22 



The Florists^ Review 



NOVIMBEB 14, 1918. 



OiGN LCrm^y^ READED0 



VICTOEY WEEK. 



I have an idea. I offered it at our 

 Florists' Club meeting November 5 and 

 William F. Gude and all who were pres- 

 ent seemed to think it was worth pass- 

 ing along. I am writing it to you and 

 others, because I believe the more peo- 

 ple we can have interested in it, the 

 better our purpose will be served, from 

 both a patriotic and a financial stand- 

 point. 



We feel now that we are on the edge 

 of victory, the victory of right over 

 might; the victory that has been hex- 

 aided to the world from generation to 

 generation. We cannot, then, be con- 

 sidered previous when we make prepara- 

 tions to celebrate this victory. My idea 

 is that thousands and thousands of 

 women, and men, too, would like to 

 have some standard, outward expression 

 of their feelings for the occasion. What 

 better emblem of this than a victory 

 bouquet? 



Can we not get together and put this 

 over! Let the streets be fairly ablaze 

 with ladies wearing victory bouquets 

 for the first week after peace is de- 

 clared. 



The make-up of such a bouquet would 

 necessarily be varied. It was suggested 

 at the club meeting that three flowers 

 with a shirred or ruffled red, white and 

 blue bunting, or wide ribbon, or such 

 a bouquet tied with a rosette of red, 

 white and blue ribbon, or a bouquet with 

 a small American flag in it, be used for 

 this purpose. 



Would it not be a wonderful thing 

 during victory week for every city on 

 the American continent to have ladies 

 wearing about the streets such a bou- 

 quet, whether simple or elaborate, ar- 

 ranged with this patriotic effect? 



Cannot you get the florists in your 

 city to get together and offer it to the 

 public in the proper manner and spirit? 

 Z. D. Blackistone, President, 



Florists' Club of Washington, D. C. 



THE RETAIIiEE'S POSITION. 



Under the caption, "One for the 

 Grower," in The Eeview of November 

 7, S. Kahn has shown the point of view 

 of the grower. I wish to reply for the 

 retailer. I must say that Mr. Kahn has 

 the wrong view of the retailer's posi- 

 tion. He seems to believe that the 

 grower has been the only dog under the 

 table and I must answer that I know 

 that ho has had plenty of retailers to 

 keep him company. Since the war 

 started, however, the retailer who was 

 feeding on the bone has passed away, 

 with many of his friends, the growers. 

 In fact the retailer was the first to feel 

 the pressure and Mr. Kahn has not far 

 to go to find some of the larger retailers 

 among those who have gone to the wall. 



During the recent epidemic, the 

 grower who had anything to sell made a 

 fat reap. So did the retailer. The re- 

 tailer has no idea of dogging the grow* 

 now, had not in the past, will not at anj^^ 

 time. If the grower felt that he fared 

 badly at times it was only a matter of 



competition. The retailer was no bet- 

 ter off. When I bought carnations for 

 $1.50 per hundred, my competitor did 

 the same and the consequence was low 

 prices and large designs. When stock 

 is high we sell for high prices and make 

 profits in proportion. I believe it would 

 be fine if the grower would get closer 

 to the retailer. He is a better friend of 

 the grower's than the latter seems to 

 think. He has hard times just as often 

 and perhaps oftener than the grower. 



F. P. Adams. 



HOW TO BEAD A TBADE PAPER. 



A wise owl said: "There is too much 

 good reading in the trade papers ■ to 

 be taken in hastily. Take the trade 

 paper home with you and read it while 

 sitting in your easy chair. Spend one 

 evening, after reading your daily paper, 



in thinking over yonr work with the 

 help of 3^our trade paper." 



Too many florists, especially the busy 

 retailers, receive their trade papers 

 with other mail, give them one glance 

 and that ends it. 



Now, instead of that, a wise owl said 

 to me one day: "Don't look at your 

 trade paper during your business hours. 

 Take it home and give it more time than 

 usual." Ever since that I have done 

 so, and I think I have learned a lesson. 

 I did take the trade paper home and 

 I can state that, to my surprise, I have 

 spent many a pleasant evening digging 

 deeply into the resources of our trade 

 papers, and many a dollar I have made 

 by studying these papers and gaining 

 more knowledge of my profession. In 

 the ads as well as the write-ups of our 

 trade papers, there will be found sug- 

 gestions that will enable you to ring 

 up sales a great deal oftener than you 

 have any idea of. Since that time I 

 have taken my tradeXpaper home, and 

 feel much disappointed when the trade 

 paper does not arrive promptly. 



Try it and convince yourself. 



Albert Poehelon. 



York, Neb.— The York Floral Co. 

 moved November 1 into larger quarters 

 on the north side of the square. 



riWi.vs/j^vs/JWJl 



MSUMM 



BUCKEYE BULL'S-EYES 



COAIi FOB OHIO. 



Ohio florists hail with great satisfac- 

 tion the latest order of the Fuel Ad- 

 ministration, regarding it as virtually 

 the removal of restrictions, as there is 

 reported to be a substantial surplus of 

 coal in the state. Fortunately, the ma- 

 jority of growers planted their benches 

 as usual and proceeded with the hope 

 that some modification of the order of 

 last April, restricting them to fifty per 

 cent of their normal coal consumption, 

 would be forthcoming before cold 

 weather. To some, of course, the con- 

 cession has come too late to be of much 

 benefit, as they decided several months 

 ago to let their places remain idle dur- 

 ing the winter. A few were impelled 

 by the dismal prospects of last spring 

 to dismantle their greenhouses and leave 

 the business entirely. But the princi- 

 pal sources of supply are prepared to 

 go through the winter months with 

 slight diminution of their normal out- 

 put. 



This is extremely providential, as the 

 ending of the war will give business an 

 impetus which would be of little benefit 

 to florists handicapped by a fifty per 

 cent decrease in production. The new 

 order of things gives assurance of a 

 supply sufficient to take care of even 

 an augmented trade, especially after 

 the trying experiences of the last month, 

 which has served effectively to place a 

 higher value ujion flowers and to in- 

 scribe in bold letters the absolute neces- 

 sity of eliminating waste. 



Ohio florists are indebted to their 

 spirit of optimism and steadfast faith 

 in tlie future for their extrication from 

 an almost ruinous condition, for assur- 

 edly the unduly pessimistic are the los- 

 ers. Mac. 



THANKSGIVINO PUBLICITY. 



November 28 will be the greatest 

 Thanksgiving day in history. The 

 heart of every American will be athrill 

 with genuine joy — and it will demand 

 expression. What a splendid oppor- 

 tunity for the florist to increase his 

 business! 



Thus reasons the publicity committee 

 of the Cleveland Florists' Club. As a 

 result, the cooperative advertising for 

 Thanksgiving day is to teem with such 

 slogans as "Give your thanks," "Say 

 your thanks" with flowers, and "Ex- 

 press your appreciation and gratitude 

 to the boys 'over there' by wearing 

 a flower." As yet only the few are 

 aware of the great value of flowers as 

 expressive of sentiment; the object is 

 to make the multitude thoroughly ac- 

 quainted with it, particularly now that 

 it is sharing so liberally in the general 

 wealth. Billboard advertising is not be- 

 ing employed this autumn. The entire 

 campaign is in the hands of Mrs. Ella 

 Grant Wilson, whose publicity work has 

 heretofore been so effective with the 

 public of Cleveland. 



Even in this enlightened community 

 an occasional florist is met — it is an 

 encounter if H. P. Knoble meets him! 

 — who has decided to save money this 

 winter by not expending the usual ad- 

 vertising appropriation. He reasons 

 that, as flowers are going to be scarce, 

 it is not logical that money should be 

 spent to increase the demand. He for- 

 gets that the benefits accruing from all 

 advertising are cumulative and that 

 once a business man succeeds in placing 

 his goods in public favor by the use of 

 judicious publicity, it is nothing short 

 of business suicide to discontinue it. 



Mac. 



