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10 



The Florists' Review 



Dbcsmbbb 24, 1014. 



advertising standpoint. But not all 

 salesmanship was apparently alike, for 

 the Equitable found a way to hit human 

 interest right between the eyes. It 

 found a way to make renters think and 

 then tie their thoughts up to that 

 building. 



All across the front on Broadway 

 were scaffoldings; ordinarily blots on 

 the landscape, but in this case turned 

 into things of startling power. With 

 millions of people passing along Broad- 

 way, why not make the scaffolding pay? 

 Whom would the advertising aim att 

 The unknown, but very human reader. 

 All men are alike in fundamentals and 

 you never can tell when a single thought 

 may ripen into strong appeal. And 

 60 the genius went to work painting 

 clever little panels all over the scaffold- 

 ing. They are the talk of lower Broad- 

 way and the Equitable has proved a 

 serious competitor for established office 

 buildings. 



Here are a few of the shafts of 

 psychological ammunition: 



The man who reKards his business address as 

 a Bide Issue is slde-trackinK bis business. 



Call up John 535 — opportunity's new 'phoue 

 nuDiber. 



The man who locates In the E}<]uitable build- 

 ing will travel In distinguished company. 



An Equitable tmilding lease is an asset; an 

 asset to us, it is true, but no less an asset to 

 you. 



We will not make a concession to one tenant 

 and deny it to another. Our name is not Equi- 

 table for nothing. 



No matter how good- your present quarters 

 are, it will pay you to investigate the Equitable. 



Equitable service will not follow precedents; 

 it will create them. 



The E>]uitable building has four sides to It; 

 but there are no two ways about its adTentages. 



Not one of those arguments in itself 

 represents the power to rent a room. 

 It isn't an ordinarily comprehensible 

 reason. But every one of them appeals 

 to the logic of a business man with an 

 appeal which creates a certain kind of 

 sympathy with the enterprise. It clings, 

 and whenever it rises in memory it is 

 invariably associated with the Equitable 

 building. Inevitably its influence is 

 constructive and some of the attraction 

 remains till the moment arrives when 

 its victim is looking for offices. Then 

 it pays. 



A few florists make use of the printed 

 word to influence the minds of the 

 masses, as Penn, of Boston, is doing 

 in the series of ads reproduced on the 

 preceding page, but the majority still 

 say they "have nothing to advertise." 



There isn't a florist — wholesale or 

 retail — who has anything to sell who 

 has nothing to advertise. Are they 

 doing it? Are they reaching out to 

 quarters unknown which may spell op- 

 portunity to them? Or are they com- 

 fortably sitting still in a comfortable 

 rut and leaving others to speed ahead 

 in the race! Look over the trade. Some 

 houses are complacent and prosperous; 

 others are going to seed; and still others 

 are reaching out and forging ahead 

 with unmistakable effect. 



Once in a while one hears it said 

 that a florist can't force trade. If so, 

 he has failed to install the right kind 

 of pushers. No line of business presents 

 such positive and permanent encourage- 

 ment for successful exploitation as the 

 florists' trade. The hundred million 

 people of America, with better buying 

 power than any people on earth, are a 

 sure element of demand. The share 

 each florist gets rests With himself. If 

 he is satisfied, very well. What's the 

 use of trying to get ahead of his com- 

 petitor! 



Only remember the lesson of the old 

 hen. When the worms are scarce she 



doesn't stop scratching. She might 

 scratch out a few if she keeps at it. 



FOBMOSAS FOB EASTEB. 



I have a batch of Formosa lilies 

 which were potted up as soon as re- 

 ceived, September 1. Most of them 

 are about eight inches high and are 

 kept in a temperature of 65 to 70 de- 

 grees during the day and 60 degrees at 

 night. As I have not grown this 

 variety before, I would like to know 

 if they will be all right for Easter 

 this year. If .not, what would you ad- 

 vise doing wi til them? A. L. B. 



Your lilies are a little early for 



Easter, which comes next year early in 

 April. You can, however, hold a good 

 many of them, but the temperature 

 must be reduced; 52 to 55 degrees at 

 night will suffice. You must see the 

 flower buds six weeks before Easter. 

 If the plants do not come along fast 

 enough give them more heat a little 

 later in the winter. The Formosa lily 

 is variable. Some plants will grow 

 five feet high, others only one-fourth 

 as much. Some stalks carry only a 

 solitary flower, others ten or a dozen. 

 It naturally grows somewhat tall and 

 for this reason it has greater value as 

 a cut flower than as a pot plant. It is 

 one of the cleanest and most satis- 

 factory of all forcing lilies for cutting. 



SEASONABLE NOTES. 



Cattleya Trianae. 



Cattleya Trianse is the standard win- 

 ter cattleya for the florist. A good cut 

 is always ready for the holidays, while 

 cut flowers can be had right up to the 

 end of March. It is an easy variety to 

 grow and any commercial grower who 

 wants winter cattleya flowers should 

 grow a few. The price, fortunately, is 

 low and well within the reach of all. 

 One point to remember with reference 

 to Trianse, is not to aim to get large, 

 heavy, dark green plants by using too 

 much shade. Such plants may win 

 plaudits from your friends, but you will 

 be surprised at flowering time to find 

 that on big, fat bulbs, which should 

 throw sheaths with three to five flow- 

 ers each, only a solitary flower will 

 often come. Give plenty of light dur- 

 ing the growing season, especially in 

 the fall, and you will get the flowers. 

 Keep the plants in flower where they 

 can get a little shade; also let the at- 

 mosphere about them be dry, to pre- 

 vent the petals from spotting. 



Cattleya Percivaliana. 



The flowers of Cattleya Percivaliana 

 eome so as to fill the gap between 

 labiata and Trianae. They are much 

 smaller than those of Triana? and will 

 not sell well in competition with the 

 larger flowers. The flowers of Perci- 

 valiana, however, are showy, of a deep 

 rose color, with rich crimson and pur- 

 ple lips. It is most floriferous and 

 makes one of the finest of all cattleyas 

 for a Christmas plant. It grows well 

 with labiata and Trianaj and, like 

 them, wants a place as near the glass 

 as possible. This, also, is an inexpen- 

 sive cattleya and is specially useful 

 for florists who have a good home 

 trade. 



Dendrobium WardianunL 



Dendrobium Wardianum now has the 

 nodes well made up; some have buds 

 spread out and a few will have flowers 

 open early in January. A little more 

 water at the root can be given as the 

 flowers open, but be careful on this 

 score, as this dendrobe, if kept moist, 

 will start off to grow again with a rush 

 which we want to postpone for at 

 least a few weeks. Plants on which 

 nodes are just forming can be given a 

 light spraying daily and a slightly 

 warmer house. While D. Wardianum is 

 leafless when in bloom, it produces such 

 quantities of its beautiful flowers along 

 the pseudo-bulbs that the lack of leaves 

 is hardly noticeable. 



Dendrobium Formosum Oigantenm. 



Some plants of Dendrobium formosum 

 giganteum are always to be had at 

 Christmas. The clusters of large, pure 

 white flowers with orange yellow lips, 

 above the rich, dark green foliaged 

 pseudo-bulbs, make a delightful picture. 

 These dendrobium flowers bring as 

 much money as cattleyas in late fall 

 and early winter. In fact, many peo- 

 ple when buying them think they are 

 cattleyas. This Burmese dendrobe 

 needs a brisk, moist heat in order to 

 do well, and no one should attempt its 

 culture who cannot give it these con- 

 ditions. It succeeds well either on a 

 light bench or suspended near the glass. 



Dendrobium Noblle. 



Dendrobium nobile, flowering in win- 

 ter and early spring, is one of our old- 

 est and best varieties. It can ba 

 grown and flowered by anyone* owning 

 a greenhouse. It does not run out as do 

 some orchids, is easily propagated, 

 flowers profusely and is splendid either 

 as a pot plant or for cutting. There 

 is a great variation in its coloring, 

 from rose or deep purple to the purest 

 white. The price is low and no one 



