Apbil 6, 1011. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



43 



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TREE PLANTING 

 BY FLORISTS 



1 



PUBLI0-3PIBITED FLORISTS. 



What They Might Accomplish. 



The tale from the potting-shed is con- 

 tinued. This time it is along slightly 

 different lines. 



Are we worrying because there is 

 nothing new? It is strange we are 

 never satisfied, but if we were, how 

 quiet things would seem! The florist 

 feels — sometimes, at least — that he is 

 a sort of under dog. Everything goes 

 wrong with him. He never can enjoy 

 himself like other folks. People say 

 to him, "How perfectly lovely it must 

 be to work in a hothouse, with all the 

 beautiful flowers about you!" The 

 florist knows better. He wants a 

 change — something new. Some one has 

 said that "there is nothing new under 

 the sun." Perhaps that is true. Who 

 can tell? 



There are a whole lot of things, old 

 pal, that go to make this old ball well 

 worth knowing. What if we do knock 

 and knock and knock when things go 

 wrong? We can help a little to make 

 things brighter if we only would. The 

 trouble is, we don't think. When we 

 run across an opportunity to do some 

 good, or to start something worth while, 

 we usually let the other fellow beat 

 us to it or leisurely take our time. 

 Why can't we try to do something and 

 be somebody? Nobody is going to earn 

 our three "squares" for us — at least 

 not yet. 



I have always wondered, fellows, why 

 it is that the florist does not exert more 

 influence in the shaping of our civic 

 affairs. He does a lot, of course, but 

 why not more? I have had several 

 thoughts along that line lately and I am 

 going to spring a few on you. 



A Boom for Tree Planting. 



Why is it that the florist isn't boom- 

 ing the tree planting question in his 

 own community? Did you ever stop to 

 think of the thousands of acres of fer- 

 tile land that are going to waste along 

 our public highways? Did you ever 

 think that you could start a "Tree 

 Preservation Society" in your own lo- 

 cality? Did you ever thing that maybe 

 you could do a lot toward educating 

 the masses in your chosen line, and 

 thereby increase your business? We 

 can't always be in the receiving line. 

 We must give occasionally. The change 

 does us good. 



What do you think would be the re- 

 sult if every florist appointed himself 

 a committee of one to encourage the 

 planting of nut-bearing and fruit-bear- 

 ing trees along the roadsides? T pro- 

 pounded that question to a prominent 

 farmer not long ago and he replied, 

 "Why, every Tom, Dick and Harry 

 would make our life a burden. They 

 would help themselves and we couldn't 

 prevent it." That is one way to con- 

 sider it — rather a selfish way, however. 

 Personally, I do not understand how 



.J 



the farmer would be disturbed. At 

 first he might have more company along 

 his fence lines than formerly, but if 

 every one had the same thing to con- 

 tend with it would be but a short time 

 until people would wake up to the fact 

 that they had no business to intrude. 

 Over in Germany the plan is already 

 being followed, and with great results. 

 Think of the profit in nuts and fruits! 

 Think of the effect millions of trees 

 would have on climatic conditions! 

 Then think of the beautiful highways! 

 Give us the trees. 



Over in Iowa they are trying to make 

 the highways narrower, because only 

 a narrow road is required for driving 

 purposes. It is said, too, that by re- 

 ducing the width, more than a half mil- 

 lion acres will be available for cultiva- 

 tion. It strikes me that some farmers 

 don't half farm the land they now 

 have. It will be easy to remove the 

 trees if the population becomes so dense 

 that every inch of land is necessary 

 for the people's support. We need the 

 trees. The farmer doesn't need the 

 land; at least, not while you and I are 

 here. 



Jolting the Bead Commissioners. 



Concerted action by the florists 

 would go a long way toward securing 

 what is needed in this matter. Why 

 wouldn't it be a good plan to jolt your 

 road commissioners? It seems to me 

 that the best way would be to amend 

 the law of road making so that it 

 would include tree planting as well. It 

 only costs about two per cent of the 

 cost per mile of road construction to 

 plant the same mile with trees. Say a 

 mile of road costs $8,000; the cost of 

 planting would be $160. How insig 

 nificant this is when you consider the 

 benefit to be derived! Don't think that 

 [Concluded on page 86.] 



A STEBUNO ESTABLISHMENT. 



When Eobert Lundstrom took posses- 

 sion of the property of the Sterling 

 Floral Co., at Sterling, 111., a few years 

 ago, the establishment consisted of only 

 a couple of small houses, but business 

 was just beginning to grow and in the 

 course of the next four or five years 

 there was a steady addition to the 

 plant, shown in the accompanying illus- 

 tration, in which, however, one house 

 24x120 does not appear. Plans now in 

 hand contemplate the erection of two 

 more houses this season. It is in such 

 towns as Sterling that the flower busi- 

 ness is now having its fastest growth. 

 All through the country, florists sit- 

 uated as Mr. Lundstrom is, are finding 

 a demand for more stock than they can 

 produce and they are building exten- 

 sively this year. 



BOSTON. 



The Market. 



Business during the National Flower 

 Show was fairly good. The big exhibi- 

 tion consumed quite a lot of material, 

 which materially relieved the market, 

 and there is every prospect of satis- 

 factory trade between now and Easter. 

 The supply of Easter lily flowers arriv- 

 ing in a cut state is good. Easter quo- 

 tations vary from $10 to $12.50 per 

 hundred and about every grower is of 

 the opinion that his crop will be just 

 right. While a few Formosas are seen, 

 the majority are giganteums, with a 

 smaller proportion of multiflorums. 

 Koses are in quite abundant supply; 

 whites are selling extra well and on 

 some days have been quite scarce. Best 

 quality American Beauties maintain 

 previous quotations and there is an 

 active demand for Wards, Eichmonds 

 and Killarneys. Of Bon Silene and 

 Safrano good flowers also are coming 

 in. Hybrids, once so popular at this 

 season, are now virtually a thing of 

 the past. Carnations are selling at last 

 week's rates and, thanks to continued 

 cool weather, are of good quality. 



Single violets are seen in much les- 

 sened numbers and will soon be over, 

 but doubles will last for some time. 

 Sweet peas are still improving in qual- 

 ity, and although abundant are moving 

 freely. While all colors are represent- 



Establishment of the Sterling Floral Co., Sterling, III. 



