686 



HORTICULTURE 



November 16, 1912 



THE RETAILING OF CUT FLOW- 

 ERS. 



A Paper by Irwin Bertermano before the 

 Chicago Florists' Club, Nov. 7, 1912. 



The merchandising of cut flowers Is 

 In Itself closely allied in general princi- 

 ples with the selling in small quanti- 

 ties of any other article. The man 

 who is capable of selling real estate 

 or greenhouses is equally capable of 

 selling roses. It is not the man who 

 sells flowers sluggishly at a profit of 

 15 per cent, but the one who can bril- 

 liantly present to the public, quantity 

 of flowers at a gross profit of 150 per 

 cent, by closely watching the market, 

 who is a live factor in the up-building 

 of the retail business at the present 

 time. 



The intensive form of conducting the 

 retail business is much like intensive 

 farming. A greater quantity of busi- 

 ness may be transacted in a given 

 space and time but it takes much more 

 energy and expense to do it. Unpopu- 

 lar as the practices may be with the 

 greatest number of retailers the meth- 

 ods of some of the pushers as exploited 

 by the trade papers at different times, 

 showing the terrific manner of induc- 

 ing trade, is certainly a good object 

 lesson in showing how large quantities 

 of flowers may be distributed among 

 the transient trade, with much ac- 

 cruing good to the producer. 



Indirectly the Florists' Telegraph 

 Delivery, still in its infancy, is 

 making great strides in educating 

 the flower-buying public. When 

 we think that a first-class florist 

 in a town of say 500,000, ap- 

 proximately, does an out-bound and 

 in-bound business of ?7000 annually, is 

 it wonderful to think of 1,000 florists 

 doing a business of $7,000,000, an- 

 nually? A conservative estimate of the 

 transfered orders received by New 

 York florists in the season is from 

 $750,000 to .$1,000,000 per year. This 

 important phase of the retail business 

 should certainly be given impetus by 

 grower and retailer alike. 



The inspiration of the retail busi- 

 ness — new varieties of flowers — should 

 receive its just attention in all quart- 

 ers. A new flower invariably brings a 

 slightly higher price, and more than 

 repays the slightly Increased cost in 

 the friends it makes and the popularity 

 it incures. Mrs. Aaron Ward, Lady 

 Hillingdon, and Melody have added 

 tremendous influence upon the flower- 

 buying public. The roses— Milady, 

 Mrs. Chas. Russell, the new French 

 hydrangeas, Mrs. F. Sander daisy. 

 also several other novelties may be 

 counted upon in making thousands of 

 friends for those interested in buying 

 nature's wares in the near future. 



Publicity with its versatile and great 

 accomplishments seems to be the slo- 

 gan — "First, last and all the time," with 

 florists who are disposing of the great- 

 est quantities of flowers. Those un- 

 willing to take up the great selling 

 cudgel are liable to at any time be 

 surpassed by those who are willing to 

 dispose of good goods at moderate 

 prices and inform the public of just 

 what they have to sell in an attractive 



manner. The good work now being 

 done by the New York Florists' Club 

 in the distribution of posters, displayed 

 simultaneously, clearly shows what 

 collective effort may do in publicity 

 work. They plan for a great Thanks- 

 giving campaign, and the outcome is 

 awaited with interest. Advertising is 

 a separate department in all the big 

 stores of the country, but it is a sadly 

 neglected art with many of the retail- 

 ers who are wont to treat it as a side 

 issue, and place it in the hands of the 

 inexperienced for use. There is a vast 

 difference between the maintainer of 

 price and shrewd merchandiser, and 

 the trade spoiler, who is harmful to 

 himself and fellow-men, both in sel- 

 ling and advertising. 



"As ye sow, so shall ye reap" is no- 

 where better exemplified than in the 

 comparison of a community of cheap 

 florists, and one worthy of prosperity 

 and in which each is himself succes- 

 ful. It is just as possible to have each 

 home in a town contain ten plants and 

 have an educated love for them, as 

 one plant in each fifth home with a 

 shy acquaintance with nature's wares 

 due to lack of interest in the seller 

 himself. 



The sale of potted plants, particu- 

 larly in the larger flower centers, is a 

 new channel which offers a great field 

 for those willing to take a forward 

 step and rise above the rose and can- 

 nation farms so popular and indicative 

 of the day. The wonderful features of 

 the Boston National Flower Show in 

 the potted plant line will no doubt be 

 duplicated and surpassed in the com- 

 ing New York Exhibition, and may be 

 a proper incentive for the westerners 

 in the art of plant production. It Is 

 highly essential that the prosperous re- 

 tailer Interest the public in the grow- 

 ing plant as well as in the short-lived 

 cut flower. It is almost impossible to 

 present the wondrous and changing 

 beauty of the flower possibilities to the 

 public without the elegant displays of 

 roses, rhododendrons, azaleas, bougain- 

 villeas, acacias, and particularly hy- 

 drangeas, cyclamen and the like. 



A higher standard of salesmanship 

 is an essential that must be reckoned 

 with in all the retail stores. The great 

 strides made by the dealers in acces- 

 sories, such as baskets, ribbons, and 

 supplies which outshine in many in- 

 stances in a wholesale way those of the 

 retailers themselves, are an instance of 

 what first-class salesmanship (and to 

 that it must be greatly attributed), 

 may do. A clerk who is not able to 

 sell quantities of goods at a fair price, 

 is no more destructive than one who 

 is shrewd enough to obtain more from 

 a purchaser than he is really willing 

 to spend. A first-class clerk, who has 

 judgment, gaining the confidence of 

 the patron and his employer, and who 

 is able to arrange blossoms in a fine 

 individual style, is a scarce article. 

 There is and always will be room at 

 the top for those climbing that way. 

 "Artisticness" is a leading factor in 

 the disposition of flowers. To offer 

 them for sale in unsightly masses at 

 a low price is not suflScient. It is far 

 better to sell a few flowers, well ar- 

 ranged, than many of them which in 

 the end will detract, rather than aid 

 the general love of flowers. Elegant 

 window displays, taste in store and 

 house decorations, promptness, fair- 

 ness in dealing, progressiveness, con- 

 stant energy and alertness are the 



older virtues with which the striving 

 store-man is ever face to face in his 

 race to out-class his competitor and to 

 dispose of his wares, 'striven equally 

 hard for by his brother grower. 



The general use of flowers is increas- 

 ing far greater than the increase in 

 population. This may be attributed to 

 two factors — one that the masses live 

 farther removed from Nature's beauty 

 than formerly, thereby creating a gen- 

 eral craving for it, and the other 

 stronger one — the educational cam- 

 paign of the retailers in the constant 

 displaying and publicity of the flower 

 business. Will it not be well then, to 

 follow the trail which has been leading 

 forward for many years? 



Our age has not been blessed with 

 miracles, and it has been and always 

 will be impossible for the flower stores 

 to dispose of undue masses of flowers 

 brought forward by climatic condi- 

 tions. It is however, possible for the 

 retailer to watch the trend of the mar- 

 ket so as to aid in the fullest pos- 

 sible extent the disposition of 

 the largest numbers at the most favor- 

 able time. 



It is unreasonable to expect that the 

 erecting of greenhouses may proceed 

 at the same enormous rate as in the 

 last few years. It will be far better 

 for the grower to produce more beauti- 

 ful and varied varieties, and for the 

 retailer in his mission to so install the 

 love of flowers in the American hearts, 

 that they will be found in the homes 

 of all in uninterrupted beauty, fra- 

 grance and refinement. 



WASHINGTON NOTES. 



Several of the local firms have been 

 holding chrysanthemum shows and 

 their stores have been filled with ad- 

 mirers. Gude Bros, had their estab- 

 lishment decorated throughout with 

 running vines, palms, ferns and plant* 

 Large pedestals were topped with pot- 

 ted ferns and vines were placed over 

 white screens to good effect. Among 

 the chrysanthemums were some rec- 

 ord breakers as regards size and the 

 display included all the varieties now 

 being shown in the local market. The 

 greenhouse at the rear of the store 

 was also elaborately decorated. 



.J. H. Small & Sons exhibition was 

 the largest this firm has held in years 

 and was marked by the exceptional 

 beauty of the chrysanthemums. Their 

 display of orchids and of many novel- 

 ty roses was good. 



Fred H. Kramer showed a large 

 number of varieties from his Anacos- 

 tia houses, set off by growing plants. 

 Japanese lanterns were strung from 

 the roof of the conservatory at the 

 rear of the store. Mr. Kramer is at 

 present holding a sale of ferns and 

 palms in jardinieres at reduced prices 

 and of bulbs in decorated Japanese 

 dishes. 



NEW YORK NOTES. 



P. Hamilton Goodsell of 200 Broad- 

 way has leased eleven acres of the 

 Astor Estate at West Farms for grow- 

 ing nursery stock. 



Colin Ogston, supt. of the Kimball 

 Conservatories Rochester, claims to 

 possess the first sport from an orchid 

 in existence. This is from Cattleya 

 Harrisonial and the color is pale yel- 

 low. Mr. Ogston has been making a 

 visit to the nurseries in this vicinity 

 during the past four days. 



