20 



The Florists^ Review 



NOVBMBBB 27. 1910. 



trade is quite acceptable as a curtain- 

 raiser for Thanksgiving. Predictions 

 for the latter holiday have been rosy, 

 for this year it is a real Thanksgiving 

 day to the public. Though the armis- 

 tice had been signed before Thanksgiv- 

 ing a year ago, the boys — over 2,000,- 

 000 of them — ^^were still in France, and 

 another 2,000,000 in the training camps. 

 Many of those abroad had been absent 

 for two Thanksgivings. So this year 

 the festal board weighs heavy before 

 them — and some of the weight is of 

 decorations from the florist. 



For Christmas no one makes predic- 

 tions, for everyone confidently expects 

 to be sold out. The only fly in the oint- 

 ment is that there are not sufficient 



supplies of stock to satisfy demands. 

 The absence of Belgian azaleas, in ad- 

 dition to the unusual demand, causes 

 plants to be a thing more sought after 

 than obtained for holiday sales. 



Nor will prosperity stop at Christmas. 

 It is certain to continue not only into 

 another year but for several seasons. 

 Production has not yet caught up with 

 demand and the publicity campaigns, 

 local and national, are steadily increas- 

 ing the demand. Never was there a 

 time in the trade when hard work won 

 a surer reward and the industrious flo- 

 rists who are doing their utmost to in- 

 crease stocks will celebrate in prosperity 

 another Thanksgiving. 



B M&matLmmmaMtt^Miymmm««atLMi»^ 



ARMISTICE DAY SALES 



r4\ir?sxiri«tiy«^ii^ir/'*Y.rAi\ir/svirrs\ir?s\ir«>rtr^ir/svir/svir«vir/w^^ 



NEW HOLIDAY HELPS TRADE. 



Proportionate to Effort. 



While returns to the florists varied in 

 different cities, there was considerable 

 impetus given to flower sales by Armis- 

 tice day, November 11. In some states 

 it was declared a holiday and the greater 

 observance was, of course, to the trade 's 

 advantage. In other localities less at- 

 tention was paid to the occasion in a 

 generally public way and florists in such 

 places found little benefit. All in all, 

 however, the gain was considerable. 



That old truism, "As ye sow, so shall 

 ye reap," proves its verity on an occa- 

 sion such as this holiday. Where the 

 trade made strong efforts to boost the 

 day as an occasion for flowers, the re- 

 sults were marked. Buffalo combined its 

 "Say It with Flowers" week and Ar- 

 mistice day advertising campaigns, 

 using in the Courier two full pages Sun- 

 day, November 9, besides deriving pub- 

 licity from other floricultural matter in 

 the same issue. As the result of that 

 drive, flowers brought unusual prices 

 and the market was cleaned of stock. 



South Celebrates. 



Similar effort was rewarded in other 

 sections. B. C. Kerr writes from Hous- 

 ton, Tex.: 



"Without the question of a doubt 

 Armistice day far exceeded our expec- 

 tations. The Mothers of the Army and 

 Navy recommended that floral offerings 

 should decorate the flagpole and re- 

 quested every firm and organization in 

 Houston to send a floral tribute. They 

 also advocated the wearing of flowers in 

 eommemoration of the boys who lost 

 their lives. 



"Among the floral offerings that were 

 sent was one from the Houston Horticul- 

 tural Society in memory of E. E. Stone, 

 a member of our organization. 



"The governor of the state and the 

 mayor of Houston declared Armistice 

 day a holiday and recommended that 

 flowers should be used in commemora- 

 tion of the boys. 



"If the florists throughout the coun- 

 try will get busy, there is no question in 

 my mind that this day can be made one 

 of our big days. Our business was al- 

 most as large as Mothers' day. We were 

 much gratified with the result and feel 

 that next year will be even greater, pro- 



vided we lay the proper foundation for 

 the work." 



Ne^ England Has Holiday. 



The governor of Massachusetts de- 

 clared Armistice day a holiday and busi- 

 ness houses generally were closed No- 

 vember 11. Boston florists were pushing 

 their "Say It with Flowers" week and 

 they celebrated the holiday in a way 

 that caught the public eye by virtue of 

 the large space devoted to it in the pub- 

 lic press. The Boston Globe on the fol- 

 lowing da^ ran the following beneath a 

 3-column illustration of the long line of 

 loaded flower trucks: 



"Say It with Flowers," and 100 members of 

 the Florists' Association of Boston spoke yester- 

 day when they dispatched thirty-five automobile 

 deliyery wagons with approximately 25,000 

 blooms and 1,000 potted plants to the patients 

 in the various hospitals in Boston. 



To the sick, the maimed and the convalescent, 

 Armistice day, as it did to the rest of America, 

 meant peace and rejoicing that the war was 

 over. But it remained for the florists to think 

 of the unfortunate hospital patients, and yes- 

 terday they inaugurated a practice that it is 

 hoped will grow with each succeeding year until 

 Armistice day and floral gifts will be synonymous. 



Early yesterday morning the\members of the 



Florists' ABSociation of Boston and their em- 

 ployees gathered at the Boston Flower E^xchange, 

 on Otis street, and prepared immense boxes of 

 flowers for distribution among the patients. 

 Growers, commission men and retail florists con- 

 tributed great quantities of cbrysantbemums, 

 roses, carnations, sweet peas and other season- 

 able blooms and plants in order that the day 

 might be made brighter and more cheery for 

 every hospital patient in the city. 



The great flower boxes were packed wltb ap- 

 proximately 150 blooms each and into each of the 

 thirty-five cars six of these boxes and several 

 potted plants were packed. Each package con- 

 tained a card denoting that the contents were 

 presented by members of the association, and at 

 10:15 the parade of cars, in single formation, 

 across the windshield of each being pasted the 

 national slogan, "Say It with Flowers" — and the 

 information that the machines were assigned to 

 the various hospitals by the Florists'Association 

 of Boston — started on their missions of mercy 

 with the blowing of auto horns and the ringing 

 of bells. 



Upon the steps of the Boston Flower Bx- 

 change, their faces wreathed In smiles of sat- 

 isfaction, the members of the organization and 

 the officers, President Henry Penn, Vice-presi- 

 dent William H. Blliott, Secretary B. S. Oorney, 

 Financial Secretary Frank Bdgar and Treasurer 

 William C. Stickei, watched the cavalcade move 

 away. 



The machines moved through the downtown 

 streets, along Boylston street to Copley square, 

 where the unique parade disbanded and the ma- 

 chines departed for their various destinationg. 



Yesterday's innovation, it is hoped, will be 

 more generally observed next year. Chrysan- 

 themums of every color and species predominated 

 among yesterday's contributions, and plans are 

 already afoot to have New England's November 

 flower, symbolic of Thanksgiving, take its place 

 as the Armistice day favorite of the future. 



Let US hope Mr. Kerr's and the Bos- 

 ton Globe's expectations of next year's 

 holiday will be fulfilled. 



HELPING THE PUBLIC DECIDE. 



The effect of suggestion is being in- 

 creasingly recognized as an important 

 consideration in salesmanship. So many 

 possible flower buyers do not know ex- 

 actly what they want. But if there is 

 an attractive window display to draw 

 them into the store and awaiting them 

 inside an adequate stock of the season's 

 best offerings, arranged where anyone 

 can see them without having to think of 

 names or ask questions, then sales are 

 much more easily accomplished. 



The accompanying illustration, show- 

 ing the interior of the Louise Flower 

 Shop, Washington, D. C, suggests what 

 may be done in store displays. In the 

 background of the picture is shown the 

 window space wherein Miss Louise 

 Daugherty, sole owner of the store, has 



Displays of Ssasoaable Flowers Attract AUeatioa and Ordsrs,from the Public. 



