February 22, 1912. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



11 



Northeast Exposure Porch Hantiog by Fred C. Morris, Hinsdale, III. 



tunate part is that so many are using 

 every dollar for glass and stock that 

 they feel they must get along for a 

 while without printed stationery. Some 

 who make progress otherwise never 

 get so far as having a printed letter- 

 head. Then there is another class who 

 are starting in the business either 

 through developing what was at first 

 a hobby or as a sideline of some other 

 business. The stationery used by the 

 latter is more apt to give the idea that 

 they are not entitled to trade prices- 

 than that they are entitled to them. 



When there is no evidence that a 

 would-be buyer is entitled to trade 

 prices there really is only one thing to 

 be done — ask either retail prices or 

 the missing evidence. Many of the 

 best houses do this, and the trade at 

 large certainly is entitled to this pro- 

 tection. If the custom were general 

 there would be no trouble — the only 

 diilieulty would be in drawing the line, 

 in determining just which ones of the 

 beginners are sufficiently interested in 

 the trade to be entitled to wholesale 

 ••ates. The fact that there are so many 

 who are just on the border line, deriv- 

 ing only part of their income from the 

 florists' business, perhaps leads to the 

 practice of the firms that give whole- 

 sale rates to anyone who buys in whole- 

 sale quantities and under the usual 

 trade conditions. But this is not the 

 best practice; there are wealthy ama- 

 teurs who buy in trade quantities but 

 who should be the customers of the 

 local florists and not of the out-of-town 

 wholesale grower or dealer. Still, if 

 time is taken to investigate the doubt- 

 ful inquiries, it will be found that those 

 who ask for trade rates usually are 

 entitled to them. The Review investi- 



gates every doubtful name that comes 

 into the office. Now and then someone 

 is found to be sailing under false colors, 

 but it almost always turns out that the 

 party is just starting in the business, 

 though there is a sprinkling of those 

 who have been in it a considerable 

 length of time without having advanced 

 to the dignity of printed stationery, or 

 becoming rated or listed anywhere. 



The trade certainly should support 

 the houses that offer the retailer the 

 protection of turning down the orders 

 of those who ask wholesale prices with- 

 out being entitled to them. 



A NOBTHEAST EXPOSURE. 



The accompanying illustration is re- 

 produced from a photograph supplied 

 by Fred C. Morris, Hinsdale, 111. "My 

 object in sending it," writes Mr. Mor- 

 ris, "is to show what can be done 

 with a north porch, as I have no doubt 

 most florists hear frequently the ex- 

 pression, 'Oh, but my porch faces the 

 north and gets little sun. ' My porch 

 fronts north and east. You will no- 

 tice the growth to the north is the 

 most luxuriant. The porch boxes are 

 placed on brackets outside the rail, 

 level with the floor, and are filled on 

 the north with ferns, white petunias, 

 red and white tuberous begonias, Sola- 

 num jasminoides, German ivy and 

 Vinca variegata. On the east, gera- 

 niums, red and white, are used instead 

 of begonias. The bed below is filled 

 with salvias, coleus, a few cannas and 

 an odd palm or two that 'had seen 

 better days,' having been used for deco- 

 rating all winter, edged with white 

 lobelia. The baskets are filled to match 

 the boxes; the vines are Clematis panic- 



ulata and one white cobasa. The whole 

 color scheme is red and white; no other 

 color." 



TEMPEBATITBE FOB ISMENES. 



In The Eeview of February 8, page 

 18, I noticed an inquiry from M. C. in 

 regard to the culture of Ismene cala- 

 thina. May I give M. C. just one im- 

 portant hint? If he keeps his ismenes 

 in a temperature lower than 55 or 60 

 degrees he is liable to lose them; 60 

 to 70 degrees suits them better. 



E. S. Miller. 



CAN THE WATEB BE PUBIFIED7 



Can artesian well water, containing 

 white sulphur, be purified so it can be 

 used for plants and lawns? Please give 

 all information possible, as it injures 

 vegetation when used in its present 

 condition. W. G. 



Sulphur water may contain alkalis 

 which are even more injurious than the 

 sulphur, and it will not be found feasi- 

 ble to attempt to purify the water if 

 in its present form it can not be used 

 with safety upon the plants. The fact 

 that it kills grass where it has been 

 allowed to soak away in large quanti- 

 ties does not necessarily imply that it 

 can not be used in the greenhouse with- 

 out injury, if care is taken that the 

 plants are not overwatered, but all 

 experiments with it should be carried 

 on upon a small scale. 



Great Neck, N. Y.— Wm. W. Mathews 

 is cutting an enormous crop of Freesia 

 Purity and will harvest many thou- 

 sands of bulbs, as usual. 



