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March 28, 1907. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



J 449 



General View of the Boston Spring Show, Azaleas, Acacias, Etc., in the Foreground. 



The Small Grower. 



The small wholesale grower of plants 

 and flowers will, on the other hand, do 

 much better to find one or more retail 

 dealers who will handle his product. 

 Especially, if he be a grower of the 

 "superb quality stock," will he en- 

 counter no trouble in finding dealers 

 with whom he can contract his entire 

 cut by the year. I have a case in mind 

 where a grower of carnations, with only 

 two small greenhouses and a cut not 

 exceeding a few hundred a day, has done 

 well and made money by contracting the 

 entire product of his houses by the year. 

 Being a grower of superb stock, he can 

 do this without the least trouble, and 

 the extra price obtained always insures 

 a handsome profit. The same method of 

 disposal applies with equal force to the 

 plant product of a small grower. There 

 are always plenty of retail dealers only 

 too willing and ready to purchase well- 

 grown, seasonable plants. 



The Best Method. 



I believe that the best method of 

 marketing our product depends wholly 

 upon the size of the establishment we 

 wish t6 maintain, and the volume of 

 those of us whose desires are to build a 

 business of the largest magnitude; that 

 is, one of the mammoth establishments 

 of the present day, there is no way equal 

 to legitimate trade newspaper advertis- 

 ing. Proper advertising, regularly and 

 persistently followed, will dispose of all 

 the plants and flowers any establishment 

 can produce. 



For the large grower of cut flowers, 

 who does not wish to maintain an estab- 

 lishment of his own for selling his prod- 

 uct, there is no better outlet than through 

 the agency of the wholesale commission 

 florist, as fully explained. 



Do not think I have forgotten the 

 little grower, for such is very far from 

 the case. I am sure, from personal ex- 

 perience, that in no way can he begin to 

 realize the substantial prorits from his 

 labors as by contracting his entire prod- 

 uct, both plants and flowers, to some 

 good retailer, who has a trade that de- 

 mands goods of the best quality. For 

 the little grower has no excuse for turn- 



ing out anything else. Even tne larger 

 grower of plants will always find plenty 

 of nearby retail dealers ready to take 

 them. 



In closing, allow me one word of ad- 

 vice — the best advertising sign a whole- 

 sale grower ever puts up in his green- 

 houses contains these words: "No Goods 

 at Retail." 



PACKING AND EXPRESS RATES. 



[A paper by C. W. Eichllng, New Orleans, 

 read before the Society of Southern Florists, at 

 its first annual convention, at New Orleans, Feb- 

 ruary 14 to 16, 1907.] 



If we consider that the plants and 

 flowers annually shipped over the United 

 States are valued at millions of dol- 

 lars, the immense business of transporta- 

 tion companies, and especially express 

 companies, becomes evident. 



Why do shippers of plants, bulbs and 

 seeds enjoy special low express rates? 

 Simply because the express companies 

 compete with the United States mail. 

 Uncle Sam was the first good friend of 

 the florist ; he offered to carry his plants, 

 bulbs and sQpds to any part of the 

 United States at the rate of two ounces 

 for 1 cent, or 8 cents per pound, in 

 packages up to four pounds. 



Now comes the express company and 

 goes Uncle Sam one better, and says to 

 the florist : "If you will pack right, 

 we will carry your goods at the same 

 rate as Uncle Sam, and give you a re- 

 ceipt, which Uncle Sam refuses to do, 

 and if you prepay your shipments we 

 will return you 2 cents on every ship- 

 ment weighing from fifty to seventy- 

 four ounces." A package weighing fifty 

 ounces would cost 25 cents by mail and 

 23 cents by express, if prepaid. The 

 minimum express charge is 10 cents on 

 packages up to twenty ounces. This 

 prepaid matter is called in the express 

 tariff, section D matter, and the rate 

 applies on packages up to seventy-four 

 ounces. The difference between mail 

 and express rates in this class is a sav- 

 ing of 2 cents per package if shipped 

 by express, besides getting a receipt 

 for it. 



General Special Rate. 



Packages weighing over seventy-four 



ounces are billed out, whether prepaid 

 or not, at what is called the "general 

 special" rate, which I shall now ex- 

 plain. 



If the florists were compelled to pay 

 regular merchandise rates on plant ship- 

 ments there would be no end to com- 

 plaints, and yet, why should the florist 

 be the favored one among the great 

 number of other shippers who all pay 

 regular merchandise rates, with a few 

 exceptions? The florist enjoys the gen- 

 eral special rate, which is from twenty 

 to thirty-three and one-third per cent 

 lower than the regular merchandise rate. 

 The rates are adopted by all express 

 companies belonging to the traffic com- 

 mittee, and it becomes the duty of every 

 shipper or receiver of bulbs, plants and 

 seeds to study these rates in order to 

 avoid and to be able to correct mis- 

 takes. 



A plant shipment to enjoy this special 

 rate must be packed in a closed box 

 so it may be handled with other express 

 matter without any special care. Plants 

 packed in baskets do not come under 

 this class. They must be handled with 

 more care, and the express company 

 charges you for this extra work by ap- 

 plying the pound rate, which is a little 

 higher than the general special rate, but 

 still much less than the regular merchan- 

 dise rate. For instance, where a ten- 

 pound package of merchandise from Chi- 

 cago to New Orleans would cost $1.10, a 

 ten-pound basket of plants would cost 

 40 cents, and if packed in a box, only 

 35 cents. Thirty-five cents is the mini- 

 nuim charge for a box or package of 

 plants at general special rates. 



The general special rate adopted by 

 the traffic committee is as follows, using 

 100 pounds as a basis : 



If Mdse. Rate Is $1.00 Genl Special is $ .80 



If Mdse. Kate is 2.00 Gen'I Special is 1.50 



If Mdse. Kate is 3.00 Gen'I Special is 2.25 



If Mdse. Rate Is 4.00 Genl Special Is 2.90 



If Mdse. Rate Is 5.00 Gen'I Special Is 3.40 



If Mdse. Kate is 6.00 Gen'I Special Is 4.00 



The merchandise rate between New 

 Orleans and Springfield, Ohio, is $3.50 

 per hundred pounds, or $2.90 special 

 rate, which means 2 9-10 cents per 

 pound. Then, a box of plants weighing 



