NOV KM UK II s. I'.lilil. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



681 



Progress at the Pan-American Expasition, Buffalo. 



PHILADELPHIA. 



Trade Conditions. 



The cut ilowcr iiiaikct continiu- \crv 

 much in favor of tlie buyer; flu- i|iiai] 

 tity of stock offered is enormous 

 even for this season. Prices are 

 low and unsteady. The Greeks con- 

 tinue to be an important factor 

 in the daily business. The glut at 

 this season is beconiina' more serious 

 with each succeeding; year; tliis year it 

 is, however, very nnicli worse tlian usual 

 in conseqtiencc of thi' wonderfully back- 

 ward season. Last year on or about Oct. 

 4th outdoor vegetation was destroyed by 

 frost. Today, Nov. 5, the grass is green; 

 oaks and chestnuts are in full leaf: beds 

 of cannas and scarU>t sage are still showy. 

 What wonder that flowers arc plcMtiful. 



The stores .uc fairl\' busy and liave 



prospects of great things by the middle 

 of the month. The growers have not 

 bad a happy October. Spot and mildew 

 for roses, stem rot for carnations, petal 

 ilaiiipness for chrysanthemums have had 

 an unusually good chance. It is a care- 

 ful grower who has kept all these evils 

 ficm gaining a foothold in his houses. 



Bearing The Plant Market. 



Tlic foliage plant business has li.cn 

 unilergoing a "bear" e.\]ieriencc. To eon- 

 tin\ic this Wall street simile it may be 

 said that while the "bear leaders'" are 

 generally beads of china or furniture de- 

 partments in the great stores, their chief, 

 the Addison C'anunack of this crowd, is 

 now one of our brethren, who can wear 

 the blue and white button with the rest 

 of us. This "bearing" of the plant mar- 

 ket is becoming quite a science, and is 

 worked in tliis war: The '"bear," wIm 



must be a business man in good standing, 

 visits the plant growers and gives it 

 lait that he buys in quantity; he finds- 

 iiil what kinds are plentiful and talk* 

 about the dull state of market with the 

 various owners of the aforesaid plentiful 

 kinds. As the houses are apt to be 

 crowded at the beginning of the season, 

 anil (be grower poor, the bear gets some 

 very tempting offers. 



lli' takes batclies of stock as he requires 

 them and then proceeds to "bear" the- 

 market by newsjiaper advertisements and: 

 a variety of cards, all announcing am 

 extraordinary sale of, for example. Bos- 

 Ion ferns, 0-inch pots, usual price $1.50, 

 now offered at 69 cents. An immense 

 (punitity of stock is sold in this way in 

 the fall and at Easter. Some of it is^ 

 well grown stock, likely to give satisfac- 

 tion, and some of it is poorly grown or 

 >tock 7nost unlikely to please the pur- 



