22 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



April 1, lOO'J. 



}0u, you may be able to popularize the 

 ealla by some skillful arraiifjemeut. 



A most interesting ami helpful display 

 <jroup for the store or window decoration 

 is a collection of uarcissi of all possible 

 kinds. Put in small vases with one or 

 two llowors, set close together like a field 

 or bod of the growing plants. 



With azaleas, 1-aster lilies or candi- 

 dums, a(hl some sprays of one kind of 

 fruit blossoms and a few gootl specimens 

 of Pteris treiniila ()r Boston ferns. If 

 a window Door is covered, make at least 

 one break in the uniformity by setting 

 up one (ir two |ilants on a stumj) or a 

 ])e(lestal, with the introduction of the 

 above ad<liii()n8. Gektrude Blair. 



PREPARATIONS FOR THE RUSH. 



Being Ready Half the Battle. 



No time should now be lost iu com- 

 pleting ]irr[jarations i'uv the Kaster busi- 

 ness. 



Thore nro two lines of preparatiim 

 which are oiiu.-illy essential. In the first 

 place, it is, of course, necessary to have 

 something to sell. f.aster is the great 

 floral holiday of tin' year, the day upon 

 which the well stockeil flower store does 

 nu)re business than on any otlier day in 

 the whole year. Once njion a time a cer- 

 tain geiitlcinan asked a wise man for the 

 recipe for making a ral)bit stew. The 

 answer was, ''First catch yonr rabliit.'' 

 and the same applies to the Easter tratle. 

 First of all, you nmst have something to 

 sell. Tf you haven 't got it in your owu 

 greenhouses, uo time nnist l)e lost in 

 ordering of others. And order ])lenty. 

 With the assurance of a large supply 

 of good stock at reasonable prices, you 

 will have the coiitidence to go aheati 

 with the selliii<: end and pnsli the week's 

 business tii a satisfactory and ])rofitable 

 conidiision. iJon 't fail to jirovide variety 

 in your stock. Xoi everyone wants lilies 

 at Faster. While the lily is the flowei' 

 of the day, more will lie interested in a 

 pan of tulips or in s<ime other smaller 

 arrangement. 



Then, too, cut llo\\ers .are as essential 

 as a well selectotl stock of jdants in 



bloom. Whatever may be said,|the aver- 

 age person would rather have cftfflowers 

 than plants, and this is especially true 

 of those who buy flowers only on rare 

 occasions. Cut flowers at lOaster are 

 more plentiful aiAl more reasonable in 

 |)rice than at Christmas, and with good 

 weather tlie (juality also is fully as satis- 

 factory, so that all that needs be done to 

 do a large and profitable business in cut 

 stock is to j)rovide the flowers, anil let 

 the people know you li.ave them. Ad- 

 vertise in your local pajier and make a 

 good window disi)lay. 



Handling the Rush. 



Having arranged for stock, it is time 

 to turn attention to the facilities for 

 display, for taking orders, for filling 

 orders and for delivery. Where a big 

 increase in business is expected, all' 

 these things rt'(iuire careful attention 

 antl systematizing. 



An attractive store is of yreat assist 

 ance in attracting custom. l''(irtunate. 

 indeed, is the florist who has a green- 

 house in connection Avith his ret.ail store. 

 The average store does not .alfonl the 

 space or the light for best display of 

 Faster plant' arrangements. If you have 

 no conservatory, you" nmst make the best 

 use ])ossible of the space in your store, 

 but if a conserv.atoiy is available, by all 

 means clear it of the ordinary stock and 

 use it for the display of Faster jilant 

 arrangements. Arrange the store to look 

 its prettiest and draw the customers in, 

 but once having them inside, take them 

 into the conservatory and carry there 

 most of the stock prepared for their 

 insjiection. Remember that a crowded 

 store loses trade — people won't come in 

 if there is a crush, or if in, will not buy 

 so freely. 



The Little Things. 



Have you all the thousand and one ar 

 tides you need for the Faster work ? 

 How are the cut flower boxes? Have you 

 enough of each size to carry you 

 through the rush? Make up a stock, so 

 that when it comes to jaitting up orders 

 in tlii^ sle<'pless night ot' April 10, valu- 

 able time need imt be consumed, in this 



work, Nvhich can be done in idle hi 

 meats now. The twine and wrapjiir. 

 paper Ijoth should be in ample su[ipl 

 It more than once has occurred tli; 

 these simple items have been found ni 

 ning short because of lack of lot 

 thought to purchase in advance. 



liow about pot covers? Jn many i 

 the smaller cities little yet is done in tl . 

 way of j)lant embellishment, but if i 

 florist in your town makes it a ]ira. 

 tiee to send out his holiday j)lants w)i 

 pot covers, set the fashion this Fast' 

 and watch your business grow. A p. 

 cover is but the maiter of a fc'w pennn 

 and you need add nothing to the se|; 

 ing price of even ihe sni.'illest ])lant 1" 

 cause of a cre])e paper embellishmeir 

 Kor better jilants you can use bettc^r co\ 

 ers and it won't be long l)efore you liie 

 the trade will |>ay enough inore for ; 

 plant with a pot cover to afford tic 

 florist a good profit on the cost of tii^ 

 embellishment. 



Adding Variety to the Stock. 



In stores of better class the plani- 

 nowad.ays are transferred from tluv com 

 mon flower j)ot to something better ii 

 the way of uiu(iue and tasteful pottcr\ 

 or hampers, b.askets and all sorts of odn 

 but suitable receptacles, 'nie/e is sucl 

 a great variety in this class <is supplier 

 that any store can find somc'thing whici, 

 corresponds to the class of trade han 

 died. ' ( 



The use of these lequisiteS serves i\\< 

 purposes. If in the beginning they must 

 lie sold at cost, their use is ]irolitable iii 

 that they add nuich to the variety of tin 

 stock, and it is in variety that the aver 

 age flower store is most lacking. Yeai 



after vear the same things are offi.'rc 



and, naturallv 



the customers feel tli' 

 lack of novelty. Show something new 

 and different if you want to make .sale-. 

 If you haven't a thing in your stock bn' 

 tuli[is in bloom, you can arrange an eml 

 less variety by j)lanting them in dit 

 ferent kinds of pans, baskets and boxe> 

 You can make uj) a big stock with no two 

 alike. Put to do this you nmst make 

 preparations in advance. You must i^et 

 itff an order to your supply house with 



-^ / . 



The Baby Rambler Can Be Made Up in Hundreds of Attractive Ways. 



