No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 223 



it from other varieties than ''The Three Sixes," (or No. 6G6). "The 

 Lavvson Piuk," which the Boston variety is commonly called — which, 

 by the way, is cerise in color — was boomed into prominence largely 

 by the name which was given to it, namely, that of the wife of one 

 of Boston's leaders in social and financial circles, which in itself 

 ordinarily would have been thought sufficient to attract public at- 

 tention; but other superior business methods were made use of in 

 bringing it before the public that has enhanced its value until orders 

 for plants during the past three months have aggregated the enor- 

 mous number of three hundred and fifteen thousand (315,000). 



It is stated on authority which cannot be disputed that |30,000 

 was paid to the originator of that variety for the entire control of 

 the output of both fiowers and plants until the end of the year 1900 

 of this famous "Boston Pink." The purchase money has already 

 been secured even if the average price was only ten cents per plant. 

 By referring to the advertised prices, quantities of 5,000 and over 

 have to be ordered before so low a price as ten cents each have been 

 conceded. 



The time for the dissemination of plants of the New York va- 

 riety, known up to the present time only as the "Three Sixes," or 

 No. 666, before referred to, has not yet been decided upon, so that 

 the fixing of the price of the flowers is entirely in the hands of the 

 owners. At the present time it is selling wholesale in New York 

 city at five dollars per dozen. The first five dozen, which were sold 

 to a retail florist in that city, were disposed of at retail a few mo- 

 ments afterwards for sixty dollars, or at one dollar for each flower! 

 Not such a bad price for carnation blooms. 



A florist cannot protect his floral productions by patent, no mat- 

 ter how meritorious they may be. When he once sells plants of a 

 new variety, he at once puts the purchasers thereof in direct business 

 oppositioD to himself, giving opportunities to cut prices if they feel 

 so disposed. 



Philadelphia has no phenomenal varieties among flowers at pres- 

 ent which it can claim as being its very own, and in which no other 

 city can share its glory, but the Quaker City has the distinguished 

 honor of being the first city to start the upward tendency of prices 

 among fancy carnations, when the variety Helen Keller sold at re- 

 tail in the year 1894 at |2.50 per dozen. Immediately prior to that 

 time |1.00 per dozen seemed a very high price, even for the most 

 select. 



A Rose Society now seems to be assured of ultimate success, after 

 various ineffectual efforts to establish it. It deserves the sympathy 

 and support of every commercial florist in the country, for the rose 

 is the queen of flowers, and has had more influence in elevating the 

 profession than any other one flower, or, I may say, than all the 



