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18 



The Florists^ Review y ^at s. i9i». 



OitN Wrm^J^ DEADEHB 



WBEATHS FOB SOLDIESS. 



Memorial day this year, more than 

 any other holiday, should be observed, 

 not only in the United States, but 

 throughout the world. It is a day al- 

 ready dedicated to soldiers and strictly 

 observed in some sections of the United 

 States. In other parts of the country, 

 however, it is sadly neglected. Why 

 Seek to create new holidays if we neg- 

 lect those we already havef 



No doubt we shall have many more 

 celebrations over the great victory, and 

 perhaps an international Thanksgiving 

 day. Are we to forget those who made 

 all this possible? Our governments were 

 great enough to accomplish all that they 

 attempted in war. Surely the task of 

 placing a victory wreath on the grave 

 of every man who fell in battle is not 

 asking too much. 



Needless to say, each country will 

 have its monuments. These will, no 

 doubt, be beautiful and the best money 

 can buy. We may even have beautiful 

 cemeteries in France and other coun- 

 tries. Still, once we have built them, 

 will we not forget them as in the years 

 gone by? 



If our governments proclaim Memorial 

 day a legal holiday, and set aside suffi- 

 cient money for the purpose, our public 

 schools could attend to all the necessary 

 arrangements. And what a lesson for 

 the school children I 



To a certain extent, the florists * trade 

 is dependent on sentiment. Memorial 

 day is one that touches the most tender 

 memories and, without dwelling too 

 much on the commercial side, it is one 

 day the florists should endeavor to per- 

 suade the public to observe. People will 

 not forget to honor the immediate mem- 

 bers of their own families and, when we 

 stop to consider the price that our brave 

 soldiers paid to preserve democracy and 

 make the world a fitting place to live in, 

 surely all of us will not hesitate to honor 

 them in death. J. A. Canon. 



A RETAILER'S VIEW. 



No one in the trade can recall a year 

 during which the market has offered 

 so many hard and unusual conditions as 

 it has during 1918 and 1919, to date. 

 Excepting the growers, the market has 

 been under a continual strain. The re- 

 tailer is pretty well satisfied. But the 

 satisfaction which should rightly have 

 been his, has found a resting place else- 

 where — in the growers' bank accounts. 

 The retailer (the writer is one of them) 

 has borne the strain and made a little 

 money, but not the percentage due him 

 on the volume of sales he has made and 

 the end of the rough road is not yet in 

 sight. 



During the last year a greatly in- 

 creased capital has been necessary, in 

 order to carry on during the rough- 

 and-tumble for stock. Premium prices 

 have been paid and a minimum percent- 

 age cf profit reaped, in order to hold the 

 public good to the "Say It with Flow- 

 ers. * ' 



Many of the smaller shops have been 

 obliged to eliminate boxes and wax 

 paper, even going so far as to resort 

 to tissue paper on pot plants, which is 

 an economy unthought of a year ago. 

 Not only is this true of the smaller 

 shops, but in the largest ones also an 

 economy has taken place. The boxes are 

 not entirely eliminated, but a cheaper 

 grade put in. It is not only on boxes, 

 which I mention as an instance, but all 

 down the line, from making larger sales 

 to refusing delivery on small ones, the 

 tendency has been to cut down expense 

 in order to come out right. 



It has been well proven that, with 

 the public, there is a limit to every- 

 thing. The president of a popular 

 packing house in this city stated some 

 years ago that "the people will pay 

 just so much for a thing and, when you 

 have rcAched that mark, be wise enough 

 to stop,nf you wish to continue in busi- 

 ness. "/The trade realizes the truth of 

 this. 



For several years back, at Christmas, 

 carnations in popular stores sold for $3 

 per dozen. The wholesale price was 

 rarely over $12 per hundred. The pub- 

 lic paid this price and carnations moved 

 a-flying. Last Christmas the wholesale 

 price reached $20 and the popular stores 

 made an effort to stage them at $4 per 

 dozen. This price proved a good one to 

 steer buyers to plants. Perhaps $4 per 



dozen may seem an alarming price to 

 charge, but it is not enough if thev cost 

 $18 or $20 per hundred. Thus, if the 

 profit is not enough and the public will 

 not pay $4 for carnations, then the goose 

 that lays the golden egg is being stran- 

 gled by Mr. Grower, who holds his prod- 

 uct over the retail dealers' heads. 



Production must be offered a premium 

 in order to urge unusual effort, but to 

 this offer there should be a limit. The 

 commission house commits the sin of 

 all sins when it raises the price of stock 

 beyond the reach of the average buyer. 

 The prices demanded for some grades 

 of stock have at times been so unrea- 

 sonable that comments from all con- 

 cerned admitted unfairness.' But the pe- 

 riods of such unreasonableness were so 

 short-lived that the market repeatedly 

 fell to these evils unwarily. 



If there is but one bunch of sweet 

 peas in the city and they are much in 

 demand for a special occasion, would 

 it be just for the salesman to ask $10 

 for them because he knew he could get 

 it? No! But this is the Kind of game 

 the grower has played at times; and it is 

 absolutely an unfair game to play. 



The approach of Mothers' day is al- 

 ready causing the trade uneasiness. The 

 thought in every retailer's mind is: "I 

 wonder what carnations are going to 

 bring?" He already knows what his 

 trade will pay. The question confront- 

 ing him is, what he will have to pay. 

 Organization and united effort are capa- 

 ble of working marvels nowadays and 

 perhaps in time the trade will have reg- 

 ulation for prices, based on cost of pro- 

 duction and distribution. FoT the pres- 

 ent, it will oe expected that the grower 

 will hold his product over the retailers' 

 heads and gradually lower it to the one 

 reaching the highest. 



Franklin P. Adams. 



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DOINGS OF THE CLUBS 



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CHICAGK) PUTS IT OVER. 



Trade's Quota Is Subscribed. 



Chicago went over the top at the meet- 

 ing of the Florists' Club May 1. The 

 subscriptions then obtained carried the 

 total above $250,000, the quota assigned 

 to the trade as its part of the Victory 

 loan. 



The meeting was held one week ahead 

 of the regular time, on account of 

 Mothers' day coming so close to the 

 regular meeting date. In spite of this 

 change there was a good attendance and 

 every branch of the trade was well rep- 

 resented. 



The speaker of the evening was Lieu- 

 tenant M. Parkinson, U. S. N., who saw 

 as much action as anyone in his branch 

 of the service. He gave a fine talk on 

 some of the things our boys did in for- 

 eign waters and was given a rising vote 

 of thanks and presented with a large 

 bouquet of Kussell roses. 



Where Every Little Helped. 



After the talk the big campaign was 

 started to put the trade over the top. A 

 novel idea was carried out to have the 

 progress of the campaign clearly before 

 everyone. A long strip of paper, which 



had been marked to show the trade's 

 quota and the percentage subscribed for, 

 was unrolled down the center of the 

 table and a large red, white and blue 

 ball was advanced down the strip as 

 each sum was pledged. At 10:30 p. m., 

 amid much acclaim, the ball was pushed 

 under the goal, which was a gold arch at 

 the far end of the table. 



Many of the pledges were to sell for 

 the committee, or to take, certain 

 amounts of bonds, but there were numer- 

 ous unqualified subscriptions, nearly 

 everyone present going down for some- 

 thing. The principal pledges were: 



Poehlmann Bros. Co $10,000 



John Poehlmann 2.000 



A. L. Randall Co 10,000 



Panl Klingsporn 6,000 



N, J. Wletor 5,000 



A. J. Zech 6.000 



L. R. Bohannon 5,000 



A. Chronis and H. Lange 10,000 



O. J. Friedman and L. R. Bohannon 10,000 



Peter Reinberg 5,000 



George Wlenhoeber 2.000 



John Evers 2.000 



Andrew Chronis 1.000 



Mrs. Stewart, of Bohannon Floral Co 1.000 



A German dress helmet waft raffled off 

 and H. C. Wullbrandt held the lucky 

 number. 



Active in Other Matters. 



Walter Amling was appointed to take 

 charge of getting together -aHJbwling 



