36 



The Florists^ Review 



Febuuary 16. 1922 



fr 



EatablUhed 1897, 

 by a. L Grant 



Published every Thursday by 

 The Florists' Publishing Co.. 



600-660 Oazton BuUdinir, 



608 South Dearborn St., Chicago. 



Tel., Wabash 8196. 



Refrtitered cable address, 



Florvlew, Chicago. 



Entered as second class matter 

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

 cago, 111., under the Act of March 

 3. 1879. 



Subscription price, $2.00 a year. 

 To Canada, $3.00; to Europe, $4.00, 



Advertising rates quoted on 

 request. Only strictly trade ad> 

 Tertlsing accepted. 



n 



KESULTS. 



We give them. You get them. 



We both have them. 



It is noteworthy that the leading flo- 

 rists in many communities are increas- 

 ing their advertising expenditure in the 

 local newspapers to a marked extent. 

 This was particularly ajjparent at St. 

 Valentine 's day. 



OuK present difficulties in the field of 

 general business arise from the fact that 

 half the world has nothing to trade us 

 for our surplus. It is goods that make 

 trade and wealth, not money. Money is 

 merely an order for goods. As world in- 

 dustry recovers we shall find our own 

 troubles ironed out. 



Writes a florist wlio wants an exten- 

 sion of time on a bill : ' ' Trade is slow 

 just now, but I have a thousand dollars ' 

 worth of plants in my greenhouse if some- 

 one would come along to buy them. ' ' 

 Don't wait, brother, for a buyer to come 

 along; go hunt him up. It's got to be 

 done sooner or later, so why not do it 

 now ? 



Every florist knows that those patrons 

 who call before the rusli get fuller at- 

 tention than those who come ;it the 

 eleventh hour. The same is true in j)ub- 

 lishing offices. Your interests .nre bet- 

 ter .served when matter, for eitlior adver- 

 tising or reading columns, reaches The 

 Review office Friday or Saturday instead 

 of Monday or Tuesday. 



INDIANAPOI.I.S, the ])l;ice of tlic filtli 

 national flower show, is .said to be the 

 largest interurban traction center in the 

 world. A network of electric lines covers 

 Indiana and fuljoininjj states, and In 

 diann])olis is the ])oint of riidiation for 

 them. Upon this fact and the easy ac- 

 cess of Indianapolis l)y railroad are based 

 the jiredictions of a tremendous attend- 

 ance of the i)ublic at the exhibition. 



The change of the national flower show 

 from Cleveland to Indianapolis is a sore 

 disappointment to the trade in the former 

 city. From the general chairman of local 

 arrangements, II. P. Knoble, to the last 

 member of the minor comnnttees, every- 

 one had toiled harder than the florists of 

 any city ever worked in behalf of a trade 

 exhibition. Their wholehearted support 

 of tlie Indianapolis florists — for the 

 Clevelanders have not ceased their efforts 

 — is an inspiration to which the Hoosier 

 trade is responding enthusiastically. The 

 last-minute change will have slight effect 

 on the show's undoubted success. 



It would be a great help if everyone 

 who can would pay his debts. As many 

 florists are slow because of neglect as from 

 inability to pay. But how is one to know 

 which is which? 



Much to the regret of all of us, the 

 soft times seem to have departed — rather 

 later in this business than in most lines, 

 but they're gone. However, most flo- 

 rists are in a stronger position than be- 

 fore the boom and can look forward to 

 years of profitable activity. 



Building plans have been accelerated 

 by the recent declarations of reduced 

 l)rices by the greenhouse construction eom- 

 jianies. A good many growers believe 

 the demand for flowers will receive an 

 impetus when general business is better 

 and they are preparing now. 



ST, VAUENTINE'S DAY. 



Though it is too early to judge the 

 business done for St. Valentine's day in 

 a general way, since only local reports 

 are to be had, the day seems to have 

 brought a marked amount of business to 

 the retail stores that made an effort to 

 get it. Some idea of the amount of 

 newspaper advertising done in Chicago 

 may be obtained from the figures given 

 in the news-letter in this issue. Many 

 circulars were sent out in addition, the 

 total extent of which cannot, of course, 

 be computed. The returns by way of 

 business in flowers for valentines were 

 strong. Those retailers in the outlying 

 districts were especially busy. Call was 

 marked for moderate and even low- 

 priced offerings. Sweet peas and violets 

 moved in large quantities. The public 

 has as strong a desire for flowers as ever, 

 but some persons haven't as much money 

 to spend as formerly and others, though 

 they have, are not so ready to spend it 

 as they were. So more sales effort is 

 required to turn flowers into cash. The 

 retailers who are strong in such efforts 

 demonstrate that the desired business is 

 to be had. 



MINERS DECLARE FOR STRIKE. 



A coal miners' strike April 1 is re- 

 garded as inevitable unless government 

 intervention forestalls it. 



While presenting a conciliatory front, 

 the United Mine Workers of America, in 

 convention at Indianapolis February 14, 

 received a report positively declaring 

 against proposed wage reductions and 

 its acceptance by the convention the 

 following day was regarded as a fore- 

 gone conclusion. 



The scale committee's report, however, 

 (•■■irried something of a surprise. It had 

 l)een predicted the committee would not 

 only ojipose a wage cut, but would also 

 demand increases. It was, according to 

 some interpretations, in the n;iture of a 

 peace overture. 



The r<'ji(irt recommended demands for 

 an 8-liour day "from bank to bank''; 

 that is, exclusive of time consumed in 

 ijoing from the mouth of the mine to 

 the vein of operations. This is a distinct 

 recession from the demands made by the 

 union at its convention in Cleveland two 

 years ago. The miners then insisted 

 upon a O-lionr day and a .'jday week. 



After directing that further efforts be 

 made to bring conferences between tlie 

 miners and ojjerators, the report refers 

 to the expiration of contracts March 31 

 and says: 



"In event no agreement is reached by 

 .•\pril 1, we declare in favor of a general 



suspension of mining operations, such ac- 

 tion being subject to a referendum vote 

 of the membership of the United Mine 

 Workers of America, such referendum to 

 be held prior to March 31." 



The referendum provision is a depar- 

 ture. Heretofore action of the conven- 

 tion has been final. 



Coal operators of the country have 

 emphatically committed themselves to a 

 pay-cut policy, effective when their ex- 

 isting contracts with the unions expire, 

 March 31. 



That the government is preparing to 

 cope with a strike crisis is evidenced by 

 the fact that two federal representatives 

 attended the convention. 



OF THE SAME OPINION STILL. 



When the federal quarantine now 

 known as No. 37 was proposed, The Ee- 

 view opposed it, expressing the opinion 

 that there was nothing in the circum- 

 stances which called for so drastic a 

 measure, that the remedy was worse 

 than the disease. But the quarantine 

 was ordered. It was destructive to 

 many business interests. Now that the 

 trade believes an extension of the quar- 

 antine is being planned, it may be well 

 to state The Review is of the same 

 opinion still. There seems to have been 

 no public benefit to compensate for the 

 loss and inconvenience inflicted by the 

 quarantine and there seems to be no 

 peril to our horticulture which calls for 

 consideration of widenimg the scope of 

 the quarantine. 



But perhaps the trade has got Dr. 

 Marlatt wrong. It may not be the in- 

 tention of the Federal Horticultural 

 Board to increase the list of prohibited 

 articles; the call for conference March 

 15 says it is "for the purpose of con 

 sidering the advisability of any modifi- 

 cations — additions to or deductions from 

 — of the classes of plants [or bulbs] per- 

 mitted entry." That leaves the matter 

 open. It may be possible to obtain 

 modifications in the trade's interest. 



ADVERTISING IS NEWS. 



Advertising in the nature of business 

 cards has no news value and publications 

 which carry that class of advertising 

 have no stronger hold than a trade di- 

 rectory would have on its subscribers. 

 On the other hand, advertising which 

 makes a specific offer of a seasonable 

 commodity and quotes a price on it is 

 well known to possess a strong news 

 value. Everybody knows that the want 

 ad medium in any city is the one with 

 the widest circulation and that publica- 

 tion also will be found to carry the larg- 

 est volume of display advertising. It 

 works the same wav in the trade paper 

 field. Like this: 



RooeivtI.v the thought orcurrj-d to mp. in look 

 inn over Thp Rcvipw, tliat «no mi(clit refer to It 

 ■IS the iiiiii-'iizinc in which the advfrllspments 

 fiirm nn inlcrrstin).' jiiirt of tlip nows.- K. S. Mr- 

 Cook. Rn.voii Farms. Ijikc Clinrlt's. \j\., Febrnnrv 

 :;. 1922. 



The fact is reflected in the correspond- 

 ence of advertisers. Like this: 



Kindl.v (iiscontinuo onr a<l of Oladiolns Prlmu- 

 linns hylirids. as wp arp pntirpiv sold out — 

 .Tarob .Sclnilz Co.. lionisvillp, Ky.," February 6, 



ripasp fiincpl onr ad for S. A. Nutt Keraniums. 

 as this ad ovprsold us in Ipss than one week. 

 IZ^^ '"*'"■ •■"*"'"« •'••1 <Pnts. sold otir stock of 

 4.000 plants for $180.— QiiPntin Floral Co.. St. 

 Joseph, Mo., February 4, 1922. 



If you hear a man complain of the 

 cost of advertising, you can be prettv 

 pcrtain he spends a good bit of monev 

 elsewhere than in The Review. 



