Copyright, 1899, by 

 FLORISTS' PUBLISHING CO., 520-535 Gaston Building, CHICAGO. 



Vol. IV. 



CHICAGO AND NEW YORK, AUGUST 3, J 899. 



No. 88. 



THE RETAIL FLORIST. 



At the Convention. 



It is very much to be regretted that 



the retail florists of America will have 



no organized representation in the 



way of exhibits at the Detroit conven- 



men puzzle their brains with schemes 

 to entertain and instruct the crowd. 

 We will be told in the old way that 

 the retailers are too jealous of each 

 other, and too indifferent to bother 

 with in regard to exhioitions. 

 Well, it is a pity they don't show 



Wreath arranged by Ivera for Magician Kellar and sent to the funeral of the late 



Robert Ingersoll. 



tion. It seems strange that this, the 

 most important annual gathering pf 

 florists held on the continent, should 

 come and go without leaving any im- 

 pression beyond that of a glad hand- 

 shake or an essayist. What lost op- 

 portunities! And yet year after year 



more enthusiasm, but we think much 

 of the fault lies in their lack of rep- 

 resentation on committees. Special 

 provisions are carefully made to sat- 

 isfy growers in every way; the whole 

 convention, exhibits and all, is for 

 their benefit. The fact is lost sight 



of that most of the growers either re- 

 tail or are willing to, and that the re- 

 tail florist is the mainspring of the 

 business — the element in fact that 

 makes these annual conventions pos- 

 sible and successful. Then why 

 shouldn't this important branch of the 

 trade have a fair representation. 'Tis 

 true some little thing is done for them 

 once in a while, but that is merely 

 some private effort. Le Moult made 

 an exhibit of his work at the Philadel- 

 phia convention, which cost him sev- 

 eral hundred dollars; since then we 

 have seen nothing at these gatherings 

 but a few photos and heard an occa- 

 sional paper devoted to retailing. This 

 year we are to have an exhibition of 

 floral photographs, and it is to be 

 hoped that it will be a creditable one. 

 Copyright your photos and send them 

 on; some day we might adopt means 

 of preserving such photos to show our 

 progress and what we can do in this 

 country. Perhaps in the next genera- 

 tion we may have some hall in New 

 York devoted to floriculture and where 

 can be seen and consulted the records 

 and illustrations we have scattered 

 about today. 



But to return to the S. A. F. con- 

 vention. We would like to see exhib- 

 its from the retailers at these gather- 

 ings, 'i here is lots to show — delivery 

 systems and stock goods, but most im- 

 portant of all, examples in designs and 

 decorative work. If the convention is 

 held in a city where flowers are scarce, 

 or jealousy is rampant, and fair in- 

 ducements to exhibit are ignored; then 

 let the S. A. F invite say six of the 

 best artists in that particular city to 

 give demonstrations in decorating and 

 in "making up." Very few good men 

 will refuse, providing material is sup- 

 plied. This would be better than es- 

 says, it would be an educational fea- 

 ture of great value to beginners, and 

 even "the fellow who knows it all" 

 would be in attendance to get point- 

 ers. 



Floral art is not a limited or worn 



