Febrlaiiy 20, 1913. 



The Florists^ Review 



13 



A. B. Beynolds, BaJlstoo Spa, N. Y., in Geranium House. 



stems, and is the florists' standby among 

 early asters. In benching asters, re- 

 member that they appreciate a good 

 soil, suc'h as mums would thrive in. 

 As between disbudded and naturally 

 },frown plants, the latter pay far the 

 best. 



Azaleas. 



The Easter azaleas should by this 

 time be placed in a little more heat. 

 They will not need any hard forcing, 

 for the months of December and Janu- 

 ary were so warm that they are more 

 advanced than is usual at this date. A 

 night temperature of 50 degrees should 

 prove sufficiently high for them. If 

 they are seen to be at all late, apply a 

 few degrees more heat, but do it a week 

 or two before Easter rather than rush 

 them during the last few days. Though 

 white is looked upon as the Easter 

 <-olor, it has been found of late years 

 that colored varieties sell much the 

 Ijest. 



THE FLOEIST AND HIS MAEKET. 



I was much interested in "The Flo- 

 rist and His Market," in a recent issue 

 of The Review. The writer evidently 

 was confident that by reaching out 

 something could be plucked. But it is 

 nlso plainly evident that he was reach- 

 ing in the dark; and when a fellow 

 Teaches out in the dark he can't always 

 ■fell what he is going to get hold of. 

 Now, I am one of the florists who have 

 fio glass except the one that sits beside 

 flie bottle on the rear shelf, and we 

 don't do much propagating under that. 

 1 can give only the retail or distrib- 

 utor's point of view. 



In the start, we all know that the 

 demand creates the price. To get the 

 price, a demand must be created. And 

 it's needless for me to tell you who 

 has done the struggling to create the 

 demand. It surely is not the growers* 

 All that they do is to push up the 

 price as fast as the demand increases. 



Suppose I should write an article on 

 why people sliould send flowers instead 

 of doggerel verses and cheap litho- 

 graphs on lace paper to their friends on 

 iSt. Valentine's day and have it in- 

 serted' in each daily paper at the ex- 

 pense of $200 and have our business 

 address under each article; who would 

 derive the most benefits? Some of the 

 retail florists would share our beneflta, 

 and all the growers. Now, if the grow- 



ers are benefited by advertising, why 

 don't they put up for advertising pur- 

 poses? Simply because most of them 

 are Missourians and you have to show 

 them. To illustrate, take the whole- 

 sale plantsmen. They are keen enough 

 to reach the dealers, but did you ever 

 hear of their making any attempt to 

 show the people what palms are raised 

 for, and how they can be used to im- 

 prove the surroundings of the home, 

 and what a lovely present they would 

 make ffcr a desff- friend? Not at all! 

 They believe tlKat is the duty of the 

 retailer. But if- we could place it be- 

 fore one of them in such a light that 

 he would see that it would create a 

 demand for his stock, he would put up, 

 not $5 a year as members of the S. A. 

 F., but $500 for publicity, and every 

 large grower of palms, ferns and all 

 sorts of cut flowers would do likewise^ 

 There is no reason why the plant 

 and cut flower business can not be 

 doubled within twelve months after 

 the growers once get it into their heads 

 that it is their business as much as it 

 is the retailers' to create a demand for 

 their stock. Also, as the flower busi- 

 ness increases , there will be a greater 

 demand for florists' supplies and one 

 could get liberal subscriptions from the 

 dealers in them. There should be no 



trouble, if worked up right, to raise 

 $50,000 east of the Mississippi to adver- 

 tise and create a demand for cut flowers 

 and plants. The only question is, who 

 will get at the helm ? Frank Shibeley. 

 San Francisco, Cal. 



READY FOR SPRING AT THE SPA. 



At Ballston Spa, N. Y., A. B. Rey- 

 nolds has been in the business for five 

 years. So successful has been his work 

 that each year he has made a small 

 addition to his plant, shown in the ac- 

 companying illustration, which now con- 

 sists of two houses, each 17x112. His 

 specialty is geraniums, with some sweet 

 peas, followed by vegetable plants in 

 the spring. He does a nice wholesale 

 business with the trade on geranium 

 cuttings and 2-inch plants, and has a 

 good local business in vegetable and 

 bedding plants. He is a believer in 

 plenty of sunlight and air for the gera- 

 nium houses, both for the cutting 

 bench and for the stock plants. His 

 location is excellent, being protected 

 from the winds by the surrounding 

 hills. At first glance it looks as though 

 here is a greenhouse without a chim- 

 ney, but as a matter of fact there is a 

 2-foot chimney projecting above the 

 boiler house. He says he gets a good 

 draft by using coarse coal. Mr. Rey- 

 nolds is shown in one of his geranium 

 houses in the upper illustration. 



GODFREY CAIiLAS. 



Kindly let us know what is the 

 proper treatment for Godfrey callas. 

 We have just received a shipiJifent, out 

 in leaf, from 3-inch pots, and are not 

 sure as to their treatment. 



W. M. R. S. 



Give the callas a warm house, with 

 a temperature of 55 to 60 degrees at 

 night. If they were well matted with 

 roots they should have been shifted 

 into 5-inch pots. The summer treat- 

 ment does not differ from that of the 

 ordinary calla, but in the case of young 

 stock you could strengthen the plants 

 a great deal by planting outdoors in 

 well enriched ground and potting thejn 

 up from the middle to the end of 

 August. C. W. 



Montgomery on Grafted Roses, sent 

 by The Review for 25 cents. 



Establishment of A. B. Reynolds, Ballston Spa, N. Y. 



