18 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



December 2, 1897. 



NEW YORK. 



In the Wholesale District. 



After a period of unprecedented dullness 

 things have started on the upward grade, 

 and a cold snap of long duration will help 

 to bring the long looked for reaction. As 

 it is, the demand is not quite equal to the 

 supph', and though fair prices are real- 

 ized, nothing like a scarcity is or has 

 been felt yet. Trade boomed somewhat 

 during the day before Tlianksgiving and 

 up to noon of that day, but fell very flat 

 <iuring the afternoon, to the benefit of 

 the Greeks, who are the jieople who profit 

 when the ill wind of a surplus "Ijlows." 

 A peculiar fact was registered; that violets 

 did not sell so readily, in fact, only 

 brought about half as n)uch as at the 

 same time last week, when big lots were 

 shipped to New Haven for the Yale-Prince- 

 ton football game, the best selling for 75 

 cents to SI. 50 per 100. Carnations, how- 

 ever, sold well at ^2.00 to fj.oo per 100, 

 according to stock. Roses average 54-°o 

 to $6.00, while fancies, always scarce, 

 realized $5 to 512. 



Orcliids in variety, including Vanda 

 CiErulea, Oncidium varicosum, Dendro- 

 brium formosum giganteum, nndoubt- 

 edh- the best white commercial orchid 

 from a growers' or shippers' standpoint, 

 sell readily. Cattleyas are not very plenti- 

 ful. Just now the "Labiatas" are about 

 over and "TriauLes" are hardly ready. A 

 few Cypripedium insigne are coming in 

 and sell fairly well at 10 cents to 12 cents, 

 though I saw a poor lot that a wholesaler 

 said he would accept 5 cents for. This 

 proves to the grower that good stock in 

 this, as in all others, nets the best finan- 

 cial results, and increases his bank 

 account. 



The beautiful Bougainvillea glabra San- 

 deriana sells pretty well for decorative 

 purposes and is caught up quickly bj- the 

 knowing ones; it is a handsome acquisi- 

 tion to our rather limited variety of winter 

 flowers. 



Bulbous stock is coming in gradually. 

 Lilium Harrisii is the harbinger and they 

 are plentiful for this time of vear. Thej' 

 are selling at from $6 to SS per 100. Cold 

 storage valley, which like the poor, "w-e 

 now have with us always, ' ' returns $^ to I4 

 to the grower. Romansrealize J2 to$3and 

 quantity is increasing daily. Chrysanthe- 

 mums are an "endless chain" and prices 

 are "what you can get." The variety 

 Frank Hard}-, an importation from the 

 other side, though believed to have origi- 

 nated in America, has run the gauntlet of 

 wholesale and retail criticism and is con- 

 sidered a marvel from all standpoints. 

 More than 2.000 blooms passed through 

 one wholesale house at 54 to $6 per 12, 

 while they lasted. 



By the lime this is published Christmas 

 will be only three weeks away and the 

 growers, wholesalers and retailers are 

 already counting their chickens. We 

 hope there wont be any dead ones among 

 them and that the price of salt will not 

 take an upward tendency. 



Auctions. 



The auctioneer's hammer will soon be 

 stilled and not heard till spring again. 

 The present season has been fairly good 



and sales are about over. William Elliott 

 & Sons held a successful sale of hardy 

 roses, rhodoclendrons. azaleas, etc., last 

 Tuesday and will hold another to-mor- 

 row, Friday- 



J. P. Cleary i Co. also held a sale of 

 roses and miscellaneous plants and good 

 prices were realized. Our happ}- friend 

 John savs if his balance sheet shows a 

 credit in his favor he is going to join the 

 "Benedicts." Welcome! It's your bid. 



Seed and Bulb Trade. 



Peter Henderson tt Co. have addressed 

 a letter to their patrons in the seed trade, 

 that in future they will sell direct to the 

 planter. 



The fall bulb trade is about over and 

 surpluses are being cleaned out fast. The 

 tariff has had but little effect on the gen- 

 eral trade and consignments were about 

 as heavy as usual. The heavie.st shipment 

 of vallev arrived this wx-ek and is fast 

 being distributed. High grade stock is 

 scarce w'ith a plethora of lower quality. 



Tuberoses are and will lie exceedingly 

 scarce this season. The long drought in 

 the growing district has cut down the 

 crop considerably and prices will rule 

 higher than during the last few years. 



All the wdiolesale and retail houses are 

 busy putting the final touches to their 

 "spring catalogues" and these promise to 

 be as elaborate as ever. Sweet peas will 

 be the leader with several houses and 

 novelties of unusual merit are announced. 



Mr. Robt W. Clucas returned from an 

 extended trip south. 



Among the Retailers. 



Patience is about to be rewarded to a . 

 long suffering people by a long looked 

 for revival of business. To use one of the 

 oldest retailer's expressions, things have 

 been decidedly of the "porcine" order. 

 The horse show "didn't pan out" and the 

 "feetball games" as they call then; in Chi- 

 cago, have not netted more than 5200 to 

 the ton. "Reform" and the torn up street 

 have had a demoralizing effect, but things 

 will not always be so, and so it is that the 

 far away future has extended the "glad 

 hand" and the cash regi.ster will echo and 

 re-echo the dollar mark from now on, 

 and The Review sends you greeting. 



'J'he store windows are always a feature 

 and are at all times a standing advertise- 

 ment. The retailers try to "out-Herod 

 Herod." Adiantum Farleyen.se suspended 

 in pots in the window is a pretty feature; 

 the fronds of this beautiful plant are also 

 being extensively used in all "made up" 

 and "loose work," and it gives a richness 

 that no other "greenery" can approach. 



Among the many novelties being used 

 this season are the lace handkerchiefs for 

 violets, there being embroidered in the 

 corner the initial of the fair one who is 

 to receive the gift; it is decidedly chic. 



Some of the new wagons are very elab- 

 orate, and it is rumored that one will be 

 used as a state carriage when the mayor- 

 elect take office ne.xt January. 



Jlr. -Alfred Dimmock, the popular 

 representative of Sander & Co., England, 

 sails for home December 15th to eat 

 Christmas dinner with his family. He 

 takes home a pocket full of orders in spite 

 of IheDingley Bill. Come again, Alfred, 

 meautime "Bon voyage " 



William Grey died Friday, November 



26th, at his home in Kenwood, near Al- 

 bany, X. v.. at an .advanced age. ^Ir. Grey 

 was gardener to the Senior and Junior 

 Erastus Comings for over forty years and 

 was one of the oldest and best known 

 private g irdeners in the United States. 

 His specially was orchids and he was the 

 first to raise and hybridize orchids in this 

 country, Cypripedium Corningii being 

 one of the best examples of his skill. 



.\n the florists in the vicinity of 

 Queens, L. I., were out "Bar" hunting 

 when I called, with C. W. Ward as chief 

 scout. The aforesaid "Bar" escaped 

 from confinement last summer and is 

 still at large at this writing. A pinch of 

 salt applied to his caudal appendage is a 

 good way to catch your "hare." 'Try it, 

 bri'ther Ward. You can send the skin to- 

 our office; we need a rug for the winter. 



There was only one seedling before the 

 New York committee of the Chrysanthe- 

 mum Society . It was a white incurved 

 named W. H. Chadwick, shown by • rove 

 P. Rawson, Elmira, N. Y. It is of the 

 type of Mrs. Jerome Jones. 



Wholesale trade shows a falling off this 

 week, though quantities of flowers were 

 used at the funeral of Mrs. Isliu at New 

 Roehelle on Tuesday. 



Visitors: F. A. Herendeeii, Geneva, 

 N. Y.; Paul Pierson and Frank Hamil- 

 ton, Scarborough, N. Y. H. A. B. 



BUFFALO. 



We don't know that any frivolities will 

 be expected Iroin Buffalo to welcome the 

 new journal on its new existence and 

 wish it God speed on what we feel sure 

 will be a long and prosperous journey, 

 but to refrain from being one of the first 

 to offer congratulations is more than we 

 could deny ourselves. Horticultural, and 

 particularly floricultural literature, has 

 made enormous growth this past dozen 

 years. Editors and publishers of journals 

 of all descriptions are much given to 

 chaff, ridicule, and sometimes personal 

 abuse of a more or less virulent tv'pe tow- 

 ards their fellow journalists, but it is most 

 always exploded and ends in their col- 

 umns, and largeh" because their readers 

 like that sort of thing. Florists and those 

 connected with our trade papers will, I 

 know, stoop to nothing of the sort. There 

 is most likely room for all, but if the 

 contrary is the case, then let the best man 

 win. 



We feel that the Florists' Review, 

 with its able editor, manager and pub- 

 lisher, has assured prosperity before it, 

 and this I do not say because X will have 

 the honor to contribute to its columns, 

 not in the least, for the Florists' Re- 

 view will not be dependent on any man 

 or set of men, but 1 look to the untram- 

 meled ability and eiiergj* of the man at the 

 helm to steer the new craft into pleasant 

 seas of knowledge, to shores of beauty 

 and rivers of w^ealth. Grant it may be so. 



For what little I have done for the 

 Amcrirfin Florist I have received sub- 

 stantial remuneration, but that I do not 

 look back to, although very useful at the 

 time, with the pleasure with which were 

 received many letters thanking me for 

 my feeble efforts. In future my procrasti- 

 nating and erratic ability, with what per- 



