May 10, 1917. 



The Florists^ Review 



23 



season may now be overhauled before 

 placing them in a lath house for the 

 summer. It is not always practical to 

 give such plants a shift into larger pots 

 or tubs, because the handling of large 

 pots is a burdensome affair. If the 

 plants are taken from their pots and as 

 much as possible of the old soil removed, 

 they Ynay be repotted in the same pots, 

 using, of course, a rich potting soil, to 

 which has been added a good sprinkling 

 of bone meal. Arecas and latanias may 

 have many of their roots cut away be- 

 fore repotting without any bad effect, 

 but kentias are more particular in this 

 respect. Syringe the plants thoroughly 

 daily and give them lots of space. A 

 palm is more particular in the matter 

 of head room than root room. L. 



READY FOR MOTHERS' DAY. 



Charles L. Baum, who in addition to 

 his retail store has a range consisting 

 of two and one-half acres under glass at 

 Knoxville, Tenn., is a grower who be- 

 lieves that Mothers' day is one of the 

 biggest flower-selling days of the year. 

 The accompanying illustration shows a 

 house of Mr. Baum 's new white seedling 

 carnation, Dr. Sam. Fifteen thousand 

 of this variety alone will be cut for the 

 Mothers' day sales. Dr. Sam is de- 

 scribed as a trifle smaller than some 

 varieties of carnations, but is a free 

 ■and easy bloomer, keeps well and is un- 

 surpassed at this season of the year. 



THE RETAIL FLOWER STORE. 



[Rudolph J. Mohr, a graduate of the Mis- 

 souri Botanical Garden with the class of 1902, 

 contributed an article on retail store manage- 

 ment to a recent issue of the Garden Bulletin. 

 It Is herewith reprinted in part.] 



The retail flower business of today is 

 quite different from what it was in the 

 past. A few years ago it was consid- 

 ered outside the florists' trade to carry 

 anything besides flowers or material di- 

 rectly connected with them; but now the 

 up-to-date florist will supply the sun- 

 parlor not only with plants, but also 

 with bird-cages, chairs, tables, fountain 

 aquariums, goldfish and artificial flow- 

 ers, while for the garden he will furnish 

 cement benches, sundials, gazing-globes 

 and many other novelties. Moreover, 

 such a diversified stock does not in any 

 way interfere with the sale of fresh 

 flowers, but rather encourages it, as it 

 attracts a wider class of people into the 

 store. 



A retail flower shop should at all 

 times be a place of beauty. The plants 

 in the store should be fresh, the pots 

 covered, the cut flowers neatly arranged 

 in vases or baskets and the workroom 

 separated from the salesroom by at least 

 a screen. 



A good buyer is of the utmost impor- 

 tance in conducting a retail business. 

 The proprietor should do his own buy- 

 ing, as he is in the best position to 

 know just what the trade demands, but 

 if this is not possible, the buyer should 

 t»e a conscientious employee, one who has 

 the store's interest at heart and is a 

 good judge of values and qualities. 



Salesmanship is no small item in es- 

 tablishing the success of a retail flower 

 store. No matter how good the stock 

 or how fine the location, one must have 

 a good salesman in order to draw the 

 trade. He should at all times be cour- 

 te^fi^^nd rqaj^.and willing to^show the 

 stock; he should be able to arrange the 

 plants in an attractive manner, be a 

 :good judge of their appropriateness for 



New Carnation Dr. Sam at the Establishment of C. L. Baum, Knoxville. 



special occasions and he should know 

 enough about them to be able to give 

 advice and suggestions concerning their 

 care. Moreover, he should never sell 

 or promise anything not in stock or that 

 there is the slightest doubt about secur- 

 ing in time, for misrepresentation and 

 unreliability do more injury to a busi- 

 ness than anything else. 



In this day of competition among re- 

 tail stores, advertising is a great con- 

 sideration, whether it be a small neigh- 

 borhood florist or a large concern that 

 caters to a city and suburban trade. If 

 direct advertising is used — and it is a 

 good method — a neat and attractive cir- 

 cular or card will suffice. This could 

 be sent before a holiday or at a time 

 when a special bargain is to be obtained. 

 A card index could be kept of all to 

 whom circulars or cards have been sent, 

 and if they have not purchased after 

 sending a certain number, their names 

 might be dropped from the list. Win- 

 dow decoration as a means of advertis- 

 ing should not be overlooked. The man- 

 ner of packing and delivering an order 

 could also be classed as advertising, and 



part of the appropriation for such pur- 

 pose should be spent in attractive boxes 

 and tags. 



Indirect advertising offers a wide 

 choice of mediums, such as posters, sign- 

 boards, programs and notices in street- 

 cars or newspapers. Newspaper adver- 

 tising is probably the best, the choice 

 of paper depending upon its circulation, 

 class of people reading it and the locali- 

 ties reached. A large space is, of course, 

 more desirable, as more details can be 

 given and the principal selling points 

 ])rought out, but a neat and attractive 

 jidvertisement, whether large or small, 

 is sure to bring good results. 



Eudoljjh J. Mohr. 



Akron, O. — ^The boiler room of the 

 McFarlands greenhouses on Wooster 

 avenue last week was damaged by fire 

 to the extent of $2,000, the blaze origi- 

 nating in an adjoining building. A large 

 quantity of paper and boxes purchased 

 last summer and stored above the boiler 

 room was destroyed. The boiler and a 

 delivcrv truck wore also badlv damaged 

 bv the flames. 



Max Kaiser, lof Merriam Park Floral Co., with Reason Was Pleased with This Crop. 



