584 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



NOVEMBER 3, 1S9S. 



There are two principal forms, one 

 low, the other high. In chrysanthe- 

 mums we have material with which 

 we can make both these forms effect- 

 ive. If we go in tor high effects, 

 then we should use a vase and fix the 

 flowers so that people may see one 

 another beneath them. For this you 

 must use a tall, slender vase, and. the 

 greens or foliage used must be unob- 

 structive. When we say put your 

 flowers in a vase, it does not mean 

 just stick them up in a stiff bunch. 

 but let them spread out and show 

 their beauties. We prefer the low 

 forms of table decorations, as they 

 generally give more satisfaction, inas- 

 much as one need not stand up to see 

 the beauty of the flowers, and remem- 

 ber in arranging a low decoration it 

 does not mean that you should have 

 your flowers six inches long and as 

 flat as a pan-cake; oh. no, not by 

 any means; rather to have your bas- 

 ket small and very low. and your flow- 

 ers a reasonable length. In all cases 

 there should be a clear view across 

 the table. 



Many may despise the mum, but it 

 makes the finest table decoration if 

 properly used. Use only one color, 

 and don't mass them too thick, have 

 your flowers reach down to the cloth, 

 and the best to face the guests. Don't 

 have them formal; fix one a little 

 above the other, and it will be all the 

 hetter if the space occupied is not too 

 acute in regularity. Let a good flower 

 or two stray out here and there, and 

 let them have for company a spray 

 of Japan maple or a vine of well-col- 

 ored ampelopsis. 



THE FLORISTS' REVffiW 



G. L. GR.^NT, Editor and M.\N-\ger. 



PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY BY 



THE FLORISTS' PUBLISHING CO. 



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Copyright 1S08. 



NEW YORK. 



The Present Situation. 

 Outdoor flowers, that is, from a com- 

 mercial point of view, are over for 

 this year, and it seems cruel for the 

 wholesalers to be thankful for it, but 

 these gentlemen are to be excused for 

 much they do these days. As several 

 of them informed me, they have to sit 

 up at nights trying to solve the prob- 

 lem of how to keep their growers sat- 

 isfied, and many will admit they have 

 :a hard road to travel, and still the 

 growers have troubles of their own. 



Coal bills have to be paid and the 

 wolf kept away in the woods. 



Perhaps the long and reckless credit 

 system is the curse of our business, 

 for no matter how little is coming to 

 a man, it will probably satisfy him if 

 he can get it when he wants it; but. 

 boys and girls, don't lose sight of the 

 fact that this matter is also full of 

 problems, for there is scarcely a re- 

 tailer who has not on his books to- 

 day thousands of dollars he cannot 

 collect, and a lot of it he never will 

 be able to collect, for he dare not get 

 the reputation of suing his customers. 

 This long credit system is a matter 

 for careful consideration, and maybe 

 some day it will be changed, but be- 

 fore it is, the custom of trusting the 

 foreign element — one may say, mush- 

 room florists — will have to be stopped. 



The flower markets of New York 

 are a great field for study these days. 

 Every wholesale house is filled with 

 thousands of poor roses, and the 

 benches are continually adorned with 

 thousands of wretched looking mums. 

 Here one seldom meets an American 

 buyer; whatever little he wants at 

 present he orders by telephone; but 

 one may see groups of mongrel Greeks 

 mauling heaps of roses and filling the 

 atmosphere and the flowers with 

 fumes of awful cigarettes, and much 

 of the flower business of New York 

 today seems to depend on these Arabs, 

 and "it is nothing to the credit of 

 American florists. Some day we may 

 see this changed. The Fifth avenue 

 florists have cause to complain about 

 these Arabs, for they hang around in 

 front of the stores with armsful of 

 flowers and rush up to carriages, of- 

 fering them to ladies at half the price 

 they are worth. Pressure may yet be 

 brought to bear, and a very effective 

 way to stop this annoyance. 



The Market. 



Prices are a dangerous subject to 

 write about, but then they are scarce- 

 ly worth mention. It's a pity we have 

 no show this year— that is, a show 

 that would relieve the market. It 

 would almost pay the Florists' Club to 

 give a free one. Chrysanthemums are 

 late. Very few varieties are coming 

 in, but there is lots of rubbish. Still, 

 we hear there will be many fine flow- 

 ers for the local shows next week. 

 Club Notes. 

 There were lots of good scores made 

 a. the Florists' Bowling Club October 

 31. L. Hafner, fresh from the coun- 

 try, rolled up 167; Ed. Jansen aver- 

 aged 150. whilst Burns and Lang al- 

 ternated with 140 and 160. Some 179's 

 have been made, and the boys expect 

 to have a rousing time on the after- 

 noon of November 14. 



William H. Siebrecht, of Astoria, 

 will give a talk on "Bulbs" at the next 

 meeting of the Florists' Club, which 

 will be held on above date. Mr. Sie- 

 brecht has had vast experience in 

 growing bulbs for the New York mar- 

 ket and a great treat is in store for 

 all who will have a chance to be pres- 

 ent. D- 



CHICAGO. 



The Market. 



The supply has shortened up some- 

 what ana supply and demand are 

 about equal, except as to carnations, 

 which are rather scarce, especially 

 white. Beauties are also shorter in 

 supply, and prices have stiffened. In 

 prices on other roses there are no ma- 

 terial changes. Carnations are high- 

 er, the average run bringing $1 to 

 $1.50, and select stock going up to $2, 

 and occasionally higher for extra 

 fancy. Chrysanthemums are more 

 plentiful and prices lower. One dealer 

 reports that the medium grades sell 

 easier than the extras. 



The shortening in supply is prob- 

 ably explained by the fact that during 

 the month of October there were only 

 seven days in which rain did not fall, 

 and of these seven, a few were cloiidy. 

 The weather bureau says that the 

 rainfall for October was the greatest 

 for that month since a record has 

 been kept. 



The Exhibition. 



The Horticultural Society now has 

 possession of the Keith building, cor- 

 ner Wabash avenue and Monroe 

 street, and Superintendent Rudd has a 

 force of men at work getting it in 

 readiness for the show. The exhibi- 

 tion opens next Tuesday. Both of the 

 large floors will undoubtedly be used, 

 as space is already a consideration. 

 One exhibitor of decorative plants ha; 

 already arranged for double the space 

 he had last year. While a number of 

 growers report their chrysanthemums 

 late, and some plants may have to be 

 shown with blooms not fully devel- 

 oped, there will evidently be sufficient 

 to inake a good show. The general 

 effect will certainly be superior to 

 that of any previous show, the build- 

 ing being much better suited to such 

 an exhibition than the old armories. 



The Florist Club. 



The regular meeting of the Florists" 

 Club will be held tomorrow (Friday) 

 evening. At this meeting the new 

 officers take hold, and there will be a 

 discussion upon the value of exhibi- 

 tions to the trade, opened by Mr. J. T. 

 Anthony. 



The annual banquet of the Club will 

 take place at the Sherman House. 

 Thursday, November 10. at 7:30 p. m. 

 This is a very interesting annual 

 event and there will be a large at- 

 tendance, as usual. The judges at the 

 exhibition will be the guests of the 

 club and there will be a considerable 

 number of other out-of-town visitors. 



Tickets ?2.00, now on sale at all the 

 wholesale florists'. 



Various Items. 



Henry Wittbold has recovered from 

 his long illness with the grippe and 

 is rejoiced to be about again. 



Bassett & Washburn are cutting 

 some remarkably fine Ivory mums. 

 Mr. Bassett has returned from West 

 Baden. 



Poehlmann Bros, are showing some 



