January 11, 1919 



HORTICULTURE 



INCREASE YOUR OUTPUT AND YOU WILL 



MAKE MONEY 



Never before, in the history of the 

 florist industry, has there been such 

 a demand for practically every line 

 of stock, and never has there been 

 such a marked shortage of supply. 



The war ended (so to speak) almost 

 as suddenly as it began. At the be- 

 ginning, there were large stocks of 

 everything, but these gradually 

 dwindled, and in many instances, 

 were lost entirely. Upon the signing 

 of the armistice, it was of course im- 

 possible for a florist (like a manu- 

 facturer), to turn to raw material and 

 either increase or decrease the sup- 

 ply on short notice, so that today, 

 coupled with the many restrictions 

 that hampered the florist business, 

 they find themselves far off from 

 meeting the demands of their trade 

 because there are not enough stocks 

 to work on. 



An article was just noticed in one 

 of the trade papers by W. W. Hoopes, 

 of Hoopes Brothers & Thomas, Nur- 

 serymen, of West Chester, Pa., in 

 which it is stated that the nursery- 

 business does not return the profit it 

 should. 



Personally, I feel it is this way to 

 a large extent with the florist busi- 

 ness, especially with the grower. 



No one can deny that it calls for 

 hard and constant effort with an 

 "Always on the job" idea. There Is 

 considerable waste of product, that 

 cannot always be avoided, and for 

 that reason alone, it behooves every 

 florist to educate the flower and plant 

 buying public that they will have to 

 pay a fair price for cut flowers, etc. 



An important point for the florist to 



keep in mind is that during the period 

 of the war, due to many reasons, not 

 a few florists quit the business. Some 

 few will resume, while others will not. 

 This has created two effects that are 

 now apparent: The first is a shortage 

 of cut flowers, and the second, good 

 prices for what is available. 



The war has taught the trade, like 

 many other industries, valuable les- 

 sons. It has discouraged waste, it 

 has encouraged a closer application to 

 business, and really, many of us won- 

 der how we went through it and sur- 

 vived. 



For 1919, every florist should re- 

 solve upon a few important things, re- 

 membering that it is our business that 

 really keeps us, and I have always 

 dwelt on the theory that it should 

 command the most, and our best at- 

 tention. 



1. Don't grow surplus for specula- 

 tion. It has a tendency to lower 

 prices. 



2. Get fair prices for your products, 

 especially where fine quality and good 

 trade demand it. 



3. Avoid waste in all forms. It 

 surprises one to know how this pulls 

 down the credit side of the ledger. 



4. Try and have what your trade 

 demands. Get back gradually into 

 your regular channel of crops, elimi- 

 nating the things that do not pay, and 

 keeping in vogue the methods that 

 you found made you, during the war, 

 help yourself. 



One might go on indefinitely citing 

 suggestions that would prove valuable, 

 and let me conclude in saying, "Keep 

 the florist industry on a high plane." 

 Don't make it a cheap business; make 



it a paying proposition. Just think Lir, 

 how many of you spent some years of ,\ c -, 

 apprenticeship to learn the business, (t.,.,. 



some serving without pay. Are you not 

 entitled to the same return of profit as 

 any other line? 



Certainly, yes; and it lies within the 

 province of every florist to make his 

 business profitable. Study market 

 conditions as applied to cut flowers 

 and plants; observe the law of sup- 

 ply and demand, as is done in every 

 industrial business; and then make 

 your price. Because carnations brought 

 a dollar a dozen a year ago, that has 

 no bearing on what you can get today. 

 Grow sufficient stock to meet all nor- 

 mal demands, and which will be taken 

 at a profitable price. Don't grow stock 

 just to fill up benches, unless you are 

 sure you can sell it at a profit. Re- 

 member it costs time and money to 

 produce it. 



Try to figure a market before you 

 grow it, — and after all, don't have 

 empty greenhouses; nothing deterio- 

 rates more rapidly. Make them work 

 for you. 



I did not want to use the words 

 spoken today by a prominent grower 

 in Philadelphia, but it might not be 

 amiss, although I never believe in rub- 

 bing it in. 



He said that many florists were ill; 

 they needed a tonic that would boost 

 them. 



Nlow, it's better to take the medicine 

 yourself than to have it administered, 

 so let's all wake up, if we have been 

 sick, and prepare for a larger spring 

 trade than was ever experienced. 



A Boosteb. 



tor 



*U 





GARDENERS' AND FLORISTS' 



CLUB OF BOSTON. 

 At the next meeting of the club on 

 January 21 officers will be installed; 

 after necessary business has been 

 transacted there will be an enter- 

 tainment and collation and dancing. 

 Ladies are cordially invited to this 

 meeting. 



The club has unanimously voted to 

 hold a Victory banquet, and February 

 26 has been selected as the date in 

 Horticultural Hall. Tickets are $2.50 

 each and are limited to 400. They can 

 be obtained at the club meeting on 

 January 21 from any of the officers or 

 members of the executive committee. 



A special booklet commemorative of 

 this banquet will be prepared and dis 

 tributed to all who attend. 



W. N. Craig, Secy. 



VICTORY GARDENS. 

 Response to the appeal for the 

 planting of "war gardens" in the sea- 

 son of 1918 was made by some five 

 millions of our people. How great 

 was the accomplishment of their ef- 

 fort cannot be stated in cold figures; 

 it defies compilation; but in every 

 part of the land the work of the 

 home-food producers has made its 

 benevolent influence felt. Hard as 

 the strain has been upon our re- 



sources, we have been enabled to meet 

 it. 



Now we as a nation face a further 

 duty. This is to meet the obligation 

 resting upon us to help in feeding the 

 destitute people of the ravaged and 

 plundered populations of the east. 

 How is this to be met? The success 

 of the past year tells us. 



Let the "war gardens" of 1918 be 

 replanted and cultivated as "Victory 

 Gardens." Let their resources be 

 doubled, as the National Commission 

 suggests, and the work will be accom- 

 plished. It is a matter of urgency. 

 We may look to see it so recognized. 

 — Boston Post. 



