NovBHBBa 7, 1912. 



The Florists^ Review 



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A TKUE STORY. 



Once upon a time, as all such nar- 

 ratives begin, there lived in a certain 

 town two florists. They each did a fair 

 business at fair prices and lived happy, 

 normal lives. 



Then one of them died and the widow 

 sold the place. 



The new man lost some trade, to be 

 sure, but he also gained some, though 

 not enough to satisfy him. He wanted 

 to do a bigger business. So he began 

 cutting prices. 



Both places had been selling carna- 

 tions at 50 cents and 75 cents a dozen. 

 The new man got down to '35 cents and 

 50 cents, other things in proportion. 

 And he certainly did make trouble for 

 the fellow who was sticking to his old 

 prices. Looked for a time as though 

 he would be put out of business. It 

 was only his wife 's sound counsel that 

 caused him to hang on when he got a 

 chance to sell. 



"Just you wait, John," she said. 

 "This thing will work out all right, 

 just as it did that time the minister 

 wanted to cut out the flowers at 

 funerals; he's gone and we're still 

 here." 



"Yes, we're here, all right," said 

 John; "but that confounded price-cut- 

 ter is getting all the trade." 



' ' Now, you listen to me, ' ' argued the 

 wife, who also is the maker-up. "When 

 that fellow bought those houses they 

 weren't in any too good shape; old man 

 sick too long. Then he didn't spend a 

 cent on repairs last summer. Not cut- 

 ting much this season. Couldn't make 

 much at our prices, nothing at all at 

 what he's getting. 'What's going to 

 happen!' Why, just this: Before he 

 gets the mortgage paid the houses will 

 have to be rebuilt. And he won't have 

 the money. Can't borrow it, with a 

 mortgage already on the place. Either 

 the widow get^ the place back or he 

 ' somebody that wants to 

 ages. Anyway, I see 

 business." 



sells the lots 

 build some 

 his finish in t' 

 And she d 

 The moral 

 greenhouses 

 preciation or J 



when the houses wear out 



at the man with the 

 pt to reckon with de- 

 ice a fresh start in life 



HAIiOWE'EN WINDOWS. 



The Southwestern Seed Co., which 

 does a general florists' business at 

 Fayetteville, Ark., made a big hit last 

 week with the combination Hallowe'en 

 and political windows shown in the ac- 

 companying illustrations. In one win- 

 dow they placed pumpkin-head images 

 of Col. Boosevelt and Governor Wilson. 

 These images were constructed in the 

 following manner: The heads were 

 fashioned from large pumpkins, into 

 which the eyes, nose and mouth were 

 cut. An opening was made in the bot- 

 tom and the pumpkin was then placed 

 on a pedestal over an electric light, 



which shone through the openings, 

 bringing out the features of each image. 

 The pedestal upon which the head rep- 

 resenting Mr. Roosevelt was mounted 

 was covered with white crepe paper 

 over which red crepe paper was draped 

 and fashioned into a cutaway coat, cut 

 with the lapels rolling back, showing a 

 white shirt front to which was attached 

 a white collar and red bow tie. The 

 image of Mr. Wilson was likewise 

 dressed, black and gold crepe paper 

 being used for coat and trousers, with 

 white collar and black bow tie. An en- 

 deavor was made, in the selection of 

 pumpkins, to get specimens that would 

 represent in shape as nearly as possible 

 the individuality of the gentlemen. A 

 rather short, thick pumpkin was used 

 to represent Mr. Roosevelt, the mouth 

 being cut in such manner as to expose 

 the teeth, over which a heavy mustache 

 of sphagnum moss was attached with 

 greening pins. The top of the head was 



also covered with sphagnum moss to 

 represent the hair. Sphagnum moss 

 over the eyes represented eyebrows, 

 and the ever-present nose glasses, 

 constructed of wire frames covered with 

 isinglass, were placed in position, com- 

 pleting the face of the image. To rep- 

 resent Mr. Wilson a long pumpkin was 

 used, which was fashioned in the same 

 manner as that used for Mr. Roosevelt, 

 with the omission of mustache and of 

 exposed teeth. A large yellow chrysan- 

 themum decorated the lapel of Mr. Wil- 

 son's coat, while Mr. Roosevelt was 

 similarly decorated with a large white 

 mum, the stems of each resting in 

 glasses filled with water which were 

 hidden by the covering of autumn 

 leaves on the floor of the window. In 

 the foreground between the two images 

 was placed a huge pile of red and yel- 

 low apples and on either side of this 

 red, white and yellow corn in the ear, 

 with husks partly removed. Ears of 

 white corn with the husk entirely re- 

 moved were placed along the front of 

 the window, and at the back and sides 

 the window was lined with cornstalks 

 as they are cut from the field. 



Between Roosevelt and Wilson there 

 was a card with the following in free- 

 hand lettering: 



"We can't tell whfch will be the win- 

 ner; you might try your luck. 



"Maybe you could win her if you 

 would send around a box of our flowers 

 occasionally. ' ' 



In the other window an image repre- 



HalloweVn Political Wiodow of Southwestern Seed Co. 



