* Janl:a;IY 13, 1898. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



307 



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Bench of the new Crimson Carnation Empress at Wra. Swayne's, 

 Kennett Square, Pa. 



ST. LOUIS, MO. 

 Trade Falling Off. 



Trade in tliis city w.is dull the past week, 

 nothing of any importance going on except 

 a few large funeral orders reported by 

 some of the west end florists. Some of 

 the stores down town are fjeginning to 

 cut the prices already and are selling car- 

 nations at 25 cents per dozen and roses at 

 50 cents per dozen. The few days of 

 bright weather we have had made 

 flowers of all kinds plentiful and all 

 .signs of holiday prices have vanished. If 

 the stock keeps on coming in as it has 

 been there is a good chance of there 

 being a glut in almost every line. 



Prices — Stock, 



The best stock in roses can be bought 

 at |6 and .seconds go at from $2 to f.4. 

 Good Meteors are very scarce, also first 

 class Beauties. Brides and Bridesmaids 

 are the most plentiful. Carnations are 

 also more plentiful now than they have 

 been for some time. The best Scott, 

 Flora Hill, Alaska, Jubilee and Day- 

 break are selling at $5 and $6; others go 

 at from $\ to I3. 



In bulbous stuff there is plenty to 

 choose from and at low prices. Harrisii 

 lilies are a little more plentiful and the 

 same can be said of callas, a great many 

 of which were u.sed last week owing to 

 some very large funeral orders. Romans 

 and paper whites are selling as low as $2, 

 though some of the very choice flowers 

 bring I4. Valley is not so good as it has 

 been and sells at $2, and ^4. In Violets 

 the supply was equal to the demand, 

 Californias having the call, and again 

 selling at|i.5o; double ones, that is the 

 best, bring Ji: single home grown go at 

 40 cents, while the southern sell at 25 

 cents. Smilax is also selling slow at 

 $12.50 and I15. 



Among the West End Trade. 



The .-^j-ers Floral Co. report lots of 



funeral work since the New Year. Holi- 

 day business was ver)' satifactory in cut 

 flowers, plants, and all kinds of greens. 

 Mrs. Ayers told me they had a very large 

 wedding for January 20, which will be 

 one of the swellest of the season, and for 

 January 12 they will decorate for a tea 

 party. In decorating the blue room they 

 will use iSoo Daybreak carnations; for the 

 red room 300 Meteors and for the pink 

 room 300 Bridesmaid roses. 



Ostertag Bros, say they have been very 

 busy every day since the holidays with 

 wedding and funeral decorations. Busi- 

 ness during the holidays was never better. 



The Oughton Floral Co. report business 

 a little quiet since the holidays, but had a 

 good trade during the holida\s in all 

 lines. 



Chas. Schonele was not in when I 

 called, but his able assistant. Miss Rosie, 

 reports that a few days before Christmas 

 they thought business would be quiet but 

 it all came in a rush and all the work 

 had to be done at once. Greens sold bet- 

 ter than e.xpected and they sold out 

 clean. 



Geo. Waldbart says that he had a great 

 rush all through the holiday season. 

 Mr. Waldbart handles only the best 

 stock, asks top prices for everything, and 

 has the best trade in the West End. 

 "How do you like our new trade paper. 

 The Review," was asked. "Why, it's 

 the best of the three." 



At Fred. Weber's things looked busy. 

 Fred, says he is glad the holiday season 

 is over, as the rush is too great and every- 

 thing comes at one time. Business since 

 has been good with wedding and party 

 orders. Mr. Weber was just reading The 

 Review as I came in, and I asked him 

 how he liked it, and he said: "It's just 

 the paper for the retailer, wholesaler, and 

 grower, as in every issue you learn some- 

 thing new." 



Miss Newman, at Armstrong's, reports 

 business very satisfactory duringthe holi- 

 day season. "Prices were a little high on 



cut tJowers, but our customers paid them 

 for good stock. The sales on pI.^nts and 

 all kinds of green were better than last 

 year. Trade since the new year is a little 

 (|uiet." "How do you like our new paper. 

 The Review?" '"I think it's the only 

 paper, and I don't see how any live florist 

 can be without it." 



Mr. J. M. Jordan Retires from Business. 



The directors of the Jordan Floral Co. 

 held a meeting at the office of the com- 

 pany, S22 Olive .street, January 4, and 

 elected the following officers: Harry B. 

 Jordan, Omaha, Neb., president; Mrs. H. 

 B. Jordan, vice-pre.sident ; Willie E. Jor- 

 dan, secretary and treasurer; John W. 

 Kunz, manager. Mr. J. M. Jordan will 

 retire from active service in the business. 

 Mr. Jordan is now nearly seventy vears 

 of age, and is one of the best-known 

 florists in the country. He is president 

 of the Hail Association, and at one time 

 president of the S. A. F. The retirement 

 of Mr. Jordan will no" doubt be a great 

 surprise to his many friends all over the 

 country, but owing to his late illness, and 

 by the ffRvice of his physician, will give 

 the business cares over to his sons and 

 live in retirement the rest of his days. 



Personal Items. 



Mr. Carew Sanders left for Florida last 

 w'eek to spend the winter months. Mr. 

 Sanders reports that he will not lie back 

 until the flowers bloom in the spring. 



Arthur Ellison has returned to the city 

 from the east, after being gone about a 

 year, and has taken charge of the down 

 town establishment of Ellison & Tesson. 



William Lingenbrink will leave for 

 the Klondike the latter part of January 

 with a party of friends, including Alex. 

 Wilson, brother of J. S. Wilson, of Chi- 

 cago. Billy expects to return late in the 

 fall with lots of gold and open one of the 

 finest floral establishments in St. Louis. 



I am glad to note that our friend, Wil- 

 liam Scott, is out and well again, as his 

 notes in The Review are always read 

 with interest by all the florists and are 

 very beneficial especially to the grower. 



Club Meeting. 



The club meeting on Thursday this 

 week will be a large one. The "Shaw 

 medal" has been finished and will be 

 presented to the winner, Mr. Luther 

 Armstrong, of this city. J. J. B. 



WASHINGTON. 



The springlike ,weather of the past 

 week has been the cause of an enormous 

 quantity of stuff coming in, and the 

 quality the very best, carnations being 

 especially fine. The past week has been 

 unusually quiet, with very little demand 

 for flowers of any kind. 



One or two stores down town have com- 

 menced the bargain days and a placard in 

 the show window announces for that day 

 roses will be 50 cents per dozen, car- 

 nations 25 cents per dozen. We all know 

 how people will rush for bargains, but 

 this scheme once drew well, not now. 

 "Why," said a lady to me, "do you 

 know the roses fell to pieces before I 

 reached home with them. I would rather 



