10 



The Florists^ Review 



Jandabt 16, 1919. 



phere, or even in as high a temperature 

 as 65 degrees at nighty until the flowers 

 have begun to open. 



Do Your Ovra Figuring. 



It is stated that under such treatment, 

 in late winter and early spring, the 

 bulbs can be flowered in twelve weeks 

 or even in less time. Do your own figur- 

 ing, then, and decide for yourself 

 whether you wish to undertake the forc- 

 ing of a lily crop for Easter. 



Probably you will have to pay a little 

 more than formerly for the bulbs; the 

 increased cost is a logical and inevitable 

 result of recent conditions. But you can 

 charge proportionately for the finished 

 product. Both the trade and the public 

 are becoming accustomed to the soaring 

 prices. 



Of course, any lilies that are left un- 

 sold at Easter need not be numbered 

 among the losses. They need not go to 

 waste. They may be used in design 

 work or disposed of in some other fairly 

 profitable way, but are not likely to 

 bring anything like the Easter prices. 



A Grand Rapids Lily Grower. 



The illustration on the preceding page 

 shows a stock of giganteums that were 

 grown for last Thanksgiving, from cold 

 storage bulbs, by the Crescent Street 

 Floral Co., of Grand Rapids, Mich. John 

 Kunst, the proprietor, says that the 

 bulbs, which were 9 to 10-inch, were 

 planted August 15 and the photograph 

 was taken the day before Thanksgiving. 

 He prefers the 9 to 10-inch bulbs when 

 he can get them, as they bear, he says, 

 from three to five and occasionally even 

 eight flowers, a record which the 7 to 



9's could not be expected to equal, even 

 at the same earlier date. "^In prepar- 

 ing the (Jompost," says Mr. Kunst, "I 

 used two 4-inch potfuls of bone flour 

 to a bushel of soil; also two 6-inch pot- 

 fuls of rotted and pulverized cow ma- 

 nure to a bushel of soil, and mixed them 

 well. I placed them in 6-inch pots and 

 set them on a bench in a temperature of 

 60 degrees." 



Mr. Kunst states that he also is grow- 

 ing 4,000 cold storage giganteums for 

 Easter. As he started them early, there 

 is no need of his hurrying them. He 

 says he is "just growing them along 

 easily" and will have plenty of time to 

 harden them in a lower temperature 

 after they begin to bloom. 



Rules and Exceptions. 



Growers are aware that the somewhat 

 hurried forcing of crops, as in the pres- 



ent juncture, is not subject to the same 

 rules as is the ordinary, more leisurely 

 culture. The skillful grower will modi^ 

 his usual methods to suit the special 

 occasion. For instance, he has been ac- 

 customed to grow his lilies in shade, at 

 least for a time, in order ti> lengthen 

 the stalks. But in this ca^e he may let 

 rather less shade suffice, reasoning that 

 short-stemmed flowers will be better 

 than none. He may also be obliged to 

 shorten or moderate the hardeniiiig proc- 

 ess which immediately precedes the 

 marketing of the stock. 



All rules, especially cultural rales, 

 have exceptions, and the exceptions 

 sometimes are more important than the 

 rules. The grower knows that in this 

 instance he cannot produce his best 

 grade of stock, his crackerjacks, but 

 that he must be contented with passably 

 good results. 



THE RETAIL FLORIST 



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UNOOUT'S RECORD. 



One of the most interesting subjects 

 the trade has found in years is the ex- 

 change of orders between retail florists; 

 the publication of figures has awakened 

 many a florist to a realization that the 

 transfer order department is of real im- 

 portance, so important, indeed, that 

 even the largest and busiest florists can- 



not afford to overlook it, and so im- 

 portant to the small man that he must 

 consider it or see his comp«titor go far 

 ahead. 



In last week 's Review it was reported 

 that Max Schling sent out in December 

 667 orders, amounting to $5,482.50. This 

 is the record of one of the largest re- 

 tailers in the country's largest city and 

 Frey & Frey, Lincoln, Neb., supply a 

 report which will be of even greater in- 

 terest to the rank and file of the trade 

 in the smaller cities. Lincoln has a 

 population of 60,000. Frey & Frey are 

 only one of several florists who get the 

 orders for delivery there. But in De- 

 cember Frey & Frey had incoming or- 

 ders from other florists which amounted 

 to $554.25. The orders came from fifty- 

 two other cities! 



This shows incoming business for this 

 one store in a small inland city amount- 

 ing to about $20 per day on the average. 



'^Welcome Home'' Window of the Fldschman Floral G>.» Chicagfo. 



HELP YOURSELF. 



Each retail florist's 1919 St. Valen- 

 tine 's day business will be in proportion 

 to the effort he makes, but there is an- 

 other thought which justifies extra ef- 

 fort. It is this: While many flowers 

 are used for valentines, the custom of 

 sending flowers this day is not as gen- 

 eral as it should be. Still, flowers are 

 better suited than anything else to ex- 

 press the sentiments of the day and per- 

 sons who once use flowers keep it up; 

 they never find anything they like so 

 well to send. Consequently, one builds 

 permanent trade when one pushes St. 

 Valentine's day. 



The taking of St. Valentine's day or- 

 ders need not, be a matter of the last 

 day or two only. It is especially a 

 man 's day. Suppose one begins now and 

 asks every man customer: "Would you 

 like to leave an order for some corsatre 

 bouquets or other flowers to be delivered 

 on St. Valentine's dayt" If that ques- 

 tion is put to every man, or nearly 

 every man, who enters a flower store 

 anywhere in the United States during 

 the three or four weeks before PebruMy 

 14, who can doubt what the remilt wiU 

 bef Suppose we all keep it up three or 

 four years; don't you think it will make 



