The Florists^ Review 



July 3, 1913. 



Cut flowers or plants of varittUs heights 

 may be used to gain this result, the 

 taller toward the back. 



To Add Drawing Power. 



If these few principles be followed, 

 the result should be a pleasing window 

 decoration. To add drawing power, 

 there are several" things which may be 

 used. Motion, for one, never fails to 

 attract attention. The fascination of 

 movement for all- ages and classes of 

 people is not easily explained, but it is 

 sure. A crowd will stand all day before 

 a window in which there are a few flying 

 streamers, a flowing rivulet, or some bit 

 of machinery that moves by an unseen, 

 although quite obvious, simple bit of 

 mechanism. There seems, too, to be 

 something, irresistible about a stream 

 or miniature pond of water, especially 

 on hot summer days. If in the water 

 there be some sort of living animal, the 

 charm is doublv strong. Often this is 

 due to the movements of the animal, 

 but some forms of vegetable life — usu- 

 ally those in which a change is notice- 

 able from time to J;ime — also arouse the 

 interest of a casual observer. For in- 

 stance, a seed dealer who, in early 

 spring, planted grass seed in a window 

 in which he had placed a couple of 

 inches of soil, so attracted the attention 

 of all the passers-by that they crossed 

 the street to pass his store each day, 

 in order to see what progress the grass 

 was making. When it grew long he cut 

 it with miniature lawn tools, which he 

 then left in the window, with the re- 

 ^sult that his sales of seeds and lawn 

 and garden-tools were greatly increased. 



Three Kmds of Features. 



With one or a combination of these 

 three kinds of features — motion, water 



running by means of a breeze from an 

 unseen electric fan is pretty to look at, 

 easy to contrive, and quite attractive. 

 A small sprinkler inside a large glass 

 globe and throwing water up against 

 the inside of the glass draws a crowd, 

 which is curious to see what throws the 

 water, as the sprinkler is partly con- 

 cealed by the water streaming down the 

 sides of the globe. To make it more 

 effective, a hole may be bored in the 

 top of the globe to let a little fountain 

 spurt out; the water falls back in a 

 small pond surrounding the globe. 



Other contrivances may be made with 

 small streams or ponds in tin gutters 

 or basins, artfully concealed with moss, 

 sand or soil. Waterfalls and cascades 

 are more easily arranged than they 

 seem to be. These may be accompanied 

 with a little natural scenery and vege- 

 tation, such as are shown in the pic- 

 tures of the windows of Gude Bros. Co. 

 and W. J. Palmer & Son on this and 

 the preceding pages. In the ponds may 

 be put small turtles, crabs, alligators, 

 or crawfish^ a few tadpoles from a 

 nearby brook help the effect wonder- 

 fully if you can get nothing better. 



Toys Help to Decorate. 



Toys are of great value in carrying 

 out special ideas. When there are mo- 

 tor boat races^ or regattas in or near 

 your town, put a decorated toy motor 

 boat on your little pond and anchor it 

 over or near the inlet which feeds the 

 pond, 80 that the force of the incoming 

 stream will cause the boat to rock. 

 When the automobile show is on or the 

 races are being run, put a decorated 

 toy auto in "the central position, with its 

 wheels whirting and its pennants and 

 decorations waving in the breeze of an 

 electric fan. These timely novelties are 



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and life — the dra-^eliag'pof^er of a win- 

 dow may be greatly increased. The 

 source of movement may be an electric 

 fan, a water wheel turned by a small 

 stream of water, a toy engine, a small 

 electric motor, or any of a hundred bits 

 of mechanism, which your 10-year-old 

 "^ boy, or one of that age in the neighbor- 

 hood, delights to rig up. A windmill- 



in 'Washingtpiu 



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the 'things that make people talk, and 

 talk is advertisement. 



The subject of window decoration is 

 large and complex, but these few sug- 

 gestions may prove of value in them- 

 selves and, what is of more account, in 

 the ideas which they will call to the 

 minds of the readers. The essentials 

 are simplicity, unity of effect, a good 



background and a design that stands 

 well up in view. The features to be 

 added to attract especial attention are 

 motion, water and life. The elaborate 

 window displays that can Be worked up, 

 involving one or a combination of these, 

 are numberless. ' i 



BENTZEN'S STORE. 



The illustrations on page 9 afford 

 two views of the. store pf the Bentzen 

 Floral Co., St. Louis. The location is 

 3118 North Grand avenue, in a district 

 known as one particularly favored by 

 florists. The interior view shows the 

 selling room, with the two display re- 

 frigerators, at left and rear, and the 

 plate glass showcases at the right, used 

 for novelties. Note the array of mag- 

 nolia and oak wreaths. The exterior view 

 shows the new Dorris delivery car at the 

 door, 



CABE IN SMALL THINGS. 



The plunger who makes good, makes 

 more than the conservative man. 



But there are more conservative men 

 who make good than there are plungers 

 who make good. 



It is worth while to be careful about 

 everything. 



The man who is careful about one 

 thing, seems always to have time to be 

 careful about other things. 



The man Who uses good taste in 

 choosing his wearing apparel almost al- 

 ways uses good taste about his store 

 arrangement. 



Such carefulness is advertising — good 

 advertising — and it's inexpensive. 



The little things carefully done tell 

 everybody who passes, a whole volume 

 about the character of the business — 

 the service to be had in that store. 



AN EABLY CLOSING MOVEMENT. 



An effort is being made to secure the 

 early closing of all the stores in Wash- 

 ington on Sundays during the summer 

 months. The matter is in the hands of 

 a committee, of which Z. D. Blackistone, 

 O. A. C. Oehmler and William Marche 

 are members, of the Florists' Club of 

 Washington, They have secured the 

 consent of some of the florists in the 

 matter and the following petition is now 

 being circulated among the trade: 



Whereas the florists' industry has expanded 

 and increased greatly within recent years and to 

 such an extent that It is now considered one of 

 our important branches of trade; and 



Whereaa on account of the perishable nature of 

 the florists' stock and the unusual and extraor- 

 dinary conditions imposed upon the business, it 

 is necessary for florists to k.eep open for business 

 longer hours than is customary with most other 

 businesses; and 



Whereas summer is the period when the 

 majority of substantial business bouses find It 

 advisable to reduce their hours of business as far 

 as possible without financial loss and to adopt 

 uniform business hours; and 



Whereas heretofore the florists of Washington 

 have been closing their stores on Sundays at 

 various hours and without any Idea of uniform- 

 ity; and 



Whereas by closing at 1 p. m. on Sundays dur- 

 ing the months of July, August and Sentember 

 they could allow themselyes and employees the 

 freedom and recreation of the half of each Sun- 

 day, without any material financial loss or incon- 

 venience; therefore be it 



Resolved, That the Florists' Club of Washing- 

 ton hereby recommends and urges that during the 

 said months of July, August and September all 

 florist stores shall be closed at 1 p. m. on Sun- 

 days; and be it further 



Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions with 

 a request for cooperation be mailed to every 

 florist's store In the city of Washington. 



Hope to close half a day on Sunday 

 three months a year! When will they 

 ever get to the point of not opening at 

 all on the Sabbath? 



