﻿22 



The Florists^ Review 



Apbil 15; 1920 



tion, is one of the troubles confronting 

 us and today we are willing to pay as 

 much as we can afford under the present 

 condition of the labor markb^. Progress 

 is a watchword with us. 



The Allied Florists' Association owes 

 its birth to the one hundred per cent 

 membership we had to support it. Such 

 a thing as an Allied Florists' Associa- 

 tion was impossible two years ago. Only 

 ^/^-\a year ago publicity was attempted and 

 railed for lack of organization, lack of 

 n^oney and lack of teamwork. 



The future will possibly not reveal 

 the history of the real movers of the 

 organization of the Commercial Flower 

 Growers of Chicago, but it is here now, 

 for there is work to be done to improve 

 our profession. The strength of our 

 organization is what makes our organi- 

 zation something more than a name. 

 Organization today is the product of 

 modern business enterprise. Competi- 

 tion may be the life of trade, but co- 

 operation is creeping in by competitive 

 business becoming organized. As grow- 

 ers our organization has a distinct pur- 

 pose; so we look kindly to such practi- 

 cal reforms as are adaptable to our 

 needs. We avoid a selfish purpose by 

 always having in mind the welfare of 

 all those engaged in the industry. The 

 rank and file is the strength of every 

 organization; so we give every grower 

 a free and untrammeled opportunity 

 for expression, the real purpose for 

 which we became organized. 



Good Leadership. 



The leadership of any organization 

 should be devoid of any control or in- 

 fluence of the stronger members over 

 the weak. Leadership in a successful 

 organization should attract and hold 

 the membership. This is only possible 

 when it is in the hands of those who will 

 give their time to working toward the 

 success of all, men who by example of 

 their membership have proved their 

 sincerity to their organization. If we 

 look back into the history of so-called 

 organizations we find failure largely be- 

 cause the functions of an executive 

 office served a group of individuals or 

 such executive office was used for social 

 glory. 



Organizations of growers, wherever 

 they may be, should tend to protect 

 capital investment, stabilize prices as 

 much as possible, improve labor condi- 

 tions and restrain wasteful competition. 

 Improved production, improved market- 

 ing and fair profits fairly represent the 

 wishes of our organization. To obtain 

 these desires we hope to obtain favor- 

 able viewpoints about the commission 

 wholesaler, about the retail florist and 

 the public at large and thus obtain an 

 insight as to how other branches of the 

 trade run their business, since we 

 operate on such a different basis from 

 those with whom we deal to maintain an 

 outlet for our products. 



Backbone of ^Business. 



The grower is the backbone of the 

 flower business, yet we have trusted the 

 larger part of our intere.}ts to some- 

 body else. There is the commission 

 man, who always derives his profits 

 from the work of the grower; there is 

 the retailer, who derives his profit in 

 adding his cost of selling to his pur- 

 chase price, while the grower takes his 

 chances on a |>ossible profit from the un- 

 regulated law of supply and demand. 

 Hence he now comes in on creating a 

 demand for his products that will lead 



to a profit over the annual average cost 

 of greenhouse production. Some day 

 I hope to see w maximuio selling price 

 around the holidays because of the extra 

 demand and a minimum price in times 

 of an overabundance, whether because 

 of heavy production or a small demand. 

 In either case we should establish an 

 equilibrium or a law of average to safe- 

 guard a margin of profit to continued 

 successful flower production. Stock 

 dumped has cost us millions of dollars. 

 Finally, we believe we have the plan 

 in grasping the value of advertising to 

 reduce such' losses. A supply in, excess 

 of the demand makes unstaWfe and 

 erratic prices to the public, while a de- 

 mand in excess of the supply has the 

 tendency to make prices more uniform 

 to the public. If the retailer can be 

 brought to harmonize his selling price 

 with his purchase price on an estab- 

 lished basis of the market selling on a 

 minimum and maximum price, such 

 regulation might reduce the waste in 

 the sale and distribution of the grow- 

 ers' products. The national organization 

 could well branch out as a result of our 

 success in Chicago, since Chicago's geo- 

 graphical position lends support to the 

 activities of a resident organizer, so as 

 to effect further state or sectional or- 

 ganizations among the growers. 



Nation-wide Cooperation. 



Our plan of orgai\ization, adopted 

 along national lines, will bring to other 

 growers the remarkable progress we 

 made within a year's time. Our pre- 

 liminary experience is available to 

 growers surrounding other centers of 

 distribution. After these various or- 

 ganizations have been perfected, one 

 section of the country will learu from 

 the other. It is surprising how the Chi- 

 cago growers overcome trade jealousies 

 and suspicion and get together toward 

 friendly cooperation. 



On a ;iational basis our organization 

 will cooperate with the scientific and 

 theoretical experimental work in flori- 

 culture. We can deal safely with posi- 

 tive results and leave the experimental 

 stations to do the experimenting. 



Disease control, soil fertility, heating 

 and refrigeration, rotation of crops, 

 crops to grow, marketing, cost of pro- 

 duction, labor, employment of women 

 and children, long hours, advertising- 

 all these and more can be brought to a 

 new idea, to the advantage of the grow- 

 ers as a whole. 



A national organization can give us 

 an exchange of the best cultural *=^ 

 methods, of the best markets, supplying 

 the different local orga^izations with 

 instructors and organizers for every 

 prospective and permanent organiza- 

 tion. 



To do our own advertising and create 

 a growers' publicity fund to organize 

 dollars to boost us all along. 



As our industry advances we become 

 individually more ready to surmount 

 difficulties and make our profession in 

 keeping with the most advanced 

 methods in practice in other industries. 



Our national organization will stand 

 out like the rock of Gibraltar to hus- 

 band our resources to meet any 

 emergency. "In union there ii..-^ 

 strength. ' ' 



Downieville, Pa. — R. P. Harmany re- 

 cently formed a partnership with J. W. 

 Church. The firm, which will carry on 

 a general florists' business, is known 

 as Church & Harmany and Mr. Har- 

 many is manager. 



Marion, Kan. — Mrs. Minnie L. Sher 

 man, who has formerly owned establish- 

 ments in Shenandoah, la.; Birch Tree, 

 Mo.; Ellsworth and Topeka, Kan., and 

 who has been ill in the hospital for a 

 long time, is starting again in business. 



BED COLXTMBIA. 



Should the new red rose of the Joseph 

 H. Hill Co., Richmond, Ind., live up to 

 its parent, the trade will have something 

 which it has been long seeking. Red 

 Columbia appeared first at Richmond 

 two years ago, when a plant of Colum- 

 bia bore a red bloom flecked with white, 

 after the fashion of an occasional Rich- 

 mond. Of three plants propagated^from 

 this, two yielded similarly flecked 

 blooms and were discarded, while one 

 bore a pure red. The plants propagated 

 from this one have all come true and 

 this year Mr. Hill will have a stock of 

 about 800 plants worked up, 200 grafted 



and 600 budded. He does not intend to 

 send out plants before 1922, since he 

 will not have sufficient stock to take 

 care of orders before that time. 



The new rose resembles Columbia in 

 all its characteristics save color and 

 petalage. There are fewer petals in 

 Bed Columbia than in the parent, which 

 is to be considered an advantage rather 

 than otherwise in the opinion of groweri 

 who have handled the latter. The long 

 guard petals protect the bloom and will 

 aid it in shipping. The color is similar 

 to Hoosier Beauty, but the flower is 

 free from Hoosier Beauty's failing, » 

 weak neck. A specimen bloom of Be<l 

 Columbia exhibited at the Chicago Flo- 

 rists' Club April 8 aroused keen inter- 

 est on the part of the growers present. 

 Its further appearance will be watched 

 closely by the trade. 



