152 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



hard to check the movement at. the 

 jiroper point. At this writing the dis- 

 ease seems to affect the best grade of 

 pink and white roses the most of any- 

 tliing. There ane quite a few extra 

 heavy ones coming in. 



The "Traveler" tells a jocose story of 

 how a certain Smith, of Hebrew lineage, 

 while selling Christmas green for Sam- 

 uel Katz, took possession of the whole 

 stock in trade, some $28 in value, and 

 disappeared. Being apprehended by th'e 

 proper oflicials, he settled the case out 

 of court. J. S. M.\NTER. 



The Market. 



New Year's trade averaged about the 

 same as last year in volume with prices 

 possibly a trifle lower tlian a year ago. 

 The supply was good and there would un- 

 doubtedly have been demand enough to 

 take it all at top figures but for the bitter 

 cold weather that arrived just prior to 

 New Year's day and that no doubt kept 

 many retail buyers from venturing out. 

 As it was, prices held up firmly on the 

 highest grades though they were shaded 

 some on seconds and thirds where stock 

 had accumulated. First class Beauties 

 showed some weakness the latter part of 

 last week, the receipts being unusually 

 large for the season, but on Monday and 

 Tuesday the demand strengthened suffi- 

 ciently to put prices back to the old 

 notch. There has been a splendid cut 

 of Beauties this season and the supply 

 has come nearer to meeting demand than 

 during any previous year. At Christmas 

 it was easier to secure the extTa long 

 stemmed Beauties than the shorter ones, 

 the demand for the medium lengths being 

 so great. 



The supply of carnations was extra 

 good and large quantities were disposed 

 of, prices being slightly shaded in some 

 instances to move lots of the lower 

 grades. 



Yesterday (Wednesday) the receipts 

 were light and it was just as well, as 

 demand, though fair, was insufficient to 

 clean up all that came in except that of 

 first grade. Prices have of course weak- 

 ened but have dropped but little below 

 New Y'ear's quotations on first grades. 

 Violets seem to have sufTcrfd ino=t. prob- 

 ably due to the ]h r\ .lilinj \ii^ .liillnr. 

 There has hern < h . i ' ■ i . i-j Ji 

 mand for while- ii - i ■ i i ■■ ■. mj I'l 

 the large numbi-i .n ,|,,i|i|. I In i|i-:illi 

 lists in the daily papers are appallingly 

 long aird pneumonia is mentioned as the 

 cause of death in very many cases. It 

 seems to be almost epidemic. 



The "pickled stock" question is agaiir 

 to the fore. The picklers should thor- 

 oughly grasp the fact that such stock is 

 under no circumstances included in a 

 shipping ordeir and that its only chance 

 of being sold is to a local buyer and in- 

 variably at reduced rates. To include 

 any stale flowers in a shipping order 

 would be a very foolish move on the ship- 

 per's part. He cannot afford to send 

 such stock to his customers, a loss all 

 around being sure to lesult. There are 

 complaints enough regarding the condi- 

 tion on arrival of fresh stock, and that 

 which has been "pickled" is sure to be 

 quite worthless when it roaehcs its des- 

 tination. It is not at all uncommon 

 for a shipper to go out and buy fresh 

 stock for a shipping order though he may 

 have on hand an abundance of the same 



kind that lacks freslmess. The last 

 named must await the advent of a local 

 customer who can use it at once, and 

 he always drives a close bargain for it 

 too. "Pickling" is becoming steadily less 

 and less profitable. 



Various Items. 



William Barnard, father of W. W. 

 Barnard, died Dec. 25, aged 79 years, at 

 the home of his daughter, Mrs. Professor 

 Howe, Champaign, HI. 



The regular meeting of the Florists' 

 Club will be held tomorrow (Friday) 

 evening. Mr. John Reardon is to read 

 a paper on "A succession of plants to 

 keep the greenhouse benches full." 



Mrs. C. L. Washburn is still seriously 

 ill though improviirg slowly. 



E. H. Hunt received no less than 25,000 

 violets for the Christmas trade. They 

 were all of extra quality and sold at 

 top prices. 



The Geo. Witlbold Co. did the largest 

 Christmas business in their long ex- 

 perience, in both the retail and whole- 

 sale departments. 



E. R. Tauch has gone to Marquette, 

 Mich., where he takes charge of the 

 greenhouses of Mrs. L. H. Stafford. 



At the league games played Dec. 27 the fol- 

 lowing scores were made; 



Geo. Asmus 151 151 177 



F. Stollery 17S 190 189 



P. J. Hauswirth 1S2 155 154 



C. Balluft 195 175 180 



Ed. Winterson 178 143 155 



It was an expensive evening for Mr. Balluff, 

 as during the games some sneak thief made 

 away with his overcoat and contents, the last 

 including his cuffs in which were some valuable 



KANSAS QTY, MO. 



Christmas Trade. 

 The Christmas trade of 1900 is con- 

 ceded by all the florists to have been the 

 largest and most profitable in the his- 

 tory of the trade here. The home pro- 

 duction of cut flowers was limited, and 

 as a consequence many had to buy 

 heavily from Chicago, and not a com- 

 plaiirt was heard, as s(.m-I^ anivcil in 

 splendid condition. Nni u ii h-i nihliiii,' the 

 fact that retail price- wer,- HiljIh i llian 



previous years, the pr.iplr I -lii Meely. 



and double the aiin'iini ■! -i^k .miiI,| 

 have been sold. 11 "^i- i j.ih i;il i li.ni 

 up of cut (lowers aiel ll. ueiiiiu |il.iiiU- 



clliv .llM|,|,r,l |.,H .- IL'll t.i 'jne -ood 



ll;uur to tlle luik.-y :inM e;lll,-4 lur light 



protection in the ilclivery of tender 

 plants. The sales of holly and lycopo- 

 dium were a trifle better than last 

 year, and those who liainlle ibis ma- 

 terial in 1;11L"' <|ll:illl il le- -lill li:nr ;i 

 supply on lliirni I Ih i! Inline tn ^ll- 



pOSe of eirtil r -hirk mn lie :l! l l ll.llle.l |(. 



the absence ol ecuneiil loiml ( lnistnias 

 weather. Kansas t'li,\ i- ImimIii] i lose to 



a mistletoe produ<-iie„' iiii>. ut this 



important adjunct to the clni-tiiias fes- 

 tivities arrived in poor condition, not 

 being carefully selected or properly 

 packed. 



GeoTge M. Kellogg, our largest grower, 

 had only a limited supply of stock, yet 

 it was of a high grade, and brought top- 

 notch prices. 



Samuel Murray's collection of flower- 

 ing plants was immense; the Eucharis 

 amazonica, Begonia Lorraine and azaleas 

 were his specialties. Two plants of the 

 latter sold for $25 each. Mr. Murray 

 was also well supplied with American 



Beauties, the best retailing at $20 per 

 dozen. 



W. L. Rock's window looked gorgeous 

 all Christmas week with the cream of 

 the market. A leading flower with him 

 this year was the poinsettia, which took 

 favorably with his patrons. 



In addition to an immense cut flower 

 trade Arthur Newell disposed of twenty- 

 five crates of decorative material, and 

 says he has purchased a $200 box for the 

 twentieth century ball. 



'ITie Humfeld Floral Co. and W. J. 

 Barnes were successful in holding 

 back their late mums, which brought $6 

 per dozen. 



August Blankenfeld is cutting a fine 

 crop of carnations from his small place 

 and sees the necessity of increasing his 

 glass another year. 



Visitors in town the past week were 

 a heavy snow stoirm and Ainold Ringier, 

 both from Chicago. H. J. M. 



GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. 



Christmas Trade. 

 The Xmas trade passed the bounds of 

 expectation. The supply of cut flowers 

 was considerably larger than last year, 

 with the output of full 25 per cent extra 

 of glass area to draw from, and then, 

 was far short of the demand. The great- 

 est shortage was in Meteors, Beauties 

 and red carnations, many a red carna- 

 tion order being filled with bright pink 

 instead. Shipping orders were more per- 

 sistently numerous, and larger than ever 

 before, and in connection with this, a 

 rim of funeral orders ran through the 

 entire week, taxing the resources of the 

 florists to their utmost, although the 

 funeral orders served the good purpose of 

 working off much stock that might not 

 have been used otherwise. White carna- 

 tions and pink and white roses were in 

 best supply. There were plenty of 

 Romans and paper whites, but the local 

 demand being light, most were shipped, 

 as were what Harrisii and mums there 

 were left. There were less flowering 

 plants than last year and they sold out 

 clean, yet the demand was for palms and 

 other decorative plants, of which more 

 were sold than at any previous Xmas. 



As pieilieieil, lliere was enormous 

 ,|n,iiil il le- ot linlly -.)l.l; the hanging of 

 ,1 liollv x\ re alii ill i:ieh prominent mn- 

 .liiu lieiiij; liUle sheit of epidemic. Most 

 of the holly was handled by the commis- 

 sion and seed stores, which have come to 

 make a specialty of these goods with 

 green, laurel and mistletoe. The total 

 sales were probably 20 per cent in excess 

 of last year, which was itself a record 

 breaker. Prices obtained were about the 

 -aiiie as la-l \car, with the quality of 

 llo\^■ls iinieli better, very little pickled 

 -In. 1< bein;.: olfered; in fact, funeral work 

 kepi thai eleiined up. 



Prices. 

 Roses, $2 to $3 per dozen; carnations, 

 75 cents to $1 per dozen; violets, 25 

 cents to 35 cents; paper whites and 

 Romans, 75 cents per dozen ; Beauties, 

 from 20 cents for very short to $1.50 for 

 a first class rose and stem. 



G. F. Crabb. 



Sedalia, Mo. — Gelven & Son report a 

 splendid holiday trade and bright pros- 

 pects for the future. 



Texarkana, Ark.— M. S. Stegall re- 

 ports a very large Christmas trade at 

 good prices. 



