188 



HOETICULTURE 



August 24, 1918 



annual consumption for the last three 

 years has since been modified to allow 

 florists the use of wood and fuel pro- 

 viding same does not have to be trans- 

 ported by rail. The small florist also 

 is kept in business by permitting him 

 to get his entire quota of coal, provid- 

 ing same does not exceed forty tons, 

 which convinces me the government 

 is only too willing to keep us in busi- 

 ness if it is at all possible to do so. 

 We have a coal expert here from 

 Washington, who will speak to us on 

 the coal situation later. 



Our Washington Representative. 

 _ We were fortunate indeed to have 

 in Washington during the past year 

 such a representative man as Wm. P. 

 Gude. His report when you read it 

 will be found to cover many points 

 of close contact between the florists 

 and the government notably on the 

 questions of bulb importation from 

 Japan and Bermuda, not to mention 

 the importations from Europe to the 

 seed stores; Manetti and other prod- 

 ucts. Mr. Gude gave his time unsel- 

 fishly and loyally to the S. A. F. Those 

 of you who have been to Washington 

 to interview the different boards can 

 testify to his work in this respect. 

 Many organizations who have not suc- 

 ceeded in doing nearly as much in 

 Washington as the S. A. F. & O. H.. 

 maintain a highly paid organization 

 in that city. Mr. Gude did this work 

 without any recompense — his only sat- 

 isfaction being it was work he could 

 de and necessary for the well-being 

 of the trade in general. I feel some 

 more tangible recognition should be 

 awarded him than a simple vote of 

 thanks. 



National Plant, Flower and Fruit 

 Guild. 



Another organization that has done 

 and will do a great deal of good for 

 our soldiers is the National Plant. 

 Flower and Fruit Guild, which has 

 been operating in New York for ten 

 or twelve years previous to the war, 

 largely among the crowded tenements 

 of the East Side. This society has 

 now undertaken to beautify with 

 flowers and plants, the cantonments 

 and camps in the United States. 

 While it is too late now to do much 

 this summer, it is planning to make 

 a big start for next summer. It will 

 undertake to provide the funds neces- 

 sary to transport plants and shrubs 

 contributed, to the different canton- 

 ments and will see that same is prop- 

 erly taken care of and planted. Any 

 of the members of this society who 

 are in a position to contribute stock 

 for this purpose will please get in 

 touch with the organization at its 

 New York office, 70 Fifth Ave., and 

 help out as much as possible with do- 

 nations of growing plants and flowers. 

 By the aid of this Guild and the Nat- 

 ional League for Woman's Service, 

 florists get in direct contact with our 

 troops. The government has no time 

 to look after what is called "the sen- 

 timental side" of the war but it is 

 willing for other organizations to do 

 this, .where possible. Those who have 

 been through the different canton- 

 ments in the different states know 

 what a wonderful improvement a few 

 plants and shrubs judiciously placed 

 would make in the appearance of the 

 camp for the summer. 



Liberty Bonds and War Saving 



Stamps 

 The florists as a body are not of 

 warlike tendencies. The business 

 they are engaged in tends to induce 

 a philosophic state of mind rather 

 than a combative one, yet every florist 

 can help his government, and I be- 

 lieve is doing it to the very fullest 

 extent, by the purchase of Liberty 

 Bonds and War Saving Stamps. Let 

 Us never forget our country is entitled 

 to our all, and should the government 

 fall, there certainly would be no need 

 of florists; therefore, 'every dollar we 

 can possibly spare must be used to 

 help our government. 



Flower Show. 

 It is a matter of regret we did not 

 have the convention in the spring in 

 conjunction with the National Flower 

 Show, as originally planned. Circum- 

 stances, of course, rendered this im- 

 possible but personally I would like 

 to state to the florists of St. Louis 

 that postponement of a Flower Show 

 does not to my mind, mean abandon- 

 ment as some of you seem to think, 

 and I look to see the next Flower 

 Show in St. Louis just as soon as 

 times are propitious. 



Publicity Campaign 



Undoubtedly the biggest thing un- 

 dertaken by this society the last year 

 is the Publicity Campaign, which was 

 launched so auspiciously in New 

 York at the last convention. The work 

 of the Publicity Committee, under the 

 leadership of Messrs. Penn and As- 

 mus has been with the limited amount 

 of funds at their disposal, simply 

 phenomenal. It would be the great- 

 est of pities if this work would be 

 permitted to drop or drag, at this 

 season. Let us make plans at this 

 convention for a vigorous fall offen- 

 sive in advertising so we may not 

 lose the benefit of the work already 

 done. One thing alone, the connec- 

 tion of the florists directly with the 

 war and the adoption of our publicity 

 slogan "Say it with Flowers," by the 

 League for Woman's Service, is worth 

 more money as a cash proposition to 

 the florists than the whole of the Pub- 

 licity fund. This League will use over 

 20,000 signs in its work and "Say it 

 Flowers," before another year has 

 passed will be a household word in 

 every home in the country. You have 

 all seen the good work done by this 

 committee in the Saturday Evening 

 Post and other National publications 

 and the reiiort which the Committee 

 on Publicity will make will be inter- 

 esting. 



The New 'Vork Office. 

 The New York oflSce of the Publicity 

 Committee seems to fill a long felt 

 want. Every member of the organiza- 

 tion who drops into New York stops 

 into the office, to receive the latest 

 news, to get mail and if necessary to 

 have a conference with other fellow- 

 members on business matters. It also 

 furnishes a dignified place for com- 

 mittee members to hold committee 

 meetings when conferring with other 

 interests. It is being used also to an 

 increasing extent by newspaper men 

 for verifying reports relating to our 

 business and for acquiring knowledge 

 along horticultural lines. From indi- 

 vidual personal contact I can testify 



to the usefulness of this office. The 

 joint Publicity and Finance Committees 

 In session last March decided that the 

 secretary should travel around to see 

 membei's personally. This necessi- 

 tated the employment of an oflice 

 manager in Mr. Young's absence, 

 which office has been competently 

 filled by Mr. J. H. Pepper. No one not 

 personally acquainted with the New 

 York office has any idea of the enor- 

 mous amount of detail attached to the 

 secretary's office, particularly since 

 there has been added to it the work of 

 the Publicity Bureau. In this connec- 

 tion the secretary's report will doubt- 

 less speak for itself. 



Credits and Collections. 

 Another committee whose work is 

 of especial value at this time is the 

 Committee on Credits and Collections. 

 I trust this committee will be in shape 

 to formulate some definite plans of 

 credits and collections so that the flor- 

 ists' business may be put on the plane 

 where it rightfully belongs. In this 

 connection I would like to call the at- 

 tention of this committee to the sys- 

 tem of trade acceptances which so 

 far seems to have gained very little 

 headway in our business. It has been 

 estimated there are four billion dollars 

 annually tied up in credits, which could 

 be released by the operation of trade 

 acceptances. The other day I noticed 

 in the papers that fifty million dollars 

 in credits, .would be released on that 

 day which were drafts drawn under 

 that credit by merchants in France on 

 American banks for goods purchased 

 in America. It would have been Im- 

 possible without the use of these cred- 

 its to finance the war in its colossal 

 porportions. Someone may ask, what 

 is the difference between a trade ac- 

 ceptance and a note? It must be borne 

 in mind that a trade acceptance is giv- 

 en in return for goods actually sold, 

 whereas a note may represent money 

 borrowed for any one of a thousand 

 things. Trade acceptances are only 

 given in exchange for merchandise. In 

 the case of a trade acceptance, the lo- 

 cal bank can rediscount that accept- 

 ance through its Federal Bank and 

 thereby keep its funds liquid and re- 

 lieve the congestion at all points. 

 Beverly Harris, in a recent address in 

 New York said: "Here let me impress 

 upon you the fact that in our open- 

 account system, merchants, in bor- 

 rowing to carry their credit customers, 

 are usurping the functions of bankers 

 and carrying an unnecessarily heavy 

 load. Is there a means at hand to 

 remedy the situation and transfer the 

 load where it belongs — to the bankers 

 and through them to the Federal Re- 

 serve Bank? There is — the trade ac- 

 ceptance." I trust this convention will 

 go on record as approving this method 

 of financing. 



Florists' Bank 

 Continuing on the subject of finance 

 the day should come when the florists 

 should have a bank for themselves. 

 The average bank little understands 

 the florists' business, and sometimes 

 applications for loans from worthy 

 applicants are turned down where an- 

 other applicant not nearly so secure 

 go by and are allowed by the bank, to 

 its future loss. If the florists had a 

 bank of their own, with men high in 

 office, thoroughly familiar themselves 

 with florists' business, I am sure it 



