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The Weekly Florists' Review. 



OCTOBER 12, 1899. 



Odds and Ends. 



We would like very much to devote 

 more attention to the latest styles 

 and colors in millinery and dress, not 

 merely because such matters would 

 be of interest to our fair florists but 

 to demonstrate the influences, the 

 very great influences, such styles have 

 on our business. Every girl wants to 

 know the latest styles even if it is 

 impossible for her to wear them, and 

 it is only the few that are able to get 

 a glimpse of them before they are put 

 on exhibition in every window. Of 

 course it's only our province to note 

 them as they are fashioned to increase 

 or decrease the wearing of natural 

 flowers. 



This fall, though we consider the 

 dresses more beautiful than ever, yet 

 many of the colors will not permit 

 the wearing of violets, certainly not 

 the awful ribbons and tasselled ropes 

 we saw last year. Then, again, it 

 looks as if smaller but choicer corsage 

 bouquets would be demanded, this be- 

 cause dress fronts are more elabor- 

 ate. And, then again, the more ex- 

 clusive designers have devoted more 

 attention to cattleya shades of color- 

 ing. Many of these, particularly 

 those used in millinery, are very beau- 

 tiful and will no doubt increase the 

 wearing of orchids, that is orchids 

 without "cabbage greens." 



Blues and tans always predominate 

 in autumn street dress, and though 

 there are many, aye, among the most 

 wealthy too, who have neither know- 

 ledge nor regard for harmony, and 

 will wear any colored flower, still 

 there is an ever increasing army of 

 the critical who put artistic effects 

 before everything. Of course, if you're 

 only interested in ploughing and 

 planting, this doesn't suit you, but 

 some who have to sell your flowers 

 must study such things. 



We notice that most of the stores 

 are nicely stocked with plants. How 

 fresh and clean they all look! It's 

 a great pleasure to go around and see 

 them. Don't forget these warm days 

 to put a lot of them out on the side- 

 walk; make a big show, it does your 

 plants good and will increase your 

 trade. If you have a big plant trade, 

 or desire to have one, put a bright 



young plantsman in charge and let 

 him be with them on the sidewalk 

 where he can talk intelligently to the 

 people. Mind you a man should 

 know the plants thoroughly, a little 

 chat of the countries they are natives 

 of will often sell many plants, at least 

 it will interest your customers and 

 show you know your business. Ignor- 

 ance is like frost in a florist store, 

 it blights trade. 



A great many small palms have 

 been bought by retailers this fall. The 

 bulk of the stock has been well 

 grown. Some great bargains have 

 been going at the auction rooms; it's 

 the case at this time, every year; 

 growers want room for mums and 

 money for coal, and retailers who 

 have greenhouses, even those who 

 have not, can pick up some great bar- 

 gains at these sales, but all the same 

 you must not buy because it's cheap, 

 rather because you can sell and make 

 money. As we remarked last week, 

 half your money can be made in buy- 

 ing; keep your "business head" 

 normal. 



Beware of novelties unless they are 

 improvements on the best that is. Of 

 course you must be "up to date," nay 

 far ahead sometimes, to succeed, and 

 it doesn't matter whether you grow 

 plants or sell flowers, keep posted. 

 Join the club, read your trade paper, 

 take little trips and keep your eye 

 open. 



If you can give an opening exhibi- 

 tion next month invite the newspa- 

 pers and the public. Don't make it 

 all chrysanthemums, make a display 

 of palms, get the plant's history out 

 of Nicholson's, and label the plants 

 so the reporters and people will be 

 interested. Show an example of dec- 

 orative work and put curiosities high 

 up where they can be wondered at. 

 Have your card of invitation done in 

 a way that will induce people to pre- 

 serve it. Individual shows, properly 

 handled, cost little and beget much. 



We all know that the best examples 

 of American floral work are seldom 

 seen but by the artist and the custom- 

 er concerned. The very few good rep- 

 resentative pictures the general trade 

 gets a chance to see are merely the 

 result of special opportunities. The 

 best work is always done at the last 



moment, and very few florists are 

 either photographers or have the 

 chance to get their work photo- 

 graphed; this is a great pity, because 

 the work .lone in all the large cities 

 is often very grand, and if sr me of it 

 could be illustrated, would tend both 

 to our having a higher estimation of 

 our calling as a profession, and show 

 the rest of the world what we are do- 

 ing here. 



Avoid sickly co'.crs. You wi.l find 

 that in most cases a deeper shade 

 will go better, that is of course if 

 you cannot get a true match. For 

 theatre bunches or baskets the show- 

 iest colors you can use are the best. 

 If your aim or order does not call for 

 a symphony in color you need not be 

 particular about nerves; that crea- 

 tion of yours must look well from the 

 balconies too, and the brighter the 

 color the better. 



Florists" clubs should take up the 

 matter of "theatrical flowers." The 

 refusal of nearly all the theatrical 

 managers to permit flowers to be 

 handed over the footlights has done 

 incalculable harm to our trade. Now, 

 theatrical managers, so far as we 

 know, are good business men, and we 

 feel sure that if a good and proper 

 presentation of the matter were put 

 before them the evil would be recti- 

 fied. When will retailers organize 

 for their own interests? 



Violets are rapidly improving in 

 quality and price though the demand 

 is only in a novelty sense. So far 

 ribbons have been little worn with 

 them. When violets are sent out on 

 an order a great deal of fixing has to 

 be done with them, many times they 

 have to be rebunched, tinfoiled, laced, 

 ribboned, boxed with violet tissue and 

 wax papers, and often the box tied 

 with ribbon. If you're making a bid 

 for hightoned or theatrical folks (they 

 both have much the same tastes and 

 objects in view) you must do a lot 

 of "fixing," but, after all, good flowers 

 need but little dressing, and the man 

 who can control extra grade stock 

 can sell it without much humbug. 



We all know violets are no use if 

 they are not sweet. Most growers 

 don't seem to know the importance 

 of this fact. They smoke their houses, 

 ventilate them before picking, or put 

 the flowers in some ill-smelling thing 

 or place. There is not a more suscep- 

 tible flower grown than the violet. 

 It isn't the growing altogether, it's the 

 picking, bunching, shipping and care 

 of fragrance; it's all a study in itself. 

 Most of the prominent retailers now 

 make contracts with the growers to 

 have the violets fresh picked and 

 brought in several times a day. We 

 know many who do this; they pay 

 50 cents per hundred now, 75 cents in 

 December, $1.00 or $1.25 during the 

 holidays, and after that they slide 

 down to the prices as stated. There 

 are exceptions made for top grade, 

 but the arrangements are better for 

 both because the grower knows what 

 he is to get and the retailer can be 

 sure of fresh flowers. 



Fresh violets should be in every 



