276 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Januaky G, 1898. 



BUFFALO. 



Christmas and New Year's Trade. 



I am somewhat behind "the push" 

 with our report of that great event, the 

 Christmas traiie, but I liave tlie ailvan- 

 tage that there has been time to digest 

 the several reports both local and outside. 

 The vpriter was laid low with overexer- 

 tion wrapping up plants, the continual 

 waving of heavy sheets of paper caus- 

 ing a draught, hence the trouI)Ie. Like 

 all northern cities, we had it decidedlj- 

 cold. It was .seasonable, but too much 

 so for our health or temper, yet it was 

 expected and prepared for, and such was 

 the precaution taken that I have yet to 

 hear of a complaint about frozen plants 

 or flowers. A box of flowers is a simple 

 thing to deliver and little excuse for not 

 being delivered in good shape, but how- 

 different with a lih', an azalea, or a poin- 

 settia. Is there any other kind of mer- 

 chandise so hard and difficult to reach its 

 destination in good order? A new bon- 

 net, a box of candy, a turkey, or a "cel- 

 ebration" carried round won't be injured 

 in zero weather, but not so with our more 

 than tender products. However, it is 

 far Ijetter for all concerned that we should 

 have the cold now and fine weather 

 at Easter. 



It is certain that the bulk of the busi- 

 ness done was in excess of any previous 

 year. If there are a few who can say, "I 

 did not do quite so well as last year," it 

 must be because they did not have the 

 facilities or the supply to dothe business. 

 A factor which helped to make the vol- 

 ume of business large was a revival of 

 large parties, many more of these than 

 there has been in a number of years, 

 ■which is some evidence that a certain 

 class at least are "feeling better" and 

 more able to be luxurious and extrava- 

 gant, which is an excellent wav of dis- 

 pensing charity. 



Stock. 



Our prices were about the same as other 

 cities of our size. Very few Beauties were 

 handled, but the staple varieties of roses 

 were of excellent quality and brought $4 

 per dozen. Carnations were good and 

 people did not kick at |i. Those that did 

 kick went without, as a poor florist's wife 

 (especially a provincial one) has to go 

 without a sealskin sack. The price of 

 violets had scared off prospective buyers 

 and at the la.st moment plenty were to be 

 had. Romans and narcissus filled their 

 respective places and so did the graceful 

 stevia. Tulips were conspicuous bv their 

 ab.sence. All the cut Bernmda lilies and 

 poinsettias were eagerly picked up. They 

 were in demand for churches and parties 

 and there was not enough to go around. 



Large Demand for Plants, 



There was here, as I notice in the east- 

 ern metropolis, (there must now be a 

 western) a still greater increase in the 

 demand for plants. It is, I am sure, now 

 the heaviest and most important part of 

 the holiday trade. One firm may say no 

 to this assertion, but others will say ves. 

 It was not an isolated case for a swell ma- 

 tron to walk in and leave from fifteen to 

 twenty cards each to be accompanied 



with a nice plant for as many different 

 friends. Our selection (of plants not 

 friends), that makes it particularly agree- 

 alile. 



I am sorry to say we had no novelties 

 which seem so nmch desired in some 

 quarters. Our patrons had to be satisfied 

 with the same old things and there was 

 not near enough of them to go around. 

 I would rank the azalea of first import- 

 ance as a plant for a gift, then a high 

 class cyclamen, then come poinsettias, 

 lilies, begonias, pans of narcissus and 

 primroses. Ferns sold well, especially 

 pans or pots of Nephrolepis Bo.stoniensis 

 and the still more handsome N. d. furcans. 



More anil still more do the people get 

 aware of the fact that a palm is a most 

 satisfactory present for your wife or 

 somebody else's wife, and at present it is 

 ninety-nine out of every hundred sold 

 that is K. Belnioreana or Forsteriana; the 

 other one can be whatever you choose. 

 People will get a little tired of this. 

 Great as is the adaptability of the kentias 

 for the dry air of the sitting room there 

 is another genus of palmsstill "tougher." 

 The beautiful Phoenix rupicola and leo- 

 nensis will distance them as a plant, 

 putting up with all kinds of unfavorable 

 conditions. There was marked evi- 

 dence that the great majority of the buy- 

 ers want a palm or draciena for 52 to 

 |!2..so. When you mention I5, there is a 

 cool feeling arises across the counter. 



Christmas Greens. 



There was little or no peddling of holly 

 and greens on our streets and not as 

 much sent in to commission men, so it 

 was well cleaned up. There was some 

 good holly and some wretchedly bad. 

 One man who sent us fift}' cases .should 

 be made to repose on a bed of his holly 

 for the next thirty days with nothing be- 

 tween the epidermis and his holly. The 

 wild smilax has been largelv used for ex- 

 tensive decorations. In its place it makes 

 wreathing of ground pine, holly or laurel 

 look very homely. I might add that few 

 or no chrysanthenuuus were seen nor 

 wanted. They have had their season. 

 The}' may do for small democratic cities, 

 but they won't do for the former home of 

 "Grove" Cleveland. 



Politics Help the Florist. 



In the interval between Christmas and 

 New Years you always seem dull, like the 

 reaction th.at takes place when the cur- 

 tain goes down at the end of an intensely 

 exciting act. Even if you have a large 

 sized decoration or two during the in- 

 terim, it is only the orchestra playing 

 and you want to go out and see a man 

 and return in time to see the curtain rise 

 for the conclusion of the play, which in 

 this floral drama is New Years. All 

 know what a quiet time is New Years 

 now-a-days compared to what it once 

 was, and this one was no exception in a 

 general wa)-. What helped out wonder- 

 fully with some of us was the initiation 

 and in.stallation into political oflice of 

 several successful candidates. A repub- 

 lican mayor stepped down and out and a 

 democratic mayor marched in and when 

 he had done shaking hands with those 

 who had helped elect him, and those who 

 expect a job, he had time to notice 



beautiful baskets and bunches of flowers, 

 handsome palms, scattered here and 

 there but all eclipsed by a magnificent 

 floral horseshoe. Lesser lights than the 

 niaj'Or were not forgotten and at the or- 

 ganization of the board of aldermen 

 many of them had their countenances 

 .set off with radiance from the reflection 

 of pink and red roses. Never mind if the 

 radiaiice was mostly confined to their 

 nose, it is all good and proper. The 

 purity of the flowers may remind them 

 of the purity of their campaign promises 

 to their constituents. 



We are now starting a new year. To 

 many of us it must cause reflection, for 

 we are a mile stone nearer that not far 

 distant end. Let us be optimistic in our 

 vision. We have lived and mostly lived 

 well, and if we really love our business, 

 especially the growing, we must and can- 

 not but improve our body and soul. 



Visitors. 



The writer has been unable to visit his 

 brother florists, and brother florists are 

 mostlv too busv to be making calls just 

 yet, but during one of the days just before 

 New Years a message was received that 

 Mr. Dailledouze was below. I slid down 

 .stairs and there was Paul Dailledouze and 

 Mr. D. T. Mellis, both of F'latbush. 

 They had taken a thirty-six hour vacation 

 to inspect Niagara with ice attachment. 

 Paul looked as fresh and plump as a 

 Flora Hill Carnation and D. Y. M. was 

 as well dressed and beaming as 

 Chauncey M. Depew. "How was the 

 business with you?" They both raised 

 their eyes to the ceiling and exclaimed 

 "wonderful," and pronounced it with a 

 .solemn heartfelt expression; so no doubt 

 it was, and their manner and appearance 

 indicated that they were at peace with all 

 men, including themselves. 



A Story. 



If }-ou have room, Mr. Mellis told me a 

 short story of Niagara which shows how 

 different some men view this wonderful 

 work of nature. Mr. Mellis was standing 

 at the foot of the American falls, gazing at 

 the stupendous sheet of water 170 feet in 

 height, when a corpulent, red-faced 

 man, at his side, also gazing up, reniaiked 

 "What a pity to see so much going to 

 waste." Mr. Mellis politely said "Excuse 

 me, sir, I presume you are an hydraidic 

 engineer." "No, sir," replied the man, 

 "I am a Philadelphia milkman." 



W. S. 



INDIANAPOLIS. 



Scarcitv of Stock. 



Another Christmas holiday has passed 

 and with it the usual troubles to the re- 

 tail florist. This time good stock was very 

 scarce, not one-third enough to go 

 around. American Beauties and violets 

 were flowers mostly called for but very 

 short was the supply. Consequently, the 

 first rush took them all away, what was 

 left of those saved to fill the principal 

 orders, which were more than usual for 

 these two items. The quality of other 

 roses shipped to this market was in some 

 instances beyond recall, weak stems, off 



