The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



43 



Begonia Gloire de Lorraine in Conservatory Decoration. 



means. It is propagated by cuttings 

 without difficulty on mild bottom-heat 

 in a propagating frame. While the 

 plants are growing they require an in- 

 termediate temperature, and should be 

 kept close to the glass, that the growths 

 may be strong and shrubby. When in 

 bloom in the conservatory they make a 

 beautiful effect, as may be seen in our 

 illustration, reproduced from a photo- 

 graph." 



CHICAGO. 



The Market. 



All the wholesalers agree that it was 

 a record breaking Decoration Day busi- 

 ness and that such a brisk demand had 

 never before been known for the occasion. 

 Everything was completely cleaned up 

 and not even scraps were left. Prices 

 held stiffly up to quotations all through 

 and the only regret is that some of the 

 stock now coming in so abundantly was 

 not in evidence last week, when orders 

 had to be seriously cut for lack of it. 

 The shortage in the supply of paeonies 

 and the entire absence of Cape Jasmines 

 and other flowers of that class made life 

 wearisome to the dealers who were bur- 

 ied under an avalanche of orders. This 

 week a similar avalanche would be very 

 welcome and there would be little ne- 

 cessity for cutting any orders. 



Paeonies are now coming in freely and 

 Cape Jasmine is arriving from the south 

 in considerable quantities. There will 

 be an abundance of both these flowers as 

 well as standard stock for the school clos- 

 ings, or such of them as will use flowers 

 this year. Locally this demand will be 

 considerably interfered with by the order 

 of the board of education forbidding the 



use of flowers at the graduating exercises 

 of the public schools. 



After Decoration Day the general de- 

 mand kept up well the remainder of the 

 week, but last Monday there was a sharp 

 slackening which became more pro- 

 nounced on Tuesday. At present there is 

 a fair shipping demand, but aside from 

 this the market is weak and as usual the 

 poorer grades are getting very much the 

 worst of it. 



Tea roses are held at $4 to $5 for good 

 shipping grades and softie specially select 

 as high as $6, while ordinary sells at 

 from $3 down. The best Beauties are $3 

 a dozen and from that through the regu- 

 lar grades down to 75 cents. Good ordi- 

 nary carnations are .$1 to $L50 and the 

 fancy range from .'52 to .$3, but culls are 

 sold at as low as 40 cents in clean up 

 lots. In paeonies commons are quoted 

 at $4 to $5 and fancy at $6 to $8. Some 

 fine old reds brought $1 a dozen readily, 

 but in the pinks there are many that 

 are not up to the usual standard in qual- 

 ity. 



One outside buyer who had a telegraph- 

 ic order declined by three different 

 houses last Wednesday, took a train to 

 the city to pick up some stock himself, 

 and after putting in the afternoon, de- 

 parted with a few odds and ends that 

 he would have probably kicked vigorously 

 about had they been shipped to him. Be- 

 fore leaving he was forced to admit that 

 when the dealers wired back that stock 

 was not to be had it was no fairy tale. 



Various Items. 



Kennieott Bros. Co. had 4,600 dozen 

 paeonies for Decoration Day, but could 

 have sold twice that number. They were 

 obliged to refuse about $1,500 worth of 

 business. 



Bassett & Washburn report shipping 

 business as holding up finely and they 

 are still badly rushed with orders. 



McKellar & Winterson are receiving 

 some extra fine long-stemmed white 

 paeonies and plenty of Cape .Ja.smines, 

 which last they would have been over- 

 ijoyed to have last week, but are not 

 nearly so anxious for this week. 



Wietor Bros, have already replanted 

 twenty-two of their Beauty houses and 

 still have sixteen loft to cut from. They 

 have also replanted eighteen of their 

 houses of Brides and Maids. 



A regular meeting of the Florists' 

 Club will be held at the usual place to- 

 morrow (Friday) evening. Action will 

 probably be taken at this meeting re- 

 garding the proposed picnic. 



The Geo. Wittbold Co. has a very 

 large stock of latanias in all sizes and 

 in extra good condition. 



Head Gardener Stromback is bedding 

 out his tender plants at Lincoln park. 

 A new feature is a bed of fancy pelar- 

 goniums. Two beds of Azalea mollis 

 have lately been making a gay display 

 here. In the hardy garden the native 

 phloxes have been making a brave show 

 and the dodeeatheons are now about at 

 their best. The aquilegias and irises are 

 now beginning to bloom. The paeonies 

 are in bud and promise a great display 

 this season, unless some accident inter- 

 Mr. Kanst has been making some 

 radical changes in the space in front of 

 the conservatory at Washington park. 

 The drive is now the height of the 

 mound at the west and those driving 

 through have an excellent view of the 

 bedding on the lower level between the 

 drive and the conservatory. Most of 

 the beds are already planted. The trees 



