FEBRUARY 8, 1900. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



11: 



The Window. 



Frozen winilows have always been 

 cause for anxiety and serious conse- 

 quences to many tlorists. Of course 

 the up-to-date establishment lias its 

 coil of steam or hot water pipes along 

 the bottom of the window, but the 

 vast majority of stores have not, and 

 depend on the efficacies of cinum- 

 stances for all that is bright. If there 

 be any time when flowei's ai-e more 

 bea\itiful and cheerful than another, 

 it is when the ground is covered with 

 snow and most of the windows are 

 covered with ice; it Is then that the 

 vase of brilliant colored flowers, ar- 

 tistically arranged in your window, is 

 most admired and appeals not in vain 

 to the lover of flowers. 



To the florist's store and window 

 which merely looks like the dying em- 

 bers of life and ambition, these winter 

 curtains of ice are a godsend, for they 

 not only obliterate for a time the eye- 

 sores of bad taste and second-hand 

 stock, but they are also a shield for 

 economy. The wideawake florists 

 dread a frozen window; they know 

 that a traveler's eye in winter is 

 quickly caught by anything bright, 

 that a bunch of scarlet carnations or 

 red roses in the center of your window 

 is worth more than all the pale frivol- 

 ities you can manufacture. To keep 

 the window clean and bright in ex- 

 treme cold weather is therefore a seri- 

 ous problem to many. 



We know many fine stores where 

 there are elaborate arrangements of 

 steam pipes. This is, of course, the 

 cleanest mode of heating, but very 

 often the steam is a laggard or truant 

 when most wanted. The hot water 

 system is a favorite with some because 

 it is easier managed and more to be 

 trusted. Poorer florists have to take 

 recourse to many cruder modes of 

 fighting .lack Frost. We have found 

 the Lehman wagon heater to be a very 

 valuable thing, not only for the deliv- 

 ery of goods, but to prevent windows 

 from freezing up, and no florist in ex- 

 tremely cold climate should be without 

 one. Salt will melt the ice on the win- 

 dow and you can afterward syringe it 

 with salty water; get your glass dry 

 and shut off draughts. 



Plants may not freeze if not touch- 



ing the glass, but cold chills are as 

 bad for them as they are for you. It 

 is a mistake to water plants in your 

 window wintry nights; do your water- 

 ing in the daytime, and with tepid 

 water. When the weather is very cold 

 it is always best and safest to arrange 

 your window plants a little back from 

 the glass; have them foi'm an empha- 

 sizing background to your cut flower 

 display in front. You know a nicely 

 arranged group of ferns or palms is a 

 thing of enchanting beauty, especially 

 in this season of the year, and if flow- 

 ers are used with them as a window 

 display, try to introduce as much color 

 as possible; a superabundance of white 

 is poor attraction. 



If you have electric lights — always 

 a pretty window — and are situated 

 where traffic runs late, it will pay you 

 to leave one or two lights lit all night, 

 for memory clings to benuty, especi- 

 ally so in this case. Did you ever 

 stand in the middle of a shop street 

 and wonder how all the little and big 

 places made a living, or even existed 

 at all? Stand there as long as you 

 may, and you seem to never see any 

 customers go near them. We've often 

 stood in deep contemplation over this 

 as it applies to florists' stores; it's a 

 mystery to know how many of them 

 exist, not because there are too many 

 florists' stores, for there is room for 

 many more, but for the half-dead-and- 

 alive and slovenly manner in which 

 they keep their stores; 'tis quite true 

 that everyone cannot put on the frills 

 of a Broadway or Fifth avenue florist, 

 but cleanliness is not only health, it 

 is wealth, especially to the poor, and 

 to a business. 



This world judges by general ap- 

 pearance; it has neither time nor in- 

 clination to investigate those "appear- 

 ances." If you die a millionaire and 

 wear rags you are but a tramp; if 

 penniless and in good clothes you are 

 prosperous — in the eyes of the public. 

 If you keep your store clean and 

 bright, and show good taste in what 

 you offer for sale, people imagine you 

 have a good trade and will patronize 

 you; no business ever yet prospered 

 on sympathy alone, for that is a scarce 

 and unreliable food. 



Your window may he small, but you 

 can make it beautiful if you will. 



Away with all the rubbish and arti- 

 ficial stuff; the i)oorest citizen of the 

 United States loves natural flowers 

 and plants and admires Iheni wherever 

 I hey are shown. It is the llorisl. who 

 displays such goods and tries to push 

 llicm on his customers who is far be- 

 hind the times. It is wrong to imag- 

 ine that even in the poorest sections 

 it is necessary to plaster the walls 

 with wire designs and things which 

 will never be sold; a clean, shelfless 

 wall with a nico plant against it is 

 far more beautiful than dust laden 

 lioards pile<l with ancient mementos. 

 M, is quite true that most pf'ople when 

 ordering want to see wii'e frames, and 

 for this purpose one or two specially 

 made frames should be koi)t conveni- 

 ently out of sight; there is no sense, 

 however, in any florist turning his 

 place into an "Old Curiosity Shop." 

 My friends, the present age is against 

 such, and prosperity seldom, if ever, 

 smiles upon those who ignore ad- 

 vancement. If your store happens to 

 l)e in a squalid locality, don't be sat- 

 isfied with the tone of your surround- 

 ings; rise above it and display your 

 individuality and ideas; never fear 

 they will be rewarded. 



Someone has said the florist should 

 not make up funeral designs in his 

 store where people can see him. for 

 the reason that such designs impart 

 melancholy thoughts; well, perhaps it 

 is more cheerful, if less profitable, to 

 make up bridal bouquets in full view, 

 lint our opinion is that you should try 

 hard never to be ashamed of your 

 work, no matter what it is. If you 

 are making up a fine funeral design, 

 don't hide it; make it u]) where all can 

 see it, and after it is finished put it 

 either in your window or where the 

 passerby can admire it. A floral de- 

 sign is by no means a reminder, like 

 that of the coffin; a well made design 

 is more apt to excite admiration and 

 inspire grandest thoughts. Yes, 'tis 

 true, "a thing of beauty is a joy for- 

 ever," and flowers in any form are 

 more likely to be a harbinger of joys 

 than of sorrow. 



We have known of many cases in 

 New Y'ork where customers were 

 afraid to leave large orders with their 

 regular florist, because they thought 

 he was too busy to pay special atten- 

 tion to their affairs; the florist may 

 have lost the profit on an order, but 

 his reputation became enriched and 

 the customer was sure to return. Peo- 

 ple, as a rule, like to see you busy; it 

 is one of the mysteries how we all 

 like to deal where there is an overflow 

 of life or business. No, no, it is not 

 the magnetic influence of the "bar- 

 gain counter"; it is more often qual- 

 ity and refinement. 



Everything is in a name w-hen re- 

 lating to business, and the poorest and 

 most ignorant, who are often the most 

 Iiretentious, will go where they imag- 

 ine they can get all they want, and 

 whilst it is very desirous to always 

 appear to have plenty of good .stock 

 on hand, still it is not absolutely nec- 

 essary if you have the good luck to 

 be near the wholesalers. The most 



