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TheWeekly Florists' Review. 



June 18, 1908. 



the people look for bargains. It is cer- 

 tain that the surplus should be disposed 

 of. In our own business we contribute 

 all our 'surplus to hospitals and this 

 method brings returns equal to the prices 

 that are obtained on the special bargain 

 plan. 



E* G. Gillett, Cincinnati. 



I have read carefully, word for word, 

 Mr. Niessen's paper, as published in the 

 Review, and I find that from begin- 

 ning to end he has mapped out the situ- 

 ation correctly and has given the real 

 facts of the case. But, so far as co- 

 operation is concerned, Mr. Niessen or 

 anyone else might stand up and talk 

 until black in the face and it would 

 produce no eflfect. 



When stock is scarce the retailer is all 

 smiles as he steps into a commission 

 house. No trouble to sell him goods 

 then. But let the glut appear and he 

 steps into a commission house with a 

 sour face and nothing is good enough 

 for him. He grumbles, pulls and hauls, 

 picks out a few cljoice morsels, jews you 

 down on the price and walks out. 



Does he reduce his price to his cus- 

 tomers! No. Why? "Because," he 

 says, "if I do it once they will expect 

 it next time. Then, I must use a box, 

 pay car fare and deliver the goods." 

 He will not consider the bargain specials 

 for a moment, and he will not help un- 

 load the market unless he has a place 

 to use the stock. 



The retailer in the large cities will 

 take no chances. He buys from the com- 

 mission houses to fill his orders and 

 then stops. My experience has been the 

 same as Mr. Niessen's in this respect. 



The large grower, who sells his own 

 stock, is to blame to a' great extent 

 for gluts and low prices. He is not a 

 commission broker, and he will sell his 

 product for any price he chooses, while 

 the commission broker is trying to get 

 all he can out of the stock for his con- 

 signors, but is forced to meet competi- 

 tion or do no business. 



I am heartily in favor of cooperation, 

 but it is impossible. 



Hij£o Sduoetcr, DetroiU 



I have read and re-read the paper 

 in the Review of June 4 on "Coopera- 

 tion of Retailer and Wholesaler," by 

 Arthur A. Niessen, and from every point 

 of view it appeals to me as being good. 

 The writer has shown no partiality and 

 his paper contains much food for 

 thought. 



When we have a glut of flowers in 

 our city, of course, the amount of stock 

 on hand does not compare with that of 

 a city like Philadelphia, Chicago, New 

 York or Boston; still, it is a glut, and 

 the question of relieving it is becoming 

 a serious one. No doubt, a store lo- 

 cated on the main street in a large city 

 can dispose of much stock in one day 

 by selling at a greatly reduced price. 

 One of our largest stores, located in the 

 best section of the city, has been carry- 

 ing on such sales for some time, one 

 every Saturday. Much stock has been 

 disposed of, but I doubt whether the 

 financial remuneration paid for the time, 

 labor and risk taken. If a florist has 

 glass of his own, and his stock com- 

 mences to pile up, it is a different propo- 

 sition. 



After all, the street merchant seems 

 to me to be the best solution of the 

 problem so far. *We call him a faker 

 and often talk of him as a detriment 

 to our business. He surely deserves some 



credit. He takes many long chances, 

 for when he buys stock away below the 

 regular market price, he is compelled 

 to buy in thousand lots; yes, ten-thou- 

 sand lots, in order to get his price. 

 When stock is scarce the fakers are 

 usually scarce, and when it becomes plen- 

 tiful they may be seen on all comers. 

 When you look at it in this light, is 

 not the faker a sort of a godsend f Of 

 course, as Mr. Niessen says, "with few 

 exceptions, they are not a desirable 

 lot," and it is to be hoped that some 

 day a better, more legitimate way will 

 be found for relieving a glut. I think 

 if the growers were to make more of a 

 study of it, much of the glut could be 

 prevented. 



That there is room for more coopera- 

 tion between the wholesaler and retailer 

 is true. Both sides should come half- 

 way. What we need in this city, and 

 I believe in most cities, is an organiza- 

 tion composed mainly of employers or 

 their managers or foremen; this to 

 meet at certain times oriVindependent 

 ground and discuss better business meth- 

 ods in a frank way. The object of this 

 organization should not be to see how 

 many members can be enrolled, but qual- 

 ity should be given the first considera- 

 tion. 



*rhere can be no set rule for a margin 

 between prices. A house that caters to 

 an exclusive trade, has bells on the 

 horses, uniformed messengers, etc., must 

 add more to the cost price than one that 

 caters to the middle classes. In my es- 

 timation, the average price received at 

 retail should be about double that of 

 the cost price for a firm doing a general 

 business. 



I would like to hear more on this sub- 

 ject from some of our large retail men 

 in this and other cities. My experi- 

 ence in this business has been limited 

 to a period of only a few years when 

 compared with some of the older heads. 

 The conditions in this city, also, are 

 different from those in some cities. 



Frank Huntsmao, QndnnaH. 



With reference to Mr. Niessen 's paper, 

 as printed in the Beview of June 4, I 

 think his use of the term cooperation 

 somewhat vague. Cooperation, as he him- 

 self states, "is practical only when all 

 parties concerned derive a benefit from 

 their combined efforts." 



Now, in time of a glut, it would be a 

 benefit, no doubt, to the grower and the 

 commission man to have the retail store 

 man flnd an outlet for the surplus — a 

 benefit to the grower in keeping down 

 his losses, if not in adding to his profits, 

 and a benefit to the commission man to 

 the extent of the commission involved. 

 But if the store man cannot make a 

 profit on the transaction, it would be co- 

 operation for him in about the same way 

 as if he should buy a wagon of a cer- 

 tain wagon dealer in our town, who heads 

 his price list in flaming characters: 

 "Come, buy my wagons and help me to 

 get rich." 



In regard to Mr. Niessen's question, 

 "What are the retailers doing to re- 

 lieve the market of its overproduction?" 

 I would say that the average store man 

 is just as eager to relieve the congestion 

 as is the faker, and for the same rea- 

 son, a desire for profit. But if the 

 store man were to follow Mr. Niessen's 

 advice to buy in large quantities, and 

 to make large sales and small profits, 

 would there not be danger of his getting 

 into the faker class, who, Mr. Niessen 

 says, are not a desirable lot? 



Mr. Niessen's remarks in regard to 

 unselfishness and faith ^ave the right 

 ring and are a credit /to him, but, no 

 matter how altruistic toe individual may 

 be, the average bu^ness man is too 

 tightly bound by the tether of profit to 

 stray very far Irony the beaten track. 



Mr. Niessen says' there is a vast dif- 

 ference in the price of flowers from the 

 grower to the pm)lic, and this is true. 

 The public does pay a high price for the 

 flowers, as compared with the actual 

 cost of production. It is also true that 

 cooperation, to be ideal, should include 

 the consume/ as well as the producer. 

 But to carrVto a conclusion this thought, 

 and to put/into practical operation some 

 of the plans for reducing the cost to 

 the consuiner, might do away with the 

 commission men entirely and most of 

 us store /men as well. 



Ff ink H. Traendly, New York. 



The iideas expressed before the Flo- 

 rists' club of Philadelphia are not new, 

 and to my knowledge have been agitated 

 for many years; in fact, as far back 

 as I can remember the question has been 

 brought up every little while by some 

 one. (This matter had been thrashed out 

 80 offen that I feel that anything I 

 mighl^say woiJd be of little consequence. 

 Philadelphia, as usual, seems to have 

 woke up long after all other cities. It 

 is a eondition that we all have to buck 

 again&t and do the best we can. 



\' 



ADVERTISING. 



J. W. Hill, of Des Moines, president 

 of j;he American Association of Nursery- 

 men, . in his address at Milwaukee last 

 week, among other things, had the fol- 

 lowing to say which is applicable* to all 

 branches of the horticultural trades: 



"I want to repeat, with greater em- 

 phasis, if possible, what my predecessor 

 stated at our last session, regarding the 

 necessity of giving greater publicity to 

 our products through the medium of 

 newspaper advertising. We are living 

 in the greatest advertising age the coun- 

 try has ever known, as may be easily 

 ascertained by closely examining the 

 columns of our leading papers and mag- 

 azines. The live, up-to-date nursery- 

 man can ill afford to listlessly foUow in 

 beaten paths because they led his father 

 to succeas, or to continue the methods 

 that he himself, even, adopted ten years 

 ago. We must adapt ourselves to new 

 methods and the changed conditions 

 brought about by this era of advertis- 

 ing. 



"Select some good advertising me- 

 diums, which publish the truth, and 

 which have the confidence of their read- 

 ers; send them honest, truthful ads and 

 let them know what you have to offer. 



* ' Furnish your customer just what you 

 agree to furnish, thus upholding the 

 respectability and truthfulness of the 

 journal or magazine, and at the same 

 time realize the consciousness of having 

 treated your patron right, and just as 

 you stated you would in your advertise- 

 ment. 



"Honesty and truthfulness in adver- 

 tising is the only policy which will en- 

 dure. ' ' 



Whitinsville, Mass. — The green- 

 houses at Pine Grove cemetery will soon 

 undergo extensive alterations. The 

 large house will be torn down, and in 

 its place will be erected a steel-frame 

 house, 29x108 feet. 



