March 30. 1918 



HORTICULTURE 



315 



The Publicity Committee and the 

 Publicity Finance Committee met in 

 joint session at the Administration 

 Offices of the Society, 1170 Broadway, 

 New York, on Saturday, March 16, at 

 2 p. m., and the meeting lasted several 

 hours. The following members were 

 present: Henry Penn. Boston, chair- 

 man of the Publicity Committee: 

 George Asmus, Chicago, chairman of 

 the Publicity Finance Committee; 

 President C. H. Totty of the S. A. F., 

 Madison, N. J.; Herman P. Knoble, 

 Cleveland, O.; Wallace R. Pierson, 

 Cromwell, Conn.; F. L. Atkins, Ruther- 

 ford, N. J.; and John Young, secretary. 

 New York There were also present: 

 Patrick Welch, Boston; Fred Lau*en- 

 schlager, president Chicago Florists' 

 Club; G. E. M. Stumpp. New York; 

 Max Schling, New York; and Major 

 O'Keefe, Boston. The accounts cov- 

 ering the first period of advertising 

 were examined and finally approved . 

 The plans for the next period of the 

 campaign were discussed, but no defi- 

 nite action was taken. 



The work of the Promotion Bureau 

 was approved and its exact scopp de- 

 termined. The urgency of obtaining 

 more subscriptions to the camraign 

 fund was discussed at length. While 

 well pleased, the committees did not 

 think that the response to the call for 

 subscriptions was as large as it should 

 be, especially when the great value of 

 the campaign to everyone in the busi- 

 ness was considered. Ways and means 

 for accelerating contributions were 

 considered from all points of view, and 

 ultimately the secretary was author- 

 ized and instructed to make tours 

 among the trade, with the idea of pro- 

 moting a proper reciprocative spirit 

 and making the campaign a real one in 

 every way. 



All florists' clubs and societies hold- 

 ing regular meetings are requested to 

 notify the secretary of their d=ites for 

 after-Easter, as, if at all possible, ar- 

 rangements might be made to permit 

 of his attendance some time during the 

 season. 



That the publicity campaign is mak- 

 ing good headway, and that it is pro- 

 ducing beneficial results is no longer 

 a matter of question. Reports from all 

 sections are to the effect that the cam- 

 paign, so far, has stirred up business 

 and increased the demand for plants 

 and flowers. This result speaks vol- 

 umes of praise for those through whose 

 efforts the campaign was made possi- 

 ble, as well as those who have so 

 nobly contributed to the fund neces- 

 sary to inaugurate and carry it on. 



But florists who have not yet sub 

 scribed should not get the idea that 

 the campaign is coming to a close. 

 The point aimed for, and necessary of 

 attainment is $50,000 per year for four 

 years. What has been accomplished is 

 of an initial character. Thousands of 

 florists are getting the initial benefit 

 without contributing one cent to the 

 cause. Many such have taken advan- 

 tage of the service of our Promotion 

 Bureau, which has linked their individ- 



ual businesses with the national maga- 

 zine advertising at no further expense 

 than the actual cost of the material 

 furnished to them. The Promotion Bu- 

 reau feels sure that they did not Intend 

 to be "slackers." 



FLOWERS IN WAR TIME. 



FOOD will win the war, but 

 food is not the goal. It is 

 only ammunition. This war is 

 for the souls of people and of 

 peoples. And while we raise po- 

 tatoes and cabbages to feed the 

 flesh, the spirit must not be 

 forced to wait till the second 

 table. The soul should sit at 

 meat along with the body. 



Shall we banish flowers from 

 our gardens? Can we afford to 

 cut music out of our war pro- 

 gram? Cabbages are of the rank 

 and file of the fighting forces, 

 but poppies are the regimental 

 band. Flowers are for solace in 

 the serious business of hoeing 

 cabbages and killing the worms 

 thereon. Potatoes we need for 

 food, but pansies we must have 

 for thoughts. 



It would be to Germanize our 

 land, if we cut gay color out of 

 our war gardens, and left the 

 gardener only the drub business 

 of serving tables. The won- 

 drous structure of the cabbage 

 may be worth long meditation; 

 but we do not meditate upon it. 

 The rose compels meditation. 

 Flowers on the mantel are in- 

 cense offered to the soul of the 

 house — the Home. If Germany 

 had thoroughly subdued Amer- 

 ica a home would not be needed. 

 A house and a cabbage patch 

 would be sufficient. 



War is a sad business, but it 

 needs no professional landscape 

 crepe-hangers. Dots and dashes, 

 belts and splashes of color are 

 needed in our landscape more 

 than ever. We owe a whole sea- 

 son of garden cheer to the eye 

 of the passer-by in our neighbor- 

 hood. Dooryard color is Red 

 Cross bounty. It is first aid to 

 the warsick mind and the broken 

 spirit. By taking thought the 

 householder can have a succes- 

 sion of color growing about his 

 house from spring frost to au- 

 tumn frost, and this without sub- 

 tracting at all from the time he 

 should give to the food garden. 

 The heart will find spare mo- 

 ments for flower culture. Keep 

 the home gardens blooming. 

 — Minnciipolis Journal, Mar. /7. 



The demand for flowers today is get- 

 ting an impetus it never had before — 

 not through the efforts of any one 

 man, but through the combined efforts 

 of many hundreds, "Why was this 

 thing not done before?" is a question 



many are asking. The answer is plain 

 — we had not the nerve! Now we do 

 have it, let us keep it. That will re- 

 quire money, but how little, if we were 

 to consider it pro-rata among the 

 members of the trade to be benefited 

 by increased business. 



It should not be considered as 

 money just handed out. It is quite as 

 essential as insurance, and should go 

 into the overhead charges of any es- 

 tablishment. Never was the truth of 

 the old text better exemplified: "Cast 

 your bread upon the waters and it 

 shall return to you after many days." 

 Your money comes back to you with- 

 out fail, multiplied a hundredfold. 



The man of fable who stood upon 

 London Bridge for hours offering real 

 gold sovereigns at a penny each and 

 found no customers was much in the 

 same position as that in which we find 

 ourselves as a Society today. We are 

 appealing to skeptical florists to reach 

 forth and take the dollars we offer 

 them for their pennies, and they make 

 no mistake — they get a sure thing. 



This campaign should be kept up for 

 twenty-four years instead of four. It 

 should be an elixir of life for the 

 florist trade, and we should all pay for 

 the medicine, each and every one his 

 part. Just glance over the following 

 list of additional subscriptions report- 

 ed by Chairman Asmus of the Finance 

 Publicity Committee, many of them 

 secured through the hard work of lo- 

 cal committees, and if you who read 

 this have not subscribed, see to it that 

 your name appears in the next list 

 published: 



Aunu.illv for four years: Ernest Ashley, 

 AUentown, P:i., $15; N. M. Silverman, Bos- 

 ton, Mass., $10; John W. Vogt, Sturgls, 

 Mich., $10; H. W. Cade, Cairo, III., $10; 

 Fred A. Heftner, Hoboken, N. J., $5; ,Tohn 

 E. Lapes, Cedar Rapids. la., $10; Chas. 

 Weber, Lynbrook, N. Y., $15; John C. Lind- 

 heim. Providence. R. I., $5; W. C. Cross- 

 lev. Mansfield, Pa., $10; Edw. C. Stroh, 

 Buffalo N. Y., $10; Wollager Bros., Johns- 

 town, N. y., $5; Connolly & Plunkett, New- 

 ark, N. J., $5; Wm. F. Hennlg, Blue Island, 

 111., $10; Walker Bros., Salt I,ake City, 

 lifiih, $10; Rodman & Sons, Brooklyn, N. Y., 

 $10; John Ralph's Greenhouses. Saratoga 

 Sprlni-'S, N. Y., $5; G. W. Pfaltzgraff. York. 

 Pa., !f.:^: Jas. A. Henry, Tulsa, Okla. $5; 

 Chas. P. Hughes. Hillsdale, Mich., $5; A. 

 nonogbue, Jr., Omaha, Neb., $25; Wm. A. 

 McAlplne, Boston. Mass,, .$25; J. Frank Ed- 

 gar. WaviTly, Mass., $25; B^ltz Bahr. High- 

 land Park, 111., $10; Berpstermann Floral 

 Co.. St. Louis, Mo., $25; J. J. Von Reider, 

 Dover, Del., $5: It. J. Orr, Vineland, N. J., 

 $."10; M. A. Barlok, Seymour. Ind., $5; D. T. 

 Connor, Philadelphia, Pa., $5; Davis Floral 

 Co., Davenport, la., $10; The Heiss Co.. 

 Dayton, O., $25; M. Anderson, Dayton, O., 

 *10'; Geo. W. Frisch & Son, Dayton, O.. $10; 

 Chas. A. Bower, Dayton, O., $10; Abbey 

 Ave. Greenhouses, Dnvton, O.. $15; Mrs. L. 

 D. Johnson, Dayton. O., $10; E. W. Jenkins, 

 Davton, ()., $10; Coombs The Florist. Hart- 

 ford, Conn., $125; Welch, The Florist, 

 Hartford. Conn., $50; Carl Peterson. Hart- 

 ford, Conn., $5; Volz Floral Co., Hartford, 

 Conn., $10; Robt. Marchant & Son. Hart- 

 ford, Conn., $5; Spear & McManus, Hart- 

 ford, Conn., $.10; V. Dorval & Sons, Wood- 

 aide, N. Y., $10; Everett E. Cummings, 

 Woburn, Mass., $5; Chicago Florists' Club 

 — .account Valentine Day and Mothers' 

 Dav Stamp Account, $100; Wm. Schray & 

 Soiis. St. Louis, Mo., $25. 



Total, $1,120. Previously reported from 

 all .sources, $31,256. Grand total, $32,376. 



John Young, Secy. 



