22 



The Florists^ Review 



Mat 15, 1919. 



carriers of his locality to all the homes 

 in his district. Mr. Volz uses about 

 2,000 circulars of each issue. Inciden- 

 tally, ' ' Say It with Flowers, ' ' the slogan 

 of the S. A. F., is constantly used by 

 him in his advertising. 



(S)CN LCTTEI^^''*^ DEADEIiB pushoabt to axteomobh^ 



A PLEASING MOTHERS' DAY! 



In accord with The Eeview's request 

 for newspaper clippings of Mothers ' day 

 ads, I feel it is my duty to take a little 

 time and send a few, inasmuch as I feel 

 that the managing editor of the one lone 

 paper in our city (McKeesport, Pa.), of 

 about 45,000 population, is deserving of 

 the booby prize for the infinite igno- 

 rance displayed in his paper last Satur- 

 day. ' ' It pays to advertise " is a slogan 

 he uses quite frequently. Two of us, 

 Mr. Johnston and myself, were led to 

 believe that it did pay to advertise, and 

 I am enclosing a copy of each of our 

 ads, five inches, two columns. Mine ran 

 three days and Mr. Johnston's a day or 

 so longer. After we two poor fish had 

 been caught on this bait of "It pays to 

 advertise," we find in the little newslets 

 on the editorial page of the Saturday 

 evening issue *the following cleverly 

 worded booster: "No mother will feel 

 badly if you do not buy flowers for her 

 tomorrow, especially since the flower 

 trust has boosted the prices sky high 

 just because there is a sentimental rea- 

 son for many wanting to buy flowers to- 

 morrow. ' ' I am enclosing a copy of this 

 also. Surely it takes brains to edit a 

 newspaper. 



The joke to my mind was so good that 

 I begged the other boys to go along with 

 me to the newspaper office and thank the 

 editor for using such mild terms in de- 

 nouncing us as a bunch of robbers. I 

 am enclosing also another clipping from 

 the next issue of this brilliantly edited 

 little sheet, wherein j»ou will note that 

 we florists were reaping a harvest be- 

 cause the flower is used by the majority 

 as the symbol of Mothers ' day. 



Things were certainly coming our way 

 thick and fast in this little burg and we 

 had to dance to the music when the notes 

 were rasping at the highest pitch. 



And now I wish to say just a few 

 words along the line of self-defense, as it 

 were. This editor seems to think that 

 we retailers get our flowers for a song, 

 and sing the song ourselves, but the 

 truth is we were compelled to pay 15 

 cents per flower for our carnations, then 

 25 cents for each and every packing box 

 and from .35 to 40 cents per box express 

 charges. On top of all this we have the 

 breakage and loss otherwise to stand. I 

 will admit that our price of 25 cents each 

 or $2.50 per dozen was too high, for, as 

 Brother Franklin P. Adams says in 

 "Open Letters" last week, "There is a 

 limit to everything," and the public 

 knows when that limit has been reached. 

 Personally I feel that if any person was 

 robbed it was the retailer. 



In The Review of May 12, 1910, 1 had 

 an article on this line of killing the 

 goose that lays the golden egg, to which 

 The Review replied that the law of sup- 

 ply and demand was to blame for the 

 prices. Now, to me it would be interest- 

 ing to know just who did do the skin- 

 ning ifi this matter. I contend that if a 

 carnation costs the retailer 15 cents he 

 should get 30 cents to come out on top, 

 and of course the public will not stand 

 for this. So I think it would be a good 



idea to get to the bottom of this matter 

 and try to hold the price within the 

 reach of all before the greatest day the 

 florist has to boost is turned into dis- 

 repute or the ribbon makers reap the 

 harvest instead of the florist. 



This much from a retailer. Now let 

 us hear from the grower and the commis- 

 sion man. Charles Dougherty. 



CITY FLORISTS— AN EXAMPLE! 



' ' My business is growing flowers, ' ' 

 insistently asserts Frank A. Volz, of 

 Cincinnati, O. Insistently, because, 

 from his frequent advertising, one can 

 see that he is determined not to let his 

 community forget that fact. Week 

 after week his advertisements appear 

 in the moving picture theater handbills 

 that are distributed to all the homes in 

 his vicinity. Then, when big occasions 

 come along, like Easter, Mothers' day, 

 etc., which demand more attention and 

 enlargement, he has handbills of his own 

 printed and distributed by the paper 



From pushcart tp automobile is a long 

 way, but H. R. Fisher, of Marysville, 

 Kan., has traveled the distance. He re- 

 cently purchased a handsome Dodge de- 

 livery car. When he started in business " 

 here ten years ago he had a pushcart 

 for delivery purposes and his entirev 

 capital was $40. His accomplishment \ 

 in the florists' business is made the more^ — ^ 

 remarkable by the fact that Marysville 

 is a town of only 3,000 inhabitants. 



"We have been extremely busy," 

 says Mr. Fisher, "and have broken all 

 records during the last year. Prices 

 have been wholly satisfactory. When 

 we read of some florist who seems to be 

 unable to realize on his stock, our sym- 

 pathy goes out to him, though we can 

 not help but wonder if he is not still a 

 back number in the trade." 



The new delivery car of Mr. Fisher 

 will be kept busy, the owner believes, 

 as he expects to use the machine in mak- 

 ing deliveries in the country surround- 

 ing Marysville, as well as in the town. 

 Prospects for spring trade are excellent, 

 according to Mr. Fisher. 



CULTURAL DIRECTIONS. 



Can you give me a few general in- 

 structions on how to grow orchids? 



F. C. B.— Fla. 



It is not necessary to have a special 

 house to grow orchids successfully. 

 Many do well in ordinary greenhouses, 

 and I have seen cypripediums and other 

 varieties well grown in a steam-heated 

 dwelling house. For cattleyas, remem- 

 ber that they like air and must not be 

 grown in a hot, moist and stuffy house, 

 although these conditions suit some East 

 Indian sorts well. In summer, some 

 air should be given night and day and, 

 even in the most severe winter weather, 

 there are few days when ventilators 

 cannot be opened for an hour or two. 

 Plants succeed best if grown in pots, 

 pans or baskets of osmunda fern fiber 

 and suspended close to the light. In 

 midwinter no shade is necessary, but 

 from March until December 1 some 

 shade is needed. After flowering, the 

 plants in their native habitats have a 

 period of rest, which should be copied 

 here in a modified way. Any repotting 



or top-dressing should be done before 

 new growths start up." Be sure to use 

 plenty of broken crocks or charcoal as 

 drainage. 



Watering in winter will not be needed 

 more than once in four or five days. 

 Much depends on the weather. In ex- 

 tremely hot weather it may be required 

 daily, but, even in summer, every other 

 day, as a rule, suffices. Syringing once 

 or twice a day is beneficial and can 

 be done on clear days even in winter. 

 A night temperature of 55 degrees in 

 winter is ample. Cypripediums like 

 more water at the roots than cattleyas 

 and have no resting period. C. insigne 

 will grow in any greenhouse and in 

 summer will do under the shade of trees 

 outdoors, or in a frame, where the glass 

 is shaded. Dendrobium nobile, when its 

 bulbs are made up, should be kept com- 

 paratively dry until the nodes on the 

 stems develop into buds; then afford 

 more water. When growing, following 

 the flowering period, it likes plenty of 

 water and enjoys heat, but can be suc- 

 cessfully grown in a carnation tempera- 

 ture. Orchids are not at all difficult 

 of culture and you will not find it hard 

 to grow and flower them. C. W. 



