20 THE PRINCIPLES OF FLORICULTURE 



charge. If clerks are interested and enthusiastic in their 

 work, and manifest an endeavor to please customers, all 

 this affects very materially the developing and maintain- 

 ing of a profitable business. If clerks have a knowledge 

 of plant requirements they can often be of service to cus- 

 tomers in advising regarding the choice of material for 

 certain conditions. 



Every large, well-organized flower shop has its separate 

 departments of work. Aside from the sellers of flowers 

 and plants, there should be at least one clerk who is well 

 versed in buying and he should keep in close touch with 

 wholesale flower concerns. There should be one or two 

 clerks well trained in making artistic designs and bouquets. 

 Others should understand interior decorating and be 

 especially expert in table decorations and work of a similar 

 nature. It is rarely that one finds in a single clerk the 

 ability to perform all of these branches of work in an ac- 

 ceptable manner. 



Store window displays are, without doubt, the best 

 means of advertising a retailer can use (Fig. 2, upper). 

 It is, however, the opinion of men engaged in the busi- 

 ness that most flower stores, particularly in large cities, 

 will have to resort to daily newspaper advertising. 

 Among retailers who have made a pronounced success 

 through this medium of advertising are Penn of Boston 

 and Fleischman of Chicago. This is a more common 

 practice in western cities than in the east. To move 

 stock quickly, especially when the markets are dull, 

 newspaper advertising is one of the ways every live florist 

 will have to pursue and not depend altogether upon his 

 window and his own personal efforts to please his cus- 

 tomers. These of course are important points, but the 

 florist does not want to depend altogether on one thing to 



