712 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



October 23, 1902. 



tomer that Adiantiim Farleyens? can 

 be grown with success in an ordinary 

 dwelling house; however, I have heai'd 

 Eucli a statement made. 



I have seen vegetables and flower 

 seeds expo.sed for sale when the fly 

 specks of years' accumulation on the 

 envelope containing them would indi- 

 cate anything but fresh seed, s(ill they 

 were represented as such. 



Sample palms have been shown me 

 in July, then in 4-inch pots, to be shift- 

 ed soon to 5-inch and delivered during 

 September and October at a certain 

 price. This stock was represented to 

 be on the grower's place in a certain 

 state. When the goods arrived some time 

 after promised they were still in 4-inch 

 pots, needed no shift, were smaller than 

 sample shown and came from an en- 

 tirely difi'crent grower, situated in an- 

 other state ; a case of selling short. 



Having seen violets ofl'ered for sale a 

 sample was sent for, which, proving 

 good, induced me to order a quantity. 

 The quantity came, but the quality was 

 all in the simple plant. Two and 

 sometimes three old stumps or stools, 

 some of which had no roots, had been 

 bunched together and stufl'ed with soil 

 into a pot. Several limes geranium cut- 

 tings have been ordered of one distinct 

 variety; at blooming time they proved 

 to be a motley array. 



Most of us know the character and 

 source of supply of department store 

 roses, sold at 10 cents eich. They are 

 as a rule offered by the importer, 

 bought and sold by tlie retailer as they 

 really are. What would be your opin- 

 ion of a nurseryman seen coming from 

 one of these stores laden with several 

 bunches of these roses going in the di- 

 rection of his place of iiusiness? I saw 

 this several years ago, but never forgot 

 it or chmged my opinion. 



It is a matter of record that a few 

 years ago a certain variety of carnation 

 was offered for sale as being a sport 

 from a well known and profitable sort. 

 Quite a controversy was carried on 

 through the trade papers as to its real- 

 ly being a .sport from the variety named. 

 At last a committee was appointed or 

 asked to investigate and report. The 

 committee reported that it believed the 

 sport to be a true one an<l recommend- 

 ed any florist hiving .$10 to spare to 

 send for a hundred cuttings. Evidently 

 there was a nigger in the wood jiile, for 

 the so-called sport failed to show any 

 $10 a hundred qualities, but is now 

 practically forgotten, while the old 

 standard is still in cultivation. 



Now to reverse things somewhat, 

 placmg the wholesaler or grower at the 

 mercy of the retiiler or store man. It 

 IS a most despicable practice to mis- 

 represent one's needs to a grower of cut 

 flowers who has stock, perishable as it is, 

 to offer; this is commonlv called shrewd 

 buying. Not so; it is the downright, 

 selfish grinding accomplishment of°ob- 

 taining goods under practically false 

 pretenses. 



Another practice which in some places 

 seems to be growing, is that of obtaining 

 the over supply from public and privite 

 establishments by a favored few, thus 

 placing a premium on begging at the 

 expense of the whole communitv, at the 

 same time placing the parties implicat- 

 ed in a dangerous position, for "mur- 

 der will out." 



Our special Thanksgiving number will 

 be issued November 13. Prepare advs. 

 for same now. 



PAINTING HEATING PIPES. 



Mr. Gibbons says in the Review that 

 red lead and linseed oil is the best pre- 

 ventive of rust, and if the color is an 

 objection add some lamp black, which 1 

 suppose will make the pipes black. Be- 

 neath benches and side walls this is 

 doubtless the best thing you can do. and 

 something should be put on them wher- 

 ever they are, for rust they will. This 

 very day we have had to repUce sev- 

 eral lengths of IJ-inch pipe that were 

 eaten through with rust, and that were 

 put in seven years ago. There was a 

 drip on this coil and it rusted badly. 

 Jlr. Gibbons also adds that the lead 

 and oil will make no dilTcrence in radi- 

 ation of lieat given out through the 

 coils. In that 1 think he is very sound. 



Now white is a very much better color 

 (if color it can be called) for the inte- 

 rior of a greenhouse, and in the new 

 sj stem of building, where a whole block 

 of houses has no partitions in it, it is 

 often convenient to have part of the 

 steam pipes supported or hung on the 

 iion posts that support the gutters. To 

 piint those pipes, which are perhaps 

 two or three feet from the ground, either 

 red or black, would. I think, be a det- 

 riment and not nearly so pleasant to 

 the eye or conducive to a light house 

 as painting them white. It is light 

 we are after, no matter whether it 

 comes from the north, south, east or 

 west. 



Notice the difVercnce between a house 

 where the bars have recently had a coit 

 of white lead and a house that has not 

 had an interior coat for three or four 

 .^tars. I have several houses heated by 

 hot water where the flow is a 2-inch 

 pipe running neir the wall plate. I 

 gave them two coats of white lead and 

 linseed oil directly after they were put 

 up. After seven or eight years they 

 are clean and bright, with not the 

 slightest trace of rust, and as for radi- 

 ation, I am sure they get as hot as it 

 is possible to make them with the 

 heiter and fuel behind them. 



Now I am out to learn from Mr. Gib- 

 bons, and I want to know why white 

 lead and oil will not do for all pipes 

 that are seen. I have 18,000 feet of 

 1-inch pipe waiting for Mr. Gibbons' 

 advice, but I don't want them either 

 red or black. If not white, then I would 

 rather paint them the color of grass 

 when covered with snow, which is "in- 

 visible green." W. S. 



Replying to W. S., there is no very 

 serious objection to painting the pipes 

 which are not exposed to the drip from 

 the benches or other excessive moisture 

 with white lead. The white lead will, 

 of course, retard radiation slightly, but 

 the loss in this respect is probably 

 counteracted by the gain of reflection. 

 If the pipes are subject to corrosion 

 they should first have a coat of red 

 lead, then a coat of white for appear- 

 ance's sike. Hexry W. Gibbons. 



New York. 



NATURAL GAS FOR FUEL. 



\^"liicli would you ('nn^i<ler the most 

 economical fuel — Pittsbiu-g bituminous 

 coal at $3 per ton, or natural gas at 2.5 

 cents per 1,000 feet? My place contains 

 alxjut 7,000 square feet of glass and is 

 heated by two Hitchings No. 17 hot 

 water heaters. B. F. E. 



The bituminous coal at the price men- 

 tioned equals natural gas at about 21 



cents per 1,000 feet. We would think 

 it desirable from every point of view 

 for your correspondent to use the gas. 

 With gas tJiere is no stcking, no soot, no 

 ashes, and it saves practically three- 

 fourUis the time ordinarily required 

 where soft coal is used. 



Natural gas is a luxury and at price 

 named would certainly advise its use. 

 Would ladvise consulting some gas expert 

 as to best tyjje of burner, for it makes a 

 great dill'ercnc-e in the hills where a 

 scientific burner is used. E. G. H. 



BUSINESS METHODS FOR BUSY 

 FLORISTS. 



XL 



Expaision. 



This is something we heard a great 

 deal of a few years since in a political 

 way. In reality a new word was coined 

 in the heat of political discussion, or a 

 broader, larger meaning given to an old 

 word. It ohtained a national meaning 

 and in a measure set every one thinking 

 about expanding his business, his income 

 or his expenditures. 



Those who are older in the florist busi- 

 ness than the writer have seen a wonder- 

 ful expansion in the business during the 

 past twenty-five years. Even during the 

 last decade business has doubled, and 

 still there seems room for mncli more. 

 At what rate can this expansion go on 

 and when should a halt be called. That 

 is one of the hardest questions confront-' 

 ing the trade today. For the most part 

 local conditions will deteimine the an- 

 swer to each individual in the business, 

 but a few cardinal rules should be ob- 

 served before plunging into new projects 

 too hastily. 



If you are a grower and your busi- 

 ness is prosperous, as we have a right 

 to suppose, and your annual profits 

 amount to 10 per cent of your invested 

 capital, you should not hesitate to in- 

 vest more in your chosen vocation. If 

 your trade is growing in propurtion to 

 your income all of j'our yearly profits 

 over your living expenses can be safely 

 used in expansion by building more 

 houses. 



Right here the question of borrowing 

 money to conduct your business comes 

 in. When business is prosperous and 

 times are good money is easy to obtain 

 and rates of interest are usually lower.- 

 Oftentimes money can be borrowed and 

 used to good advantage. ••But if you are 

 out of debt don't borrow more than 10 

 per cent of your invested capital. Tliis 

 will enable you to pay it all within a 

 year. If you are in debt, rather try to 

 decrease it than to increise it. If your 

 business has not been profitable or has 

 not paid you 10 per cent, don't borrow 

 more money, for if you can't make a 

 profit on jour own capital it isn't likely 

 that you can on so7ne one else's. 



Keep within the limit, don't expand 

 more rapidly than your business will 

 warrant. I know that many large firms 

 have built up a big business on bor- 

 rowed capital, but unless your profits 

 are unusually large don't attempt it. 

 It is too risky for yourself as well as the 

 other fellow. A business built from the 

 ground up on your own money and 

 brains is much more likely to stay by 

 you than if you built it upon borrowed 

 capital. The man with money can always 

 make money during times of depression, 

 and the man who borrows will lose dur- 

 ing such times. 



