February 10, 1910. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



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^ 



THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 





THE CREDIT SYSTEM. 



We are wondering what our brother 

 florists are doing nowadays with their 

 credit business? Of course we all have 

 the telephone, and our patrons, good, bad 

 and indifferent, order flowers over the 

 'phone and either promise to pay soon or 

 don't mention that necessary part of the 

 transaction. Our collector gets all kinds 

 of excuses, but not so much money as we 

 would prefer. Wealthy or able patrons 

 say the money is just as good as in our 

 hand, but our help and creditors do not 

 think so. Occasionally a plant dies and 

 they claim it was diseased and refuse to 



pay. 



Does any one use the * * credit slip, ' ' or 

 how do you manage them? 



I would like to hear from those who 

 have solved the problem. We feel that to 

 refuse credit makes enemies among good 

 people, yet our credit system is rotten. 



D. B. 



The Eeview will be glad to print the 

 letters of any who will describe their 

 methods of handling credits. — Ed. 



FILLING FERN DISHES. 



Work Worth Doing; WelL 



Of all the work that comes to a flower 

 store, there is nothing of greater im- 

 portance than the filling of fern dishes. 

 While there may be a few downtown 

 stores in big cities that do not do this 

 work, in ninety-nine out of every hun- 

 dred places where plants are sold to the 

 public a steady daily business is done in 

 filling ferneries; millions of small ferns, 

 from 2 1^ -inch or 3-inch pots, are re- 

 quired each year. 



It might surprise some florists to hear 

 the comments made on their methods of 

 fllling fern dishes; the housewife knows 

 a well-filled dish when she sees it, and 

 if the neighbor has secured better service 

 than she herself it is easy to tell which 

 florist's business has been helped and 

 which hurt. And yet in some stores — 

 yes, even in some of the large places — 

 the fern dishes often are filled by a 

 wagon driver or errand boy. In some 

 instances the proprietor of the store is 

 also a large grower. If so, would he 

 leave the repotting of plants in his 

 greenhouse to the bafn man or other in- 

 experienced help? Certainly not. Of 

 course, it is admitted that there are 

 drivers or errand boys who display much 

 interest in their work and, with a little 

 training, become quite handy around the 

 greenhouse. 



Filling ferneries is, in one sense, 

 transplanting plants, putting more than 

 one plant into a pot. If this is not prop- 

 erly done, how can the little ferns be ex- 

 pected to thrive, especially when all other 

 conditions are unfavorable? Many fern 

 dishes are much too shallow. Usually, 

 also, they stand on a table, away from 

 all daylight. The air in the room often 

 kis dry and much too warm to be suitable 

 for f eijip^, . i^^eqiiently the soil remains 



unwatered for a week, and then it is kept 

 soaked for another week, in the hope of 

 reviving the ' ' dear little ferns. ' ' 



A Wrong Assumption. 



There still are florists who reason thus : 

 "The shorter the life of plants or flow- 

 ers, the greater the quantity of stock 

 that we can sell." All the statements 

 just made may be wasted on such rea- 

 soners. Nevertheless, the florist who so 

 thinks is laboring under a wrong im- 

 pression. The buyer of our wares will 

 patronize the florist whose stock seems 

 to keep best, just as the purchaser of a 

 typewriter or sewing machine selects the 

 one which gives the longest service. 



Now, then, with the foregoing facts 

 before us, what is the correct way to fill 

 fern dishes? You say that everyone fills 



work affairs, it will be better if the lin- 

 ing contains no holes. In this case a 

 layer of chips of broken pots on the 

 bottom of the lining will supply pretty 

 fair drainage. Many dishes are so shal- 

 low that there is hardly room for the 

 ferns, not to speak of the chips of pots, 

 and in such cases you may have to dis- 

 pense with the drainage entirely. If the 

 lining is unusually deep, place a good 

 layer of broken pots in the bottom and 

 then enough soil to come within about 

 two and one-half inches of the top. Then 

 go ahead with the ferns. 



Arangement of the Ferns. 



The number of ferns to be put into a 

 dish is often governed by the taste — or 

 sometimes lack of taste — of the customer. 

 If this matter is left to you, then place 

 the ferns just close enough together so 

 that the soil is pretty well hid. Be sure 

 you do not crowd the ferns. 



In filling the ordinary fern dish, I 

 usually first select the ferns for the out- 

 side edge. Place them close to the edge 

 of the lining, tilting them slightly 

 toward the outside. If you are using a 

 variety of ferns, alternate them around 

 the edge. Such kinds as Aspidium 

 tsussimense, Cryrtomium falcatum and 

 some kinds of pteris, if not too large, 

 are best suited for use as the edge plants 



A Well-filled Green Mat-w&re Fern Dish. 



them differently. True enough; still, 

 they all try for the same result. 



The Dndasige. 



The question of drainage first arises. 

 To obtain the best results, some sort of 

 drainage should be provided. In the 

 fern dish which will itself hold water, 

 the lining should have a hole in the bot- 

 tom, over which a piece of broken pot 

 should be placed before filling, to keep 

 the soil from washing through. This pro- 

 vides the best drainage. 



When the dish is one of those open- 



of fern dishes for table use, as they 

 spread pretty well. 



After the outside plants are in posi- 

 tion, it is well to put the center plant 

 in place; that is, if you intend to use a 

 cocos, pandanus, small phoenix or some 

 similar plant in the center. Next fill the 

 remaining space with ferns. 



Condition of the Soil. 



If your soil is in the right condition, it 

 will be just damp enough so it will pack 

 nicely and still not cling together or be 

 lumpy. Fill in well with sgjl between 

 the ferns, and then pack it together with 



