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CANADIANS MEET ^ 



TO TALK SHOP 



The problems of our neighbors may be our problems soon and the twen- 

 tieth annual meeting of the Canadian florists' society, in progress at Mont- 

 real this week, therefore is of special interest to the trade in the United States as 

 reflecting the conditions brought about by war. It is encouraging, a reassurance. 



HERE is in Canada as 

 brave a little body of 

 florists as one could wish 

 to see. They have gone 

 through three years of war 

 without a whimper and 

 without a suggestion that 

 they can not "carry on," 

 supporting burdens such 

 as probably never will 

 come upon the trade in the United 

 States. Of her eight millions, Canada 

 has sent across the seas as many men as 

 the first draft will take out of the more 

 than a hundred millions of people this 

 side of the boundary. In other words, 

 twelve such drafts will be necessary to 

 make the labor situation in the United 

 States what it now is in Canada, or to so 

 affect the purchasing power of the 

 people. 



That the Canadian 

 Horticultural Asso- 

 ciation, the trade 

 body in the Domin- 

 ion, should be able 

 to show undimin- 

 ished strength at 

 this time and under 

 these circumstances 

 is a matter for fe- 

 licitation. 



The Membership. 



In his report at 

 the opening session 

 of the twentieth 

 annual convention, 

 at Montreal, August 

 7, J. Luck, the 

 secretary- treasurer, 

 showed a member- 

 ship list of nearly 

 100 and a good bal- 

 ance in the bank. It 

 is a record of main- 

 tenance of member- 

 ship in the face of 

 difficulties and, it is 

 worth while to note, 

 the organization in- 

 cludes a much larger 

 percentage of the 

 total number e n - 

 gaged in the trade 

 in Canada than does 

 the Society of Amer- 

 icaa Florists of 

 those who are eligi- 

 ble to its member- 

 ship. The Canadians 

 certainly have every 

 reason to be proud 

 of the showing they 

 make. 



The Montreal florists express them- 

 selves as delighted with the attend- 

 ance at this meeting. It exceeds that 

 of recent years in spite of the fact 

 that everything of a general enter- 

 tainment nature has been omitted. 

 Particularly large is the delegation from 

 Toronto, headed by John H. Dunlop; 

 there are thirty in this party and other 

 parts of Ontario and Quebec are well 

 represented, although the maritime 

 provinces and the west are not ac- 

 counted for. 



The Wax the Topic. 



The war and its effects constitute al- 

 most the only topic, in meeting and out; 

 everything hinges on the war. Presi- 

 dent Eraser, of Prescott, Ont., in his 

 address, said he would try not to men- 



James At Fraser> President of the Canadian Horticultural Association. 



tion war, but he talked of little else. 

 The convention was opened by E. J. 

 Hay ward, of the Montreal Florists' 

 Club, who welcomed the visitors and 

 introduced Alderman Weldon to speak 

 for the mayor. That gentleman showed 

 an unexpected acquaintance with flow- 

 ers, but he began by saying he had 

 three sons in France, each of whom had 

 been wounded at least once, and he went 

 on to tell what one of them wrote about 

 the pleasure afforded by the flowers 

 which so quickly spring up on a battle 

 field after the scene shifts. The influ- 

 ence of the war is everywhere apparent 

 in the convention. 



The talk shows quite clearly that the 

 trade is not profiting in any way by the 

 war. Business has not been bad, but it 

 has been different and difficult. The 

 large social affairs of the wealthy have 



been discontinued 

 and the loss of these 

 orders is rather 

 keenly felt by some 

 of the members. On 

 the other hand, the 

 sales to working peo- 

 ple have increased, 

 for employment is 

 more general and 

 family earnings are 

 higher than before. 

 On the whole, it is 

 easier to sell flow- 

 ers than to grow 

 them at a profit. 

 Labor is scarce, un- 

 skilled and high, 

 making the owner 

 do more of his own 

 work than he 

 should. All expenses 

 are up. Flowers are 

 bringing fair prices, 

 but not so much as 

 to offset the in- 

 creased costs. Taxes 

 arc constantly in- 

 creasing. 



Home Production. 



President Eraser, 

 although he said he 

 would not discuss 

 the war, devoted a 

 considerable part of 

 his address to the 

 problem of a home 

 supply of stock to 

 meet the present 

 lack of imported 

 plants and to ob- 

 viate the necessity 

 of importing from 



