784 



HORTICULTURE 



December 4, 1909 



TRADE FOLLOWS THE FLAG 



Rice Standard : — Every im- 

 portant city in North America has 

 the Rice Standard (or banner) in 

 its chief flower stores. The best 

 at the lowest. Always! Also the 

 newest. 



Christmas Specialties 



Beech Sprays; in brown, green and 



red brown; size, color and finish of 



the very best; sold regularly at $12.50 



to $15.00 per TOO. Our price 



$10.00 per 100. 



A trial order will convince you. 



Sample for the asking Get our catalog. 



Moss Wreaths ; beautiful natural 



green, lasting, easily decorated with 



red immorielles for Xmas, moderate in 



price. Round. $1.00 to $2 00 doz. 



Crosses. $1.75 to $2.50 dozen. 



Price in quantity on application. 



Magnolia and Laurel Leaves ; 



put thro our preserving process, last- 

 ing without losing their natural lustre — 

 and, note the price: 



$2.00 PER BASKET. 



What A Good Judge Thinks 



From HORTICULTURE 

 November 20, 1909. 



M. Rice & Co., rhiladelphia. Pa. — 

 ?ataIogue of Florists' SuppUe.s, Rib- 

 bon Specialties, etc. Tliis beautifui al- 

 bum 11 X 14 inches, m covers of moss 

 green with watered silk effect and em- 

 liellished with halftone illustrations on 

 heavy coated paper, is a credit to Messrs. 

 Rice & Co., and the iudustry which 

 they so wortuily represent. "Don't turn 

 your back on a good thing" is the motto 

 on the introductory page. We sliould 

 say that the florist wno has not this 

 useful liook on his desk is certainly 

 turuing his back on a good thing. The 

 illustrations are beautiful reproductions 

 of beautiful handiwork, many of them 

 new and representini; eveiT item of 

 value to the up-to-date norist, from a 

 complete wedding outflt of gates, kneel- 

 ing stool, bell and vases, down to a 

 toothpick. The issuing of such an elab- 

 orate work is an evidence of notable 

 enterprise. The typographical make-up 

 and finish are also of a high order. 



Rice Stepping Stones: — 



Twenty-five years of them. Every 

 one a step forward. Do better 

 every year — always the slogan. We 

 ris- "on stepping stones of our past 

 selves to higher things ! " 



Cliristmis Baskets 

 and Ribbons 



Five stories of our new building filled 

 with these from the tiniest and lowest 

 priced patterns to the most elaborate. 

 You must have our catalog to get even 

 the 'ainlest idea of the lovely things in 

 store for your eager buyers. T hey 

 make trade for you on sight. You are 

 losing money every day if you do not 

 have a selection to show your cus- 

 tomers. Plenty of red patterns for 

 Xmas — in both baskets and rilibons. 

 Have you one of our Ribbon Display 

 Cabinets? $4.50 to $-'6 00 — seven 

 sizes. Don't forget red silk cords and 

 tics. Great sellers. 



M. RICE & CO. 



LEADING 



FLORISTS' SUPPLY HOUSE 



Of America 



1220 RACE STREET 



Phila. 



growing them, and approximately 

 what each blossom has cost to pro- 

 duce. Don't you think your employer 

 would be interested in knowing all 

 that, and wouldn't your services be 

 worth more to him than if you simply 

 put in ten hours a day doing what 

 you were told to do? 



Get Out of the Rut. 



If you are a foreman or superin- 

 tendent and can show your employer 

 each week or month just what you 

 have produced and what the market 

 value is; how much you have ex- 

 pended for labor, coal and sundries; 

 if you can show these to your em- 

 ployer, whether asked to or not, don't 

 you think it will interest him more 

 than if you simply kept on growing, 

 and doing things in the same old rut? 

 And finally if you are an employer 

 and obtain weekly or monthly reports 

 from your foremen and superinten- 

 dents you know pretty near where 

 you are at all the time, and if you 

 don't obtain or require these reports, 

 hut guess at results, will not your 

 business finally terminate in guess- 

 ing? 



I am an optimist; I believe in the 

 business else I wouldn't be in it. I 

 believe there is more money being 

 made in the business today than ever 

 b'efore. I believe the present holds 

 far greater inducements than the past 

 ever did. I believe the business in this 

 part of the country is still in its in- 

 fancy. I believe that every employer 

 should try to develop the best there 

 is in every one of his employes, both 

 for his interest and heirs. I believe 

 that every employe should at all times 

 do his level best to improve his mind 

 and his methods. I believe that with 



charity for all and malice towards 



none, we should assist one another 

 and stand together in all matters per- 

 taining to our business. I believe in 

 mutual co-operation and assistance. 

 If you can grow a rose or a plant bet- 

 ter than your neighbor, you ought to 

 tell him how to do it. There has 

 never any harm come from the spread 

 of knowledge. You never heard of any 

 one becoming bankrupt because he told 

 too much of what he knew. 



Lack of Unity a Great Drawback. 



In union there is strength. The lack 

 of unity is the second great drawback 

 to the business. Harmony and good 

 fellowship should always abound. 

 "Get together and stay there," should 

 be our motto. If we would do this, 

 "price cutting" and "ruinous compe- 

 tition" would become obsolete terms, 

 and department stores and Greeks 

 would be a welcome addition to our 

 ranks. Petty jealousies and sectional 

 bickerings have no place in our busi- 

 ness. The statement has been made, 

 and I think we all believe it, that 

 the price of our products has not in- 

 creased in proportion to those of other 

 lines, but the cost of production has. 

 Who is to blame for this condition? 

 The trade and the members of the 

 trade alone. I believe that there is 

 room for all and that true merit will 

 always be rewarded wherever found. 



As I look outward and see the many 

 points of the business as they come 

 Into view, I wonder if in any business 

 under the sun there are more things 

 to annoy and worry both employer 

 and employe, than in this. When "we 

 retire at night we don't know whether 

 the boiler will fail and frost put us 

 out of business by morning or not. 



When we aris'e in he morning we don't 



know whether the sun will add dollars 

 to our coffers or the clouds take dol- 

 lars from it. In hot weather we pray 

 for cooler and in the winter we long 

 for summer. We look forward for six 

 months or a year to the coming of 

 Christmas and Blaster and rejoice 

 when they are past. We sleep with 

 one eye on the fireman and the other 

 on the thermometer, and in our waking 

 hours have one eye on the bank ac- 

 count and the other on the help. To- 

 day we worry because flowers are be- 

 ing dumped and tomorrow sweat be- 

 cause we haven't enough to fill or- 

 ders. But with all its drawbacks and 

 disappointments, its sunshine and 

 shadows, its blights and blossoms, it 

 is an alluring, enticing business, ever 

 beckoning us onward and upward, and 

 if our lives and those around us are 

 sweetened by our contact with the 

 beautiful things of nature in which 

 we live and work, then our work is 

 not in vain and the Great Master in 

 looking outward will write success on 

 each brow as we journey homeward. 



"Bishop, the Bird Man," who ad- 

 vertises his specialties in pets, etc., 

 this week is unique in his publicity 

 methods and knows the value of sale- 

 able novelties. If you are a retail 

 florist, ask him about his money-m.tk- 

 ing specialties. It will pay to "get 

 next" to these things for llie holiday 

 season. 



Please discontinue want ad. in 

 HORTICULTURE. I have had many 

 applications and think that among 

 them can find a man who will do for 

 me. 



New York. J. L. 



