JUNE yi. lS8Ji. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



105 



out of your store, would be more val- 

 ued in a short time. The time has 

 come, and now thej' are worth picking; 

 40 cents a dozen retail is asked and 

 obtained, and the man who is picking 

 1,500 a day feels better. 



I have often lamented that I did not 

 have the faculty to report the state of 

 the flower market in a concise and 

 technical style. Some of the corre- 

 spondents in our town are able to send 

 to your contemporaries a much more 

 finished article in that important line. 

 Supposing it was Xovember, a thor- 

 ough report of our market may read 

 like this: "Roses opened firm, with a 

 brisk demand, but declined a few 

 points after export orders were filled. 

 Reports by wire of black spot in Phila- 

 delphia and Chicago produced a 

 healthy effect on local market, and 

 after left-over stock was put in the 

 icebox, stems stiffened. Mums were a 

 fickle commodity and speculation in 

 them was confined to curbstone mer- 

 chants. A few options were secured 

 on crop of '98, but general tone of the 

 mum market could be called 'yaller.' 

 A notable feature of the day's sales 

 was the purchase by Mr. W. H. Lin- 

 coln of 1,000 Major Bonnafon, to be de- 

 livered on call to Miss Grove P. Raw- 

 son. Carnations were in short supply, 

 and with reputed reports of rust from 

 Kennett Square and other 'belts.' the 

 Dianthus stiffened. A call from Cleve- 

 land (Ohio, not Xew Jersey) for four 

 carloads cleared up all surplus stock. 

 At Daybreak there seemed an over- 

 whelming supply, but when W^. S. re- 

 tired for the night there was nothing 

 left in sight. 



"Violets opened active, with a good 

 demand from western and middle 

 western states. On receipt of a canal 

 boat loaded with violets and mules 

 from Poughkeepsie, the quotations 

 slightly declined, but finding that the 

 eastern stuff was more of the mule 

 flavor than its own, the local grower 

 commanded a fair price. Local grow- 

 ers need not be discouraged. Their 

 vision will not be as blue at Xmas as 

 it is now. In sympathy with other and 

 larger cities, the general tone of the 

 market was bearish. It was only Leit- 

 erized spasmodically, and heavy deal- 

 ers seemed Armourized against any 

 fractious fluctuations." 



If a report like this could emanate 

 from some of our large centers, such 

 as the Growers' Association of New 

 York city. Welch Bros, of Boston, or 

 best of all, the Cut Flower Exchange 

 of Baltimore, it would be a great guide 

 to us, especially to those who under- 

 stand it. 



Since paeonies have gone, there has 

 been quite a brace in prices. Good, 

 clean roses are in good demand, and. 

 as above stated, carnations are the 

 sheet anchor of our trade. Outside 

 Lilium candidum are now plentiful 

 and inside L. Auratum. rubrum and 

 album are a welcome change to our 

 daily diet of Flora's favors. Business 



was rather brisk last week on account 

 of what is paradoxically called "com- 

 mencement," which is the closing of 

 the schools. The mournful but lucra- 

 tive trade in flowers for the departed 

 has made us all busy of late, and that 

 has been the best part of the business. 



Notes. 



A ride around our park system a 

 few evenings ago gave us an oppor- 

 tunity to inspect the flower gardening 

 in our beautiful parks. The only criti- 

 cism that could be made of that wide- 

 ly known and worthy man, our late su- 

 perintendent William McMillan, was 

 that he had neither knowledge, taste 

 nor sjTnpathy with a flower bed. I 

 have often said privately and spoken 

 publicly that the flower gardening in a 

 public park is but a small feature, but 

 it is a feature, and when attempted at 

 all should be well done or left alone. 

 This year's bedding-out in our North 

 park, THE park to the great majority 

 of our people, is vulgar and common 

 in the extreme, a disgrace to the city, 

 ' and under present management likely 

 to grow worse. Politics far outweigh 

 brains now, from the president of the 

 board down to the man with a shovel. 



The greatest danger to our country 

 is that favoritism goes before ability. 

 Political break-downs, men who have 

 failed in every walk of life, and even 

 in their manhood, are good enough to 

 serve the city, while the best only 

 should be called. In great contrast is 

 the few dozen beds in beautiful Forest 

 Lawn; not a great deal of it, but well 

 done, in keeping with the magnificent 

 care and order of that silent city. 



Mr. C. L. Dole, of Lockport, and his 

 dear little wife, were here this morn- 

 ing, and an indication of how trade 

 was in the Lock City can be gained by 

 a brief quotation: "How was spring 

 business, Mr. Dole?" "Never sold out 

 so clean. I am going to put a 200-foot 

 granolithic walk in front of my place." 

 That's pleasant to hear; hope many 

 more will put down a hard walk and 

 keep the straight path. 



A little experience last week is, I 

 think, worth recounting, because it's a 

 "cultural direction." We have always 

 supposed that a lump of lime, saj- 

 three pounds, in forty or fifty gallons 

 of water, and then allowed to get 

 clear, was a good thing to make angle 

 worms move on or turn up their toes. 

 but we have learned something better, 

 and I cannot tell how better than the 

 dialogue: "Mrs. S. : "I brought my 

 rubber tree for you to look at." "Tes, 

 mam; it looks real healthy, and the 

 pot is large enough." "Yes, I know: 

 but it don't grow; has not made a leaf 

 in six months." "Well, mam, as long as 

 it looks so green and healthy, there 

 are no regrets, and I would be afraid 

 to disturb it now; but it looks awful- 

 ly well." "Well, you see it was out 

 in last night's rain, and last week I 

 gave it two tablespoonsful of castor 

 oil." "Well, well; you don't say so: 



the oil being a pure vegetable extract, 

 may not have hurt it; but did it do 

 any good?" "WTiy, of course it did. 

 There was a large worm came out." 

 The little lady marched home again 

 with her rubber, happy that there was 

 nothing serious the matter and happy 

 that she had imparted some useful 

 knowledge to her friend the florist. 



W. S. 



A FLORIST WEDDED. 



Geo. G. Schramm, of the Stover Flo- 

 ral Co., Grandville, Mich., was married 

 to Miss Lulu Parker, of Grand Rapids, 

 Mich., on Wednesday evening, Jtine 

 29th, at the home of the bride's aunt. 



After the ceremony the guests were 

 invited to the dining room, where a 

 sumptuous wedding supper was 

 served. Then there was masic by 

 Miss Jeanette Schramm, sister of the 

 groom, and all joined In having a good 

 time generally, after which Mr. and 

 Mrs. Schramm left for their future 

 home. They will occupy the cottage 

 on the property at Grandville, which, 

 had been prepared for them. May 

 their life always be as happy as it 

 was on that evening is the wish of 

 their many friends. 



ONE WHO WAS THERE. 



MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. 

 I The Park and Outdoor Art Associa- 

 I tion held a very successful meeting 



here June 22 to 24. There was a large 

 1 attendance of park superintendents, 

 ; landscape architects and others from 

 I ever>- section of the country. Many 

 1 valuable and instructive papers were 

 I read and the ■s"lsitors were royally 

 [ entertained by the local people. De- 

 I troit was selected as the place for the 



next meeting. 



TWO NEW BEDDING PLANTS. 



Two new bedding plants with which 

 Head-Gardener Stromback at Lincoln 

 Park. Chicago, is favorably impressed 

 are Torenia Montenegro and Lobelia 

 Blue Bedder. The Montenegro torenia 

 is similar to Fournierii in color, but 

 the flowers are considerably larger and 

 more showy. The Blue Bedder lobelia 

 is a taller grower than the old type, 

 but has flowers much larger in size. 



"R^E HAVE RECEIVED a copy of 

 the advance premium list for the 

 autumn exhibition of the Buffalo Flor- 

 ist Club, which will be held Nov. 9, 10 

 and 11 next. Copies may be had by 

 addressing the secretary, Mr. Wm. 

 Legg, 1440 Delaware Ave., Buffalo, 

 N. Y. 



Mr. S. HAMBURGER, president of 

 the American Jadoo Co.. of Philadel- 

 phia, sailed from New York June 25 

 on the Kaiser Friedrich for England, 

 on a business trip. He will be away 

 about six weeks. 



IF YOU HAVE anything to sell to 

 the trade, offer it in an adv. in The 

 Review. 



