The Florists^ Review 



Mabch 17. 1921. 



n* florist* whose cards appoar on the paces oairylnc this haad, . 

 *~~~— from otbar florists tor local doUvcrr on tlia nsoal 



"SEND THEM OUR WAY" 



Undoubtedly you as well as ourselves, in placing Telegraph Delivery orders, feel it a duty 

 to your customer to place same in the hands of some one who you know is reliable. 



In sending your orders "OUR WAY," you can rest content that no effort will be 

 spared to give such service as will be a credit to the F. T. D. Association. 



S WANSON'S, Inc. L^^^^^ ^''^''^' f ^^"^ 



ESTABLISHED 1895 912 NICOLLET In MINNEAPOLIS 



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TATE'S TIPS 



TIMES BRING NEW NEEDS. 



Young Men's Training. 



There is no doubt of the fact that 

 one of the greatest problems now con- 

 fronting the florists' business in tins 

 country is the lack of thoroughly trained 

 voungmen to continue the industry. In 

 iiiy connection with the business I can 

 remember the time when the florist w.as 

 thoroughly trained in every branch. He 

 was as niiich at home in the grapery as 

 in the rose house. He was as familiar 

 with tiie kitchen garden as the carna- 

 tion house. He couM do a piece of lan.l- 

 Bcape work as well as any landseaj.e 

 architect, or plant an orchard as well 

 as an orchardist. There was no part of 

 the business that his early training on 

 some private estate in Europe had not 

 flt'iMi liirn for. 



Ill these days we all realize that the 

 ill -iistrv has become highly si>e<M_ali/e<l. 

 Oil" nia'n will make a speciiilty of ro>es, 

 au.ither of carnations and nnotlier ol 

 some pot plant. The young man going 

 to liny of these establishments to learn 

 the business becomes [iroficient in just 

 whatever that particular establishment 

 makes a specialty of, and in many 

 cases he is just a" cog in the wheel to 



perform perliaps a single service in the 

 production of that special crop. Does 

 he know anything of propagation or re- 

 )>ro(hiction of that cro|)f Does he know 

 iinything of the constituents of the soil 

 required? And even if he does, the 

 best we can expect is a rose or carna- 

 tion grower. 



The best florists of this country today 

 are those wlio have a thorough kiiowl- 

 eilge of all branches of gardening. Some 

 will say that in the medical profession, 

 for instance, it is the specialist who is 

 most successful, and we will admit this 

 to be a fact, in his particular specialty, 

 but think of the number of general prac- 

 titioners there are throngliout the coun- 

 try in comparison with the specialist. 

 It is the up-to-date establishments 

 throughout the country, those places 

 where the young men are most apt to 

 seek a jjlace of instruction, that are the 

 sfiecialists. In the smaller establish- 

 ments, where not so much help is ein- 

 jiloyed, we ifunlly find that the j>ro[>ri- 

 ('tor is the brains of the establisliment, 

 and his employees are usually of the 

 unskilled class. 



Institutional Training Suggested. 

 If the industry is to be continued 

 upon the high plain it now occupies, it 



seems to me that some institution will 

 have to be provided iu the near future 

 where the young men can be educated 

 in the general cultural methods of the 

 industry. I do not mean by this that 

 a college education is necessary, al- 

 though if it were possible there could 

 be nothing better for the future of the 

 business, for this would insure a well 

 trained mind, and in the florists' busi- 

 ness, as in any other industry, this is 

 certainly desirable. We must remember 

 that the majority of the young men 

 learning the florists' business, unless 

 they are the sons of the proprietors of 

 some of our up-to-date ranges, are not 

 in a financial ])Osition to take ailvantage 

 of such an education. Yet there are 

 hundreds of young men throughout the 

 country today working in some of the 

 large ranges who realize how their train- 

 ing is handicajjjied, who, if they had the 

 op])(irl unity to take up a course where 

 they could be grounded in general cul- 

 tural methods, would be only too glad 

 to make any sacrifice necessary. Such 

 a course sliould not cost these ]people 

 more than board and lodging at the 

 most. The instruction they receive 

 sliould be the most intensive and as 

 thorough as possil)]e. 



How is it to be accomplished? The 

 %vriter is frank to say he does not know; 

 but this is a subject that has been 

 given a great deal of study in the last 

 several years, and I have come to the 

 conclusion that the time has come to 

 act. The next question is, "Who is the 

 proper and logical one to promote such 

 a luiiposition?" We look at once to the 



