14 



The Florists' Review 



NOTEMBBB 7, 1918. 



csm wrm^j^ keadedb 



HANDLING F. T. D. OSDERS. 



Eecently when we have been handling 

 an immense amount of out-of-town or- 

 ders, we have received several telegrams 

 from retail florists, in the smaller towns 

 especially, that they could not fill the 

 orders, as they were sold out of flowers. 



As the Florists' Telegraph Delivery 

 Association stands for service, and the 

 best service that possibly can be given 

 its patrons, the retail florists must look 

 on these orders in a more businesslike 

 way. The average retail florist merely 

 sends a telegram to the florist from 

 whom he received the order, saying that 

 he is "out of flowers." This does not 

 seem to be the right spirit, neither does 

 it convey the message the customer 

 wished to send. 



This same proposition holds good 

 when a telegram ordering flowers for a 

 funeral arrives too late, or, as it hap- 

 penp sometimes, the day after the fu- 

 neral. In many of these cases it is not 

 a question of how much of a sale we can 

 make, or anything of that kind. The 

 main thing that must always be before 

 the florist receiving such an order, is 

 to convey to the bereaved the message 

 the friend sought to send -v^ith flowers 

 — that is, let them know that the friend 

 in a distant city had thought of them in 

 their bereavement and fully intended to 

 send flowers to the funeral, but through 

 delay of the message or a shortage of 

 flowers, the order was not carried out. 



In such cases we always send to the 

 home and let the circumstances be 

 known. Then we suggest to them that, 

 inasmuch as the order for flowers came 

 too late, it would be a nice idea for 

 them to accept a bouquet of flowers to 

 make the house look more cheerful or 

 to take to the cemetery the following 

 Sunday. In most cases the people will 

 take these suggestions in the spirit they 

 are meant and there will be no disap- 

 pointments. Albert Pochelon. 



ONE FOR THE GROWERS. 



It was with much interest that I read 

 a letter in The Review for October 17, 

 wherein a well-known retailer said he 

 could not execute an F. T. D. order for 

 less than $5 under the then prevailing 

 market conditions, and I think his letter 

 savors a little of complaint when he says 

 that he has never experienced such a 

 high market! This seems to be the gen- 

 eral feeling among the retail stores. 



Now, Mr. Retailer, don't you think it 

 about time that the grower was getting 

 some sort of a price? I own a range 

 of approximately 35,000 square feet of 

 glass; my wife, boy and myself work 

 daily from 6 a. m. until 5:30 p. m., and, 

 during mum, winter and bedding seasons, 

 often until 9 p. m. What I draw out 

 amounts to only $1 per day for each 

 member of my family and the wife and 

 son draw nothing. Beyond that, during 

 the last two years, we have not made a 

 cent; in fact, if a grower counts depre- 

 ciation of greenhouses, buildings, etc., 

 he will find he has been a sorry loser. 

 We can 't get a man for less than $4 per 



day, nine hours' work; $10 a ton for 

 coal if we can get it; wood, $16 per 

 cord; fertilizer, sky high; twine, 63 

 cents per pound instead of 23 cents last 

 year; taxes higher; living higher — and 

 yet the retailer kicks when the cut 

 flower market is higher. Does he always 

 want the finest grade of roses for 4 cents 

 and excellent carnations for 3 cents and 

 2 cents? Does he think a grower can 

 live and make money on extra fine mums 

 at 10 cents each at the wages and coal 

 prices of today? 



Every industry, so far, has adjusted 

 itself to war prices, so why must the 

 grower be expected to get less than his 

 share ? 



If any flower lover wants flowers, let 

 him pay for them. 



I think the best way the problem can 

 be solved is for all the wholesalers to 

 get together to protect both the retailers 

 and the growers. 



As a general rule, you will find the 

 grower and his family a most hard-work- 

 ing lot, content to get three square 



meals a day and meet his bills — they are 

 no squanderers. 12 I go out to buy my- 

 self an overcoat I am prepared to pay 

 about $30, instead of $18. If I go to 

 a show I am prepared to pay a war tax 

 and pay also $1 for a first row gallery 

 seat instead of the usual 75 cents, and 

 when I forget myself and bring home 

 a box of candy for some little occasion 

 I know I must pay $1.35 per pound 

 instead of the usual 80 cents or 85 cents. 

 Why shouldn't the public, therefore, be 

 prepared to pay in proportion for 

 flowers? 



In all fairness to the growers, there 

 should be a minimum price set on every 

 flower, adjusted by a board of growers, 

 and then a scale of increase for quality. 

 This would be a protection for the stores 

 when there is a glut, so that the street 

 venders cannot undersell them, and at 

 the same time would give the growers a 

 living wage. S. Kahn. 



St. Joseph, Mo. — T. H. Best, manager 

 of the Stuppy Floral Co., reports that 

 this concern has been unable, during the 

 rush of business due to the influenza 

 epidemic, to supply half the demand 

 from out-of-town patrons and from re- 

 tailers in nearby towns, having all it 

 could do to take care of local custom. 

 The Haefeli Floral Co. has experienced 

 a similar condition. Prices, meanwhile, 

 have been soaring upward, to keep pace 

 with the increasing cost of necessaries. 



CUTTINGS DAMPING OFF. 



I am sending herewith a few samples 

 of geranium cuttings taken from my 

 own outdoor stock, and also a little of 

 the sand in which I attempted to root 

 them. As you will see, the cuttings 

 have rotted. After they were put in 

 the bed of sand, they were thoroughly 

 watered and the sand was firmed down. 

 They were given no more water. No 

 bottom heat was supplied, of course, as 

 they were put in the sand in September. 

 After being in the propagating bed 

 three weeks, practically all of them have 

 turned out like the specimens forwarded. 

 Will you kindly tell me what is the 

 matter? J. N. W. — Mass. 



they are rooted, it is best to keep them 

 moderately dry until potted. C. W. 



TO ROOT GERANIUMS. 



Will you kindly inform me through 

 The Review as to the best method of 

 propagating geraniums? I have been 

 starting them in sand for years, but find 

 this method unsatisfactory. Is it still 

 considered proper to put the cuttings in 

 pots immediately? W. B. — Mich. 



Your sand would be better if it were 

 a little coarser. You can improve it by 

 screening some coal ashes or charcoal 

 through a %-inch sieve and incorporat- 

 ing this with your sand. I presume you 

 used fresh sand, or sterilized that which 

 had been used before. Bottom heat is 

 not necessary to root geranium cuttings 

 successfully. A good many growers put 

 them in sandy loam in flats outdoors and 

 get excellent results. A point to re- 

 member is that while nearly all cuttings 

 need shade until rooted, geraniums 

 should have full sun all the time. After 

 the first soaking they should not be left 

 entirely dry. Moderate waterings are 

 needed to keep the cuttings plump. Once 



Sand is the best rooting medium for 

 geraniums. Perhaps yours may be too 

 fine, in which case I would suggest ad- 

 ding some finely screened coal ashes or 

 charcoal to the sand to make it more 

 porous. Geraniums can be rooted in 

 small pots of sandy loam singly, but at 

 this season we can economize much on 

 space if cuttings are in the propagating 

 bench or in flats until mums and other 

 fall crops are out of the way. Try this 

 plan: Take ordinary flats four inches 

 deep, place a layer of cinders an inch 

 thick over the bottom, over this lay 

 moss or leaves, then fill the balance with 

 coarse sand : Soak well. Cut lines with 

 a mason's trowel for cuttings. Place the 

 flats in full sun on a shelf and water 

 sparingly until they are rooted. You 

 will have only a small percentage of 

 damped off cuttings if you adopt this 

 plan. Geranium cuttings should never 

 have any shade, C. W. 



