January 4, 1917. 



The Florists^ Review 



19 



trade." A splendid lot of poinsettias 

 also was noted. Roses were in heavy 

 crop, especially Killarney, in low solid 

 beds, of good color. 



Valentine Burgevin, Inc., of Kingston, 

 N. Y., has its model range in excellent 

 shape, as usual. Particularly notable 

 were some conceits in baskets of plants. 



f)rettily arranged, and to suit all purses. 

 The brothers Burgevin recently formed 

 a corporation, but retained the honor- 

 able name of the founder. W. M. 



NEWS NOTES AND COMMENTS 



Denver, Colo. — "Our holiday business 

 was most satisfactory, with a fine de- 

 mand for both cut flowers and plants," 

 reports the Curtis Park Floral Co. 



Bluffton, Ind. — Christmas night Dillon 

 Myers slipped on an icy step and fell, 

 injuring his back and hip. He is con- 

 fined to his home. While the injury is 

 not dangerous, it is quite painful and 

 he will be several weeks recovering from 

 it. 



Decatur, 111. — The holiday business 

 was the best ever, both in plants and cut 

 flowers, according to Henry Daut. The 

 weather could not have been more fa- 

 vorable and there was no shortage in 

 any item, save, perhaps, red roses and 

 red carnations. 



Roseburg, Ore. — Mrs. F. D. Owen, of 

 the Fern Island Greenhouse, says: "My 

 Christmas trade was the best ever. Rose- 

 burg people never demanded such high- 

 class plants and cut flowers. I was bet- 

 ter prepared to meet them halfway. We 

 did a rushing business and all enjoyed 

 the merry rush. On account of the 

 early freeze in October and November, 

 everybody lost all outdoor mums and 

 must all depend on the florist." 



Minneapolis, Minn. — C. H. Janssen, 

 secretary and treasurer of Swanson's, 

 Inc., says: "It gives us pleasure to state 

 that the holiday business has been far 

 above all expectation. We have done 

 an exceedingly good business and, as far 

 as we are able to judge from the busi- 

 ness we have done, there is existing here 

 a prosperity which enables people to buy 

 luxuries even though the necessary com- 

 modities of living are high. We also 

 wish to speak a commendation for The 

 Review. It is an indispensable medium 

 and we are finding it of great value. It 

 is referred to constantly and I am sure 

 it would be difficult for us to get along 

 without it." 



Schenectady, N. Y.— "Holiday busi- 

 ness never better." That is the unani- 

 mous report of the craft. There was a 

 scarcity of blooming plants and cut flow- 

 ers were not overplentiful. Prices were 

 slightly above the average. Xo com- 

 plaints were registered, except that the 

 poinsettia as a cut flower is unsatisfac- 

 tory. Why are not more of the double 

 variety grown, as is done so successfully 

 and with profit by our confreres at Kings- 

 ston and Poughkeepsie? Echoes from 

 Troy and Albany say the Trojans and 

 Albanians also shared in the general 

 prosperity and, if profits were not so big 

 as one could wish, the volume was larger. 

 This also seems to be the opinion of 

 merchants in other lines of business. 



San Diego, Cal. — Boyle & Darnaud re- 

 port a splendid Christmas business, espe- 

 cially in orchids, of which the firm 

 grows large quantities at the nursery. 



Bluffton, Ind. — Myers & Co. report the 

 largest Christmas trade in years, mostly 

 in cut flowers, of which they had plenty, 

 especially long-stemmed Ophelia, which 

 had the leading call. In pot plants, poin- 

 settias, cyclamen and Primula mala- 

 coides rosea had the lead. 



Pontiac, HI.— W. ,T. Miller & Son say 

 this was the first Christmas they have 

 had enough scarlet carnations. There 

 was an increased demand for plants and 

 this helped to put the total sales twenty- 

 five per cent ahead of last year. From 

 Christmas to New Year's business also 

 was unusually good. 



Atlanta, Ga.— The Whitehall Floral 

 Co. reports business double that of last 

 Christmas. This increasing trade de- 

 manded the purchase of the old Fair 

 and Cherokee street greenhouses, which 

 have been remodeled and thoroughly 

 equipped for growing roses, carnations 

 and pot plants. The manager, W. M. 

 Bailey, says there was great demand for 

 roses this Christmas. 



Dayton, O. — It is true that W. G. Mat- 

 thews, proprietor of the Dayton Floral 

 Co., has a fondness for the vernacular, 

 but a sprinkling of made in-America 

 slang frequently adds "])ep" and charm 

 to a letter or conversation. Mr. Mat- 

 thews, like many others, slipped under 

 the ropes at the eleventh hour to take 

 advantage of the $1 subscription price of 

 The Review, which became $1.50 .Janu- 

 ary 1. Here is Mr. Matthews' epistolary 

 surprise: "Slip me couple years of Re- 

 views — afore 'tis too late. Safety first, 

 you know. Being without The Review 

 is next to being without coal." Then 

 Mr. Matthews proceeds to tell of Day- 

 ton's holiday business: "The Christ- 

 mas trade in Dayton was the best the 

 florists ever experienced. .\t first some 

 were timid about asking the advance<l 

 prices, thinking they would drive away 

 trade and ruin their business. But this 

 was not so; in fact, business increased. 

 The time is now to explain to the public 

 that we no longer can work on for senti- 

 ment. When the customer thinks your 

 jiriees are outrageous, just mention the 

 following necessities we are compelled 

 to buy: Coal, gasoline, labor, boxes, 

 paper, string, ribbons — yes — butter, 

 eggs, beef, shoes, clothing, sugar, flour, 

 etc. You will, ten times out of ten, have 

 satisfactorily explained to your cus- 

 tomers why flowers are a necessity and 

 cost more money." 



Cherryvale, Kan. — F. W. Meyer, who 

 has "Quality" as his motto, says that 

 the Christmas business actually was 

 double that of 1915. 



Greeley, Colo.— P. O. Han.sen's 17,000 

 feet of glass did a large and profitable 

 Christmas business. Mr. Hansen will 

 purchase a new touring car in the near 

 future. 



Pueblo, Colo. — .Julia Stone, proprie- 

 tress of the Coloni-^l Flower Shop, re- 

 ports that the Christmas business swept 

 the market clean of cut flowers and 

 plants. The most expensive plants 

 seemed to be in greatest demand. 



Lisbon, O. — .J. W. Scott says Christ- 

 mas business not only exceeded his ex- 

 j)ectations, but also exceeded the best 

 previous records for this locality. Cut 

 flowers and plants both sold splendidly 

 and the sup[)ly was large. 



Logansport, Ind. — The florists here 

 ilid a rushing holiday business — stock 

 was completely sold out. Some were 

 unable to fill orders Christmas day and 

 otliers could have closed shop at noon 

 the day preceding. Prices advanced 

 all along the line. 



Fort Smith, Ark. — George Rye, who 

 styles himself "Some Florist," says: 

 ' ' It has been one of the hardest and 

 worst Christmases that ever hit this part 

 of the country. To begin with, the 

 weather went to 10 degrees above zero 

 December 18, which caused all stock re- 

 ceived up to December 20 to be frozen. 

 The express company caused the great- 

 est loss ever known by failing to deliver 

 flowers that should have arrived on time. 

 1 lost five boxes shipped December 19 

 and 20 that arrived December 2o and 26 

 and you can just guess what shape they 

 were in. Never in the history of the 

 flower business in this section was stock 

 delayed as this Christmas. What stock 

 di<l arrive in good shape went for a good 

 price, but I was much disappointed in 

 my plant business. .Just to give an ex- 

 ample, carnations shipped to me from 

 ('hicago December 19 did not arrive until 

 December 23; plants arrived frozen. 

 Two boxes were shipped. One ar- 

 rived December 22, and today, De- 

 cember 29, the other one came in, 

 sliipped at the same time, of course all 

 frozen. Wholesale prices were higher 

 this year than ever before and the retail 

 man could not advance his prices to 

 come up with the wholesale market, and 

 that hurt the business. Take it all in 

 all, it was one of the worst years ever 

 experienced in this section of the conn- 

 trv." 



