience 

 enables me to guarantee perfect satisfaction. 250 cus- 

 tomers now in V. S. Send cash with first order. 



J. N. PRITCHARO, Elk Park, N.C. 



FANCY AND DA66ER FtRNS 



Best (luality, 75c per 1000. 

 BOUQUET QREEN, 7c. per cwt. 



CHRISTMAS TREES 



by the car load or any way yoii 

 want them. 



ROBERT GROVES 



127 Commercial St.. ADAMS, MASS. 



Christmas Creens from the 

 Maine Woods 



Fine Fir Baltanis for Christmas trees up to 

 ten feet at reasonable prices. Also Hem- 

 lock and Fir Balsam boiigls for deco'ations 

 any lengtt s wanted. $ 1 .00 per 100 lbs. 



CHAS. L. CHADBCURNE 

 North Bridgton, Me. 



