FBBBnAEY 10, 1918. 



The Florists' Review 



43 



FIRST REPORT 



OF THE 



National Floral Corporation 





A STORY THAT WILL INTEREST EVERY RETAIL FLORIST 



THE organization of the National Floral Corporation in 

 the early part of 1915 was received by the retail florists 

 with a mixture of enthusiasm, skepticism and cordiality. 

 It is fitting, therefore, that the National Floral Corporation, 

 having finished its first holiday season, should render some 

 report of its success or failure. 



The National Floral Corporation has suffered from the fact 

 that there have been previous attempts to form cooperative 

 organizations among florists which were either weak finan- 

 cially, or carried on in bad faith. The National Floral Cor- 

 poration has been fortunate in that it immediately secured 

 the cooperation and assistance of such representative florists 

 as Blick the Florist, Norfolk, Va.; E. A. Butler & Son, 

 Niagara Falls, N. Y.; C. P. Mueller, Wichita, Kas.; North 

 Floral Co., Ft. Dodge, la.; The Flower Shop, Pittsfield, Mass., 

 and others; so that its enlistment, although gradual, already 

 numbers more than seventy representative retail fiorists in 

 more than thirty States. 



Among some well-known florists who have the welfare of 

 the trade at heart there has been a reluctance to join our 

 organization for fear of conflict with the Florists ' Telegraph 

 Delivery, which has operated so unselfishly for the benefit 

 of retail florists in the last few years. A reading of the 

 next few lines will show conclusively why this fear is un- 

 founded. 



The National Floral Corporation in its first holiday season 

 has secured orders for delivery to florists from over one hun- 

 dred and twenty-five cities, among which are the following 

 places: 



Petrograd, Russia; Alexandria, Egypt; Nice, France; 

 Madrid, Spain; Maracaibo, Venezuela; Madras, India; 

 Turin, Italy; Tientsin, China; Cavite, Manila, P. I.; Fort 

 Gibbon, Fairbanks, Ala.; Santiago, Havana, Cuba; Cris- 

 tobal, Canal Zone; Dawson, Cobalt, Canada; Ft. Ogle- 

 thorpe, Ga. ; Copperhill, Tenn. ; Grayson, Ky. ; Mindon, 

 Baton Rouge, La.; Ft. Bliss, El Paso, Donna, Athens, Ft. 

 Mcintosh, Mission, Texas; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Billings, 

 Mont.; San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Monte 

 Vista, El Toro, ^ong Beach, Cal. ; Duke, N. C; Bisbee, 

 Warren, Ariz.; Dodge City, Kas.; Springfield, Mo.; Para, 

 m.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Traer, Iowa; Rutland, Vt. ; 

 San Acacio, Ouray, Pueblo, Colo.; Miadison, Wis.; Key 

 West, Pensacola, Fla.; Columbus, N. M. ; Vancouver Bar- 

 racks, Wash., and Portland, Me. 



Most of its orders were received from places in which there 

 is no representative of the F. T. D. There can be no doubt 

 that 95% of these orders were CREATED solely by the ad- 

 vertising methods of the National Floral Corporation and 

 that the orders delivered to its florists this season repre- 

 sented an actual increase in the field for retail florists during 

 1915. 



A pleasant feature of its work during the past year has 

 been the enthusiastic approval from influential members of 

 the public who welcomed the National Florist idea and Na- 

 tional Florist service. 



Though it cannot be said that our advertising for the past 

 season had the effectiveness which the experience of 1915 

 will enable us to put into our future advertising, yet we can 

 claim the remarkable record of having produced approximate- 

 ly as much business through our 1915 appropriation as the 

 total amount in fees received so far from National Florists 

 throughout the country, 



A number of our National Florists have already received 

 more than enough business to pay for fees paid in, although 

 the contracts have been dated from October 1st, 1915, only, 

 and will not expire until October 1st, 1916. 



The role of prophet is a dangerous one, but we venture to 

 predict that the coming years will show a considerable trans- 

 formation in the retail florists' business of America. We 

 do not underestimate the value of large orders and the profit 

 in selling American Beauties at $24 per dozen, but we pre- 

 dict that the substantial fortunes in retail flower selling in 

 America in the coming generation will be made, not on large 

 orders, but from the bountiful repetition of small and profita- 

 ble orders, a field which has been disdained rather than here- 

 tofore cultivated by the retail florist. 



When the public learns that it can have delivered in San 

 Francisco, Toledo, Chicago, Denver, Jacksonville, Galveston, 

 Portland and New York a floral token at holiday time for 

 substantially a little more than a telegram, the Western 

 Union receipts may grow less, but the bank accounts of the 

 retail florists will profit in proportion. 



Many of our National Florists are exceedingly enthusiastic, 

 not only from the cooperation they have received from us 

 and the advertising service which we have furnished them, 

 but also with the whole National Florist idea, and have 

 taken double pages of newspaper space in their local papers 

 to acquaint the public with the existence of this corporation. 



Please note, only one National Florist is allowed in each 

 city, and National Florists have generally, in the absence 

 of other connections, preferred to transfer their orders to 

 National Florists in other cities. 



It is a matter of regret that in cities of considerable im- 

 portance such as Trenton, N. J.; Birmingham, Ala.; Portland, 

 Me.; Columbia, S. C; Helena, Mont.; Savannah, Ga., and 

 many others, there is not a representative. If you knew 

 what we know of the floral trade, you would immediately 

 telegraph us, preferably mentioning a few references, to 

 serve your CITY for you as the National Florist. 



The facts herein stated in regard to orders received by the 

 National Floral Corporation have been confirmed by the rep- 

 resentative of The Florists' Review. 



Write us for further information. 



National Floral Corporation 



220 Broadway, New York, N. Y. 



jUlonsf 



