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The Florists^ Review 



MabCB 3, 1921 



"The Allied Florists' Association has 

 received more reading matter write-ups 

 in the papers during the past year than 

 any other industry in Chicago. Would 

 the flower business receive this pub- 

 licity if its branches were not organ- 

 ized! The chances are the only pub- 

 licity you would have received would 

 have been that put out by Anna Jarvis 

 last Mothers' day, which was very detri- 

 mental, and the papers would have 

 printed twice as much of that if the 

 Allied Florists' Association had not 

 stopped it. All the newspaper write- 

 ups that we have received have been se- 

 cured directly or indirectly through the 

 Allied Florists' Association. Ella Grant 

 Wilson, whose wonderful articles on 

 flowers have been appearing steadily in 

 the papers, is employed on a yearly 

 contract by the Allied Florists' Asso- 

 ciation. Her articles have a value that 

 cannot be estimated, for they treat of 

 the care of flowers and the use of flow- 

 ers in the home and everywhere. It'b 

 education, pure and simple, and the 

 kind that gets under the skin of the 

 public in a way that would be impos- 

 sible through paid newspaper adver- 

 tising. 



"Another example of good free pub- 

 licity was last Memorial day, when the 

 Allied Florists' Association -joined 

 hands with the Tribune Memorial day 

 fund for decorating the graves of sol- 

 diers in France. This activity centered 

 interest in Memorial day for a whole 

 month previously and aroused sentiment 

 as never before, just the thing we 

 wanted. Our big newspaper ads a few 

 days before Memorial day did the rest, 

 cashed in on the sentiment. 



"Say It with Flowers" Week. 



' ' ' Say It with Flowers ' week gave us 

 the record in free publicity. In the 

 ofiice of the association we have sixty- 

 five distinct newspaper clippings, from 

 this week alone. The total space, if 

 figured on an advertising basis, would 

 have cost approximately $15,000. The 

 giving of flowers to hospitals, soldiers 

 and sailors and cooperation with the 

 Red Cross and other organizations gave 

 us further publicity which is impossi- 

 ble to estimate. Moving pictures were 

 taken during 'Say It with Flowers' 

 week by Pathe and the International 

 Film Service, which were showa not 

 only in the city, but all over the United 

 States. 



"The publicity campaign of the 

 Allied Florists' Association and its 

 other activities has benefited the flower 

 business in a decided degree. Every- 

 body in Chicago appreciates the slogan, 

 'Say It with Flowers.' now. You have 

 stamped it on the minds of the majority 

 of the whole city's population. 



"The success of the Allied Florists' 

 Association campaign has not been just 

 fair; it has been phenomenal. Do you 

 realize that during the last few months 

 practicnllv every line of business has 

 fallen ofT^ten to fifty per cent, yet the 

 flower business has kept up to normal 

 and then somet Do you know that dur- 

 ing the month of January, according 

 to the records of Dr. Robertson, of the 

 city health department, there^ were 

 fifty-eight per cent fewer deaths in Chi- 

 cago compared with a year ago, which 

 means less funeral work, and in spite of 

 the fact that flowers are lower in price 

 than last year, the flower business still 

 keeps up to normal and vdth many runs 

 'way ahead of last year. ' ' 



ST. PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS. 



Spring Activities. 



Continued warm days are causing 

 people to think of gardening. North- 

 rup, King & Co. have put their package 

 seed boxes in the department and 

 grocery stores and report good returns 

 already. Florists have much of their 

 early seed sown and are taking cuttings 

 of dahlias, roses, carnations and chrys- 

 anthemums for stock and bedding 

 plants. Cannas have gone into sand or 

 sawdust on the benches. Space is being 

 cleared so that stock may be spread on 

 the benches more. Sales were fair for 

 Washington 's birthday, but not so good 

 as a year ago. All are busy with Easter 

 stock and some fine roses, lilies and 

 hydrangeas are in prospect. 



Brand on Peonies. 



A. M. Brand and J. E. Stryker ad- 

 dressed nearly 100 members of the Ram- 

 sey County Men's Garden Club, Feb- 

 ruary 24, at its monthly banquet, held 

 at the Railroad building restaurant, St. 

 Paul. Mr. Brand began the growing of 

 peony seedlings about twenty years ago, 

 although his father, the late O. F. 

 Brand, began this work nearly fifty 

 years ago, and at one time had over 

 1,000 varieties of the best peonies 

 grown. Mr. Brand said that his firm had 

 grown between 800,000 and 1,000,000 

 seedlings to get the fifty or so really 

 good varieties which it has put on the 

 market. The Brand peonies have been 

 prize-winners at all the recent shows 



and Mr. Brand has probably brought 

 out more good new varieties than any 

 other one man. Mr. Brand gave a short 

 history of peonies, naming many of the 

 best introductions of American and 

 foreign growers. The club voted Mr. 

 Brand a life membership. 



The State Horticultural Society at its 

 last meeting recognized Mr. Brand 's 

 work by voting him a life membership, 

 also. The Ramsey County Garden Club 

 will have its open meeting at the Audi- 

 torium early in April. This meeting is 

 usually attended by from 3 000 to 6,000 

 people and gives a great impetus to gar- 

 dening and flower growing. 



Various Notes. 



C. D. Kinsman, of Austin, Minn., is 

 grafting a nice lot of roses for next 

 season. 



Hans Rosacker has been busy getting 

 up bedding stock and making rose cut- 

 tings. 



Superintendent and Mrs. Wirth vis- 

 ited Council Bluffs, la., Omaha, Neb., 

 and Denver, Colo., February 21 and 24. 

 Mr. Wirth was scheduled to give talks 

 there on park matters. 



Bulbs are plentiful, but are selling at 

 prices that do not pay the actual cost 

 of growing. The best have been selling 

 at $4 and $5 per hundred wholesale. The 

 Merriam Park Floral Co. and Holm & 

 Olson have some fine roses and hy- 

 drangeas coming on for Easter. The 

 Merriam Park Floral Co. has a fine lot 

 of bulbous stock and forget-me-nots to 

 cut. C. 



Moline, 111. — E. M. Stephenson entered 

 the trade as a grower of plants and cut 

 flowers. His specialty is asters. 



Lansing, Mich. — L. W. Hoisington & 

 Son is the name of a new firm in this 

 city. They are growers of gladioli. 



NL'es, Mich.— M. S. Peters has re- 

 cently completed a greenhouse, which 

 he intends to stock with bedding plants. 



Kalamazoo, Mich. — C. D. Langerveld 

 & Son recently purchased land near 

 Kalamazoo, on which they will grow 

 gladioli and dahlias. 



Eldorado, 111.— Mrs. S. T. Beagle and 

 Mrs. E. H. Jones are contemplating go- 

 ing into the florists' business under the 

 name of Beagle & Jones. This is a city 

 of 7,000 population without a florist. 



Springfield, Mo. — John Moblcy and 

 George H. Mobley, owners of the Mob- 

 ley Truck Farm, plan to start in the 

 florists' business. Up to this time the 

 main products of the firm have been 

 vegetables. 



Eoyersford, Pa.— Mrs. Mary Hcinly, 

 whose son was formerly in the retail 

 florists' business, but who discontinued 

 his business recently, has started in the 

 growing business in a small way and ex- 

 pects to branch out as her business in- 

 creases. 



South Orange, is. j. — u. i^. ou > age 

 has opened his new store, at 22 South 

 Orange avenue. 



Bellevue, la. — Charles Hyde is about 

 to open a florists' store here. He was 

 formerly employed by Macaw Bros., 

 Norwood, Pa. 



Wetumpka, Ala. — E. G. Edwards is 

 making preparations to enter the flo- 

 rists' business here. He is proprietor 

 of a confectionery store. 



Qulncy, HI. — H. A. Bruenjes is a pros- 

 pective member of the trade. He has 

 been a grower of asters and cannas for 

 years and expects to extend liis busi- 

 ness by purchasing a retail establish- 

 ment. 



Bryan, Tex. — The Bryan Nursery & 

 Floral Co. is a recent addition to the 

 trade. The greenhouses are now under 

 construction. The proprietors of this 

 firm are Forrest Jones and Coulter 

 Smith. 



West P'a-ns, Mo. — The Cottage 

 Greenhouses have recently completed a 

 house, lGx50 feet. The originnl inten- 

 tion of this firm was to grow i>ansies, 

 but because of the demand for other 

 flowers, it has been decided to add other 

 sections and go into the business in a 

 larger way. 



