August 2S. 1902. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review, 



447 



Grand Avenue Boulevard in Milwaukee, the Convention City Next Year. 



establish monts are rebuildiuji old houses in'io 

 modern structures. 



Trusting that the first couvention held in 

 our south will be so successful as to insure 

 future visits, I beg to remain, 



AUGUST R. BAUMER. 

 State Vice-President for Kentucky. 



Missouri, 



To the President and Members of the S. A. F. 

 and O. H. : 



I, as your vice-president of Missouri, am 

 l»leased to report a very prosperous year in most 

 of the branches of our trade. 



All our local growers, as well as those of 

 our cities qnd my sti*te have profited by the 

 increased demand and good prices during the 

 whole peason. Our retailers, a number of them, 

 report a most successful season, while otbe.s 

 are not so well off. In fact, the floricultural 

 business all over our state, from the reports 

 thiit I have, has been very satisfactory; nearly 

 ;ill of the growers are adding new glass, and 

 (his alone shows that the season has been a 

 gcod one. 



I know of nothing that would call for special 

 mention from Missouri; I only regret that I 

 cannot be with y<m In person, and that not 

 more from our state have joined this society 

 and that the delegation from here is so small, 

 as wo would have been pleased to have had a 

 large attendan-je at the AsheviUe convention. I 

 trust that you will have an interesting, pleas- 

 ant and jinifitable meeting. 



CHAS. A. JUENGEL. 

 St-ile Vice-PresidtMit for Missouri. 



Colorado. 



To the Pi-esident and Membe.s of the S. A. F. 

 and O. H.: 



I have the honor to submit the following 

 comments regarding matters of interest to this 

 society in Colorado during the twelve months 

 I>ast. 



Pi-ade ha«; been satisfactory in nearly 

 all lines with a moderate increase in the 

 total volume of trade over the year previous, 

 with collections generally good. There has 

 In en a noticeable tendency toward a more 

 careful grading which has resulted in better 

 prices and less fluctuation for the best grade. 

 The ixiorer grades have sold at less prices, and 

 this ha5 probably had something to do with the 

 establishment of two or three concerns dealing 

 almost entirely in the cheaper grades. Spas- 

 modic attempts have been made to establish a 

 street trade by fakiis but without success. 

 One department store has made a persistent 

 effort for several years to sell plants and cut 

 floA\'erK, but without any appreciable effect on 

 the trade of exclusive florists. 



'Hie retail trade is becoming more critical 

 each year and the better class of this trade 

 now demands a strictly flrst-class article. 

 This is especially true in regard to blooming 

 plants, and the qualit,\ now produced by the 

 (lorl-its of Denver and Colorado Springs will 

 (iinipare favor:ibly with any other section of the 

 country. 



The sale of palms and ferns is not what might 

 reasonably be expected, the pul)Iic showing a 

 lack of apin'cciatiou of this class of plants. 

 There has been a noticeable falling off in 

 the demand for ficus and araucaria. Dracaenas 

 and pandanus have never sold in this market 

 to any extent. Owing to climatic condition'^ 

 which make irrigation necessary, the sale of 

 bi'dding plants has never been as important 

 as in eastern states. This is especially true 

 as regards window boxes, which are hard to keep 

 looking presentable during the hot, dry sum- 

 mer months, when it is almost impossible 

 to keep down the red spider. Still there 

 has been quite a noticeable increase this year 

 in the call for the more common S4U'ts of 

 hcdiling idants. such as geraniums, for both 

 lawn planting and window boxes. 



The increased demand for shrubs and for 

 hardy herbaceous plants has been very marked. 

 This bus been almost altogether from owners 

 iif small places, as there are very few private 

 places in this state where extensive planting 

 is dene. Probably we will have to wait years 

 for any considerable develoi-ment in that line, 

 until those who have amassed large fortunes 

 have died and the money has passed into the 

 hands of the younger generation. 



The public parks have, in the main, been 

 under able management, and although hampered 

 .sonun^hiit by the usual political interference, 

 good results have leen obtained and the parks 

 have really been an educational feature creat- 

 ing a demand for plants from private parties. 



No very extensive buildmg has been done in 

 (he state during the year. N. A. Benson has 

 erected about 1^0,000 feet in South Denver; 

 Kd. Hubbard, of Boulder, has torn down and 

 rebuilt hi.> place of about the same size, and 

 Wni. ('lark, of Colorado Springs, has made 

 some additions to his already extensive place. 

 Several diminutive places have been erected in 

 the mountain towns. In Denver and vicinity 

 there is at present about 400.0(_MJ feet of glass 

 devoted to the florist business; at Colorado 

 Springs 150. UUO to 200,000. and In the state 

 t)utside of these two points less than 150,000 

 more. 



The question of the establishment of some 

 sort of a wholesale market in the city of 

 Denver has received considerable attention, but 

 nothing definite has been determined upon. 

 Several attempts have been made in the past 

 to establi-'h a commission house but these at- 

 tempts have always failed. It is doubtful 

 whether the volume of business will yet justify 

 such a venture. The nearest source of sup- 

 ply from nb:oad is Ave hundred miles to the 

 cast on the Missouri river with the supply 

 at those points uncertain, and the shipment of 

 a thousand miles from Chicago is attended 

 wilh many disappointments. The result is that 

 very little in the wa.v of cut flowers is shipped 

 in from outside the state. American Beauties 

 form the only noteworthy exception. The quan- 

 tity of cut (lowers grown has been sulficient to 

 sujjply the demand in the main all through the 

 year. The trade in blooming idants has reached 

 such proportions that the demand for cut flowers 

 at Christmas and at Easter has been very 

 materially reduced. 



Most of the newer varieties of carnations are 

 to be found in the market, but the varietv 

 of roses grown is not :;s large as it is around 

 eastern centers of population. Beauty. Bride. 

 Bridesmaid, Perle, Liberty. Meteor. Wootton 

 and Madam Chatenay have been in the market 

 the past year and this summer's plantings 

 show that Helen Gould will be added to this 

 list the coming season. 



There is no state organization of florists, 

 and but few local societies. In Denver The 

 Denver Floral Club is in existence and holds 

 meetings at stated intervals, but the interest 

 shown is not very great. No fall show was 

 held by the society last fall but a spring 

 show was given in the city park with free 

 admission. The attendance was large, but the 

 display of bedding stuff was rather disappoint- 

 ing. In Colorado Springs the El Paso County 

 Horticultural Society is very active aiid great 

 efforts are made to interest the school children 

 by the distribution of seeds and the offering of 

 suitable prizes. Prizes are also given for 

 the most attractive door yards and lawns and 

 competition for these prizes has been quite 

 active, resulting in a decided benefit to the 

 appenrnce of the city at large. The state 

 Horticultural Society and State Board of Horti- 

 culture are both doing good work, and while 

 their efforts are not directed along the lines of 

 work most directly interesting to the florist, 

 the indirect benefit to the florist trade is con- 

 siderable. 



The distance is so great and so much time 

 and money are consumed in attending the an- 

 nual nu'etings of the S. A. F. that the society 

 has not much of a mem.bership in this state 

 and it is doubtful whether this condition of 

 things can be mate-ially changed unless at 

 some future lime the society should see fit 

 to establish district conventions for different 

 sections of the country in addition to the an- 

 nual national convention; and it Is doubtful 

 whether the time is ripe for such a move so far 

 as this section is concerned even if it should 

 ultimately be deemed advisable. 



J.A. VALENTINE. 

 State Vice-President for Colorado. 



Sayke, N. Y — The Lehigh Valley E. 

 R. has leased the greenhouses formerly 

 couduetecT by Edward Snow and will in 

 future raise the iiowers and plants it re- 

 quires. Wm. Dempsey will be in Charge. 



Wichita, Kan. — W. H. Gulp is moving 

 his greenhouses from the corner of Elm 

 street and Lawrence avenue to corner of 

 Elm and Market streets. Iron frames are 

 being used in the new houses. 



Spring City, Pa. — J, B. Keiff is tear- 

 ing down his old houses and building 

 large new ones in their place. 



