HORTICULTURE 



Vol. XXX 



OCTOBER 11, 1919 



No. 15 



THE TALK OF THE TRADE 



What is wruim with our California 

 Freesias? The bulbs looked fine when 

 they were delivered, but t lie growth 

 has been a decided disappointment to 

 quite a number of growers. They 

 have started very unevenly and for 

 pot and pan purposes this is a great 

 drawback. One grower I visited re- 

 cently had pans with growth ranging 

 from four to ten inches in height, and 

 B pan of Freesia to be good must stand 

 even and finish its flowers all at the 

 same time. It doesn't seem to be at 

 all the fault of the growers, as the 

 trouble seems to be general. Were 

 the bulbs dug too early, or is there 

 some other reason? 



I understand that Peter Fisher has 

 received orders for over 50,000 rooted 

 cuttings of his new carnation Ethel 

 Fisher, which started out as Red 

 Cross. The name is the least import- 

 ant point apparently. What counts is 

 the quality of the flower, and this new 

 carnation seems likely to prove highly 

 popular. 



Apparently the Patten Begonia is to 

 have a good sale this season. Many 

 growers seem to have it in 4, 5 and 6- 

 inch pots and expect it to meet with 

 high favor. It is well received by the 

 buying public because of its high 

 color. Naturally the M. A. Patten Co., 

 of Tewksbury. Mass.. has a large 

 stock, but other growers are well 

 stocked up, too. I have seen a good 

 supply of plants at the establishments 

 of Edward Norberg, North Cambridge, 

 Mass.. and that of A. M. Davenport. 



There seems to be no reason why 

 the oleander should not come into in- 

 creasing favor. It has many things 

 to recommend it and is not at all hard 

 to grow if one keeps off the scale and 

 mealy bug. It is a fine plant to use 

 around estates and in parks and in 

 cafes in the late Spring and early 

 Summer. There is said to be consid- 

 erable stock in the country and if I 

 am not mistaken, a supply carried by 

 two prominent Ohio concerns, Storrs 

 & Harrison and Goode & Reese. There 

 are stocks in the East. too. At least 



W. W. Edgar, of Waverley, Mass., 

 have a supply, and doubtless there are 

 others. 



Murray, the florist of New Bedford, 

 has originated a unique advertisement 

 which must have attracted no little at- 

 tention. It appears in one of the local 

 papers, and while it occupies only a 

 single column, the eye is immediately 

 caught by two finger prints at the top 

 of the ad. These two prints make one 

 think of a detective story or some 

 thrilling piece of news, so that the eye 

 inevitably follows down to the text. 

 The display lettering .is confined to 

 the words "Finger marks of indentifl- 

 cation" and the rest of the matter 

 runs right along into the smaller 

 type which informs the reader that 

 finger marks are not confined to the 

 rogue's gallery alone, as the finger 

 marks of the florist are an indentifica- 

 tion of good taste and refinement in 

 the man who employs him. The loca- 

 tion of handsome evergreens in barren 

 places is the finger mark of the land- 

 scape gardener, covering bare under- 

 pinning, and the bedding of choice col- 

 lections will be a source of satisfac- 

 tion to the home maker as well as an 

 adornment to his home all winter 

 long. As a last persuasive appeal, the 

 advertisement closes with the line, 

 "Come to a decision right away, and 

 'leave it to Peter.' " 



Penn of Boston is putting out a new 

 street car card, which is perhaps the 

 most novel thing of the kind yet con- 

 ceived. 



The card is neatly done in colors 

 but is not overdone. It reads: Whose 

 slogan is this? When you think of 



flowers, thing of ." No name is 



given, but in its place there appears 

 the cut of a long quill pen. Under- 

 neath the pen are the words, "Boston's 

 Flower — Phone, etc. 



Now there can be no doubt as to the 

 novelty of this advertisement, neither 

 can there be any doubt that the ma- 

 jority of native Bostonians who read 

 it will immediately understand that 

 it refers to Penn, the Florist. There 

 will be a certain amount of advertis- 

 ing value, too. Yet the question must 

 inevitably arise, "Is this the kind of 



advertising which brings the maxi- 

 mum of results?" The most original 

 and unique advertising does not al- 

 ways sell the most goods. It is a 

 question, indeed, whether the greatest 

 amount of business is not obtained by 

 the simple and direct statement as to 

 what one has to offer, what it costs, 

 and where it can be obtained. Thou- 

 sands of people come into Boston 

 every day from other places. Many 

 of them, as even Mr. Penn himself, 

 will admit, never have heard of the 

 Penn store. Yet they may be prospec- 

 tive buyers. To such as these the 

 Penn ad. will be useless. This frank 

 criticism expresses, of course, only the 

 writer's thought of the matter, based 

 on his experience and observation. 

 To be sure, Mr. Penn can safely do 

 what many other florists could not, 

 but in my opinion the best kind of 

 general advertising for the average 

 florist is an announcement which 

 offers some special design, a novelty, 

 or a particular inducement in the way 

 of quality. Such an ad. commonly 

 suggests a want which the reader of 

 the advertisement did not feel before, 

 and which will lead him directly to 

 the advertiser's store. 



BOSTON'S NEW STORE. 

 Hamlin's new store in the Little 

 Building was opened this week, 

 and Mr. Rogers received many con- 

 gratulations on its appearance and es- 

 pecially on its equipment. Among the 

 most noticeable features of the store 

 are the flower chests with their mas- 

 sive glass doors. These chests are 

 fitted with the Isko system of refrig- 

 eration without ice. It is understood 

 that several orders have been placed 

 by Boston florists for this system, but 

 the one at the Hamlin store is the first 

 that has been set up in Boston. For 

 that reason it has been examined with 

 much interest. The simple machinery 

 is located in the basement and a ther- 

 mostat gives perfect regulation. The 

 refrigerant used is sulphur dioxide, 

 especially treated. This is a harmless, 

 non-inflammable gas which liquifies at 

 low pressure. Cranks, pistons and 

 connections are all eliminated. The 

 system was installed in the store by 

 the Boston agents of the Isko Co., 

 which has its headquarters in Chicago. 



