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12 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



Fbbbuary 23, 1911. 



THE HOBTICULTUBAL DBUMMEB. 



[Extracts from a paper by S. S. Skidelsky, of 

 Philadelphia, Pa., read at a meeting of tbe De- 

 troit FlorlBtB' Club, In Detroit, Mich., February 

 20, 1911.] 



When we alternately look at the 

 methods employed by the horticultur- 

 ists of a generation or two ago and 

 those of the yjresent day, we must con- 

 cede that the tremendous changes in 

 our business and the numerous improve- 

 ments along all lines are due, in a small 

 measure at least, to the men called 

 drummers, who, never daunted, brave 

 storms and blizzards, discomforts and 

 discomfitures, in order to achieve re- 

 sults. 



The commercial man has unquestion- 

 ably played the part of missionary, 

 educator, collaborator and scapegoat, 

 all in one; aud his reward — but of this 

 later. 



The Advent of the Drummer. 



As a result of unfortunate early ex- 

 periences in buying novelties from 

 highly idealized lithographs, the grower 

 for a time became ultra-conservative, 

 skeptical, suspicious, often missing 

 really good and meritorious things. 

 But conditions were changing, and with 

 the appearance of the commercial man 

 on the stage of horticultural interests 

 there came a change in the general at- 

 titude of the trade. Let me cite one 

 instance. 



It happened in a small town in Ohio, 

 about the time of the appearance of 

 the Tidal Wave carnation. One of the 

 pioneer drummers of that time made 

 a most heroic attempt to place a dozen 

 or twenty fine rooted cuttings with the 

 only florist of that town. "No, sir, 

 you can't fool me; not much! I am 

 through with novelties, and you had 

 better not waste your time here," 

 ejaculated the florist, with all the de- 

 termination and ardor of one fully con- 

 vinced. The arguments of the drummer, 

 however, prevailed in the end. Upon his 

 solemn promise that, should the Tidal 

 Wave — God forbid! — engulf his, the 

 florist's interests, and prove a failure, 

 there would be no pay, a whole dozen 

 rooted cuttings were ordered and 

 benched. 



Well, the Tidal Wave came up to 

 the promise. When Daybreak appeared, 

 the drummer had no difficulty in plac- 

 ing a hundred with the self-same cus- 

 tomer. Scott was planted most profit- 

 ably; so were Flora Hill, White Cloud, 

 Lawson, Enchantress and others. The 

 florist in question now buys new carna- 

 tion cuttings by the thousand and is 

 regarded among the progressives in the 

 craft. 



A True Missionary. 



I cite this instance, one of a multi- 

 tude of similar instances, in order to 

 prove that the pioneer drummer, who, 

 because of the "love of the game," 

 succeeded in accomplishing his object, 

 was a missionary in the true sense of 

 the word, contributing his share toward 

 the uplift and dissemination of a 

 worthy carnation, thus benefiting not 

 only the introducer of the novelty, but 

 the grower and the community at large. 



In looking back over a period of 

 twentj'-five years, following the career 

 of the small grower in the "one- 

 horse" town, up to the time when both 

 he and his town made the remarkable 

 growth characteristic of our American 

 enterprise, one must not overlook the 

 hard-working, painstaking, well-mean- 

 ing and honest drummer, who, whatever 



his shortcomings, has not failed to con- 

 tribute his share toward the progress 

 of horticulture. 



The man who is interested in his 

 work will, ns a matter of course, ob- 

 serve things, and thus add to his own 

 store of linowledge and experience. If 

 he is honest and honorable in his in- 

 tentions — and there are few who are 

 not — he will bear in mind that the in- 

 terests of his trade must be protected 

 first, last and all the time, believing 

 that a satisfied customer, one whose 

 confidence is won and held, is an asset 

 of far greater importance than a profit- 

 able order. 



A Traveling Information Bureau. 



Imbued with such a belief, the com- 

 mercial traveling man will draw either 

 upon his own experience, obtained by 

 dint of close and intelligent observa- 

 tion, or upon the experience of other 

 growers who often paid dearly for it, 

 in order to put his man upon the right 

 track. Reasoning from the premises 

 that "honesty is the best policy," the 

 commercial traveler, simply as a matter 

 of policy, draws the line between "un- 

 loading" a thing fit for the dump, and 

 selling an article which may prove of 

 value to th^ grower. 



Having juit returned from a trip to 

 Chicago, for example, he will in all 

 likelihood have something of interest 

 to tell to his Boston florist friends. To 

 be sure, So-aiid-So has planted largely 

 of this or that rose, having found it 

 profitable, while another rose, proving 

 itself unworthy of the bench room 

 given it the season previous, was dis- 

 carded. 



' ' How does Mr. Brown grow his Be- 

 gonia Lorraine, or his cyclamens, or 

 his lilies so well!" "Why, he treats 

 his plants 'just so,' and therein lies 

 the secret of his success." 



The commercial traveler, if he 

 "loves his game," or, in other words, 

 if he takes an active, intelligent in- 

 terest in his work, bearing in mind the 

 welfare of his friends in the trade, does 

 not ignore the hints and bits of in- 

 formation that he may pick up from 

 time to time during his traveling ca- 

 reer. Combining honesty of purpose 

 with the knowledge and experience that 

 he thus acquires, he becomes a sort of 

 "bureau of i:>formation," and, depend 

 on it, he will not knowingly mislead 

 his patrons, if his advice is sought. 



The Element of Self-interest. 



"As a matter of course," some miglit 

 suggest, "it is self-interest, the desire 

 to make a sale, that is chiefly respon- 

 sible for the drummer's efforts." The 

 traveling man unquestionably benefits 

 by booking an order for White Perfec- 

 tion, but so does the grower and the 

 grower's patrons, and the whole locality 

 where such a change, from, say Boston 

 Market, is brought about. 



But whether self-interest is of pri- 

 mary or of secondary importance to 

 the average traveling man, there is no 

 denying the fact that he constitutes 

 an integral part of the organized work- 

 ing force that has helped to advance 

 horticulture to its present stage. 



When the traveling man volunteers 

 to speak in the interest of the Society 

 of American Florists, or in the interest 

 of oth^r societies in the trade, the 

 national flower shows, etc., as he often 

 does, and succeeds in converting some 

 of his friends to the good causes, self- 

 interest does not enter into his mind. 



and horticulture is certainly benefited 

 to a great extent. 



Has Demonstrated His Value. 



It will thus be seen that in spite of 

 the idea, entertained in some quarters 

 at least, of the drummer being a sort 

 of all-around nuisance, he did his full 

 duty and should therefore be entitled 

 to his full t»hare of credit. 



Far be it from my intention, how- 

 ever, to plead the cause of the drum- 

 mer. He can take care of his own in- 

 terests, and, what is equally certain, 

 he has already succeeded in demon- 

 strating his services to the craft in 

 many a way. But for him, and his 

 hard work at the exhibition halls, our 

 annual florists' conventions would 

 hardly draw the attendance they gen- 

 erally do; but for him, his enthusiasm, 

 or his "love of the game," many a 

 good and money-making thing would 

 never, perhaps, have seen the light of 

 day. 



If, perchance, his enthusiasm carries 

 him too far, and his "money-maker" 

 proves a soap bubble, take it for 

 granted that he never intended to 

 fleece you. "To err," you know, "is 

 human." Like yourselves, he may now 

 and then use poor judgment, but, like 

 yourselves, he still realizes that suc- 

 cess in the broader sense of the term 

 hinges primarily upon a policy that is 

 honest and aboveboard. In his hard 

 and uphill race, questionable means, he 

 well knows, can only serve to hinder 

 his progress. He is learning in his 

 school of experience that business in- 

 tegrity and honesty of purpose must 

 constitute his stock in trade, his main 

 equipment, else he cannot possibly run 

 the race. I know of instances where 

 traveling men, disregarding instruc- 

 tions, have, it the risk of losing their 

 positions, declined to unload undesirable 

 things upon their customers, and such 

 men, I will remark in passing and in 

 conclusion, are by no means in the 

 minoritv. 



BOCHESTEB. 



The Market. 



If the growers and florists of this 

 vicinity could make arrangements for 

 a supply of sunshine, they might be 

 able to secure some flowers. Unfor- 

 tunately, sunshini* can not be manu- 

 factured or purchased, so the florist . 

 snflfers. The weather for the last week 

 or more has been dark and cloudy, with 

 not more than three really bright days 

 in the whole time. Supplies of all 

 kinds are short, with no immediate 

 prospect of betterment. 



Club Committees. 



At the last meeting of the Florists' 

 Association President Hart named the * 

 standing committees for the year. It 

 is provided that the entertainment com- 

 mittee shall have general charge of the 

 annual banquet, to be held in March. 

 The committees follow: 



Entertainment, E. S. OBborne. N. R. Graves, 

 J. M. Keller, R. D. Liietchford, J. Dunbar. 



Finance, F. W. Vlck. B. G. Salter, E. P. 

 Wilson, W. G. Barry, William Perle. 



Essays, George Arnold, J. Dunbar, A. H. 

 Seeker, C. H. Vlck, G. T. Boucher. 



Bowling, A. F. Vlck, Philip Ham, Paul Tho- 

 inann, H. B. Weller. L. T. Tlckner. 



Exhibit. C. H. Vick, F. J. Kpller, A. 11. Salter. 

 K. P. Wilson, E. R. Fry. F. R. Schlegel. J. M. 

 Keller, R. Ballantync, C. B. Ogston, Charles 

 Suhr. 



Audit. M. Ogston, F. Bennett, Charles Suhr, 

 E. Berry, J. Thomann, Sr. 



Membership, C. Muhlbeycr, F. Thomann, W. H. 

 IMliilre, C. B. Fry, Walter Salmon. 



