18 



The Florists^ Review 



Jolt 10, 1919. 



ff 



Establiabed. 1897, by Q. L. GRANT, 



PabliBhed every Tharadaj by 

 Thk Florists* Publishing Co., 



820-660 Oaxton Buildinir, 



608 South Dearborn St., Ohlcago. 



Tele., Wabash 8196. 



ReRintered cable address, 



Florvlew, Chicago. 



Entered as second class matter 

 Dec. 3. 1897. at the post-office at Ohl- 

 cago. 111., under the Act of March 

 8,1879. 



Subscription price, 11.60 a year. 

 To Canada, $2.50; to Europe. $3.00. 



AdvertlslnfT rates quotea upon 

 request. Only strictly trade ad- 

 Tertlslng accepted. 



Besults bring advertising. 

 The Eeview brings results. 



If you have not begun to store coal, 

 better get busy. 



After tenipo?ary flurries caused by 

 the gluts ij/vapous localities, prices are 

 establish^ on a firmer basis than has 

 been customary for summer. 



Practically all the bulbs which can 

 be imported under the quarantine will 

 be in small supply this season, whether 

 they come from France, Holland or Ja- 

 pan. 



If Premier makes good the promise 

 of producing two blooms to one of Rus- 

 sell and also proves to be a good shipper, 

 it will be the most largely grown rose in 

 America within the next two or three 

 years. 



Shortage or adequate supply of skilled 

 greenhouse help depends, like the absence 

 or abundance of stock on the market, on 

 far-sighted anticipation of requirements. 

 Now is the time to provide for the needs 

 of coming years. 



The cost of immortelles in France is 

 four times what it was before the war. 

 Mosit of the importers are buying with 

 care, as they feel there will be a limited 

 demand at the selling prices that will be 

 necessary next season. 



Fewer failures occurred in June, ac- 

 cording to the reviews of Dun and Brad- 

 street, than in any previous month on 

 record. Not since 1882 has there been a 

 half year as free of business casualties 

 as the six months just ended. 



Numerous novelties are in course of 

 preparation for early dissemination, and 

 most of them will require considerable 

 advertising to make them go, attention 

 having been bn other things for the last 

 year or two. An unknown novelty does 

 not sell. 



It has interested many members of the 

 trade that Adolph Farenwald is going 

 in stronger on Russell for next season, 

 facing the competition of Premier, heavily 

 bought by other growers for his market. 

 Philadelphia growers did not plunge on 

 Russell when it came out, but it gained 

 steadily in their opinion until this season, 

 when most of them thought it necessary 

 to make space for Premier. What Mr. 

 Farenwald does always commands at- 

 tention, and that he should still be buying 

 Russell is a matter for comment. 



The Blue Ridge Decorative Evergreen 

 Association is a new organization of the 

 shippers of greens from the Blue Ridge 

 mountains, formed for thfi improvement 

 of conditions in that trade. 



Four bulletins are to be issued each 

 year by the American Peony Society, in- 

 stead of two as heretofore. Bulletin of 

 Peony News, No, 8, bearing the date of 

 May, 1919, its jun out. •fit bears a report 

 of the directors' meeting in March, ar- 

 ticles by W. A. Peterson and Secretary 

 A. P. Saunders, and descriptions of four 

 new seedlings to be put on the market 

 by T. C. Thurlow 's Sons, Inc., West New- 

 bury, Mass., named James Boyd, Edwin 

 C. Shaw, Thomas C. Thurlow and A. P. 

 Saunders. 



S. A. F. SELECTS STATLER. 



The Hotel Statler has been selected 

 as headquarters for the S. A. F. con- 

 vention. The local committee has made 

 reservations of rooms for prospective 

 visitors, but all who wish accommoda- 

 tions are urged to make application as 

 soon as possible, indicating their re- 

 quirements, which will be promptly se- 

 cured and acknowledged. 



For this purpose address E. A. Fet- 

 ters, 17 East Adams avenue, Detroit, 

 Mich. 



LOOK 'EM OVER. 



It has been said, and the only suc- 

 cessful contradiction had to do with a 

 distiller who sent a horseshoe to an 

 opening, that nobody ever saw flowers 

 on a bar. But you probably will see 

 flowers soon in many a barroom — con- 

 verted into a flower store. 



Saloons have occupied some of the 

 best locations in the towns that were 

 wet up to July 1. In most cases they 

 have leases which will become the sub- 

 ject of deals during the next few months. 

 It would be as well to look over the 

 likely places; there may be the chance 

 to get hold of something good on terms 

 that will make a move worth while, espe- 

 cially for the florist who wants to branch 

 out. 



PRICES NOT COMING DOWN. 



There is said to be a general disposi- 

 tion in the trade to hold off on all kinds 

 of buying. The would-be sellers aver 

 that the trade is holding back in the 

 hope of lower prices later on. It is just 

 possible, however, that the delay in 

 placing orders against next season's 

 needs is only because this is the begin- 

 ning of the vacation season, that and 

 the natural inclination to put off until 

 tomorrow what apparently need not be 

 done today. There is, no doubt, the feel- 

 ing that now the war is over, merchan- 

 dise should be steadily more plentiful. 



But all the indications point to a short 

 supply next season, of everything flo- 

 rists use, from coal to toothpicks. It 

 is the labor situation which cofitrols 

 both the supply and the price. Labor 

 has not been readjusted after the war, 

 as nearly all of us expected it would be. 

 Skilled labor in nearly all lines still is 

 scarce; wages are high and either still 

 advancing or stationary, certainly not. 

 declining. Merchandise will not be plen- 

 tiful until the workers' thoughts are 

 switched from how to push up the pay 

 to how to push up the output and hold 

 the jobs; nor will prices fall. We can 

 not look for lower prices until the cost 

 of living comes down and the cost of 



living can not come down until wages 

 do. So there you are; you might as well 

 buy what you know you will need and 

 make sure of getting it. 



WHY IS A BARGAIN? 



In a bargain/ you ge^ something of 

 value by paying less than it is really 

 worth. There is usually a reason for 

 it. Ifeually the seller knows he is giving 

 a bargain just as well as the buyer. And 

 the seller doesn't offer a bargain unless 

 he has a good object — for himself — in 

 so doing. 



Low prices do not always indicate 

 a bargain. Bargains are exceptional. 

 Low prices are not. Most of the time 

 when you pay a low price for stock you 

 buy a low grade of goods. When you 

 don't, you get a bargain. But bar- 

 gains are few, and the seller will usually 

 state his reason for giving one. 



OPTIMISM IN OUTLOOK. 



Substantial support for florists who 

 look upon the coming business year with 

 optimism is given in the monthly report 

 of tne federal reserve board. 



Prospects for a successful and pros- 

 perous year, with a large output of goods 

 and almost unprecedented financial re- 

 turns, both to manufacturers, agricul- 

 turists and laborers, seem sure, in the 

 opinion of the board. 



Prices continued to rise throughout 

 June, and enormously heavy demand for 

 goods for export had rendered products 

 in many lines scarce. Wheat, corn, cot- 

 ton, tobacco and Pacific coast crops will 

 be harvested in record quantities. 



Manufacturing likewise took a strong 

 upward turn during June. Building 

 shows continuation of the revival noted 

 in previous months. 



THINK IT OVER. 



It is not where a paper is printed, but 



where it is read, that determines its 



value to advertisers. Like this: 



The water lily ad in The Review has proven 

 very satisfactory. Have shipped roots to more 

 than a dozen states because of it. — W. I. Brod- 

 flsh. West Barnstable, Mass., July 1, 1919. 



If you hear a man complain of the 



cost of advertising you can be pretty 



certain he spends a good bit of money 



elsewhere than in The Review. 



CHICAGO. 



The Market. 



The Fourth of July is one holiday that 

 does florists absolutely no good. The 

 majority of the wholesale houses in this 

 market felt it necessary to be open at 

 least half a day on the Fourth, and most 

 of them were open all day July 5, al- 

 though the day generally was observed 

 as a holiday in other lines of business 

 and some of the wholesalers released a 

 part of their forces. Somewhat to their 

 surprise, business done July 4 and July 5 

 was excellent, amounting to a good 

 day's sales for any time during the sum- 

 mer and keeping the reduced forces on 

 the jump. The present week has opened 

 well. The high heat has subsided and 

 the demand for flowers, as well as the 

 quality of the stock, at once showed im- 

 provement. So far as demand goes, it 

 was never better at this time of year. 



There is slight change as regards the 

 supply of stock, and such change as is 

 noted is all in the direction of approach- 

 ing normal summer conditions. The sup- 

 ply of flowers steadily goes down und 



