OCTOBER 12, 1899. 



The Weekly Florists' Review, 



487 



first class store at 8 o'clock every 

 morning, for business men often drop 

 in to order violets and they want to 

 see them too. Often if they are extra 

 fine more of them will be ordered. 

 Plain cedar compartment boxes are 

 one of the best things to keep them 

 in, and it's good to show them to your 

 customers in that box because he will 

 imagine they have just come in. 

 We'll return to the violet another 

 time, but before we leave them now 

 let us tell you that single ones are 

 being sold now in the streets at 25 

 cents per bunch of 100. The fakirs 

 have a way of sprinkling a drop of 

 violet water under the bunch, and the 



shaped frames. Sometimes a cluster of 

 oncidium or vanda is placed in a group 

 of ferns, but orchids are the chief 

 flower. 



In the smaller stores roses and car- 

 nations and chrysanthemums form the 

 principal stock of cut flowers. Talking 

 of chrysanthemums, little can be said 

 of them yet as only a few are coming 

 in, but the fact that there are very few 

 shows next month insures that the 

 market will be choked with them this 

 year worse than ever, and fine trade 

 seems to be tired of the flower. There 

 is no doubt the mums are very beauti- 

 ful and valuable flowers, but they are 

 grown in such enormous quantities 



Dewey Decoration in window of John Young, New York. 



paper they are wrapped in is similarly 

 treated; that is why they smell so 

 sweet when you pass them, and 

 madame comes in and gives you halle- 

 lujah about your high priced ones. 



Organize to keep the fakir where he 

 can do you the least harm; don't 

 shoot him, but . 



Miniature caddy bags are made a 

 special feature in a prominent Broad- 

 way florist's window. They were out 

 two years ago, but were not taken 

 up; properly pushed they are destined 

 to become very popular with the golf 

 set this winter for floral favors. 



Most of the principal windows now 

 show clusters and designs of cattleyas. 

 These flowers never were finer nor 

 more plentiful; every grower seems to 

 have rushed his labiatas in all at once; 

 it's a pity they are in so early; we ex- 

 pect they will be scarce when wanted. 

 The flowers shown now in the win- 

 dows are all in water, some arranged 

 in glass holding wreaths and various 



that it is impossible to use them at 

 high prices, and they occupy too much 

 room to handle them cheaply. Use 

 all you can and sail through their sea- 

 son patiently. 



The green men are selling autumn 

 foliage in New York at 25 cents per 

 bunch. Swamp maples are the most 

 brilliant leaved of all our trees. Am- 

 pelopsis vines are beautiful now for 

 decorating. Try a window of autumn 

 foliage and yellow flowers. We are 

 told that some of the boys, no doubt 

 addicted to the "trust fever" (poor fel- 

 lows) have been been trying to corner 

 galax leaves. Let them; that foliage 

 is not at all necessary to the florist's 

 trade; we would like to see the trade 

 return to the dear old ivy green; there 

 is history, legends, sentiment, every- 

 thing attached to the ivy, and it looks 

 artistic when arranged, but as for the 

 galax — why it's merely a cheap leaf 

 used to cover a multitude of sins; cor- 

 ner them, boys. 



Try to get a few blue corn flowers, 

 in for Christmas. Don't forget to pro- 

 vide yourself with lots of good pansies,, 

 hollyhocks, delphiniums, phlox, paeon- 

 ias, iris, and all the good showy flow- 

 ers; get them planted now. Neadn't 

 have so many of each, but have some- 

 thing in flower all the time next 

 spring, summer and autumn. Now is 

 the time to prepare. 



Better be getting your H. P. roses 

 potted. Buy the ones with good 

 fibrous roots. Roses in pots will go 

 well the coming season. Don't flood 

 the market, have enough, and in suc- 

 cession, to keep trade interested. 



If you've been to any of the shows 

 this fall you will have noticed many 

 beautiful cactus dahlias. Well, get a 

 stock of them; they are the best class 

 of dahlias for the retail florist. Many 

 of the varieties are superb and fit for 

 any class of work; many of them don't 

 look like dahlias (in fact, we have 

 noticed many new types, and think 

 they should have a prettier classifica- 

 tion than "cactus;" "star dahlias" 

 would be better), and we think they 

 are destined to be the most popular 

 dahlias in America. 



Don't let your surplus carnations 

 freeze up; protect them in cold frames 

 or by covering; they'll be useful yet. 



It's high time to consider exterior 

 decorating. A neatly filled window 

 box or vase of shrubs is a very pretty 

 thing to look at in cold, wintry days; 

 we will deal with this matter next 

 week. 



A list of the principal hotels, houses, 

 etc., in your city is a good thing to 

 have near your desk. Enquirers ap- 

 preciate a quick answer. 



It's a good thing to send your invita- 

 tion cards and announcements to your 

 good customers, no matter what part 

 of the globe they are in. A note from 

 home, even be it a mere florist's adver- 

 tisement, is a welcome thing to the 

 wanderer. IVERA. 



EUROPEAN HORTICULTURE AS 

 VIEWED BY A CANADIAN. 



By S. S. Bain. 

 [Read before the Canadian Horticultural Asso- 

 ciation at Ottawa, Sept. 20, 1899.] 

 [Continued.] 



We first visited Brussels, a most 

 beautiful city, having a very fine Bot- 

 anical Garden, and the best and largest 

 Zoo we met with. Then to Antwerp; 

 from there to Ghent, the center of the 

 azalea and palm growing, it being 

 Saturday we thought that we might 

 take a run to Ostend, the great Bel- 

 gian watering place, certainly a place 

 worth seeing, but worth getting away 

 from. Here we were disappointed in 

 not seeing flowers used in any quan- 

 tity, even although the richest and 

 gayest of the gay were there. I did 

 not see a single florist's store, or flow- 

 ers worn. Contrasting this fashiona- 

 ble place with Newport, etc., for 

 flowers. I was very much disappointed. 



Monday morning we went to Bruges. 

 It is here that Sander & Co. have 

 their great establishment — 100 houses, 

 I was told by the manager. These 



