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12 



The Florists' Review 



Ski'Tembkb 10, li>14. 



Interior o{ the Store of the Central Seed & Bulb Co., Benton Harbor, Mich. 



nious lines, while the window in the 

 other ^oom is used for special purposes 

 — the display of bargain boxes or other 

 special merchandise; for duck pond dis- 

 plays in summer and for any showing 

 that will catch the eye, flag the passer- 

 by and make talk. 



THOSE LIGHT FIXTUEES AGAIN. 



Originality is popular, not in the 

 sense that everyone has it, but in the 

 sense that it is appreciated by every- 

 one. For this reason the account of the 

 electric light fixtures in the store of the 

 Central Seed & Bulb Co., at Benton Har- 

 bor, Mich., which appeared in The Re- 

 view for August 13, aroused the interest 

 of a good many people. The descrip- 

 tion of these fixtures, made of 24-inch 

 wire hanging baskets, green sheet moss 

 and reflectors, stimulated people's cu- 

 riosity, just as the sight of them in the 

 Benton Harbor store does. But E. S. 

 Thompson, the creator of this novelty, 

 does not think any better description of 

 the fixtures can be given than appeared 

 in The Review. Of course, to make 

 them requires a certain amount of in 

 genuity, and this each individual must 

 supply. Mr. Thompson, however, for 

 the benefit of those who are interested 

 in this work of his, has supplied a 

 photograph of the interior of his store. 

 This, which is reproduced on this page, 

 gives a fairly clear view of the fixtures 

 he put up, as well as of one of the lead- 

 ing retail stores of this busy little 

 resort town. 



FLORIST'S PRIZE-WINNING FLOAT. 



In the industrial and floral parade 

 held in Council Bluffs, la., August 31, 

 the first prize, a silver loving cup val- 

 ued at $100, was won by the float of 

 J. F. Wilcox & Sons, which is shown 

 Jij the illustration on this page. The 

 judges, men from St. Louis, Philadel- 

 phia and Omaha, all gave the float a 

 perfect score. 



A miniature greenhouse, with a com- 

 plete boiler room and a smokestack 

 from which smoke poured upward, was 

 the chief feature of the float. The 

 house was 3x9 feet and three feet four 

 inches in height, with three benches 

 inside, holding palms, ferns and flowers, 



and the float itself was 10x20 feet. 

 Around the greenhouse was a lawn, of 

 green sheet moss, cut up by cement 

 walks on each of the sides and ends. 

 At three corners were miniature flower 

 and foliage beds. In the decoration 

 of the float were used fifty strings of 

 asparagus, 300 cut roses, 700 carna- 

 tions, fifty American Beauties, 100 as- 

 ters, 100 cut geraniums and foliage, 

 seventy-five Sprengeri plants, seventy- 

 five border plants, fifteen palms and 

 twenty-five Boston ferns. 



Beneath a large sign across the rear 

 reading "Flowers to Everywhere," 

 were packages addressed to florists in 

 localities representing the four extremes 

 of this country, a boost for the tele- 

 graph delivery business. 



Goshen, Ind. — P>. N. Burt is remodel- 

 ig one of his big greenhouses. 



KANSAS CITY'S BOSEBY. 



The Rosery in Kansas City was iu- 

 c'Cfrporated in 1907 and store and green- 

 houses, near the corner of Main street 

 and Armour boulevard, are conducted 

 by E. D. Ellsworth, with the assistaisee 

 of Mrs. Ellsworth, three store men and 

 two greenhouse employees. Adjoining 

 the store, which stands in an excellent 

 residence neighborhood, is about 8,Ono 

 feet of glass. During the summer 

 months a crop of young poinsettiiis, 

 about 50,000, is grown for wholesaling^ 

 but during the rest of the year all 

 the space is devoted to plants to ho 

 retailed through the store. The illus- 

 trations on page 13 show the unique, 

 pergola-covered store front and also one 

 side of the interior. Careful attention 

 is paid to the window display, which 

 always is attractive, and the interior 

 also is kept as neat as wax. 



W. J. B. 



STRAIGHT TALK. 



The question of credits and coUee- 

 lions is agitating the trade in England 

 the same as in America, the tendency 

 everywhere being for wholesalers to 

 grant credit less freely and to insist on 

 more prompt payment. Summing up 

 the whole argument, Beckwith & Son 

 say in a letter to the Horticultural Ad- 

 vertiser: 



"It would be much better if the 

 trade supplied no retail florist without 

 first taking up trade references, or, in 

 the case of beginners, strictly cash with 

 order. 



"Ignore all touching and carefully 

 composed letters, and above all never be 

 caught by the easy trick of paying the 

 first one or two small accounts promptly, 

 when credit has been given without ref- 

 erences, as trouble will usually come 

 with the first big order. 



' ' We do an extensive business with 

 retail florists, but make few bad debts, 

 as we invariably ask for and take up 

 trade references or require cash with 

 order. 



' ' When a cheque is sent with order it 

 is usually a good precaution to take a 



Float Representing Wilcox & Sons in a Council Bluffs Industrial Parade. 



il 



