General Trade Edition 
Dic = DUNG 
There is no soil, however barren and unproductive, that cannot, by well digging and dunging, be made fertile 
and prolific—Adapted from Cervantes’ DON QUIXOTE, Part II, Chapter XII. 
Sales and Service Bulletin 
VOL. 19 
WAYLAND, MICHIGAN, U.S.A., SEASON OF 1952 
NO. 1 
After three years since our crop 
failure in 1947 we are this year back 
to our normal planting of 70 acres— 
approximately 1,000,000 plants. In 
spite of the fact that we have in- 
creased our own acreage over these 
few preceding years we do not believe 
the total acreage in the United States 
available for 1952 trade will be as 
great as last year nor will prices 
be very much, if any, lower than last 
year. 
We are basing this estimate on two 
facts: First, most of the larger 
growers generally had quite a com- 
plete sell-out last year with very lit- 
tle carry over of any except normal 
planting stock which, of course, 
means no great increase in their 
acreage; while at the same time 
many of the smaller growers, because 
of other interests sold their entire 
stock, both saleable and _ planting, 
which means they are out of the pic- 
ture entirely for this year; second, 
it is getting increasingly harder and 
harder to find help for farm work 
and wages are steadily advancing so 
it is costing us more and more every 
year to produce our crop making 
further reduction in price practically 
impossible. 
Most of the mail order seed and 
nursery houses did very well with 
dahlias last year and our Reserva- 
tion Orders which are already com- 
ing in from these people show a 
noticeable increase in their estimates 
for next year’s business. This is a 
very healthy outlook and we think 
the demand from the local retail 
dealers, most of whom place their 
orders later, will show an equally 
healthy trend. 
It must be remembered that all 
commodities, both necessities and 
luxuries are classed as durable and 
consumable. Durable goods, such as 
furniture, appliances, etc., can be 
stored to meet market conditions 
whereas consumable goods, such as 
DAHLIAS FOR 1952 
meats, vegetables, flowers, etc., have 
to be sold when ready for market or 
they are lost. This means that such 
goods are more or less facing a 
buyer’s market at all times and when 
we realize that flowers such as dah- 
has, gladiolus, etc., are not only con- 
sumable goods but really consumable 
luxuries, we must recognize the fact 
that meeting the market condition 
which is present is a matter of mer- 
chandising — that is, Advertising, 
Display, Prices, etc., rather than one 
of normal supply and demand as with 
consumable necessities. 
The writer of good strong mail 
order advertising copy must have a 
well developed sense of dramatic ef- 
fect. He must picture both the seller 
and the prospective buyer and with 
himself as the seller he must re- 
member that his job is not only to 
convince that prospect but also to 
persuade him to “sign on the dotted 
line.” 
In the matter of persuading people 
to buy, the methods of the auctioneer 
can be studied with profit. This type 
of selling usually features either one 
or the other of two methods: The so 
called American method grades up- 
ward as is heard at farm auctions, 
as, for instance, “I am offered $10, 
do I hear $11, $10. do I hear $11, $11. 
do I hear $12, $12. do I hear $15. $12. 
I am offered once, twice and sold for 
Sila 
The so called Dutch method grades 
downward as with the _ side-show 
salesman or carnival barker and is 
illustrated in J. P. Johnson’s Twenty 
Year of Hustling, “I have here an 
extra fine toilet soap that sells in the 
regular way for 10c a cake, 2 for 
20, 3 for 30, 4 for 40, 5 for 50 and 6 
for 60c, but I am here tonight to of- 
fer you bargains. Here I’ll wrap ’em 
up for 55, 50, 45, 40, 35, 30 and I 
hope never to see my Mary Ann or 
the back of my neck if a quarter of 
a dollar don’t buy the whole lot— 
twenty-five cents, two dimes and a 
half, will neither make nor break 
you, buy you a farm, set you up in 
business or take you out of the poor 
house. Is there any gentleman in the 
crowd who will take the entire lot 
for a quarter? Walk up gentlemen, 
etc.” 
The gift tuber idea is really an 
adaptation of the Dutch method and 
is probably the most persuasive of 
all selling schemes. The idea of Free 
or “something for nothing” always 
catches the man who is looking for 
a reduced price and really, who a- 
mong us isn’t? 
As to display, the use of color in 
illustration is undoubtedly more ef- 
fective than any other method; but 
where color is impossible, we believe 
it will be found that one good black 
and white of two columns or more 
width will prove more effective than 
four single column cuts. People seem 
to want size more than form in 
dahlias and no such idea is carried 
by the smaller cut. 
_As to prices, I think there is a 
limit to the price which the public 
will stand for a single dahlia root. 
With cost at its present level and ad- 
vanced postage rates, etc., the max- 
imum possible selling price per single 
root will leave considerably less 
profit than should be made. To meet 
this condition I think it is a good idea 
to offer dahlias in groups as well as 
by the single root. This will permit 
us to maintain a unit price by cutting 
the number of roots in a group. That 
is, we would suggest offering three 
roots in a group where four were 
formerly offered at a price of $1 or 
$1.50 or $2. as the case may be. This 
really gives us not only a slightly 
higher price but a much better profit 
because a whole unit can be packed 
and mailed at practically the same 
cost as a single root. 
(Continued on next page) 
