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24 



The Florists^ Review 



Apniii 1, 1920 



with the best means at their disposal. 

 The absence of the fine specimen plants 

 which used to be shown at the principal 

 4>hows is much to be regretted; large 



groups have taken their places, ■with 

 masses of flowers, and the small collector 

 is not given a chance to show his skill 

 as a cultivat«»^ 



QDEN LCrm^^^ DEADEftB 



SPECIAL SAI.es clear STOCK. 



I should like to make a few remarks 

 in regard to the paragraph headed 

 "' Putting It to the Test" in the Chi- 

 cago letter in The Eeview of March 25. 



If florists in all cities would take up 

 this matter of special sales in a man- 

 ner similar to that suggested by W. J. 

 Smyth, whenever there is a glut, it 

 would certainly take up a great deal 

 of stock which usually finds its way to 

 the dump. Not only that; such sales 

 would get many a person into the habit 

 of buying flowers who otherwise would 

 buy none at all. It would also be a big 

 help to the wholesaler, since he would 

 be able to dispose of his stock at a rea- 

 .sonable price. 



For instance, two years ago I was at 

 Cincinnati a week after Easter. The 

 retailers were buying carnations at $1 

 per hundred and selling them at $1 per 

 dozen. Sweet peas were bringing 50 

 cents per hundred wholesale and the 

 retailers were selling them at 75 cents 

 per bunch. This lasted for two weeks. 



I spoke to several retailers and told 

 them outright that the prices which the 

 growers and wholesalers were getting 

 for stock were out of reason, compared 

 with the prices they were getting. 



They would say: "Just look at the 

 expenses we have. For instance, a 

 woman comes into the store and buys 

 a dozen carnations, which she has sent 

 to a hospital. It costs us a box, a card 

 and 25 cents for delivery expenses." 



But they seem to think that 12 cents 

 for a dozen carnations leaves the grower 

 all the profit that he needs. 



If the retailers, however, would put 

 their prices down to 50 cents per dozen 

 as soon us they are able- to buy the flow- 

 ers at $2 per hundred, and even advertise 

 them at that, the wholesaler would then 

 be able to get $2 per hundred for all his 

 stock; it would help him a great deal in 

 keeping his expenses paid during the 

 summer months and would do away with 

 much discouragement. 



Many of our retail florists with small 

 greenhouses are to blame in the same 

 maimer. During the winter months they 

 will beg for stock when they are not 

 getting enough of their own. But just 

 as soon as they get enough of their own 

 they will sell it at a big price and not 

 think of buying from the wholesaler or 

 of trying to put the price down and 

 helping the wholesaler to dispose of his 

 stock also. 



I am sure that if this matter were 

 taken up by retailers throughout the 

 United States it would make the whole- 

 sale business a much more pleasant busi- 

 ness to run, especially now, when we are 

 obliged to pay from $4 to $5 per day 

 for help and to buy coal at the same 

 price per ton in carload lots as for sin- 

 gle tons. 



An endeavor should be made to follow 



this out. Of course, while I mentioned 

 carnations, I meant that all flowers 

 which are selling at low prices should 

 be treated in the same way. 



I certainly endorse Mr. Smyth 's plans 

 and hope to see this matter taken up 

 and pushed through. It is certainly the 

 duty of every wholesaler to do his bit 

 to put it through. 



Peter Weiland. 



Today?" appeared in the Daily News 

 March 25 and in the Herald-Examiner 

 March 26. Since the latest census 

 figures give Chicago 2,884,827 popula- 

 tion, the birthdays of its inhabitants 

 number over 7,900 each day on the 

 average. 



St. Louis has used the saipe idea and 

 placed it prominently in view in the 

 Easter page advertisement which ap- 

 peared in the Globe-Democrat March 

 28, one week before Easter. This ad- 

 vertisement is shown on the opposite 

 page. For this page and the one which 

 appeared March 31 in the Star the St. 

 Louis florists paid $1,100. 



BIBTHDAY BUSINESS. 



Since the national publicity commit- 

 tee pointed out that there are over 100,- 

 000,000 birthdays every year in this 

 country, florists have been stirred to in- 

 creased efforts to make flowers for birth- 

 days a more general custom. This has 

 been a feature of the national adver- 

 tising in the monthly magazines on sev- 

 eral occasions. Now the local coopera- 

 tive campaigns are using the subject 

 for their advertising. 



In Chicago the advertisement repro- 

 duced on this page, "Whose Birthday 



BEWABE OF THIS SWENDLEB. 



Be on -the watch for a swindler who 

 is about five feet nine inches tall, 

 weighs about 160 pounds, is of medium 

 build with a slightly florid complexion, 

 wearing a brown fedora hat and brown 

 suit, but with untidy linen, speaking 

 with a German accent. He is reported 

 by the State Floral Co., Sedalia, Mo., 

 as working in a novel method all his 

 own and carrying out his game so 

 smoothly that he can convince almost 

 anyone of his sincerity. 



He calls on a florist and advises him 

 that he is arranging a wedding party 

 and proposes to buy wedding flowers, 

 getting the probable cost of bouquets, 

 etc. He then goes out and forges a 

 sight draft, returning with about $20 

 or $25 in excess of his purchase. He 

 calls the minister from the florist 's shoji 

 and makes arrangements for limousines 

 and the church and leads one to be- 



a 



^ WlyosejoirikdlGuip^ 



VHcXrlER. an impromptu purcKaae or 

 one or utmost disen'miniition. YXowcxs 

 are alw^ays an appropriate birthday gift, 



n you kesitate as to just wLat. ixit will 

 be sure to please — decide on Flow^ers. for 

 -wnobc neart ^^ould not be gladdened by tbe love- 

 linecs, tbe grandeur, tbe eternal wonder of 

 Flo-wers. 



Sla u'dwilhfhu'&i 



ALLIED FLORISTS' ASSN 

 or ILI-U«OIS , 



D 



a 



Chicago Florists Would Make Business from Nearly Three Million Birthdays Yearly. 



