616 



HOETICULTURE 



April 26, 1913 



Of Interest to Retail 

 Florists 



SALESMANSHIP. 



The seiiing qualities of a good sa'es- 

 man are soon broiiglit to the surface 

 when he greets a customer who 

 "merely stopped in to price your 

 goods and not to buy." Courtesy is 

 visible at all times, and even though 

 they may not buy, they do not fail to 

 remember the treatment received. 



Patience is a virtue and here is 

 where you make a sale. The customer 

 is undecided as to just what he or she 

 wants and in many cases relies on the 

 salesman for suggestions, feeling that 

 his ideas and experience are superior 

 to their own and, by taking an inte:- 

 est in their order, no matter how 

 trivial it may be, you have won them 

 over and they will sooner or later 

 agree with you. 



In buying flowers no matter what 

 the occasion may be, people do not 

 always decide on the first suggestion 

 and the salesman having the patience 

 to hold his customer until satisfied 

 will have no trouble handling these 

 same people the ne.xt time they visit 

 the store to purchase flowers. He has 

 gained their confidence and that means 

 the sale half made. 



An artist may be a wonderful 

 worker but not a good salesman, due 

 to the fact that he cannot convi«ce 

 his customers enough to leave their 

 orders with him; on the other hand, 

 the less competent man who is a 

 poorer worker may be much the 

 better salesman. 



Unnecessary talk is never appre- 

 ciated by a customer and too much 

 may be as bad as none at all. Custom- 

 ers feel when entering a store that the 

 privilege of looking about and asking 

 prices belongs to them. The wide- 

 awake salesman will soon observe 

 after a few moments consideration 

 whether they mean business or are 

 out sight-seeing. Courtesy may help 

 to make a sale, gi-utfness may drive 

 them out never to return. A shrewd 

 salesman never forces anything on a 

 customer: when in doubt as to a 

 selection give them time to decide for 

 themselves and if your opinion is 

 asked give it honestly and you will 

 not be called to account for it later. 



^VTien two or more customers are in 

 the store at one time the quoting of 

 prices sliould always be done quietly 

 so as not to embarass the customer 

 with the meagre purse in the presence 

 of the person with the fat pocketbook. 



The habit of smoking or drinking 

 during store hours is a serious detri- 

 ment and the breath of one addicted 

 to these habits is always offensive to 

 a customer. In spite of gum and 

 breath perfumes the salesman using 

 either of these habitually is soon con- 

 demned. 



The salesman having the proper 

 qualities and ability to carry out the 

 foregoing advice may be well taken 

 care of when opportunity knocks at 

 his door provided he is there to 

 answer. 



Mr. Stiremax. 



CHICAGO NOTES. 



Mrs. Frank Oechslin is visiting in 

 New York. 



The J. A. Budlong Co. is extending 

 sympathy to many of them in a very 

 practical way. 



A department store reports two car 

 loads of bay trees and shrubbery from 

 Belgium as held up by the floods. 



Peter Samuelson for several years 

 with H. N. Bruns, has opened a store 

 for himself at 5605 W. Chicago avenue. 



Arthur Nees at 2419 North avenue 

 has remodeled his store and put it in 

 fine condition for an increased busi- 

 ness. 



Stephen and Charles Stebert have 

 bought the Rhojahn greenhouses at 

 12th street and Desplaines avenue, 

 Forest Park. 



Another new flower store is that of 

 C. Herleman at 709 Willow street. 

 This spring seems to have moved 

 many to venture into the business. 



Attention is called to the announce- 

 ment of the Chicago Florists' Club, 

 under the heading of Club and Society 

 Notes, concerning Relief for Flood Suf- 

 ferers. 



J. Bergstrom of Rockford, 111., who 

 was a Chicago visitor this week, has 

 enlarged and remodeled his store at 

 507 7th street and is having an open- 

 ing this week. 



Again the Fairbank Building will 

 house the old-time members of the 

 Flower Growers' Market, though this 

 time as individuals. The home com- 

 ing occurs May 1st. 



A. Lange found ready sale for pot 

 plants of Dielyetra spectabilis (bleed- 

 ing heart) last week. They were 

 placed in baskets and made very at- 

 tractive spring offerings. 



N. J. Wietor, chairman of the com- 

 mittee that financed the S. A. F. con- 

 vention here last August, expects to 

 see everything cleaned up this week. 

 The balance will be on the right side. 



A special feature of nearly all the 

 window displays in the flower stores 

 now is the iris. This beautiful and 

 graceful flower seems each year to be 

 more popular and wholesalers report 

 sales very satisfactory. 



Flood conditions are not interfering 

 so badly with the shipping business 

 this week though goods are still re- 

 ceived subject to delay. Most trouble 

 reported now is from Southern Illinois 

 and from Cairo to Memphis. 



Phil Schupp continues to receive 

 letters from florists who suffered and 

 lost in the great flood. The stories of 

 their experiences are almost beyond 

 belief and how they escaped w-ith their 

 lives is little short of a miracle. 



Ben F. Rubel, whose death we note 

 on another page, was a Chicago man, 

 who had just attained success and was 

 preparing to take a trip to Europe in 

 June. His death of pneumonia came 

 just when he was planning for a time 

 to rest and enjoy the results of the 

 business he had built up. 



Arbor Day was observed with no ap- 

 parent lack of enthusiasm and many 

 schools made the day quite an event. 

 Trees were again sold for one cent 

 each and 300,000 sycamore trees were 

 offered by one store with a free cir- 



ORDERS FOR 



NEW YORK 



WIRE OR PHONE TO 



MAX SCHLING 



22 West 59tti Street, adjoining Plaza Hotel 



Best Florists in the States as References 

 EUROPEAN ORDERS EXECUTED 



Rochester, N. Y. 



J. B. KELLER SONS, 



FLORISTS 

 2S Clinton Avenue, N. 



Rochester Phone 506. Long Dist. Bell Phone ii 



Members Florists Telegraph Delivery 



Florists' Refrigerators 



Write us tor catalogue and Prices, stating size you 

 require, and for what kind of cut flowers you wish 

 to use the refrigerator: also sUte whether you 

 want it for display or only for storage. 



McCray Refrigerator Co 



553 Lake Street, KendaHvUh, ImL 



Mention Horticulture when you -Ufrite. 



cular of instructions for planting and 

 care given with each sale. The syca- 

 more has the approval of City Forester 

 J. H. Prost for city use. 



The Horticultural Society of Chica- 

 go is planning a peony and iris show. 

 The cultivation of these flowers has 

 increased wonderfully during the past 

 five years. Large sums of money are 

 invested in peony growing in the vi- 

 cinity of Chicago and with the cold 

 storage facilities now in use, begin- 

 ning with the first shipments from the 

 south and ending with the cold storage 

 home-grown blooms, there is a long 

 season, with immense possibilities 

 which growers, wholesalers and retail- 

 ers are alike more alert to each sea- 

 son. A good peony and iris show will 

 be just the best thing to give the 

 flower loving public. It will be held 

 some time in June. 



Visitors — J. J. Leborious, Duluth, 

 Minn.; W. L. Rock, Kansas City, Mo.; 

 J. Bergstrom, Rockford, 111.; Wm. 

 Wells, England. 



RHINEBECK EASTER VIOLET 



SHIPMENTS. 



Shipments of violets through the 

 local American Express ofHce reached 

 a lar,ge total during the week preced- 

 ing Easter. There were 3342 boxes 

 shipped, which was 512 more than last 

 year. 



The shipment by days, in boxes 

 compared with other years were as 

 follows: 



191?. 1912 1911 1910 1909 



Monciay, 172 IGl 170 161 151 



Tue.sday 200 177 187 194 170 



Wednesdav, .'Ml 207 287 .■Sll 272 



Thursdav. fiC,+ .iSl .502 .512 49.3 



Friday. 9R5 903 839 709 748 



Saturday. 980 776 818 761 968 



TocaW, 3,342 2,8.30 2.803 2,648 2,802 



Ninety-three boxes were also sent 

 by the Adams Express Company, and 

 in addition several small boxes were 

 sent by parcel post. 



