J '(V- ■ .J,. ';^i,j.--..i'>-.:.v-'t »- - '■""■■• •'■'»■'. 



The Florists* Review 



-» 1 



^; 



Mat 4. 1916. 



ODCN LETTB^./*- liBADBIiB 



F. T. D. WAVES ON EASTER. 



Never in the history of the business 

 was there so much use of the Florists' 

 Telegraph Delivery and out-of-town 

 service as during Easter week of this 

 year. It is plain that the retailer is 

 waking up to the fact that if he does 

 a little advertising he will get results. 



I believe that the orders sent out of 

 Detroit during Easter week amounted 

 to several thousand dollars. The busi- 

 ness kept the F. T. D. girl busy all the 

 week giving addresses to florists here. 



Of course many retailers will make 

 a fuss about small orders for only $1 or 

 $2 each, and I will admit that I have 

 had some of these myself, which re- 

 quired some of my money in order to 

 make delivery, but the larger orders 

 make up for these and, considering the 

 advertising these small orders have 

 given us, we ought to be good-natured 

 and not kick. When one looks at it 

 from another standpoint all arguments 

 have no foundation and are even un- 

 businesslike. It is ridiculous for any 

 one to tell a customer who wants to 

 spend $1.50 or $2.00 that we do not de- 

 liver such small orders. 



It is not at all businesslike to side- 

 step the F. T. D. service; it has come to 

 stay and its foundation is strong, as it 

 means money in every member's 

 pocket. The time is here when every 

 member is waking up to the fact that 

 more members in more cities will help 

 to increase the efficiency of F. T. D. 



Really, why so many retailers cannot 

 see the advantages of the Florists ' Tele- 

 graph Delivery is beyond my under- 

 standing. Albert Pochelon. 



FLORISTS POOR BOOKKEEPERS? 



There is nothing more provoking than 

 the results of a lack of ordinary book- 

 keeping and billing systems on the 

 part of some of the rather substantial 

 florists. From recent experiences it 

 seems necessary to request your paper 

 to open its columns to a narration of 

 the miserable experiences arising out 

 of poorly kept records of telegraph or- 

 ders or orders placed by correspond- 

 ence between two florists. In order 

 that the subject may be opened, we 

 will relate recent incidents and show 

 the necessity for some consideration 

 of the subject. 



Last December we placed an order 

 by wire with an Illinois florist, to de- 

 liver a corsage of violets and pink roses 

 to a person attending a seminary in 

 the suburb of the town in which the 

 Illinois florist had his establishment. 

 In the usual way we specified "Card" 

 and "C. P.," giving the name of our 

 customer, who desired his card in the 

 box of flowers. In due course of time, 

 among other mail, there came a letter 

 addressed to the individual who had 

 placed the order with us, in care of 

 us, instead of being addressed to us. 

 Our office records did not show anyone 

 of that name employed by us, and, in 

 the routine handling of several hundred 

 pieces of* mail daily, the letter went 



through the usual course of being re- 

 turned to the writer. 



April 22 the same customer placed a 

 similar order and we endeavored to 

 give this order to the same florist, who 

 bears a rating of from $10,000 to $12,- 

 000, and has a first-grade -credit. We 

 were much chagrined to receive a reply 

 from the florist stating that, unless we 

 paid last December's bill, the order 

 could not be accepted. No invoice had 

 ever been rendered us. No communi- 

 cation of any kind had been received 

 from the florist mentioned, but we now 

 received from him an invoice addressed 

 to our customer, care of us, showing 

 that, without authority, he had entered- 

 a charge against our customer instead 

 of against us. 



We had a similar case of this kind 

 in February, in dealing with a Massa- 

 chusetts florist. In that instance the 

 communication reached our customer, 

 who had paid his bill to us when plac- 

 ing the order, with the result that he 

 was furious. 



We are placing these instances be- 

 fore you in the hope that some discus- 

 sion may be started on proper methods 

 of booking and billing orders between 

 florists. We shall be pleased to see 

 your columns carry the opinions of oth- 

 ers in this regard. 



Livingston Seed Co. 



BOSTON SHOW PLANS. 



The present year appears to be one 

 of more than usual interest in horticul- 

 tural exhibitions. The success of the 



recent flower shows at Philadelphia and 

 New York indicates this emphatieally. 

 The next important horticultural event 

 will be the Grand May flower show of 

 the Massachusetts Horticultural So- 

 ciety, which is to be held in Horticul- 

 tural hall, Boston, May 10 to 14. 



The management of the society is 

 making preparations for this event and 

 no effort is being spared to make the 

 exhibition a notable success in every 

 way. In addition to the liberal appro- 

 priation for premiums made by the so- 

 ciety, many special prizes are offered 

 by a number of prominent and influen- 

 tial members, which will make this show 

 the most brilliant and most comprehen- 

 sive of recent years. 



The best products of many of the 

 noted private collections in the vicinity 

 of Boston will be offered to public 

 view, as well as the specialties of the 

 most famous growers of plants and 

 flowers in this and other states. Not- 

 able features wUl be the collections of 

 orchids, rhododendrons, roses and artis- 

 tic displays of flowering and foliage 

 plants. A class for miniature Japa- 

 nese gardens will be one of the novel- 

 ties of this exhibition. 



The show will open Wednesday, May 

 10, at noon, continuing through Thurs- 

 day, Friday and Saturday, from 10 

 a. m. to 10 p. m., and Sunday from 1 to 

 10 p. m. The Bostonia Orchestra will 

 furnish music every afternoon and eve- 

 ning from 3 to 5 and from 7:30 to 9:30 

 'clock. 



Commercial growers, especially, will 

 flnd this exhibition an unusual opportu- 

 nity to call public attention to the prod- 

 ucts of their greenhouses and nurseries. 



The premium list, which aggregates 

 about $5,000, may be had on applica- 

 tion to the secretary at Horticultural 

 hall, Boston, and special trade tickets 

 will be sold in lots of twenty-five or 

 more at half the regular admission 

 price. W. P. Bich, Sec'y. 



Haarlem, Holland. — A list of the 

 members of the Dutch Bulb Exporters' 

 Association contains 130 names, all of 



whom have agreed " subject to 



penalty, to invoice in future for whole- 

 sale trade, all charges for cases and 

 packing at cost price." 



HiUegom, Holland. — With a surplus 

 last season, E. Van der Schoot & Son 

 donated to the British Bed Cross over 

 340,000 bulbs for planting about the 

 military hospitals in France and Eng- 

 land. The showing of bloom has occa- 

 sioned comment that has indicated that 

 the surplus was not misused. 



Paris, France. — Bosarians the world 

 over will learn with regret of the death 

 of Jules Gravereaux. In his rosary at 

 L'Hay he created, not merely a collec- 

 tion of roses unique in the whole world, 

 but also instituted and prosecuted most 

 important scientific work. His inesti- 

 mable services were justly rewarded by 

 the ribbon of the order Commander du 

 M6rite Agricole and the badge of Of- 

 ficier de la L6gion d'Honneur. 



Boskoop, Holland. — All through the 

 district it is said quantities of last 

 year's crop of spiraea are still on hand, 

 unsalable at any price. Iris also have 

 been hard to move. This year many 

 growers are growing vegetables instead 

 of plants. 



London, England. — In the glass 

 houses operated for the metropolitan 

 market from fifty to seventy-five per 

 cent of the employees have joined the 

 colors, with the result that, quite ap- 

 propriately, the nurseries are being 

 largely operated by women. 



Copenhagen, Denmark. — In order to 

 positively identify their Danish stock 

 Hjalmar Hartmann & Co. have adopted 

 a trade-mark, the use of which is hoped 

 to avoid many war-time complications 

 and be of peace value. Each parcel is 

 sealed with a lead seal bearing the 

 trade-mark, consising of two crossed 

 H's in a circle, with a sea gull on the 

 top, symbolizing the Danish sea climate, 

 and three wave lines at the bottom rep- 

 resenting the three Danish sounds. 



'2: . m'Ki^A 



