June 29, 1918 



HORTICULTURE 



(J2: 



SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS 



AND 



ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURISTS 



THE PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN. 



Through the secretary's efforts 

 while on his travels there is a notice- 

 able stimulation of interest in our 

 Publicity Campaign. 



This was expected. But there are 

 thousands of florists the secretary 

 will not be able to reach. The cam- 

 paign must not be allowed to lag. 

 Do not let the summer season furnish 

 an excuse for inactivity. Remember, 

 the committees must put their plans 

 into effect months ahead. Consider- 

 able time was required to launch the 

 campaign properly — it was quite nec- 

 essary. But that good headway has 

 been made and the work is meeting 

 with undisputed success, there should 

 result a measure of support which 

 should carry the movement up to and 

 beyond the point aimed for — $50,000 

 for the year 1918, the whole amount to 

 be expended in publicity by December 

 31. 



Again it should be pointed out that 

 the campaign is not for the benefit of 

 any individual locality. In big towns 

 and small towns, surburban sections, 

 in fact, everywhere florists are situa- 

 ted they are getting the benefit of this 

 organized effort to increase the de- 

 mand for flowers; and it must be so, 

 for the committees are considering 

 only such mediums for conveyance of 

 their floral propaganda that without 

 the possibility of doubt, reach every 

 district in the country. 



It is hard to conceive why every 

 florist who is alive to his personal 

 interest has not identified himself 

 with this movement. Won't you, Mr. 

 Reader, if you have not already sub- 

 scribed, take this little appeal to 

 heart. Just think of the work of the 

 committee in charge of the camijaign, 

 their time cheerfully given to it, the 

 responsibilities they have assumed; 

 and tliink also of the confidence 

 which so many of your fellow florists 

 have reposed in these same gentlemen, 

 by generously contributing, according 

 to their means, to the fund which is 

 to benefit all, and ask yourself 

 whether the movement is not worthy 

 of your hearty support —then give 

 what you can, and take comfort from 

 the fact that you have helped to safe- 

 guard your business against a condi- 

 tion whicli in the nature of things, 

 we must in these times expect to 

 combat. 



The following additional subscript- 

 ions are recorded: 



Ammally fur Four Years— \V. V. Ilnwanl. 

 Milfiinl. Mass.. fTr. Kroachvav Klorisla. Al- 

 hanv, N. Y., $10: Mattluw H. Mnlliollaiifl, 

 Trov. X. Y'., $5; .T. G. Barrett, Troy, N. Y., 

 $10: W. H. Shower, Selicneotady, N. Y., $5; 



H. Louis Menand. Trov, N. Y., $5; Conway 

 Bros.. Troy, N. Y.. $0: Arkay Florist, AI- 

 liany, N. Y'., .f 10 : J. W. Kger, Schenectady. 

 N. Y'., $5: Albany Cut Flower Exchange. 

 Albany, N. Y., $10 ; The Roserv Flower 

 Shop, Albany, X. Y'.. $25; John C. Travi- 

 .son, Albany, X. Y.. $5; H. G. Eyres, Albany, 

 X. Y., $25; H. C. Mutch. Troy, X. Y., $5; 

 George L. Russell, Albany, X. Y.. $5; 

 Pierce & Gray, Utica, N. Y., $5 ; C. P. 

 Baker & Son. Utica. N. Y., $25; R. H. C. 

 Bard. Syracuse, X. Y'.. $5; W. E. Day Co.. 

 Syracuse, X. Y'., $10; Werner F. Bultmann, 

 Syracuse, X. Y'., $10; P. R. Quintan, Syra- 

 cuse. X. Y'.. $10; Geo. Crook & Co., Roches- 

 ter. X. Y'.. $5; Charles Lee, Barnard. X. Y., 

 %'t: Hugo Teute, Rochester, X. Y., $5; J. B. 

 $25; E. R. Frey. Rochester, X. Y., $5: 

 Jacob Thomann, Rochester, X. Y'., $10; F. 

 R. Schlegel. Rochester, X. Y., $10; Salter 

 Bros., Rochester, N. Y.. $5; Geo. J. Keller. 

 Rochester. X. Y., $5.: W. H. Sievers. Buf- 

 falo. X. Y., $10; Kate W. Detlef, Bufifalo, 

 X. Y., $5; L. H. Neubeck. Buffalo, N. Y.. 

 .$5; Budlong Rose Co., Auburn, R. I., $100; 

 A. J. Reicherts. Buffalo. X. Y., $20; Colo- 

 nial Flower Shop, Buffalo, X. Y., $10; Chas. 

 Fellon. Buffalo. X. Y'.. $25; Miss Grace New- 

 land. Buffalo. X. Y.. $10; Peter Hoffman, 

 Buffalo, X, Y.. $10; Mrs. L. Herrlich, Buf- 

 falo. X. Y.. $5; Wm. H. Grever, Buffalo, 

 X. Y'.. $10; J Henry Bartram Lansdowne, 

 Pa.. $S. 



For One Year — Brant Bros., Utica, N. Y., 

 $25; rtica Floral Co., Utica, N. Y., $25; 

 • iustav Barthlome, Syracuse, X. Y., $5. 



Total, .|;>43.00. Pre'viously reported from 

 all sources, .fS.i.SOl.TS. " Grand total, 

 $:'.5,t)34.75. 



John Yoitng, Secy. 

 1170 Broadway, New York 



June 22, 1918. 



"GOOD WORK" 



Just received a full-page article 

 through our Promotion Bureau in ref- 

 erence to our Publicity Campaign tak- 

 en from a national publication entitled 

 "The Fourth Estate" usually perused 

 by newspaper publishers and is de- 

 voted to their- interests. I wish the 

 entire craft would get the issue of 

 June 1st wherein they devote an 

 entire page to the good work our Pub- 

 licity Campaign is doing, as well as 

 the courage to bring out a floral cam- 

 paign. They give full credit to the 

 florists who have had the vision to go 

 through with it. 



The article reads in part as follows: 



Reminding a War-Worried People of 



the Softening Touches that 



Flowers Lend. 



By W. lyivingston Larned 



It is rather encouraging to discover 

 that in tlie midst of war. when there 

 has been persistent talk on the subject 

 of curtailing publicity for so-called 

 non-essentials, the most unlikely com- 

 modity on earth should bloom into 

 campaign form. 



Flowers are being advertised! 



Just when the public is a bit stifled 

 from powder smoke and the bursting 

 of first-line shells, the modest Violet 

 and the American Beauty spring from 

 the rich soil of advertising and per- 

 fume a war-worried world. 



But it is being done— successfully 

 done. 



It requires courage to attempt it. 



Flowers were never advertised before; 

 at least not in a thoroughly profess- 

 ional way. The account, therefore, 

 is not only daring but is innovational. 



A Washington bflScial unconsciously 

 confirmed the justice of this advertis- 

 ing. 



Some one went to him with the re- 

 mark that it seemed criminal for 

 people to pay good money for expen- 

 sive flowers, when investtnents in 

 Liberty Bonds and Thrift Stamps and 

 Red Cross work were so essential. 



"I saw a lady at the theatre," 

 growled the complainant, "with a great 

 cluster of roses in her corsage. What 

 a shame! That's the sort of thing 

 that makes a fellow think the Ameri- 

 can Public is heartless." 



Whereupon the man from Washing- 

 ton smiled. 



"On the contrary" was his comment, 

 "if ever there was need of flowers it's 

 now. Their influence is good for us. 

 We need a touch of Mother Nature. 



"People must not become hardened. 

 They must not think only of killing 

 and the killed. Would you have us 

 go into sack cloth and ashes and sit 

 around moaning every minute? That's 

 the surest way to take the fire out of 

 a nation and an army. 



"The more golf and theaters and 

 week-end trips and optimism and flow- 

 ers the better!" 



Heretofore, while the florists of the 

 United States have been bound to- 

 gether by an association no one ever 

 really gave advertising any serious 

 consideration. 



When people want flowers they go 

 and buy them. There are set occas- 

 ions when fiowers are indispensable. 



The product sells itself. 



Progressive florists occasionally 

 used small space in newspapers to 

 exploit their wares or grudgingly 

 bought car card space. 



But at best, this advertising was 

 half-hearted and inefficient. 



For one reason and another the 

 sales dropped off. 



It seemed likely that this genera- 

 tion was forgetting the utility and the 

 sentiment of floral gifts and decora- 

 tions. 



Then along came the Coal Adminis- 

 tration, with certain edicts concerning 

 how much coal could be employed by 

 owners of hot houses. 



The winter just passed was a bitter- 

 ly cold one. Fuel was difficult to 

 obtain. 



Many of the fellows who gave flow- 

 ers joined the colors and went away. 



The disturbing influences, along 

 with a gradually awakening of the 

 l;oads of the association, prompted in- 

 vestigations to be made. 



How could flowers be advertised? 

 Was such a plan possible or practical? 

 \\ould it be worth an extensive cam- 

 paign? What would the various mem- 

 bers of the association have to say? 



