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The Florists' Review 



^ 



January 23, 1919. 



January 13, after stopping in Chicago 

 for the day, was one Yank who was 

 rather out of place with the rest of the 

 boys, who are middle-westerners. He is 

 Oscar Hauschild, the McAlpin hotel 

 florist, of New York city, attached to 

 headquarters company of the 161st Field 

 Artillery as a wireless operator. Mr. 

 Hauschild went over with the 77th Di- 

 vision and in France was transferred to 

 the 86th Division, which is the Black- 

 hawks. Although he landed in New 



York, he was unable to get his discharge 

 there and was obliged to come west, be- 

 ing honorably discharged at Camp Grant 

 January 19. Mr. Hauschild is stopping 

 at the home of a fellow trooper in Evans- 

 ton, 111., and has made several trips 

 about the Chicago market, buying sup- 

 plies for the new store he will open on 

 his return to New York next week. Otto 

 Hauschild has had charge of his broth- 

 er's business during the latter 's absence. 



CWN tCTTER^y^ DEADER^ 



PROMPT SETTLEMENT PAYS. 



I have been much interested in articles 

 from time to time in The Eeview re- 

 garding credits and collections, because 

 I have given more care the last year to 

 these subjects than ever before and am 

 proud of my success. 



By January 12 I had collected every 

 dollar on sales made last year up to 

 December and now, January 16, only 

 ten per cent of December business is 

 outstanding, and that is all due from 

 outside florists whose orders I filled. I 

 find some of them are not so prompt as 

 I would like, taking thirty days and 

 then some. 



We wire some orders to other florists 

 and we invariably send check on re- 

 ceipt of bill, where we have had no 

 previous business, and in other cases 

 remit on the first of the month follow- 

 ing receipt of bill. I feel that when I 

 ask for delivery of flowers by one who 

 probably has never heard of me I should 

 appreciate the favor and believe if this 

 plan were carried out by all it would 

 prove more satisfactory than the "hit 

 or miss" that now prevails. 



C. D. Otis. 



PERPLEXED QUESTIONS. 



Is it possible that the florists of this 

 country are going to be so shortsighted 

 as to encourage the general use of arti- 

 ficial flowers by using them in funeral 

 work, thereby depreciating the value of 

 natural flowers? The writer's atten- 

 tion has just been called to an instance 

 where a grower with a large retail busi- 

 ness is using them extensively. It is 

 hard to see how a grower could be so 

 thoughtless. To my notion, this is the 

 worst problem the trade has to face. 

 Imagine the undertaker renting sprays 

 for funerals, just as some of them do 

 use door-pieces of artificial flowers. Ar- 

 tificial flowers are all right in perma- 

 nent decorations in some public places, 

 but are out of place in any florist's shop. 

 I think this matter should have atten- 

 tion through our organizations. 



It is my opinion also that florists are 

 getting timid about prices and over- 

 anxious to reduce them. Prices of flow- 

 ers are not out of proportion to other 

 things. It is going to cost as much or 

 more to do business the next twelve 

 months as during the year 1918, and 

 the florist who does not get good prices 

 for his product probably will get to see 

 the sheriff. It is hard for some mem- 

 bers of the trade to understand this, 

 but to me it seems that the florist has 



a right to make more than a bare ex- 

 istence. I believe in getting good prices 

 for our stock in trade at all times. We 

 can do so if we will. If we maintain 

 good prices throughout the year, we 

 shall not have to increase prices notice- 

 ably at any time of stringency or in- 

 jure the business of the small florist in 

 communities where high prices cannpt 

 be asked at special times. 



J. W. Furrow. 



TENNESSEE FLORISTS MEET. 



The arrangements are completed for 



the annual convention of the Tennessee 

 State Florists' Association, to be held at 

 the Hermitage hotel, Nashville, Tenn., 

 January 28, 1919. From the long list 

 of exhibitors from all parts of the Unit- 

 ed States and the reservations made at 

 the headquarters for rooms, the success 

 of the convention is assured. The pro- 

 gram is as follows: 



MORNING SESSION, 10:00 A. M. 



Call to order by President Oscar Geny, Nash- 

 ville. 



fnTOcatlon, Rev. T. G. Ragsdale, NashTiUe. 



Minutes of the last meeting, Prof. G. M. Bent- 

 ley, Secretary-Treasurer, Knoxyille. 



Proposals of Membership. 



Deferred Business. 



Reports of Committees. 



New Business. 



Bills and Communications. 



Address of Welcome, Hon. Wm. Gupton, Mayor 

 of Nashville; A. J. Dyer, President Commercial 

 Club, Nashville. 



President's Annual Address, Oscar Geny, Nash- 

 vUle. 



"Can We Assist Each Other in the Matter 

 of Securing and Holding Expert Help — <3rowers, 

 Helpers and Firemen?" H. G. Bramm, Bristol. 



"How Can We Develop ' Landscape Work 

 Throughout the Smaller Cities and Towns?" 



AFTERNOON SESSION, 2:00 P. M. 



Election of Officers. 



"Growing Plants," C. H. Tritschler, Sylvan 

 Park, Nashville. 



"Mums." Charles H. Totty, Madison, N. J. 



"The South and the Part She Will Play in the 

 Future Flower Market," R. C. Kerr, Houston, 

 Texas. 



"Can We in Combination Arrange to Pur- 

 chase a Satisfactory Line of Pots and Save 

 Money?" T. H. Joy, Nashville. 



"Making Our Home Surroundings Beautiful," 

 Mary B. McGowan. 



EVENING SESSION, 7:30 P. M. 



"Why All Retail Florists Should Become 

 Members of F. T. D.," Karl P. Baum, Knox- 

 yille. 



Round Table In charge of members. 



HOW TO FORCE VALLEY. 



I would like to get information as 

 to the proper method of growing lily 

 of the valley, how to care for the pips, 

 how to plant them and how much light, 

 heat and water to give. How should 

 the benches be arranged so as to keep 

 the heat to the required degree? 



C. E. R.— Mass. 



For the successful growing of lily of 

 the valley it is necessary to have a 

 bench with hot water or steam pipes 

 below it, which will insure a steady 

 bottom heat of from 75 to 80 de- 

 grees. Cold storage pips are the most 

 satisfactory and will force into bloom 

 in three or four weeks, with a top heat 

 of 60 degrees. Place six inches of 

 clean, sharp sand in the bench or benches 

 and, after planting the pips in lines, 

 soak them well with water and keep 

 them well watered for ten to fourteen 

 days. Also keep them perfectly dark 

 by means of boards or cloths, in order 

 to draw up the flower stalks. Give them 

 a little light after fourteen days and, 

 as the flowers start to open, if you want 

 some foliage, give full light. Be care- 

 ful, however, to give the light gradually 

 and not to water at all while the flower 

 spikes are pushing up. Newly imported 

 valley will require longer to flower than 

 cold storage stock and early in the sea- 

 son will start irregularly. Board in your 



piping so as to be sure of a steady 

 bottom heat of 75 to 80 degrees. 



C. W. 



SPIRSA, ROSES AND VALLEY. 



Will you please give directions for 

 forcing Holland-grown spiraea. Baby 

 Rambler roses and lily of the valley? 

 How long a time after they are potted 

 is required to bring them into bloom, 

 and what is the best temperature for 

 them? L. K. M.— Pa. 



The white spiraeas, like Gladstone, 

 will take nine to ten weeks to force 

 into bloom, if started now and given a 

 temperature of 60 degrees. For Easter 

 flowering, with warmer weather, they 

 should flower in two weeks less time. 

 The requirements are an abundant water 

 supply, spacing them well apart as they 

 grow and not exposing them to any 

 strong fumigants, like tobacco leaves 

 or gas. 



Baby Rambler roses will flower in ten 

 to twelve weeks, according to weather 

 conditions and the temperatures given 

 them. It is best to start them at 45 or 

 50 degrees, and later to give them 10 de- 

 grees more heat, cooling them off gradu- 

 ally as the flowers start to show color. 



Lily of the valley requires a bottom 

 heat of 75 to 80 degrees for the best 

 results, and a top temperature 20 to 

 25 degrees lower. It does best if planted 



