December 24, 1903. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



227 



PHILADELPHIA. 



The Market. 



The milder weather that marked the 

 close of last and beginning of this week 

 has greatly increased the quantity of 

 flowers for Christmas, and also, let us 

 hope, the number of shoppers. Indica- 

 tions point to a heavy business, at prices 

 lower than last season on several lines 

 of stock, notably fancy Beauties and, 

 small tea roses. Some good shipping 

 orders liave gone out, but the local stores 

 are ordering cautiously, feeling that they 

 can secure what they need at short no- 

 tice. 



An Honest Count. 



I am very much opposed to the system 

 of i-educing the size of bunches of cer- 

 tain varieties of flowers during the busy 

 season. Instead of advancing the price 

 fewer flowers are put in the bunch and 

 the same price is asked. This would 

 not be tolerated with carnations and 

 should not be with bouvardia, lilac or as- 

 paragus. The buyer does not sell these 

 in bunches, but divides them, and the 

 grower does himself and his profession 

 harm by bunching eighteen or nineteen 

 sjirays of any of the above varieties and 

 sending them into the market. If sold 

 as one and one-half dozen no harm 

 could be done, but the bimches are 

 bought and sold as twenty-five. Make 

 your bunches twenty-five, or twelve if 

 you prefer, so a glance shows what they 

 are and get full value and stop the de- 

 ception. 



Glencoe. 



Nearly all my friends, especially 

 among the retailers, want to know how 

 I can take such a hopeful ^^ew of busi- 

 ness. Some put this question in words, 

 some in looks, some in actions. To all 

 1 want to tell the story of Gleneoe. 



Glencoe is a magnificent horse, a hunter 

 of exceptional ability. He was bought, 

 some years ago, for $1,000, by a young 

 man burdened -nith an enormous income 

 and who liad no idea of the value of 

 money. Naturally this young man soon 

 had more experience and' less money. 

 Last week his stables were sold at auc- 

 tion. Among his horses was Glencoe, 

 worth, conservative judges said, about 

 .$600, but three bidders wanted Glencoe 

 and he brought something over $1,200. 



Now, don 't you think there will be a 

 little money around to spend on flowers 

 after all? " 



Various Notes. 



Calendars for 1901 are coming in. 

 The prettiest received so far is a beau- 

 tiful, naturally arranged cluster of flow- 

 ers with bloom, buds and foliage all ex- 

 quisitely colored. There are two sheets, 

 one •n-ith pink the other with yellow roses 

 in the center of the cluster. Each sheet 

 is for six months of the year. This 

 calendar is presented by Leo Niessen. 



C. Eisele. of Eleventh and Jefferson 

 streets, has sold his corner property for 

 $7,000. He has moved to his old loca- 

 tion next door. 



The following clipping may prove of 

 interest : A novel reason for damages 

 was alleged by Mrs. Annie H. Sturze- 

 becker in court against the Inland Trac- 

 tion Company, and the Philadelphia & 

 Lehigh Traction Company. Mrs. Sturze- 

 becker is a florist and her greenhouses 

 are in Upper Gwynedd. The vibration 

 of the heavv trolley cars, she alleges, 

 breaks the glasses in her greenhouse, and 



the velocity of the cars causes a lowering 

 of the temperature in the plant-growing 

 houses, to the great detriment of flori- 

 culture. It is claimed that business fell 

 off $100 last year, and that this is also 

 chargeable to the trolley companies. 



Hope you have a good Christmas and 

 will have a prospei'ous New Year. 



Phil. 



ST. LOUIS. 



The Market. 



The cut flower trade during the past 

 week was very good, especially so with 

 funeral work, nearly every florist being 

 busy all week with this kind of work. 

 This made a big call for white flowers, 

 with colored stock going begging. Boses 

 have been plentiful and indications are 

 that there will be a full supply for the 

 holiday trade, in all varieties and of good 

 quality. Bride, Maid and Meteor are 

 most plentiful at present. American 

 Beauties are selling well, with fancy 

 stock somewhat scarce at $10 per dozen. 

 Fair stock with medium stem is the best 

 seller at from $3 to $6 per dozen; shorts 

 at $2. Ivory, Gate, Perle and Carnot 

 are not so plentiful and of these the 

 market will be short for Christmas. 

 Carnations are in fair crop for the pres- 

 ent demand and with good prospects for 

 a liig supply for the Christmas trade. 

 At present the price is $4 per 100 for 

 conmion stock, with from $5 to $8 for 

 fancy. Enchantress is meeting with a 

 big demand and so are Lawson and Wol- 

 eott. The wholesalers have orders 

 booked ahead for all they can get for 

 Christmas. Violets brought $1 all la.st 

 week, but today the price is up to $2, 

 and $3 will be asked for Christmas. 

 These are in fine supply and of the best 

 quality. Bulb stock promises to be plen- 

 tiful; that i.s, in Romans, Paper Whites 

 and valley, with the price on these from 

 $4 to $.5 "per 100. 



Everything looks bright at this writing 

 (Monday) for a good Christmas trade, 

 and from reports quite a number of or- 

 ders have already been placed for cut 

 flowers and many plants are seen labeled 

 ' ' sold. ' ' Among the plants that are 

 offered for Christinas and which are most 

 salable are Gloire de Lorraine begonias, 

 cyclamens and poinsettias. A few fine 

 azaleas are also seen. All of these are 

 meeting with ready sale. Dwarf oranges 

 and .lerusalem cherries are also well 

 thought of. 



Sales of holiday greens are more than 

 satisfactory. One of the features of the 

 trade is the short supply of bouquet 

 green. With the price advancing almost 

 every day and not so many fakirs out 

 with wreaths, the demand for holly is 

 big, as the quality this year is very fine, 

 with plenty of Ijerries. Mistletoe is un- 

 usually fine this year. Fine bunches are 

 seen in all the stores, with a big demand. 



Various Notes. 



The next meeting of the Florists' Club 

 will be held on Thursday afternoon, Jan. 

 14, at '1 'clock. This meeting will be a 

 very important one for the members. All 

 chairmen of committees are requested to 

 be present for instruction as to what is 

 expected of them when the executive 

 committee of the S. A. F. meets here in 

 March. 



Mr. and Mrs. Max Herzog are re- 

 ported very sick at their home near Gra- 

 tiot station. From last reports they 

 v.ere still under the doctor's care. 



Mrs. H. G. Berning is reported danger- 



ously ill from an operation performed 

 the past week. Henry has the sympathy 

 of the trade. 



C. C. Sanders had to do jury duty the 

 past week, which is not very pleasant 

 these busy days. Mr. Sanders reports a 

 good trade in nursery stock this fall. 



The Society of Naturalists, of which 

 Prof. William Trelease, of Shaw 's Gar- 

 den, is president, will meet here next 

 week and St. Louis will be honored with 

 distinguished representatives of this so- 

 ciety. Prominent and successful investi- 

 gators make up this and the Botanical 

 Society, which was organized ten years 

 ago for the promotion of research in all 

 branches of botany. Prof. C. E. Barnes, 

 of Chicago, is president of the Botanical 

 Society, and Dr. D. T. McDougal, of 

 New York, is secretary. The Central 

 Botanists' Association and the Fern 

 Chapter is also a chapter of this society. 

 B. D. Gilbert, of Cnayville, N. Y., is 

 president of the Fern Chapter, and H. D. 

 House, of the New Y'ork Botanical Gar- 

 den, is secretary. One of the features 

 of this meeting will be a banquet at the 

 Mercantile Club on the evening of Dec. 

 30. The visitors will also be shown over 

 the grounds of the World 's Fair. 



The florist bowlers will begin a series 

 of games for prizes after New Y'ear's, 

 and every Monday night until the coti- 

 vention in August the bowlers will l>e 

 found at the Blue Ribbon alleys. The 

 ladies bowl every Wednesday afternoon 

 and the juniors every Tuesday night at 

 the same allevs. J. J. B. 



CHICAGO. 



The Market. 



Writing on Wednesday at the height of 

 the Christmas activity, there is only one 

 point on which the wholesalers agree: 

 They all say it is a very satisfactory 

 weeic, as to "the aggregate of sales, but 

 from that point reports diverge. One 

 house is short on long Beauties; an- 

 other has them to spare, but can't get 

 the first mentioned to buy. Some are 

 short on good roses; others have enough 

 for all orders. One house has double 

 violets by the thousanas; another has 

 wired its growers for more. Even 

 on the carnation proposition there is a 

 difference of report. Caxnations are 

 scarce, yes, but one house closed up 

 Tuesday" night with at least 10,000 on 

 hand, and several others had plenty, 

 simply Ijecause the buyers could not use 

 them at the prices asked. Receipts on 

 Tuesday were larger than had been ex- 

 pected, and again on Wednesday arrivals 

 were liea^-y. While many shipping or- 

 ders have gone out only partially filled, 

 it begins to look as if it would take a 

 considerable recession from quoted rates 

 to move the lower grades, particularly 

 whites, and once more the grower who 

 stored his stock stands in a position 

 where he may be sorry. W^hen prices 

 are held too firmly wholesalers will not 

 buy of each other, for there is no com- 

 mission in it and the possibilities of loss 

 are too great. Y^et, after all the recent 

 cry, the growers expect 5 and 6 cents 

 for their carnations. 



One of the notable things has been 

 the call for Liberty roses. Every order 

 has required more or less and calls for 

 from 200 to 500 select eat up the avail- 

 able supplies very fast. There has been 

 some very fine stock about, well worth, 

 the 2.5 cents asked, but there have also 

 been quantities which bore the marks 



