May 11. 1918 



HORTICULTURE 



459 



SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS 



AND 



ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURALISTS 



The question of how much coal flor- 

 ists will be allowed to use next winter 

 has been settled by the order which 

 the Fuel Administration has issued, 

 and it appears to be up to the florists 

 to adapt their establishments to the 

 conditions facing them. The Secre 

 tary's ofBce has received communica- 

 tions from many florists who appear 

 to think that the Society should make 

 some effort to obtain a modification 

 of the order, but such florists should 

 remember that when the Society's 

 delegation had a hearing before the 

 Commission last December, the body 

 was distinctly given to understand 

 that while the florist industry was not 

 likely to be classed as a non-essential 

 one, the florists would be limited to 

 coal supplies one-third to one-half of 

 their usual requirements. The order 

 has followed, as was expected. 



The smaller florist, whose livelihood 

 results from the operation of a single 

 greenhouse, or perhaps small ranges 

 of less than ten thousand square 

 feet will feel the pinch most. Many 

 of these have expressed their helpless- 

 ness, and not a few will be driven out 

 of business altogether, or compelled 

 to close down until such time as a 

 normal condition in the fuel supply is 

 again experienced. 



With a view to urging upon the 

 Commission the advisability of mak- 

 ing some concession to this class of 

 florists, many of whom would, per- 

 haps, find it difficult to apply them- 

 selves to any other occupation, the 

 Secretarv has addressed the follow- 



Now that the big Liberty Loan drive 

 has ended, and the florists are free to 

 consider things more personal in char- 

 acter, our Publicity Campaign now in 

 progress should receive a little stimu- 

 lus. By this is meant further and 

 most necessary support in order to en- 

 able the committee to "carry on" with 

 their plans and to fulfil their obliga- 

 tions. 



Our slogan, "Say It With Flowers" 

 has got home to the hearts of the peo- 

 ple. We say this through our actual 

 knowledge ,and new evidence of the 

 fact crops up every day. And what 

 did It? Nothing but the support which 

 only a few — we are sorry to say — of 

 the many thousands of florists in this 

 country have so far given to our fund. 

 The best hopes of the committees as 

 regards the results to be expected 

 from the campaign have been realized 

 — despite the general conditions which 

 now beset us, the demand for flowers 

 cannot be considered as anything but 

 good. 



The Fuel Situation 



ing letter to our Washington Repre- 

 sentative, Wm. F. Gude, who is best 

 able to take the initiative in the mat- 

 ter: 

 My dear Mr. Gude; 



Judging from the inquiries received 

 at this office, florists generally are 

 trying to make the best of the situa- 

 tion presented by the fuel order re- 

 cently issued by the Commission. 



While in the main the order mani- 

 fests the spirit of conservation, it also, 

 through neglect to establish a point 

 where real equity begins, creates a 

 condition which is unjust to the "lit- 

 tle fellow.'' 



For instance: You know very well 

 that we have a large number of flor- 

 ists in a small way, whose glass areas 

 run from one house, say, 25 x 100 ft., 

 2,500 sq. ft., to plants of two houses of 

 the same size, equalling 5,000 sq. ft., 

 and so on up to 10,000 sq. ft. You 

 know also, that by working from sun- 

 up to sun-down, and later even by lan- 

 tern use, these florists are able to pro- 

 duce good stock but make only a bare 

 living; in fact, with the high prices of 

 everything today, it is a wonder to 

 many of us how they can eke out an 

 existence. 



In the fuel order there is no pro- 

 vision for cases of this character, and 

 the living of such men must be ab- 

 solutely cut in half. In the propor- 

 tioning of the income tax, and in 

 many other cases where a basis for a 

 tax or regulation of an economic char- 

 acter has been determined upon by 

 the Government some thought has 

 been given as to the point where the 

 axe should fall — but not so in this 



Publicity Campaign 



What did out national bodies of war 

 workers do when it was found neces- 

 sary to strike a Belgian note to offset 

 propaganda which was becoming most 

 vicious? Their protest was ordered 

 to be registered with flowers — a Bel- 

 gian Day has been proclaimed, and the 

 sentiment of the day is to be express- 

 ed by a liberal use of Forget-me-nots, 

 where obtainable, but in flowers any- 

 way. While this, for many reasons, 

 may not keep the florists' cash regis- 

 ters busy on that day, the handwriting 

 is on the wall, — flowers as mediums 

 for the expression of sentiment are In 

 the public mind. 



It a project regarding which our 

 Promotion Bureau has been consulted 

 is carried out, and it very probably 

 will have been by the time these lines 

 are read, another day close at hand 

 is to be proclaimed to offset other 

 propaganda of a dangerous character, 

 and is likely to develop into an im- 

 mense "flower day," flowers of all 

 kinds this time being considered to 



fuel order. In this sense it is most 

 unjust. The bigger fellows can 

 stand it for a year or more — it may 

 affect their profits, but it does not 

 diminish their supply of necessary 

 bread and butter. 



1 do hope that you can arrange for 

 a hearing on or a consideration of 

 this point, as I do not think this par- 

 ticular phase of the conservation idea 

 has been properly thought out by the 

 fuel administration, as far as the par- 

 ticular type of florists mentioned is 

 concerned. Most of these poor peo- 

 ple, too, have for years been obliged to 

 grow and sell vegetable plants in sea- 

 son, as well as flowers, in order to 

 make their businesses provide the re- 

 quirements of soul and body. 



Another injustice, as I take it, is the 

 unnecessarily sweeping character of 

 the order, in that it places an em- 

 bargo on fuel of all descriptions — 

 which must mean wood, although it 

 is not specifically mentioned as in- 

 cluded. We all know that many 

 florists in outlying districts have a lit- 

 tle wood on their properties, or are so 

 situated that they could procure a 

 little from nearby sources, and thus 

 Temper the situation, without preju- 

 dicing the idea of fuel conservation in 

 any way, for such fuel would have 

 only local value, and could not be 

 considered in a commercial sense. 



Do you think it possible that these 

 facts could he brought to the notice 

 of the Commission, in the hope that 

 they might receive consideration? 

 Yours very truly, 

 (Signed) John Young. 

 Secretary. 



convey the sentiment — and this time 

 florists everywhere will be called upon 

 by our national societies to help in 

 a countrywide distribution of flowers, 

 none of which they will be asked to 

 contribute. Something rather Utopian 

 in this, you may say, — but wait and 

 see. 



All this is publicity of the right kind 

 for flowers, and undoubtedly is one of 

 the results of our campaign. 



But we have not gone nearly far 

 enough yet. We have only "scratched 

 the surface" of possibilities. We must 

 go on and on, and still onward. The 

 campaign work is only in its initial 

 stage thus far, and to get where we 

 plan we must have more support from 

 the people it is to benefit, you, the flor- 

 ists, the raisers and distributors of 

 the flowers the campaign is seeking 

 to make a necessity in every home, a 

 dally feature of home and public life, 

 and a medium for the expression of 

 sentiment under any and all condi- 

 tions. 



