Junk 5, 1913. 



The Florists^ Review 



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THE RETAIL -^^^1 



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FLORIST.... 



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A NEGATIVE PEOPOSITION. 



A leading Pittsburgh retailer has 

 published the following advertisement 

 in local newspapers: 



"PLEASE OMIT FLOWERS." 



Why do you so often see this request? 



Because the so-called "florist" without artistic 

 lemperament, without experience, has stereotyped 

 the beautiful Into a most hideous creation of 

 repellent formality, instead of making it a com- 

 forting expression of real sympathy beautifully 

 stated. 



Making it a tender expression of sympathy Is 

 our way, and It Is the only way. 



Perhaps this is good advertising, but 

 it is open to question. It is just pos- 

 sible that this way of putting it pos- 

 sesses more of what Charles Henry Fox 

 calls the negative influence than it does 

 of what we will call the positive in- 

 fluence — that it will do the trade at 

 large more harm than it possibly could 

 do the advertiser good — not through its 

 "knock" on "the other fellow," but 

 through its strong display of three 

 words we want the public to forget. To 

 counteract the occasional notices to 

 "Please omit flowers," we certainly 

 should not put the phrase in big type 

 at the top of our ads. 



Let us, just by way of contrast, sug- 

 gest a different wording: 



SWEET SYMPATHY IN FLOWERS. 



Flowers are the "messengers of sentiment." 



Because flowers carry an expression of sym- 

 pathy more tender than words can convey, the 

 use of flowers at funerals has persisted since the 

 dawn of history. And doubtless will persist so 

 long as hearts are fond. 



While flowers speak the language of love, there 

 is a difference In the way it is expressed. Just 

 as the sweetest sentiment is lost in penmanship 

 one cannot read. 



Our arrangement of funeral flowers brings out 

 the comforting expression of sympathy in the 

 most beautiful way. 



THE ITALIAN WBEATH. 



The accompanying illustration will 

 be of interest because of the source of 

 the order as much as for the size and 

 excellence of execution of the wreath. 

 The design was the work of Waren- 

 dorff, New York, and went to the 

 funeral of J. Pierpont Morgan as the 

 token of friendship and esteem of Vic- 

 tor Emanuel III, king of Italy. The 

 colors in the ribbon are those of Italy. 

 The photograph is reproduced by cour- 

 tesy of the New York American. 



Iowa City, la.— A. G. Prince has 

 added a new automobile to his delivery 

 outfit. 



Maquoketa, la.— H. L. Hill is pre- 

 paring to build a greenhouse and start 

 in business at an excellent location 

 opposite the public library. He has 

 started remodeling the building now 

 on the lot for use as a store. 



Eoxbury, Mass.— As a result of a 

 crusade here against Sabbath breaking, 

 says a local newspaper, two florists 

 were fined recently for "selling pinks 

 on Sunday." Israel Quint, 129 Walnut 

 avenue, was fined $10, but appealed the 

 case. Sarah Weis, 703 Dudley street, 

 was fined $10 and paid it. 



AN INTERESTING LAW SXHT. 



A recent law suit at Duluth, Minn., 

 which ended in victory for Louis 

 Visias, the Superior street florist, is of 

 more than ordinary interest to the 

 trade, on account of the peculiar condi- 

 tions involved. Before a jury in Judge 

 Ensign's division of the district court, 

 Mr. Visias brought suit against his 

 lessors, John A. Stephenson and the 

 Gregory Co., because the temperature 

 in the greenhouses had been allowed to 

 drop too low, causing damage to the 

 stock. The trial was begun on Mon- 

 day, May 19, and was not concluded 

 until Tuesday of the following week. 

 May 27, when the jury awarded to Mr. 

 Visias $1,500 damages. He had brought 

 suit for $5,000. 



Mr. Visias charged that the tempera- 



part of the premises at 302 to 306 East 

 Superior street to a dealer in gasoline 

 engines, and that the gas and fumes 

 from his shop also caused considerable 

 damage to the flowers. 



GALAX TO BE A SHORT CROP? 



According to F. M. Richards, of the 

 North Carolina Evergreen Co., Banners 

 Elk, N. C, forest fires in the galax 

 regions have entirely destroyed at least 

 fifty per cent of the entire galax crop. 

 The serious part of the matter, accord- 

 ing to Mr. Richards, is the fact that 

 the crop on this burned section will not 

 be fit for shipping for three years, as 

 it takes this time for the galax to get 

 in a condition for the market after it 

 is burned over. This means a loss of 

 thousands of dollars to the shippers 

 and pickers in western North Carolina, 

 not mentioning the fact that the brok- 

 ers or jobbers over the world will suffer 

 also to a large extent. 



NOW THE SHOWER BOUQUETS. 



Now comes the season of shower bou- 

 quets, the month of June. It often has 

 been said that of all tests of a florists' 

 artistic ability, and the skill of his 

 hands, that imposed by the shower bou- 

 quet is the most severe. It certainly is 

 true that a man who can make a good 



The Victor Emanuel Wreath. 



ture in his greenhouses was allowed to 

 drop to 39 degrees, causing his flowers 

 to be damaged to the extent of $5,000. 

 He claimed that this took place during 

 the holiday season, when his trade 

 ordinarily was the most brisk. He also 

 showed that his lease bore a clause 

 providing for a temperature of at least 

 50 degrees. 



The plaintiff testified, also, that the 

 defendants, over his objection, sublet a 



shower bouquet is pretty sure to be 

 able to make anything else that is likely 

 to be called for, while it is not at all 

 certain that a man who can make a good 

 wreath or pillow will be as successful 

 with shower bouquets. 



In this connection bouquet-makers will 

 be interested in the illustration on 

 page 11, showing a large shower bou- 

 quet made by H. H. Kuhlmann, of Hous- 

 ton, Tex. The materials were orchids 



