28 



The Florists^ Review 



April 10, 1919. 



"That foreign inspection gives no real 

 securities is sufficiently shown in this 

 record relating to two insects for which 

 there is little, if any, excuse for over- 

 looking. 



Danger to Human Beings. 



"The establishment of these two in- 

 sects in diflferent parts of the United 

 States would soon lead to their general 

 spread throughout the country. What 

 this would mean in cost and damage and 

 also in human suffering can hardly be 

 estimated. Only a portion of the New 

 England states is now invaded by these 

 insects, and yet the expenditure in clean- 

 up and control work alone amounts 

 to more than a million dollars a year 

 by the states concerned, in addition to 

 an aiding federal appropriation of up- 

 wards of $300,000 annually. 



"An important consideration in rela- 



tion to the brown-tail moth is that, in 

 addition to the actual damage to decidu- 

 ous forests, orchard and ornamental 

 plantings, the larval hairs which are 

 shed and fill the air at the time of the 

 transformation of the insect to the 

 chrysalis stage have an intensely irritat- 

 ing or nettling character, which causes 

 a great deal of inflammation to the ex- 

 posed parts of the human skin, such as 

 the neck, face and hands, and this irri- 

 tation, in one or two known instances, 

 and perhaps in others, has been the 

 cause of death by affecting the lungs and 

 leading to fatal cases of tuberculosis. 

 Should the brown-tail moth reach the 

 south and southwest, this irritation to 

 human beings would doubtless be in- 

 creased by reason of greater warmth 

 and by the moisture of the skin and 

 consequent greater likelihood of adher- 

 ence of the larval hairs." 



BUCKEYE BULL'S-EYES 



WANTED: \ FORMUIiA. 



With few exceptions, the poor at- 

 tendance of florists at meetings designed 

 for their instruction or entertainment 

 is notorious. Despite the most urgent 

 business necessity of their presence, or 

 the persistent efforts of special com- 

 mittees to secure their appearance, the 

 great majority of florists make them- 

 selves conspicuous by their absence. 

 And club presidents, actuated by a con- 

 scientious desire to make their admin- 

 istrations noteworthy in point of service 

 rendered, are frequently at their wit's 

 end to find some hitherto untried plan to 

 promote a fuller and more representa- 

 tive attendance at the regular meetings. 



A single illustration will serve to in- 

 dictate this peculiar weakness. April 

 2, the entertainment committee of the 

 Cleveland Florists' Club held a smoker 

 at the Hollenden, the announcement 

 having been made by personal notice, 

 sufficiently in advance. Although the 

 social activities of the club had entirely 

 ceased during the war, and notwith- 

 standing the return of many of its 

 members from the army, in addition to 

 an excellent program and refreshments, 

 but thirty out of a total membership of 

 over 20U honored the event by their 

 presence. The same lack of interest is 

 also manifested by the small attendance 

 at the business sessions. 



In all organizations, it is said, active 

 interest is taken by a minority; but this 

 should not obtain in business bodies, the 

 reason for whose existence is the pro- 

 motion of the common good. In sub- 

 stance, the expression, "Let George do 

 it," should be utterly tabooed. The 

 examine set by a few florists, who not 

 only attend the meetings with religious 

 regularity, but encourage their em- 

 ployees to do likewise, is praiseworthy, 

 and should be the rule instead of the 

 exception. 



The plan adopted by our St. Louis 

 brethren — that of bestowing prizes for 

 faithful attendance at meetings — might 

 be copied with benefit by the Cleveland 

 club. Obviously, a stimulus of some 

 sort is needed, as at present the club 

 is not sustaining its enviable record for 

 progressive accomplishment. Mac. 



CARNATION PRICES. 



The eternal law of supply and demand 

 governs the prices of all commodities, 

 including carnations. At peak times 

 they never were, nor will they ever be 

 adequate to the demand. Annually a 

 better market is being created for flow- 

 ers by unexampled publicity and, pro- 

 duction not being augmented commen- 

 surately, higher values are the inevita- 

 ble result. The great desideratum is an 

 improvement in output and in quality, 

 as well as quantity. 



Logically, the incentive of a price per- 

 mitting profit must exist to induce the 

 grower to enlarge his crops and possibly 

 sacrifice much in the attainment of 

 quality; for it should be remembered 

 that demand alone establishes price. 

 There is no other recipe for securing 

 and maintaining increased production. 

 It is imperative for growers to organize 

 and to agree upon a safe and equitable 

 selling price, after a careful examina- 

 tion of cost, and commission men should 

 work in thorough harmony. The aver- 

 age price per flower should be considered 

 in its relationship to the average cost. 



with the percentage of loss operating to 

 raise or lower the former. 



Upon this sound basic structure the 

 retail florist is obliged to build his busi- 

 ness; and, being closest to the public, 

 the welfare of the profession is virtually 

 in his hands. If he is eminently fair 

 to the public, his work is constructive 

 and the entire trade is benefited. If, on 

 the other hand, he charges immoderate 

 prices for popular flowers — for instance, 

 white carnations on Mot>er8' day — his 

 practice is substantially destructive, and 

 his act should meet with a well merited 

 rebuke by his local trade organization. 

 The retail florist is entitled to a legiti- 

 mate margin of profit and it should be 

 established in concert with his fellow 

 retailer, after a close scrutiny of the 

 cost of operating. His margin, how- 

 ever, should not be inflexible, but suffi- 

 ciently elastic to safeguard the good will 

 of the public, as well as his own interest 

 — a practice in vogue in the successful 

 department stores and well worthy of 

 emulation by florists. Mac. 



HOW ABOUT HEROES' DAY? 



Allow me to make a suggestion to all 

 flower growers and florists, both whole- 

 sale and retail. Let us have a Heroes' 

 day November 11 of each year and "Say 

 It with Flowers." 



In memory of our departed heroes, let 

 all Americans wear yellow chrysanthe- 

 mums for the brave lads who fought and 

 won and died for us "over there." To 

 our living heroes let us show that we 

 shall not forget what they did for us by 

 sending them white chrysanthemums on 

 Heroes' day, November 11. 



Picture that mother or wife, who gave 

 her loved one for you and me, receiving 

 November 11 a box of yellow blooms, 

 togetlier with a card bearing a tender 

 message of comfort. I am sure those 

 flowers would be kept fresh as long as 

 possible. 



Picture the smile of a laddie who wore 

 the khaki uniform, perhaps minus an 

 arm or leg, and a sailor boy in blue, re- 

 ceiving a box of white chrysanthemums 

 in honor of the greatest victory ever 

 won. The great day was November 11, 

 1918. 



Come, growers and florists, let us place 

 flowers where they belong. That place 

 is the place of honor. I repeat, "Say It 

 with P'lowers" on Heroes' day, Novem- 

 ber 11, Mrs. George Wolfrum. 



SEASONABLE 

 i^ SUGGESTIONS 



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CENTAUREA AND GYPSOPHILA. 



During some severe winters, the au- 

 tumn sowings outdoors of Centaurea 

 Cyanus are liable to winter-kill, but the 

 winter of 1918-19 has been so abnor- 

 mally mild that practically every seed- 

 ling is alive and now making an active 

 growth. Tlie writer prefers the double 

 to the single blue bachelor's button and 

 the double pink comes next in popular- 

 ity. 



If you want some of these popular 

 annuals and failed to sow any last fall, 

 or to start any in small pots under 

 glass, you can make a sowing outside 



as soon as the soil is dry enough to be 

 workable. Nothing is gained by wait- 

 ing until the soil is warm. A number 

 of annuals do vastly better if started 

 while both soil and atmosphere are cool, 

 including mignonette, candytuft and 

 swoct peas, all of which are valuable 

 commercially. At the same time also 

 make a sowing of Gypsophila elegans 

 and continue to make sowings of this 

 useful annual until the middle of July. 

 If you have an empty frame, put in a 

 few sashes of Gypsophila elegans or cen- 

 taureas now. Be sure they have good 

 soil below them. Keep the sashes over 



