Januaijv 6, 1898. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review, 



lib 



gotten over the Christmas fatigue. The 

 executive committee reported a scheme 

 for holding a show next November, which 

 was received and hiid over until next 

 meeting night, when a final vote upon 

 the subject will be taken. The commit- 

 tee recommended that the Fifth Regi- 

 ment Armory Hall or the Cyclorama 

 Building be secured, and to tax each 

 member in order to guarantee all ex- 

 penses, and if the show be a financial 

 success the said tax to be refunded. Also 

 to interest all prominent officials: such 

 as governor, mayor, senators and their 

 wives, etc., at the same time making lib- 

 eral friendships with the press. 



.\fter the Christmas "rush" the New 

 Year's trade seems too insignificant to 

 mention. Will say, however, the holi- 

 day week proved an exceptionally good 

 one and there is no cause to complain. 



C. F. F. 



WASHINGTON. 



New Year's Trade Quiet. 



A few years ago the trade on New 

 Year's day was considered a close rival 

 to Christmas. It has been dropping off 

 each year until now very little is done 

 out of the ordinary. That delightful 

 old custom of calling on friends the first 

 of the new \-ear and claiming a continu- 

 ance of the existing friendship for the 

 coming year is fast dying out in Wash- 

 ington and the demand for flowers for the 

 occasion passes with it. 



The death in the President's family 

 may have had something to do with the 

 present \"ear, there being few receptions, 

 the high officials not receiving out of re- 

 spect to the President. It certainlj- has 

 not kept pace with that of the last one. 

 Three or four new stores have opened 

 during the holidays. We wish them all 

 success. 



Prices remain firm, quality fairly good, 

 but quantity — short, especially carnations 

 and violets. Bulbous stuff is making its 

 appearance in limited quantities. The 

 growers are no longer seen with long and 

 anxious faces. That long looked for and 

 indispensable sunlight is with us again, 

 and trust this time he will tarry as long 

 as he can. 



-A large and enthusiastic meeting was 

 held by the Commercial Florists' Associa- 

 tion of the District of Columbia, last 

 week, to take action in regard to the re- 

 cent letter of the Secretary of War de- 

 clining to discontinue the free distribu- 

 tion of cut flowers. The florists are 

 determined to slop the distribution by the 

 government even though it becomes 

 nece.ssary to go to Congress. 



A number of connnittees made reports 

 as to the status of the work of preparing 

 and sending out petitions and of the 

 plan of interesting the business men of 

 the city in the movement. We claim 

 that if the immense amount of money 

 which is annually appropriated by Con- 

 gress for the care' and adornment of the 

 parks and reservations was put to its 

 proper use, there would be no necessity 

 for the beds ever being without flowers 

 or evergreens of some sort, even during 

 the winter months. We claim that owing 



to the space consumed by the flowers 

 which are now being grown by the gov- 

 ernment, they do not devote the time 

 or attention to the propagation of plants 

 suitable for out door decoration, and 

 that instead of having only one growth 

 in the parks, they should be kept green 

 at all times. 



Before the Board of Trade. 



-According to advices received by the 

 florists the Board of Trade committee on 

 public parks and reservations will take 

 the matter up and it is believed will 

 recommend that the present method of 

 ha\ ing tlie beds bare during three or four 

 months of the year be done away with 

 and hardy specimens be grown for the 

 winter use. Owing to the offer of the 

 florists of the city to raise the w ages of 

 their employes from ten to twentv-five 

 per cent., if the free distribution was 

 stopped, it is probable that a committee 

 will be sent to lay the case before the 

 various labor organizations of the city for 

 action. 



The Appropriation Committee of the 

 House and Senate as well as the District 

 of Columbia Committee will nave the 

 matter brought to its attention, and the 

 florists are confident that when once the 

 matter is properly presented the sense of 

 fair play will result in legislation which 

 will cause a discontinuance of the prac- 

 tice. 



Our answer to the allegations of the 

 government officials that the flowers are 

 mostly distributed among the various 

 hospitals that we will furnish flowers for 

 tlieni free of charge. We are now doing 

 this and dails' send more than the gov- 

 ernment. We have received definite in- 

 formation that the hospitals receive a 

 .small proportion of the flowers, and of 

 one hospital it was stated that the gov- 

 ernment supplied with flowers, has not 

 received any in months, but has depended 

 upon the bounty of the florists almost 

 entireh-. 



Letter to Secretary Alger. 



Believing that the Secretary of War did 

 not give as careful consideration to the 

 last letter as it demanded, the following 

 was sent to Secretary Alger at the last 

 meeting: 



"At the regular meeting of the Com- 

 mercial Florists' Association of the Dis- 

 trict of Columbia a committee was ap- 

 pointed to answer your letter addressed 

 to N. Studer and other florists, complain- 

 ing of the free distribution of flowers and 

 other products of the nurseries and green- 

 houses of the government. We beg to 

 express our regret that you should deem 

 it inadvisable to give the subject under 

 consideration your personal attention, or 

 at least refer the matter to a disinterested 

 party for consideration and report. 



"It could hardly be expected that 

 either the Chief of Engineers, lately 

 Superintendent of Public Buildings and 

 Grounds, or the present Superintendent 

 of Public Buildings and Grounds would 

 condemn their own actions, and therefore 

 we are not surprised to receive a practical 

 cop3' of a letter written first b}- Gen. 

 John A. Wilson, Lieut. Sewall and Col. 



Bingham, respectively, several months 

 ago, all of which seemed to have been 

 inspired from the same source, and which 

 in no wise answers the criticisms offered 

 by the florists of Washington. 



"We insist that very large sums of 

 money are being diverted frnm their le- 

 gitimate purposes, viz., the decoration of 

 parks and public reser\-ations, and are 

 being used for the production of flowers 

 which, under no circumstances, can be 

 used for the adornment of public reser- 

 vations, but instead are distributed to a 

 favored class greatly to the detriment of 

 the said reser\'ations, which are shame- 

 fully neglected, considering the enor- 

 mous sum appropriated, this greatly to 

 our detriment as citizens and business 

 men. 



"We in.sist that if the money be legiti- 

 mately expended the various parks and 

 reservations can be kept in a very much 

 higher state of beauty and that such be- 

 ing tile case all citizens of the District of 

 CoUinibia and of the United States visit- 

 ing here would share equally in the en- 

 joyment of such improvement and adorn- 

 ment. Believing that this subject de- 

 serves more respectful and considerate 

 treatment than has thus far been accord- 

 ed it, we again ask you to give the mat- 

 ter the earnest consideration it so richly 

 deserves. 



"If it is 3-our plea.sure we .should be 

 glad to appoint a committee to personally 

 present our side of the case to you, be- 

 lieving that we can throw new light on 

 the subject and enable you to see the 

 matter from a different point of view. In 

 conjunction with our protest we respect- 

 fully call your attention to the following 

 law which stands unrepealed;" 



"Provided that hereafter only such 

 trees, shrubs, and plants shall be propa- 

 gated at the greenhouses and nurseries as 

 are suitable for planting in the public 

 reservations, to which purpose only the 

 products of said nurseries and green- 

 houses shall be applied." 



The letter was signed by the president 

 of the association. 



Correction. 



In the last issue of the Florist f,' Ex- 

 cliatuii: mention was made by the Wash- 

 ington correspondent of a contract for 

 supplving part of the plants for the Agri- 

 cultural department, which had been 

 awarded to a local grower, to be paid for 

 out of the appropriation for seeds, cut- 

 tings, plants and bulbs. 



I would like to say that there is no ap- 

 propriation for the purchase of plants for 

 free distribution, but they were paid for 

 out of the appropriation for "Purchase 

 and distribution of valuable .seeds," and 

 that the grower was successful in hon- 

 est competition with six others and is one 

 of the men now fighting against the free 

 distribution of flowers and plants. 



W. H. K. 



SiGOURNEV, I.\. — Mr. Henr\- Schroe- 

 der, of this city, is chairman of the ways 

 and means committee of the Southeast- 

 ern Iowa Horticultural Society, which 

 recentl)' had a meeting at Ottumwa. Mr. 

 Schroeder is one of the best informed 

 men in the State in nurserv matters. 



