﻿16 



The Florists^ Review 



Apbil 8, 1&»0 



the curtailment of trade was iiiueh less 

 felt. New England escaped the storm 

 until the big day's business was over 

 and the trade there did the largest it 

 has known. 



Big Day, Nevertheless. 



Despite the storm, however, an enor- 

 mous business was done by florists in 

 all sections of the country and the trade 

 is not so pessimistic over the losses in- 

 curred as it would be if the storm had 

 been earlier and of longer duration. 



Prices were not so high as might have 

 been anticipated, because stock was ex- 

 ceedingly plentiful. There were all the 

 plants and cut flowers the retailers 

 could sell. The former were moved 

 well, though in some places growers 

 who were anxious over prospects of a 

 surplus sold out at low prices to de- 

 partment stores in order to clear out 

 the plants before Easter had passed. 

 But these cases were few. Of cut 

 flowers, there is a different story, chiefly 

 because of the storm. An abundance 

 that the trade would have regarded as 

 a godsend with bright Easter day 

 weather became a surplus. In some 

 centers carnations became^ even a glut, 

 so abundant were they and so weakly 

 did they sell in the face of good sup- 

 plies of other stock. 



Lilies were much more numerous than 

 had been expected, from the reports of 



a short supply of bulbs and of curtailed 

 planting because of the high price. 

 They descended to 15 cents for cut 

 blooms and in some places went as high 

 as 35 cents. Plants held more uniformly 

 to 25 to 30 cents per flower at whole- 

 sale. Retail figures were customarily 

 50 and 75 cents per bloom and bud. 



Some centers, Philadelphia for ex- 

 ample, report the greatest Easter in 

 their history, greatest in number of 

 sales, greatest in sum of money. As to 

 net j)rofits, it is not safe to say, but 

 there is no doubt that everywhere the 

 trade made much money. Telegraph 

 orders were extraordinarily large. The 

 public had the money and spent it this 

 Easter. The sole drawback occurred 

 when the storm would not allow the 

 people out to spend their money. 



EASTER ADVERTISING. 



The big day of spring was especially 

 big for florists in those communities 

 where they used newspaper space dur- 

 ing the week preceding to advertise 

 their stock. The trade was generous in 

 its use of advertising space as a rule 

 and everybody was much pleased with 

 the results from their publicity. 



The page advertisement used in St. 

 Louis was reproduced in last week's 

 issue of The Eeview. In Milwaukee 

 and other cities also cooperative adver- 



■▼^^▼W^^^^V w W 



n«»>« n »-»«-»»»»»»^ 





tnHy 







— and choose 



Coombs' Flowers 



We are going to have some 

 ivonderful flowers this Easter 



For moMfa we Ktve brcn abating A>ae Bo«rm ut^ 

 wtlchinc ova then m their growth at thoufh they 

 wen childm (we grow our own flowen, you know). 

 And now. axled by tKe wami weather and ttimfainr, 

 dte flowen have re*ch<^ io'1 and radiant bloom—i*** 

 B time for CAiter. 



rty lo moat gnciourfy 



Ju»t Bee what we 

 win hcare to offer you 



Lily PIcmts 



rnah and atatrir— <h« my AbmC 

 ■tjock. We Mill have huodradi of 

 tkcMcboiea planta. 



Choose from 



theMe your favorite 



Eaaur plant 



CyelamcM, raan, •pinaa, tiya- 

 €M^ tnUpa and daffodiia 



or 

 BMOtlfol Baalctt amncvnMrts at 

 Fotming PUntk 



Cut Flowers 



if yom pUa»*— 



dircft Ppaa and \ olet*. rv^ and 

 «arTutW>na, daffodils and tnllra. cr 

 Ch« lovely mirvMief*.*. (jlj»* or- 

 ehida and faidenias. 



Easter 

 Violet Corsages 



W« wfll have over a hondnd thou- 

 f r»rf vtoL^U thii F.Mt«r ar>d are goirt 

 U offer th«M in bMutifuUy de«l|Tted 



TWOST^'riES. 

 :4J Ibli) Str*. . 364 A5>-tarn StraeE 



(V H OLKSTKAU MiM^T' 



Last, but not hast^ 



!*■ bam' TM* aiB»ir •*K'<r tk* *wnM rm 



ftflWtSoPP'^^ 



— MmiAK K( ■=^i«^a at 



RAtTTOIlC COItN 



Eadly 



:3C 



tisements assisted in booming Eastar 

 sales. 



Individual florists also made exten- 

 sive use of newspaper space, not only 

 in the large cities, but also in the smaller 

 towns. Full pages were not uncommon, 

 though the news-print paper shortage 

 restricted some florists' expenditure. 



John Coombs, at Hartford, Conn., was 

 one who employed a full page, which 

 appeared in the Hartford Times March 

 30, urging customers to purchase early. 

 The advertisement is reproduced on this 

 page. Its layout is effective because 

 the reading matter has been divided so 

 as to give the main story, that of choos- 

 ing early, conspicuous position and to 

 concentrate the reader's attention on 

 it entirely, permitting reference after- 

 wards to the list of stock available at 

 the right. The copy was prepared for 

 John Coombs by Hilmer V. Swenson & 

 Co., Chicago. The result of the pub- 

 licity was most satisfying to Mr. 

 Coombs, who did a big business at both 

 his stores in Hartford. 



CUT GLADIOLI FOR EASTEB 



How often can one expect to see the 

 large-flowering gladioli at Easter timet 

 Few people know and perhaps it is hard 

 to believe that they were seen in Toledo, 

 O., this year, at Easter. April 2, 1920, 

 just two days before Easter Sunday, 

 we cut the first of our Niagara, large 

 white spikes, with an average of eight 

 florets open, which we sold at our re- 

 tail store at the small price of $1 per 

 stem and all were sold at that price. 

 Of course we did not have many to cut, 

 there being only a few, but to think of 

 having cut gladioli for Easter! Can 

 anyone beat it? We shall be able to 

 cut a few right along — not many, but 

 a few. W. Imoberstag. 



PROPAGATINO LILACS. 



I have a large number of large shrubs 

 from which I can take thousands of 

 cuttings — double lilacs, snowballs, wei- 

 gelas, mock oranges, hydrangeas, etc. 

 There are a small stream and a lake on 

 my place. Would this location be a good 

 one in which to root these cuttings? 

 I want to grow a large number of double 

 lilacs for forcing. M. F. J. — Va. 



Typographical Display LendspistlnctioQ to this Easter Advertisement. 



Propagating can be done in early sum- 

 mer by using short cuttings of half- 

 ripened wood. A close frame is nec- 

 essary. Cuttings must be shaded and 

 frequently sprayed, as many as six to 

 eight times daily if the weather is hot. 

 You should do this propagation early 

 in June, before the wood becomes too 

 hard. Many shrubs can also be propa- 

 gated from mature wood. Place the 

 cuttings, cut in suitable lengths, in 

 (lamp sand in a cold cellar over winter, 

 where they will callous. In spring plant 

 out in nursery rows, burying the cut- 

 lings two thirds of their length and 

 firming the soil well. Persistent culti- 

 vation Ls necessary, as well as hand 

 weeding through the growing season. 

 The choice double and single lilacs do 

 not propagate successfully from mature 

 wood. The other shrubs which you 

 name are easily grown in this way. 

 C. W. 



Kinsman, 0. — C. W. Leslie, who has 

 been with Bidwell & Fobes for several 

 jears, intends to open a small green- 

 house of his own, besides taking charge 

 of growing the stock of Bidwell & 

 Fobes. 



