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The Weekly Florists' Review, 



May 16, 1901. 



There is a feeling among some of the 

 growers that the time has come to take 

 steps to prevent the ruinous competi- 

 tion in the market at times of glut. 

 One suggestion is that the growers get 

 together and agree upon a bottom limit 

 at which Jlowcrs shall be sold, any left 

 when the market has taken all it will 

 at that price to be destroyed. The sug- 

 gested bottom limit is $1.00 per 100 on 

 roses and 80 cents per 100 on carna- 

 tions. It is believed that this would 

 not only bring tlie grower more money 

 on the "average, but would protect tl» 

 retailer from the worst of the competi- 

 tion by the fakir. 



Kennieott Bros. Ck). made an arrange- 

 ment with Klehm's Nurseries to bloom 

 .5,000 longiflorum lily bulb; for Dee- 

 oration Day, and expect the cut for that 

 dav will be about 10,000 ilowcrs. 



The preliminary list of premiums for 

 the annual exhibition of the Horticul- 

 tural Society of Chicago, to be held 

 next November, has been issued. Copies 

 may be had by addressing the secretary, 

 Room 1002, 185 Dearborn street. 



Alexander Rodgers, the seedsman, 

 220 Johnson street, has filed a declara- 

 tion in bankruptcy. His liabilities are 

 placed at $63,000 and his assets at $36,- 

 000. The Chicago Title and Trust Co. 

 has been appointed receiver. A heavy 

 decline in timothy seed last fall is said 

 to have been the cause of the failure. 



The board of education has decreed 

 that flowers shall be barred from the 

 graduating exercises at the public high 

 schools, but some of the daily papers are 

 criticising the action so vigorously that 

 a reversal may be looked for. 



The Geo. Wittbold Co. arranged a 

 very elaborate wedding decoration at 

 the Germania Club last Monday, re- 

 garding which we shall have more to 

 say next week. They also put in an elab- 

 orate decoration this week for one of 

 the large department stores, wild smi- 

 lax and palms being the main features. 

 It is reported that Mr. J. D. Thomp- 

 son is to sever his connection with the 

 Chicago Carnation Co. July 1 next. 

 Bowling. 



The second scries of games In the local league 

 contest was played at Worden's alleys last 

 Tuesday night. The Growers won from the 



SET FUNERAL DESIGNS. 

 Editor Floiusts' Review: Will you 

 kindly permit me through the columns 

 of the Review to make a few remarks 

 regarding "set pieces for funerals." I 

 have noted, both in sorrow and in pain, 

 from time to time, cuts and descriptions 

 of funeral designs in your esteemed jour- 

 nal and I suffered in silence, contenting 

 myself by grinding my teeth and swear- 

 ing at delinquent customers, but there is 

 a limit to human endurance, and when I 

 saw in the pages of the Review of April 

 26 a cut of an open book and a written 

 description accompanying it, I looked for 

 an ax, for some one needed it, sure. 



Just to show how ridiculous some flor- 

 ists are I will explain: The book in 

 question was 3 feet by 4 feet, making 

 1,728 square inches; they put into it 

 1,800 roses, or 150 dozen; 200 valley, 

 besides 3-5 of a 24-inch wreath that con- 

 tained 2,500 violets, hung on the corner, 

 taking up considerable of the space. Now, 

 first-class Brides and Perles will measure 

 from 1 1-2 to 1 3-4 inches in diameter. 

 Just imagine those 1,800 roses stuck into 

 space less than an inch square, to say 

 nothing of valley, violets, wreath and 

 fern that were jabbed in one way or an- 

 other. Just contemplate for a moment 

 while I dig up the ghost of Michael An- 

 gelo and have him hunt for the artistic 

 among those dove-tailed roses. In my 

 mind, it brings up an old man's face with 

 a mouthful of store teeth or a section of 

 a huge ear of corn, and fully as artistic. 

 Now, Mr. Editor, a great many people 

 have become disgusted with funeral de- 

 signs of any description, and it's just 

 through the forcing upon them of just 

 such pieces as I mention above, and 

 when florists will learn that it's not the 

 amount of flowers that is put into a piece 

 that gives it the value, but the artistic 

 effect produced, more people will order 

 designs for funerals. The average flor- 

 ist needs more brains and less stock in 

 all his work. In all designs keep close 

 to nature, avoid the mechanical part as 

 much as possible; use as much of the 

 stem of flowers as possible, and what- 

 ever you do, don't crowd. If a customer 

 orders a wreath for $10, don't figure to 

 put in five dozen roses at $2 per dozen, 

 when you can get the desired effect with 

 one-half the amount. Charge so much 

 for stock and allow so much for brains, 

 and if the customer kicks, rest assured 

 it will be on account of the quality of 

 the brains. 



In conclusion, will say that if above 

 advice is followed there will be less trou- 

 ble in getting your customer to take de- 

 signs for funerals. Here in San Fran- 

 cisco we make up more funeral designs 

 than in any two cities in the east. Fif- 

 teen and twenty years ago we were just 

 where tlif onst i? nt present in the mak- 

 ing <if tiiTM r:il i>i. r.'^. While, out here, 

 we all li.m l.< iiu'~ I'liiral Album to show 

 custoiiii-i - til.' viiimus designs, we would 

 never think of making one like the orig- 

 inal. On pillows, wreaths, etc., rose stems 

 are from G to 10 inches in length, violets 

 from 5 to 7 inches and all other flowers 

 in proportion. 



We have here some forty retail stores, 

 all doing fairly well. Wholesale prices of 

 flowers about the same as in the east, re- 

 tail prices about 50 per cent less. Every- 

 body buys flowers ; the man with the tin 

 dinner bucket buys a bunch of violets or 

 sweet peas, according to the season, to 

 take home to his wife or sick child, with 

 as full appreciation as the banker who 

 orders orchids or the finest roses for his 



mansion. They all have a love for the 

 beautiful. Shibeley, The Florist. 



San Francisco, Cal. 



[After all the good advice that has ap- 

 peared in the Review regarding the 

 avoidance of stiffness in the arrangement 

 of flowers, it is rather painful to receive 

 such a communication as above. In re- 

 gard to the floral book illustrated it may 

 be well to say that in response to in- 

 quiries we were informed that the people 

 ordering were bound to have a book and 

 nothing else. And the design itself did 

 not look nearly as stiff and formal as it 

 did in the photograph. And while the 

 florist should endeavor to lead customers 

 away from formal set designs, we are 

 inclined to believe that if a customer with 

 the cash in hand wanted a formal design 

 made and wouldn't have anything else, 

 we would make it up and get the money 

 that would otherwise go to some tlorist 

 who was not so particular. The Review 

 is a trade newspaper and reports things 

 as they are. It deprecates the use of set 

 designs, but it recognizes the fact that 

 an immense number are made up and 

 that they are a factor in the trade. Again, 

 the florists who make up the loose, grace- 

 ful work rarely have it photographed. 

 It is generally the man who has built a 

 railroad car or ship who has suflicient 

 Enterprise to have his work photographed. 

 When we do get photographs of the others 

 it is generally when we happen to have 

 heard of it in advance, and get a pho- 

 tographer there on our own account. 

 We trust that Mr. Shiheley will be good 

 enough to help us out in this and favor 

 us with some photographs of floral ar- 

 rangements of the style he would rec- 

 ommend. — Ed.] 



CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



The Good & Reese Co., Springfield, 0., 

 illustrated catalogue; Plant Seed Co., 

 St. Louis, Mo., trade price list of flower 

 seeds; W. J. Hesser, Plattsmouth, Neb., 

 wholesale price list of palms and other 

 decorative plants; I. L. Pillsbury, 

 Galesburg, III., retail catalogue of cut 

 flowers, plants, fruit trees, etc.; Klehm's 

 Nurseries, Arlington Heights, 111., hardy 

 plants; Geo. M. Carter, Evergreen, 

 Ala., decorative evergreens for all so- 

 cial occasions. 



THAT DOLLAR. 



How dear to our heart Is the bright sliver 

 dollar. 

 When some kind subscriber presents It to 



The coin of our fathers, we're glad that we ve 



For some' time or other, 'twill come In right 

 well; 

 The spread-eagle dollar, the star-spangled dol- 



Beaver, Pa. — B. F. Engle has pur- 

 chased the Beaver Greenhouse and stock, 

 and after closing out the stock he will 

 tear down the buildings and move them 

 to Rochester, to be used in enlarging his 

 conservatories at that place. 



Dubuque, Ia.— A. L. Glaser has pur- 

 chased the greenhouses and business of 

 Nicholas Mettel on Windsor avenue and 

 will continue same. 



You \viLL find all the best offers all the 

 time in our classified advs. 



