20 



The Florists^ Review 



June 21, 1917. 



Established, 1897, by G. L. GRANT. 



Fublisliecl every Thursday by 

 The FhouisTs' Puhlishing Co., 



520-560 Oaxton Building, 



508 Soutli Dearborn St., Chicago. 



Telo., Wabash 8195. 



Registered cable address, 



Florvlew, Ohlcaifo. 



Entered as second class matter 

 Dec. 3, 1897, at the post-ottice at Chi- 

 cago, 111., under the Act of March 

 3 1879. ■ 



Subscription price, $1.50 a year. 

 To Canada, $2.50; to Europe. $3.00. 



Advertising rates quoted upon 

 request. Only strictly trade ad- 

 vertising accepted. 



J 



"< X ^ 



NOTICE. 



It is impossible to gfuarantee 



the insertion, discontinuance or 



alteration of any advertisement 



unless instructions are received 



BY 4 P. M. TUESDAY. 



SOCIETT OF AMERICAN FLORISTS. 

 Incorporated by Act of Congress, March 4, 1901. 

 Officers for 1917: President, Robert 0. Kerr, 

 HoustOB, Tex.; vice-president, A. L. Miller, Ja- 

 maica, N. Y. ; secretary, John Young, 53 W. 28th 

 St., New York City; treasurer, J. J. Hess, 

 Omaha, Neb. 



. Thirty-third annual convention. New York, 

 N. Y., August 21 to 24, 1917. 



Results bring advertising. 

 The Eeview brings results. 



There still is a large unsatisfied de- 

 mand for vegetable plants, particularly 

 tomato and sweet potato. 



With the certainty that the supply of 



•outdoor flowers will be less than usual 



this summer, the next two or three months 



promise usually well for the cutflower 



business. 



Reports from transportation compa- 

 nies and resort hotels indicate that there 

 will be mucn less vacation traveling than 

 -usual this summer, wuich should be a 

 distinct gain to the retail trade of the 

 home ilorist. 



Watch the Pacific Coast Department 

 for offers of stock not obtainable else- 

 where. Soon the western edge of America 

 will be the trade 's principal source of 

 supply for many items heretofore pro- 

 cured from Europe. 



The spring bedding plant season has 

 been two or three weeks late almost every- 

 where, but as soon as weather conditions' 

 became right the work assumed heavier 

 volume than ever before. It is turning 

 out to be an excellent season, but there 

 was so large a quantity of stock grown 

 this year that it has not nearly all been 

 sold as yet. 



The Hollanders still on this side of the 

 water liave become confident that the fall 

 importations of bulbs and nursery stock 

 will come. They base their belief on the 

 official news from Washington that two 

 steamers of the Holland-America line 

 are on their way here with cargo, the 

 first boats to bring cargo since the fa- 

 mous recall of the Nieuw Amsterdam in 

 the last davs of January. 



THIS IS THE KIND. 



The following paragraph, from the 



Kansas City news-letter, is the kind 



we like to read: 



E. G. Bunyar, of Independence, lias cleared 

 Ills greenhouses of bedding plants, having sold 

 more than 200,000 of all kinds. The sales net- 

 ted him $2,000 more this year than last and he 

 has invested the profits in Liberty bonds. He 

 has his houses planted for fall trade and is now 

 on A lishing trip. 



There are many florists who have 

 bought Liberty bonds with the season's 

 profits, in spite of increased expenses, 

 and we hope they find the fishing good. 



PLEASE NOTE. 



Each week a number of letters con- 

 taining advertising instructions reach 

 The Eeview while the paper is on the 

 press — just a few hours earlier and 

 they would have had attention a week 

 sooner than is possible. 



It is the aim to give prompt service, 

 but to secure it advertisers should note: 

 "It is impossible to guarantee the 

 insertion, discontinuance or alteration 

 of any advertisement unless instructions 

 are received by 4 p. m. Tuesday." 



' « BOOST BUSINESS ' '—WILSON. 



Every means of stimulating business 

 should be used now, President Wilson 

 said in a letter to E. P. V. Eitter, of the 

 Merchants and Manufacturers Ex- 

 change of New York City, made public 

 June 17. Mr. Ritter wrote the President 

 concerning the advisability of holding 

 commercial conventions during the war. 



"I not only see no reason why com- 

 mercial conventions should be omitted 

 during the war," the President replied, 

 "but should regret to see any instru- 

 mentality neglected which has proved 

 serviceable in stimulating business and 

 facilitating its processes. This is not 

 only not a time to allow any slowing up 

 of business, but is a time when every 

 sensible process of stimulation should 

 be used." 



ANTICIPATING OUR WANTS. 



Constantly increasing costs of most 

 of the materials used by the trade make 

 it impossible for growers and those who 

 deal indirectly or directly with the pub- 

 lic to make a profit without raising 

 prices. In consequence the prices asked 

 for bedding stock have been raised with- 

 out any noticeable decrease in demand. 

 This is a sign that the business of pro- 

 ducing and selling flowers is in a healthy 

 state. 



But production costs have not stopped 

 mounting. As the war progresses they 

 are steadily advancing and it is predict- 

 ed that they will continue to advance. 

 There is a way, however, by which the 

 trade can keep the costs down and every 

 member of it who is in a position to do 

 so should take advantage of it. That is 

 by anticipating our wants so far as is 

 possible and getting a stock of materials 

 and supplies. 



Large growers have been doing this. 

 Others would do so if their capital was 

 sufficient. But there are many others 

 who, believing that by the next time it 

 is necessary to purchase prices will be 

 lower, have been buying as need has de- 

 manded and find that every purchase 

 calls for a larger outlay. 



The raw material market of the 

 United States is higher than for many 

 years, and promises to continue upward. 

 Manufacturers assert that there is everv 



reason to believe that before the war 

 is over and the reconstruction necessary 

 in Europe is finished, the prices of today 

 will be considered low. 



There seems not much chance that 

 greenhouse supplies will be cheaper. On 

 the other hand, there is every evidence 

 that they will cost more. Buying now 

 will probably mean a saving. 



$2,000 FOR $3.75! DON'T CROWD! 



One of the most curious aspects of the 

 many differing ideas regarding adver- 

 tising is the queer conception that only 

 the advertising which involves a large 

 expenditure of money is greatly suc- 

 cessful. 



Scores of advertisers with individual 

 expenditures of only a few dollars are 

 regularly gaining tremendously effec- 

 tive results from the use of The Review. 



Such results are, indeed, so common 

 that they secure only passing interest, 

 except from those who are directly in- 

 terested. 



For example, one advertiser in The 

 Review sold $2,000 worth of stock 

 through six insertions of a 5-line Classi- 

 fied advertisement. The advertising 

 cost was $3.75, or less than one per 

 cent. Here is the letter, verbatim: 



Please discontinue our leaf-mold ad in the 

 Classified Section. Six insertions sold four car- 

 loads, or 1,600 barrels! — G. M. Reburn & Co., 160 

 North Wabash avenue, Chicago, 111., June 18, 

 1917. 



.. When you hear a man complain of the 



cost of advertising, you can be pretty 



certain he spends a good bit of money 



elsewhere than in The Review. 



GOVERNMENT ORDERS COAL. 



The government has ordered 1,750,000 

 tons of coal for the navy, principally 

 from the West Virginia mines from 

 which many florists have been obtaining 

 smokeless coals. It is not new for the 

 navy to use this fuel, but this year its 

 needs are increased. Last year's con- 

 tract price was $2.88 per ton delivered 

 at Newport News, Va. The mines asked 

 the government to pa,y $2.95 at the mine 

 for the present purchase. Exercising its 

 authority, the government ordered ship- 

 ments to begin and agreed to pay $2.33 

 at the mine on account, the final price 

 to be fixed in the course of time by the 

 President or a duly appointed commis- 

 sion. 



Florists who feel that they must have 

 Pocahontas or New River smokeless 

 coal are asked to pay $5 to $6 per ton, 

 f. o. b. the mine, for mine-run. 



CHICAGO. 



The Market. 



A decided change for the better has 

 come over the wholesale cut flower mar- 

 ket. With stocks of all kinds plentiful 

 and demand lethargic up to June 16, a 

 marked shortening of stock took place 

 and demand strengthened considerably, 

 cleaning the market satisfactorily for 

 the week. As most growers are going off 

 crop and replanting, a large increase in 

 the supply is not looked for in the near 

 future. Shipping trade is moderately 

 active, with local demand holding up its 

 end well, so that, speaking by and 

 large, no complaint as to the condition 

 of the market is warranted. 



Usually the peony is the dominating 

 flower at this date. It is not so this 

 year. The arrivals, while large, have 



