388 



HORTICULTURE 



May 15, 1920 



BEDDING STOCK 



Immediate Shipment from Massachusetts 



Geraniums, Sj- and 4 inch Heliotrope, 4 inch Ageratum 3^ inch 



Vinca, 4 inch White and Yellow Marguerites (heavy) 4 inch 



Verbena, Lobelia, Coleus, Petunia, all from 21 inch 



Let us quote you 

 I f RFIITFR rn ^^''"* 15 Cedar St., WATERTOWN STA. 



JLi* J* I\Cjw 1 £jI\ V^V/» Brokers boston, mass. 



Short P. O. Address: L. J. Reuter Co., Boston 72, Mass. 



gress, is a joint resolution designating 

 the second Sunday in May as Mother's 

 Day, and for other purposes. Gover- 

 nors of States and Jlayors of Cities 

 have, by proclamations, endorsed the 

 action of Congress, and the day is now- 

 very generally observed by the Ameri- 

 can public as one on which homage is 

 to be paid to mothers living, and honor 

 accorded to the memory of mothers 

 dead. 



'So much for Miss Jarvis' claim o£ 

 proprietorship in Mother's Day. As a 

 little inside history, it may be men- 

 tioned that Miss Jarvis solicited the 

 aid of different florists' organizations 

 at the outset of her efforts to create 

 interest in the day. As a result, the 

 Society of American Florists gave her 

 a cheque for $100 to be used in any 

 way she saw fit in the promotion of 

 her ideas. The society further col- 

 lected subscriptions from individual 

 florists throughout the country 

 amounting altogether to $1,000, which 

 sum was also turned over to her. 



As to the charge that florists have 

 been profiteering. I would say that this 

 is baseless. One dollar apiece for car- 

 nations Is absurd. If such a price ever 

 was received, it certainly was not at a 

 florists' establishment. At a charity 

 fair, perhaps, five dollars apiece might 

 willingly be paid. White carnations 

 are never sufficient for the demand on 

 Mother's Day, for the reason that flor- 

 ists who grow them must, necessarily, 

 take the remaining 364 days in the 

 year into consideration, days on which 

 white flowers are in very small de- 

 mand. Miss Jarvis never could seem 

 to understand this, and her misunder- 

 standing was the cause of an abate- 

 ment in the support given her by the 

 florists. With the exception of white 

 carnations, governed by the law of 

 supply and demand, just as other com- 

 modities are, flowers for Mothers' 



Day are just as reasonable in price as 

 on other days at the same season, and 

 there is not the slightest justification 

 for Miss Jarvis' message, the publica- 

 tion of which she has foisted on the 

 evidently unsuspecting press. 



If you can help to contradict the 

 statement complained of. your assist- 

 ance will be highly appreciated by our 

 society." 



, John Young, Sec. 

 Secretary. 



The Associated Press very courte- 

 ously took action in the ■ matter, as 

 will be seen by their letter in reply. 

 "Mr. John Young, Society of American 

 Florists, 4.3 West 18th Street, New 

 York City: 

 Dear Mr. Young^-I enclose a copy 

 of an Associated Press Despatch from 

 Washington today which gives a de- 

 nial by W. F. Gude of the statement 

 of Miss Anna Jarvis, concerning which 

 you wrote under date of May 6. This 

 meets the point raised in your letter. 

 Very truly yours, 



(Signed) Harold Marti .n. 



Superintendent." 



The despatch referred to was as fol- 

 lows: 



"Washington, May 7. — Acting for 

 the Society of American Florists, W. 

 F. Gude, its Washington representa- 

 tive, has issued a denial of the state- 

 ment by Miss Anna Jarvis, president 

 of the Mothers' Day Association that 

 florists profiteered in white carna- 

 tions, the symbol of observance of 

 Mothers' Day. last year. Miss Jarvis 

 had called on obseri-ers of the day 

 this year to abandon the carnation and 

 display American flags. 



All members of the society, through- 

 out the country, Mr. Gude said, have 

 been urged to sell white carnations, at 

 the usual market rate on Mothers' 

 Day, Sunday, May 9. 



As to the charges of infringement 

 of copyrights, etc., they may safely be 

 ignored. Mothers' Day is a public day, 

 and so declared by Congress, therefore 

 our Publicity Committee do not feel 

 that they need have any further con- 

 cern in the matter. 



Further Help Needed 



The Publicity Campaign is swinging 

 along, and our slogan, "Say it with 

 Flowers," is daily becoming stronger 

 in its effect on the public. Arrange- 

 ments have been completed whereby 

 a series of advertisements will be 

 run in the national magazines during 

 June, July, August and September, to 

 keep the slogan before as many peo- 

 ple as possible in a continuous man- 

 ner. The copy to be used is very at- 

 tractive, and should achieve the result 

 aimed for. Among the magazines se- 

 lected are the following: Literary Di- 

 gest, Collier's' Weekly, Outlook, Inde- 

 pendent, Life, Judge, Scientific Ameri- 

 can, Leslie's and Argosy." 



The committee are still very much 

 hampered in their work through the 

 want of proper financial support. It 

 is regrettable that so much they 

 would like to do is impossible because 

 the necessary amount of money is not 

 forthcoming. They are obliged to 

 work on the installment plan, which 

 impairs maximum results. Mothers' 

 Day was productive of a splendid busi- 

 ness, much of which undoubtedly was 

 due to splendid campaign work. Would 

 it not be a good idea, Mr. Nonsubscrib- 

 er, to show a little appreciation of 

 what has been accomplished for you 

 and the trade by sending in that long 

 delayed subscription to the fund that 

 makes the benefit we all enjoy possi- 

 ble? 



John Yocno, Sec. 



43 West 18th Street, New York City. 



