File:Florists' review (microform) (16680368905).jpg

Title: Florists' review (microform)
Identifier: 5205536_23_2 (find matches)
Year: [1] (s)
Authors:
Subjects: Floriculture
Publisher: Chicago : Florists' Pub. Co
Contributing Library: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
ip^p^upij^wpi^iiTPPinfflRip^ 26 The Weekly Florists' Review. Apbil 1, 1909. hours. Everybody has to uatch the clock or pay a fine. A movement is now on foot in Greater Berlin to require the closing of the flo- rists' shops on Sundays and festivals, as they call the holidays in Germany, but the movement is meeting with much op- position on the part of the proprietors. At a recent meeting of florists almost 700 persons assembled in Berlin for a demonstration against the proposal. The idea is by law (o require the gradual re- duction of the hours on which the flower stores may be open and eventually to close them altogether on Sundays and holidays, as is done in Great Britain. The finest stores in any city have little, if anything, to lose through early or complete closing, but it is on Sundays and holidays that the small stores do a large part of their business, and this they fear to lose, so it is from this class of merchants the opposition to early clos- ing comes. THE ROCK OF AGES. The rock of ages illustrated in thi^ issue was made by Charles Henry Fox, at the Sign of the Rose, Philadelphia. Mr. Fox heartily disapproves of this style of design, believing that it is apt the base; these, when interspersed with lilies and roses, give a wonderfully nat- ural appearance to the whole arrange- ment, relieving it from the artificial ap- pearance so apt to prevail, Phil. THAT WORTHLESS CHECK. The Commonest of Swindles. If a total stranger, man or woman, came into your place of business, pur-, thased some flowers Avhich were either to be delivered or taken along and, instead of paying for them, would say, "My name is John Brown (or Mrs. Brown) ; I will be in tomorrow or Monday and please will you let me have $6 or $8 until then?" would the stranger get the flowers or the money ? Hardly, you say. Why, then, do so many florists become such good customers of the dealer in spurious checks? When you accept a check from a stranger, and perhaps give him some cash in change, you are doing just what you said a minute ago you would not do. The unknown one has not even prom- ised to come in tomorrow and pay you; he has merely handed you a slip of paper with some printing and writing on it.
Text Appearing After Image:
Rock of Ages. to be stiff and conventional. His treat- ment in this instance, however, is de- cidedly unconventional, relieving the de- sign as far as possible from the harsh lines. The cross, of course, must be made on straight lines. To relieve this severity a garland of roses is thrown over it, but the chief feature of the ar- rangement is the planting of graceful small kentias and small Boston ferns in and is, of course, prepared with a plaus- ible excuse for not having the cash with him. Possibly the writing was done in your presence, but this adds nothing to the value of the paper or the check. It is not the fine printing and fluent handwriting upon a piece of paper of a fine texture that puts the value in the check, if there is any there. Neither is the apparent genuineness of the sig- nature a guaranty that the check is good. Take no stock in a check unless tendered by some responsible person known to yon or to some of your employees, or per- haps vouched for by an acquaintance of yours. Of course we all dislike to turn away a sale, and for that reason are willing to take a chance, especially if we have a lot of short stuff on hand and the party gives us a nice funeral order. But there is another way to view this. It is seldom that a man of commonsense will ask a firm where he is not known to loan him money, which is about the same as expecting to have a check cashed. If your prospective customer is really sincere he will not take offense at your refusal, but will have all the more respect for you. Florists Are Favorite Game. When Mr. Don't U. Trustme arrives in town on the 3:33 flier from the south, which he left unexpectedly because it was getting too warm to be cozy, one of the first tradesmen to be accorded a visit is the florist. Psychologists have never been able to explain this, but it is a fact. It must be that the gentleman in question has been imbibing freely of the society notes in a Sunday paper and is afraid we florists will^ become money-bound, or, to make myself understood, he is worrying as to how we will dispose of all our money, for has not every dozen tulips we sell during the week grown into an elaborate table decoration with palms, ferns, etc., thrown in, by the time the news appears in the society columns? But this is get- ting away from the excuse for this article, and the real reason why so many of these swindlers attempt to work flower stores is that by the aid of the death notice it is easy to make up a story that will defy detection. A First Experience. The writer has come in contact with several gentlemen intent upon making a comfortable living without unnecessary physical exertion. In each of these in- stances a different story was told, always a most plausible one, too. Several years ago a middle-aged, well- dressed man happened into the store late one afternoon and, with tears balanced upon his lower eyelids, told of having suddenly lost his only near relative, a dear sister. Ordering a wreath and a spray, he came forth with a check for about one-third more than the amount of the order. So far, so good. This was nothing out of the ordinary and, but for the rule of the house never to accept a stranger's check, he of the sad expression would have departed with about $10 easy money jingling in his pocket. Still, our man insisted upon the pieces being made up, saying that as we would not accept his check we might collect at the house. If he had not forgotten to shed more tears that might have insured his getaway, but the sudden drying of the lachrymal flow aroused suspicion and he was finally asked to tell his story at police head- quarters. When last heard from, he was becoming quite graceful with the lock step. A Second Attempt. Our last experience was with a dapper young fellow who would have nothing less than several dozen best Beauties, price being no consideration whatever. While he looked as though he had some

Note About Images