22 



The Florists^ Review 



Skitbmber 30. 1920 



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MOTT-LY MUSINGS 



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J. J. Hess, of IIoss & Swoljuda, Omalia. 

 Neb., was filling a large basket to be 

 used as a centerpiece for the store 

 window in honor of the Labor day 

 parade, which soon after passed along 

 the street. The fact that many pa- 

 railors hobbled somewhat excited the 

 remark that many greenhouse men sonu- 

 times suffered from sore feet, "but,'' 

 added Mr. Hess," when they can produce 

 such stock as you see here t'rom our 

 houses, conditions are encouraging, the 

 more so when prices are as satisfactory 

 as at present." Stock especially re- 

 ferred to included the trio of roses sent 

 out by A. N. Pierson, Inc., wliicli are 

 considered here the best yet sent out 

 in distinctiveness and ytroductiveness. 

 Hoosier Beauty is also line and sold 

 as high as .$12 per dozen last Christmas. 

 Carnations and chrysantln'e iiius also 

 look promising. Just then the jdione 

 rang. Parly wanted a bride's bouquet 

 of orchi<ls. "Cannot sujiply it," re- 

 sponded Mr. Hess, "but we can make :i 

 handsome one with Sweetheart roses. 

 even more apj>ropriate. " The sale was 

 made. "It's all in the way one handles 

 one's patrons," observe'! our resource- 

 ful confrere, who, by the way. antici- 

 pates positive things to liajipen at the 

 meeting of the publicity committee 

 whicli precedes the F. T. D. gatliering 



at Indiana})olis in October. 



• • • * 



Lewis Henderson, Louis M. Rogers aiicl 

 the Arnold Flower Shop. Omaha, all 

 had special decorative windows for 



Labor day. 



• • • • 



Oliver Lorenz, of the Cutlirie-Lorenz 

 Co., Des Moines, la., was making up a 

 fine spray of gladioli and asters. He 

 observed that, with tlic help enjoying 

 a vacation, the boss had to take hold 

 and 'tis well when he can show his 

 ability as being equal to the best, which 

 the majority can do, having risen from 

 the ranks, as it were. "All business is 

 a gamble and none more risky than 

 ours," continuiMi Mr. Lorenz, "owing to 

 the perishable nature of most of the ma 

 terial used. Yet when the volume of 

 trade done is taken into consideration, 

 how small is the percentage of loss! 

 Take the telegraphic branch, for ex 

 ample. We liave not lost one account 

 during the time our card has been run- 

 ning in the Pink Section of The Review, 

 which, hy the way, has paid us many 

 times over in both direct and inriirect 

 business." A combined flower and seed 

 liusiness is successfully carried on in the 

 s.ame store, which is of ample width 

 When it is mentioned that one and ;i 

 lialf tons of blue grass alone was solii 

 last season at retail, some ide.a of the 

 extent of the see<l department may be 

 obtained. A line of insecticides and 

 poultry supjdies ig also carried. The city 

 dweller has the opportunity to indulge 

 in a free tlf)wer show while making a 

 purchase of bug powder. This in itselt' 

 creates a desire to possess and often 



results in a purchase. 



• • • • 



Geo. L. Kurtzweil, of the lown See. I 

 C-o., Des Moines. la., reports a stea<ly ad 

 v.ance in all branches, seed, flowers, 

 birds and goldfish. A window arranged 

 with every known variety of grain scpd 



.'ittracted much attention during the 



week of the annual state fair. 



* • • • 



J. S. Wilson returned to Des ^loines, 

 la., from the convention in due season 

 and lias entertained the stay-at homes 

 with a full description of the happen- 

 ings at (jlevel.and. Mr. Wilson thinks, 

 and e\i(lently with good reason, that 

 Des !Moines, being accejited as the con- 

 \eiition cit^' of Iowa, c;in well take care 



of the S. A. F. 



• • • • 



Hotli stoles of the Oplielia Floral Co., 

 coiiducteil by J. S. Wilson, Jr., at Des 

 .Moines, icj)ort good business. The Kirk- 

 wood Floral Co. is in the same healthy 

 state. The arrival of a new regiment 

 at Fort Des Moines has opened the sea- 

 son for ji.'irtic's and created a call for 

 tloral ilecorations. 



Th 



Andrew Bather Co., (^'liiitoii, la., 



reports a busy season, unusually so in 

 funeral work, and, looks for the usual 

 call for floral work with the first frost 



and social gatherings. 



• • • • 



"Business is coming our way in fine 

 shape," is the report of Cilenu Wilcox, 

 of J. F. Wilcox & Sons, Council Bluffs, 

 la. "Brother Roy also sends us flat- 

 tering accounts of his success in Califor 



nia. " 



• • • • 



Edward Amerpohl, of the Janesville 

 Floral Co., Janesville, Wis., who was 

 preventeil .at the last moment from 

 making the trip to Cleveland, was doubly 

 interested in the report of the proceed- 

 ings there. The store has been remod 

 elcd and is tilled with some fine stock 

 from the greenhouses to take care of 

 w hat is rejiorted as excellent business. 

 4 * • * 



The Alpha Floral Co., the Rockford 

 Floral Co. and Swan Peterson & Son, 

 Rockford, 111., where Camp Grant is 

 located, all rejiort good business. 

 « • • * 



The H. W. Buckbee Co.. Rockford, 111., 

 i(n'ently had a fine window display, made 

 with large baskets of gladioli and other 

 tiowers. W. M. 





PLANT THEM NOW 



YiirniitATitAtitAiitntirrrtirAtiiAi^ 



IRISES FOR CUT FLOWERS. 



G-ood for Local Sales. 



In the fall of 1918 we })lanted in our 

 lot of j»eonies an iris corm l)ctwcen 

 every two peonies in the row, in order 

 to economize on space. 



Our Memorial day crop of peony 

 blooms was short in the .spring of 1919 

 .and again in 1920, owing to cold 

 weather and too large a planting of late- 

 flowering varieties. There was an abun- 

 dance of iris blooms, however, and we 

 had a good retail trade on these, at 50 

 cents per dozen for the mixed irises and 

 7') cents per dozen for the pallida dal 

 iii.atica or Princess Beatrice. 



I would not advise planting irises for 

 the wholesale cut tlower trade. We 

 have sold some of these for city trade 

 when other flowers were scarce, but the 

 llowers .are so fr.agile that it requires 

 lareful liandling to pack them for ship 

 ment. 



We send mail orders of these cut in 

 the bud. If cut right, they will open 

 the next day .and the blooms .ire as good 

 ;is those that ojien on the plant. 



Good Varieties. 



(tdeste. azure blue, is a good v.iriety. 

 There are usually fiv(> or six blooms 

 npen on the same stalk at one time. We 

 used some of these in a floor v.ase with 

 (Jypsoidiila elegaiis for an entertain- 

 ment. The liostess afterwards gave us 

 .an order for enough roots of this va 

 riety to ]ilant a hardy b()r<]er. 



Fairy is not a new variety, but is 

 still one of the best cream whites, tint- 

 ed with blue. It lias an orange beard. 



Pallida Maudr;iliscie and Kharput are 

 gooil large-flowering purples. 



The old variety. Black Prince, is a 

 dark velvety pur[)le, having a flower of 

 nic-diuni size. The color is valuable for 

 contrast in a mixed bouquet. 



Queen of May was much admired by 



those who had never seen a lavender 

 pink iris. It ilid not, however, prove to 

 be as good a seller .as the blue shades of 

 lavender. 



Mrs. H. Darwin, white with purple 

 veins, is free-flowering, of dwarf habit. 

 It appears to disadvantage in the gar- 

 den, since the purple veining of the 

 petals causes the blooms to appear gray 

 from a distance. 



Pallida dalmatica is unquestionably 

 the best money-making iris we have ever 

 grown. It is .a splendid flower wherever 

 you put it. 



Conunercial Value. 



There is a question as to the commer- 

 cial value of irises. Pallida dalmatica 

 and many of the other varieties which 

 I have tested have produced twenty- 

 seven corms from one corm at the end 

 of the third year. This was only pos- 

 sible when the iris clumps were dug and 

 divided at the end of the second year 

 and replanted in good soil. 



The German iris has a tendency to 

 rot if the corms are planted in wet or 

 too rich ground. When the clumps be- 

 come so thick that the corms are under- 

 nourished some of them will die, espe- 

 cially if planted in the shade, where the 

 corms do not receive proper ventilation. 

 Perhaps because of a tendency to in- 

 crease so rapidly and to thrive in full 

 .sunlight under the most adverse condi- 

 tions, it has become one of the leading 

 perennials for beautifying large estates 

 as well as cottage gardens. 



For Memorial Day Trade. 



If the choicer varieties are selected 

 and only a few of each are grown by 

 the retail florist for Memorial day trade, 

 there is no reason why he should not 

 tind them profitable to grow. 



Garden heliotrojie, or valerian, is ef- 

 fective in an iris planting and a few 

 sprays added to the cemetery bouquet 

 give it a lacy appearance. 



