DECEMUEK 28. 1899. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



lOl 



California Pepper on handle of plant basket. 



large growers, though, report a small- 

 er cut than last j-ear. especially in 

 Beauties and Meteors, and that the in- 

 crease in price was not sufficient to 

 balance the decrease in quantity. There 

 was certainly a big lot of stock from 

 somewhere and aside from the roses 

 above mentioned orders were fairly 

 well filled. 



One unpleasant feature was that 

 pickled stock turned up in quantity at 

 the last moment and with the usual 

 result. We hear of pickled carnations 

 being sold at $2.00 a hundred that 

 would have quickly broug'ht $4.00 had 

 they been brought in when right. 



American Beauty roses were the 

 scarcest they have ever been, and this 

 is generally accounted for by the fear- 

 fully hot weather in early fall which it 

 is believed took a great deal of vital- 

 ity from the plants which has not yet 

 been recovered. 



Kennicott Bros. Co. report the 

 Christmas trade as much the largest 

 in their whole business experience. 

 They didn't expect any Beauties worth 

 mentioning, and their only disappoint- 

 ment was that the Gontiers they had 

 depended upon to help out in colored 

 roses were not up to expectations. 

 They made three very long distance 

 shipments for Christmas (one to the 

 Pacific coast) and feel sure the stock 

 must have carried well, as the con- 

 signees had telegraphed orders for 

 double the quantities for New Year's. 

 They find that bulb stuff travels best 



packed dry in boxes separate from 

 other flowefs. 



The market is now almost bare of 

 flowers aside from white flowers, espe- 

 cially bulbous stock, and Christmas 

 prices still rule; in fact these figures 

 will be shaded little, if any, till after 

 New Year's, anyway. And if trade is 

 at all brisk prices should hold up well 

 for some time. Unless the plants 

 should suddenly bring that long de- 

 ferred "crop." All report their plants 

 as now in excellent condition and pros- 

 pects good, but the stock doesn't come 

 ia despite the fact that never before 

 have we been favored with so much 

 bright weather in December. 



The tact that better figures were 

 made on white flowers for Christmas 

 induced some retailers to push them 

 and with results which show that the 

 people will take them if price is lower. 

 One retailer bought 600 bunches of 

 narcissus, dressed them up with ferns 

 and sold them out clean at $1.00 a 

 bunoh. 



Seen at the Retailers. 



At E. Wienhoebers: Natural birch 

 bark jardinieres filled with various 

 small plants. One combination was 

 an ardisia with baby primroses and 

 small ferns. Another, red cyclamen 

 and various ferns. A large round birch 

 basket had an araucaria at back, with 

 white azalea and large ferns in front. 

 A plant stand contained a Dracaena 

 Sanderiana. two ardisias, two baby 



inimroscs with Cyrtomium falcatum 

 and ncphrolepis at the edge. A lower 

 shelf of the same stand was filled with 

 cyclamen iuid nephrolepis. In the center 

 of the store was a 4-foot section of a 

 huge log on end. In the upper end 

 was sunk the pot of a large kentia and 

 into the soil of the pot had been insert- 

 ed a lot of winter berry branches, mak- 

 ing ;i mass of the bright red berries, 

 while ivy vines were drajjcd down the 

 log. There were many cyclamens and 

 not so many azaleas as usual. Some 

 made up pots containod an ardisia with 

 small cyrtomiums around. 



At C. A. Samuelson's: The window 

 display illustrated and described else- 

 where. Many baskets of plants in 

 which cyclamens were most frequent, 

 the handles often decorated with Cali- 

 fornia pepper, as shown in illustra- 

 tjons in this issue. A green hamper 

 fille(i with two small I'yclamons. sev- 

 eral baby primro.^es ami sprays of As- 

 paragus pluraosus. Small hamper filled 

 with marguerites and mignonette. The 

 same filled with two bunches of vio- 

 lets and a few spiays of valley and 

 mignonette. A dull gilt basket con- 

 taining a white cyclamen and sprays 

 of holly. Hamper filled with cycla- 

 mens, sprays of winter berry and as- 

 paragus, and California pepper along 

 the edge of cover. A basket contain- 

 ing two plants of Primula obconica, 

 several baby primroses and sprays of 

 holly. 



At H. F. Halle's: Cyclamen with 

 pearl crepe paper cover tied with rib- 

 bon to match and spray of winter ber- 

 ry through the bow. Laureate wreath 

 of leucothoe with bunch of hoUv at 

 the base, the holly brightened by' the 

 addition of winter berry. A remark- 

 ably fine white cyclamen. Ericas, Ota- 

 heite oranges, azaleas, primulas. Many 

 fern dishes. His window display was 

 a very effective combination of above 

 and decorative plants. He also had 

 filled the pot of a large palm with 

 winter berry. 



At I. C. Silliman's: Many natural 

 birch bark fern dishes. These, by the 

 way, are made by local talent and they 

 were very effective as well as low 

 priced. Azaleas in pot covers were 

 also prominent here. 



The retailers all report a big Christ- 

 mas trade, the increased call being for 

 cut fiowers as well as plants. With 

 several of the leading florists poinset- 

 tias were a feature and they sold ex- 

 ceedingly well. Individual orders aver- 

 aged larger than for some years past. 



■Various Items. 



A look through the greenhouses of 

 Mr. Peter Reinberg. at Summerdale. 

 shows his stock to be in extra fine con- 

 dition. He cut a fine lot of stuff for 

 Christmas and the quality was excel- 

 lent. He has an immense lot of rooted 

 carnation cuttings coming on and all 

 are in splendid shape. He is arrang- 

 ing for an experiment as to the effect 

 of electric light on plant growth and 

 has the poles tip for a number of are 

 lights that will throw the light over 



