':'^, ' 



22 



The Florists' Review 



NOVEMBEB 9, 1016. 



Eatsbllshed. 1897, by Q. L. GRANT. 



PabllBhed every Tbarsday by 

 Thk Florists' Publishing Co., 



630-660 Oaxtoa Building, 



806 South Dearborn St., Chlcaso. 



Tele., Wabash 8196. 



Begristered cable addreas, 



Florrlew, Cblcaco. 



Entered as second class matter 

 Deo. 3. 1897. at the post-office at Ohl- 

 caffo, IU„ under the Act of M»rch 

 $.1879. 



Subscription price, $1.00 a year. 

 To Canada, $2.00; to Europe, $3.00. 



Advertising rates quoted upon 

 request. Only strictly trade ad- 

 vertising accepted. 



n 



NOTICE. 



It is impoBBible to guarantee 



the insertion, discontinuance or 



alteration of any advertisement 



unless instructions are received 



BY 6 P. M. TUESDAY. 



SOCIETT OF AHEKICAN FLOKIBTB. 

 Incorporated by Act ot OonKreaa, March 4, 1901. 



Officers for 1016: President, Daniel MacKorle, 

 ■an IVaaclsoe; vice-president, B. 0. Kerr, Heoa- 

 toa, Tex.; secretary, Jeha Tenng, 63 W. 28tli 

 BL, New York Olty; treasurer, 3. 3. Heaa, 

 •maha. 



Officers for 1017: President, Bobert O. Kerr, 

 Honaton, Tex.; vice-president, A. L. Miller, Ja- 

 maica, N. T. : secretary, Jeha Tenag, 63 W. 28tb 

 Bt., New Terk Olty; treasurer, J. J. Heas, 

 Omaha, Neb. 



nilrty-third annnal convention. New York, 

 H. T., August 21 to 24, 1917. 



Besultfl bring advertisiiig. 

 The Review brings resulto. 



Flower store window displays in most 

 rases merely are decorations, not adver- 

 tisements. 



• Even a grouch can make himself agree- 

 able to a prospective buyer of anything 

 that he has to sell. 



Why is it the trade in general makes 

 such small use of the iris? There are 

 few flowers possessed of richer coloring 

 and there is scarcely anything easier to 

 grow, but there are not many florists 

 who ever recommend the iris to a cus- 

 tomer. 



' ' .TusT a little token of appreciation ' ' 

 uas the card in a box of excellent chrys- 

 anthemums that came to The Review 

 from a reader, Leonard Lawson, at Rock- 

 t'ord, 111. A certificate of merit for cul- 

 ture would be due ^fr. Lawson in any 

 flower show. 



In the shortage of coal, and the ac- 

 companying high price, the growers arc 

 getting a taste of what publishers havo 

 for some months experienced with the 

 ])aper market. If sympathy is of any 

 use, the grower has ours, for the return 

 to normal conditions may be long de- 

 layed. 



Beyond any question there are certain 

 sections, north and south, between the 

 mountains and the Great Lakes that af- 

 ford special opportunities for growers 

 for rapidly developing wholesale markets. 

 The demand for flowers in that part of 

 the United States now is increasing at a 

 splendid rate. 



"CERTAINLY DID THE WORK." 



The classified ads in The Review, the 



little liners one advertiser calls the 



"Little Wonder Ads," while nearly all 



speak of them in terms of high praise, 



like this: 



Please take out our ad of cyclamens, as we are 

 sold out of them. The little ad certainly did Its 

 ■work In jig time. — Charles Sherwood, Waterloo, 

 In., November 4, 1916. 



When you hear a man complain of 



the cost of advertising you can be 



pretty sure he spends a good bit of 



money elsewhere than in The Review. 



FAILURES ARE FEW. 



The failures in general lines of busi- 

 ness in October were less in number 

 than in any recent yedff, according to 

 R. G. Dun & Co., and failures among 

 florists have been negligible in number 

 and importance since early in the pres- 

 ent year, when the boom in business be- 

 gan. But many florists now are on 

 thin ice — the increase in the cost of do- 

 ing business has not been offset by 

 corresponding increases in selling prices. 

 Conditions are shaping themselves so 

 that a closer consideration of credits 

 is imperative; many florists, especially 

 those retailing the product of their own 

 greenhouses, now are selling at no more 

 than the cost of production and, with 

 costs constantly rising, an increase in 

 the number of business embarrassments 

 in this trade seems only to be avoided 

 by a change in business methods which 

 many thus far have shown no indication 

 of making. 



BUSINESS SUFFERS CHECK? 



Business never was so active as now, 

 but the florists' trade has not benefited 

 as it should for the reason that retail 

 prices in this trade have not advanced 

 in anything like the same proportion 

 as have the things used in the business, 

 coal for instance. But that high com- 

 modity prices are not an unmixed bless- 

 ing is beginning to be apparent. In 

 many lines of business a check is being 

 experienced through the scarcity of raw 

 material and the conscrjuent famine 

 prices. 



The Fedeial Reserve Board has just 

 made public reports on business condi- 

 tions from the twelve Federal Reserve 

 Agents whidi are optimistic in the ex- 

 treme. When they are submitted to 

 careful study, hoivovcr, there are found 

 various elements of uncertainty and in 

 some instances positive pessimism. Tt 

 is not to be denied that the greater part 

 of the prosperity of the United States is 

 due to the demand created by the Euro- 

 pean war. It has been reported that 

 high and increasing cost of everything 

 used in manufacturing is the most pro- 

 nounced feature of the present busi- 

 ness condition. Raw materials of prac- 

 tically every kind are scarce. Manufac- 

 turers therefore find it impossible to 

 take full advantage of the great de- 

 mand for goods and to extend their 

 business as they might were the pres- 

 ent growth in business brought about 

 by healthy conditions. 



In the coal market anthracite con- 

 tinues strong and steady, with demands 

 greater than offerings. Bituminous is 

 in active request, with supplies light 

 because the scarcity of labor is limit- 

 ing production. The railroads, steel 

 plants and large manufacturing con- 

 cerns are buying freely at steadily ad- 

 A ancing prices. The chief factors in 



the coal situation seem to be the great 

 scarcity of labor and the shortage of 

 cars, which conditions are tending to 

 seriously curtail production. The pro- 

 duction of coke ifi still far under the 

 ' demand, and record prices are being 

 offered for the limited output. 



It is feared here that the growing 

 scarcity of coal will force many fac- 

 tories to close down. This is just as 

 serious an outlook for the business man 

 as is the constant increase in cost and 

 growing scarcity of raw materials. The 

 situation might be described as a period 

 of high prices and not of healthy pros- 

 perity, because starvation is what is 

 foreseen, not only by the cheap laborer, 

 but also by the small manufacturer who 

 finds his supply of raw materials cut 

 off. 



But there is every assurance that 

 florists in general will have the largest 

 season in their experience. While the 

 high cost of food, fuel and clothing may 

 restrain some who would buy flowers, 

 most of the regular patrons of florists 

 have a margin above the cost of sus- 

 tenance and will not be greatly affected 

 by the cost of other articles. There has 

 been no advance in the retail prices of 

 "flowers, except in rare instances. It 

 does not promise to be an especially 

 profitable season for florists for that 

 very reason — costs are greater but sell- 

 ing prices are not higher. The trade 

 should raise its retail prices moderately 

 all along the line, not enough to check 

 the buying of flowers, but enough to 

 put more money in circulation in the 

 trade. 



CHICAGO. 



The Market. 



To what several causes the present 

 condition of the market principally is 

 to be attributed it is difficult to con- 

 jecture. Certain it is, however, that 

 conditions are below par and^^r from 

 normal. With the 6*t«wTailiatily warm 

 weather which prevailed last week, 

 crops of all kinds have quite naturally 

 been hastened, bringing to the market 

 great quantities of all varieties of 

 mums, pompons, roses and carnations, 

 mostly of exceptionally fine quality. 

 This great quantity of stock has glutted 

 the market and the result is that much 

 good stock has had to be sold at sharp 

 concessions. There is a good deal of 

 poor material on the market and, al- 

 though some of this was taken up by 

 smaller florists and flower stands, a 

 large part of it has been hard to sell at 

 any price. High grade stock fared 

 better, as a rule, and was for the best 

 part cleared at fairly satisfactory 

 prices. Although shipping is not what 

 could be wished for, it still is holding 

 up fairly well. It is the city trade 

 that has suffered most by the unusually 

 heavy supply and the unseasonably 

 warm weather. 



American Beauties in all lengths are 

 in suflScient supply, but on the whole 

 are clearing fairly well. Other vari- 

 eties of roses are on the market in 

 large quantities, and of good quality, 

 but are moving slowly, much good ac- 

 cumulated stock being disposed of at 

 sharp concessions. Carnations are now 

 on the market in ample supply; in fact, 

 it might be stated that there are too 

 many, for the demand is not keeping 

 pace with the supply and consequently 

 some excellent stock has been moved 

 only after a considerable cut in price. 



