22 



The Florists^ Review 



Fbbbuabt 17, 1021 



the same size occur every two feet. The 

 sideboards, eight inches higli, are held 

 tightly in place by iron brackets set 

 every four feet. 



The houses are heated by a high- 

 pressure vacuum system, with two ISO- 

 horsepower Stirling boilers. A new 

 250-horsepower boiler of the same type 

 has been added to care for the two 

 houses just erected. 



Growing the Roses. 



The thought exercised by Mr. Weiss 

 in selecting the kind of structures to 

 house liis roses is ap])arent also in the 

 care displayed in handling the plants. 

 The stock that fills these greenhouses is 

 excellently cared for and its produc- 

 tion is closely watched. Mr. Weiss has 



figures that indicate what is to be ex- 

 pected at various times in the year, and 

 in living up to or exceeding these figures 

 lies the opportunity to make money for 

 the company's stockholders. "If we 

 can cut twenty-five blooms in the course 

 of a year and get 8 cents each for them, 

 Premier will earn for us $2 per plant, 

 which will give us about an adequate 

 margin of profit," said Mr. Weiss. 

 "You can see that an extra bloom or 

 an extra cent because of better quality 

 will make a respectable addition to the 

 profits at the end of the year. There's 

 where the favorable conditions count. 

 That 's why one needs to ponder with 

 care how he will build his modern rose 

 factory." 



;^^iJ^t^l^l>8^l^ty!Al[Xj!^t^t^tX8jJl^lxgjJl^g^l^^^^ 



MOTT-LY MUSINGS 



?;r?»'?.r?s?iryiMtrsvirrs\ih«v]rrsvirrstir«vir)«tir?w 



Wlien the whole blame works seems gone to poke, 



And business is on the bum, 

 A little grin and a lifted chin. 



Helps some, my lH)y, helps some. 



"It is such philosophy as this," ob- 

 served Manager Durand, of Rawson's 

 Flower Shop, of Elmira, N. Y., "that 

 is keeping up our standard during this 

 stressful period, in which we are, pos- 

 sibly, up to the present, the least af- 

 fected, and it will buoy us up should 

 the slump hit our business." Grower 

 Oswald Quess sliows what can be pro- 

 duced in a show house, keeping it con- 

 stantly attractive with what might be 

 termed samples, as the display is so 

 varied. It is an idea that is profitable. 



• • • • 



W. A. Wettlin, of the Wettlin Floral 

 Co., Horncll, N. Y., commented upon the 

 excellent telegraph business. The Wet- 

 tlin range, at Canistco, is sending in fine 

 Columbia roses, and it is but a question 

 of time before the city raiigo of glass 

 will be transported tJiither. The usual 

 stocks of cinerarias and primulas for 

 spring sales are in fine condition. 



• • • • 



The Binghamton Floral Co., Bingham- 

 ton, N. Y., had a window display in 

 which baskets were featured largely. 

 Such goods cannot fail to attract tlio 

 crowds that are cpiitinually passing tliis 



busy corner. 



• • • • 



The Flower Shoj), Bingliamton, 2s'. Y.. 

 features a St. Valentine's window dis- 

 play that is the admiration of tlic town. 

 Proprietor Stanley G. Barnes figures that 

 a certain proportion of the profits sliould 

 go into window advertising; conse- 

 quently Lester Adams, the dceorator, 

 has the opportunity to show liis talent, 

 with excellent results. Mrs. Ijou Perry, 

 of Susquehanna, Pa., who was tlie first 

 to introduce our slogan, "Say It with 

 Flowers," in her town, was a visitor at 

 the Barnes shop. 



• • • • 



Hennon's Flower Shop, Newcastle, 

 Pa., carries considerable artificial mate- 

 rial, which at times of scarcity of the 

 natural product, as at present, strikes 

 the casual observer as being detrimental, 

 but, as J. Hennon observod. "the call 

 for the real thing for social functions 

 and the sick room absorbs all we can 

 furnish." The Hennon range of green- 

 houses is for sale, owing to the con- 



tinued sickness of the brother who has it 



in charge. 



• • • • 



W. J. Beck, Newcastle, Pa., has some 

 fine bulbous stock on the market. Car- 

 nations and roses are good, considering 

 the dull weather. Miss Beck reports 

 store business as being fully up to the 

 usual standard. 



• • • • 



Butz Bros., Newcastle, Pa., figure 

 their house of cattleyas the most profit- 

 able, yielding practically the entire 

 season. Withal, they have not enough 

 to supply home demand and when $4 

 per bloom was offered by a Chicago 

 house at Christmas "it made one feel 

 bad to think we cannot replenish or in- 

 crease the stock except by the terribly 

 slow process of propagation," observed 

 Thomas Butz, who, working on a floral 

 harp for the funeral of a deceased musi- 

 (rian, noted the increasing call for sprays 

 and less demand for designs and called 

 attention to the fact that they carry no 

 artificial material, a most unusual con- 

 'litinn in these times. 



• • • • 

 Huscroft's Flower Shop, Steubenville, 



O., is building an Agmco greenhouse 

 for Ophelia and Columbia". "It is a new 

 venture," commented E. E. McCausten, 

 "but we are impelled to try the experi- 

 ment owing to our inability to procure 

 the needed blooms on short notice. The 

 opening of our new hotel, together with 

 an unusual number of entertainments, 

 is the chief cause for the l>ost season's 

 business on record." The store is ably 

 conducted by the two brothers Mc- 

 Causten. 



• * • • 



A. Langhans, Wheeling, W. Va., 

 proi)hcsies a continuation of good busi- 

 ness. Ho had many conceits for St. 

 Valentine 's day that could not fail to 

 attract the host class of patrons. 



• • • • 



"I want to know," asks Henry J. 

 Krucger, of Meadville, Pa., "if the 

 various associations or combinations 

 being formed in the cut flower branch 

 of the trade are going to help the re- 

 tailer in solving the various problems, 

 (•(iiiil)jitin<: nntiiro, for instance, when 

 iiiu' finds it almost inipossihlc to get 

 decent roses and, if any, at an almost 

 prohibitive figure. If the chief object 

 is the stabilization of prices, it will 



never work, for the public is steadfastly 

 set against any form of trust. To my 

 mind the best and safest medium is the 

 commission man, who invariably re- 

 alizes that his success depends upon 

 handling the business in a methodical 

 and honest manner and that, so far as 

 the regulation of prices is concerned, 

 most important to the retailer, the law 

 bf supply and demand must ever 

 govern, despite all decisions to the con- 

 trary. There is one thing certain," con- 

 tinued Mr. Krueger, "it will force the 

 retailer into the growing of as much 

 stock as possible, to more nearly insure 

 the supply requisite for the steadily in- 

 creasing demand. Our own stock never 

 goes to waste." W. M. 



ST. PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS. 



The Market. 



Business has been quiet, although St. 

 Valentine's day and Lincoln's birthday 

 livened things up a bit. The weather 

 has been warm, but cloudy, so that stock 

 has not made the growth it should. 

 Tulips and bulbous stock are coming on 

 fast, but carnations and roses are slow 

 and poor. 



Various Notes. 



P. N. Hermes, F. H. Nibbs, George 

 Nelson and others in the trade have 

 been taking advantage of these warm 

 days to go fishing. Some good catches 

 are reported. 



Lakewood Cemetery Greenhouses are 

 to have some fine additions made this 

 season. A new, up-to-date office and a 

 large greenhouse will be erected. 



Weebcr & Race, greenhouse builders, 

 report considerable business ahead for 

 the summer. 



Harry N. Black, of Albert Lea, read 

 a good paper on "Gladiolus Growing" 

 at the meeting of the Southern Minne- 

 sota Horticultural Society. He will 

 have charge of the Brightside Gladiolus 

 Gardens this year, as the senior member 

 of the firm, G. D. Black, expects to go 

 back to Independence, la. 



The veteran florist, Thomas Hall, has 

 sold his greenhouses and business to 

 Vasatka Bros. They have taken charge 

 and will use the name Lyndall Florists. 

 Mr. Hall has been in business at this 

 location about fifteen years and has 

 maintained a thoroughly up-to-date 

 place. ' LeR. C. 



TOPEKA, KAN. 



C. E. Hubbard had an attractive 

 window display for St. Valentine's day, 

 which brought results from the start. 

 Hand-painted cupids and St. Valentine's 

 day display cards were used in it. This 

 firm has for several years paid special 

 attention to St. Valentine's day, with 

 the result that it has made the day of 

 considerable significance in its business. 



Mrs. John Lord has employed a< novel 

 scheme to advertise her establishment 

 and to cooperate with other business 

 women in her location to make popular 

 the west end of Eighth street. There 

 are four retail stores conducted by 

 women in that neighborhood, and each 

 held what they called "an evening at 

 home" in their stores, entertaining with 

 music and refreshments. Mrs. Lord 

 served Russian tea. 



Thomas Keeshan has the sympathy of 

 the trade in his recent bereavement, 

 caused by the death of his infant 

 child. The florists of Topeka sent an 

 elaborate casket cover. J, A. L. 



