10 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



circumstantial evidence of having be- 

 longed to a much larger man, and pre- 

 pared to leave. 



"Here, what happened to the gcysor," 

 inquired a general chorus. 



"I don't rightly know," said Jaggs. 

 "I came back from a trip to Minneapo- 

 lis " 



"There ain't no geysers around Minne- 

 apolis," began the fireman, firmly. "I 

 come from St. Paul, and " 



"Did I say there was?" asked Jaggs. 

 "What does a chap from St. Paul know 

 about Minneapolis, anyway? I come 

 back from Minneapolis, and when I get 

 to the greenhouses there wasn't nothink 

 there but a geyser near as big as Lake 

 Erie, steamin' away like a million wash 

 kettles at once. I don't know where the 

 greenhouses was, but I hear they had a 

 rain o' rose bushes as nobody couldn't 

 account for, about 250 miles south, so I 

 reckon that's where our Beauties and 

 Meteors went." 



"Whaur was Hiram?" asked Davy, ad- 

 dressing Jaggs for the first time. 



"Well, I couldn't rightly say," re- 

 turned Jaggs, "because I didn't know 

 nothink about his past life. But he must 

 have gone a good way up, for I reckon 

 he hasn't lit yet." 



There was a brief pause. The boss' 

 parrot, which was moulting extensively 

 as the result of a difference with the 

 greenhouse cat, was heard swearing 

 cheerfuriy in the distance. Jaggs filled 

 hi.'' borrowed pipe with annexed tobacco, 

 and the audience gradually drifted away. 

 Ti,e general sentiments were expressed 

 by Tommy, who remarked sleepily: 



"Same old Jaggs, bless him! He'll 

 be a loss to the trade if he ever does 

 damp off, but I reckon he's like the 

 Wanderin' Jew— he's set for eternity, 

 and they'll have to slug him on the day 

 o' judgment!" 



SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS. 



I have read with interest the report 

 of the work of the incorporators of the 

 S. A. F. as regards affiliation of co-oper- 

 ative societies and I heartily approve of 

 all they have done. It seems to me that 

 they have brought about an affiliation 

 which will tend to the benefit of both the 

 parent society and its active offspring 

 without impairing independent work of 

 the CO- operative societies. I agree with 

 that clause which gives one delegate from 

 each society the right to act with the 

 Executive Board. 



_ These co-operative associations or so- 

 cieties have done an immense amount of 

 good work and it is from them that the 

 most active work and progress must be 

 expected, and their relations to the S. A. 

 F. and O. H. will not hamper them in 

 the least. There is one fact connected 

 with all this that is comforting and 

 will doubtless be the means of there be- 

 ing the heartiest co-operation between 

 us all, and that is that every good and 

 active member of any one of the co- 

 operative societies is a loyal and good 

 and active member of the S. A. P. & 

 O. H. It seems to me the incorporators 

 have done good and conscientious work 

 and the floral fraternity of the whole 

 country owes them a hearty vote of 

 thanks. Wm. Scott. 



In the Minneapolis Journal of May 18 

 appears an illustrated article by Prof. 

 Conway MacMillan on the Pacific Coast 

 Botanical station now being established 

 on Vancouver Island. 



PHILADELPHIA. 



Business Conditions. 

 Society has made an unexpected de- 

 parture. The old legend 



has been decided silly. Consequently 

 many of the pretty girls are breaking 

 away from the old custom of being mar- 

 ried in June and are showing good com- 

 mon sense by choosing the present time 

 for their weddings. 



The demand for choice roses is brisk; 

 the supply is not excessive and prices 

 are firm. It is not always easy to get 

 really fine flowers now. The grow- 

 ers with solid beds now have the best 

 stuff unless the man with his plants in 

 raised benches is a very artist in his 

 profession. Beauties, specials, bring 

 from $2 to $2.50, occasionally $3 per 

 doz.; Kaiserins, $6 per 100; Brides and 

 Maids, $4 to $5 per 100; carnations, 75 

 cents to $1.50 per 100; fancies, $2. 

 Sweet peas, 50 cents to $1 per 100. Ow- 

 ing to the dark weather they are not 

 plentiful. 



Decoration Day prospects for cut 

 flowers are bright. Though Japanese 

 snow balls and paeonies will not be in 

 flower in quantity there will be plenty 

 of common snow balls, white weigela and 

 other out-door stock to reinforce that 

 grown indoors. Deutzia is over. There 

 is a good deal of valley about. 



The phenomenally backward season 

 has upset the plantsmen's calculations. 

 The beds are not being planted as rap- 

 idly as usual and the plants need sun 

 badly to open their blooms for the 30th. 

 Red geraniums in flower appear scarce, 

 so also, heliotrope, fuchsias, verbenas, 

 etc. Plenty of plants but not plenty in 

 bloom is tie general feeling. 



Various Notes. 



A new departure is noticed in decorat- 

 ing. The church at the corner of Eight- 

 eenth and Stiles streets has bought a 

 number of large palms, many of them 

 from J. Wm. Colflesh, for decorating. 

 It is intended to build a small conser- 

 vatory in the churchyard for these 

 plants before cold weather sets in. 



William K. Harris has a fine lot of 

 G-inch Spirea japonica, well grown, that 

 bring $3 a doz. He is cutting a few 

 scarlet paeonies. 



Julius Koehler & Sons grew 10,000 

 geraniums this season. They have done 

 well with them and expect to have few 

 left at the end of this week. A new 

 greenhouse built last fall has given good 

 returns. 



Robert Crawford, Jr., has moved out 

 to his country place, where he has many 

 shrubs planted for cut flowers. It is un- 

 derstood that he expects to grow asters 

 and violets there. 



H. H. Battles has purchased the farm 

 adjoining his present place at Newtown 

 Square. This tract of land includes 

 about thirty-three acres admirably 

 suited for cultivating, having scarcely a 

 tree or stone on it. 



The Century Flower Shop has made a 

 specialty of the unique sensitive plant in 

 small pots. The stock at this up-to- 

 date place always appears bright and 

 fresh. 



Chas. A. Knapp is doing well with 

 crotons, which are now in demand. The 

 price is $3 to $6 per doz. 



('. J. Raniear, known to most of us as 

 tlic manager of the firm who sella ua 

 iron pipe, and to some of us as a good 

 bowler, is now in business for himself, 

 at 520 Arch street. He is busy as a 

 bee. 



The Florists' Bowling Club has been 

 doing finely throughout the winter. We 

 are not going to say much except that 

 we hope to roll with you at Buffalo, Mr. 

 Scott. 



So much interest has been . shown in 

 the identity of the writers of these notes 

 that it seems but fair to corroborate 

 tlie statement made by our croton expert 

 that chrysanthemum notes were not 

 written e'ither in 1897 or 1898 by the real 

 PuiL. 



BUFFALO. 



The past two weeks have been rather 

 an eventful time with many of our citi- 

 zens, but you cannot say that the crowd 

 is here yet. Dedication day filled up the 

 streets and gave us a taste of what we 

 may expect later in the season. The 

 visit of Vice-President Roosevelt and 

 other distinguished guests gave rise to 

 several decorations more or less elabor- 

 ate. Mr. and Mrs. Roosevelt were kept 

 bu.sy up till Tuesday night of last week 

 attending some affair in their honor. 

 Morning, noon and evening, instead of 

 shooting lions in the Rockies, fair eyes 

 were shooting at him. 



It is only within the last two weeks 

 that there have been any flowers going 

 to waste. Now there is rather an excess 

 of roses and carnations. What a splen- 

 did spring carnation the Marquis is 

 proving. It puts all the other pinks in 

 the shade, or appears to because our 

 crop of Lawson is a little off. Sweet 

 peas are in great abundance and fine, 

 with not a very brisk demand. It ap- 

 pears now that all outside flowers are 

 quite ten days later than the average 

 season, and this makes it about right for 

 Decoration Day. Late tulips that are 

 usually over will be at their best, and 

 so will lily of the valley and lilacs. 

 Paeonies are very late, but we never ex- 

 pect to get any of those till the 10th of 

 .June. There was a lively demand for 

 plants a week ago, and many people 

 wanted their yards fixed up by Decora- 

 tion Day, but a very cool, wet spell has 

 put a damper on their anxiety, and the 

 rush will not begin for a few days yet. 



As I expected, there is going to be a 

 more than ordinary demand for all kinds 

 of decorative plants. Many hotels and 

 fashionable boarding places are putting 

 on extra frills and in many ways the de- 

 mand will be increased. We could with 

 justice to ourselves and without the 

 slightest extortion raise the price of our 

 plants this spring for nearly everything 

 that goes to produce them has cost us 

 more, but I don't suppose we will get 

 any material advance. We can, however, 

 be firm and make no material reductions 

 for the sake of getting an order. 



Among the visitors of the week have 

 been Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Groff of Sim- 

 coe, Ont., William T. Bell of Franklin, 

 Pa., Mr. Broadhead, with his manager, 

 Mr. Roney, of Jamestown, Mr. Dille- 

 muth of Toronto. If I don't extend the 

 same time and attention to a florist 

 friend now-a-days that I always liked to 

 they must remember the wish is there 

 but the opportunity is not. 



At the last moment who should come 

 in the Horticulture Building but the 



