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March 0, 1011. ' 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



15 



A Typical Interior at Riverview. 



much for that product knows just how 

 he stands on each. ' ' 



Did it ever occur to you that per- 

 haps one reason why the big fellow has 

 become a big fellow is because he has 

 kept posted and played only the win- 

 ning games? 



I will admit that the man who grows 

 miscellaneous stock is handicapped in 

 keeping records, but are you doing the 

 best you can? You cannot tell how 

 much it costs to grow Killarney and 

 how much it produces, when you have 

 a bench and a half in a mixed house; 

 while the man who grows a section 

 finds it possible to figure profit or loss 

 almost to the penny. Are you keeping 

 track of the number of blooms? This 

 will mean something to you, even 

 though you cannot tell what they sell 

 for. Are you growing three shades of 

 pink carnations that are nearly the 

 same and yet will not go with each 

 other, when the same number of plants 

 in either of the three would enable you 

 to fill larger orders? I have noticed 

 that the larger a place becomes, the 

 fewer varieties there are grown. 



Things That Never Pay. 



There are many things that show 

 themselves to be unprofitable without 

 figures if a person just goes over the 

 list and gives them a little thought. 

 There are palms that have been kept 

 from one year to another until they 

 have become too large for the custom- 

 ers' needs. "When this happens, they 

 are a dead loss, taking up space and 

 producing nothing. They should be dis- 

 posed of to firms that use the larger 

 sizes, and the space filled with stock 

 that can be turned. A lady once called 

 up a florist and informed him that her 

 palm had died the day before. Most 

 of us cannot be so definite on such a 

 subject; neither can we tell the exact 

 date when a plant ceases to be profit- 

 able, but we should try to come as near 

 it as possible, because poor guessing or 

 indifference means steady losses. 



Often there are pets in the shape of 

 vines or plants that have grown up a 

 post or in the end of a house, that year 

 by year get larger, shade the other 

 stock and sap the strength from it. 

 They often produce flowers that are 

 handy for funeral work, and for this 

 reason are allowed to keep on growing. 



It is well to stop once in a while and 

 decide whether or not such a vine is 

 producing more than it is damaging. 



Then there is stock kept year after 

 year that produces nothing, yet the 

 owner does not throw it away. I know 

 of a batch of orchids that do not have 

 and can not have proper attention. 

 They produce practically nothing. The 

 owner says he can not afford to throw 

 them away, and he is ashamed to offer 

 them for sale until he gets them into 

 better shape. They never get into bet- 

 ter shape, and they owe three years' 

 board bill already. 



The Thing to Do. 



Stop for a moment and figure. A 

 total loss on one bench eats up all of 

 a twenty-five per cent profit on four 

 other benches. You would be just as 

 well off with none of the five. If the 

 loss is half of total it eats up the 

 profits of two others producing twenty- 

 five per cent profit. You would be just 

 as well off with none 6f the three. 

 This shows how important it is to have 

 every square foot producing. 



To keep posted means to take some 

 time once in a while from the general 

 rush of business, collect what figures 

 are available, and guess as intelligently 

 as possible on the rest. Then you are 

 in a position to decide what is paying 

 and what is not. Of course, the next 

 step is to drop the unprofitable, or, if 

 it is something that has to be kept, 

 devise means to make it profitable. 



Hoosier. 



SMILAX FROM SEED. 



Please tell us how to grow smilax. 

 How long does it take for the seed to 

 germinate? J. W. E. & C. 



The seed of smilax will germinate in 

 from two to three weeks in a warm, 

 moist house. Sow in flats of light, 

 sandy compost. Pot off singly into 2- 

 inch pots before the seedlings get 

 crowded. Later shift into 3-inch or 

 31/^-inch pots, and from those plant out 

 in a greenhouse where a night tempera- 

 ture of 55 to 60 degrees can be main- 

 tained. Solid beds are much preferable 

 to raised benches, and a generous com- 

 post containing plenty of well rotted 

 cow manure should be used. Plant out 

 in June or July, eight inches between 

 the plants, a foot between the rows. 

 Strings, which should be of green 

 twine, must be run up for the shoots 

 to cling to before they can become 

 entangled. Keep a moist atmosphere 

 and syringe freely to keep down spider. 

 After the strings are cut keep the roots 

 dry for a time. Then give a liberal 

 top-dressing and resting and start up 

 for another crop. You should have no 

 trouble in getting three crops in a 

 year. The old roots may be carried 

 over for several years, but the general 

 and better plan is to plant young stock 

 annually. C. W. 



Hoffmans, N. Y.— J. C. Hatcher is 

 sending out his new asparagus in thrifty 

 stock. One requirement for' the suc- 

 cessful growing of it is plenty of drain- 

 age — the more the better. This variety, 

 Ilatcherii, is said to be a freer grower 

 than plumosus, producing a much 

 heavier string, bushier and a longer 

 keeper. It is said that strings cut three 

 weeks ago and placed in the basement 

 cooler, recently built, look as fresh as 

 when first gathered. 



End of the Service Building at Riverview. 



