36 



The Rorists' Review 



December 9, 1820 



Christinas Centerpiece Formed by Wreath of Pines with Berries and a Few Red Roses. 



pines to place in the center of the 

 table. In the center of it is a small 

 vessel which they fill with a few 

 branches of holly or red berries or with 

 open red roses, two or three short poin- 

 settias or half a dozen red carnations. 

 If we should make such a decoration it 

 would be unsatisfactory to them, for 

 we should have to charge a higher 

 price than it is actually worth on ac- 

 count of the immense amount of work 

 which we have during the holidays and 

 the shortage of labor at that time, but 

 when they make it themselves they en- 

 joy their own handiwork and it looks 

 much better to them than superior 

 work delivered by us. In this way we 

 decrease our orders for small and in- 

 expensive centerpieces durinj; Christ- 

 mas week and increase our sales on 

 articles which do not cause any extra 

 work. Besides, we are beginning to 

 teach them to use the same kind of 

 decoration for New Year's and we are 

 increasing our New Year's business 

 considerably on cut flowers. The cus- 

 tomer who places an order for a table 

 for Christmas is immediately asked, 

 "The wreath you will be able to keep 

 in a cool place for New Year's. Do you 

 wish to have the same flowers and 

 Rreens sent on New Year's eve?" 

 Most of them place their orders in ad- 

 vance. 



Get Out Greens in Advance. 



It is a hardship for any florist when 

 orders for Christmas greens, roping, 

 holly and mistletoe have to be filled 

 December 23 or 24. To the announce- 

 ments we send out to customers for 

 the holidays a card is attached, which 

 has in heavy type, "Christmas green, 

 holly wreaths, etc., will be delivered, 

 well packed, to your residence two 

 daj's in advance. Kindly order early. 

 Try to avoid our rush and we shall be 

 able to give you better service. ' ' Cus- 

 tomers appreciate our difficulty in giv- 



ing satisfaction to everyone and they 

 try to help us. But we have to help 

 them to think of us. If we don't help 

 ourselves, no one will. It is for us to 

 make sure at the holidays that we re- 

 ceive as few complaints as possible, 

 that we have a profitable business and 

 that we make a healthy increase in our 

 sales and profits. 



be, we cannot today give the public 

 carnations at 50 cents a dozen, or roses 

 at $1, and make any money either as 

 grower or retailer. Ed. 



THOSE PBICE LISTS. 



I certainly do want to commend Win- 

 field S. Kircher for his stand, in his let- 

 ter in The Review December 2, on the 

 prices asked by some of the F. T. D. 

 florists from whom we have been receiv- 

 ing price lists. Some of the prices 

 quoted are ridiculously high in com- 

 parison with the present market or the 

 probable market at Christmas time. 



It seems a peculiar coincidence that 

 this letter should have been published 

 in the same issue as the article, ' ' Check 

 Complaints on High Prices." How can 

 we check complaints when they are in 

 part justified? We shall have to give 

 patrons their money's worth. 



S. A. Bouslog. 



The complaints of florists' high prices 

 in the public press are directed against 

 all florists and all sorts of flowers. No 

 discrimination is made. To aid such 

 florists as Mr. Kircher and Mr. Bouslog, 

 the article referred to was written — -to 

 point out the means of combating this 

 adverse influence in one's own locality. 

 The florists who send out the price lists 

 mentioned would seem to need no such 

 assistance, for they get the prices they 

 ask from their own clientele. All flo- 

 rists do not enjoy that class of trade, 

 however, which will pay whatever is 

 asked, and they must educate their 

 patrons to a better understandin}; of 

 why flowers are not so cheap as thoy 

 once were, nor will they ever be again. 

 No matter how reasonable we wish to 



ARTIFICIAL CHEAPER AlTSrWAY, 



Failure on the part of the government 

 to appeal from a recent decision by 

 General Appraiser McClelland fixing as 

 correct for appraisement purposes the 

 German home rather than the export 

 prices of artificial flowers imported here 

 from Germany entitles the importers in 

 the case to considerable duty refunds. 

 The findings of the general appraiser 

 are now final and will serve to guide 

 customs officers in assessing duty on 

 future importations of artificial flowers 

 to this country. 



The importers convinced Judge Mc- 

 Clelland that the prices exacted from 

 American purchasers were fifty per cent 

 in excess of the prices charged to Ger- 

 man buyers. Consequently, the general 

 appraiser ordered the collector to re- 

 liquidate the entries on the basis of 

 one-third off the invoiced prices. In 

 reaching this conclusion the general ap- 

 praiser held to the method outlined in 

 the tariff law wherein it is provided 

 that ad valorem duties shall be based 

 on the home values in the country from 

 which the goods are exported. In the case 

 of German importations this method is 

 operating in favor of the importers, 

 who are paying duty on the lower Ger- 

 man prices rather than on the prices 

 charged for export. 



BUSINESS EMBARRASSMENTS. 



Tacoma, Wash. — E. K. Murray, re- 

 ceiver in the bankruptcy case of the 

 Acme Floral Co. vs. Hayden Watson 

 Floral Co., will present to the court 

 December 10 the final report on the 

 matter, asking the final distribution of 

 $377.28, the balance in his hands. 



