94 
September, 1918 
Slower (Brower 
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Z3I)e Slower (Brower 
! PUBLISHED MONTHLY ON THE FIRST OF THE MONTH BY j 
1 MADISON COOPER, CALCIUM, N.Y. j 
FOR BOTH AMATEUR AND PROFESSIONAL FLOWER GROWERS 
I Subscription Price : OUR MOTTO: Canadian and Foreign | 
I $1.00 per year. Special favors to none, and a Subscription Price I 
| 3 years for $2.00. square deal to all. $1.25 per year, f 
Growers are invited to contribute articles or notes over their own 
signatures, but the Editor reserves the right to reject anything which 
in his judgment is not conducive to the general welfare of the business. 
Copyrif/lit 1018 by Madison C oojter 
The contents of THE FLOWER GROWER, formerly "The Modern Gladiolus 
Grower’’ are covered by general copyright. Permission is given to editors to use not 
more than one-third of any article providing proper credit is given at the beginning nr 
end of such quotation, as follows: “From THE FLOWER GROWER, Calcium, N. V.” 
Special permission necessary for reprinting illustrations, long extracts or articles entire. 
Vol. V September, 1918 No. 9 
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“ He who sows the ground with care and diligence acquires a 
greater stock of religious merit than he could gain by the 
repetition of ten thousand prayers.” — Zoroaster. 
A Word About Prices. 
This is the time of year when Gladiolus growers begin to 
think about next year’s catalogue and price lists, and they 
wonder how prices will be as compared to former years. 
Those who are new to the business will do well to consult 
the older growers. They should not be afraid to do this 
because those who have had experience in the business are 
invariably glad to assist those who are just starting in. 
The new beginner is likely to make a mess of it if he 
tries to fix his own prices. Some prices he will probably 
get too high, but for the most part he is likely to make them 
too low. The new man in the business does not know what 
it costs to produce and market his product. Those who 
have been in the business for some years are better posted. 
Costs are a very difficult thing to determine at best and not 
all the details of same always appear on the surface. We 
know of some experienced business men who made a poor 
success of the Gladiolus business because they attempted to 
apply a system of costs and accounting, which might apply 
to a manufacturing business, to the growing of a crop which 
is impracticable. A crop is an indefinite thing until it is 
actually harvested. So many conditions, especially the 
weather, come in to influence the size of the crop and the 
quality of it, that any cost keeping system is likely to go 
wrong when applied to the producing of bulbs. Under 
present conditions there is surely no good reason for cut- 
ting prices as costs are higher than they were during former 
years and are running higher all the time. 
Those who are just starting should not figure on cutting 
prices expecting that they will take business away from 
other growers. The new beginner must develop his own 
field and his own customers, and this must be done by skill- 
ful and conscientious treatment and the delivering of a 
high quality of product. It cannot be done by mere cutting 
of prices. 
Therefore, we repeat again, consult the older growers 
and in these times of high labor costs especially, do not 
think of quoting prices below what they have been during 
former years. Prices should instead be advanced moder- 
ately in keeping with advancing costs. 
Madison iCooPER. 
War Time Conservation. 
Conservation during war time is not only to be com- 
mended but it is a patriotic duty. This little lecture is for 
the purpose of calling attention to economies which are 
possible whether compelled by necessity or not. 
Under war time conditions with high moral principles and 
the very existence of free government at stake, any person 
who wastes anything , whether a food product or other thing, 
is guilty of a neglect if not indeed a positive crime. Let us, 
therefore, look the situation in the face and economize 
w’here we can and in whatever way we can. All sorts of 
materials, food and clothing and everything else are pro- 
duced by labor, and labor is in extremely short supply with 
so many men under arms. 
Be careful in food consumption. Limit the diet to easily 
produced cheap foods for the most part and eliminate the 
extravagant and expensive luxuries. In clothing make the 
old suit do another month or two and likewise with other 
items of wearing apparel. 
It makes no difference whether one is financially com- 
pelled to economize or not, economy is necessary on the 
part of everyone to win the war. Unnecessary consumption 
or waste of anything necessary to human life during a time 
like this is a crime. 
Madison Cooper. 
Since the above was written during the month of Decem- 
ber, 1917, no less an authority than our Secretary of the 
Treasury and Administrator of the Railways, Hon. Wm. G. 
McAdoo, has publicly advocated old and patched clothes. 
Make your old suit do not simply a month or two longer, 
but a year longer. If patches are to be the fashion, let us 
have some patches also. M. C. 
We have already suggested the desirability of dividing . 
prize money at flower shows into at least three parts, first, 
second and third, and in some cases it is wise to make a 
fourth prize. This will have a tendency to induce a greater 
entry as those who are comparatively new at the flower ' 
show will feel that they have some chance against those 
who have had more experience, and if there are three or 
four prizes in each class, they will feel that they may be 
able to get some of the smaller money if they cannot win a 
first or second. There is still another reason for dividing 
the prize money into a larger number of units — where there 
is only one entry in a class the first prize winner does not 
carry away the larger part of the money as he would if 
there were only two prizes. In a number of classes at the 
recent flower show at Buffalo there was only one entry and 
where the exhibit is meritorious, the judges are bound to 
give first prize to such an entry even though there is no 
competition. Any exhibitor who has enterprise enough 
to enter any of the classes offered is entitled to his honors 
and first prize if his stock is of good quality, but if the 
prize money were divided into at least three parts, and pos- 
sibly four, he would not take away such a large share of 
the total prize money. 
We beg to again suggest that those who are offering 
prizes at the flower shows should request the secretary to 
divide it into at least three parts. 
To get posted and keep posted on flowers nothing will 
take the place of the annual flower show. New varieties of 
distinct merit become known first at the flower shows and 
the old standbys make themselves manifest likewise at the 
flower shows. 
