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12 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ o^tobbb is, ims. 



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BULB STOCK... 



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MR. REID HAS A FINAL WORD. 



In the Eeview of October 1, on page 

 12, Mr. Guille has evinced great surprise 

 at the stand TChich I have taken relative 

 to sending southern-grown bulbous stock 

 to the Philadelphia market. It seems 

 strange to me thalt he should be stir- 

 prised,' as I expressed my views plainly 

 in his hearing at the Florists' Club in 

 this city. 



My one reason for discouraging the 

 production of that stock, and putting it 

 on the market • here, is because it has 

 such a tendency to demoralize business 

 conditions in general. Bulbous stock has 

 heretofore been made welcome by the 

 trade, when they were able to realize 

 some profits, and also by the flower buy- 

 ers, but in recent years, with the terrible 

 influx of that kind of stock, it has 

 seemed to demoralize the business, not 

 only in that particular line, but others as 

 well. 



Mr. Guille has asked me to explain 

 why I consider their competition in the 

 flower market as unfair. , I shall en- 

 deavor to do so. I am satisfied to abide 

 by the decision of the trade in general 

 whether I am right or not. 



In the first place, everyone here who 

 forces bulbs does so for the flowers. This 

 is the only thing that they can derive 

 any revenue from, while on the other 

 hand the Virginian growers are engaged 

 in the business of producing bulbs and 

 consequently not depending on the sale 

 of cut flowers for profits. In other words, 

 the money which they get out of cut 

 flowers is a side issue, or what we might 

 call a gain. Then again, their labor does 

 not cost them fifty per cent of what the 

 florists of this section have to pay for 

 their help. An acre of land where they 

 are located could be purchased for less 

 than what the ground on which a green- 

 house located here would cost. Then 

 again, they are favored with climatic 

 conditions which enable them to grow 

 bulbous stock in enormtJiiW-ljuantities out- 

 doors, in competition with men who are 

 obliged, after buying their bulbs and 

 paying the dealer's profits, to force the 

 bulbs under glass. 



These are a few of the reasons which 

 I think will be sufficient to convince any 

 man that as far as the general good of 

 the trade is concerned, the competition is 

 unfair. 



Mr. Guille states that if any one has 

 discovered a cheaper way of producing 

 bulb blooms, it ought to redound to his 

 credit. To that I would sSLy amen. But 

 no one has unearthed any new secret in 

 botany. On the other hand, the growers 

 in\the south are going back to the primi- 

 tive method of growing bulbs outdoors. 

 It is a known fact that daffodils have 

 grown wild in Gloucester county, Vir- 

 ginia, since it was first settled. 



About the tariff: I am not going* to 

 discuss that, because if I did some of 

 our politicians might be put out of a 

 job; but just to state in passing that 

 judging from the tide of emigration to 

 this country all the time, conditions must 

 necessarily be an improvement over those 

 of countries of the old world. It is my 

 candid opinion that the man who grows 

 flowers at an enormous expense during 

 the winter months, when the dealer makes 

 his money, is entitled to some considera- 

 tion, and ought to be protected against 

 such ■ competition as above stated. 



As to comparing the stage coach and 

 the railroad, you must certainly know 

 that for every dollar invested in the for- 

 mer there were thousands invested in the 

 latter; and it is only owing to such 

 development that the Virginia grower of 

 bulbs is enabled to put his secondary 

 croi\ in competition with the florists who 

 force the bulbs under glass at distant 

 points. 



Mr. Guille wonders if I have any idea 

 what it costs the Virginians to produce 

 their flowers and place them on the mar- 

 ket. I have a general idea, but nothing 

 very deflnite. One thing I do know, how- 

 ever; were they depending entirely for 

 their profits on the amount realized from 

 the flowers they would not stay in that 

 line of business veiy long, for I hardly 

 think, taking it altogether, the bulb grow- 

 ers last season got the first cost out of 

 their bulbs, owing to this competition 

 which I have designated as unfair. 



Mr. Guille seems now to put the blame 

 for the glut on the wholesale florists. It 

 seems to me that they have enough 

 troubles of their own without trying to 

 load them down with any more. Sup- 

 posing that we stopped shipments for a 

 day or two; I do not see that it would 

 improve conditions any; if they did not 

 come to Philadelphia they would go some- 

 where else. That is why I say that it 

 has a tendency to be far-reaching in its 

 effect- 

 Mr. Guille also states that the southern 

 bulb growers are prepared to sacriflce a 

 little for advertising purposes. It seems 

 to me that they are working from the 

 wrong end, for they are engaged in the 

 business of producing bulbs for the 

 florists to force, and they can rest 

 assured that no man is going to buy 

 bulbs and force them except he can do 

 it with a profit, and under the existing 

 conditions that would be an utter impos- 

 sibility. It seems to me our gentlemen 

 from the south are making the same 

 fatal mistake as was made by the lily 

 bulb growers in Bermuda, by cutting tho 

 flowers and sending them to this country, 

 and the result was, as everyone knows, 

 that it ruined the quality of the bulbs, 

 and it was necessary for the government 

 to take the matter in hand, and at the 

 present time the lily growers are afraid 

 to risk, the product of that island, while 

 the Japanese lilies are much in demand. 

 Mr. Guille also states that the time is 

 not far distant when every family in the 

 United States will insist upon having 

 flowers on the dining-table. We are all 

 hoping that the time will soon come, and 

 if he undertakes to supply that demand 

 from good old Virginia, it will be neces- 

 sary for him to sell them at a much 

 higher price than what they were sold 

 for in the home market at Norfolk, if he 

 wants to make any money. 



It is only fair to state that the greater 

 amount of flowers which have been sent 

 to this market have been fine, and it has 

 always been a matter of regret to me 

 that they were sold so cheaply, but under 

 the conditions which prevailed, owing to 

 the quantity which comes into the mar- 

 ket, there is nothing to do but move 

 them at some price. It is my belief that 

 if the distribution of this bulbous stock 

 could be eliminated or at least modified, 

 it would be much better for all con- 

 cerned. Edwaed Eeid. 



Goshen, Ind. — H. Hills, of Elkhart, 

 Ind., called recently to see the new 

 greenhouse at the Colonial Flower Shop. 



Newton Center, Mass. — Miss Mc- 

 Grady has reopened her flower store at 

 67 Union street* opposite the station. 



Florists' Club's Float in S<^uicentennial Industrial Vixzj^t at Pittsburg, Pa. 



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