Arr.iL 



1004. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



1047 



Illustrating Comparative Sizes of Dahlia Roots. 



teur, twenty-three years ago, we had to 

 send to the old country for our new varie- 

 ties, as there was no one ou this side, so 

 far as I Isnow, who specialized or paid 

 much attention to dahlias, although a 

 number of dealers were carrying limited 

 lists of them. Comparing the present with 

 my early experience in dahlia growing, 

 I see a vast change and improvement in 

 varieties, but no change in method of 

 propagation or results. We used both 

 cuttings and divisions then, just as we do 

 now. 



With some of the statements of the ad- 

 vocate of cuttings all of the craft will 

 agree, viz. : That a dahlia root is a tuber 

 and not a bulb. That the tuber nourishes 

 the eye. That the eye shrivels when the 

 tuber is cut otf. That a tuber broken at 

 the neck is worthless. These things are 

 self-evident. Yes, I had almost forgotten 

 that information about the hatchet and 

 cleaver for cutting the roots apart. My 

 foreman thinks I had better get the 

 cleaver and when not in use on the dahlias 

 he could use it to disbud the carnations. 



W. W. WiLMORE. 



NEW YORK. 



The Easter Trade. 



Easter 1904 is but a memory, but all 

 things considered it is a pleasant one. 

 After the drizzling rain of Thursday and 

 the steady downpour of Good Friday, 

 Saturday morning dawned clear and 

 beautiful and tloricultural Xew York was 

 saved from disaster. But the long anx- 

 iety ends in universal success. "All's 

 well that ends well." and this was cer- 

 tainly a glorious ending. Everybody has 

 congratulations due. The growers will 

 certainly shake hands with themselves. 

 With hardly an exception the pickling 

 business that has brought so much trou- 

 ble in the past, both to the guilty pick- 

 lers and the honest and conscientious 



ones w'ho did not pickle, but who sufftreJ 

 in the general retribution, was eschewed. 

 A few roses ashamed to lift their dis- 

 houest heads and a few carnations glad 

 to hide in sleep the record of their fu- 

 tile attempt to hoodwink the careful 

 buyer, were all that appeared to even 

 keep in evidence this shadow of .a sys- 

 tem, let us hope, out of fashion for all 

 time. The Christmas experience bore 

 abundant fruit, not only as to the pick- 

 ling menace, but the day of abnormal 

 [irices seems to be also at an end. Kea- 

 sonable prices were expected by the grow- 

 ers and the result proves the wisdom of 

 common sense expectations. 



On Sunday at noon hardly a flower of 

 any kind could be found in the wholesale 

 stores and the wholesalers, enco\iragei] 

 by sensible confidence and co-operation 

 on the i^art uf their shippers, madi ;> rec- 

 ord for themselves that will never be 

 foi gotten. They asked only fair prices 

 and not a man of them went home ibs- 

 satisfied to his Easter dinner. In fact, 

 the wholesale district was one vast smile 

 on Sunday and the faces of the patient 

 men who have done so much to make 

 the cot tknrer business what it is weic 

 an inspiration. 



The ]ilantsmen have especial cause for 

 gratitude. In none of the great estab- 

 lishments to whicli New Y'ork and sur- 

 rounding cities look for their supply can 

 a salable blooming plant be found. The 

 recpurements of the retailers were suffi- 

 cient to clean out everything worth pur- 

 chasing and, bcMt of all, the public, which 

 after all is the important factor in the 

 whole consideration, nobly appreciated 

 the feast the retailers had spread and 

 Sunday night saw barely a salable plant 

 of any kind in any retail store in the 

 city. All day Sunday the selling pro- 

 ceeded, until for lack of supply the weary 

 workers were forced to close the doors 

 and rest. M.Tuy of them had not slept 



for forty-eight hours. None of the whole- 

 sale houses was closed on Saturday night 

 Jt was one of the "all night sessiona'' 

 that may be recurred to without regret 



Not only was it a plant Easter, but 

 the cut flower department is again in evi- 

 dence. The public forced it. The re- 

 tailers saw quickly the wisdom of re- 

 sponding. Once again the violet is 

 queen. In the great parade on Fifth ave- 

 nue every lady had a corsage of violets 

 to add its share to the perfume and 

 beauty of the day. Never was such a 

 parade seen in New Y^ork and never was 

 the violet so dominant. So much for 

 fair prices and fine, fresh flowers, which 

 arrived in double the last year's quantity 

 and yet found a growing demand to the 

 very end and long after every flower was 

 gone. The top price for specials touched 

 $1, there were not many of them; 75 

 cents was the average. Poorer grades 

 sold for 50 cents, a few even less than 

 that. Millions were disposed of, one 

 house handling over a million. 



Wholesale cut flower men handling 

 plants were well pleased with results. 

 Few were left over. Lilies, especially, 

 sold well. The estimated top price of 12 

 cents was correct. Every lily plant and 

 every cut lily in the market was sold. 

 Inferior grades brought 8 to 10 cents, 

 but the best were never wavering in value 

 and 12 cents was paid without question 

 or protest. Beauties held well at 35 

 cents for the very best; occasionally a 

 few touched 40 cents. Brides and Maids, 

 as the day closed, advanced to 15 cents' 

 the stock of the finest being less than 

 expected, but 12 cents was the average. 

 Carnations held well at $3 to $5, with 

 novelties from $6 to $S. Except a few 

 sleepy ones, before referred to, not a 

 flower was left unsold. The only "dead 

 one" was the daffodil. There were too 

 many of them and no one felt very "yel- 

 low" this Easter. 



The florists' supply firms and the 

 "green goods" men had one of the best 

 Easters in their history. The supply 

 with many was totally inadequate. 



Next year Easter will .nrive very late 

 and calculations are already making 

 Roses then will be abundant "and I pre- 

 dict violets will honestly demand a high- 

 er price than they secured in 1904. Eas- 

 ter never comes before March 22, not 

 later than April 2.'!. But, of course, this 

 is ancient history, though some mav have 

 forgotten it. 



Since Easter. 



^Monday's cut flower market was a 

 striking contrast to that of Saturday. 

 Business was at a standstill ; values 

 dropped to normal figures; little stock 

 of any kind reached the city. Violets 

 especially were short, but the demand 

 w-as unnoticeable. The reaction was uni- 

 versal. The general rest was beneficial 

 to all concerned. With a continuance of 

 the sunshine and the present temperature 

 the end of the week will see enormous 

 shipments and lower prices. The general 

 expectation, however, indicates a good 

 April, with a better business than any 

 month of the present year to date. 



Various Notes. 

 The seedsmen are busy with mail or- 

 ders, and are ready for the inevitable 

 rush which will come with the first act- 

 ual spring day. The street nurserymen 

 have begun to display their stock, the 

 frost is rapidly disappearing, the de- 

 jiartment stores are offering rose bushes 



