26 



The Florists' Review 



Decembeu 14, 1916. 



Coming Back Into Its Own. 



to the growers, have not advanced at 

 all, or even have declined, and that 

 such increases as have been made are 

 those of the retailer, who could main- 

 tain last year's selling prices if he 

 would. 



The effect of these opposite influences 

 has been a matter of doubt in the minds 

 of those who studied them early in the 

 season, but within the last fortnight 

 doubt has been resolved into decision 

 — it was the Thanksgiving business that 

 did it. Today there is perfect confi- 

 dence that the Christmas demand will 

 break all records. 



Thanksgiving Was Great. 



It is pointed out that the conditions 

 that might affect the Christmas business 

 nearly all were present at Thanksgiv- 

 ing; that food prices then were the 

 highest ever known in America; that 

 people quite generally refused to pay 

 the price of turkey, long symbolic of 

 the day, but that in numbers far greater 

 than ever before they bought flowers 

 for the table. The cleanup was the best 

 the florists' trade ever has had, and it 

 has inspired unlimited confidence in 

 the demand for Christmas. 



Flower stores are stocking up with 

 accessories as never before. The con- 

 siderations which made many retailers 

 slow to begin the sale of merchandise 

 other than flowers gradually have been 

 overcome, and now about the only man 

 who sells "just flowers" is the one 

 who retails in the potting shed of his 

 greenhouse. 



Plants Not Abundant. 



For several years the supply of Christ- 

 mas stock has increased rapidly, espe- 

 cially in the plant department, but this 

 year there will be no increase. Condi- 

 tions are such that the supply of cut 

 flowers and plants in the aggregate will 

 not exceed if, indeed, it equals, last 

 year's — this in spite of the steady in- 

 crease in glass. 



In the matter of plants, stocks of the 

 varieties which have their source in 

 Europe have been steadily reduced in 

 the last two years. The Christmas 

 supply of cyclamens and azaleas will 



be particularly short this year; of cycla- 

 mens because of British activity in 

 intercepting German seeds and the sub- 

 sequent loss' of an unusual percentage 

 of the plants as the result of the severe 

 heat in summer and the subsequent 

 ravages of mite. The azaleas were so 

 late in arriving this year that it was 

 impossible that the usual number be 

 forced safely into bloom by Christmas, 

 in addition to which were heavy losses 

 by freezing. Many poinsettias were lost 

 last summer. The supplies of other 

 plants are more nearly normal, but in- 

 quiries develop the fact that the sum- 

 mer was a hard one for the plantsmen, 

 and in the aggregate they have neither 

 so much nor so good stocks at this 

 Christmas as they had last year. 



Cut Flowers Plentiful. 



Cut flower supplies are more nearly 

 tip to the usual quantity and quality 



BUSINESS EMBARRASSMENTS, 



Medford, Mass. — Olivia F. Zinn has 

 filed a petition in bankruptcy in which 

 the liabilities are scheduled at $5,307 

 and assets $150. 



Every Gift Should Have Its Basket. 



steadily improves. The increase in glass 

 last spring probably makes up for all 

 loss in Christmas supply due to the 

 effects of the hot summer, which has 

 been specially apparent in carnations, 

 and for a disposition to crop a part of 

 the roses for January rather than for 

 late December. In the last two or three 

 years it has been increasingly plain that 

 the grower who cut steadily all winter, 

 and especially in January and February, 

 made more money than the one who 

 cropped every plant with the thought in 

 mind that Christmas prices once were 

 the highest of the year. 



The indications are that cut flowers 

 of nearly all kinds will be in better 

 demand this Christmas than in recent 

 years, with better average prices with- 

 out any advance in the top prices, fol- 

 lowed in the first part of the new year 

 by larger supplies than usual and in- 

 creased incentive to push for business 

 at that season. 



WHY THE WEST IS BUSY. 



D. C. Horgan, of the Idle Hour Nurs- 

 ery, Macon, Ga., has culled the follow- 

 ing gem of thought, which may be 

 taken as showing why the agricultural 

 states of the middle west and south are 

 buying so heavily this season. It is 

 from a rural newspaper: 



' ' Good morning. Si. ' ' 



"Good morning, Hi." 



"I say, Si, what is the price of that 

 wagon over yonder?" i* 



'•$90, Hi." 



"$90! Why, my father bought the 

 same wagon thirty years ago for $60." 



"Yes, Si, he did, and bought it of 

 me, but as I wanted some corn, your 

 father delivered to me 300 bushels of 

 corn in payment for the $60 wagon. I 

 can use more corn now and I will make 

 the same trade with you today as I did 

 with your father some thirty years ago 

 on the same wagon, and will give you 

 from my stock in addition to: 



This wagon at $ 90.00 



1 buggy 60.00 



1 suit of clothes for yourself 20.00 



1 dress for your wife 20.00 



1 dress for the baby 5.00 



1 crib for the baby 6.00 



5 pounds of coffee 1.50 



Box of cigars for your friends 3.00 



20 pounds of sugar 2.00 



2 pounds of tea 1.00 



200 gallons gasoline . . 40.00 



Lubricating oil '• . . 2.50 



Total $240.00 



"The present purchasing power of 300 

 bushels of corn." 



[Evidently this was written some time 

 ago, for today the storekeeper could 



Akron, O. — August Schmidt has dis- 

 posed of his Oak Place Greenhouses and 

 retired from the business. 



Ardisia Berries Hang On All 'Winter. 



