Jolt 25, 1912. 



The Florists' Review 



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THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



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ART IN DESIGN WOBK. 



Does Art Add to Profits? 



The recent criticisms of design photo- 

 graphs, published in the Betail depart- 

 ment of The Review, were the subject 

 of discussion a short time ago in a 

 store where a good deal of design work 

 is carried out, and it appeared to be 

 the general opinion that art was not 

 looked for or needed, but that a showy 

 design, with lots of good stock, was the 

 one to catch the eye of the public. 

 " It 's the dollars we 're after, ' ' said a 

 successful retailer, * ' not highbrow 

 ideas." 



Art as an Aid to Economy. 



Tt is true that we are after the dol- 

 lars, but it is also true that in many 

 cases a design made from a few flowers, 

 and therefore more profitable to the re- 

 tailer than a heavy design in which 

 more flowers are used, is the more 

 artistic. 



Art has taken so many forms that the 

 word is somewhat ambiguous. To be 

 successful, a design must be pleasing 

 to the eye of a person of artistic tastes. 

 And flowers fall so naturally into pleas- 

 ing poses, so to speak, that there is no 

 need to strive after artistic effects. 

 The more simple and natural any floral 

 arrangement is, the more pleasing it is; 

 and, incidentally, the fewer flowers 

 used, the morq profit made. 



Flowers in Unnatural Positions. 



T always dislike to see flowers used in 

 unnatural positions. A good idea of 

 what I mean may be obtained now 

 in almost any flower store. Gladiolus 

 America is one of the most commonly 

 used flowers at this season. There is 

 nothing finer for the base, say, of a 

 standing or pedestal wreath, when the 

 spikes of flowers stand out naturally 

 as they grow, each showing its flowers 

 to the best advantage. But too often 

 we see the same flower spikes short- 

 ened, the unopened buds on the top 

 removed and the spikes stuck in at 

 any old angle all around a wreath, in 

 a pillow (save the mark) or in some 

 other design. This is surely not art- 

 istic; it is not pleasing, nor is it espe- 

 cially profitable, as there are plenty 

 of other flowers more suitable and 

 equally cheap. 



Overdressed with Maidenhair. 



Another point in made-up work that 

 if often overdone is the dressing or 

 finishing with maidenhair ferns. In the 

 years that are past the small pinnated 

 Adiantum gracillimum was more grown 

 ^or florists' use than now, and dec- 

 orators used it as a kind of veil over 

 their choicest flowers. So fine, were the 

 fronds that the contour and substance 

 of every petal could be clearly seen 

 through this veil or mist of green. 

 Like a lovely face, their beauty was en- 

 hanced. But nowadays there seems to 



be another reason for the use of the 

 veil, and defects hidden are more com- 

 mon than beauties enhanced. Anyway, 

 the heavy dressing of A. cuneatum, so 

 frequently seen, is not by any means 

 beautiful or satisfactory. 



Misusing the Easter Iiily. 



Another chaste and lovely flower that 

 is often ill-used is the Easter lily. 

 Shown naturally on the stem, it has 

 poise and elegance aside from its chaste 

 laeauty, but, stuck stiffly in a wreath 

 and "dressed" with maidenhair, it 

 loses much of its individuality and 

 becomes "one of the crowd," 



The Japanese have long been famed 

 for their illustrative work with flow- 



A LOS ANGELES WBEATH. 



The wreath shown in the accompany- 

 ing illustration is one of a number of 

 fine pieces made by the Hayward Floral 

 Co., Los Angeles, Cal., for a recent 

 funeral. Hyacinths, freesias and sweet 

 peas are the principal flowers used. 



A COBBEOTION. 



In The Eeview of June 20, Miss 

 Cabaniss quotes me as advocating 

 sprays to the exclusion of designs. She 

 either misread or misunderstood my 

 words. 1 have advocated sprays in 

 place of small designs or extremely 

 cheap ones, but not so sweepingly as 

 she quotes. Will you kindly insert this 

 correction? Gertrude Blair. 



UNDERTAKERS' COMMISSIONS. 



Is it a general custom among the 

 florists of the United States to allow 

 undertakers twenty per cent discount 

 on orders for funeral flowers? It seems 

 as though this percentage is more than 

 it ought to be, when we take into con- 

 sideration the small effort put forth 

 by the undertaker. Our wholesale men 

 ask fifteen per cent and run a large 





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Wreath by the Hayward Floral Co., Lot Angeles, Gil. 



era, each twig and leaf telling its own 

 story or its part in the story, and al- 

 though this is perhaps too deep and 

 involved a subject for American design- 

 ers to go into, yet a little more study 

 as to the natural pose of the flowers 

 used, and their suitability or otherwise 

 for certain purposes, would be a de- 

 cided gain. K. 



Newark, O. — Kent Bros, have 

 stalled a fine new refrigerator 



in- 



part of their business on that percent- 

 age. It means plenty of hard work for 

 them. We should like the opinion of 

 several florists in this matter. Ought 

 not the percentage allowed be one gen- 

 erally used throughout the country? 



S. & S. 



The Eeview believes that payment 

 for services should be, first of all, in 

 proportion to the value of the services, 

 with consideration of the effort re- 



