SEPTEMBER G, 1900. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



4J9 



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THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



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Tte Coming Season. 



The retail florist business in general 

 tliroughout the country has been suf- 

 fering from the usual summer relapse, 

 and the market is at present glutted 

 with quantities of inferior grades of 

 a few varieties of roses. There are 

 many who in the dire contemplation 

 of the present state of affairs forget 

 or fail to see that better days are com- 

 ing, and that the dullness at present 

 is an annual recurrency. The har- 

 vesting season is becoming shorter 

 and shorter and the crops sown to 

 ripen in that season will pay best. 



Cheap Roses. 



Last week roses could be purchased 

 in quantity at ten cents per hundred; 

 such prices were never known before 

 and the indications are that the 

 screws will be put on at every chance, 

 especially for first-class stock. Of 

 course there will be opportunities to 

 retaliate, and a deliberate injustice on 

 the market deserves remembering. 



We scoured the markets today to 

 see what was good, or if there was 

 anything new, and saw but little 

 worth commending. Hundreds of 

 boxes of Maids and Brides, some Me- 

 teors, a few Beauties, and odd clus- 

 ters of Carnots, Cusins, and Golden 

 Gates. This stock may look very 

 pretty whilst growing, but it has a 

 washed out. woe-begone appearance 

 when shipped to the city, and very lit- 

 tle of it is fit to sell as cut flowers, 

 and a great deal of it must be used in 

 design work to make it look credit- 

 able. 



With flowers so cheap and plentiful 

 as they are at present there is no ex- 

 cuse for poorly made or cheap looking 

 designs, and whenever possible a good 

 measure should be given, for a gener- 

 ous hand does not necessarily empty 

 your pocket, and when flowers are 

 very cheap is the proper time for you 

 to fish for new trade or cement the 

 old. We don't believe in the indis- 

 criminate giving away of flowers, but 

 we despise the mercenary trait that 

 seeks a commercial return for every 

 flower. 



Throwing Flowers Away. 



There were many thousands of roses 

 and other flowers thrown away in 

 New York last week, nearly 100.000 

 were sold at from 10 to 25 cents per 

 hundred; vei> little good did they do 

 the growers or their agents. In the 

 <ity I'.ospitals and down in the ira- 

 poveri.sliiMl slums of the cily were 

 tliouHamls of wretched hiuuau beings 



whom these flowers would have im- 

 mensely benefitted. It is neither wis- 

 dom nor charity that compels a whole- 

 saler to throw away flowers he is 

 unable to sell, and it reflects little 

 credit on a profession which permits 

 it. During the very dull season the 

 growers could well afford to make a 

 shipment of their poorest grade stock 

 once a week for distribution among 

 the sick poor. The growers get noth- 

 ing for this stock as it is, and a gener- 

 ous act like this would help the mar- 

 ket in many ways. It would also be 

 cheaper for the wholesaler to pay the 

 expressage on such goods than to send 

 returns which he does not get in or- 

 der to keep the grower in good humor. 



The Greeks. 



The "Greek question" promises to 

 be an all-important one to the fu- 

 ture of the American cut flower trade, 

 and the sooner it is considered the 

 better. There is but one way to deal 

 with it and that is known to every 

 thinking retailer. Arguments from 

 grower or agent should not be con- 

 sidered in a matter like this. Stand 

 together for self-protection. 



The Convention. 



The great convention is a matter of 

 history and the memory of the hand- 

 shaking and general hurrah will live 

 for some time. Everybody seemed to 

 enjoy the affair. The store keeper 

 probably saw little worth remember- 

 ing. The decoration committee with 

 the assistance of wire workers, and an 

 abundance of greens succeeded admir- 

 ably in covering the ceiling and walls 

 of the convention hall. We saw noth- 

 ing in it that was new. We have been 

 told by several of the committee that 

 any adverse criticism would be se- 

 verely dealt with. Poor fellows, we 

 don't think it worth while: they did 

 the best they knew bow and we praise 

 them for it. At the same time we 

 wish to say nothing but the right can 

 influence our pen. 



We claim that there are higher 

 ideals than those at present recog- 

 nized and that every florist is not an 

 artist, and that everything turned out 

 of florist stores is not beautiful be- 

 cause it contains flowers. A man's 

 years do not always guarantee his 

 ability: criticisms are distasteful to 

 the weak. 



Kifts' lecture was very good in its 

 way. and the executive committee of 

 the S. A. F. deserves consideration for 

 its every ten years' recognition of the 

 retailers. Niuo-lcnibs of the sessions 

 are devoted tu "how to produce," the 



remainder Is given over to "how to 

 dispose." 



There was nothing specially new in 

 the baskets and general supplies 

 shown. Bobbink & Atkins displayed 

 some very beautiful vases, such as we 

 would like to see in every first-class 

 store. Reed & Keller showed some 

 well made wire designs, among them 

 being some serviceable novelties — a 

 standing folding wreath good for 

 shipping, that is if the parties re- 

 ceiving it would know how to fix it, 

 and a "shower bell." Reed & Keller 

 have always something new to show 

 and a visit to their ware rooms is al- 

 ways productive of good. In baskets 

 we saw little at the convention that 

 was beyond the average. (We will 

 see what there is new in this line for 

 another paper). 



Those interested in geranium grow- 

 ing can do well by consulting C. W. 

 Ward. In his exhibit were very many 

 beautiful new varieties that deserve 

 full recognition. Dreer's aquatics 

 were very grand. Some of them were 

 superbly so and would look well in 

 any store window or in a table decora- 

 tion. Kifts' flower holders are fine 

 for orchid displays. Long's tags and 

 order pads are good but could be bet- 

 ter: less printed matter on the pads, 

 and subdue the colors on the tags. 

 Mr. Howard's petunias were very 

 pretty and shoiild be a "go." The 

 general run of plants was excellent, 

 and it is to be hoped those of you who 

 bought by sample will be fairly 

 treated. 



Flowers in Season. 



There is not much to write of re- 

 garding the best or latest in design 

 work. Gardenias continue to be the 

 leading flower for evening wear. The 

 Kaiserin is by far the best white rose 

 coming in. A large loose bunch of 

 them with Wichuraiana sprays is as 

 choice a bunch as you can make for 

 funerals. Liberty roses will not be 

 much until the cold weather sets in. 

 Don't be too critical over this rose be- 

 icause you have heard so much about 

 |it: give it a fair trial; you'll be glad 

 of it before Christmas. Beauties are 

 ■improving and from now on there will 

 be a fair supply of them. 



Asters have been plentiful, but the 

 quality has been ordinary; the flner, 

 long-stemmed ones bring a good price. 

 A dirty brown chrysanthemum made 

 its appearance during convention 

 week: it is no good as a decorative 

 flower. Mums have little show 

 whilst the herbaceous garden teems 

 with golden beauties, and they who 

 rush them in so soon accomplish 

 something from a cultural standpoint, 

 but little in the market wants. Out- 

 door carnations are plentiful and 

 bring a good price. It looks as if we 

 will have the same glut in carnations 

 that we have in roses, and very little 

 variety will be obtainable. 



We recently used large clusters of 

 altheas to good effect: many of the 

 double while and pink varieties arc 

 very pretty; cut the stems long and 



