30 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



JUNE S, 1899. 



suit was that prices soon took a tum- 

 ble. The fact that it was mid-summer 

 was brought very vividly to the no- 

 tice of the growers, and it was an- 

 other case of get all you can. 



Roses, especially Brides and Maids, 

 are now running very poor, small and 

 mildewed, and are selling from 50 

 cents to $6 per 100; Kaiserins of good 

 quality, from 4 to 8 cents; Meteors, 

 from 2 to 6 cents; Beauties, from $2 

 per 100 to $2 per dozen. Carnations 

 are almost unquotable. Sales were 

 made on Saturday from 35 cents to $2 

 per 100; 50 cents to $1.50 is the ask- 

 ing figure for average stock, while 

 higher grades will run as high as $3 

 per 100; demand limited. Lilies not 

 over plentiful; 75 cents to $1 per 

 dozen; spirea and stocks, $2 and $3 

 per 100; valley, from outside, $1.50 

 and $2 per 100. Trade quiet; prices 

 very variable. 



The Plant Trade. 



As is always the case, the advent of 

 Decoration day made a big boom in 

 the plant trade, and quite a number 

 of growers are now entirely cleaned 

 out. It really looks as though the sup- 

 ply for the beach trade is apt to run 

 short. Prices have averaged about as 

 usual, but with a much better de- 

 mand. At McCarthy's a good crowd 

 is in attendance at every sale, and 

 clean up everything at prices fully 

 equal to those asked at the green- 

 house. 



The News. 



This section of the country has not 

 had a drop of rain since early April, 

 and a great deal of apprehension is 

 felt by growers as to the outcome. It 

 will be a case of no rain, no flowers, 

 or perpetual watering. Pink planting 

 has been very seriously retarded. 



Allen Pierce, of Waverly, is soon to 

 become a Benedict, and will on June 

 15 take unto himself a wife. He has 

 the hearty congratulations of the 

 whole craft, who wish him a very 

 happy journey through life. 



The season of vacations is soon here 

 and we hear of preparations being 

 made to take a much needed rest. L. 

 H. Foster, of Dorchester, with wife 

 and daughter, contemplate a trip to 

 Europe; Frank Houghton, of Hough- 

 ton & Clark, is going to California; 

 Ned McMulkin, of Galvin's, will sum- 

 mer at Scituate. P. 



BUFFALO. 



The Season. 



The wilting weather of late has 

 made flowers very plentiful, but qual- 

 ity keeps up. The carnations are as 

 fine as in midwinter. I have in my 

 eye just now a house of Scotts that 

 stand up three feet above the bench 

 and are green to the bottom, with 

 buds and blossoms like a heavy crop 

 of wheat when ready for the sickle. It 

 seems to me worth mentioning here 



that Flora Hill has been magnificent 

 all winter, and in spite of the popu- 

 larity of White Cloud, Flora is by no 

 means eclipsed. Perhaps the faults 

 that were apparent at first arose only 

 from the usual cause, over and indis- 

 criminate propagation. It is now per- 

 fectly healthy. That bugaboo, the 

 rust, avoids it absolutely. It is vigor- 

 ous, and the weakness of the stem near 

 the flower has with us entirely disap- 

 peared. It has a graceful curve, which 

 is better than such a rigid stem as 

 that of Jubilee. All the petals now 

 open regularly, and as we all know, it 

 is of the largest, has the finest form 

 and the right clove sweetness. And 

 last but most important, you get a 

 fine lot of flowers in October and from 

 then on, as good and healthy today as 

 ever. 



Evelina, which has been so disap- 

 pointing as a winter flower, has given 

 great quantities of flowers the past 

 two months. Where there is a de- 

 mand for short-stemmed flowers for 

 designs, it will, I think, be found a 

 very profitable variety. 



Roses have dropped to bargain- 

 counter prices, which must be expect- 

 ed, and we are having just now an- 

 other ten-cent carnation day, just to 

 help the growers out. 



There are some very fine paeonies 

 coming from Corfu, grand ones re- 

 tailing at present at 75 cents a dozen. 

 The trouble with them is they are so 

 large that half a dozen go a long 

 ways, and ladies who are so righteous- 

 ly inclined as to order two dozen, 

 when they see them say, "Oh, my, 

 they are so large I think half a dozen 

 will be enough, thank you," and you 

 grunt inwardly and smile outwardly. 



Plant Trade. 



The bedding plant business goes on- 

 ward lively. If all people were un- 

 reasonable enough to think we could 

 wait on them on June 1st we should 

 have been cremated several days ago, 

 but thanks to the dispenser of reason, 

 some amiable souls will wait, so we 

 live on, and in a week or two will 

 have forgotten the fret and stew and 

 vexation of crowding three months' 

 work into three weeks. We shall start 

 off with renewed vigor, for the de- 

 mand for bedding plants has been 

 grand, and it is not only bedding 

 plants that people want, but there is a 

 great increase in the demand for large 

 palms, sweet bays, and specimen 

 plants of all kinds to adorn the homes 

 of the wealthy. 



I don't consider we have as a com- 

 munity been a bit behind cities of our 

 size in some styles of ornamental 

 gardening. I venture to think we have 

 been ahead of many cities, but there is 

 much for all our cities to do, and the 

 plant man is the man to do it. One of 

 our millionaires remarked to me the 

 other day, one who has one of the 

 costliest houses and grounds: "It is 

 time we did some gardening around 

 our houses, such as you see in Europe, 

 and a little of it at Newport." I re- 



plied with the conventional "Yes, sir," 

 with the accent on the "sir." "We can 

 supply anything, and tell you how to 

 care for it, trim your hedges, or lay 

 out your grounds, but you must re- 

 member, sir, that in Newport and sim- 

 ilar places you saw in Europe, they 

 keep trained gardeners, not 'coach- 

 man-gardeners,' and much depends on 

 that." This gentleman pondered 

 silently a moment, said he was going 

 to have some fine plants, and asked 

 me if I smoked. I said "Yes, sir, I 

 smoke." That's all. 



This noticeable demand for better 

 and costlier decorations is not a, re> 

 vival, because it never had an exist- 

 ence; it is an awakening, or rather a 

 birth. In my humble opinion high- 

 class ornamental gardening is in only 

 a rudimentary state, and there is a 

 bright future for bright men. The 

 tree-peddler is fast drifting into 

 shadow to join the lightning rod man 

 and the sewing machine agent, who 

 have for some time been in the hands 

 of Charon on the hot water of the 

 river Styx, where we hope all crape 

 chasers will soon go to serve out ice 

 water, where it will be much appre- 

 ciated. 



The Crack Shots. 



According to my promise, I went 

 down to see Messrs. Harris, Cartledge 

 and Anderson on their return from 

 Erie. You will no doubt have an ac- 

 count of their doings, but I cannot re- 

 frain from saying that they covered 

 themselves with glory. Anderson and 

 Harris both declared they were off, but 

 as they won about everything in sight, 

 none of them could be much off. As 

 for Champion Cartledge, we glory in 

 his skill. I don't believe that were 

 he able to lift the Washington monu- 

 ment six feet from its base it would 

 disturb his native modesty, but from 

 the animation of young Mrs. Cartledge 

 you could read the thought, "Isn't he 

 a dandy!" I saw them step aboard 

 the "Black Diamond" at 12:10 noon, 

 and at 9 that night they would step 

 out on to Market street, Philadelphia. 

 That's traveling, gentlemen. I trust 

 that the excitement of welcome, with 

 necessary concomitants, etc., that 

 would await their arrival, did not pro- 

 duce dyspepsia or worse. W. S. 



ST. LOUIS. 



Trade Conditions. 



Decoration day trade was fully up 

 to last year. There was a good de- 

 mand for cut flowers and plants of 

 the cheaper grades, but no outside 

 stock was depended on. The commis- 

 sion men report a few large shipping 

 orders. The past week was noted for 

 general scarcity of select stock and 

 many orders had to be filled from out- 

 side. 



Quite a number of large orders for 

 June weddings are booked for this 

 week, which will use up a lot of first- 

 class stock and some of the west end 

 florists will have their hands full. 



