J 050 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



Anin. 



lOiM. 



CHICAGO. 



The Easter Market 



A review of the Easter market shows 

 that stock came in heavily (luring the 

 first days of the week and there was 

 plenty of everything up to Thursday 

 night. On Fi-iday receipts were some- 

 what lighter, demand more brisk and 

 prices stiffened perceptibly. On Satur- 

 day morning 'receipts were again heavy 

 and shipping demand practically at an 

 end and the market weakened, but local 

 trade was heavy and everything was well 

 cleaned out at iioon. Those houses which 

 had considerable receipts on Saturday 

 afternooi. found little doing and carried 

 much of the stock over until Monday. 

 But, taking it by and large, it was the 

 most satisfactory Easter on record. 

 Qualities were fine everywhere. 



Going into the situation more in de- 

 tail, it seems that the lilies were not the 

 disturbing factor they have been in many 

 years and this portion of the business 

 was handled to better satisfaction than 

 usual. The receipts were very well 

 cleaned out, only a few poor llowers be- 

 ing left on hand. Priceo ranged from S 

 cents to 15 cents, according to the qual- 

 ity of the goods. If average prices may 

 be considered, average goods brought 

 about 12 cents. 



As was expected. Beauties and red 

 roses were short of requirements, but not 

 so seriously short as was anticipated, 

 because it was well understood that there 

 •would be a scarcity and buyers did not 

 order largely in this department. Good 

 roses sold oiit clean up to Saturday after- 

 noon, but the market had many hundreds 

 of choice stock to carry over Sunday. 

 The grower who held back his stock until 

 Saturday afternoon made a very serious 

 mistake. 



There was a tremendously heavy busi- 

 ness in carnations, but in the majority 

 of houses all orders ^^•ere filled practical- 

 ly complete. The exceptions were some 

 of the very large orders. As had been 

 anticipated there was considerable low 

 grade stock, which was difficult to move 

 at any price, but in general the receipts 

 averaged of excellent quality and moved 

 out at probably the best average prices 

 ever realized in this market for a week's 

 business. The carnation growers cer- 

 tainly have no cause for complaint, even 

 if there were moderate quantities left un- 

 sold Saturday noon. 



There were unlimited quantities of 

 bulbous stock all through the week anci, 

 although sales were large, there was at 

 no time a demanl which would warrant 

 an advance over the prices which have 

 prevailed all season. If there was any 

 exception to this it was first-class tulips. 

 Southern jonquils came in heavily and 

 were sold in large quantities at very low 

 prices. 



The violets were one item which did 

 Bot do much for Easter. Last year at 

 Easter first-class goods made a very fine 

 average, but sales w;erB slow all the week 

 and on Saturday afternoon the lower 

 grades were jobbed off for practically 

 what the buyers would give. There were 

 hundreds of" thousands of violets on hand 

 on Saturday and only the cream of the 

 stock made a presentable figure. 



Not only are tlie wholesalers well sat- 

 isfied with the outcome of Easter busi- 

 ness, the general report being sales well 

 in advance of any other year, but the re- 

 tailers, too, are generally well pleased 



although there is scarcely one who did 

 not have more or less material left on 

 hand. The lilies in pots usually sold out 

 but the down-town dealers seem to have 

 had a little the best of the outside re- 

 tailers in respect to cleaning up in the 

 jilant department. There were large 

 azaleas left nearly everywhere, also mure 

 or less bulbous stock in pans, although 

 very great qp.antities were used. Certain- 

 ly the plant business was the heaviest 

 ever known in Chicago. Many of the 

 retailers remark on the lack of call for 

 roses and nearly everyone had stock 

 enough left to carry him through ilon- 

 day and Tuesday of this week. A few 

 had carnations left, but this was because 

 they had bought a great deal more heav- 

 ily than usual. Many of them had vio- 

 lets to spare but this is largely attrib- 

 uted to the fact that Sunday was very 

 cold and unfavorable for transient sales. 

 Business has been dull this week. The 

 country has been heard from regularly 

 but usually in a small way and the re- 

 quirements have made no appreciable im- 

 pression on the supply. Values are rul- 

 ing low now and it looks as though there 

 would have to be a big increase in de- 

 mand or we will get the spring glut in 

 very short order after the plants reco\or 

 from the close cutting for Easter. 



The Reinberg Testimonial. 



It was a splendid tribute to Peter 

 Eeinberg's integrity, ability and popu- 

 larity which the voters of the twentv- 

 sixth ward paid to the '■carnation candi- 

 date" on Tuesday. In a ward nominally 

 from 800 to 1,000 republican, where it 

 is hard work to induce a democrat to 

 make a campaign, Mr. Eeinberg, the 

 democrat, received 4,.589 votes, within 

 five of twice as many as his republican 

 opponent. Mr. Eeinberg made a unique 

 campaign and attracted wide attention 

 by the thoroughness ofr his canvass: 

 his strongest adversaries early conceded 

 him a chance of overcoming the repub- 

 lican majority, but not even his most 

 sanguine friends anticipated so over- 

 whelming a victory. It is whispered 

 that the party managers are thinking 

 that a carnation campaign with the 

 same candidate might be a good thing 

 to cover the whole city next spring. 



Various Notes. 



The Board of Trade firm of Wanzer 

 & Co., in which Wni. H. Chadwick is the 

 junior partner, filed a petition in bank- 

 ruptcy on Wednesday, scheduling liabili- 

 ties of $114,034 and assets of $90,632. 

 Mr. Chadwick is the president of the 

 Horticultural Society of Chicago. 



There was a quartette present at the 

 meeting of the executive committee of 

 the Horticultural Society Wednesday. 

 Nothing was done but it seems certain 

 that a good show will be held this fall 

 as several halls are available, including 

 both the Coliseum and Auditorium. ' 



Several of the local wholesale and re- 

 tail houses have recently put in new 

 duplicating sales ticket machines, choos- 

 ing the one manufactured by the Globe 

 Register Co. in preference to others. 



Mr. and Mrs. O. P. Bassett returned 

 Saturday from a long and enjoyable stay 

 at Pasadena, Cal. 



George Eeinberg reports the trade in 

 cuttings wondei-fullv hca\'y in March, 

 putting him well ahead of last year in 

 total sales to date. 



Kennicott Bros. Co. had a few candi- 



dum lilies for Easter, but did not find 

 the buyers particularly anxious to pos- 

 sess thein. 



Wietor Bros, have Iwiight "pecky" cy- 

 press for bench matcrijl this season. 



A. L. Eandall Co. reports handling 

 78,000 violets for one Hudson river grow- 

 er during Easter week. 



nie regular meeting of the Florists' 

 Club was called for Wednesday evening. 

 April 6. at Handel Hall, to discuss Easter 

 business. 



Mr. and Mrs. Fred Hills have a little 

 son. 



H. Bauske is just coming in with a 

 big crop of very fine Liberties. 



E. E. Pieser has been on the sick list 

 a day or two this v^tk. 



Violets were sold at a cent a bunch on 

 Monday. 



Among the week's visitors were .James 

 Schols, of Grand Eapids; J. Sanstrom, 

 Momence, 111. ; John Steer, Peoria, 111., 

 late of Kalamazoo, Mich. 



INDIANAPOLIS. 



Easter Trade. 



There was only one thing to prevent 

 this from being the greatest Easter, as 

 far as business goes, in the history of 

 the trade here. All the growers and 

 storemen had large stocks of fine stuff 

 and the demand promised to be very 

 hea\y early in the week. But on Thurs- 

 day night within a few hours almost 

 three inches of rain fell and flooded 

 this section of the state almost as deep 

 as it did a week before. Street car ser- 

 vice was stopped from Friday night un- 

 til Saturday evening and people who usu- 

 ally depend on the street car could not 

 get to the florists' places of business. 

 Especially was this true with those who 

 patronize the Tomlinson Hall flower 

 market. Things looked blue until even- 

 ing, when car service was resumed and 

 a great rush of buyers took everything 

 in sight. 



The stores all report a great business, 

 but a little inconvenience on account of 

 the crippled car .service. Sunday morn- 

 ing there was a great rush at the stores 

 that cleaned them up nicely. There was 

 a fine lot of stock both in blooming 

 plants and cut flowers and prices did 

 not soar as they do sometimes. Carna- 

 tions took the lead in cut flowers and 

 everything in sight was cleaned up. 

 ]\Iany were shipped in, some of which 

 were very fine, while a large part of 

 them were only fit for the dump. While 

 homegrown stock always gets the prefer- 

 ence, it is this shipped stock that keeps 

 the prices down. There are always those 

 who think they must have about double 

 what they can sell and are not willing 

 to pay the price of good stock. One 

 grower invested in 3,000 4-ceTit blooms 

 and had to sell them out at 35 cents ppr 

 dozen. Another department store re- 

 ceived 8,000 blooms on Saturday and had 

 practically no trade for them. It was 

 impossible to wholesale them, as they 

 were too trashy. The regular growers 

 and storemen have no sympathy for 

 them, but rather hope that they will 

 learn a lesson after they "get stuck" a 

 feAv more times. Those who were con- 

 tented to dispose of their own stock at 

 fair prices are all well pleased with 

 their business, especially when they con- 

 sider the obstacles to be overcome. 



A. B. 



