DECEMBER 15, 1898. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



57 



Cattleya Labiata. 



flowers with yellow blotches on throat 

 in early spring. This plant is of com- 

 paratively easy culture. It likes abun- 

 dance of water during its growing sea- 

 son, which lasts till the bulbs have 

 matured, when water should be with- 

 held until the flower spikes are well 

 advanced; otherwise they will start 

 growing again instead of blooming. 

 This species grows best in pots or 

 pans, giving the plants plenty of room 

 and good drainage. Elevate the bulbs 

 on a compost of good fibrous peat, 

 broken charcoal, or potsherds about 

 the size of hazel nuts, and sphagnum 

 moss, and finish oft with live sphag- 

 num as a top dressing. Potting should 

 be done as soon as the flowering sea- 

 son is over. This plant will do well 

 in a night temperature of .50 to .55 

 degrees in winter. 



[To be Continued.] 



A TENTH ANNIVERSARY. 



Our New York contemporary, the 

 Florists' Exchange, celebrates its 

 tenth anniversary by issuing a splendid 

 special number that is a credit to it- 

 self and the trade. We tender our 

 <>ongratulations. 



THE GROWER AND THE COMMIS- 

 SION MAN. 



From the Broker's Standpoint. 



Is not the grower of flowers in prac- 

 tically the same position as the truck 

 gardener who ships to market? I tail 

 to see any difference. One day he 

 ships his stock and as prices are high 

 he gets say $50 for his little stock. The 

 next day he ships the same amount, or 

 perhaps a little more, and he receives 

 only $25. He at once blames his com- 

 mission man for the reduced returns 

 instead of looking for the real cause. 

 It he would come to the city may be 

 the broker could explain, or probably 

 he could see for himself. In any case 

 the cause could be made plain to his 

 entire satisfaction. 



For example, one day a grower ships 

 500 valley to market and as he happens 

 to be the only shipper that day of 

 course he gets top price; the next day 

 he ships again but this time ten, or 

 possibly fifty growers, having heard 

 that valley is scarce and high in price, 

 have all shipped to market. The sup- 

 ply is greater than the demand and 



down goes the price. The first shipper 

 mentioned, who has not been to mar- 

 ket for a month, says when he re- 

 ceives his statements that one broker 

 is a daisy and the other a robber, be- 

 cause he shipped to one firm the day 

 stock was scarce and to another the 

 day it was plenty. Possibly the firm 

 that received the most on that day of 

 heavy supply may have had the largest 

 trade, both local and shipping, and 

 have made the best returns of any bro- 

 ker for that day, but the grower, with- 

 out looking into the cause of the dis- 

 appointing returns, begins to send his 

 flowers elsewhere, until the same thing 

 happens to him at the new place. Then 

 the former "daisy" will be considered 

 to have turned "robber." It is fatal to 

 the reputation of a "daisy" to receive 

 a lot of stock during a glut or on an 

 off day. Finally the grower may make 

 a shift back to his old broker and if 

 market conditions are good the latter 

 may again become "a good fellow." 



As a rule these things happen dur- 

 ing a mum glut, or in early fall before 

 trade has really opened for the season, 

 and the first "robber" gets the worst 

 of it for he must worry along using all 

 possible expedients to dispose of flow- 



