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12 



The Florists' Review 



Jdnb 3, 1S15. 



of one kind or another, they carry them 

 on the same side as the bouquets and 

 as easily and gracefully as possible. It 

 is hard to give instructions as to grace 

 and ease to self-conscious young things, 

 wl^ either smile apologetically or 

 blush resentfully at suggestions and 

 then continue to laugh at the way the 

 bride holds her left foot in the air wait- 

 ing for the next chord of the wedding 

 march from the faltering fingers of the 

 amateur pianist who acts in lieu of 

 orchestra. But it may be hinted to 

 the basket bearers in a delicate manner 

 that they are neither bringing buckets 



of water nor carrying censers to the 

 altar. 



Shepherds' crooks are a source of 

 amusement to some and of grief to 

 others. These are not to be borne in 

 the way Pat carries his hod, nor yet 

 are they to be handled like the band- 

 leader 's baton. They should be grasped 

 just below the flowers on the staff ^d 

 carried, in the right hand, in front of 

 the body, but without stiffness. 



It is to be presumed that the groom 

 and his attendants can wear their 

 boutonnieres without advice and coun- 

 sel from the florist. It should be noted. 



however, and with emphasis, that the 

 office of the flower girl is not to carry 

 flowers, but to distribute them. The 

 flowers should be placed loosely in the 

 basket, and the bearer should scatter 

 them here and there as she precedes 

 the bride to the altar or whatever may 

 be her particular destination. Often it 

 happens that the flower girl carries her 

 basket of blooms purely as a p^ece of 

 ornamentation, and brings it back to 

 the house undisturbed. If she doias so, 

 it is because she has not been advised 

 by the florist of the error of her ways. 

 He knows, or after he has read thig 

 article will know, better. 



RETAIL STORE MANAGEMENT 



WHAT THE LEADERS IN THE TRADE ARE DOING 



PABCEL POST IN KANSAS. 



We were much interested in the com- 

 ments of 6. E. Schulz, of the firm of 

 Jacob Schulz, Louisville, Ky., on the 

 subject of parcel post in The Eeview 

 for May 20. This brother is on the 

 right track. Since the law went into 

 effect we have sent by parcel post 

 nearly all the retail packages that have 

 come within the lawful measurements. 

 In fact, our customers instruct us to 

 ship that way. We use the common 

 pasteboard boxes, of the best make, 

 and in most cases do not tie the flow- 

 ers in the box. Up to date we have 

 had but one complaint, and in that case 

 the box was crushed, but the flowers 

 were in good shape. We have sent 

 flowers by mail the distance of 400 

 and 500 miles. The largest spray box 

 we have sent by mail is 36x8x5, and the 

 largest design box is 16x16x8. We 

 have not insured a package or lost one. 



H. K. Fisher. 



NOVEL WINDOW POSTERS. 



A new idea for the window artist is 

 offered by W. T. March, manager of 

 The Newburys, Inc., Mitchell, S. D. 

 The marked success with which it has 

 met in use at the store of that concern 

 has led him to believe that other flo- 

 rists might benefit by it also. The 

 poster that formed the center of the 

 firm's bride window recently is repro- 

 duced on this page, and gives some 

 idea of the general appearance of those 

 that have been displayed in the South 

 Dakota window. Of them, Mr. March 

 writes: 



"The originals of these posters are 

 16x24 inches, and are matted and 

 framed, making a total size of 24x36. 

 They are done in charcoal (crayon 

 cont^) on drafting paper by our artist, 

 and then fixed and covered with a light 

 coat of water color, so that the prin- 

 cipal parts of the pictures are nearly 

 in their natural colors, although it is 

 impossible to have them absolutely true 

 to life. They do, however, make a 

 mighty attractive looking window, with 

 plants and flowers grouped around 

 them. 



"The posters are not all heads, but 

 vary with the occasion. The one used 

 for Memorial day shows a full-length 

 figure of a bugier standing beside a 



rotting cannon, in front of which is a 

 rough wooden cross, with a woman 

 kneeling by it and placing a wreath of 

 flowers on it. In the foreground is a 

 flower box, showing the trade-mark, 

 "Newburys." The picture is en- 

 titled "Taps," and received much at- 

 tention from the G. A. E. and the 

 W. R. C. here." 



SELUNG THE BBIDE'S BOUQUET. 



The Price. 



A first-class bride's bouquet is ex- 

 pensive, and quite often the retail flo- 

 rist offers it at too low a figure. Since 



The Newburys' Bride Poster. 



the average person is married but once, 

 he is willing to pay a fair price for 

 the wedding flowers. So when the flo- 

 rist quotes prices, he ought first to 

 quote prices of the larger, choicer ar- 

 rangements and end by saying that 

 cheaper ones can be made, but that 

 they are much less desirable because of 

 the fewer fiowers or inferior materials 

 used in the construction. Invariably 



the more expensive bouquet will be 

 chosen by the patron. 



It is much easier to lower the price 

 of an article than to raise it. Often 

 the prospective buyer will become sus- 

 picious if the price is suddenly ad- 

 vanced, and fancy that the salesman is 

 taking undue advantage of the patron 

 when he tries to get more money for 

 a specified floral arrangement, whereas 

 when the tactful salesman gives his 

 patron an idea of the costliness of some 

 of the finer and more artistic creations, 

 he at once prepares him for the rela- 

 tive values of the various kinds of 

 bunches used for that particular pur- 

 pose. 



The Style. 



As styles in garments and hats 

 change frequently, so do styles in 

 brides' bouquets. A few years ago 

 the proper thing in a bride s bouquet 

 was a formal, compact arrangement of 

 Bride roses with a few spra,ys of vaj- 

 ley tucked in symmetrically at points 

 equidistant from the center. , But now 

 we are getting away from the stiff, 

 formal arrangement and aim to get a 

 natural and an artistic effecti- We do 

 not cut off the stem and foliage of 

 every flower used, nor do we object to 

 having a few flowers in the bunch 

 higher than the rest. If a bud or two 

 find their place in the bunch among 

 the open blooms, or if a few delicate 

 sprays of asparagus fall carelessly here 

 and there from the bunch proper, we 

 are not alarmed for fear we have failed 

 in the successful arrangement of ,the 

 bride's bouquet, for we are striving 

 for good lines and graceful curves, not 

 symmetry of outline. So let us offer 

 the best first — the most artistic, the 

 choicest, the most expensive. We 

 should educate our patrons to choose 

 the best in preference t^ the inartistic 

 and the less expensive, with the excep- 

 tion of extreme cases when the prospec- 

 tive buyer can ^ord but a modest, 

 simple bunch. -iiOf 



Examples. 



The loose arm bunch shown here- 

 with, made of (Jattleyas, gardenias, 

 lilies of the valley and Farleyense fern, 

 is characterized by" its richness, sim- 

 plicity and graceful lines. Its construc- 

 tion is delicate and lacy. Instead of 



