8 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



JuLT 28, 1910. 



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I THE RETAIL 



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THE BENNISON STOBE. 



J. C. Eennison was oue of the pioneers 

 in the flower business in Iowa and at 

 his death he left a foundation upon 

 which younger men have builded rap- 

 idly. The business was incorporated as 

 rhe J. C. Eennison Co., with $50,000 

 .authorized capital stock, and the range 

 of glass just outside of Sioux City, at 

 Twenty-fifth and Jones streets, has been 

 largely increased, until it includes 100,- 

 000 feet of glass, but it does not yet 

 produce anything like the quantity of 

 ■stock that is required at the store, at 

 Sixth and Pierce streets, shown in the 

 accompanying illustration, and where 

 -Tohn H. Chisholm is in charge. Sioux 

 Oity is not only an excellent flower 

 rown, but It is the center for a consid- 

 erable wholesale business, and the Een- 

 uison Co, looks after both retail and 

 wholesale ends. The location of the 

 retail store is exceptionally favorable, 

 ■it the intersection of two of the prin- 

 •iipal streets of the city. Occupying the 

 southwest corner, the Court House is 

 lirectly opposite on the southeast cor- 

 ner. Step out the rear door and you 

 are just across the street from the 

 post-office, and on the opposite corner 

 from the post-office is the City hall. It 

 is no exaggeration to say Sioux City's 

 business life centers around^ the Een- 

 nison store. A car line straight north 

 twenty blocks reaches the greenhouses. 



TABLE DECORATIONS. 



This is a dull season for the retail 

 tiorist, but it is the time of year when 

 he makes his plans for autumn. There- 

 tore it is a time when he should be 

 specially interested in such an idea as 

 is shown in the illustration on page 9. 



Everyone who has watched the 

 1 rowds at any of the big fall shows 

 has noted that to the public nothing 

 ( quals the interest that attaches to the 

 table decorations, and especially where 

 !( portion of them are of a character 

 that the average hostess could afford 

 to use. Taking advantage of the idea 

 suggested, several progressive retailers 

 have fitted up "demonstration rooms." 

 They are nothing more or less than 

 •salesrooms for plant and cut flower re- 

 i eptacles, but they attract the buyers 

 because, usually, there stands in the 

 «;enter of the room a fully set table 

 with flowers in place, as if ready for 

 rhe arrival of the guests. If such a 

 display is within sight of people pass- 

 ing on the street it will draw a constant 

 •stream of visitors; otherwise one has 

 to bring them in by advertising. 



Some of these demonstration rooms 

 :,re expensively fitted up. and are costly 

 to maintain. But it isn't necessarj-, 

 f^specially where a retailer has a fairly 

 large store. In that case all he has to 

 10 is to set his table in the store, or 

 in the window, maintain it for a while 

 and after it grows stale take it oflF 



again; later it can be brought back and 

 be as interesting as ever with flowers 

 of another season. 



The accompanying illustration shows 

 a displav table that drew many visitors 

 to the store of A. W. Smith Co., Pitts- 

 burg. 



THE EXPANSION AT DBEEB'S. 



The brief statement that appears in 

 this week's Philadelphia column of the 

 purchase of a new farm at Eivertou, 

 X. .1., by the Henry A. Dreer Co., covers 

 fruits of much planning. It has been 

 Mr. Eisele's aim to have a thoroughly 

 modern growing plant, where the com- 

 pany' 's specialties could be grown 

 under the most advantageous condi- 

 tions. Mr. Eisele further wished that 

 the new farm should be so laid out 

 that the original idea would be pre- 

 served until the plant was complete; 

 that if not finished during his life-time 

 it might be finished by those who took 

 up his work after him. 



With these ends in view, two farms, 

 comprising in all 12o acres, have just 

 been purchased. This tract of ground 

 is situated on the southeast side of the 

 Pennsj'lvania Eailroad tracks, but a 

 short distance beyond the present plant 

 at Eiverton. The new farm has 2,500 

 feet frontage on the railroad, which 

 Mr. Eisele plans using as a display 

 ground for cannas and for hardy 

 phloxes. On the farm there are forty 

 acres of practically level ground. Here 

 the greenhouses, boiler-shed and pack- 

 ing-shed will be placed. While Mr. 

 Eisele 's ideas may be modified, their 

 general outline will consist in a large 



central boiler-shed, from which glass 

 houses on any part of this forty acres 

 can be heated by hot water under 

 forced circulation. Next to this hcut- 

 ing plant will be a range of ten green- 

 houses, each 21x200 feet, open between, 

 with gutters four and one-half or five 

 feet high. A second range, also cov- 

 ering about one acre in the same dimen- 

 sions, will be separated from the first 

 range by a 10-foot corridor house. This 

 will give no shade and enable the ranjjes 

 to be readily emptied or filled with 

 stock by trucks run through the cor- 

 ridor house to the packing-shed beyond. 

 Between this range and the railroad 

 tracks, in front, 300 feet by the entire 

 length of 2,500 feet, will be reserved 

 for display ground, in full view of the 

 people in the trains, the trains between 

 New York and Atlantic City carrying 

 thousands on this road. 



A siding from the railroad is planned 

 direct to the boiler-shed, running alonjj 

 the ends of the two ranges described 

 and passing the packing-shed, which 

 will be placed between these ranges 

 and the tracks. This will give splendid 

 facilities for handling the stock and 

 the coal. 



Across the siding, opposite the two 

 ranges described, other ranges are 

 planned, exact counterparts in all re- 

 spects. How much glass will be erected 

 now, Mr. Eisele could not say. "It 

 may be one, two or three acres, ' ' he 

 said. "I am in the market for at 

 least 2,000 boxes of glass for 1910." 



Speaking of the immediate use to 

 which the new plant would be devoted, 

 Mr. Eisele said: "It will be for our 

 specialties; possibly a range will be 

 given to Mr. Clark 's nephrolepis, the 

 next range to something else. Our pres- 

 ent place will be assembling ground 

 for the finished products of the new 

 place and of Locust farm. ' ' 



Some idea of the magnitude of the 

 undertaking can be obtained when it 

 is considered that there are seven acres 

 of glass at Eiverton, besides twenty- 

 seven acres in perennials and 6ther 

 plants and in ponds, forty-five acres 

 across the railroad and sevent}' acres 

 more at Locust farm. This, with th'' 



Store of J. C Rennison Co^ Sioux City, la. 



