22 



The Florists^ Review 



April 24, 1019. 



ff 



Established, 1897, by O. L. aRANT. 



Published every Thnrsday by 

 The Florists' Pubushinq Co., 



621-560 Oaxton Bulldlnsr, 



606 South Dearborn St., Chlcaffo. 



Tele.. Wubash 8196. 



Reifistered cable address, 



Florrlew, Chicago. 



Entered as second class matter 

 Dec. 3. 1897. at the poet-ofBce at Chi- 

 cagro. 111,, under the Act of March 

 3,1879. 



Subscription price, $1.60 a year. 

 To Canada. $2.80; to Europe, $3.00. 



Advertlslncr rates quoted upon 

 request. Only strictly trade ad- 

 Tertlslnff accepted. 





EXBB 



Results bring advertising. 

 The Review brings results. 



Mothers ' day next. 



With the scarcity of Manetti stocks, 

 Ophelia is in extra demand, as it is known 

 as one of tlie roses which do nicely on 

 their own roots. 



Montreal reports that the telegraph 

 orders double up every holiday. Quite 

 a few in prospect, then, for Mothers' 

 day. 



There are, perhaps, more calls for 

 Laddie carnation than for any other item 

 of young stock. If it roots well for all 

 who try it next season, there will be 

 something doing after that. 



Columbia has done so well for some 

 of the good growers that there is a strong 

 demand for young stock. It will, per- 

 haps, be more widely distributed in its 

 second season, and at better prices, than 

 any other new rose ever has been. 



At the moment there is a big shortage 

 of geraniums, but that is no reason why 

 stock should not come up to the descrip- 

 tion of it. Growers who have an eye to 

 the future will not send out plants that 

 are not ready. 



A POSTER in the window of a flower 

 store, announcing that the proprietor has 

 purchased Victory loan bonds, recom- 

 mends that establishment to patriotic 

 flower buyers, besides telling them that 

 the florist is a man of forethought and 

 wisdom. 



In a certain large city a department 

 store, in a display advertisement, an- 

 nounced that the usual supply of Easter 

 lilies was not to be had, but expressed the 

 hope that next year would see the con- 

 cern able to supply customers. Florists 

 have somewhat different ideas on this 

 subject. 



There always is more or less complaint 

 over the quality of stock, especially at 

 this time of the year, whether it was as 

 described, or was worth the money. But 

 this spring the disputes are far more 

 numerous than usual, because the de- 

 mand is greater than the supply. The 

 shortage and high prices tempt growers 

 to send out plants which they well know 

 are not what they should be, excusing 

 themselves with the statement, "They're 

 as good as I got from So and So. ' ' Such 

 growers will be the first to feel the slump 

 in demand when the country fills up 

 again with stock. 



The cold storage giganteum bulbs ap- 

 pear to have made good. 



Nebraska carnation is getting belated 

 recognition. There are not many varie- 

 ties in stronger demand this season. 



Florists are not groping in the dark 

 passage of reconstruction, as those in 

 many other lines appear to be doing. 



The sale possibilities in advertising 

 are unlimited and the florist who has not 

 tried it is not the one to condemn it. 



Casting sentiment aside, there is one 

 excellent, though wholly mercenary, rea- 

 son why florists should buy Victory loan 

 bonds. That reason is summed up in the 

 word "safety." 



Christmas has become the big holiday 

 in the flower business, but this year 

 Easter nearly came back into the pre- 

 mier position. Probably the trade never 

 had cause for greater satisfaction. 



If your Easter business was not up to 

 expectations, which is unlikely, bear in 

 mind that opportunity is only pausing 

 between knocks at your door — Mothers' 

 day and Memorial day are not far in the 

 future. 



It may be true that florists who refused 

 to contribute to community Easter adver- 

 tisements profited thereby as greatly as 

 those who did contribute, but that would 

 not be considering the worth of the feel- 

 ing that one had done his part. 



There is one plantsman who scarcely 

 ever has any stock not spoken for before 

 it is ready. He makes it his rule to de- 

 stroy all young stock that does not come 

 up to his standard of quality; nothing is 

 grown on and shipped which will not pass 

 critical inspection. Some growers who 

 find more or less cause for complaint with 

 the state of their own profits wonder 

 why this man is so continually prosper- 

 ous! 



It has been said that under the modem 

 conception of business ethics the old 

 doctrine of caveat emptor will have to 

 go by the board, "Let the buyer be- 

 ware" was the code of ethics of the old- 

 time horse trader and the vendor of In- 

 dian medicines at the county fairs. It 

 has survived too long. Legitimate busi- 

 ness is built upon confidence, and con- 

 fidence cannot exist where the buyer has 

 continually to assume an attitude of sus- 

 picion toward the seller. 



A BECOBD EASTER. 



The country over, Easter has made a 

 new record for the trade. 



The reports are unanimous; everyone 

 is pleased with the business done. There 

 was a general shortage of stock, but the 

 better prices obtained in nearly all cases 

 compensated for the reduced supply, and 

 then some. 



There were more Easter lilies than 

 was thought possible. It appears that 

 the cold storage giganteums, which were 

 regarded as a doubtful speculation in 

 certain quarters, turned out rather bet- 

 ter than even the growers hoped. Then 

 there were importations from Canada, 

 which had been more favored in the mat- 

 ter of bringing in bulbs, and cut flowers 

 came from Bermuda, On the whole it 

 seems that more people were deterred 

 by the price than by any difficulty in 

 getting cut lilies. There were not many 

 in pots. Pot roses weie never so plen- 

 liful and never better. Taking it by 

 and large, there were great quantities 



of pot plants of one kind or another au^ 

 they all sold well. 



Not in many years have cut flow* rs 

 sold out so clean and few in the tra le 

 can look back to an Easte- when prices 

 were so good. 



VOICES FROM THE EAST. 



The florists in the extreme eastern 

 part of the country, if they have stock 

 they would like to move quickly, would 

 do well to think over this proposition: 

 Possibly the best outlet may be found 

 westward, because all the florists in a 

 locality are pretty sure to be stocked 

 up about the same, so there's less chance 

 to sell to the home folks; indeed, the 

 home folks may all have surpluses and 

 let the stuff spoil while they make fruit- 

 less efforts to sell it to each other. They 

 could move it if they looked westward, 

 away from home. Like this: 



We are sold up; our ad In The Review did It; 

 it pulls like a mustard plaster. — Hopkins & Hop- 

 kins, Chepachet, R. I., April 14, 1910. 



Why wouldn't it do the same for you? 

 This much you can be sure of : When you 

 hear a man complain of the cost of adver- 

 tising you can be pretty certain he spends 

 a good bit of money elsewhere than in 

 The Review. 



OUR BUSIEST MONTH. 



Unless all signs fail, and they should 

 not, because the dry time does not begin 

 just yet. May will be the busiest month 

 in the history of the florists' business. 



A large number of florists do more 

 work in May than in any other month 

 in the year. It is in the sale and plant- 

 ing of bedding stock. It is apparent 

 that the demand this year would far ex- 

 ceed that of any previous season if it 

 were not for the shortage of stock and 

 the higher prices necessarily asked. 



With the cut flower people May will 

 be a big month. As soon as we have 

 caught our breath after the Easter rush 

 it is necessary to begin preparations for 

 Mothers' day. No later than the pass- 

 ing of Mothers' day, preparations for 

 Memorial day must be begun. 



There is every indication that Moth- 

 ers' day and Memorial day each will 

 make new records for the trade this 

 year. All the conditions are right for an 

 increase in business. 



COSTS STILL aoiNa UP. 



Wage increases averaging about $15 

 a month for approximately 69,000 em- 

 ployees of the American Railway Ex- 

 press were announced last week by Di- 

 rector General Hines, The increase rep- 

 resents an advance of $25 a month above 

 the wage scale in effect January 1, 1918. 



This and other simultaneously an- 

 nounced minor wage orders for railroad 

 employees, which were included in the 

 estimate of $67,500,000 in increases an- 

 nounced in connection with the wage or- 

 der affecting the four trainmen's and 

 enginemen's brotherhoods several days 

 ago, complete finally the "war cycle" 

 of wage advances, it is said. Future ap- 

 plications for higher pay will be consid- 

 ered in the light of peace time condi- 

 tions, but will be dealt with by the same 

 agency which threshed out the past wage 

 questions. 



It seems certain that further advances 

 in freight, express and passenger rates 

 must be made or else the government 

 will have to make up by taxation a large 

 deficit in its operation of the utilities. 





