October 23. 1902. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



7U 



CARNATION NOTES— EAST. 



Handling the Product. 



This impurtint branch of our busi- 

 ness brincjs us to the point where it is 

 a question of value or price. Flowers 

 have no intrinsic value; it is only when 

 passing from you to the buyer that you 

 can say for value received, so then you 

 must place your product before him in 

 the most attractive form. This can be 

 accomplished only by intelligent, careful 

 and systematic handling with strict at- 

 tention to every detail. 



As we retail practically all our out- 

 put, there may be more detail and varied 

 conditions under which we are compelled 

 to work, but the principal features can 

 be caiTied out by the wholesaler as well. 



Late in the afternoon we go over the 

 benches, cutting those which are to go 

 out on order the next morning, immedi- 

 atelji phcing the stems in vases deep 

 enough to cover at least one-half the 

 stems with moderately cool water, stand- 

 ing the vases for the night in a temper- 

 ture not above 50 degrees or below 45 

 degrees. 



I'd. using a few drops of ammonia in the 

 water. 



Sleepy Blooms. 



Last season there was much com- 

 plaint about sleepy liowers, largely 

 imong those retailers who depend on the 

 grower or commission man for their sup- 

 ply. I believe all parties concerned con- 

 tributed to the trouble. The grower 

 may allow blooms to stand too long on 

 the plants or allow ctit bloom to lie 

 around some time before placing in 

 water. Blooms picked from plants suf- 

 fering for water soon wither. 



Strong applications of chemical fertil- 

 izers and maintiining too high tempera- 

 ture produce only inferior stock. • Rough 

 handling as I would apply to cordw-ood, 

 by both grower and commission man, 

 would almost put a dried cape flower to 

 sleep. You will see store men at closing 

 up time clipping the ends of stems on 

 left over stock with scissors; this man- 

 gles the tissues of the stem, blocking the 

 passage of water. 



Crowding vases too full, using stag- 

 nant water, allowing blooms to stind in 

 a drauchtv window under strong sun 



MISRE PRESEN T ATION. 



BY GEO. S. USBORN. 



[Read before the Hartford Florists' Club Tues- 

 day evenmg. Oct jber U, 19U2.] 



It is the purpose of this article to 

 place before you a few circumstances 

 that have actually occurred at the ex- 

 pense of the writer or in his presence, 

 not in any spirit of revenge nor as a 

 matter to be treated as a joke, but 

 rather to point out to you as men of 

 business how short-sighted it is to place 

 your worthy occupation in any other 

 light than an honest one. To be sure, 

 there is a vein of humor running through 

 some of these occurrences, but there is 

 a deeper and more lasting tendency to 

 carry one to the belief that every one 

 is a rascal until proven an honest man, 

 a condition of mind to be deplored. 



Misrepresentation is defined In the 

 Standard dictionary as the act of giv- 

 ing intentionally or unintentionally an 

 incorrect report or giving a wrong im- 

 jiression. The same authority defines 

 prevarication as the act of giving a 

 wrong color to facts in speaking or an- 

 swering or misrepresentation by shape 



The New Greenhouses of the Geo. Wittbold Co , Edgebrook, Chicago. 



Early next morning all blooms suffi- 

 ciently developed are cut and treated in 

 the same manner, being used through the 

 day as occision demands. Carnations 

 are sometimes cut too soon, but oftener 

 left on the plants too long. The happy 

 medium may perhaps be hard to regu- 

 late in order that there shall be no loss, 

 especially with the grower who retails. 

 It is better to err on the side of cut- 

 ting too soon, at least with varieties 

 liable to fade in strong sunlight, such as 

 Diybreak and Lawson, 



I could never see the sense in allowing 

 blooms to develop to their utmost be- 

 fore cutting, for they are then almost 

 sure to be in a condition to self pollenize 

 easily and with the handling they must 

 be subjected to it is more than likely 

 thit they will be on their last legs when 

 they reach the consumer. 



Store cut blooni.-^ where there are no 

 direct draughts or strong lights, but in 

 a shady place where the air is constant- 

 ly changing. Do not try to see how many 

 blooms can be gotten into a vase ; a vase 

 crammed full of stems must of neces- 

 sity contain little water, besides the 

 pctxls get bruised and have that tired 

 look, so quickly noticed by a critical 

 buyer. 



Cliange the water in the vases daily; 

 once a week have them thoroughly wash- 



and permitting customers to paw over 

 stock as seen on bargain daj- at dry 

 goods counters, all help to induce sleepi- 

 ness. 



My endeavors being intended for the 

 grower, would advise him to keep his 

 eves open abroad as well as at home, sug- 

 oi'sting a few pointers down along tlie 

 line. Geo. S. Osborn. 



THE GEO. WITTBOLD CO. 



We . present herewith several views 

 from photographs of the new range of 

 houses recently built by the Geo. Witt- 

 bold Co., at Edgebrook, 111., which is 

 just outside the city limits of Chicago, 

 on the C. M. & St. P. Ey. It is U miles 

 from the Chicago Union stition. 



This establishment is intended to sup- 

 plement that in the city, there being 

 no more room available at the city 

 place. The new houses are three in num- 

 Ix-r, each 27 ft. 4 in. by 300 feet, and 

 contain 30.000 feet of glass. The com- 

 pany has here 30 acres of land, which 

 gives them ample room for further ex- 

 pansion. Part of the land has 'been 

 planted with nur.sery stock. 



One of the pictures gives a view in a 

 house of palms and another shows a 

 hoiise of Boston ferns. The houses are 

 of Garland iron gutter and post con- 

 struction, and are built to stay. 



or turn of statement. Thus it will 

 be seen that these two words have prac- 

 tically a common meaning. 



The plain, unvarnished truth will as- 

 sert itself in spite of all attempts to 

 conceal it, especially in the florist's 

 trade, where sight is the chief sense 

 to be gratified, not only at the moment 

 of sale, but later when the articles are 

 sent to their destination to be admired 

 under new surroundings and perhaps by 

 another and more critical eye. With 

 food stuffs, chemicals and coloring mat- 

 ter can be employed, one to deceive the 

 taste, the other the eye, so adultera- 

 tion may go unnoticed; not so in the 

 plant, shrub and flower trade, for Dame 

 Nature quickly resents any deviation 

 from her ways, allowing the true condi- 

 tions to come to light. 



First let me state that the personal 

 pronouns "we" and "us" are to betaken 

 as applying to the florist, nurseryman 

 and seedsman alike, from the fact that 

 these branches of trade are closely al- 

 lied. 



Second, allow me to say that if the 

 chips fall in unpleasant plices I can 

 only answer with the proof of my state- 

 ments. 



One great trouble is that we are hu- 

 man, and it is not human nature to de- 

 preciate one's wares in whatever line, 

 still it is not necessary to tell a cus- 



