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March 0, 1011. 



The Weekly Florists' Review, 



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THE RETAIL 



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AUTOMOBILE DELIVERY CAES. 



The New vs. the Old. 



Men in all lines of business are pon- 

 dering over the question of adopting the 

 automobile for delivery purposes. Many 

 have done so to a limited extent, while 

 some already have abolished the horse. 

 It is only in the last few years that 

 automobile concerns have gone exten- 

 sively into the manufacture of commer- 

 cial vehicles. The pioneer companies are 

 all getting into that end of the busi- 

 ness and in this city (Detroit), at least, 

 new companies, manufacturing commer- 

 cial automobiles exclusively, are spring- 

 ing up like mushrooms. 



It is the use of the motor car for 

 business purposes that will put it on a 

 substantial basis. The number of peo- 

 ple who have used horses only for pleas- 

 ure or convenience is small compared 

 with the thousands who have employed 

 horses as a means of business trans- 

 portation — for doctors, salesmen, rural 

 mail carriers, delivery purposes, etc. 

 Here lies the life of the motor car. 



Florists' Cars — ^A Difficult Problem. 



The practical business automobile is 

 still in the process of development, 

 although the progress has been remark- 

 ably fast; the years to come will see 

 many changes, and naturally many im- 

 provements. Neverthelew, there are al- 

 ready many good commercial cars on the 

 market that are adapted to our busi- 

 ness. I am speaking from the stand- 

 point of the retail florist, who is up 

 against a problem such as perhaps no 

 olher merchant has to contend with. 



A florist is expected to have a neat, 

 stylish wagon. Our goods ' will not 

 stand much vibration or jarring, or ex- 

 posure to frost or extreme heat. Flow- 

 ers can not be delivered "any old 

 time;" often a half hour's delay is 

 fatal. Except during the holiday 

 rushes, as at Easter and Christmas, the 

 average flower store does not have 

 enough deliveries to make in one day 

 to warrant keeping a number of wagons, 

 one for each section of the city; con- 

 sequently one wagon, perhaps, must de- 

 liver to the two extreme points in a 

 city on the same day. 



Comparative Cost. 



In the business with which the writer 

 is identified we are usifag an automo- 

 bile for delivering and hardly a week 

 passes but some one says, "Do you 

 find it cheaper than the horse?" Peo- 

 ple might just as well compare electric 

 lights and kerosene lamps. 



We all know that the actual cost in 

 dollars and cents for lighting our stores 

 with electricity is more than it was 

 when we used kerosene. Why, then, do 

 we use electricity? Because it is clean, 

 safe, convenient, odorless, flexible, gives 

 a better light, and. modern times de- 

 mand it. Taking all these reasons into 

 consideration, the extra cost of electric 

 light seldom is considered. So it is, or 



will eventually be, with the automobile. 

 One-half to three-fourths of an hour 

 spent every morning in oiling up and 

 cleaning the mechanism of an auto will 

 keep it in fine condition. A horse re- 

 quires about that much time for groom- 

 ing each day, to say nothing of the 

 time for feeding at morning, nopn and 

 evening. And if a horse comfes into 

 the stall warm at night, he can not be 

 fed at once. The stable also needs at- 

 tention every day. 



Speed and Convenience. 



You can drive an auto all day long, 

 seven days a week, at a speed of twelve 

 to fifteen miles per hour. It never 

 gets tired, but what of the horse? 



If you have a long run t'o make, to 

 some suburban town, say twenty-five 

 miles, round trip, it can be done in one 

 and one-half to two hours with the auto. 

 In fact, as soon as you have the facili- 

 ties for quicker and more prompt de- 

 livering, so many uses for it will spring 

 up that ere long you will be wondering 

 how it was ever possible to do the 

 work with horses. 



Tire Trouble. 



Many florists dread the thought of 

 tire trouble. This can be entirely elim- 

 inated by equipping the car with solid 

 or cushion tires, although for a light 



delay caused by an occasional puncture 

 or blow-out does not compare with the 

 annoyance of the horse with dull shoes 

 when the roads are icy, and the delays 

 at the horseshoer's. 



When an auto is standing idle, the 

 cost can only be measured by the money 

 invested, and this is not as much as 

 horse-feed, unless the first cost of your 

 car ran into the thousands, which is 

 unnecessary. 



Many say an auto is a fine advertise- 

 ment. This is true, although a fine de- 

 livery wagon, drawn by a span of well 

 groomed and well harnessed horses, also 

 speaks well for the firm. 



The Driver. ,; 



One feature about the horse which 

 appeals to many is that a boy at $6 or 

 $8 per week can drrxe it", while in- such 

 hands an auto would be a big expense 

 and short-lived. Here, in my estima- 

 tion, lies the whole secret of making 

 the commercial auto pay. Put a good, 

 practical, trustworthy man on it, pay 

 him well and you will have no trouljle. 



If you are located in a sraall city or 

 only do a little retail business, calling 

 for but few deliveries, drive the car 

 yourself. An hour or two a day will do 

 all your delivering, give you a little 

 change from the regular routine and 

 enable you to dispense with the driver 

 altogether. 



There can be no doubt that we all 

 agree as to the advantages of the auto, 

 and in my next article 1 will endeavor 

 to give an estimate of the relative cost 

 of operation, from actual experience. 



Hugo Schroeter. 



THE BECOBD TO DATE. 



I have read with interest the item in 

 The Review of February 16 with the 

 accompanying illustration of the man- 

 tel in flowers. This is good and de- 



The Record to Date— An Auto in Flowers for a Funeral. 



commercial wagon, which is to travel 

 rapidly, my advice, based on experience, 

 would be to use pneumatic tires. The 

 solid tires will jar the machinery, caus- 

 ing a continual need for adjustment, 

 and flowers will not carry so well, be- 

 cause of the greater vibration. The 



scribes a situation we all are up against 

 at times. People insist on ordering the 

 most unusual articles reproduced in 

 flowers, and we either have to follow 

 out their wishes or see the business go 

 to some (•omi>etitor. who is content to 

 su]ipiy what is asked for and pocket 



