36 



The Florists' Review 



I)K(EMI1EK !), 1920 



Christmas Centerpiece Formed by Wreath of Pines ■with Berries and a Fe'w Red Roses. 



]iiiii"» li' pliici' in tlie confer ol' llu- 

 table. In the center of it is .1 --niiill 

 vessel -which they fill with .1 few 

 branches of liolly or red berries or with 

 upen red roses, two or three short ])oiii 

 srttias or half a dozen red carnations. 

 If we should make such a decoration it 

 would >'e unsatisfactory to them, for 

 we should have to charfje a hiy;lier 

 price tlian it is actually worth on ac 

 '■ount ot thr' immense amount of work 

 which we have durinjj the liolidays and 

 the shortage of labor at that lime, but 

 when tliey make it themselves tliev en 

 joy their own handiwork and it looks 

 much Vietter to them than sr<i)erior 

 work delivered by us. In this way we 

 decrease our orders for sm;ill and in 

 «'X])ensive rentcrpieces dnriiif. <"hrist 

 mas week and increase our sales on 

 articles which do not cause any e\tr:i 

 work. Besides, we art> be<;inninji to 

 teacli them to use the same kind <if 

 <lecoratinn for New Year's and we are 

 increasing "Xir New Year's business 

 considerably on cut flowers. The cus 

 tomer who jilaces an or(h'r for a table 

 for Christmas is immediately askecl, 

 "Tlie wreatli you will be able to kee]i 

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

 wish to have the same flowers and 

 L'reens ~ent on New Year's eve?'' 

 Most of tliem place their orders in ad 

 \ance. 



Get Out Green.s in Advance. 



It is a liardship fur any florist when 

 orders for Christmas <:reens, ro])injj. 

 holly and mistletoe have to be tilled 

 December 23 or 24. To the announce- 

 ments we send out to customers for 

 the holidays a card is attacdied. which 

 )ias in heavy tyjie, ' ' riiristiiias <;;reen. 

 lifdly wreaths, etc.. will be deli\ered. 

 well |'a<'ked. to your residence two 

 days in advance. l\in<11y urder early. 

 Try to avoid our rush and we shall be 

 able to L'ive you lietter service." Cns- 

 t'liiuT^ .-ipjireci.'itc our dilViciilty in ix'w ■ 



iny 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 holiilays that we re 

 ceive as few complaints as possible, 

 tliat we Iiave a i)rofitable business and 

 that we make a liealthy increase in our 

 sales and profits. 



be, we cannot toiiay ffive the public 

 carn.ations at .")0 cents a dozen, or roses 

 at .$1, and make any money either as 

 grower or retailer. Ed. 



THOSE PRICE LISTS. 



I certainly do want to commen<l Win 

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

 ter in Tlie Review December 2, on the 

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

 florists from whom w^e have been receiv- 

 ing price lists. Some of the jirices 

 quoted are ridiculously high in com- 

 parison with the present marked or the 

 probable niarktd at Christmas time. 



It seems a peculiar coincidence that 

 this letter should have been jmblished 

 in the same issue as the article, "Che(d< 

 • Complaints on High I'rices. " How can 

 we check conijilaints when they are in 

 l)art justified.' We shall h;)\e to give 

 patrons their iiirmev's worth. 



S. A. Honslog. 



'I'lic ciimplaint> of florist^' high ]irice-i 

 in the ]iidplic prc>s ;mi' directed against 

 .•ill florists and all sort-^ nt' tlowers. No 

 discrimination is made. To aid siuh 

 ihirists as Mr. Kindier and Mr. Bousing, 

 tlie article nd'erreil to w.is written- -to 

 point out the MuMii^ id' combating this 

 .■id\'erse influence in (■lie's own locality. 

 The florists who send out the price lists 

 mentioned wouM seem to nee<l no suidi 

 assistanc(>, fur they get tlie )irices they 

 .'isk frmii tlitdr own (dientele. All flo 

 ri^fs dii not enjoy that idass of fraile. 

 howe\ei-. wliicli will ]iay wliatexcr i> 

 .■i>l<''d. and tlii'V must educate their 

 li.itrons to a better understaiKliny <if 

 wliv flowers are not so cheap as tliey 

 uiii-e \ver(\ nor will they ever be ag;.iii. 

 Nf iiKittiT lio\v reasonable we wish to 



ARTIFICIAL CHEAPER ANYWAY. 



I';iilure on the part of the government 

 to ajipeal from a recent decision by 

 General Appraiser McClelland fixing as 

 correct for appraisement purposes the 

 German home rather than the export 

 prices of artificial flowcr,s 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 ofticer.s in assessing duty on 

 future importations of artificial flowers 

 to this country. 



The imj)orters convinced Judge Mc- 

 Clelland that the prices exacted from 

 American purchasers were fifty per cent 

 in excess of the prices charged to Ger 

 iii.in buyers. Consecpiently, the general 

 .•i]ipr;iiser ordered the collector to re- 

 liquidate the (Mitries on the basis of 

 one-third off the invoiced jirices. In 

 reaching this conclusion tlie general ap 

 ]iraiser liehl to the method outlined in 

 the tariff law wherein it is provided 

 that ad valorem duties shall be based 

 on the home v.alues in the country from 

 wliiidi the goods are exported. In the case 

 of (ierman imjiortations this method is 

 "Iterating in favor of the importers, 

 who are paying duty on the lower Ger- 

 man prices rather than on the jirices 

 charged for export. 



BUSINESS EMBARRASSMENTS. 



Tacoma, Wash. -K. K. Murr.ty, re- 

 ceiver in tln» bankruptcy case of the 

 Acme Floral (\k vs. Hayden Watson 

 Floral Co.. will ]iresent to the court 

 December 10 the final report on the 

 matter, asking the final distribution of 

 $377. 2S, the balance in Iiis hamls. 



