NOVKMIIICK 11, 190!). 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



29 



John Walker, Youugstown, 0. 



W. J. Suiylli, Chicago. 



A. Langc, Chicago. 



K. WlenhoelRT, Chicago. 



John Mangel, Chicago. 



I'eunock llros., I'liiladelphia. 



Clarke Bros., I'orllauU, Ore. 



C". A. Saiiiiu'liiou, Chicago. 



.lacob Schulz, Louisville. 



iSchlller Kstate, Chicago. 



S. A. Anderson, Buffalo. 



!•'. C. Weber, St. Louis. 



F. II. Meinhanlt, St. Louis. 



Mark Aitken, Springtield, Mass. 



W. J. I'aliuer, Uuttalo. 



J. S. Wilson, I)es Moiues, la. 



C. 1'. Mueller, Wicliita, Kan. 



A. Graham & Son, ClevelauU. 



A. S. Swansou, St. Paul. 



Young & Nugent, New York. 



Arthur Newell, Kansas City. 



Holm & Olson, St. I'aul. 



A. Sunderbruch & Son, Clncinuali, 



C. 11. Frey, Lincoln, Neb. 



A. K. Uaunier, Louisville, Ky. 



A. W. Smith, I'lttsburg. 



Hoyt & Bros. Co., Spokane, Wash. 



Byron II. Ives, Albuuuerque, N. Me.x. 



F. H. Lemon & Co., Uichniond, lud. 



Koenig Floral Co., St. Louis. 



Gude Bros. Co., Washington. 



J. T. Temple, Davenport, la. 



J. K. Wilcox, Council Bluffs, la. 



H. U. Couiley, Boston, Mass. 



Hess & Swoboda, Omaha. 



W. IT. Culp, Wichita, Kan. 



Chapin Bros., Lincoln, Nel). 



Jacksonville Floral Co., JacUsunville, Fla. 



W. L. Hock, Kansas City. 



J. Breltmeyer's Sons, Detroit. 



Sam .Murray, Kansas City. 



J. F. Sullivan, Detroit. 



Delivery in Other Cities. 



Probably tlierc is not a rotailer proseut 

 today who has not, at some time, been 

 worried as to bow he could properly 

 effect a tlclivery at some distant point. 

 Most of us have had some unpleasant ex 

 perience resulting from selecting a name 

 haphazard from the Florists' Directory. 

 Such a man may have gone out of busi- 

 ness, he may have a place largely de- 

 voted to vegetables and treat the iower 

 business as an insignificant side issue, or 

 he may be one of those cautious people 

 afraid' to hand out the flowers unless he 

 can take in the coin at the same time. 



Then there conies the matter of dis- 

 counts. Some say fifteen per cent should 

 be allowed, others say twenty per cent, 

 and 1 find that still others say twenty- 

 five per cent. 



Some florists will remit as soon as they 

 get a bill; the majority take thirty days 

 and some settle when they have no other 

 pressing need of the money. 



The detailed directions for delivery 

 often make it necessary to send long and 

 expensive telegrams. The florist in a 

 small town may gladly fill an order for 

 a dollar's wortli of carnations and think 

 himself properly paid at 50 cents per 

 dozen, while the man on Fifth avenue 

 will feel that the expense of a long de- 

 livery would make an order for a dollar 

 a nuisance and that high rents compelled 

 him to charge three times as much per 

 dozen as the village florist. 



We will have accomplished a great deal 

 if we can form an organization that shall 

 include one or more representatives in 

 every city of the country, who can be de- 

 pended on to properly fill orders from 

 any other member, at a rate of discount 

 fixed in advance. We must devise some 

 plan where the prompt payment for such 

 orders is made certain. 



We must have a telegraph code that is 

 practical, concise and comprehensive. 

 The members should be kept as fully 

 posted as practicable concerning the 

 prices prevailing in different localities. 



[ think we will find no serious diffi- 

 culty except in the two points, which may 

 be said to involve the character of the 

 members; viz., will the recipient of an 

 order fill it properly and will the sender 

 pay for the goods? 



Of these two questions the former is 

 the more difficult, but I believe it will be 



Table of Orchids Shown at New Yoik by Lager & Hurrcll, Summit, N. J. 



solved. Any member should see that his 

 self-intoiest demand.s the proper filling 

 of orders intrusted to him by another 

 llorist. \Vt> must not allow the adoption 

 of any rule tli;it woukl compel members 

 to send tiieir oi'ders to any given llorist. 

 This woidd l>e fatal. Each member must 

 feel that the securing of order^^ is as 

 sisted by membership in tlu' nrganization. 

 but that tlie retention of ])atr(iiiage de- 

 peiuls u|ii)ii thr (|ualit\- uf the st'rvice 

 rendered. 



An oifender may not atlriid the aiunial 

 conventions, but he may be sure others 

 will do so, luul that tlicy will exchange 

 notes and get a line on iiow orders are 

 being filled by diU'ereiit peojde. If serv- 

 ices were bad enoiigli it migiit well lie 

 the cause for exiuilsion, Imt if it were 

 at all bad the majority of members 

 would soon know about it. 



We should encourage our customers to 

 make in(|uiries from their friends and to 

 report on all deliveries, but in consider 

 ing .such reports we sliould bear in mind 

 the dis[)osition of some peopU' to com 

 ]>lain in season and out of season. 



The Credit Problem. 



The matter of credits is dillicuit nt 

 first sight, but seems certain of solution. 

 In the first place the membership sliould 

 cost enough so that it will b(> too vahia 

 l)le to lose for a trifling bill. In the 

 next place make the annual dues enough 

 so that the organiz^ation can .afford to 

 exercise close supervision in the matter 

 of accounts. 



I have given considerable thought to 



this {)articidar featuri? ami am inclined 

 to think that tiie following plan is prac- 

 tical and e(iuitiible. In addition to a 

 fixed membership fee, let the member or 

 members from each city pay into the 

 treasury a sum based on flie population 

 of their city, if there is only one mem- 

 lier from any certain city he sliould pay 

 it all; if a second meiidn'r comes in from 

 that city he sliouhl pay one half of the 

 population fee, '=?rtrich sliouhl then be re- 

 funded to till! first member, and so on, 

 no matter how many come in from that 

 one city. The total poiuilation fee in the 

 trea.-ury from each city sliouM remain 

 constant, and each member from each 

 city should have (laid an eijiial amount 

 with tlu' other memliers irom his same 

 city. 



Let the inoiiey so p;ii(| be iiuested and 

 tile interest from siicli investment be 

 cDiniiiiieil with llie niemliership fees to 

 foiiii ;i, guarantee fund. Should any 

 iiieiiiber fail cu' ret'iise to pay a bill, due 

 to ••my other nuMiilier, within a specdfietl 

 time, s.iy sixty days, the bill sliould be 

 ]iit'sente<l to the ]iro[)er conunittee and, 

 if it is found correct, it should be paid 

 from the guarantee; fund, thu.s consuming 

 the meiiib(>rsliip fee of the tlelinquent 

 member and severing his (■(uuiection with 

 the associajion. 



In case the account is a disputed one, 

 jn-ovide that flit! debtor may pay, to the 

 arbitration committee, the amount 

 (daiined. to await their decision as to 

 \\liat amount is justly due. and in such 

 case his membership would not be af- 

 fected. 



