ir.s 



HORTICULTURE 



August 28, 1920 



RIIVILJ 



OBCONICA CHINENSIS MALACOIDES 



OBCONICA, Separate colors or mixed 

 CHINENSIS MIXED. 2^/4 inch pots, $7 per 100; $60 per 1,000. 

 Ready Now. Raised from Selected Seed 



CINERARIA, Half Dwarf Mixed, 2% inch pote, $7 per 100; $60 per 1,000. 



f I RFIITFR rn ^^""^ 15 Cedar St., WATERTOWN STA. 



JUi* U • RKtutKJ I M.aM\. VxV/. Brokers boston, mass. 



Short P. O. Address: L. J. Reuter Co., Boston 72, Mass. 



Your Store Window 



Do You Know What is the Most 



Depth? 



Effective Height and 



Have you ever stopped to consider 

 what effect the height or size of your 

 store windows may have on your busi- 

 ness? Probably the average florist 

 has never thought of this matter, and 

 yet it is a question which deserves 

 attention. The manager of a very 

 large retail concern in New Yorlt has 

 been talking about this question, and 

 has given some views which are well 

 worth the consideration of all retail 

 florists. Among other things he said: 



"The effective show window should 

 have a floor about eighteen inches 

 above the sidewalk level and the glass 

 should never be more than eight feet 

 High. Any window space above that 

 height Is of no great value for dis- 

 play and is very difficult to trim. 



"The eight-foot or less window is far 

 more effectively trimmed and lighted. 

 Windows more than four feet deep re- 

 quire too much merchandise and labor 

 to trim, so that false backs must be 

 used. The window backs should be 

 paneled to the height of the window 

 front and should be painted with a 

 white enamel. The glossy surface 

 adds life to the display and the white 

 never jars with any other color which 

 may be placed near it. Mirror panels 

 also add greatly to the appearance of 

 a window. 



"In studying the plans for store 

 "fronts I have come to believe that 

 deep set in doorways are all wrong, 

 -unless in the case of a very narrow 

 €ront. The easier we make it for the 

 people to enter the store the more we 

 will get in. Then there is less chance 

 of conversation parties blocking up 

 the passageway. 



"We have several instances where 



there are two entrances with an island 

 show window in the front, a passage 

 all around back of it and then an- 

 other window placed between the two 

 entrance doorways. The island win- 

 dow is nothing more than a glass box 

 which must be trimmed to display 

 all four ways, and very little can be 

 done in the upper part without inter- 

 fering with the lighting or with the 

 daylight getting through to the rear 

 show window. As it is, this rear win- 

 dow must be artificially lighted most 

 of the time. The passageway is a 

 great parking place for baby carriages, 

 with no half-hour limits, and they 

 block all passing and kill the window 

 displays. 



"Island" Windows Unprofitable 

 "I have checked up two such places 

 and have found that 10 per cent of the 

 people who came into this passage- 

 way went into the store, and there 

 was a still smaller percentage of 

 people who did go into the store who 

 never noticed the passage at all. Our 

 windows are not supposed to contain 

 samples of everything we have to sell, 

 and a store big enough for two double 

 entrances will always have sufficient 

 show space for the necessary displays. 

 So I am convinced that this style of 

 front, though often very snappy look- 

 ing, is not worth to us the extra, cost 

 of the construction, of the extra floor 

 space taken, or the extra cost of light- 

 ing. 



"I believe that when we have a 

 large store front and want more win- 

 dow space, then the set-in front can 

 be used, but cutting out the island 

 show window altogether, leaving the 

 front clear and wide open. Such a 



space Is inviting, rich looking and 

 gives far greater value to the side 

 window displays, and gives the middle 

 window a chance. Such an entrance 

 with white tile floor, wTiite enameled 

 ceiling, and with snappy, well-lighted 

 show windows on three sides, is far 

 superior to any other design. Should 

 we require a basement entrance in the 

 center, same should be surrounded 

 simply by brass handrail. 



"The ceilings of show windows and 

 vestibules should always be painted 

 white to aid the lighting scheme. Only 

 in cases of very high entrance ways 

 or where there are great quantities of 

 insects should these exterior ceilings 

 be painted red." 



THE MARKET 



There is practically no market. To 

 be sure, there are flowers enough such 

 as they are, but buyers are few and 

 far between. There is a tremendous 

 glut of gladioli, which can be bought 

 at almost any price down to one cent 

 each. Asters are plentiful and also 

 selling low. There is a fair demand 

 for helichrysum and even goldenrod 

 is noted in the Boston market. 



The Canadian Horticultural Society 

 has elected the following officers: 

 President, W. E. Groves, Hamilton; 

 First Vice-President, C. J. Hay, Brock- 

 ville; Second Vice-President, Fred T. 

 Clark, Toronto; Secretary-Treasurer, 

 H. J. Eddy, Montreal. The association 

 at its twenty-third annual convention 

 voted to change the name to Canadian 

 Florists' and Gardeners' Association. 



At the annual meeting of the ladies 

 of the S. A. F. at Cleveland last week, 

 Mrs. George Asmus, of Chicago, was 

 unanimously elected President. Mrs. 

 Martha Guenterberg, of Chicago, was 

 elected Vice-President: Mrs. A. M. 

 Herr, Secretary and Miss J. D. Fulmer, 

 Treasurer. 



