March 6, 1920 



HORTICULTUKE 



is: 



the retail stores or the management of 

 the market. 



Again there are instances where pro- 

 prietors of retail stores get too many 

 orders for the same evening and they 

 call on a marliet salesman to assist 

 him and I positively Itnow of an en- 

 tire wedding outfit of eight boquets 

 baskets and other times of several 

 funeral designs matle up in the market 

 because the salesman could not leave 

 as he was expecting shipments from 

 his greenhouses. 



Should an outsider decide or object 

 to any deal between two occupants 

 of the same business house? 



Now they want to know if it is fair 

 to have a salesman buy up flowers 

 from each other or before the market 

 opens. 



I believe the Board of Directors are 

 tlie best judges of this question and 

 it may be a question in some cases 

 and then again there are instances 

 where it should stand no interference 

 from an outsider. 



For Instance I can't see where any 

 comments should be forthcoming in 

 the case of a small growler and stall- 

 holder who sells his own flowers, has 

 twelve or more hours work to do at 

 the greenhouse, is short of help there 

 and can't spare any time. He comes 

 to the market early and wants to re- 

 turn quickly. 



Now a salesman knowing these con- 

 ditions offers him a price for his en- 

 tire lot of goods and makes his ordi- 

 nary salary commission out of the 

 difference between the buying price 

 and the selling price. 



Should this be anybody's business 

 outside of the contracting parties? Is 

 not this stall-holder simply transact- 

 ing his business in his own establish- 

 ment, the selling branch of his green- 

 house plant. 



The growers are not stupid, they 

 know the market prices and are not 

 selling their flowers to the salesmen 

 for nothing. The salesman cannot 

 ask more than the market price, and 

 the grower has the favor done him of 

 quickly getting back to his work in 

 his greenhouse and avoids the respon- 

 sibility of waiting and collecting his 

 money from some slow paying buyers. 

 Just reason it out yourselves and see 

 if it is not a rather bold assumption 

 on the objectors part to attempt to 

 interfere. 



It is asked, "is it fair to have the 

 manager buy flowers to fill orders?" 

 On every lease a stall lioltlrr signs 

 there are a set of rules on the back, 

 and Rule 17 rea<ls: The manager at 

 his own discretion, may purchase tele- 

 phone or telegraph orders but under 

 no conditions will the corporation hold 

 itself liable. 



ALFRED M. CAMPBELL begs leave to extend a cordial in- 

 vitation to all those who would like to look over a promising 

 vista of EASTER LILIES and other specialties for the com- 

 ing holiday, to visit his flower farm at STRAFFORD, PA., 

 and see for themselves and be well repaid in pleasure and 

 profit. Now is the time to make reservations. Really good 

 Easter stock is scarce. Strafford only 15 m. out Main Line 

 PHILADELPHIA. 



ay Brothers 



TToif/srs 



Boston, Massachusetts 



44 TEMPLE PLACE 



The C<Mltrall.v Located FlorlBt Shop 



Youth for K^'ciprot-ity 

 We cover ull points In New Kngiand 



.Members of Klorists' Tel. Delivery 



Without any fear of contradiction 

 I brand the statement that 1 am in 

 the habit of buying flowers in the mar- 

 ket to fill retail orders as a malicious 

 and harmful lie, and particularly 

 offensive, because I do pass up such 

 opportunities to my financial detri- 

 ment and by so doing I often create 

 feelings against me from my friends. 

 Now that I have explained things 

 does any one blame me if I violently 

 resent this unnecessary dictation from 

 outside parties and if I question the 

 authority of anyone to thus interfere 

 with these described rights and priv- 

 ileges of our growers? 



After all I have said on this subject 

 I still want you to feel that I am 

 broad enough to accept any Intelligent 

 corrective suogestions. 



I emphasize suggestions instead of 

 criticisms, if they are based on a fair 

 and generous view of any situation, 

 and I will try to carry out any of these 

 suggestions if they are for the benefit 

 of and for the good of the business in 

 general. 



Elijah Gorney arose to say that he 

 had not meant to make any personal 

 reflections on Mr. Thurston in his re- 

 marks a month ago. 



Mr. Edward Welch, of P. Welch & 

 Co., said that most of the wholesalers' 

 trade went out of town and that the 

 retailers in the city seldom bought of 

 them unless their market was closed 

 and they were forced to do so. He also 

 condemned the practice on the part of 

 retailers of buying from private es- 

 tates, and said that the retailers often 

 went to out of town markets to buy, 

 frequently having to pay more than 

 they would have been charged in Bos 



ton. He closed by saying, "Let us cut 

 out all this sand-basfging business and 

 get together to elevate the trade." 



Thomas F. Galvin said: "If a poor 

 piking florist like myself can afford to 

 buy flowers for my rathskeller, I see 

 no reason why the big men should find 

 much fault." He also said that he be- 

 lieved the growers were entitled to all 

 which they received for their goods 

 and were at liberty to get more if they 

 could. 



Mr. Samuel Robinson argued that 

 much good has been done by the Asso- 

 ciation and that more good would be 

 accomplished if people would talk as 

 freely at the meetings as they did out- 

 side. He declared that artificial flow- 

 ers were justified by the needs of the 

 times, such as on Memorial Day and 

 other occasions when fresh flowers 

 could not be obtained. 



Benjamin Snyder stated that at least 

 65 or 70 per cent, of all the flowers 

 coming into the market were handled 

 by wholesalers and that they were de- 

 voting their whole efforts at finding or 

 creating new markets for flowers. He 

 deprecated the habit of some rose 

 growers who graded their roses poorly. 

 Nine inch flowers were graded from a 

 poor nine inch down to no stems at all, 

 while those of the longer grades were 

 often weak and wobbly although they 

 might measure up to the proper length. 



Mr. Sydney Hoffman then arose and 

 urged the members of the Association 

 to get together in an effort to raise 

 enough money to advertise liberally 

 in the papers for the purpose of mov- 

 ing flowers at the present time when 

 the market was overstocked. It is 

 probable that this plan will eventually 

 go through. 



