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The Florists^ Review 



AfbiIi 16, 1920 



sweet peas gave out early, as the de- 

 mand was so great. 



"Our potted plants were in greater 

 demand than cut flowers," was the re- 

 port from John Coombs. The call for 

 corsage bouquets was greater than the 

 supply. Funeral work has kept his 

 force jumping most of the time. New- 

 ton Osborne, the carnation grower for 

 Mr. Coombs, went to the Boston flower 

 show recently and brought home the 

 bacon in the shape of eight prizes. 



Eobert Marchant & Sons stated that 

 business was the best yet and that their 

 supply of potted plants gave out too 

 soon. Their supply of cut flowers was 

 large, but they w«re all in fine demand. 



Spear & McManus were busy, as 

 usual. Their trade was larger than ever. 

 Cut flowers and plants sold about 

 evenly. 



Albert Brodrib's store was decorated 

 for the week and business was great. 

 His new delivery car is attractive. He 

 believes in advertising. 



George G. McClunie reports that busi- 

 ness was a little better than last year. 

 Everything sold well, but plants were 

 in the lead. 



The Whiting Greenhouses were sold 

 out of lilies on Good Friday. Business 

 was the best they ever experienced. The 

 spring bedding stock is in fine condition. 



Hallgren Bros, were unable to get all 

 their lilies in bloom for Easter, but they 

 had a fine lot of bulbous stock. 



Edmund Pehl was completely sold out. 



The Cedar Hill Greenhouses were suc- 

 cessful with their lilies and bulbous 

 stock and found ready sale for them 

 all. G. B. M. 



WINDOW DECOEATIONS. 



As Silent Salesmen. 



Aside from your best salespeople, 

 your window is the most important part 

 of your store. I do not mean by this 

 statement that the rest of your store 

 should not be in keeping with the win- 

 dow, but while your salespeople have 

 only one important function to perform, 

 namely, the sale of stock, the window 

 has two. Did you ever stop to think 

 that a window of well arranged stock, 

 while silent, is one of the best sales- 

 men you could possibly have? A good 

 floral decorator might be deaf and dumb 

 and yet be a good salesman and, at the 

 same time, be one of the best local 

 advertising experts you could obtain. 

 Now, the first thing we are going to 

 talk about is a few "don'ts" to be 

 observed in decorating the window. 



The only thing with which I can 

 compare the idea that I am trying to 

 convey is the cook who has a fine as- 

 sortment of victuals and cooks them in 

 such a manner that you are obliged to 

 mix two or three vegetables together 

 to make them palatable. They are not 

 cooked at all; they are just boiled. 

 Don't try to see how much you can 

 crowd into the window, as though you 

 were trying to impress upon the passing 

 public the amount of stock you carry. 

 Don't try to see how many different 

 colors you can get into one window 

 decoration. I have seen windows which 

 made me think of but one thing, 

 Joseph 's coat. Stick to some such color 

 scheme as green, pink and- white; three, 

 or perhaps four, colors that will har- 

 monize are sufficient. You will always 

 have foliage as a green basis. Then 

 have whatever flowers you intend to 

 feature in the window as fine as you 

 can possibly get them and have them 

 arranged in glass vases or in baskets 

 with metal linings, with ribbon to har- 

 monize with the flowers. A border of 

 small ferns around the outer edge of 

 the window will always add a good 

 finish. Any plants that may be dis- 

 played should be specimens. 



Let everything that finds its way into 

 the window be in a position to stand 

 on its own merits. In other words, let 



each article displayed have the appear- 

 ance of being in competition with its 

 neighbor and let all be light and airy. 

 Spring is here and from time to time 

 outside shrubbery will be in bloom. 

 Then there will be fruit blossoms and 

 even dogwood to use; any of these can 

 be worked into an artistic and attrac- 

 tive window. While they will not last 

 long, yet, if properly handl,ed, they will 

 bring with them a breath of the season 

 they represent and be appreciated by 

 those who pass by. 



Recalling Pleasant Memories. 



I have often heard of a slogan used 

 by a well known lunch room, ' ' Come in 

 and try a cup of coffee like your mother 

 used to make. ' ' I have heard all sorts 

 of claims about what a business getter 

 it is, carrying one back to the old home 

 and making one long for a cup of that 

 coffee. At least fifty per cent of our 

 captains of industry were at one time 

 boys on the farm; let them see a window 

 on our downtown streets in which dog- 

 wood is featured. It may have been a 

 long time since they have seen a tree 

 of it in bloom and the novelty of the 

 thing will compel them to stop and look. 

 Their thoughts will drift back over a 

 span of years and for a moment they 

 will be boys again, driving the cows 

 to pasture. But my readers will be 

 asking, "What has all this to do with a 

 florist's window?" My reply is just 

 this: You arc "Saying It with 

 Flowers" to this man in a manner more 

 impressive than a page in a magazine 

 could say it. In the moment he stands 

 and admires your window a mental note 

 is registered; the time will come when 

 that man will need flowers and, when 

 it does, the thought of your dogwood 

 window will come with it. 



Our next big flower day is Mothers' 

 day. Start at least ten days before 

 to have the window well dressed. Then 

 depend upon neatly printed signs, 

 posters, stickers and folders to do the 

 rest. These can be had from the pub- 

 licity service bureau. Be sure to em- 

 phasize the fact that no matter in what 

 part of the world mother may be lo- 

 cated, you can "Say It with Flowers" 

 to her in a few hours. 



We are going after big fish; the sea 

 son is here and all we have to do is t. 

 have the right bait. There will be manv 

 weddings this spring and early Ma; 

 would be a fine time to feature a brida. 

 window for a week. You must have 

 your window decorated and it will b. 

 just as inexpensive and attractive to 

 have this feature as anything else. Fo • 

 such a decoration a well worded ad 

 vertisement in your local paper woul'i 

 be a big help. Have something that 

 is readable and catchy and mention thc^ 

 fact that those who cannot find tinu; 

 to see it during the day can see it in 

 the evening, stating that all floral 

 necessities for the wedding will be on 

 display in your window every evening 

 during the week. Eemember that 

 weddings are being planned every eve- 

 ning, and on these fine spring evenings 

 what would be more natural than a 

 walk for the prospective bride and 

 groom past your store for a look? Then 

 live up to your advertisement. Have 

 a well decorated kneeling stool for a 

 central feature. Outdoor valley will 

 be in bloom; have a shower bouquet of 

 it and one of Double White Killarney. 

 Show several bridesmaids' bouquets, a 

 spray of valley for the groom, the 

 boutonnieres for the ushers and a 

 basket or two for the flower 

 girls. Have each article labeled with 

 a neatly printed card. These are just 

 pointers. You can work out the decora- 

 tion for yourself. In every city somo 

 photographer will have a number of 

 photographs of brides. He will be glad 

 to cooperate with you for the advertise- 

 ment and lend you the photographs. 

 I have seen this done most successfully. 

 This is the next best thing to having 

 the bride herself in the window. 



Tate. 



ATTACK COAL PROFITEEBS. 



Perhaps growers will not have to pay 

 the exorbitant prices which face them if 

 the attack on coal profiteers at Wash- 

 ington achieves the results it aims at. 



The government, it was reported last 

 week, has compiled a list of coal 

 profiteers and, under the president's 

 direction. Attorney General Palmer is 

 preparing to act against them. 



Present high prices of bituminous 

 coal were characterized as inexcusable 

 on any theory of supply and demand or 

 on any economic principle, in a formal 

 .statement issued by Herbert N, Shen- 

 ton, secretary of the United States 

 bituminous coal commission, which ad- 

 judicated the dispute between the soft 

 coal operators and miners. 



LAMBERT'S LOCALS. 



C. W. Sidles, Hastings, Neb., is com 

 pleting a greenhouse for carnations, of 

 John C. Moninger Co. construction 

 Mr. Sidles reports a successful business 

 for the season. 



The Howe Floral Co., Hastings, Neb. 

 was recently organized and has 100,00<' 

 feet of glass well stocked with plants. 

 The houses, of John C. Moninger Co. 

 construction, are complete in every do- 

 tail. This firm is catering to both whole 

 sale and retail trade. Mr. and Mrs. 

 Howe went to Hastings from Fairfield, 

 Neb. 



The Davidson Floral Co., Holdregc, 

 Neb., enjoys a fine business. It has 

 added nursery and seed departments, 

 which have proved profitable. J. A. L. 



