104 
October, 1918 
Ol)e .flower (Brower 
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I3l)£ TFlow^r (Brower 
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MADISON COOPER, CALCIUM, N.Y. { 
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Cop f/rif/ht lots Iff/ Madison Cooper 
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 or 
end of such quotation, as follows: "From THE FLOWER GROWER, Calcium, N. Y.” 
Special permission necessary for reprinting illustrations, long extracts or articles entire. 
Vol. V October, 1918 No. 10 
“ He who sows the ground with care and diligence acquires a 
greater stock o) religious merit than he could gain by the 
repetition of ten thousand prayers.”— Zoroaster. 
Division of Prize Money at Flower Shows. 
The suggestion that prize money be divided into at least 
three parts, and which suggestion we have repeated from 
time to time, is brought to mind by the premium list of 
the Horticultural Department of the Minnesota State .Fair 
which recently came to hand. We find that both in the 
professional and amateur classes that quite a portion of the 
prize money is divided into four parts. For instance, in 
Gladioli there is a class of the best six varieties, six spikes 
each, with $5 for first prize, $4 for second prize, $3 for third 
money and $2 for fourth money. This surely is as near our 
idea of the division of prize money as can be, and we are 
naturally pleased that so prominent a show as the Minne- 
sota State Fair should adopt this plan. The New York 
State Fair has their prize money divided into three parts in 
most of the classes, but the amount given to first prize is 
too high in proportion to the second and third. For in- 
stance, in Gladioli in the color classes, first place gets $5- 
second place $3 and third place $2. In other words, the 
first prize winner gets half of the total money whereas in 
the class above mentioned at the Minnesota State Fair, 
where the money is divided into four parts, the first prize 
winner only gets a little over one-third of the total money. 
There are so many arguments in favor of dividing the 
prize money into at least three parts and preferably into 
four parts where there is considerable money available, 
that we cannot understand why this is not always done, 
except, that it makes more work for the judges and more 
work for the secretary in figuring out the schedule, etc. 
Surely the honor of winning first prize ought to be a great 
consideration and the first prize winner should not take the 
lion’s share of the prize money with the honors which go 
with being first. 
Madison Cooper. 
You Must Advertise. 
Someone has said that the time to advertise is all the 
time. Some florists and especially Gladiolus growers seem 
to think that the only time to advertise is when they have 
stock for sale. Any grower who is in business to stay and 
who expects to develop business worth while must keep 
his advertising continually in mind and figure out how he 
can improve his copy and make his advertising attractive 
rather than thinking about discontinuing his advertising 
because business is dull. If you fail to do these things now 
the man who does do them is going to take some of your 
business away from you ; there is no doubt about that. 
Put your name before the public and keep it there. See 
that your service is right, that you deliver good stock and 
that you give prompt attention to all inquiries and corre- 
spondence of whatever nature. 
Advertise all the time and if you have something espe- 
cially good which you can sell at an attractive price, tell the 
people about it and give price. That is the way to get 
direct results from advertising. Those who do wholesale 
business largely should keep their name before the trade 
twelve months in the year whether they have stock for sale 
or not. 
Madison Cooper. 
Vases for Staging Gladioli. 
A reporter on the Buffalo Evening Express made some 
humorous and jocular remarks about the staging of Gladioli 
at the Buffalo show in milk bottles. The average reporter, 
we know, is not qualified to pass on flowers and we presume 
that he saw the milk bottles before he saw the flowers. A 
flower lover who attends flower shows does not pay much 
attention to the receptacle in which the flowers are staged 
except as it might really clash with the flowers themselves. 
Our opinion of the quart milk bottles used at the Buffalo 
show was favorable. They have a broad base which makes 
them stand well with tall spikes, and they hold plenty of 
water, but the opening is a little too small for staging sev- 
eral heavy spikes. Certainly there is nothing about the 
bottles themselves to be badly out of harmony with the 
flowers. 
A specially designed vase suitable for staging Gladioli 
at flower shows is badly needed, and we have in mind such 
a vase with a broad bottom and holding perhaps two quarts 
of water. The opening or mouth of the vase should be 
oblong instead of round so as to allow for the placing of 
the spikes in a facing position. We wonder if someone 
who is sufficiently interested cannot get up a special Gladi- 
olus vase. At least three different sizes would be desirable 
and two sizes are almost a necessity. 
Those who are growing Gladioli or other flower stocks, 
and who are able to maintain or increase their stocks during 
war conditions will doubtless reap a golden harvest when 
the war is over and conditions return to somewhere near 
normal. Even under war conditions it has been found that 
the growing of flowers has not been abandoned to any con- 
siderable extent and indeed some have even increased their 
plantings. Therefore, it is recommended that those who 
are able to carry along a good stock of meritorious varieties 
should do so, and not think of reducing their stock or clos- 
ing out because conditions have looked bad. The Allies 
are winning now and everybody feels better and it is prob- 
able that sales during the coming winter and spring will be 
much better than last year. 
Those who are asked to contribute towards the prize list 
of the American Gladiolus Society next year should be 
prompt in their response. It is desired that the preliminary 
schedule should be out early and prompt action is neces- 
sary. 
