16 



The Florists^ Review 



Jandart 16. 1919. 



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INOBEASE YOUR 0UTPX7T. 



You Will Make Money. 



Never before in the history of the 

 florists' industry has there been such a 

 demand for practically every line of 

 stock and never has there been such a 

 marked shortage of supply. 



The war ended, so to speak, almost as 

 suddenly as it began. At the beginning 

 there were large stocks of everything 

 the trade uses, but these gradually 

 dwindled and, in many instances, were 

 lost entirely. Upon the signing of the 

 armistice, it was impossible, of course, 

 for a florist to turn to raw material, 

 like a manufacturer, and increase or de- 

 crease his supply on short notice; so to- 

 day, with the many restrictions that 

 have hampered our business^ the florists 

 find themselves far from meeting the 

 demands of the trade, because there are 

 not enough stocks to work on. 



An article in The Review of Decem- 

 ber 19, by W. W. Hoopes, of Hoopes, 

 Bro. & Thomas Co., nurserymen, of 

 West Chester, Pa., states that the nurs- 

 ery business does not return the profit 

 it should. Personally, I feel it is the 

 same way to a large extent with the 

 florists' business, especially with the 

 grower. No one can deny that our busi- 

 ness calls for hard and constant effort. 

 There is considerable waste of product; 

 this cannot always be avoided. For 

 that reason alone, it behooves every flo- 

 rist to educate the flower-buying public 

 to the fact that it will have to pay a 

 fair price for cut flowers, etc. 



Effects of War. 



An important point for the florist to 

 keep in mind is that during the period 

 of the war, due to many reasons, not a 

 few florists quit the business. Some of 

 these will resume, while others will not. 

 This has created two effects that are 

 now apparent: The first is a shortage 

 of cut flowers, and the second, good 

 prices for what is available. 



The war has taught the trade, like 

 many other industries, valuable lessons. 

 It has discouraged waste, it has encour- 

 aged a closer application to business 

 and, really, many of us wonder how we 

 went through it and survived. 



Rules for Florists. 



Every florist should resolve upon cer- 

 tain important things for 1919, remem- 

 bering that it is our business that keeps 

 us, and that it should command our best 

 attention. 



1. Don't grow BurpIuR for speculation. It has 

 a tendency to lower prices. 



2. Get fair prices for your products, espe- 

 cially where fine quality and good trade de- 

 mand it. 



3. Avoid waste in any form. It is surprising 

 the way waste pulls down the credit side of the 

 ledger. 



4. Try to have what your trade demands. 

 Get back gradually into your regular line of 

 crops, eliminating the things that do not pay 

 and retaining the methods that you found useful 

 during the war. 



Hang Your Grapes High. 



One might go on indefinitely citing 

 suggestions that would prove valuable, 

 but let me conclude by saying, keep 



the florists' industry on a high plane. 

 Do not make it a cheap business; make 

 it a paying proposition. Just think how 

 many of you spent years of apprentice- 

 ship to learn the business, some serving 

 without pay. Are you not entitled to 

 profit the same as those in any other 

 line! 



Certainly you are, and it lies within 

 the province of every florist to make his 

 business profitable. Study market con- 

 ditions as applied to cut flowers and 

 plants, observe the law of supply and 

 demand, as is done in every industrial 

 business, and then make your price. Be- 

 cause carnations brought a dollar a doz- 

 en a year ago, that has no bearing on 

 what you can get today. Grow sufficient 

 stock to meet all normal demands, all 

 that will be taken at a profitable price. 

 Do not grow stock just to fill up benches, 

 unless you are sure you can sell it at a 

 profit. Eemember it costs time and 

 money to produce stock. 



Try to figure a market before you 

 grow stock, but, after all, do not have 

 empty greenhouses; nothing deteriorates 

 more rapidly. Make your houses work 

 for you. 



I did not want to use the words spok- 

 en today by a prominent grower in 

 Philadelphia, but it may not be amiss, 

 although I do not believe in too much 

 emphasis. He said that many florists 

 were ill ; they needed a tonic that would 

 boost them. Now, it is better to take 

 the medicine yourself than to have it 

 administered. So if we have been sick, 

 let us get well and prepare for a larger 

 spring trade than we have ever before 

 enjoyed. P. E. 



BAI.TIMORE. 



The Market. 



The market continues strong, with a 

 fair supply of stock that may be said to 

 be above the average. Prices, of course, 

 are slightly reduced, but, with limited 

 supplies, still are higher than in previous 

 years, and the outlook is that high prices 

 will continue throughout the season. In 

 fact, everyone is becoming accustomed 

 to high prices and all realize the neces- 

 sity of the growers charging more for 

 stock that costs them almost double to 

 produce. It requires a higher grade of 

 salesmanship on the part of the retailers, 

 but they are measuring up to this re- 

 quirement. Many think prices will 

 never again go back to the old level. 

 Many of the florists have been surprised 

 to find how easy it was, with flowers, as 

 with any other commodity, to educate 

 the public to the fact that prices are 

 regulated entirely by supply and de- 

 mand. The people were quick to realize 

 the scarcity of everything in the flo- 

 rists' trade. 



The three staples upon which the mar- 

 ket depends are roses, carnations and 

 sweet peas. Miscellaneous stock is not 

 plentiful and bulbous stock is going to 

 be late this year. From present appear- 

 ances there does not seem to be much 

 danger of the usual glut of bulbous stock 

 at any time this year. If the grower will 



use discretion and not hold back his 

 stock for Easter prices, he will fare .ai 

 well and have much more satisfaction 

 in handling his crop. In these days of 

 labor shortage and lack of space, it will 

 bj3 much easier to handle a little at a 

 time than to time the entire crop for one 

 day, and we all know that bulbous stock 

 will get soft in April. Another reason 

 for bringing this stock in as soon as pos- 

 sible is that there is no danger that good 

 prices will not be obtainable for it at 

 any time. 



Various Notes. 



Carnations are becoming more plenti- 

 ful and I have never seen the quality 

 better. One of the finest cuts of this 

 useful flower was that of Charles E. 

 Akehurst, White Marsh, Md., who con- 

 signed to the S. S. Pennock Co. for 

 Christmas 10,000 fine carnations, all 

 colors, and Mr. Akehurst was back New 

 Year's with 5,000 more. When I think 

 of a visit I made to Mr. Akehurst 's 

 range the first of September, 1918, when 

 his carnations were still in the field and 

 all the labor in sight was himself and 

 three boys, I wonder how he ever man- 

 aged it. But the old saying applies in 

 this case, "The proof of the pudding 

 is in the eating." With the price of 

 carnations at Christmas, we can realize 

 this was some "pudding" for Mr. Ake- 

 hurst, and we feel sure as he looks back 

 over the strenuous months of unremit- 

 ting toil it cost him to be on hand this 

 Christmas, he will realize his labor was 

 not in vain. The old proverb, "All 

 things come to him who waits," may 

 apply in a good many instances, but in 

 the florists ' business this should be para- 

 phrased to read, "All things come to 

 him who goes after them." 



Everyone will be sorry to hear that 

 the son of Hugo Walther, Park Heights 

 avenue, has lost his wife. Young Mr. 

 Walther is not in the florists' business, 

 although his boyhood was spent in his 

 father's greenhouse. He is now a 

 teacher at the Maryland Institute and 

 School of Design, and will be remem- 

 bered by everyone in the trade, espe- 

 cially that part who disposed of their 

 stock in the Lexington Market twenty- 

 five years ago. Tate. 



MEADVILLE, PA. 



A happy occasion and one long to be 

 remembered by the participants, all of 

 whom were members of the family or 

 close friends of the principals, was the 

 golden wedding celebrated by Mr. and 

 Mrs. George Haas, of Meadville, Pa., 

 December 29, 1918. 



Mr. and Mrs. Haas were married in 

 Mead township, now West Mead town- 

 ship, December 29, 1868, and have lived 

 in the same locality ever since. Soon 

 after coming to Meadville, Mr. Haas 

 started in the florists' business on a 

 small scale. His pathway was not alto- 

 gether one of roses, for in 1877 his 

 buildings were destroyed by fire and 

 he lost the fruits of years of effort. He 

 started again, however, and took into 

 partnership his son, Roger W. Haas. 

 Their business has grown until they now 

 have one of the largest greenhouse es- 

 tablishments in northwestern Pennsyl- 

 vania. Of the eight children bom to 

 them, six are living. Many letters and 

 telegrams of congratulation were re- 

 ceived from friends and relatives far 

 and near and callers came from a dis- 

 tance to pay respects to Mr. and Mrs. 

 Haas. 



