Decemuku 27, 1900. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



127 



Cup offered by the Board of Trade of Elmira, N. Y., for best new Chrysanthemum, 

 at the last exfiibition of the Elmira Hort. Society. 



lime as you do of bone meal before plant- 

 ing. One dose like this will usually do 

 the work, but it can be repeated in a 

 couple of weeks if deemed necessary. An 

 application about once in six weeks 

 would greatly benefit his carnations and 

 keep his soil in good condition. 



A. V. .{. llMR. 



A HANDSOME TROPHY. 



We present herewith an engraving 

 from a photograph of the silver cup 

 offered by the Board of Trade of Elmira, 

 N. Y., for the best new chrysanthemum 

 at the exhibition of the Elmira Horti- 

 cultural Society. It was won this year 

 by Miller & Sons, Braeondale, Ont., with 

 the big white Timothy Eaton. The 

 variety was illustrated in these col- 

 umns last month. 



The Elmira Horticultural Society is 

 a progressive body and it is a pleasure 

 to note that it has secured such recog- 

 nition from the business men of the city 

 as to result in the offering of such a 

 handsome trophy by a body representing 

 the city's commercial interests. 



ST. LOUIS. 



The Market. 



The cut ilower trade during the past 

 week was rather quiet, however, with 

 some funeral work and working up 

 greens and Christmas designs every one 

 appeared busy. 



The weather the past week was fine 

 and should make cut flowers of all kinds 

 plentiful for the holiday trade. The in- 

 dications at this writing are that trade 

 will be fully up to last year's mark ; 



prices have stiffened considerably on all 

 stock except Roman and paper white, 

 which have been plentiful. 



Plant sales are reported large and 

 palms of every description take the lead, 

 witli ferns, azaleas and other blooming 

 |ihniN tMll.nMiiL;. Taking it all together 



tlir -I n lirre may well be pleased 



«iili 111' II :-,ilr~ before this Christmas, 

 ilauy uiduro will, of course, come in the 

 last day, which, here, is considered the 

 best day. 



Great quantities of Christmas green, 

 holly and laurel have been sold and 

 many are already sold out, as ground 

 pine was scarce and many had only a 

 limited supply on hand; still, with the 

 scarcity of greens the fakirs were offer- 

 ing wreaths for sale at cheap prices, 

 the wreaths being, of course, very in- 

 ferior to those sofd by the florist. 



Christmas prices went into effect Sat- 

 urday. Roses seemed ra.ther plentiful 

 with prices ranging from $6 to $12 for 

 Brides, Maids, Perles, Meteors, Golden 

 Gates and Woottons. Some extra fancy 

 stock sold as high as $15 per 100. Amer- 

 ican Beauties of the first grade 

 brought $1 to $1..50 each and from that 

 down to $2 per dozen for short stemmed 

 ones. Beauties will be very scarce 

 for the holiday trade. 



The supply of carnations should be 

 good and the demand should equal it. 

 Some very fine blooms are coming to 

 this market which bring top prices. Ex- 

 tra fine Lord, Crocker. White Cloud. 

 Bradt and Crane bring $5 and $6; sec- 

 onds $.3 and $4 ; very few are sold under 

 this prifi^ in-l imw, California violets 



pili'l ii|' 111 III i' iiiL' rate the past 



wivl;. I, III «, ,, . I'.iiirl ,mt the latter 

 part at 7:. .,iiN |., i 100. Good fresh 



stock will bring from $1.50 to $2 per 

 100; of small singles and doubles none 

 are in the market. 



Romans and paper whites will stand 

 at $3 and $4. The best valley brings 

 $0; some is sold at $4. Srailax is fine 

 and is .sold at $15 with a good supply in 

 the market. Asparagus and adiantum 

 are also selling well. 



The wholesale dealers are all smiles 

 these days as stock is going at a rapid 

 rate and at good prices. Saturday and 

 Sunday all hands were busy packing and 

 shipping and the wholesalers claim that 

 shipping trade was never better than 

 this year. In the next issue of the 

 Review we can give a more accurate 

 account of the Christmas trade. 



Notes. 



Win. Lyred, who opened the first 

 Ilower store in St. Louis some 35 years 

 ago, died last Tuesday at his place near 

 Webster of lung troubles. Mr. Lyred 

 was well known by all the local trade, 

 and a number of the old timers attended 

 the funeral. J. J. B. 



The Christmas Trade. 



There is about one hour to spare be- 

 tween business and Christmas turkey. 

 Just time to tell you, Mr. Editor, what 

 little I know of how business has gone 

 in general and with us in particular. 

 It will be very safe to say that it is 

 larger than ever, because in a growing 

 community we expect that. First, there 

 has been far more gayety in our society 

 circles than ever before, which kept sev- 

 eral firms on the jump. Church decor- 

 ations were perhaps about as usual, cer- 

 tainly not any more. The great busi- 

 ness with the florist, as it is with all 

 business men except perhaps the bar- 

 ber, is the Christmas present business. 

 It has grown and grown to prodigious 

 jiroportions. And who could or would 

 be bold and cruel enough to say there 

 will ever be any reaction. The florist 

 is decidedly in it when presents have to 

 be bought, and it is at least 80 per cent 

 of all the business done. 



You don't want a newspaper man's 

 account of this extraordinary time; you 

 want to know what sold best. With 

 some firms flowers were the leading ar- 

 ticle, with others plants. I think as 

 presents that plants must have taken 

 the lead. I never remember less kick- 

 ing, or to use a more polite phrase, less 

 grumbling at prices than this year, 

 which must be conclusive evidence that 

 people generaly are feeling well to do. 

 "Violets are $4 to $5 a "hundred, yes, 

 sir, fine ones. Carnations $1 a dozen 

 for the ordinary and $1.50 to $2 for 

 the fancy kinds. I am sorry to have to 

 tell you that Beauties are $18 to $24 per 

 dozen. Other roses? Oh, yes, sir, quite 

 different; Bride, Bridesma'id and Mete- 

 ors from $3.50 to $5 per dozen." And so 

 it went, with scarcely a remark of, 

 "What dreadful prices," which we so 

 often lii.iiil in nili.r years. 



Til |il,iiii- I inii-i Lrive the preference 

 to azali.i-. .Maii\ more good plants of 

 these uuuKl haNc been sold, especially 

 was there a demand for large azaleas 

 worth $7 or $8. All good cyclamen sold 

 readily and many palms "and Boston 

 ferns were disji.i-r.l ..;, ^]„vo we have 

 been growiii- i..ri-,:,ii- i,, pans the 

 people have !i, . n ,|inb -|„,ilt and no 

 longer want a mm^I, piani. Many pans 



