16 



The Florists* Review 



OCTOBBB 26, 1916. 



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PRICES MUST GO UP 



TRADE LEADERS NEEDED. 



To Set tbe Upward Pace. 



The price of wheat, of steel and of 

 paper, to mention only a few of the 

 things every florist uses, are at the 

 highest level ever known, but what of 

 the price of flowers! 



"The point has been reached where 

 flbrists as a body must consider the 

 t'l rapidly rising cost of doing business,'' 



said one well known western grower to 

 The Review the other day. "There 

 ., has been such a general advance in the 

 price of everything that goes into the 

 •erection and operation of a greenhouse, 

 and the increases of late have been so 

 rapid, that it is not possible to expect 

 to meet the increased cost through the 

 cleaner sales that have been the rule 

 the last few months. Indeed, where a 

 few growers are having a good season 

 through clean sales of fairly large sup- 

 plies of stock, there are many florists 

 ^ who have much less to sell this season 

 than usual and who will do well if they 

 make both ends meet, considering cur- 

 rent prices." 



While the opinion represents only the 

 point of view of the grower, retail flo- 

 rists also are in much the same posi- 

 tion, for the cost of everything that 

 goes toward the operation of a flower 

 store has increased in like proportion. 

 The retailer is as much in need of bet- 

 ter prices as is the grower and whole- 

 saler. 



Discussion Needed. 



The following letter is from one of 

 the proprietors of one of the largest 

 greenhouse establishments in the mid- 

 dle west, doing both a wholesale and 

 retail business: 



Onr flrm, like many others, Is particularly In- 

 terested at prespnt in the cost of production and 

 In Its relation to our selling prices. It seenis 

 that during the last couple of years practically 

 «Tery expense item has increased and recently 

 the increases have been extremely large and 

 rapid. We bellere it has been the same In prac- 

 tically every line of business, but for our own 

 V&Tt we cannot see that the selling price of the 

 stock we produce In our greenhouses has in- 

 creased in anything like the same proportion that 

 the expense has Increased. 



It seems to us that anyone who stndles the sit- 

 uation win come to the conclusion that the flo- 

 rists' business throughout the country has not 

 kept TO with other lines as far as prices com- 

 nared to expenses are concerned. We do not 

 know Just why this Is so. The market In otir 

 territory is governed more or less by the Chi- 

 cago market, and likely the Chicago market is 

 ■imllarly governed by eastern markets. 



"We are wondering If some sort of campaign 

 could be started which might eventually result 

 Jn a good meeting of wholesalers at Chicago sim- 

 ilar to the meeting recently held by the retailers. 

 We are not suggesting anything in the wav of 

 combination to raise prices, but we believe that 

 an advance in prices will be the result of a gen- 

 «ral discussion of the situation in which the trade 

 finds Itself today. 



In this trade there are too many 

 people selling for it to be possible to 

 regulate prices by agreement; the only 

 thing that is possible is regulation 

 through a more thorough understanding 

 of the necessities of the moment. 



Some Always Hold Back. 



There are two kinds of men in this 

 trade. One kind thinks his stock is as 

 good as any other man's stock and 

 therefore worth as much money. The 

 other kind of man thinkp that if the 



store down the street sells carnations 

 for 50 cents a dozen his own price 

 should be 35 cents per dozen, regardless 

 of the reflection thereby cast on the 

 quality of his stock. 



To raise prices in this trade it is 

 necessary for the men who believe their 

 stock is as good as anyone's to set 

 the pace; if they ask 60 cents for car- 

 nations the other fellow probably will 

 raise his price to 50 cents, so the com- 

 petitive conditions will not be greatly 

 changed. 



Profits Have Taken Wing. 



The necessities for increasing prices 

 to reimburse the trade ^for the extra 

 costs of doing business apply to the pot 

 plant growers as much as they do to 

 the cut flower growers; they apply as 

 much to the man who grows the stock 

 he retails as to the man who buys from 

 wholesalers. 



The margin of profit in this trade 

 has been growing steadily smaller for 

 years; a few men who possess special 

 qualifications for the work are mak- 

 ing as much or more than in the earlier 

 days, but the rank and file of the trade 

 has found it necessary to double the 

 turnover to clear the same amount of 

 profit. In the last year the increases in 

 cost have been much more rapid than 

 ever before and the trade now stands 

 at a point where many can see their 

 profits taking wing. 



The necessity is for a leader in each 

 community to set a higher pace. 



AMERICAN ROSE SOCIETY. 



The executive committee of 



the 



American Rose Society held a meeting 



at the Hotel Breslin, New York, Octo- 

 ber 23, those present being President 

 S. S. Pennock, Treasurer H. O. May, 

 Wallace R. Pierson, J. Horace McFar- 

 land, L. J. Renter, Admiral Ward and 

 Fred H. Howard, of Howard & Smith, 

 Los Angeles, Gal. 



A letter was read from Robert Pyle 

 suggesting a committee to report upon 

 the various teat rose gardens in the 

 west and the president appointed Jesse 

 A. Currie, Alfred Tucker and A. J. 

 Clarke, all of Portland, Ore. A long 

 discussion took place on the subject of 

 test gardens, Mr. Howard contributing 

 many details as to his experience in 

 rose growing in California. Wallace It. 

 Pierson told of his visit to Mr. Howard 

 in California and of the splendid work 

 being done by Mr. Howard's flrm. 



The resignations of W. R. Pierson and 

 Alex. Cummings from the central com- 

 mittee were not accepted. 



A committee was appointed to report 

 at the December meeting of the execu- 

 tive committee at Horticultural hall, 

 Philadelphia, as to the test gardens. Ad- 

 miral Ward, L. J. Reuter and Wallace 

 Pierson being the members. Mr. Pier- 

 son emphasized the fact that the rose 

 society is "fast getting big enough to 

 run its own show." It was suggested 

 that the rose growers of Philadelphia 

 and vicinity be requested by the presi- 

 dent to cooperate in making the rose 

 exhibition a success. The dates select- 

 ed for the show are the same as those 

 of the New York spring exhibition, 

 March 20 to 23. The president was em- 

 powered to appoint a committee to 

 solicit a guarantee fund of $5,000 should 

 it be determined to hold the show in 

 Philadelphia. The guarantee subscrib- 

 ers to date are S. S. Pennock-Meehan 

 Co., A. N. Pierson, Inc., S. J. Reuter & 

 Son, Robert Simpson, H. O. May, Benj. 

 Hammond, E. Allan Peirce and Admiral 

 Ward, each for $100. 



The next meeting of the committee 

 will be held in Philadelphia, Novem- 

 ber 8. J. A. S. 



ORCHIDS FROM SEEDS. 



I have two cattleya plants that have 

 seed pods as big as small lemons. Please 

 tell me. how to plant the seeds and how 

 to carry them on to make them grow. 

 Do these orchids usually seed freely t 



H. G. " 



The seeds of orchids germinate best 

 when sown soon after maturity, and 

 many lose their vitality in a few 

 months if kept too dry and warm. When 

 sowing the seeds, the best results are 



often obtained when they are dusted 

 on the surface of pots or baskets con- 

 taining a plant of the same genus as the 

 seed and carefully watered with a fine 

 rose until they become attached, watch- 

 ing carefully for snails, slugs and depre- 

 dators in general that infest the com- 

 post. The pots or baskets should have 

 a favorable-looking surface, with the 

 compost in good condition, firm and 

 free from fungi. A writer in Bailey's 

 Cyclopedia recommends that one use 

 pots or baskets that will not have to be 

 disturbed for a year or more, as it 

 often takes that length of time for the 

 seedlings to come through. Seed sown 



