December 26, 1912. 



The Florists' Review 



9 



A BECOBD-BBEAEING BUSINESS. 



Some of Its Lessons. 



The Thanksgiving business in 1912 

 gave a tremendous stimulus to prepara- 

 tions for the Christmas trade. The 

 Thanksgiving demand was so gratify- 

 ingly ahead of previous years that it 

 afforded every encouragement to be- 

 lieve that Christmas also would break 

 all previous records. There never has 

 been any difficulty in selling all the 

 ■stock of certain kinds which was avail- 

 able at Christmas, and this year extra 

 •efforts were made in all directions to 

 add to the supply of the articles recog- 

 nized as ready sellers. The trade every- 

 where was confident and never in the 

 previous history of the flower business 

 have florists offered such great quanti- 

 ties of material to the buyers of Christ- 

 mas gifts. 



In addition to preparing for a big 

 business, the far-seeing members of the 

 trade made special effort along the line 

 of getting early orders. Christmas 

 coming Wednesday this year left a 

 short selling season. Ordinarily a holi- 

 day business covers three days, but this 

 year Sunday intervened. Some sought 

 to handle their Christmas rush in the 

 two days preceding the holiday, but the 

 more far-seeing ones recognized the 

 impossibility of handling so big a 

 volume in so short a time and made 

 special effort to get the buyers started 

 in the week preceding Christmas. This 

 was done by providing an early display, 

 and the use of the local newspapers. 



Perpetuated Materials. 

 One of the notable features of the 

 Christmas business has been the enor- 

 mous increase in the sale of prepared 

 foliages. This material also assisted 

 the retailers in lengthening the selling 

 season. It was possible to make a big 

 display of the articles made of per- 

 petuated materials, for there was no 

 danger of deterioration. In many cases 

 quantities of baskets of ruscus and 

 other similar stock which had been 

 made up some days in advance of 

 Christmas, with the idea of providing 

 a bright display and having the articles 

 ready when needed, sold so rapidly that 

 they were completely cleaned out days 

 ahead of the anticipated time. The 

 supply houses say they never have 

 experienced anything like the rush of 

 orders by wire asking the duplication 

 of previous orders for small baskets, 

 preferably red, ruscus, statice, pine 

 cones and similar articles. Simply thou- 

 sands upon thousands of baskets have 



been sold filled with red ruscus, box- 

 wood, statice, cones, thistles and other 

 similar material in endless variety of 

 combination. Bed has, of course, been 

 the prevailing color, with red and green 

 the popular combination. An immense 

 quantity of ribbon has been used, more 

 than ever before. 



The use of "artificial" material has 

 not met with unqualified approval, but 

 the criticism is usually on the part of 

 those who have expected to feel the 

 press of this new competition. The 

 retailers have been in search of variety 

 — and dollars. 



Blooming Plants. 



The season appears to have been an 

 unfavorable one for the plant growers 



The Kdltor Is pleased 

 wben a Reader 

 presents Ills Ideas 

 on any subject treated In 



.^/jj)*^ 



As experience Is the best 

 teacher, so do ■we 

 leam fastest by on 

 ezctaansre of experiences. 

 BSany valiiable points 

 are brousht out 

 by discussion. 



Good penmanship, spellintr and 

 grammar, thouKh desirable, are not 

 necessary. Write as you would talk 

 when doing your best. 



WK 8HAXX BE GLAD 

 TO HKAR FROM TOU 



and an exceedingly favorable one for 

 the plant sellers. In many cases the 

 stock was ready too early, and the 

 variety offered this season showed little 

 in the way of novelty. The big sellers 

 have been the cyclamen, the poinsettia, 

 and the primula. Of these the growers 

 were cleaned up days in advance of the 

 holiday, providing they let it be known 

 what they had for sale, and the demand 

 at retail has been something simply 

 enormous. There appears to be no pos- 

 sibility of any early oversupply of well- 



grown plants of these varieties. The 

 possibilities of marketing at profitable 

 prices are simply without a limit. 



Other plants have sold well but in 

 rather less quantities. The Lorraine 

 begonia has largely ^ven place to Cin- 

 cinnati, which is giving better satisfac- 

 tion, but the buyers are afraid of the 

 begonia. It sells well to persons who 

 do not value money highly, but not in 

 the average run of stores. The cheaper 

 class of berried plants has sold stronger 

 than ever before and there has been a 

 big market for the higher priced stock 

 in this line, ardisias having been offered 

 in greater quantities than in any pre- 

 vious year and selling clean. Aucubas 

 and skimmias have had good sale in the 

 few localities in which they were 

 offered. 



With the flowering plants, more or 

 less of the standard decorative varie- 

 ties have been used. The araucaria 

 appears to be returning to favor as a 

 Christmas specialty. Dressed up with 

 a little red bow near the tip of each 

 branch, and in an attractive pot, it 

 sold well. In spite of the fact that the 

 fern is not ordinarily considered a 

 Christmas plant, there has been a large 

 business done in the Boston and its 

 progeny. These appeal to practical 

 people. 



Cut Flowers. 



The old conditions surrounding the 

 cut flower markets at Christmas no 

 longer prevail. With the advent of the 

 newer varieties of roses, and the 

 greater skill of the growers, it has 

 become possible to time the crops so 

 that there is fair assurance of adequate 

 supplies of roses. The growers can get 

 the Killarneys whenever they want 

 them. Unfavorable weather may add 

 to the difficulties, but roses have not 

 been scarce in recent seasons. In many 

 localities the same mastery of carna- 

 tions was not apparent; the crops will 

 be along in January; they were not 

 ready for Christmas. Quite the con- 

 trary, in many cases poinsettias were 

 too early and had largely been moved 

 out before the holiday. 



White flowers never have any special 

 sale at Christmas; they are worked off 

 with other stock. There never is any 

 trouble in selling all" the red flowers, 

 and all the brighter colors. This year 

 first-class prices have been realized, 

 both at wholesale and retail. There is 

 no longer the protest there once was at 

 Christmas values. The retailer sells at 

 a closer margin at Christmas than at 

 other seasons and the public has be- 



