8 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Dbcbmber 24, 1908. 



Supplies and Deliver/. 



The few loose flowers stld were 

 wrapped in manila papeF bearing the 

 name of the florist, providing a ream of 

 this paper was bought at one time. If 

 less than a ream was purchased Me 

 had to pay extra for printing, and such 

 extravagance we could not .stand. The 

 next step was the shoe box, for whiuli we 

 sometimes paid a small sum to some 

 shoe dealer. • 



The delivery question did not worry 

 me as much in the early days as it 

 sometimes does now, although wc had no 

 covered wagons for delivering. The first, 

 covered or top wagon that I can re- 

 member being used in the florists' busi- 

 ness was a wagon owned by Mr. Tabor, 

 whose place our friend, J. F. Sullivan, 

 rented in later years. This wagon, I 

 think, Mr. Sullivan has told me he still 

 has in use. 



The first florists' establishments in- 

 cluded a few low houses, a barn and a 

 potting shed, at one end of which was a 

 small part reserved for office purposes. 

 There were no flower stores in the heart 

 of the city, as now. 



Some years later William Gladewitz 

 opened a store under the old Russell 

 House, on the Cadillac Square side. This 

 store was later bought by John Breit- 

 meyer, who, in the course of time, moved 

 to Bates street. 



All the holiday business done in the 

 early seventies, by all the florists com- 

 bined, would probably not amount to 

 more than that done by one of the smaller 

 florists nowadays. 



THE BRUNS STORE. 



One of those itinerant photographers, 

 who go about the country taking pictures 

 in the hope that someone will buy when 

 they see the prints, not long since poked 



completing a wreath of the same flower, 

 while on the display case at their backs 

 is shown the diploma for valley awarded 

 to Mr. Bruns at the World's Pair flower 

 show at St. Louis, where he also won a 

 medal. 



One of the interesting features of the 

 illustration is the showing made of jardi- 

 nieres, fern dishes, grass-growing heads, 

 etc. One side of the store carries sev- 

 eral shelves on which stock of these is 

 carried and Mr. Bruns finds this line to 

 be not only useful but salable and profit- 

 able. There is no reason why a retail 

 florist should confine himself to cut 

 flowers. While the custom so common 

 in many European countries of combin- 

 ing flowers and fruit in one store is not 

 thought permissible in good stores here, 

 there is no reason why the retail florist 

 should not add to his profits through the 

 sale of accessories, such as jardinieres, 

 pedestals, fern dishes, window-boxes, wall 

 pockets and other similar articles. Gold- 

 fish also, with aquarium supplies, furnish 

 a suitable and profitable side line. 



A NEW PORTLAND STORE. 



Clarke Bros., at Portland, Ore., recent- 

 ly have completed the fitting up of a re- 

 tail store which in its appointment will 

 compare favorably with anything to be 

 found on the Pacific coast, and with 

 nearly all the best stores in the eastern 

 states. The accompanying illustrations 

 show the store as it appeared Thanks- 

 giving day. One picture shows the in- 

 terior from the tear, the other the show 

 window from the street. The firm spared 

 no expense for fixtures and other fittings 

 and says that the money spent for a 

 handsome and attractive store has al- 

 ready proved to be a good investment, 

 for sales have been increasing at a lively 

 rate ever since the store was completed. 



Store of H« N. Brunt, Chicasfo. 



his camera in at the rear door at the 

 store of H. N. Bruns, Chicago, and 

 pressed the button. The result is shown 

 in the accompanying illustration. The 

 snapshotter caught Mr. Bruns in one of 

 his few idle moments, but it was inevit- 

 able that there should be a pot of val- 

 ley at his right hand and it was equally 

 characteristic that on the other side of 

 the store the assistants should be just 



Clarke Bros, have a large range of 

 glass just outside of Portland and an- 

 other plant in California, with a second 

 retail store recently opened at Oakland, 

 Cal. 



Houghton, Mich. — The Lakeside Flo- 

 ral Co. has increased its capitalization 

 from .$2.i,0nO to $40,000, the increase 

 of .$1.5,000 being preferred stock. 



• THE LONDON MAH^T. 



The Covent Garden market, in London, 

 has been in about the same condition as 

 American markets this fall — worse if 

 anything. As late as the first week in 

 December A. Hemsley wrote : ' * Trade has 

 been quiet — unusually dull. One grower 

 of some years' experience remarked that 

 he had never before experienced such a 

 bad trade. It is impossible to give ac- 

 curate prices, for there is no amalgama- 

 tion among the salesmen, some of whom 

 waste their flowers rather than sell them 

 at unremunerative prices, whilst others 

 clear their stocks at almost any price. ' ' 



It is interesting to note that Richmond 

 was making better prices than any other 

 rose, the best blooms making up to 7 

 shillings ($1.68) per dozen in the mar- 

 ket. Liberty is worth just a little less. 

 Maid and Bride have made up to 3 shil- 

 lings, or just about the price that has 

 prevailed in the largest American mar- 

 kets. The best blooms of American car- 

 nations bring more at Covent Garden than 

 in this country, say from 4 cents to 7 

 cents December 1 for fancy stock. The 

 flower over there is not the leading item 

 it is here, but the production is rapidly 

 increasing. Chrysanthemums, because of 

 the conditions under which they are pro- 

 duced, always sell cheaper in London 

 than in large American cities — even 

 cheaper than they sold this off year. De- 

 cember 1 special fancy mums did not 

 fetch over 8 shillings ($1.92) per dozen at 

 Covent Garden, while medium sized flow- 

 ers sold at 2 to 3 shillings. Cattleyas 

 could be had at $2 to $2.50 a dozen, gar- 

 denias at 72 cents to $1.20 a dozen. Long 

 strings of asparagus were worth not over 

 1 shilling (24 cents) each, smilax 5 shil- 

 lings ($1.20) per dozen. 



LILIUM MULTIFLORUM. 



On November 25 I potted Lilium mul- 

 tiflorum in rather moist soil and placed 

 in a cellar, not watering them. The or- 

 dinary temperature is 45 degrees to 50 

 degrees, but in cooler weather it runs 

 down to 35 degrees. Is this temperature 

 too low? Examining them December 5, 

 I found the soil had reached a dry state 

 and some roots were starting. What is 

 the treatment needed now, next and 

 later? What is the lowest temperature 

 they will stand, also the highest, as I 

 will not want them to come in bloom at 

 the same time? What is the earliest date 

 they could likely be flowered? The bulbs 

 were not planted deep, in 4-inch pots, 

 showing the bulbs, intending to shift 

 later into a larger size. B. M. A. 



Your treatment so far has been all 

 right, except that it would be better not 

 to let the temperature fall below 42 de- 

 grees to 45 degrees. It is an advantage to 

 keep them somewhat on the dry side until 

 the pots are well filled with roots. If 

 kept saturated in the early stages of 

 growth, the roots will nearly all decay, 

 particularly if in as low a temperature 

 as 40 degrees to 45 degrees. When the 

 tops appear I would move the plants into 

 a light, sunny house, kept at about 50 de- 

 grees at night. I don't like to grow 

 lilies any cooler than this at any time, 

 except late in the season, when the flow- 

 ers are expanding and retarding is nec- 

 essary. 



Shift your plants from the 4-inch to 

 5% -inch or 6-inch pots before the roots 

 become too matted, and water carefully 

 until the roots find their way to the sides 

 of the larger pots. Cover the bulbs and 



