II 



The Florists^ Review 



Fbbrcaky 10, 1921 



K. 



reennous^ 



S"* 



Iders 



The Price of Glass 



And a Word on Borrowing Money 



to Build 



A week or so ago we told you some things that J. W. Davis said 

 about building greenhouses at present prices. 



You were so interested in hearing it, that we thought you would also 

 like to learn what one of Chicago's big men thinks. 



So here it is: 





£^ 



^ 







Mr. Paul 10. Woit^.s. who i.'< known in tlu' West as 

 "The SecTttary of Six," is tlie man we mean. He is 

 connected with various greenhouse companies, coal 

 companies, and I don't know liow many otlier live- 

 wire, growing enterprises. Six in all. 



Uight now, with one of liis liropositions. under the 

 name of Weiss & Meyer Co., he has just eompleted 

 one of our big iron frame houses for growing roses. 



.lust "two whoops and a holler, and a look-over." as 

 they .say down in Virginia, Lord & Hurnham aie 

 erecting at I'remier Gardens two more big iron 

 frjuners, as companions for the two which the\ 

 erected last year. 



Mr. Weiss is one of those quiet, cUmu cut. pciutiat- 

 ing men, who bases his business on figuie facts, not 

 on rosy dreams about the roses he is going to grow. 



Of many encouraging things he said about the outlook 

 for th«> growers for the next few years to come, one 

 stands out strongest in my mind. 



He said, "Did you ever notice that most giowers, 

 w henever they talk about building, at once commence 

 dwelling on t!he luicc of glass i)cr box? Take this 

 house -70 feet wi(l<> by (dO feet long. Suppose I'd 

 wait uiuil the i)ricc of glass was reduced $1 per box. 

 What difference do you sup])ose it would make, in 

 the total cost of a greenhouse of this size? Only a 

 little over $7ii0. 



"The saving, of course, on a smaller size house, would 

 be reduced in jiroportion to the size of the house 



"N'ow, wliat a fool a man would be to jiut off building 

 a rose house a year, for the sake of $700 cost! When 

 a man l)uilds, he makes that :f700 over and over again 



'To my notion there are too many growers today, fig- 

 uring on what it is going to cost them to build: and 

 too few of them figuring on what it is going to cost 

 them if thi'y don't build." 



I'ollowing my interesting talk with Mr. Weiss. 1 

 spent the evening with abotit as lianl-head, sound 

 thinking a )u:in as the gi-eenliouse i)i-ofession lias 



When I asked him what he thought about the build- 

 ing outlook for 1921, he baid. "The outlook is all right. 

 The only trouble is that the growers are not looking 

 out. 



"You know the surprising thing to me is, that so 

 many growers get cold feet when they think about 

 going to a bank to borrow a little money to put up a 

 house. Don't know of a single line of business that 

 can show, in so short a time, so definite and juicy 

 a bit of profit, as the florist business. 



"Any grower who has kept even half way figures, on 

 the cost of his house, the gross of his sales, his ex- 

 l)ense, and the net profit, can go to a b.ank. lay the 

 figure facts before them, and get a substantial loan. 



"The time is over, when banks thought greenhouses 

 were not a good property to advance money on. No 

 doubt, there are still a lot of uninformed, hide-bound 

 bankers who still feel the same way. However, there 

 are enough of the enlightened kind to furnish mone\ 

 to build more greenhouses than all the growers in this 

 country would have the nerve to tackle. 



"If .a grower falls down on certain methods of handliiig 

 some of his roses, he don't let it go at that, and crawl 

 • iway and lie down. He tries out another way. And 

 another. And another, till he hits the right way. 



"Why then, in case one bank 'don't (pute see then- 

 way clear,' as they say, to advance a loan, don't 

 they go to another bank':' 



■'.\ liank's business is to loan money. 



thing thev have to sell. Money and 



"It's the only 

 service. 



"If only the growers would go to them with that 

 attittide, the liankers would have a lot more confi- 

 dence. 



"More money is loaned 

 ,aage or security. 



"If you are half way < .vuviu. 

 \ ince a b;inker all the way." 



1)1! ccuitidenci', than on moit- 



d don't exi)ect to con- 



opdL& BtmihamC 



Builders of Greenhouses and Conservatories 



IRVINGTON NEW YORK PHILADELPHIA CHICAGO 



New York 42nd St. Bldg. Und Title Bldg. Continental Bank Bldg. 



BOSTON- 11 CLEVELAND TORONTO 



Little Bids 2063 E. 4th St. Royal Bank Bldg. 



Eastern Factory Western Factory Canadian Factory 



Irvington, N. ''t'. Des Plaines, III. St. Catharines. Ont. 



