April at, 1902. 



The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



779 



"Skat-rat" and several kinds of traps, 

 and ean't swear that any rat has been 

 hurt except two that I bowled over with 

 a shotgun in true George Anderson style. 

 Perhaps the tariff on meat will be low- 

 ered so that we can get Canadian beef 

 and mutton of the Argentine and Aus- 

 tralia, which is sold in the cities of Eu- 

 rope for one-half what we pay. Perhaps 

 if the meat trust would not mind this 

 little breach of the glorious principle of 

 protection, we could again find use for 

 our canine teeth and both we and the 

 rats would resume our normal diet. 



Mr. W. Adams, 479 Main street, has 

 been struggling along for some time, 

 and finally decided last week to give up 

 business. He gave a bill of sale of his 

 assets to his heaviest creditor, Mr. Kast- 

 ing, and we hope there will be something 

 left for us. Andy tried hard to carry 

 the load, but it was a dull winter. He is 

 engaged to be head clerk for S. A. An- 

 derson, across the street. The new occu- 

 pants of the store have brushed up and 

 fixed up, and are carrying a big stock, 

 and it looks bright. Their name I will 

 give you later. W. S. 



BALTIMORE. 



Various Items. 



Trade for the season of the year has 

 been and continues in good shape. The 

 wedding crop after Easter was large and 

 fairly profitable, and the end is not yet. 

 Violets have dropped out of the market, 

 and dafi'odils and narcissus are in over- 

 supply. Shippers from Virginia are send- 

 ing quantities which cannot be absorbed. 

 Carnations continue of good quality, but 

 the supply is deficient, and roses are plen- 

 tiful enough for all requisitions and of 

 tolerable quality. Harrisii and callas are 

 in abundant supply and greens are short. 

 For two weeks we have had typical 

 spring weather, though the season up to 

 tliis writing (April 21) is backward. To- 

 day the mercury stood at 70 degrees. 



The Gardeners' Club at a recent meet- 

 ing took up with some show of indigna 

 tion a practice alleged to exist of plants 

 and ilowers from the city parks being 

 furnished for weddings and other occa- 

 sions, but the matter seems to have been 

 dropped. 



At the last meeting the president of 

 the State Agricultural College and the 

 director of the Experimental Station ex- 

 ploited these institutions, which are un- 

 der one management. The former is one 

 01 the "laud-grant" colleges and the two 

 have an endowment of nearly $540,000 a 

 year from the United States, most, if not 

 :ill, of which goes for salaries. The state 

 ;ilso liberally aids from the public purse, 

 and there is an abundant foundation for 

 c;irrying on a useful work in agriculture 

 and horticulture, which, however, has lit- 

 tle practical realization. Instead of a 

 school where intending farmers are pre- 

 pr.red for the work awaiting them, the 

 influences are such that they are directed, 

 rather, away from the farm. During ten 

 .^lars of the existing administration no 

 mark that can be seen has been made 

 toward the improvement of our farm 

 practice by the contribution of bright, 

 talented and thoroughly educated young 

 men to the ranks of the agriculturists of 

 the state. Few take the agricultural 

 course, the graduates being trained for, 

 an<l going into, the professions. So far 

 as horticulture is concerned the result is 

 epitomized by the American Agricultur- 

 ist, whose editor had exceptional opportu- 



nity to see and judge of its work, which 

 says: "In experimentation along horti- 

 cultural lines the college and station have 

 done nothing worthy of favorable com- 

 ment in ten years, and it is estimated 

 $20,000 to $30,000 has been expended on 

 that department in that period." 



The college was a supplicant to the re- 

 cent legislature for an appropriation of 

 $60,000. It got $.38,000 for new build- 

 ings (though what they are needed for is 

 problematical, as the attendance is said 

 to be much less than a few years ago, 

 and mainly made up of boys in a prepar- 

 atory school or the lowest classes), on 

 conditions that may not be met, as a pri- 

 vate interest is required to be mortgaged 

 (which means its annihilation) and which 

 will be resisted. The large annual appro- 

 priations desired were not granted, and 

 the legislature ordered a eoraniission of 

 its members to investigate the college and 

 its methods with a view to having it take 

 its proper place as a technical school. 



The intelligence of those in control is 

 illustrated by the original bill which was 

 introduced, providing among other things 

 for the establishment of an "insector}-," 

 a glt.ss house for plant-pathology, etc. 

 Xo one, so far, has been able to guess 

 what :in "insectory" is. 



Frederick C. Bauer has added to his 

 place near Govanstown an acre and a half 

 of eligibly located land, which scjuares out 

 his establishment very handsomely. He 

 is making the best use of it, and it will 

 tell to his profit. 



Eobcrt L. Graham has found the olive 

 branches so numerous which cluster 

 around his hearthstone (do such branches 

 cluster around hearthstones?) that he has 

 abandoned the house adjoining his green- 

 liouse and moved stocks and branches into 

 a villa on a neighboring avenue. R. 



ST. LOUIS. 



Since my last report trade has been 

 rather slow, but the end of the week it 

 was somewhat better, with plenty of fu- 

 neral work, and with plenty of flowers in 

 the market to make it with. The report 

 from most of the retailers and whole- 

 salers is that they have more flowers than 

 customers. A full supply of all varieties 

 is being received, and roses are badly 

 overstocked and greatly in excess of de- 

 mand. The price on them can hardly be 

 quoted, and dnly the first-class stock 

 brings anything near what it is worth, 

 and that is from $5 to $6 per 100; as 

 for the others, any old price will buy 

 them. Good long Beauties are more plen- 

 tiful now and bring from $2 to $3 per 

 doz., with plenty of shorts at $4 and $5 

 per 100. 



Carnations are also inclined to be over- 

 plentiful in all sorts, and whites were 

 more plentiful than at any time during 

 the season, still the demand for them is 

 good. The Chicago Carnation Co. 's stock 

 continues to head the list of fancies in 

 the market, while some of our local grow- 

 ers are also sending in fine stock of all 

 kinds. Overman's Flora Hill and Dun- 

 ford's Scott are much looked after. The 

 price on these fancies is from $2.50 to 

 $3; good carnations bring $2, and the 

 common in bulk go at $1 per 100; the 

 latter are sold only to the fakirs. 



Quotations on bulbous stock the early 

 part of the past week are impossible, as 

 lots of this truck was dumped. The bulk 

 of this stock now comes up from the 

 south. Harrisii lilies are extremely plen- 

 tiful and it is impossible to hold them 



at any regular figure; same may be said 

 of caUas. 



Sweet peas are coming in more plenti- 

 fully and will no doubt soon overstock the 

 market along with the other flowers. At 

 present the price is from 25 to 50 cents 

 per 100. 



Lilac is up from the south, but comes 

 in bad shape and the shipper hardly gets 

 more than express charges out of it. All 

 Idnds -of green have had a good call the 

 past week. 



Dealers at Union market again report 

 a fine trade for last week, and express 

 their opinion that this will be the best 

 season for some time back. Plenty of 

 plant peddlers are seen now in the resi- 

 dential districts, with plants of all kinds, 

 and lots of planting out is now going 

 on in that part of the city. 



Mr. Andrew Peterson (brother of our 

 friend Swan) of Paxton, Dl., was a vis- 

 itor last week, calling on friends in the 

 trade. 



Henry Ostertag, of Ostertag Bros., re- 

 ports trade good iu all its branches with 

 them, and especially so in wedding deco- 

 rations and funeral work. 



Oscar Heile, the South Broadway flor- 

 ist, has been doing a heavy business of 

 late in funeral work. 



Things are progressing nicely for the 

 largest flower show ever held. Those who 

 have the matter in hand will hold a meet- 

 ing this week, and they say they will 

 stop at nothing to surpass anything ever 

 attempted in this country. 



The Bowling Club. 



The Bowling Club rolled three games 

 Monday night at the Planters' Hotel al- 

 leys. Ellison, scratch man, was high, 

 closely followed by Ellis and Weber. Just 

 as soon as the spring rush is over the full 

 membership will roll. It can hardly be 

 expected of the greenhouse men to come 

 down during their busy season. 



The scores were as follows : 



Names. H 1 2 3 Total At. 



A. y. Ellison 154 236 170 560 186 



F. M. Ellis 35 202 161 190 553 184 



F. C. Weber 31 16S 193 174 535 178 



Will Adels 30 178 174 171 523 174 



Theo. Miller 35 158 137 197 492 164 



John Kunz 26 172 170 170 487 163 



C. A. Kuehn 6 148 172 157 477 159 



Our attention is called to the fact that 

 one Theo. Lang, captain of the New 

 York Florists' Bowling Club, has chal- 

 lenged any individual bona fide florist 

 connected with any florist bowling team, 

 for a purse of $25. I would say that 1 

 could name a dozen such men who could 

 take up the challenge and give Captain 

 Lang a little handicap. We have in St. 

 Louis three — Ellison, Kuehn and Beyer — 

 who would be glad to take it up at any 

 time. Then Chicago has three or four. 

 But what's the matter with George Moss, 

 of Philadelphia, who is close by? I wish 

 we were as close as he and we would part 

 the Captain from some of his wealth. 



.T. J. B. 



FINE PANSIES. 



Mr. I. E. Coburn, Everett, Mass., sends 

 us a box containing several hundred 

 pansy blooms. They are an exceedingly 

 choice lot, the colors and markings indi- 

 coting that Mr. Coburn -as a very fine 

 strain of pansies. Size and substance 

 are also good, showing that Mr. Coburn 

 knows how to grow pansies as well as 

 how to select the most desirable strains 

 o:" seed. We extend our congratulations 

 and our thanks for the pleasure of en- 

 joying such a fine collection of beautiful 

 flowers. 



