August 2, 1917. 



The Florists^ Review 



13 



State Fair Exhibit of Kemble & Goodman that Can be Adapted to Use as an F.T.D. Window Decoration. 



bad, which is bringing on some em- 

 barrassing conditions, as the F. T. D. 

 members are constantly advertising the 

 fact to their patrons that they can make 

 deliveries anywhere. For once and all 

 the time, do not put the F. T. D. mem- 

 bers, or at least a majority of them, on 

 the same scale as you would some re- 

 tailer who has owed you a bill for a long 

 time, as this is absolutely against tlie 

 F. T. D. Association's by-laws and con- 

 stitution, and if any F. T. D. members 

 ow^^ou money long past duo, do not 

 hesitate to send an itemized bill to the 

 F. T. D. secretary, who will at once do 

 his best to censure any such members. 

 Every F. T. D. member must do his best 

 to set an example, and is compelled to 

 do so, in order to hold his membership. 



All these things must be put on more 

 of a business basis and it can be done 

 only by cooperation. Why do people pay 

 their gas, electric and water bills and 

 taxes promptly? Because they lose the 

 discount if they do not. Why not 

 let the florists who do not promptly pay 

 their bills for transfer orders lose the 

 •discount? This would soon cure a good 

 many slow payers. 



It is up to the retail florists to make 

 a better and more efficient retail flo- 

 rists' trade and make our profession be 

 looked upon by the public from a dif- 

 ferent angle than it has been for a good 

 many years. 



Let the retail florists of today be 

 flfty per cent merchant and fifty per 

 cent floral artist, and I am sure that in 

 many cases there is not fifteen per cent 

 mercantile ability installed in some re- 

 tail flower shops. 



My six years' experience in constant 

 touch with retailers throughout the en- 

 tire country, both F. T. D. members and 

 non-members, has given me the great- 

 est and most interesting study I have 

 ever had in my life, and with it a great 

 deal of enjoyment, in this work for a 



better and more efficient retail florists' 

 trade. 



Albert Pochelon, See'v F. T. D. 



SUNDAY FUNERALS AND CLOSING. 



The movement on behalf of Sunday 

 closing of flower stores has received a 

 marked impetus this summer, as witness 

 the action in this direction of florists of 

 New York, Buffalo and other cities, who 

 seemingly have been more or less unan- 

 imously in favor of the seventh day us 

 a day of rest. The ever-present impedi- 

 ment of the Sunday close-down, however, 

 remains; that is, Sunday funerals. 



Of all the days of the week, Sunday 

 is the most favored as the day of inter- 

 ment. Remains are frequently held 

 over the usual 3-day period for the sake 

 of a Sunday burial, the dead of one, 

 two, three, four and even five days thus 

 coming up for interment on the Sab- 

 bath. Obviously, many Sunday funer- 

 als, particularly if some of tliem are of 

 good size, require the attention of the 

 florist or some of his men — Sunday clos- 

 ing in many cases has become a close- 

 down in name only. 



It is with more than ordinary inter- 

 est, therefore, that one notes the 

 method by which the florists of Sedalia, 

 Mo., discouraged tlie people from hold- 

 ing Sunday funerals. Determined to 

 have their Sundays free from labor, the 

 Missourians interested the town's min- 

 isterial alliance in the day-off idea, 

 pointing out to the clergymen the futil- 

 ity of trying to close their doors Sun- 

 days as long as there were so many 

 funerals on that day. The clergymen of 

 Sedalia, thinking to benefit other work- 

 ers as well as florists, were quick to re- 

 spond, and the following resolution, 

 strongly opposing Sunday funprals, was 

 unanimously adopted: 



"In considoration of our rojfKrd for the TiOrd's 

 day as a day of fst and devotion, and of the 



unfairness and injustice of requiring from fif- 

 teen to forty people to work on Sunday at what 

 is not a necessary work; 



"Kesolved. That we hereby register our dis- 

 approval of Sunday funerals, and our refusal to 

 hereafter conduct a funeral on the Lord's day." 



Perhaps florists of other towns, under 

 similar circumstances, would find the 

 method of the Sedalia tradesmen ef- 

 fective. 



TATE'S TIPS. 



Suggestions for Fall Opening. 



August is "paint up and clean up" 

 time, the time for the retailer to do 

 his house-cleaning. All the things that 

 impeded the workers during the rush 

 season should be done away with now; 

 a summer solution should be found for 

 each winter worry. 



Wlien it is sizzling weather there also 

 is time for a layout on paper of the 

 window displays and advertising to be 

 employed during the forthcoming sea- 

 son. One of the reasons for the many 

 failures in advertising is that advertis- 

 ers do not study and plan their adver- 

 tising sufficiently, and after the first 

 enthusiasm everything is done in a half- 

 hearted manner. Every extra half -hour 

 devoted to advertising plans will bring 

 a remuneration later on. 



One important midsummer job is to 

 put the window in good condition, for 

 the window, as everybody knows, is the 

 retailer's prime salesman. A good thing 

 is to jot down ideas for the window that 

 is to serve as the "fall opening" of 

 business. Make it something that will 

 cause the people to take notice, for 

 there is nothing like a good start after 

 tlie summer months to remind the public 

 that the finest flowers are, after all, 

 tliose sold by the florist. Let the first 

 gun be fired when chrysanthemums, 

 dahlias and cosmos are plentiful, in 

 order that the exhibit may cost as little 

 as possible. Originality of treatment, 



