V 



Mahch 8, 1921 



The Florists^ Review 



33 



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TIME FOR ACTION 



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FLORISTS, WAKE UP! 



Conditions Are Changed. 



We have been having during the past 

 few years a success in the floral king- 

 dom, causing us to act as though it were 

 a natural condition, in spite of the fact 

 that not many years ago florists 

 throughout this broad land of ours had 

 to plow hard to get by. It isn 't so long 

 ago that with the rank and file in our 

 business it was some task to meet the 

 coal bills when even long overdue, let 

 alone to pay them promptly, as is now 

 the case. It isn't long ago that with 

 the grower it was early and late in the 

 greenhouse, and not eight or nine hours 

 a day as at present. Nor was it so long 

 ago that a majority of the growers 

 could tell whether they were on the 

 profit or loss side of the ledger. But at 

 present conditions are different. 



Almost everybody these days comes 

 to town in their automobiles (plural) 

 and also have their business in such 

 shape as to enable them to know what 

 crops and varieties pay them the best, 

 which to eliminate and which to de- 

 velop, and in the main are enjoying 

 much deserved success. Some change 

 from former years as we look back! 

 Thank God for that! We all appre- 

 ciate that nothing succeeds like success, 

 but we must also plan for the rainy day. 

 Many lines of business that were most 

 successful during and after the war 

 period have lately felt the reverse con- 

 dition to the extent that they have been 

 almost wiped out, such as wool, leather, 

 cotton, shoes, etc. But the florists have 

 not realized that they stand on the 

 crest at this time and that we have 

 passed the pivotal point of our unusual 

 progress. We must now check ourselves 

 up and find out what the future holds 

 for us. 



Function of Advertising. 



To the man who is planning ahead, 

 whether he be grower or retailer, there 

 is a desire to help continue to progress 

 and he knows that in order to continue 

 his prosperity he must make allowance 

 for continued advertising to help create 

 sales and build good will, and that the 

 essential means to bring this about is 

 to expend a part of his annual sales to 

 help keep the ball a-roUing. 



Many of the florists who were alert 

 to the needs of advertising and felt the 

 effects of good times were glad to put a 

 part of their earnings into jn. national 

 campaign fund, just to help it along, 

 much like dropping a nickel into a blind 

 man 's hat — it might do some good, and 

 if it didn't, it didn't cost much any- 

 way. That is the way some entered 

 into the spirit of our nation.il campaign. 

 Others, however, took a more serious 

 attitude and gave liberally, were inter- 

 ested in its work and undoubtedly 

 reaped the benefits by tying up to the 

 campaign locally or otherwise. 



Stanch Supporters. 



Now wo come to the point. The ad- 

 vertising that the florists have been 

 doing, whether local or national, has 

 helped materially in point of sales and 



also to arouse many to the needs of ad- 

 vertising. Many have overlooked the 

 fact that it must be carried on con- 

 tinuously to be of real benefit, and that 

 if we lie down at this time it means get- 

 ting back to the old conditions of years 

 ago. 



There are, however, too many men in 

 the craft who have felt its pulse and 

 who wish to continue further the work 

 laid out by the national publicity com- 

 mittee, who are seriously and intensely 

 interested, referring, of course, to the 

 men behind the National Flower Grow- 

 ers' Association and those interested in 

 the allied florists' trade associations. 

 These men have seen the light and are 

 doing a big and unselfish job trying to 

 make others see the need of a con- 

 tinuance of the work, and unless we all 

 follow in line we shall fall back to 

 former conditfons. We have made 

 progress; let us continue. 



Answer Is Advertising. 



The growers are realizing the good of 

 national publicity as well as local ad- 

 vertising, but the craft generally has 

 not awakened to the fact that business 

 is slipping back, and unless we fill up 

 the coffers of the campaign fund, the 

 florists' business is going to go back as 

 well as all other lines. In many sec- 

 tions it is quite noticeable already and 

 many are asking, "How can I increase 

 my volume?" One of the answers is, 

 advertise locally, and the other is to see 



that the national campaign gets a-go- 

 ing before we lose the advantages of 

 our previous ads in the national maga- 

 zines. 



Advertising is a sales insurance. It 

 helps speed up. It makes us speed up 

 and helps us to climb higher. As Albert 

 E. Lyons so well expressed it, "The 

 higher you go the more room you will 

 find. The space below is crowded and 

 many a man is mistaking lack of ability 

 for lack of opportunity. You will be 

 sure to find the opportunity when you 

 are able to grasp it. Nobody is monopo- 

 lizing that vast field^f opportunity just 

 over the heads of^fne crowd — it is open 

 to all comers — it is waiting to be occu- 

 pied. The way is clear. Climb high. ' ' 



Let's Climb. 



Doesn't it make you think that, after 

 all, we started something towards the 

 higher-up idea and that we Should con- 

 tinue? Well, the growers have begun 

 to do things. May they succeed to the 

 fullest extent! The cooperative move- 

 ments have also started. May they, too, 

 continue to further success to the end 

 that all may see the needs and the good 

 that applied advertising will do to help 

 more people enjoy more flowers. And 

 those directly interested will get better 

 results generally. 



Henry O. Havemeyer once said, 

 "Business men fail because there are 

 a lot of them who are fools. We are all 

 born fools, but some of us educate our- 

 selves out of it." Let us take example 

 by looking at other lines of business 

 and why they have succeeded, then ask 

 ourselves what we have omitted that 

 they have continued, and your answer 

 will explain the problem. 



Henry Penn, Chairman, 

 National Publicity Committee. 



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MOTT-LY MUSINGS 



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"Glad you admire it," commented 

 George Murchie, of the John Murchie 

 Sons Co., Sharon, Pa. "Our landlord 

 was also favorably impressed with the 

 improvements made in the store and 

 showed his appreciation by boosting the 

 rent sixty-six per cent. While it may 

 seem hard, as seen from one angle, yet 

 looking at the matter from another 

 viewpoint it represents appreciative 

 value, as demonstrated by us to our pa- 

 trons almost every day, so much so 

 that our business will rest on a higher 

 plane when others drop." Demand was 

 never better. Edward Murchie is send- 

 ing in fine stock from the Middlesex 

 place. John Murchie has the home range 

 under ])ersoiial supervision, and ar- 

 ranges matters to be able to hie himself 

 away to Pinehurst, N. C, for his an- 

 nual game of golf. 



* • • • 



John B. Rudy, Palmira, N. Y., is much 

 pleased with a batcli of Lilium Harrisii. 

 Tliey are looking fine for Easter. An- 

 ticipating tlio usual large spring plant 

 demand, a good stock is licing prepared, 



• • • • 



Dana R. Herron, of Oloan, N. Y., was 

 a visitor at Hornell in the interest of 

 an oil corporation, of which he is presi- 

 dent; in fact, so affluent as to earn the 



title of "oil king." Incidentally Mr. 

 Herron mentioned that his spring bed- 

 ding plants were in fine shape and the 

 outlook for their disposal was never bet- 

 ter. Carnations and roses cropping for 

 Easter are highly promising. 



• « • • 



' ' After eighty years on this terrestrial 

 sphere, forty-eight of which have been 

 spent on this spot," observed J. W. 

 Blakcly, Elizabeth, N. J., "you may 

 quote nie as being thoroughly convinced 

 as to the future of our profession, in 

 which my life has been spent with an 

 abundance of pleasure and profit." 



• • • • 



A. H. Woeppel, Corning, N. Y., 

 finds the long period of dull weather has 

 affected the usual fine crops of roses and 

 carnations at this time, but blooming 

 plants are in fine shape and the Easter 

 supply, aided by the Holland bulbs, is 

 expected to meet all demands. 



• • • • 



The Hoffman Greenhouses, Elmira, N. 

 Y., specializing in carnations, with only 

 one house of roses, for the first time in 

 many seasons are not up to the usual 

 high standard of production. For this 

 condition the weather and the houses 

 are blamed. New houses will be built, 

 but weather conditions cannot be 

 changed. However, as H. W. Hoffman 



