^flr*. ^'■frJT' .' 



T»»"BTT-^T r.TW>»7ii^ 



"T- 'X'.'^^^T'TV^ 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



-•••.«w{!!>'Bfw»;y«« <i}rm»!im 



February 6, 1908. 



any further information in this matter 

 which may be desired, but shall not go 

 into further details of the work, as it 

 speaks best for itself. I do wish to say, 



however, that any and all time spent at 

 the Garden, in good will and faithfulness, 

 will always be time well spent. 



An Old M. B. G. Student. 



<«.V ji«^ Mm^ m«.V ^«.V. 



.W^<<K«^H'^%>^Vkv^Jyi>^H<#»i<#Jw>^^^*^^<#Hi 



THE RETAIL 

 FLORIST 



VALENTINE'S DAY. 



No retail florist should fail to make a 

 special window decoration for Valen- 

 tine's day. The stationery store, with 

 its wonderful creations of tissue paper 

 filigree, no longer has a monopoly of the 

 business for St. Valentine's day; the 

 young man has found out that his best 

 girl would much rather have a box of 

 violets. 



For several years there has been a 

 marked increase in the flower business 

 for February 14 and last year those who 

 made attractive window displays of small 

 baskets, boxes and hampers well filled, 

 were rewarded by a most satisfactory 

 day's trade. The plantsman has not yet 

 made any impression on the business this 

 day, and the cut flowers have it almost 

 all to themselves. While all flowers share 

 in the actual demand, violets lead, and 

 a part of the window display should be 

 attractive packages of violets. You can 

 buy violet boxes, specially made for 

 putting up this flower, for as little as 

 2 cents apiece, and from that up to sev- 

 eral dollars each. For every-day pur- 

 poses the square box of violet hue is a 

 standard article, but heart-shaped boxes 

 are preferred for Valentine's day. See 

 that you have a supply of a quality such 

 as fits with your trade. Also see that 

 you have violet ties, pins and foil. You 

 will need them all. 



Last year those stores that showed in 

 the window, boxes of cut flowers ar- 

 ranged to sell at 75 cents, $1, $2 or 

 more, according to their location, found 

 many sales. Bulbous stock goes nicely 

 in such boxes for Valentine's day and 

 with the present price of violets, bulbous 

 stock and carnations a nice box can be 

 put up to sell at from $1 to $2. Put a 

 few in the window with a price-card on 

 them and watch results. 



Do not forget to have your newspaper 

 advertisement changed to call attention 

 to the special Valentine's day flowers. 

 If you are not doing any advertising in 

 your local newspaper, right now is an 

 excellent time to begin. Try it, and you 

 will see that a large number of buyers 

 had not thought of flowers as Valentines 

 and that they welcome the suggestion. 

 Half the science of getting business con- 

 sists of offering acceptable suggestions 

 to possible buyers. 



ARTISTIC ARRANGEMENTS. 



For a Dinner Table. 



The dinner-table decoration, "Diana 

 Driving the Butterflies," illustrated in 

 this issue, from a photograph, was ar- 

 ranged by Charles Henry Fox. Tliis 

 graceful effect, produced with simple 

 material, is especially adapted for spring. 

 It will be noticed that the beauty of the 



arrangement is not dependent on a va- 

 riety of colors. 



A NEW ORLEANS SHOWER. 



The accompanying illustration of a 

 bridal bouquet is said to have been the 

 handsomest thing of its kind seen at any 

 wedding in New Orleans this season. It 

 was the work of the retail department of 

 Metairie Ridge Nursery Co., on Caronde- 

 let street. The materials are cattleyas, 



lily of the valley and Adiantum Far- 

 leyense. 



TEMPERATURE FOR A COOLER. 



Will you kindly inform me as to 

 the temperature which best suits carna- 

 tions and roses in a cooler? 



In our store we have a cooler built 

 so that the cold air comes directly down 

 on the flowers. It stands at from 48 

 to 50 degrees and keeps the roses well, 

 but carnations do not last over forty- 

 eight hours, as a rule, before they go 

 to sleep. It seems to me that perhaps 

 the cool air falling directly on the flow- 

 ers might cause this, and I am now 

 piping my cold air to the floor, so that 

 it will not cause any draft on them. 



P. P. 



Florists differ in their opinions as re- 

 gards the correct temperature for a 

 cooler or refrigerator in which flowers 

 are to be kept. About 50 degrees Fah- 

 renheit is, in my estimation, a good tem- 

 perature in which to store a variety of 

 flowers. For a storage room for Beauties 

 and other roses, from 44 to 48 degrees 

 is about the best. 



Bride's Bouquet by Metairie Ridge Nursery Co., New Orleans. 



