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10 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



May 4. 1911. 



jjeneral class? Yes. ProceiMlinjj; down 

 the list, we find that tulips, daffodils, 

 freesias and Bride gladioli all show a 

 favorable test of the formula, the last 

 mentioned being the best of all, espe- 

 cially with the lavender or yellow iris; 

 purple iris and candidums would be a 

 close second. Orchids show a good 

 combination percentage, especially in 

 funeral sprays; gardenias, a fair [)er- 

 ceutsige. 



Where and How to Use the Iris. 



By their length of stem and grandee 

 style the various irises are especially 

 well adapted for tall decorative effects 

 in large places, but should not be 

 cramped into short table decorations or 

 under a low ceiling. 



Like nearly all flowers, the iris in 

 spray work should not be allowed to lie 

 hard and flat. Hither tie the stems 

 tightly enough to pry the flowers into 

 a swinging position, or support them 

 under the lower' stems with a thick pad 

 of green, to raise the flowers up. Avoid 

 showing a too thick mat of green under 

 the tip end of the spray. Manage, by 

 wiring or the means just suggested, to 

 keep the flowers free from any sup- 

 port. By placing them in a half re- 

 cumbent position, more expression is 

 given to the individual flowers and to 

 the finished design than can be at- 

 tained in any flat, all headed-one-way 

 collection. One pleasant change was 

 once suggested by a customer, who 

 bought a number of choice roses and 

 greens. The roses he scattered loosely 

 over the top of a casket, with enough 

 green to support them. Nothing else 

 was put on the casket whatever. 



But to our principal subject. Ignor- 

 ing for once the usual ferns, asparagus 

 and other greens used in spray work, 



trade. Two cars similar to the one 

 illustrated herewith arc now in con- 

 stant operation, together with a 3- 

 wheeled affair used for quick trips with 

 s])ecial orders. Mr. Palmer says that 

 he has not been able to find any great 

 degree of economy in the operation 

 of these high class cars as a substitute 

 for wagons, any more than he has 

 found it possible to reduce rents by 

 moving into better stores on busier 

 streets; he considers that his gain is 

 the same gain that is made by having 

 a fine store in the best location in town. 



AUTOMOBILE DELIVERY. 



Selecting a Car. 



When a customer is confronted with 

 a whole house of Boston ferns, she 

 finds it difficult to decide just which 

 one she should buy, as they all look 

 about alike, at least to the inexpe- 

 rienced. 8o it is with automobiles — at 

 least with commercial automobiles; 

 they all look about alike, except in size 

 and color, to one not familiar with 

 their mechanism. 



Many florists, therefore, after de- 

 ciding to invest in an auto, find it quite 

 a problem to decide just what kind of 

 car to purchase, and I trust that the 

 following observations, based on a 

 year 's experience and a deep interest 

 in the subject, may assist the novice in 

 selecting a delivery car which will 

 prove a jniying proposition. 



Its Carrying Capacity. 



Before going into other details, it is 

 necessary to consider what will be re- 

 quired of the car. A heavy' draft 

 horse gives good service in slow, heavy 

 pulling, but would not last long for 



Type of Car Used by W. J. Palmer & Son, Buffalo. 



get together plenty of the iris foliage 

 and lay the spray on a mat of pussy 

 willows. Tie with Nile green chiffon. 

 You will like it. Gertrude Blair. 



PALMER AND THE AUTO. 



W. J. Palmer & Son, Buffalo, were 

 not only among the first to use auto- 

 mobiles' for delivery purposes, but they 

 are now among the largest users in this 



rapid, light delivery, and so it is with 

 an auto. If you want a vehicle to 

 be used mainly for carrying large loads 

 of decorating i)lant8, then I would ad- 

 vise buying a chassis with a capacity 

 of about one ton, and a good, large, 

 specially built body. On the other 

 hand, if the vehicle is to be used daily 

 for general delivery, a car of one-half 

 the aforementioned carrying capacity 

 should be purchased. 



The Motive Power. 



The vital part of the auto is, of 

 course, the engine or motor. A 2-cylin- 

 der, opposed motor appeals to the 

 writer. Such a motor is quite powerful, 

 consumes a minimum of gasoline, re- 

 quires less knowledge on the part of 

 the chauffeur or owner and will give 

 less trouble than a 4-cylinder motor, 

 as there is just one-half the wiring, as 

 well as fewer spark-plugs, valves, etc. 



If your car is to be driven by dif- 

 ferent members of your force, or if 

 you do not intend putting it into the 

 hands of a really good, practical man, 

 by all means get a car having planet- 

 ary transmission. In this the gears 

 are always in mesh and careless han- 

 dling can do but little damage to the 

 transmission. 



Chain-driven ears, while more noisy 

 than shaft-driven cars and not so eas- 

 ily kept clean, are nevertheless the best 

 for commercial use. When heavy roads 

 are encountered, the giving of the shaft 

 causes much loss of power; the slack 

 of the chains also saves the motor to 

 a large degree. 



The Brakes. 



Another important feature is the 

 brakes. The car should be equipped 

 with two distinct sets of brakes. The 

 brake bands should be accessible and 

 the rods should be easily adjusted. 

 From time to time the brakes will need 

 adjusting, so that, when they are prop- 

 erly applied, the car may be gradually 

 brought to a stop. Brakes that grip 

 the wheels tightly at the least appli- 

 cation, causing the wheels to slide, will 

 triple the expense for tires. 



The radiator should not be attached 

 rigidly to the chassis, or the constant 

 vibration will soon cause it to leak. 



In order to be entirely practical for 

 florists' use, the auto should be so con- 

 structed that it can be throttled down 

 to four or five miles per hour on a 

 street that is poorly paved. This is 

 quite essential. On the other hand, 

 the car should be good for from 

 eighteen to twenty miles per hour on a 

 good street, for in the speed of an 

 auto really lies the secret of its being 

 cheaper than horses for the florist, if 

 properly handled. 



The Tires. 



The style of tires is usually optional, 

 but my advice would be to choose 

 pneumatic tires for a car that is to be 

 used for general delivery. The only 

 advantage in the use of solid tires- is 

 the total elimination of tire trouble, 

 but this advantage is more than offset 

 by the easy riding qualities of the 

 pneumatic tires. These greatly reduce 

 the vibration, and thus they not only 

 lessen the liability of damage to our 

 wares, but are much easier on the 

 motor. 



As to the matter of lights, the elec- 

 tric lights are the most practical for 

 a commercial auto. They are not as 

 powerful as gas lamps, but are satis- 

 factory for city use. 



Electric Cars. 



In my articles on the subject of auto- 

 mobiles I have not once referred to 

 electric cars. • The present cost of these 

 is so high as to be almost prohibitive. 

 Among the merits of the electric ma- 

 chines are their simplicity of operation 

 and the absence of carbureter and 

 spark-plug troubles, but they have not 

 the speed of gasoline cars and can be 



