40 



The Rorists^ Review 



Februauy 



1922 



same crop is grown. It is conoeivablc 

 that this is truo, for tlicrc may be a 

 change in tlic number of bacteria, or cer- 

 tain substances may have accumulated 

 wliicli are detrimental. No definite an- 

 swer can as yet be given to this prob- 

 lem. We are attempting, liowever, at 

 tlie Illinois station, to determine whether 

 the continued use of soils in our green- 

 liouse benches influences ])roduction, 

 when the soil is ])roperly cared for; in 

 other words, is it jjossible to keep up the 

 fertility of the soil in our greenhouses 

 without using each year or two new soil 

 brought in from outdoors? 



We now have soil which has ])roduced 

 carnations continuously for four years, 

 three years, two years and one year. 

 All tliese soils were treated each year 

 in a similar way, as regards fertilizers. 

 The data, although not yet conclusive, 

 show a slight decrease in ])roduction, 

 this decrease being less than one flower 

 ]ier plant. 



After we lia\e determined that it is 

 actually true, if it is tr\ie, that soils 

 cannot be used continuously, by pro])er 

 treatment, in our greenhouses, we must 

 determine why .this is true. In other 

 words, we should be al)lc to find the 

 cause, and when we are able satisfac- 

 torily to exjjlain the reason why jiroduc- 



tion decreases, wo possibly can find a 

 means to keep up production readily 

 enough. 



Nitrogen as Needed. 



It is an established fact that nitro- 

 gen is used by growing ])lants in largo 

 <iuantities. Nitrogen, wlien applied in 

 available form, is rather ])ronounced in 

 its effects on the plants, too much nitro- 

 gen resulting in slender and soft growth. 

 In the form used by the i)lants, it also 

 leaches readily from the soil and thus 

 is lost. Nitrogen, then, must be ai>])lied 

 with care in order to secure growth in 

 quantity and (piality and, at the same 

 time, it must be api>lied in such a way 

 that there is" a minimum of loss. 



For our greenhouse practice I believe 

 firmly in tlie use of nitrogen as the de- 

 termining factor both in producing and 

 in regulating growth. In other words, 

 I believe in the system of treating the 

 soil in such a way that, before ])lanting, 

 it is in the ])roper physical condition 

 and contains the projx-r amount of 

 humus, with an abimdance of all nutri- 

 ent elements, sa\e nitrogen, which 

 should be furnished from time to time 

 as the needs of the ]>lant in;iy indicate. 

 This is the system that florists follow, 



(Continued on pairc Kl) 



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BOSTON FLORISTS' ALLIANCE. 



Banquet Celebrates Success. 



The meeting of growers, retailers, 

 wholesalers and commission salesmen, 

 held at the City Club, Boston, .January 

 28, was the largest and most enthusiastic 

 yet held in that city, fully I.IO attending, 

 and the jiroceedings augure(l well for the 

 inception of the newly launched New 

 England Florists' Alliance, on details of 

 which committees of retailers and grow- 

 ers have been working most cordially for 

 some time. It was a i)leasure to attend 

 such a gathering, in marked contrast, as 

 it was, to many predecessors, when mu- 

 tual distrust prevailed among the va- 

 rious trade elements. The jiresence of 

 several national speakers gave the meet- 

 ing the necessary snap and finish. 



Briefly outlined, the objects of the al- 

 liance are to overcome market gluts, 

 price fluctuations and loss and waste en- 

 tailed thereby; to collect money l)y 

 means of assessments on both the pro- 

 ducing and distributing ends of the busi- 

 ness to be used for coiiperative adver- 

 tising; entirely to eliminate retailing 

 and sjiecuLating in flowers in wholesale 

 markets; to securi' a uniform basis of 

 credits and collection of accounts and 

 to collect and disseminate information 

 to members of the alliance. 



Retailers are to pay one .per cent on 

 all ])urchases of flowers, plants or deco- 

 rative material, (irowers will ])ay one- 

 half of one per cent on all wholesale 

 sales of the same material and one per 

 cent on cash sales at wholesale. Whole- 

 salers will pay one-half of one per cent 

 on purchases of flowers, decorative and 

 flowering plants and one-half of one per 

 cent on commission sales for the grower. 

 Commission salesmen will pay the same 

 as grow^ers and in addition one per cent 

 additional on gross commissions. 



S. J. Coddard ]>resi(l(Ml at the meeting 

 .following the dinner and sj)oke opti- 

 mistically on the outlook for New Eng- 

 land growers. He called ujion (leorge 

 Asnius for the first sj)eech and that popu- 

 lar forensic s))eaker received an en- 

 thusiastic welcome. He described how 

 the spirit of coo])eration had spread 

 through the trade and described the es- 

 sential features of the Milwaukee and 

 Chicago jilans. He counseled members 

 to be sure of their ground, to ;isk theni- 

 s(dves the (juestion, "Do you believe in 

 advertising.'" and then declared they 

 must in some way cre.-ite demand as Chi- 

 cago, after i);iinful gluts, had done. The 

 .\ew Knglanders, he said, could not sell 

 even a gold mine along their ocean front 

 without publicity. Any ]il;tn adojjfed 

 must be on an e{piitai)le basis. Chi- 

 cago, the greatest shipping center for 

 flowers in .\nierica, where about fifty 

 ]ier cent of all Hower receipts were 

 sliij(])ed away, formerly had almost un- 

 believable ])eriods of glut. After much 

 serious thought and hard work, Chicago 

 had now Iti Ijirge measure solved the 

 jiroblem of moving flowers in glut 

 jieriods and Boston could do the same. 

 . Some growers, he stated, did not know 

 common business ethics and it was ut- 

 terly wrong for them and retailers to 

 look upon one another as competitors. 

 Location and rentals would always cause 

 variations in the retail selling prices of 

 flowers and plants. The amalgamation 

 of interests in Chicago hjis tended to 

 eliminate retailing among whole- 

 salers. The great essential purpose 

 which they must keep in view at all 

 times was publicity and to kee]i faith 

 with the advertising. Asked about ar- 

 tificial flower selling by retailers, Mr. 

 Asmus responded that florists must ad- 

 vertise and convince the buying public 

 that their goods are better than the 

 other fellow's and this feature would 



solve itself. There would always be a 

 reasonable advance in prices when de- 

 mand was strong, as at Mothers' day 

 and Memorial day. Mr. Asmus answered 

 many questions and received an enthu- 

 siastic reception. 



Examples Cited. 



J. F. Ammann, the second speaker, 

 impressed all by his earnestness and 

 showed himself to have oratorical pow- 

 ers of no mean order. ' He said his great 

 slogan for some years had been coopera- 

 tion and amalgamation. The growers had 

 far the most hazardous share, as they 

 owned fully ninety per cent of all invest- 

 ments in flowers and plants, and to move 

 their 'stock with the smallest possible 

 loss they must realize the value of ad- 

 vertising. Many growers today he knew 

 to be merely existing. He spoke on what 

 citrus growers and others had done by 

 advertising and concluded by expressing 

 the hope that when next he came to 

 Boston it would be to note the workings 

 of a strong functioning organization. 



Kugene M. Naukam, secretary of the 

 Western New York rublicity Associa- 

 tion, told of the work being done in Buf- 

 falo, how ninety-five per cent of all 

 growers, wholesalers and retailers were 

 with them and how their publicity had 

 increased the numbers of customers for 

 retailers last Christmas. 



A. M. Camjibell, president of the 

 Philadel])hia Florists' Club, made a brief 

 .address and advised all ])resent to for- 

 get the past and look into the future. 

 A. F. .1. Baur, John Hartje and C. W. 

 .Johnson made a few aj)propriate re- 

 marks. 



Converts. 



William H. Elliott said that for forty- 

 two years he had felt that the retailers 

 should alone take up the burden which 

 jit last he felt he should share. Thomas 

 Koland gave words of good advice to 

 growers. Three years ago he and all 

 other growers felt that retailers should 

 do .all advertising; now he would will- 

 ingly give two jier c(>nt on gross sales 

 if necessary. William C. Stickel, B. F. 

 Letson, Martin Wax and others made 

 brief remarks. 



When President Goddard called for 

 those present to sign ap))lications for 

 membershi]) in the alliance, seventy-five 

 at once responded and this number in- 

 cluded jiractically all the leading whole- 

 salers, retailers, growers and commission 

 salesmen in Boston and vicinity. 



The meeting was most enthusi.astic 

 and augurs well for the future stability 

 of the flower business in Boston and 

 New P^ngland. f!ommittees represent- 

 ing growers, retailers and wholesalers 

 have been selected to ]nish the new 

 scheme to comjtletion as speedily as 

 ])ossible, so that the alliance will be pre- 

 jiared to handle any spring glut of 

 flowers. W'. N. Craig. 



Fort Wayne, Ind. — A new greenhouse 

 is being erected for George A. Sweet, a 

 grower of vegetables. 



Raleigh, N. C— The business of .7. L. 

 O'Quinn & Co. has been purchased bv 

 the .1. .1. Fallon Co., of Lynchburg, V.-i. 

 The property transferred consists of 

 100,000 square feet of glass. The new 

 firm will ojjcrate under the name of the 

 .T. .1. Fallon Co., successors to .1. L. 

 O'Quinn & Co. Together with this 

 transfer go the numerous agencies in 

 North and South Carolina and the 

 flower stores at Raleigh, N. C, and Fav- 

 etteville, N. C. 



