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horticulture: 



October 13, 1906 



HORTICULTURE 



AN ILLUSTRATED JOURNAL 



DEVOTED TO THE 



FLORIST, PLANTSMAN, LANDSCAPE 



GARDENER AND KINDRED 



INTERESTS 



HORTICULTURE PUBLISHING CO. 



II HAMILTON PLACE. BOSTON, MASS. 



Telephone, Oxford 292 



WM. J. STEWART, Editor and Hanager 



Has anyone given any tlioiiglit to the 

 Automobiiing effect of the present automobile craze 

 affects flower gn the flower business generall}-? 

 buying ^Ve hear much complaint from those 



dealers who would be most liable to 

 be affected by the results of this diversion as to the 

 utter absence of any mo\ement towards the resump- 

 tion of regular flower buying. It is altogether prob- 

 able that so long as the fine fall weather continues this 

 condition will prevail. It is fortunate in a way. that 

 the available supply of flowers is smaller than in any 

 previous season at a corresponding date, otherwi.-e the 

 stagnation would he much more uncomfortable than 

 it is. 



Equally gratifying with the evi- 



Nurserytnen denccs of unprecedented prosperity 



building wisely in tlio nursery business are the 



for the future indications that our nurserymen are 



making provisions for the future 



wliich will ensure a supply of reliable ornamental trees 



and shrubs for all demands, a condition which has 



not heretofore existed. Another hopeful sign is the 



disposition to inquire into and test the hardiness and 



comparative value of varieties which, especially in the 



case of certain conifers, have been multiplied beyond 



any existing need. The course of experimentation and 



development which the leading dealers in this material 



are following is on wise lines following the example of 



the Arnold Arboretum at Boston, the institution 



which, more than any other influence, has furnished 



the incentive for the gardening revival now in progress. 



Most retail florists in large cities 



Our frontispiece realize the advantages of having 



and Its lesson thgij- places of business neat, and 



attractively furnished; in fact they 

 are well aware that this is absolutely essential to 

 T)usiness success and that good customers will not con- 

 tinue their patronage where the reverse of these con- 

 ditions exists. Many retail dealers and florists in 

 small cities and country towns would do well to emu- 

 late the example of their brethren in this respect, 



making their places of business attractive not only for 

 positive purchasers but for visitors as well, treating 

 the latter also with equal consideration. Many grow- 

 ers who combine growing with "making up" and the 

 selling of cut flowers locally, have no oiEces or other 

 places of accommodation suitable for the reception of 

 refined patrons, and others who have such facilities 

 ])ermit them to become lounging places, untidy and 

 otherwise obnoxious to that class of buyers whose 

 patromige is most to be desired. Our frontispiece, 

 which shows the interior arrangement of a typical New 

 York flower store of the best class — ^that of Alexander 

 McCormell on Fifth avenue, should convey some use- 

 ful ideas to those of our readers who have not hitherto 

 given due attention to this most important feature of 

 modern retail floral trade. 



For the florist with a store or 

 The "fall opening" tlie one doing retail business 

 as a business through a show-room and office 



starter attached to the greenhouses the 



opening of the fall season pre- 

 sents opportunities which if taken due advantage of 

 will do much to liring to his establishment that pop- 

 ularity and distinction which are so essential to full 

 business success. He loses the best part of his influ- 

 ence and reputation in decorative work whoso premises 

 present no evidence of his abilities in that line or 

 suggestion that he is possessed of tliat taste which is 

 essential thereto. The old saying that "blacksmiths' 

 horses and shoemakers' wives go barefoot" has an 

 analogy in the surroundings of many a floral establish- 

 ment where the most noticeable characteristic of 

 interior and exterior is the total absence of any allur- 

 ing floral demonstration. The prosperous dry goods 

 merchants do not nowadays rely upon the fact that 

 they have the material all piled up on their counters 

 ready for buyers but they spend lavishly on their 

 window displays, using models and all the accessories 

 to show the goods at their best as in actual use. The 

 florist who follows similar tactics is the winner every 

 time. A well-advertised fall opening is an excellent 

 starter for the season's business. Show what you can 

 do in iilaiit groujiing, in winter box and porch green- 

 ery, in flower arrangement for wedding or birthdays, 

 anything and everything for cheerful home or festive 

 occasion. 



No man who gi-ows stock for sale can call himself 

 "progressive" if he omits to advertise it. If you grow 

 for retail exclusively, advertise in your local paper;. If 

 you grow for wholesale trade, or if you have a surplus 

 above your retail needs, get in line with those who are 

 to be found in Horticulture's advertising columns. 

 You will find it distinctly to your advantage and will 

 have no trouble to back up the claim that you are "pro- 

 gressive." Horticulture is essentially the medium of 

 the "progressive" horticulturist, and this is one reason 

 why it is the best advertising medium in its class. 



