December 16, 1920 



The Florists' Review 



23 



mAmuiiiumaiLUii ^^ 



GROWING OUR OWN s^ 



ODAY we all seem to be 



T confronted with dozens or 

 more of serious and per- 

 plexing problems regard- 

 ing our business today and 

 tomorrow. Even with all 

 these conditions the nurs- 

 ery and florists' trade of 

 California is really in its 

 infancy. We are operat- 

 ing in a new era. Economical and finan- 

 cial conditions are -different. Ethical 

 business principles are different. Social 

 and political conditions are changed. 

 What are going to be the results for you 

 and mef 



Many business men now have the well 

 fed feeling that comes from a four 

 years' banquet of big profits and can- 

 not yet realize that lean times can ever 

 return. This not necessarily has been 

 the situation in the nursery and florists ' 

 business, for our trade seems to have 

 been slower than all others to increase 

 its prices in proportion to costs of pro- 

 duction. There no doubt were many 

 reasons for this, but it was mostly due 

 to the lack of close cooperation and or- 

 ganization obtaining in other trades. 



It is not my intention to forecast a 

 price movement, but I believe most ob- 

 servers will agree that the high point in 

 commodity prices has been reached, 

 and that from now on we may expect a 

 general downward tendency for several 

 years. Likely this will not be entirely 

 true in the prices of florists' and nurs- 

 ery stock and a few other commodities, 

 but most, I feel certain, will decline. 



New Capital. 



There is plenty of money in the 

 country for the purpose of business 

 operation, but not enough to care for 

 the present and immediate future needs 

 of business. Almost universally, the 

 merchant wants to expand and the 

 banker wants to contract. Sooner or 

 later the business man must accept the 

 banker's view. Capital therefore be- 

 ing denied, industries question how pro- 

 duction can be increased without avail- 

 ■able funds. The answer is that new 

 capital only comes from one source, and 

 that is savings. Wealth is created only 

 out of savings. Do you realize that the 

 leading capitalist of today is the man 

 who earns a daily wage? When we con- 

 sider that the wage earner is receiving 

 approximately seventy per cent of the 

 total income of the country, it becomes 

 obvious that the wage earner is the in- 

 dividual who must become thrifty in 

 order that the country may progress. 

 With our extravagant tendencies at 



The address of Roy F. Wilcox, of Montebello, 

 Cal., on "Growing Ornamentals Formerly Im- 

 ported," delivered November 12, at the tenth 

 annual convention of the California Association 

 of Nurserymen, at Fresno, at which he was 

 elected president for the ensuing year. 



present, the country is not saving a 

 proper proportion of its income. There- 

 fore the problem of increasing actual 

 capital and reduction of inflation seems 

 to be the foremost of our problems, and 

 the increase will only come when the in- 

 dividuals who receive seventy per cent 

 of the nation's total income spend wisely 

 and save. The situation will also begin 

 to improve when business men take it 

 upon themselves as individuals or 

 groups to see that their communities 

 and trades enter more seriously into pro- 

 duction and that the practice of good, 

 old-fashioned thrift comes again into 

 general use. Profits are bound to come 

 with prosperity, if the country can be 

 induced to work and save. 



Opportunities in Home-Building. 



It is not the short-sighted but the far- 

 sighted merchant and banker who are 

 starting the movement of decline. We 

 had best admit this and be thankful 

 that because there is much building to 

 be done, the liquidation is to be gradual 

 and not panicky. The present tendency 

 in lumber is for prices to go down, but 

 if the building demand continues, many 

 prices may yet advance. The nursery 

 trade will likely follow the home-build- 

 ing development, which will no doubt 

 mean a new awakening and a great op- 

 portunity if properly considered and 

 handled by the trade. 



However, with this prospective trade 

 development and a possible general 

 business decline, we must carefully 

 guard our interests and be alert at all 

 times. Eemember the elementary laws 

 of business and avoid small wastes, 

 closely guard your costs of production 

 and carefully plan your market. The 

 "take it or leave it" attitude will no 

 longer do as a sales policy. 



How many have a cost of production 

 system? I dare say extremely few. How 

 many of us simply work and do not use 

 our pencil enough, and then wonder 

 why our profits arc sometimes small! 

 Accurate costs are the best guides in 

 times of narrow profits, but it seems al- 

 most impossible to get accurate costs 

 in our trade. This would seem a 

 worthy subject for investigation, for 

 the benefit of all. 



American-Grown Stock. 



Truthfully, I am unable to understand 

 the methods and plans of many nursery- 



men. Many buy most of their stock 

 from nurseries other than American 

 nurseries, and many have exceedingly 

 poor credit principles. Many of the 

 places are crammed full of junk and un- 

 salable stock, which has likely been in 

 the same place for years. Why not sell 

 this stock for at least some small amount 

 and get something new growing in its 

 place, or otherwise dump it? 



Possibly you wonder what bearing all 

 of these statements have on the sub- 

 ject, "Can we grow ornamentals form- 

 erly imported. ' ' They are indeed linked 

 with every phase of it and the problem 

 really before us is, "Is California ca- 

 pable of producing the classes of orna- 

 mentals formerly imported and are the 

 men of this state going to grasp the 

 great opportunity presented as a result 

 of the embargo?" 



Some of our eastern friends hate to 

 concede that stock formerly imported 

 can be satisfactorily grown in this 

 country and particularly in California. 

 Most certainly this class of stock can 

 be grown here, and our variations of 

 climate and growing conditions open 

 great prospects for the men of our trade. 

 California is the most logical place in 

 the country. Specialize on one or two 

 items, prepare for the eastern demands 

 and take advantage of the most wonder- 

 ful opportunity and conditions. Few of 

 you realize the great possibilities and 

 wants of the eastern florists and grow- 

 ers. They are anxious for good, salable 

 plants. 



Palms in California. 



Of these importations, California can 

 grow almost any of them. My business 

 at Montebello is devoted mostly to the 

 growing of several hundred thousand 

 kentias, boxwood, heather for cut 

 flowers and a few other ornamentals for 

 local or eastern trade. Shipments are 

 made in carload lots as far east as New 

 York and throughout the central west 

 and south. 



Bassett & Washburn, at Sierra Madre, 

 specialize entirely on the growing of 

 kontia palms, and have a fine modem 

 place. At their place and our place 

 there are about 800,000 growing now. 

 Constant building is being done to plan 

 for a jomplete rotation and prepare for 

 a large industry. This means a large 

 investment and also waiting about six 

 years before first returns are received. 



These palms are grown from imported 

 seed, wliich takes from six months to 

 one year to germinate. They are grown 

 a year in the greenhouse after germina- 

 tion. Then they are planted in the 



Now Wc Must Grow Most of This Stock, Imported in One Year Before Quarantine 37 Was Laid. 



Country 



Belgium 



England 



France 



Holland 



Japan 



Scotland 



Fruit Trees 



4,334 



1,170.471 



17,082 



23.471 



434 



Fruit Tree 

 Stocks 



;50,2.-,o 



9.752,305 



6,000 



13,334 



Rosos 



107.827 



104,995 



12.073,318 



36 



591 



Rose Stocks 



2,719,040 

 2,402,435 



427,868 

 1 



177.000 



Forest and Orn. Orn. liecitluous 

 Deciduous Trees Shrubs 



r).002 



1 ,254,6.35 



133,242 



80.986 



13,012 



15, Kill 



2,4<l(i.255 



594,711 



5i ,0.58 



S4 



Kvprereen 

 Shrubs 



707,772 



88,756 



1.37.59^, 



376,200 



3:"., 758 



458 



Field -pro \vn 

 Fiorist Stock 



31.488 



41,574 



ti.5,937 



178.993 



91,782 



19,192 



Stocks. Cuttings 

 or .Seedlings 



200 



35.687 



7,82-,8l5 



;^,75i 



20,087 

 2,400 



Totals 



1,217,400 10,048,389 12.382,134 5.876,.344 1,488,960 3,202,181 1.357.875 627,743 



8.036,669 



