24 



The Florists^ Review 



May 27, 1920. 



fr 



Established, 1897, by Q. L. aRANT. 



PabllBhed every Thursday by 

 Thk Florists* Publishing COn 



620-660 Oaxton Bulldlnfr, 



608 Soutb Dearborn St., Oblcagro. 



Tele., Wabash 8195. 



Retri'^tered cable address, 



Florrlew, Cblca«ro. 



Entened as second class matter 

 Dec. 3d897, at the post-office at Ohl- 

 cbgojliu, under the Act of March 

 8, 1879. 



Subscription price, $1.60 a year. 

 To Canada, $2.60; to Europe. $3.00. 



Advertlsin? rates quoted npoa 

 request. Only strictly trade ad- 

 Tertisinff accepted. 



n 



Eesults bring advertising. 

 The Review brings results. 



Is it reasonable to expect the best 

 stock when one seeks the lowest price? 



Every florist should urge his customers 

 to maintain, or even enlarge, their war 

 gardens. 



Plant propagators have every induce- 

 ment to keep busy. The prospective sup- 

 ply is low, yet the demand was never 

 greater. 



There is every reason to believe that 

 the Cleveland convention of the S. A. F., 

 in August, will break all records for 

 atU^ndancc. 



The greenhouse owner who sells now 

 may realize the utmost on his property, 

 but he loses the opportunity to make 

 better profits than he ever has before. 



Some changes are jiroposed in freight 

 rates and rulings that will affect all who 

 use that mode of shipment. They are 

 briefly summarized in the Seed Trade De- 

 partment this week. 



Though the United States and Ger- 

 many are still at war and American troops 

 are on the Rhine, Albert Pochelon, secre- 

 tary of the F. T. D., has sent out a letter 

 soliciting funds for the aid of German 

 and Austrian florists. 



The surest way to get something for 

 yourself is to do something for others. 

 If you stop to analyze any successful busi- 

 ness, whether it be a greenhouse, a flower 

 store or a newspaper, you will find that 

 it has been built on that principle; by 

 serving well it prospers. 



Thotgh wages are thought to have 

 reached their peak generally, they will 

 not decline until immigration becomes 

 much larger. While the country's indus- 

 tries have been expanding more rapidly 

 than ever before, the accession of new 

 labor from abroad has reached its lowest 

 mark. 



With the bankers busy reducing loans 

 to nonessential industries, what chance 

 will a florist have to borrow money this 

 summer? It is plain that there will be 

 diflSculty in getting present loans renewed 

 and small chance of any increase in ac- 

 commodation. Consequently, the thing 

 to do is to be prompt and diligent in 

 attention to collections, to the end that 

 bills may be paid and a surplus created 

 before the vacation season arrives. 



Nothing is gained by calling the other 

 fellow names. Let's all solve our prob- 

 lems together. 



There is every indication of an im- 

 |)ending change in underlying business 

 conditions. How well are you prepared 

 for it? 



Is your business potbound? If it is, 

 shift to a larger size by getting increased 

 facilities and some competent assistants. 

 With trained help unprocurable, call in 

 a good man from some other line and 

 make it worth his while to learn. 



It is noteworthy that Bradstreet's 

 weekly report of business failures shows 

 indications of an increase in their num- 

 ber after a long and steady decline. Now 

 is the time for florists to clean up the old 

 accounts on their books. Collections will 

 not become easier. 



The trade has never approached the 

 quiet summer time in such good financial 

 condition as now. With but few excep- 

 tions, the trade has taken full advantage 

 of the opportunity this season has offered 

 to make collections and pay bills. Not in 

 years has the trade approached summer 

 with so few liabilities. 



There is little probability of overpro- 

 duction in this trade for some time to 

 come. Between the scarcity and cost of 

 labor and the high price of coal, the 

 growers' lot is not likely to be a happy 

 one and it is conceivable that there will 

 be a reduction instead of an increase in 

 producing area in the next year. 



A STRONG OPINION. 



The opinion is strong that such diffi- 

 culties as various industries labor under 

 at present, or seem threatened with, are 

 purely temporary and cannot result in 

 any general industrial depression, for 

 the shortage of commodities of all kinds 

 as a result of the war insures a strong 

 demand for a long time to come and the 

 scarcity of labor in this country will 

 keep up wages and prevent possibility 

 of a bread line. A few sentences that 

 sum up this view are those in a state- 

 ment of a leading business house: 



* ' Man has a great many troubles, but 

 most of them never happened. The com- 

 ing year is going to be the most pros- 

 perous you have ever had. It is going 

 to be the most prosperous we have ever 

 had. 



"We make these statements in spite 

 of calamity howlers, overall brigades, 

 panic pessimists and election year bogy- 

 men. 



"To be sure, prices seem high and 

 there is a shortage of production. But 

 nothing will happen. That is, nothing 

 will happen to us individually unless we 

 all get frightened collectively." 



HIGHER EXPRESS RATES. 



Added to the increased cost of other 

 items in the florists' business next sea- 

 son will probably be higher express 

 rates. A hearing on the appeal of the 

 express companies for an increase in 

 rates was started last week in New 

 York before the interstate commerce 

 commission. The increase which is 

 sought is understood to be something 

 like twenty-five per cent. 



Express officials pointed out that they 

 are likely to face increased demands 

 from their employees. They likewise 

 emphasize the fact that their business 

 was conducted at a deficit of approxi- 

 mately $24,000,000 last year. The 



twenty-five per cent increase in rates 

 which is sought will, it is believed, add 

 something like $75,000,000 to the com- 

 panies' receipts. Half of this, however, 

 has to go to the railroads, so the net 

 gain will not be what is called sufficient. 

 New contracts will be signed between 

 the express companies and the railroads 

 September 1. 



THE WRONG WORD. 



"Do you think we're going to have 

 a panic?" 



"Don't talk panic." 



"Why not? If we're going to have 

 one, we might as well face the fact. It 

 will make considerable difference to the 

 florists' business if we do." 



"But don't talk panic. I don't like 

 that word. Listen to this. I'll read it 

 to you from this paper: 



A panic is purely a psychological phenomenon 

 — an attack of nerves in which men lose con- 

 fidence and get fright-stricken. 



A crisis is a different thing. It is a period 

 of business reaction, a period of rest, a debt- 

 paying period in which business recovers from 

 the excesses of overexpansion. During crisis 

 periods — usually two or three years — people live 

 simply, save and accumulate capital. 



We are now in a period of tight money, 

 rash speculation, high wages, high prices and 

 high living. This condition will probably con- 

 tinue for two or three years yet before the 

 real crisis or adjustment period comes. During 

 this intensive period prices will remain high 

 because industrial capital is scarce, wages high 

 and the supply of raw materials limited. 

 At the end of this period, when the present 

 volume of buying energy is exhausted and the 

 basic elements for increased production are 

 forthcoming, prices will then begin to recede 

 and business will pass into a period of reaction, 

 rest and recuperation, during which economic 

 energy is generated for the next period of in- 

 dustrial expansion. If men act calmly, even 

 these settlement periods can be passed through 

 without a sharp crisis. 



Although we are now passing through a severe 

 credit strain, there are still several months, 

 probably years, of intensive business activity 

 ahead of us. During that time prices may break 

 sharply at times, but they will not come down 

 and stay down. The average annual price level 

 will remain high and recede but slowly — very 

 slowly — for some years ahead of us. Increased 

 production is the only natural and permanent 

 cure for high prices. Artificial pressure may 

 give temporary relief, but since it frightens 

 producers into curtailment of output, it does 

 more iiarm than good in the long run. Funda- 

 mental conditions at present strongly resist in- 

 creased production and lower prices. 



Everyone should think clearly and act sanely 

 now. 



"Whether you believe the prediction 



or not, the advice is good. Call it a 



crisis if you will, but don't talk panic." 



BEWARE THE FLOOD. 



Every seller wants orders. But he 

 doesn 't want too many orders. If they 

 flood in too fast, he'll soon be "at sea" 

 — may be swamped by them, even 

 drowned in them. For it takes time to 

 send back money orders and checks to 

 the would-be buyers who were too late 

 in answering an ad in The Review's 

 Classified department. It takes time 

 that ought to be put into further pro- 

 duction of stock. And it hurts one's 

 feelings — sending back money, just be- 

 cause you have no stock left to sell. 

 But when you advertise in The Review 

 that is a risk you take. As this one 

 did: 



Please discontinue pnnsy Classified ad 

 to have a spoeini socrotary to hiuidlp 

 orrt<'rs that are pouring in on me and 

 return the money to its senders. — H. 

 tomkin, Muncie, Ind., May 20. 1920. 



If you hear a man complain 



cost of advertising you can be 



certain he spends a good bit of 



elsewhere than in The Review. 



Have 

 ■nil the 

 then to 

 J. Po- 

 of the 

 pretty 

 monev 



BRIEF ANSWERS. 



,T. .T. T., Cal. — We never have heard 

 of a European Album of Designs. 



.T. J. D., O. — You can ])lant as long 

 as the stock is dormant. 



