Title: The American florist : a weekly journal for the trade
Identifier: americanfloristw53amer (find matches)
Year: 1885 (1880s)
Authors: American Florists Company
Subjects: Floriculture; Florists
Publisher: Chicago : American Florist Company
Contributing Library: UMass Amherst Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries

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igi6. The American Florist. 927 Mothers' Day at Boston. UP-TO-DATE WINDOW DISPLAYS A FEATIRE. Boston is noted for its many fine cut flower stores, many of them right in the busy shopping- districts. Thos. F. Galvin, in his elegant new store on Park street, and his large Bade Bay conservatory on Boylston street has two very up-to-date stores. Penn, The Florist's, new store on Tremont street, witli its large show windows and elegant appointments, is one of the best in the country. Philip L. Carbone's large double store in Boyl- ston street, with its splendid assort- ment of artistic pottery, is also a very high class place. On Tremont street. Wax Brothers have a very showy shop, while Julius Zinn, Houghton & Gorney, and H. R. Comley, are almost side by side at the old Park church corner. There are hundreds more, many of them quite important, who are factors in the trade and nearly all appreciate the importance of the show window and are up-to-date in this respect. Penn's windows for Mothers' day were quite elaborately decorated. The ceiling of one was covered with wis- taria flowers which hung down grace- fully, interspersed with Florida moss. The floor was covered with sheet moss, several logs with lichens, were laid about and a low vase of callas and grasses was in the rear, with a bank of cibotiums and other ferns for a background. In the foreground was a magnolia leafed frame surrounding an etching of Whistler's picture of his mother. A long purple velvet scarf draped the frame. Pink sweet peas were also used. Over the pic- ture in the frame was this inscription : "Be thoughtful of your loving mother —send her a box of flowers for Moth- ers' day." Underneath was a line. "Wear a flower in memory of mother." No white carnations were seen or any reference to them; there was a good stock in the flower cases, but no effort to push them. The other large win- dow was tilled with baskets of cut flowers. Other stores simply had copies or proof sheets of an ad that had ap- peared in the Boston Post, and was paid for by a number of the trade. Some few did have a window card gotten up by themselves, and others displayed the Mothers' day card gotten out by the Western Union Telegraph Co., and which were to be had for the asking. The effect of the day on the mar- ket was wonderful Carnations brought five and six cents for all good stock— no straight white were sold, about half pink had to be included in the order. A week before, .$2 would have bought the same grade. In the two growers' markets it was said to be the best single day of the year next to Christmas and Easter: there was a general clean up in almost everything. It was much better than last season and all think it will in- crease in volume. An effort was made by the Boston Globe to get the whole trade interested in a large ad, but the best the Globe man could do in four days' canvassing was about .$1.30. If all the stores in Boston had been under one management, no doubt this sum would have been a thousand and results would doubtless have shown it to be money well spent.
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BOY SCOUTS' EMBLEM. By J. H. Small & Sons, New Yorit. Some of the growers in the market are deploring the fact that they are losing control. Smaller growers, whose business is not suflicient to bring them to town every day, or who can- not stay until they sell out, employ a man in conjunction with others like themselves to handle their stock on ,1 commission basis. Such an agent will have several (from four to six growers), and at the election gathers proxes together and votes them to change the management so as to give themselves more privileges. There are something over 300 stalls in the two markets and an immense amount of stock is handled on a busy day; one would wonder where it all went to. Patrick Welsh says it will never pay a small grower to sell his own stock -a grower does not know any more about selling than a commis- sion man does about growing, and that is not very much. He says the markets are a propogating bed for commission men; they are being sprouted there all the time, but whether controlled by growers or their sales- men, the markets are fulfilling their mission. All are well served and mu- tually benefited by what they see and hear, and prices are regulated solely by the law of supply and demand. IN PROVIDENCE. This is a wide awake city with a number of flower stores that are alive to their opportunities. T. J. Johnston & Co., on Weybossett street appear to have a very active business. The window was nicely decorated with all white flowers, carnations, white sweet peas and snapdragons. A large win- dow card, done in white and yellow with white ribbon bows, carried the inscription: "Mothers' Day, May 14. Wear a Flower in Honor of Your Mother." This firm did a very large business, having difficulty in waiting on all the trade and cleaned up every- thing saleable. In speaking of Mem- orial day Mr. Johnston said that he specializes in pans of scarlet geraniums which run from 10 to 1-1 inches. These he finds a good sale for at satisfac- tory prices. Growers get them up to his order. Wreaths are also sold In quantity.

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