570 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



September 25, 1902. 



Buds. 



To return to our mums, I notice that 

 many buds here and there are showing 

 color. The early ones of course, Glory 

 of the Pacific, Soliel d'Octobre, etc., are 

 quite prominent. Tlie last named, by 

 the way, can be got in quite early in 

 October if the bud can be taken by the 

 second week in August. Among what 

 may be termed the larger flowered sec- 

 tion I notice Robinson is showing color 

 on the crown bud. This variety is even 

 finer than usual this year, and it seems 

 almost incomprehensible to me that it 

 comes so weak necked in some sections. 

 Mrs. Coorabes is also showing color. It 

 has made a very fine growth, and I 

 haven't much doubt will become a stan- 

 dard pink, particularly among growers, 

 and they are numerous, who can handle 

 V.-Morel with only indifi'erent success. 



Others that are showing color are 

 Sunderbruch, old but excellent for home 

 trade; Bonnaffon, on cro%vn buds; Miss 

 Alice Byron, a white on the style of 

 Weeks; Nellie Pockett and several other 

 new things as yet unclassified. One of 

 the chief charms of the mum in my 

 eyes is its "Infinite variety." Every 

 spring one can start up with a batch of 

 new varieties with a breast full of the 

 hope that springs ever eternal, etc.. and 

 in the fall possibly out of all the prize 

 packages that you thought you had 

 you may get one or U\p varieties only 

 that are improvements on the type. 

 But what of it. Next year you can try 

 again with the same amount of hope 

 and possibly better luck. A.s an aid to 

 optimism, if nothing else the mum is 

 worthy of a kind regard in the minds 

 of all of us. 



Brian Boru. 



CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY OF 

 AMERICA, 



President Herrington has announced 

 committees to examine chrysanthemum 

 seedlings and sports on dates as follows: 

 October 4, 11. 18, 2.5, November 1, 8, 

 15, 22, 29, 1902. 



Boston, Mass. — E. A. Wood, chairman, 

 care Boston Flower Market. No. 1 Park 

 street; James Wheeler, William Nichol- 

 son. 



New York, N. Y.— E. Dailledouze, 

 chairman, care New York Cut Flower 

 Co., 20th street and Sixth avenue; James 

 W. Withers, William H. Duckham. 



Philadelphia. Pa.— A. B. Cartledge, 

 chairman, 1.514 Chestnut street; Wm. K. 

 Harris, John Westcott. 



Chicago. 111. — James S. Wilson, chair- 

 man, care J. B. Doamud. 51 Wabash ave- 

 nue; George Stollery, E. Wienhoeber. 



Cincinnati, 0. — Albert Sunderbruch, 

 chairman, care Cincinnati Cut Flower 

 Co., 437 and 439 Main street; James B. 

 Allan. E. G. Gillett. 



Exhibits to receive attention from the 

 committees must in all cases be prepaid 

 to destination, and the entry fee of ,$2 

 should be forwarded to the secretary 

 not later than Tuesday of the week pre- 

 ceding examination. 



Any one having a variety in season 

 before or after dates fixed can have the 

 same passed upon by specially notifying 

 the chairman of committees. 



Edwin Lonsd.^le, Secretary. 



Wyndmoor, Chestnut Hill, Philadel- 

 phia, Pa. 



The following is the scale of points 



for the judging of the several classes 

 of exhibits by the Chrysanthemum Socie- 

 ty of America : 



Scale A. — Scale of points for bush plants and 

 standards, single specimen or any number up 

 to six in an esbibition where the class under 

 consideration does not form the chief feature 

 in the exhibition hall: 



Equality of size and form of plants. 40 



Excellence of bloom 35 



Foliage 25 



100 

 Scale B. — Scale of points for bush plants: 

 exhibits of more than six or for any number 

 of specimen plants in an exhibition where the 

 class under consideration forms the chief fea- 

 ture in the exhibition ball: 



Excellence of bloom 40 



Eqiiality of size and form of plants. 35 

 Foliage 25 



100 

 Scale C. — Scale of points for plants grown 

 to single stem and one bloom. A height of 

 not over three feet is recommended for plants 

 in this class and pots not over 6 inches in 

 diameter: 



Excellence of bloom 40 



Compact and sturdy growth 35 



Foliage 25 



100 

 Scale D. — Scale of points on specimen blooms 

 for commercial purposes: 



Color 25 



Form 25 



Fullness 15 



Size 15 



Stem and foliage 10 



Substance . « 10 



100 

 Scale E. — Scale of points on specimen blooms 

 for exhibition purposes: 



Distinctiveness 25 



Color 15 



Form 15 



Size 15 



Stem 10 



Foliage 10 



Fullness 10 



100 



WHOLESALE CUT FLOWERS. 



In the past we have refrained from 

 publishing full lists of cut flower prices 

 in the wholesale markets, feeling that 

 these quotations, as usually printed, are 

 misleading and do moie harm than good. 



We have now, however, devised a sys- 

 tem that we think will convey a more ac- 

 curate idea as to tlie actual conditions 

 in the market and we begin the publica- 

 tion of such quotations in this week's 

 issue. 



Please note the qualifying comments 

 below the Chicago quotations this week. 

 And bear in mind that "specials" are the 

 very cream of select stock. The propor- 

 tion of "specials" in the cut from even 

 the best growers is very small. Of 

 "firsts" there is a goodly proportion in 

 the stock of the best growers — anywhere 

 from one-fourth to one-half, but rarely 

 as many as the latter figure. "Seconds'" 

 and "culls" cqjnprise the rest of the 

 stock. And there are some growers who 

 rarel}- send to market anything except 

 "seconds" and "culls" and sometimes all 

 "culls" and what the dealer euphonious- 

 ly terms "punk," which is stock that 

 won't sell and is ditticult to burn. 



The old saying, "There is always room 

 at the top." is never truer than when ap- 

 plied to the cut flower market. We liave 

 time and again seen the first selection of 

 roses sold readily at say $8 per 100, 

 while the firsts went fairly well at $6, 

 the seconds veiy slowly at $3, while the 

 culls dragged at $1, And during seasons 

 of glut the specials would still command 

 $S, the firsts would go slowly at .$4 and 

 the seconds and culls could be sold only 

 in job lots at unmentionable prices to 

 street men if at all. 



There is always an abundance of poor 

 stock in the market. If the grower who 

 produces onh' seconds and culls would 



quit building and devote all his energies 

 to raising the quality of stock from what 

 glass he already has, it would be money 

 in his pocket and better for the market 

 and all concerned. 



And don't imagine that if the seconds 

 and culls were cut out prices would de- 

 cline on good stock. The man or woman 

 who buys from the retailer is the one 

 who makes the demand for high grade 

 stock. The retailer finds he can sell 

 such stock at sometimes double the price 

 . of the next lower grade, and he buys it 

 of the wholesaler, because he has this 

 demand from his customers. The re- 

 tailer merely endeavors to meet the de- 

 mands of his customers, who are ready 

 to pay a good price for something first 

 class, rather than a lower price for 

 something not so good. 



"But," says the grower of this stock, 

 "it used to sell," Very true, but condi- 

 tions are continually changing and you 

 must change with them or be left strand- 

 ed. What was the best a few years ago 

 now classes in the seconds. And fuilher 

 very few flowers are now worked up into 

 designs compared to the number so used 

 in the past. Instead of Ijeing worked up 

 into baskets in which cripples could be 

 used to fill in between and under a few 

 good flowers elevated above the rest, the 

 bulk of the sales are by the dozen and 

 the buyer usually insists upon picking 

 out each flower individually. The re- 

 tailer grades his stock accordingly. He 

 says : "These are .$3 a dozen, these are 

 $2 and those are $1." The buyer sees 

 the difference in value — it is often very 

 marked — and when the retailer finds he 

 sells the best stock easiest, even at the 

 higher price, he goes into the wholesale 

 market and hunts for more of that grade. 

 And the grower who has it gets a swell- 

 ing in his bank account, while the one 

 who hasn't soon faces a deficit. 



.Just at present, for instance, the grow- 

 er who will send in to the Chicago m;' 

 ket 500 first class Bridesmaids, with 

 stout stems, 15 to 18 inches long and 

 plump, well colored heads, 2 to 2i inches 

 long, and good sized, clean and abundant 

 foliage, can get $25 for them easily an 

 quickly, while the one who sends in 1,000 

 seconds and culls, 6 to 10 inch stems, 

 many weak, and heads only IJ to li 

 inches long, foliage weak and sometimes 

 mildewed, will find that 500 may sell for 

 $15, and the rest be jobbed off for $5. 

 He gets less for his thousand than the 

 other does for his 500. And probably 

 much less, as the first class stock always 

 sells, while the other is frequently 

 dumped in whole or in part. 



We doubt if any grower could produce 

 all "specials." Init there is a considerable 

 number that either produce no "culls," 

 or else never allow them to reach the 

 market. And there are some who rarely 

 send in any "seconds." Their stock is 

 looked for in the commission houses and 

 sells quickly, always at top figures, i 

 into this class if you are not already in. 

 It is the only one that it pays to be in. 



HEATING IN THE SOUTH. 



I enclose a plan of my greenhouse 

 plant, for which I wish to install a 

 steam heating apparatus. Please tell 

 me the best arrangement of pipes and 

 how many for each house to keep the 

 necessary heat when outside temperature 

 drops to 12 degrees above zero. It has 

 never gone that low here, but I want to 

 be on the safe side. We seldom get more 

 than 8 degrees of frost. What size pipe 



