14 



The Florists' Review 



Mabch 5, 1914. 



"Thus we often ooniplaiu at the sup- 

 posed i)rofits on necessities wliieli are 

 Voutrolleil by big business ami submit 

 with' a smile to the thirty tim^s larger 

 profit levied upon our luxuries by little 

 business.' ' i 



Of I'ourse that's an unfair eoni- 

 parison. Coal .doesn't \\'i^her oveir^'night; 

 its mining calls for. neither service nor 

 art. Also, the coal may cost $1 and 

 sell for $1.07, but bj' the time it gets 

 into the writer's coalbin it costs all 

 the way from .$3 to $G per ton! Prob- 

 ably it is not to be wondered at that a 

 man who would compare coal mining 

 Avith retailing cut flowers would ignore 

 the fact that the average mine oper- 

 ator appears to grow rich on that 7-cent 



long ago a man came into our store and 

 ])urchased a $!■') design, tb be delivered 

 to an undertaking estaplishment. In 

 l»ayinent for the design I he gave us a 

 $175 check. The man was heavily in- 

 toxicated and Was going home to sober 

 up and stated that he would call for 

 the balance in a day or so. We thought 

 his story quite plausible, but phoned to 

 the bank to ascertain the value of the 

 check before delivering the floral de- 

 sign. The bank informed us that the 

 check, if properly signed, was perfectly 

 good, but later found that it was a 

 case of forgery and we were $15 "in 

 the hole. ' ' Further evidence pointed 

 to the fact that this was'simply a repe- 

 tition of a rascally offense elsewhere. 



Store and Show House of the San Antonio Floral Co.t San Antonio, Tex. 



margin while the average retail florist, 

 whatever his margin may be. seems to 

 find it increasingly difficult to keep his 

 liead above water. But tliat doesn't 

 help the Philadelphia florists, who feel 

 that such statements in newspapers not 

 only arc unfair but are a detriment to 

 the flower business. 



CREDIT SYSTEM FOE FLORISTS. 



[An .adilrpss by Glen K. I'aikcr, of tlie Goo. M. 

 Ki'lloK}? riowcr & Plant Co., piosidont of tin' 

 Kansas City Tloiists' Club, lopiu'tfa by Saniiicl 

 Scllgniau.] 



We should establish a credit system 

 ill our club for the benefit of each linn 

 <»r member concerned therein. K;i(h 

 individual should furnish a rating or 

 reference, to be put on file for the use 

 of the members. The club would then 

 be prepareil to give satisfactory infor- 

 mation in regard to the financial stand- 

 ing of the different florists and their 

 promptness in meeting bills. 



For example, in the last month two 

 firms who are members of the club 

 liave given the Geo. M. Kellogg Flower 

 t-V: Plant Co. for reference as to their 

 ]iromptness in remitting. We kntnv 

 these firms in a personal \\;\y and 

 through their dealings with us. l>ut 

 could give no further inforniittion. 

 Avhereas if a credit system had been 

 established, we could have easily re- 

 ferred to their rating with tlio cUib. 



This credit system, properly kept, 

 would also furnish the club members 

 with evidence as to the character and 

 capability of each other. It would be 

 of great benefit to employers, as well 

 as employees in securing a position. 



Again, such a system would be of 

 great benefit to florists in keeping their 

 books clear of impostors, as well as 

 delinquent debtors. For instance, not 



On another occasion a woman came 

 into our store and asked to open au 

 account with us. She gave us satis- 

 factory references relative to her hus- 

 band's financial standing, which were 

 accepted. The first of the month, when 

 the husband received the bill, he was 

 indignant at the thought of his wife's 

 charging goods to his credit, when the 

 two were separated, and flatly refused 

 to recognize her bills. He afterward 

 sent out notices to some of the leading 

 florists to the effect that he was no 

 longer responsible for debts made 



against him by his- wife. By this case 

 being filed with the club, the members 

 who failed to rec^eive notices would be 

 guarded against this customer. 



One more mention I should like to 

 make is of a person who came into the 

 store and asked to open an account 

 with us, stating that she had accounts 

 with two other florists, but was much 

 impressed with work of ours she had 

 seen and wished to do business with 

 us. Now, it may be that she was per- 

 fectly O. K., but had we a credit sys- 

 tem, properly conducted, we could have 

 easily called upon our club members 

 to enlighten us in regard to her stand- 

 ing with the florists with whom she 

 claimed to have accounts. 



Fraudulent persons are continually 

 trying to take unlawful advantage of 

 merchants in large cities, and it is only 

 right that the different business asso- 

 ciations should guard themselves 

 against, such trickery, .lust such cases 

 as I have cited .should be filed with 

 the club and used by the members for 

 reference when opening credit ac- 

 counts with strangers. Such people as 

 I have mentioned, when they fail to 

 cheat one florist, will go to another. 

 iiy the cre,dit system these suspicious 

 j)ersons will become known among the 

 flower dealers. It would also be well 

 to, keep a list of delinquent debtors on 

 file for the use of the club members. 

 Xo one wants to open an account with 

 those who will not meet their bills 

 promptly. I believe the florist will 

 readily see the advantages and bene- 

 fits that would be derived from a credit 

 system, which would save time, money 

 and expense. 



PROGEESSI'VE TEXAS FLORIST. 



About two years ago Wm. S. Herzog 

 moved to San Antonio, Tex., from Mor- 

 ris Plains, N. J., where he had been in 

 business for some time. Seeing in the 

 Texas town a good opening for a florist, 

 he purchased a tract of land comprising 

 nine building lots, and built one green- 

 house, 33x100 feet. The following year 

 he incorporated the business as the San 

 Antonio Floral & Nursery Co., with a 

 capitalization of $10,000. There are 

 now at the range on Fairplay avenue 

 five greenhouses of approximately this 



W. S. Herzog, Manager San Antonio Floral Co., in His Chrysanthemum House. 



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