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The Florists' Review 



AcocsT 5. 1920 



C»CN LCTTCa^y^ DEADED3 



SUGGESTIONS ON F. T. D. 



I should like to call attention to a 

 condition existing in the trade today, 

 relative to telegraph delivery service, 

 that causes the displeasure of the public. 

 The condition is especially evident in 

 Texas. The complaint is that members 

 of the P. T. D. do not fill orders on 

 time. 



A gentleman not long ago came into 

 our store to give us an order for another 

 city and insisted upon our getting a 

 reply from the florist in the other city 

 that the order would receive proper at- 

 tention. This, of course, made it nec- 

 essary to charge him for the extra mes- 

 sage. This gentleman asserted that 

 telegraph delivery for flowers was, 

 under ordinary conditions, worthless. 

 Can this opinion be allowed to gain 

 strength! If it does, what then? 



On the question of substitution my 

 opinion is that when a customer gives 

 an (ffder for roses, carnations or any 

 other special flowers he should also name 

 a substitute, even for funeral designs 

 and sprays, so that something may be 

 used if the florist who receives the 

 order cannot supply the customer's 

 choice. 



I also think that we should not send 

 a telegraph order to a florist for a dozen 

 roses at $3, when in the other city 

 they may be worth $6, but should make 

 the order read, "roses to cost $3." Also, 

 when a telegraph order runs from two 

 to six months without being paid, I 

 think that the discount should not be 

 allowed. 



Matters such as these should be 

 brought up and discussed at the meet- 

 ings of the large trade associations, 

 especially at the convention of the Flo- 

 rists' Telegraph Delivery Association, 

 to be held at Indianapolis next October. 

 Mrs, Annie Wolfe Brigance. 



HYDRANGEAS LOSING FOLIAGE. 



In reply to O. O. B., who received 

 advice concerning trouble with his hy- 

 drangeas, from which the leaves were 

 falling, in the July 15 issue of The Re- 

 view, I should say that the fact that 

 they became covered with a web strong- 

 ly suggests its being the work of red 

 spider. Allowing the plants to become 

 dry would cause the loss of their leaves, 

 but would not account for the web being 

 on them. In the summer of 1918 I saw 

 nearly a houseful which were covered 

 with red spider and lost their leaves. 

 These plants had been grown in the 

 house all summer, while plants planted 

 outside were not affected at all. 



n. T. Corficld. 



REMOVING PUTTY. 



The following suggestions may be of 

 help to greenhouse owners who are re- 

 building during the summer: 



We have been doing a good deal of 

 greenhouse reconstruction work this 

 summer and have found our biggest 

 problem to be the cleaning of the putty 

 out of the bars where it had been 



bedded under the glass. We used every- 

 thing that was to be thought of to re- 

 move this putty, but in vain. Finally 

 we tried Prestolite gas, which comes in 

 tanks, and used a small burner to heat 

 the putty; this brought it out easily and 

 clean. 



This method darkens the wood with 

 the heat. So we took our power cir- 

 cular saw, removed the saw and put in 

 its place a round wire brush one foot in 

 diameter. Running this at high speed, 

 we passed the bars over the brush and 

 got them looking as clean as new stock. 



Now our houses are up, with two coats 

 of paint, and look as good as new. 



Philip J. Goebel. 



Arthur Crabb and Eli Cross, Grand 

 Bapids, Mich., after a busy morning, 

 were arranging for a fishing date. The 

 size of the catch is not known. Mr. 

 Crabb has been busy with funeral work 

 and" June brought its quota of wedding 

 work. Mr. Cross reports that his green- 

 houses are ready for fall. Business has 

 been good through the summer months. 



J. A. Bissinger, Lansing, Mich., and 

 Mrs. Bissinger are in California. They 

 are expected to return in September. 



The Lansing Floral Co., Lansing, 

 Mich., was busy with funeral work all 

 summer. Several landscape jobs have 

 been finished. Miss Fenore, of Grand 

 Rapids, is now managing the store. 



Harry Saier, Lansing, Mich., reports 

 a good season in all departments. The 

 seed trade has been unusually heavy. 



NEWARK, N. J. 



USINGER'S UTTERANCES. 



Mr. Lament has joined A. J. Mac- 

 Kinnon, Flint, Mich., and the firm name 

 will be MacKinnon & Lament. Mrs. 

 MacKinnon and her son have been con- 

 fined to their home with sickness since 

 June. 



Mr. Freyling, of the Wealthy Avenue 

 Floral Co., Grand Rapids, Mich., has 

 completed the Italian garden at the 

 entrance to his oflSce. This has been 

 instrumental in getting several com- 

 missions fox landscape work, which 

 proves the adage, "To sell anything, 

 you must be able to show the goods." 



Gladioli are now arriving freely and 

 asters are increasing in number. Be- 

 cause of the scarcity of other flowers 

 and the fact that they do not keep well, 

 ferns are now being used more than at 

 any other sea86n for window decora- 

 tions. Flowers are much cheaper than 

 they were, but they are slightly above 

 the usual midsummer prices. Several 

 florists report an unusual amount of 

 summer funeral work. 



Fred Philips, of Philips Bros., who 

 spent the month of July at Allenhurst, 

 on the New Jersey coast, has returned, 

 and his brother, Frank, has gone to the 

 same place to spend the month of Au- 

 gust. 



Fred P. Wolfinger reports that there 

 is much funeral work at present, but 

 that, as usual in summer, other lines are 

 a little slack. R. B. M. 



FRESH SOIL FOR MUMS. 



We are just stirring up the soil in the 

 chrysanthemum benches for the first 

 time this season and find that the soil 

 is infested with small grubs. We should 

 like to know if we may expect serious 

 trouble and if there is any way known 

 to destroy the pest. B. G. C. — Minn. 



You certainly may expect serious 

 trouble with your chrysanthemum plants 

 if planted in soil infested with grubs. 

 I should suggest that you clean out the 

 benches and fill with fresh soil, at the 

 same time giving the inside of the 

 house a thorough cleaning. We have 

 so many pests to contend with that it 

 does not pay to take chances with the 

 crop by doing things in a haphazard 

 way. 



I have inferred from your letter that 

 the soil now in the benches has been 

 carried over from some other crop and 

 it was intended to use it for the chrys- 

 anthemums without changing it. I am 

 not in favor of doing this, believing 

 that, if for no other reason than that of 

 keeping the insect pests in check, it 

 pays to give plants fresh soil each year. 

 A dressing of fresh, air-slaked lime will 



help to check the grubs, but to apply 

 enough to kill them will also be harm- 

 ful ^to the plants. M. P. 



MILLEPEDES ON MUMS. 



I km sending you a sample of worms 

 tha|t are in the ground and are cutting 

 rayifhrysanthemums. They start at the 

 bot^m under the ground and make a 

 hole in the side of the stem and eat out 

 the center of the stem. Is there any- 

 thing that I can do to stop themt 



H. E. E. — Mich. 



The worms are known as millepedes 

 and attack roots and stems of plants. 

 They are generally brought into the soil 

 through the manure. I should suggest 

 that you purchase the best grade of flo- 

 rists ' tobacco dust and scatter a little of 

 it on the ground around the base of the 

 plants where the worms are working. 

 Late in the day is the best time to put 

 on the dust and, as it is washed away 

 by watering or syringing, make other 

 applications while any of the insects re- 

 main. Soot worked into the surface of 

 the soil will also check the worms. 

 Slug Shot used in the same manner as 

 the tobacco dust is another good remedy. 



M. P. 



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