November T. 1901. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



713 



Groff's Display of Hybrid Gladioli at the Pan-American Exposition. 



Exhibit by H. H. Groff of Simcoe, Ont., and 

 Arthur Cowee of Berlin, N. Y. 



This illustration, which gives but a 

 partial view of their wonderful exhibit, 

 is sent you rather late. The display be- 

 gan about the middle of July and was 

 kept up to the end of September. In 

 all they exhibited a quarter of a million 

 spikes. The first month or six weeks the 

 flowers came mostly from Simcoe, On- 

 tario, and latterly from Berlin, N. Y. 



As is well known, Mr. Groff is the 

 hybridizer, and to say that he is an en- 

 thusiast is putting it mildly. Though 

 the busy manager of a bank he has 

 found time for the past five years to 

 work diligently on his favorite flowers, 

 and the result of his work is marvelous. 

 I will not attempt to describe any of 

 them because the varieties were limit- 

 less and the size of flower was as re- 

 markable as the coloring. Mr. Groff is 

 ably assisted by his cultivator, Mr. John 

 A. Campbell, and ten acres were devoted 

 to gladiolus the past summer. Mr. Cowee 

 cultivates the approved varieties and 

 this summer there was just thirty acres 

 of gladiolus at Berlin. Mr. Groff's seed- 

 lings are now sent to evei-y land where 

 the gladiolus can be grown. 



The display these gentlemen made at 

 the Pan-Ame'rican at large expense to 

 them was of the greatest value and at- 

 traction to the lloral part of the show. It 

 is also very pleasing to see two such fine 

 men making their hobby one of our most 

 beautiful and decorative flowers. May 

 they reap in abundance something more 

 than glory. W. S. 



PRIMULAS. 



Every year our customers scan our 

 primula bench from Thanksgiving to 

 Christmas and pick out the earliest 

 bloomers and the brightest colors. We 

 cannot sow till June, and we always seem 

 to have the biggest call for primulas 

 before Christmas. There are several 

 grand varieties that flower well in four 

 and five-inch pots, sown in June, namely, 



dark blood-red, pure light pink, \vhite 

 and rose, and we should make it a 

 point to always buy separate named 

 kinds of early varieties for this pur- 

 pose. Then, if they are not allowed to 

 get pot-bound, and we use a good, open, 

 lumpy soil, not rammed too tightly, we 

 can clear out by Christmas for lilies or 

 other stuff and make primulas profitable 

 by not occupying benches with them from 

 March until February. I find selected 

 American grown seed much the best. 

 J. 0. E. 



BOSTON. 



Trade Conditions. 



[Oct. 2S-NOV. 2.) 



The end of the week found the chrys- 

 anthemum season about at its height, I 

 imagine; and while every conceivable 

 price is being taken for them still a few 

 dozens command a tall figure — $4 being 

 the best I have known. But one dollar 

 still purchases an awful good dozen of 

 them. 



Red roses of all kinds are becoming 

 more plentiful and of better texture, so 

 that prices still remain at from 50 cents 

 to a little better than $3, perhaps, per 

 dozen, with better grades for the money 

 than is usual. Some very good Kaiser- 

 ins, Perles and Carnots are coming in, 

 the former losing its place as Brides 

 become larger, but the two latter are 

 surely meeting with more favor than 

 ever before. This is not saying very 

 much, because neither of them has had 

 its share of popularity in this section. 

 Rose men do not consider they are cut- 

 ting heavily, but much more goods is 

 being produced than the city can use, 

 more especially of the larger sizes. This 

 produces that unsatisfactory condition 

 of a few of the very best selling at a 

 good figure, small ones for funeral work 

 selling well and medium grades not mov- 

 ing at their real comparative value. But 

 rose growers hope to have something to 

 be thankful for about the time President 

 Roosevelt's first proclamation goes into 

 effect. 



The carnationists seem to be walking 

 on good solid foundations; prices prob- 



ably a little better than when last quot- 

 ed, say from one to a possible four cents 

 now. If a scarcity exists it is among 

 the white varieties. 



Violets still continue to sell the best 

 'of anything and have become quite plen- 

 tiful, too. I would give prices same as 

 last week — 35 to 75 cents. Quality very 

 good. 



H. N. Eaton has begun to move his 

 lilies cityward, where the cut ones find 

 ready market. He sent in a sample lot 

 of potted ones, but "candidumly" speak- 

 ing they did not sell in that shape worth 

 a cent. 



The summer-like weather has hurt the 

 sale of both cut flowers and plants with- 

 out doubt. Outdoor goods in variety 

 are still coming in and I have seen 

 quite good outdoor violets picked and 

 sold this month. And within ten feet of 

 me now is a heliotrope in excellent con- 

 dition which has stood the weather thus 

 far with no protection whatever. 



A Visit to Clematis Brook. 



I took the underground elevated at 

 Park street and a Massachusetts Cen- 

 tral railroad train for Clematis Brook 

 to inspect the fortiflcations erected 

 there upon a commanding little knoll, 

 by F. R. Mathison and added to by pres- 

 ent lessees, Anderson & Williams, until 

 30,000 feet of glass is now utilized.. Who 

 doesn't know Mr. Mathison ? ' Who 

 doesn't know "Billy" Anderson? But 

 Mr. Williams is not so well known on 

 the Boston end of the business, because 

 he makes his influence felt more at the 

 Brook. And the combined rose product 

 of the three is surely as well known as 

 any one of the three, being noted for 

 quality, quantity and especially for an 

 even output. They never seem to be 

 either "off crop" or "on crop," but keep 

 right on cutting about the same and 

 looking pleasant. 



The railroad, side by side with the 

 Fitchburg, eacli with stations at every 

 stopping place not thirty feet apart, 

 goes out through an intoriniiiable tan- 

 gle of railroad paraphernalia, then the 

 vegetable flats, a few pretty residential 

 sections, past W. W. Edgar's place and 



