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Apbil 4, 1907. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



(523 



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THE EASTER 



BUSINESS 



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A New Record Set, 



Easter has grown to be so great an 

 event in our trade year that it is diffi- 

 cult to form any accurate estimate com- 

 paring Easter sales for the whole coun- 

 try from year to year. It is mere guess- 

 work to say that the business increased 

 a certain definite percentage. Reports 

 vary and, as no considerable number of 

 individual reports can be gathered, it is 

 only safe to say that Easter of 1907 

 certainly eclipsed all others in the vol- 

 ume of retail sales. There are stores 

 where it is reported that the* volume of 

 business was not so great as it was a 

 year ago, but in nearly every case these 

 are the stores in the larger cities which 

 cater to the * ' spenders, ' ' the stock gam- 

 bling element which has been hard hit 

 by recent developments in Wall street. 

 Those stores of the better class which 

 draw their patronage from the people 

 longer accustomed to riches do not make 

 the same report, and the stores which 

 cater to the average, every-day citizen 

 say they had the best Easter ever ex- 

 perienced. So much for the retailers. 



Through the length and breadth of 

 the country, from Portland, Me., to 

 Portland, Ore., the rank and file of the 

 trade who sell from their own green- 

 houses report a splendid business, fully 

 up to best previous records and in most 

 instances ahead in money value of sales. 

 So long as crops are good and factories 

 busy, the average florist will have no 

 difficulty in disposing of all that he can 

 produce at Easter. 



Weather Hastens Plants. 



And this Easter production certainly 

 was something tremendous. The early 

 date had no effect whatever in reducing 

 the amount of stock available. Indeed, 

 rather than a restricted supply, more 

 stock than ever was ready. The week 

 or ten days of unseasonably warm 

 weather preceding Easter, which was 

 general throughout the United States, 

 had the effect of hastening everything. 

 There was much more difficulty in re- 

 tarding stock than inducing it to bloom 

 in time. It was characteristic that flow- 

 ering plants were in flower in advance. 

 Every bud on the azaleas was full blown, 

 many lilies were kept for days in the 

 coolest house and the bulbous stock was 

 retarded by every device known to the 

 skill of the growers. 



Cut Flowers Abundant. 



Cut flowers were, to say the least, 

 abundant. In fact, in practically all 

 the large wholesale markets a surplus 

 existed, especially of bulbous stock. Re- 

 ports indicate that receipts everywhere 

 were vastly greater than had been an- 

 ticipated. The weather was so unsea- 

 sonable that it was thought every hot 

 day would be the last one and that sea- 

 sonable temperature must certainly fol- 

 low, to check production. But the heat 

 endured, and vrith it came a flood of 

 blooms of indifferent quality. The re- 

 sult was that average prices were lower 



than usual. I'irst-class stock brought 

 good money but much was sacrificed and 

 the waste was the heaviest ever reported 

 at Easter. Both growers and commis- 

 sion dealers would have been better sat- 

 isfied with half the material and a stiffer 

 market. The retailers in the large cities 

 also would have liked shorter crops, for 

 the surplus inevitably found its way to 

 the sidewalk venders, who sold it at 



man, east or west, produces little other 

 than bulbous stock: lilies, tulips, hya- 

 cinths and daffodils. It is noteworthy 

 that a large number of those who do a 

 prosperous business had nothing what- 

 ever except these great staples. Still 

 others had, in addition, only a few aza- 

 leas, roses in pots, hydrangeas, valley 

 in pans, and other more or less common 

 plants. The bulk of the business is done 

 wdth the staples, with a few "novelties" 

 for variety. i 



Many Accessories Used. 



The sales of plants almost invariably 

 called for some sort of decoration. In 

 hardly any store were pots sent out 

 without a covering. Probably taking the 

 length and breadth of the land, nine out 

 of ten pots were covered with crepe 

 paper, but for the others a great variety 

 of material was used, greater than ever 



Basket of Hyacinths and Lilies. 



cheap prices and no doubt kept many 

 away from the legitimate retailers. 



Another Plant Easter. 



In spite of the triteness, it must be 

 recorded that this was a plant Easter. 

 The east leads the west in the matter of 

 plants, not especially in the quality of 

 the stock produced, but certainly in its 

 variety. This, of course, pertains only 

 to the leading growers; the average 



before. The skill of the plantsmen com- 

 bined with the skill of the decorator 

 produced some magnificent effects in the 

 leading stores. The use of ribbon, too, 

 was more general than heretofore. 



Weather reports indicate that nearly 

 everywhere the trade was favored for 

 three days with excellent conditions for 

 trade and for the delivery of plants 

 without the wrapping which takes much 

 time at a very busy season. 



