320 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[October, 



APPARENTLY DIFFERENT IDEAS 

 AMONGST BUSINESS MEN. 



BY J. E. \V. 



" But if it is to be a grand collection of ordinary 

 merchandise, a bazaar, a mere mart where the 

 people are to be brought together to buy and to 

 sell, a mere question of ordinary ' business,' as our 

 correspondent puts it, the average man will not 

 send. He can make more money by spending 

 the amount of cost in personal effort in his own 

 office, with the ordinary advertising machinery." 



Rather strongly put — " A mere mart where peo- 

 ple are simply brought together to buy and to 

 sell." I think it is the usual idea that persons who 

 make exhibits at grand exhibitions strive to ex- 

 hibit something better than "ordinary merchan- 

 dise." The average man who has nothing better, 

 of course will not exhibit, or should not. A few 

 words as to the business idea of the Exposition 

 that is now passed. The greater portion of the 

 exhibitors, numbering several thousand, occupied 

 the Main Building, the Machinery Annex, the Fur- 

 niture Annex, etc. They fitted up their spaces in 

 good style and exhibiting their best goods. They 

 came provided with plenty of advertising material, 

 circulars, catalogues and cards of endless devices. 

 They and their assistants industriously talked 

 business on every appropriate occasion, tons of 

 advertising material were put afloat as occasion 

 offered. Here were dealers in every kind of 

 machinery, agricultural implements, furniture, 

 carriages, pianos, and almost everything from a 

 stove to a locomotive. What did these shrewd 

 business men congregate here for ? Merely to 

 make a grand show and get a premium ? I think 

 it is fair to presume that these business men all 

 understood the value of the " ordinary advertising 

 machinery " and had used it. That is the action 

 of the great majority after having tried the Exposi- 

 tion instead of the ordinary advertising machinery ? 

 They leave their stalls intact with the assurance 

 that they will return in the fall with greatly im- 

 proved exhibitions. Many of them have applied 

 for increased space — some even quadrupled. All 

 are enthusiastic over the Exposition that is passed 

 and are anxious for the continuance. 



Our neighbors of Central and South America, 

 and of the Islands, are to be invited here with 

 their wares and merchandise. And it seems that 

 business is the idea ; or trade, if you like that word 

 better. Now if these business men propose to 

 continue this method of advertisFng instead of 

 the old ordinary one, why should not some of our 

 shrewd business florists and horticulturists try 

 the same thing? Those who have nothing and 

 can get nothing but ordinary merchandise proba- 

 bly will think it will pay to come ; and those who 

 want no business with the New South or to extend 

 their business with the big crowd that is certain to 

 be here, will hardly come. But 1 still feel, as I 

 expressed myself in my letter of June ist, that 

 there will be found brave, daring business men 

 amongst the horticulturists and florists who will 

 be with us the coming fall with their best shows, 

 and go for business. Come provided with plenty 



of advertising material and use it as proper occa- 

 sions shall offer. I certainly will be disappointed 

 if it shall result that the horticulturists and flor- 

 ists are the only business men who are not ready to 

 take advantage of an opportunity such as the 

 North, Central and South American Exposition 

 promises to be. There are shrewd business men 

 amongst the horticulturists as well as amongst 

 other departments of business. I feel the results 

 will show this to be so. New Orleans, July 13th. 

 [We still think our excellent friend has not yet 

 fully taken in what we would desire. He has no 

 other interest in this matter than a warm public 

 i spirit which desires the complete success of the 

 exhibition. It is not a dollar inhis pocket whether 

 it succeeds or fails; but he has a proper pride in 

 what it is and ought to be. This is exactly our 

 position. The only difference between him and 

 ourselves is this. He notes that a very large 

 number of first class firms were not represented at 

 the exhibition. He could not understand why ? 

 We attempted to explain why ? But our corre- 

 spondent does not seem to think this can be the 

 real reason. 



All that we can say is that if any one has any 

 better reason to offer, our columns are freely open 

 for their views. Anything that we can do to aid 

 in making the proposed exhibition a grand success, 

 it is our, earnest desire to do. — Ed. G. M.l 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



American Pomological Society. — We learn 

 as we go to press that the session at Grand Rapids 

 was one of the most successful ever held by the 

 society, and gives renewed evidence of long life 

 and usefulness. Marshall P. Wilder was re-elected 

 ': President ; P, Barry, Vice President, and B. Smiih, 

 Treasurer. Mr. C. Garfield was elected Secretary. 

 There were 4,000 dishes of fruit. The essays and 

 discussions were of a much higher order of interest 

 than usual. Three of the original founders of the 

 Society — Barry, Ellwanger, and Manning — were 

 present. The next meeting will be held in Boston. 



The Florists' Convention at Chicago. — 

 I " Your correspondent who reported the doings of 

 I the Cincinnati Meeting of the Society of .'\merican 

 1 Florists, made several errors, one of which should 

 be corrected. It is true that Mayor Probasco ex- 

 tended an invitation to all present, to visit his 

 beautiful grounds, and many took advantage of 

 his kind offer. But the "third day" was spent by 

 the delegates at the Soldiers Home in Dayton, 

 , through the kindness of the C. H. & D. R. R., 

 ' which corporation placed at their disposal a 

 special train free. Sincethe Gardeners' Monthly 

 I has devoted over a column to an account of the 

 meeting, it seems but just and fair that the gener- 

 osity of the C. H. and D. R. R., should be men- 

 tioned. In this case it was proved that corpora- 

 tions do have souls, the old adage to the contrary 

 j notwithstanding. Yours Respectfully, 

 I "William J. Stewart." 



