The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



.Tui-Y 2, 1908. 



expect better results than if we are 

 forced to use the crude and raw material 

 in a hastily prepared state. There is also^ 

 little doubt but that carelessness prac-' 

 ticed in tbe collecting and preparing of 

 mulching material is a fruitful source of 

 supplying the insect pests which trouble 

 us during the winter. BiBES. 



SWEET PEAS DYING. 



I would like to ask a question or two 

 about sweet peas. I have always had 

 good luck with my sweet peas and never 

 had any trouble of this kind before. 

 After they were hoed and the earth 

 drawn up around the plants, in places all 

 along the rows they started to dry up 

 and die. I would like to know what the 

 trouble is and how it may be stopped. 



F. H. B. 



If sweet peas are sown two inches deep 

 in early spring, they should never have 

 any earth pulled up to them when grow- 

 ing. We consider this practice, though 

 it is recommended in many seed cata- 

 logues, a most harmful one, which does 

 more than anything else to discour- 

 age sweet pea culture. The drying of 

 the stems we have always believed to 

 be largely a result of this earthing up, 

 and we would advise you to discontinue 

 it. However, this may not be the cause 

 of your vines drying up. The attacks 

 of the larvae of the May beetle, coming 



in cow manure, are sometimes responsi- 

 ble ; so, ulso, is growing the plants in the 

 same soil year after year. 



Another season we would suggest sow- 

 ing the seeds two inches deep, not hill- 

 ing up. Mulch before hot weather bakes 

 the ground too much, and if grubs or 

 wireworms abound, plow the land; then 

 give it a dressing of kainite or gas lime 

 late in the fall, harrowing the ground 

 over afterward. Ordinary air-slaked lime 

 will answer if you have no kainite or 

 gas lime. C. W. 



RAWSON'S SWEET PEA TRIALS. 



During July W. W. Rawson & Co., Bos- 

 ton, will have many visitors at their trial 

 grounds at Marblehead, where a series 

 of public exhibitions are being held this 

 summer. Sweet peas are, of course, the 

 great attraction during this month and 

 Manager Maurice Fuld says they "are 

 trying to interest the florists in the east 

 to see these trials here. Many of them 

 have not seen a great many of the sweet 

 peas, and the Marblehead collection this 

 year is even more complete than that of 

 the California growers, as it includes a 

 number of novelties such as have never 

 before been shown either in England or 

 America. ' ' 



There are 160 varieties under name 

 and each visitor is given a printed score 

 card on which to record his impressions 

 as a guide to future orders. 



I 



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THE RETAIL 



^^ 



IVY CROSS WITH ORCHIDS. 



The accompanying illustration, which is 

 one of the series of funeral designs by 

 ('. H. Fox, Columbia avenue and Twenty- 

 first street, Philadelphia, shows an ef- 

 fective arrangement of orchids at the 

 base of an ivy cross. In making up this 

 design Mr. Fox believes it is best to 

 have the cross detached from the base, 

 securing them together when the work 

 is completed. The object of this method 

 is that the ivy leaves can be placed in 

 position far more readily as well as 

 rapidly when the design is flat on the 

 counter than when it is upright. The 

 placing of a few sprays of wheat among 

 the ivy leaves is simply a suggestion of 

 the harvest idea and is used only to 

 accentuate the fullness of years. The 

 color idea of orchids, lily of the valley, 

 and Easter lilies is white. Phil. 



THE STOREMAN AND RETAILER. 



Thoughts for the DtsU Season. 



The quiet days of summer are ap- 

 proaching and to many of our retailers 

 and their staff it will be a time of idle- 

 ness and detriment, detriment because to 

 waste the hours of inactivity caused by 

 the lack of trade is a harm, to the em- 

 ployer as well as his helpers. 



We do not all suffer from the forced 

 lull in business that is coming on us, but 

 many, too many, see only in the dull sea- 

 son something to complain of and make 

 the life of their store men miserable. 



Listen; soon we will hear the clerk 

 "wish the boss would keep away." And 

 that boss will exclaim, "Tbose fellows! 

 I'll give them something to do. Get out 

 the galax. How about straightening out 

 the cellar!" etc., etc., with the result 

 that the cellar is arranged to suit the 

 most exacting, nay, even artistic mind, 

 the galax is overdone and it is up to us 

 to try to find something, anything, to 

 ' ' look busy ' ' when the ' ' firm ' ' is around. 



The time has to be put in and we, in- 

 dividually and collectively, should "im- 

 prove the shining hour," 



T&kuisf a Review of the Past Year. 



Our method must be governed by cir- 

 cumstances, but we should make the best 

 of our time. To begin, what better than 

 a review of our past season? Unfortu- 

 nately, to many, the season just ending 

 will carry with it a memory which we 

 hope will not be repeated for numerous 

 winters. "Frenzied finance" has left 

 its toothmark on many of our prosperous 

 retailers. But, pshaw! A toothmark 

 will heal, and besides, we know that our 

 next season will be one of our old-timers, 

 anyway. 



Don't you think that a serious review 

 of our season's mistakes and successes 

 would be of material benefit? 



Let us be cooperative. Let us each, as 

 individuals, from the owner to the mes- 

 sage boy, think of our last season's 

 work and pass in review those busy days. 

 Do you remember that big day we had — 

 that Christmas rush — that Easter scram- 



ble? Can we improve on our method of 

 handling such trade again? Think, all 

 think. Was our delivery system the best? 

 Was our order system the most simple? 

 How about our customers' cards? Were 

 they all in the right boxes, none going 

 astray? Can we improve on our. present 

 methods? These and many otibers are 

 the kind of questions we should'How ask 

 ourselves. It will soon be the season to 

 try new and changed systems, for the 

 time hangs heavily on our hands, and we 

 have ample opportunity to test the new 

 ideas or, by so doing, prove the old ones. 



Harmony and Co-operation. 



Let us get together. Cooperation — 

 ' that is the word, the keynote of all suc- 

 cessful business systems, for we must co- 

 operate for success. In our office work 

 we see it proven. What the order sheet 

 is to the day book, the day book to the 

 ledger, so should our staff be — the gen- 

 eral staff to the foreman, the foreman to 

 the employer. It applies as truly where 

 there is but one message boy, one clerk, 

 and the owner, as it does to the largest 

 establishment. There should be harmony 

 and affiliation throughout. 



Think it over. It will occupy some of 

 that spare time, and cannot do much 

 harm, anyway. 



Owner or manager, if you have your 

 place working in sympathy, you appre- 



; ciate it and so do your associates. Now 

 show your generosity by helping others. 

 Help us. We would be pleased to hear 

 from you, that others might benefit by 

 your experience. We would Jike to hear 

 if you have a system or if your coopera- 

 tion is spontaneous and without method, 



; the result, simply, of the willingness and 



, desire of your assistants to further the 

 interests of their house. That is the 



] most satisfactory way, we believe, and 

 we would like to hear just a word or two 

 to help some of us who feel that there is 

 not that feeling of sympathy most neces- 

 sary to success. 



Good Subject for Discussion. 



Let us hear from both sides. We know 

 that you who have secured harmony in 

 your establishments will realize the great 

 advantage your business reaps with free- 

 dom from discord, and perhaps you will 

 wonder at the fact that with sqme there 

 should be any lack of cooperation or any 

 petty jealousy. 



Let your ideas flow, and give us all a 

 chance to better our environment. You 

 will not be playing into the hands of 

 the enemy, but may be the means of 

 assisting in raising the standard of our 

 flower men. And by so doing you may 

 increase your own business through the 

 knowledge extended to the less fortunate, 

 who may, perhaps, through lack of co- 

 operation, have been compelled, in order 

 to secure business, to resort to "crepe 

 chasing" and other such questionable 

 practices — methods that do so much to 

 lower the standard of our business. Let 

 us hear from you, any or all, that we 

 may enlarge our own views and that 

 every side of the question may be treated 

 to a little serious thought. It will help 

 us all. To get a general opinion on the 

 subject, and to have the calcium light 

 of combined ideas turned on a few of 

 the questions pertaining to our business 

 methods, must be generally beneficial. 



Business Methods and Principles. 



Such questions are usually side- 

 tracked or passed over as requiring no 

 controversy, when in reality method and 

 business principle are the most vital 



