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The Florists^ Review 



October 9, 1919. 



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TATE'S TIPS 



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'LEST WE FORGET.' 



' Last Summer's Lessons. 



The summer is now over, the harvest 

 is ended, and, for the florist who had 

 the forethought to study conditions — 

 that is, the man who watched the mar- 

 ket not only in his own city but all 

 over the country — the harvest has been 

 a bountiful one. During the last sum- 

 mer the writer has made a careful study 

 of the Baltimore market, has compared 

 conditions there with those reported 

 from other markets in the columns of 

 The Review and found they were much 

 the same all over the country; that 

 while there were some dull times re- 

 ported, yet, on the whole, last summer's 

 business surpassed anything in history. 

 I made it a point to visit the retail 

 stores at regular intervals. Only once, 

 about the middle of July, did I hear any 

 complaints about the lack of business, 

 but on every visit I heard complaints of 

 the difficulty that was had to obtain 

 first-class stock. One ,thing particularly 

 that was noted was the fact that not 

 once during the entire summer was 

 there a glut of first-class stock. 



At the same time my visits to the 

 wholesale houses were .lust as regular. 

 And there the secret of the report one 

 would so often hear of "business being 

 at a standstill" was found out. One 

 could find, at almost any time, masses 

 of stock for which there was absolutely 

 no demand, stock which at the end of 

 the week would have to be sacrificed 

 to the street men, or. worse still, sent 

 to the dump. It is often the custom of 

 the street fakers, in crying their wares, 

 to remind the throng what they would 

 be obliged to pay for the same articles 

 in the retail stores, while, at the same 

 time, these stores were paying twice as 

 much as the faker was asking, for good 

 stock of the same flowers, and often 

 could not get them. 



Success in Select Stock 



For the legitimate florist, one who is 

 particular in selecting his stock and 

 will grow nothing but the best grade, 

 there is a good market and one that will 

 pay any man for his effort. In select- 

 ing his stock, I would remind him that 

 there are numbers who produce cut 

 flowers as a by-product. Take hydran- 

 geas for instance; the nurseryman can 

 be depended upon for more than will 

 be required. The same is true of phlox 

 and many other such flowers. The truck 

 growers will so flood the market with 

 them that the regular grower will not 

 have a chance, and I am firmly con- 

 vinced that it will not pay any grower 

 to devote his time and talents to this 



* class of stock. 



For strictly summer use there are 

 three staples that are depended upon; 



" these are roses, gladioli and asters. 

 These were the flowers for which there 

 was the greatest demand and yet as 

 many of them found their way to the 

 dump, via the wholesale houses, as any 

 other flowers. I can hear my readers 

 saying this is all tearing down; the 

 object of this article is just the reverse. 



Let's look into the question and see if 

 we can 't build up. The important point ^ 

 in building is to have a good foundation. 

 What better foundation could you make 

 than right now, when the last stfmmer 

 is fresh in our minds, to plan for next 

 summer? The progressive and success- 

 ful farmer raises nothing but blooded 

 stock. Just as true is it that the suc- 

 cessful florist, in these times of com- 

 petition, must grow nothing but quaJity 

 stock. And another imporrant poim is, 

 do not sacrifice quality for quantity. 



Always a Demand. 



To begin, let us look at roses. There 

 was never a day during the last summer 

 when good white roses were not in de- 

 mand. The one I find most sought after 

 on the market is Double White Killar- 

 ney. And there were some growers who 

 had them fine, even though it was mid- 

 summer. Another one good as a sum- 

 mer variety is Radiance. But we will 

 not speak further of varieties; this can 

 be left to the individual. The point I 

 wish to make is, have good stock of 

 such varieties as those mentioned. 



We will now take up gladioli. It is a 

 common sight to see these being peddled 

 about the streets and sold for a mere 

 pittance. As one looks on conditions of 



this kind one cannot help thinking of 

 the time and labor that have been wasted 

 by the grower who got such inadequate 

 retuirns for his stock. Had he devoted 

 the same amount of energy to such va- 

 rieties as Panama, America, Augusta, 

 King, War and Peace, his returns would 

 have been such that — well, he would 

 have a deep respect for his business. 

 Now, I do not wish to be understood as 

 saying that the varieties mentioned are 

 better than perhaps many others. I 

 have noted them because I have had 

 an opportunity to see these varieties 

 often and merely want to make a 

 standard. 



Now let us look at asters. Anyone 

 who is much around wholesale houses 

 knows what a heterogeneous mass of 

 these the commission man has to deal 

 with. Yet among it all you will, at 

 times, see the product of some wise 

 grower that is a pleasure to handle. I 

 am told that year after year, as regu- 

 larly as summer comes, the usual sup- 

 ply of poor asters is bound to arrive, 

 poor in color, poor in flower, stems and 

 everything. There are good strains to 

 be had. Why will a grower persist in 

 growing year after year a crop that 

 certainly, if he counts his time and the 

 value of the room the plants take, is a 

 losing proposition? Astermums are per- 

 haps the most salable of the aster fam- 

 ily, but for any good white, pink or 

 purple there is always ready sale. Re- 

 member the world is just now going 

 through a period of reconstruction; this 

 includes the florists' business. Your 

 business will be just what you choose 

 to make it in the next few years. 



Tate. 



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USINGER'S UTTERANCES 



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Mrs. E. Suder, of Cherry street, To- 

 ledo, is reported quite sick. It is the 

 hope of Toledo florists that she may 

 soon be well again. 



• • • • 



Helen F. Patten, of the Patten Flower 

 Store, Toledo, was visiting in Chicago, 

 while the rest of the force were turn- 

 ing out work of all descriptions. 



• • • • 



That well known trade-mark, "Even- 

 tually; why not now?" expresses the 

 sentiment of the strong advocates of 

 Sunday closing. Many cities have been 

 closed for years and others are at 

 present "spreading their wings." To- 

 ledo, O., has been closed all of this 

 summer, but now and then someone 

 slipped, due to emergency orders from 

 good customers. At the last meeting, 

 September 30, of the Toledo Florists' 

 Club, the object in view was that the 

 rules to be made stronger, so that no one 

 could break them. Frank Schramm, of 

 Schramm Bros., and Mr^^rouse, of Mrs. 

 J. B. Freeman's, madev^trong speeches 

 in defense of closed Sunday. They ex- 

 pressed the opinion of most of the 

 trade. Toledo florists stand united, with 

 the exception of one or two, to stay 



closed on Sunday, and tightly closed. 



• • • • 



John Barrow, of Toledo, has laid 

 aside his business responsibilities and 

 tendered them to his two sons, Henry 

 and Francis. 



You may not believe it, but the mer- 

 chants of Toledo believe that Jack Hel- 

 mar, of the Helmar Flower Shop, is the 

 originator of the tritomas. It is not 

 unreasonable either, if you could see 

 them used in the shop's windows, for 

 he controls all that are in captivity in 

 Toledo. Modesty forbids him to sar 

 more. 



• • • • 



To the Helmar Flower Shop goes the 

 honor of the season's largest wedding 

 decoration in Toledo. Besides being 

 the largest, it was the most unusual and 

 most talked of decoration ever done in 

 Toledo. 



• • • • 



Hody & Tulea, of Lorain, O., opened 

 a store in Elyria, O., several weeks ago. 

 The store is furnished quite attractively 

 and a good display of flowers was in 

 evidence. 



• • • • 



L. C. Hecock, of Elyria, O., has a 

 hobby that is quite profitable, besides 

 affording much pleasure when the day's 

 toil is done. His hobby is stock rais- 

 ing and he is the proud possessor of a 

 herd of fine cattle and one of especially 

 fine porkers. 



• • • • 



Arthur Doebel, of Clyde, O., has the 

 originator of the h. c. of 1., a dog that 

 eats Bull-Dog clips and thrives on them. 

 There 's an advertising opportunity here. 



W. T. U. 



