Business Section 
1 53 
Acknowledging Receipt of Orders 
In offering rooted cuttings and plants for sale it is always under- 
stood that they are in good growing condition and up to the generally 
accepted standard 'of what the stock should be, otherwise it would be 
poor policy to advertise, for the sale of poor plants gives the advertiser 
an unenviable reputation and a black eye right from the beginning, so 
ruining his career. For that reason most men are careful to ship only 
good, stock. 
There are other vital points to be considered: An order should 
be acknowledged the same day as it is received; the date on which the 
goods are to be shipped should also be given. If cash is received with 
order, and for any reason that order cannot be filled the cash should 
be returned the same day with a notification that the stock ordered is 
out. There should be no substitution without permission. 
On the manner in wliich the advertiser packs his orders depends 
much of his future success — an order improperly packed is a setback 
for the shipper; it provokes lasting dissatisfaction and has a tendency 
to curtail business. A careful packer, a man who has made a study 
of his material and knows just how to put it together so that it wiU 
carry safely and open out to look -its best, has made a great advance 
toward securing future business; he is fairly started on the highway 
to success. (Notes on Packing appear in .Section \’I11.) 
Advertising 
It is said, and truly, that advertising is the dynamo of business, 
and that the persistent large advertiser can weather the hardest times 
and continue when others fail. The smaller man is apt to say that it is 
only the large firms that can afford to advertise; there are many 
articles in this Annual that disprove this. You can begin on your 
own letterheads; you can take care to keep your name and business 
prominently before your local circle and increase that circle by exhibits 
at flower shows, not necessarily large, but good; by having neat show 
windows; giving the best service, introducing new ideas, in short, exer- 
cise insight and decision, as well as intelligence in promoting your busi- 
ness enterprises. But much newspaper advertising even can be accom- 
plished at little expense in the trade organs, and at not very heavy 
expense in the large daily or weekly newspapers, especially where 
co-operative advertising is employed. The advertising managers of 
these papers will always be glad to come and talk to a body of florists 
who desire information as to the best means of advertising on a given 
occasion, or for a certain event. This co-operative advertising is on 
the increase. The retailer and wholesaler can often adopt a neat folder 
with illustrations, drawing attention to his choicer lines of stock, 
and his desire to be of service on special holiday occasions or at wed- 
dings and other events. For the nurseryman and seedsman, beside 
these various forms of advertising, there is the catalog which is their 
most important means of advertising undoubtedly. Much skill, pains, 
knowledge and money is expended yearly in improving these catalogs. 
Nowadays illustrations jilay an important part in most of the lists, 
although others have gone to the other extreme and dropped them 
entirely. 
