Sbptkmber 18, 1919. 



The Florists^ Review 



17 



g^^ ^oaoiiL;ji4yM2«tLmiii4yMm^ 



NEWS FROM THE NATION'S SEAT 



l^i^^^ra 



f;rr♦>(1r^•^l^/•^nl»^^l/sv1lysv1rrsv(l?wr)«vlr?svlrirsvll/^ 



Albany Asks Washington. 



Mr. Z. D. Blackistone, 

 Washington, D. C. 

 Dear Sir: — 



Eegarding the "Say It with Flow- 

 ers" week, will you please advise me if 

 it is necessary to hold same during the 

 woek you specify? We have early 

 frosts here and as a rule flowers are 

 scarce at that time; the early mums are 

 not ready until about October 10. 



Our club has taken it up with en- 

 thusiasm and we want to make it as big 

 as possible. Kindly let me know how 

 you intend to handle it in Washington. 

 Fred A. Danker. 



The Editor Is pleased when 

 a Reader presents his ideas 

 on any subject treated in 



SAY IT WITH FLOWERS" WEEK. OUTLOOK BREEDS ENTHUSIASM. 



The florists' trade in Washington is 

 in a better shape than I have ever known 

 it at this season. There will be ample 

 stock this year without an oversupply, 

 the demand is good and general with 

 everyone, the prices are good without 

 being prohibitive to the customer and 

 the florists all are pulling together and 

 working for our inaugural of this sea- 

 son's flower week. 



Our club is increasing in member- 

 ship and interest. Every member is 

 enthusiastic about flowers. Florists 

 everywhere should engage in a cam- 

 paign of education — educate themselves, 

 educate their assistants and then they 

 will be better able to educate the pub- 



lie. 



Better education means better serv- 

 Mr. Fred A. Danker, ice. Better service means better busi- 



Albany, N. Y. uess. Better business means a smile 



Dear Sir: — 



Replying to your favor, will say that 

 the date of this "Say It with Flowers" 

 week can best be decided according to 

 the different locations. It is immaterial 

 when you have it, but one of the ideas 

 is to hurry up the business, so the 

 sooner the better. We have decided to 

 have ours the first -week in November. 

 I was in favor of an early date, when 

 we would have dahlias and other out- 

 side stock, A majority, however, 

 thought it best to make it the first week 

 in November, as they figure we would 

 make a better display with the flowers 

 available at that time. I think that 

 this, if taken up and pushed by the flo- 

 rists throughout the country, would 

 give a big impetus to our business. 



In regard to details, will say that we 

 have decided on a poster about 20x30. 

 We are having this lithographed and 

 expect to display it in all the florists' 

 windows and stores, in theaters and in 

 a number of specialty shops around the 

 city. We will also have pennants on 

 our wagons. We are engaging a pub- 

 licity man, who will write up articles 

 on flowers and about our flower week 

 and the "Say It with Flowers" propa- 

 ganda in the local papers. We will also 

 run a special line of newspaper adver- 

 tising, inviting the public to the differ- 

 ent flower shops during the flower week. 

 In other words, during that week every 

 florist in town proposes to have his 

 shop decorated up especially, and to 

 push flowers and floral propaganda for 

 all it's worth. We will do everything 

 but eat flowers. 



In regard to finance, we have ap- 

 pointed a committee that has made a 

 scale for the different florists and grow- 

 ers, according to the extent of their 

 business. This we divide into three 

 monthly payments, or allow them to pay 

 \^\ * time, as suits their convenience. 

 This proposition is a pet hobby with 

 Me. I personally have never been able 

 to notice that the florists ' clubs through- 

 out the country accomplished much. If 

 •hey take up this proposition and work 

 on It and make an annual thing of it, I 

 oeheve the results of this alone will 

 justify any club for being in existence. 

 Z. D. Blackistone, Pres., 

 Florists' Club of Washington. 



As experience is the best 

 teacher, so do we learn 

 fastest by an exchange of 

 experiences. Many valuable 

 points are brought out by 

 discussion. 



Oood penmanship, spelling and 

 Krammar, though desirable, are not 

 necessary. Write as you would talk 

 when doing your best, 



WE SHALL BE GLAD 

 TO HEAR FROM YOU 



that will not wear off and a good smile 

 means a kind heart, a helping hand and 

 more happiness for everyone. 



Z. D. Blackistone. 



WASHINGTON, D. C. 



The Market. 



Business has been fair. Fancy stock 

 is in greatest demand. Cattleyas are 

 bringing $1.50 each and are scarce. Beau- 

 ties are $6 per dozen. We are getting a 

 fine lot of rosea, such as Eussell, Colum- 

 bia, Premier, Hadley, Ophelia and Sun- 

 burst, in all grades. The market is over- 

 crowded with outdoor flowers, such as 

 Shasta daisies, dahlias, gladioli, phlox, 

 gaillardias, marigolds, zinnias and del- 

 phinium. Plumosus has been arriving in 

 poor condition from Florida, which 

 makes fresh greens sell well. 



Various Notes. 



A, B. Price, "The Boxwood Man," 

 at 912 Virginia avenue, who has made 

 a specialty of cut boxwood foliage for 



eight years, will locate September 20 at 

 925 Virginia avenue, across the avenue 

 from the present location. The property 

 was bought some time ago. It contains 

 about 5,000 feet of floor space, which, 

 Mr. Price says, will enable him to take 

 care of the business at a smaller labor 

 cost. On account of labor conditions 

 in the south, he will start shipments of 

 cut boxwood September 25. 



The S. S, Pennock Co. reports that 

 the summer business has been far above 

 the general average. Asters have sold 

 well and there was not the usual slump 

 in gladioli. They were of better quality 

 than usual and all of them were well 

 taken. Boses have been in fair demand, 

 especially white ones for funeral work, 

 but the better grades, such as Eussell, 

 have been the best sellers. Dahlias are 

 arriving in quantity and it looks as 

 though there would be an unusual cut 

 of dahlias this year. 



Henry Witt, at Anacostia, built two 

 greenhouses, 25x175 and 28x175, last 

 spring and has ordered for late fall one 

 house, 32x140. A No. 10 Kroeschell 

 boiler is going to heat this range. Mr. 

 Witt grows carnations, sweet peas, 

 chrysanthemums, snapdragons, prim- 

 roses and some bulbous stock. He says 

 a shortage of field-grown carnation 

 plants on account of too small plants 

 and shortage of help last winter is felt 

 around Washington, 



Albert Schnell, manager for the Leo 

 Niessen Co., says that a recent tour of 

 growers found unanimous opinion that 

 last season was the best on record. All 

 of them also anticipate a banner year 

 ahead. 



John Sharper, at Oxon Hill, Md., has 

 erected two new houses, 30x130. 



B. Winkler, Chevy Chase, Md., re- 

 cently finished a house, 28x135 feet. 



The Easter lily supply in and about 

 Washington is expected to be small this . 

 coming season. 



Alex. Sharper, at Suteland, Md., put 

 up a house, 25x125 feet, this summer. 



W. R. Gray, Oakton, Va., is expect- 

 ing a good-sized shipment of valley pips 

 from Germany, having been advised of 

 their coming by his agents in New York. 

 He is cutting some fine roses just now. 



A. H. Newman, formerly in the em- 

 ploy of the Leo Niessen Co., has gone 

 into the retail business with George 

 Shaffer. 



O. A. C. Oehmler and Alber Schnell 

 are the committee appointed to get up 

 a suitable poster for window display 

 advertising "Say It with Flowers" 

 week. 



William F. Gude was on the reception 

 committee to receive General Pershing. 

 Adolph and W. F. Gude attended the 

 triennial conclave at Philadelphia Sep- 

 tember 9 to 11 of the grand encampment 

 of Knights Templar. 



At the Anacostia range Gude Bros. 

 Co. is growing largely carnations and 

 roses. Some 50,000 chrysanthemums are 

 about ready to come into bloom. The 

 company is going in heavily on the new 

 carnation. Democracy, of which they 

 have about 20,000 plants. At the north- 

 east range, Mt, Olivet and Blandens- 

 burgh road, carnations form the bulk of 



