when the market is demoralized, its demoralization is not to be traced to any one or two individuals who cut prices, but to the fact of a general stagnation in business, or to the law of supply and demand.
Here I meet a number of men. Indeed, it was at these markets that I first met a number of growers whose patronage has meant a great deal to me, and whose friendship, outside of business considerations, I value highly.
Florists in Outlying Districts of Boston
Mr. A. Patten, of Tewksbury, Mass., a man well known beyond the borders of his own State, is one of them. And there are Mr. Stickler of Lexington, Mr. A. Christensen of Stoneham, Mr. Winkler of Wakefield, Mr. T. Walke of Salem,
Mr. Allan Peirce of Waltham, Mr. William Nicholson of Framingham, and many others.
Mr. Allan Peirce is the second of his family that I have known. His father, Mr. E. Y. Peirce. was a unique character in many respects. Although starting late in life in the florist business, he took up his new vocation with all the energy characteristic of much younger men. To him things in driblets meant nothing. When he undertook to grow Chrysanthemums he grew them by the thousands, and later when he became interested in Lilies, he grew them on a scale that made him known as one of the largest Lily growers in New England.
But aside from his business success, and the patronage with which he favored me, he had other qualifications which endeared him to me. His unostentatious manner, his blunt and at times almost brusque way of expressing things, his pride in the fact that he was once upon a time a farmer, and still preferred to be called "Farmer Peirce," his pride also in the fact that he dated his ancestry to the Revolutionary heroes, to the men who picked up their pitchforks in defense of the young country—all this made him a most interesting person to come in contact with. I would often spend hours with him, listening to his interesting recital of events, both long past and present.
He was not a man easily persuaded to do things which he could not clearly see were to his advantage. He had decided opinions of his own, fully knowing what was advantageous to him and what was not. An incident characteristic of him was this:
A number of years ago a very persistent salesman, one of those smart Alecks who boast that they can sell a man in spite of himself, wanted his Lily order. It was early in January. Mr. Peirce never thought about Lilies at the time, nor did he have that particular house in mind as a source of supply. The salesman put forth his best arguments, offering to put Mr. Peirce on the "ground floor" as to prices; but Mr. Peirce was obdurate.
"Mr. Peirce," finally ejaculated the man, "let me put you down for the order anyway; and should you decide to change it, or even cancel it later, you can do so. I want to show to the house that I called and did some business with you. A feather in my cap, you know."
"You can put down all you please, for all I care; and you can make it two feathers while you're at it, if you want," answered Mr. Peirce in his droll manner.
The salesman departed. Two months later, Mr. Peirce received a letter from the house, suggesting that if he intended to change any part of his order it would be advisable to do it then. Mr. Peirce replied on a postal briefly and to the point that he knew of no order he had placed with the house. He received a second letter, more urgent and somewhat threatening in tone, the gist of which was that it was too late to cancel an order, but that they would allow him to change it if he wished to do so.
