310 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



January 13, 1898. 



The FLORISTS' Review 



G. L. GKANT, Editor and Manager. 



PCBLISIIEI* EVEKY TIIIRSIiAY BY 



THE Florists' publishing Co. 



53U-535 Caxton Bldo., Chicago. 

 334 Uearborn St. 



Kastern Manager: 



Habky a. Runyabd, .ifi Ptcrcf BiilUllng, Ni'B' York. 



10.5 Hudson St. 



Subscription, Sl.lH) a year. To Eurorc. SJ.ni). Sub- 

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Advertising rates: Per incli. SI.IRI; 4<j page. $13.00; 

 full page. $'.».5.iHI. Discounts: <i times, 5 per cent; 13 

 times. 10 per cent; 2(i times. 20 per cent; W times, 30 

 percent. Discounts allioved only on cniiscculive in- 

 sei'tions. OmIv strlrfly rraile advi-riising accepted. 

 Advertisements must reach us by Tuesday to assure 

 insertionin the issvie of the fuliowlng Tliursday. 



COPVBIGHT 1897. 



"The fungous foes of the farmer'' is 

 the title of a pamphlet by Prof. Byron D. 

 Halsted, of New Brunswick, N. J., and 

 issued bv the Department of Agriculture 

 of the state of Pennsylvania. It treats of 

 tlie fungous foes of root crops, of large 

 and small fruits, of vegetable fruits and 

 vegetables. There are illustrations of 

 youn,g cabbage plants affected by club- 

 root, of .scabby potatoes, of beet leaf 

 showing the leaf-spot, of wax beans at- 

 tacked by anthracnose, of tomato leaf af- 

 fected by spot, and of a cucumber de- 

 stroyed l)y anthracnose. Any resident of 

 Pennsylvania can probably obtain the 

 pamphlet free on application to Thos. J. 

 Edge, Secretary Department of Agricul- 

 ture, Harrisburg, Pa. 



The Floral Calendars published by 

 Daniel B. Long, Buffalo, N. Y., are cer- 

 tainly very pleasing. The decorative ef- 

 fects are obtained b}- arranging flowers 

 and foliage in the positions desired and 

 then photographing same. A half-tone 

 engraving from the photograph gives the 

 necessary plate to print from. A design 

 that particularly pleases us is one show- 

 ing a graceful tracery of vines all over the 

 calendar, with a feathery palm leaf in one 

 corner. And the arrangement of long- 

 stemmed chrysanthemums between the 

 days of the week is a very pretty conceit. 

 Judging from the samples submitted Mr. 

 Long purposes to sell these calendars to 

 floiists who \vi.sh to issue a pretty adver- 

 tisement to their customers. For this 

 purpose they are much superior to the 

 usual lithographed calendar, as they are 

 true to nature and original in conception. 



We have received from Harlan P. 

 Kelsey, Boston, Mass., samples of galax 

 leaves in various sizes and colors and a 

 quantity of the Partriilge Vine (Mit- 

 chella repens). The Partridge Vine 

 is certainly very pretty with its 

 bright red berries, and could be 

 made a very effective decorative mateiial. 

 We think it was not more than live or six 

 years ago that Mr. Kelsey sent us a small 

 quantity of the galax leaves with the in- 

 quiry as to whether they could not be 

 made use of bv- florists. \Ve replied that 

 ■we thought they could, but we had no 

 idea that the demand for them would de- 

 velop to the wonderful proportion that it 

 has. The trade in galax leaves now runs 



into the millions annually and we ques- 

 tion whether any similar decorative ma- 

 terial has so quickly attained such wide- 

 spread popularity as the galax leaves. 

 Uses for these leaves have been discov- 

 ered of which the introducer did not 

 dream and the indications seem to be 

 that the use of this material will be still 

 further extended. 



We learn that the park commission- 

 erns of Buffalo, N. Y., were so short- 

 .sighted and narrow-minded as to dismiss 

 from the service of the commission, with- 

 out giving any reasons whatever, Mr. 

 William McMillan, who was superinten- 

 dent of the Buffalo parks for tweiit}--six 

 years. The reason for this abrupt ilis- 

 missal is, undoubtedly, Mr. McMillan's 

 frankness in discussing the various pro- 

 jects advanced by the park commissioners 

 who, of course, were men totally unfa- 

 miliar with the requirements of the case 

 and who were, undoubtedly, largely in- 

 fluenced by political considerations. Mr. 

 McMillan had attained a national reputa- 

 tion as one of the ablest park superinten- 

 dents in the country, and it certainlj- was 

 not for lack of ability that he was thus 

 treated by the Buffalo commissioners. It 

 is pleasing to note that the Buffiilo papers 

 are verv out-s])oken in the matter, up- 

 holding Mr. jVicMillan and deprecating 

 the action of the commissioners. This 

 case emphasizes our frequent former 

 statements to the effect that it is the duty 

 of everyone intere.sted in horticulture in 

 anv of the larger cities to use whatever 

 influence he ma}- possess to counteract 

 the tendency towards the abuse of politi- 

 cal power in our park systems. If our 

 organized bodies of horticulturists in our 

 large cities would fully e.xercise the 

 power that their organization gives them, 

 they could largely neutralize the work of 

 the politician. 



The uniformly favorable reports on 

 the Christmas trade of 1897 are certainh' 

 verv cheering and indicate that the pres- 

 ent season may develop into something 

 as good as the best of past years. The 

 call for blooming plants at the holidays 

 seems to be growing in all sections of the 

 country, and it would £eemingl_\- be wise 

 for the florist to study more closely this 

 department of the business. While the 

 plants are more difficult to deliver than a 

 fjox of cut flowers the stock is not so im- 

 mediately perishable and can be carried a 

 week or more by the dealer. The 

 development of the plant trade at Christ- 

 mas will undoubtedly assist materially in 

 adding to the returns to the florist at that 

 season. For those who wish cut flowers 

 will buy them anyway as a rule, while 

 the presentation to the general public of 

 something le.ss perishable, but even 

 more attractive to many, cannot fail 

 to increase the total sales, and this 

 is, of course, desired by all. Another 

 pleasing feature of the holiday trade 

 is the apparent tendencv- of the pub- 

 lic to use flowers freely during the whole 

 w-eek, which if continued w-ill hold prices 

 at a comfortable figure for some little 

 time after Christmas. In spite of the very 

 high prices, extra fine Beauties seem to 

 hold first place in roses and to continu- 

 ally grow in favor. Many buyers seem 



to prefer a half dozen fine Beauties to a 

 dozen other high grade ro.ses of the tea 

 type. Evidently the Beautv has not yet 

 been overdone as to i|uantity and the 

 capricious character of this rose as to- 

 producing good blooms will probably al- 

 ways prevent any very great surplus of 

 high grade flowers. The rose grower 

 who can thoroughly master the growing 

 of this rose, and be sure of a cut of good 

 flowers at the right season, and enough 

 of them from a given space, will have 

 something better and more reliable than 

 a Klondike claim. 



We question whether any other busi- 

 ness has experienced a greater propor- 

 tionate expansion during the last ten 

 years than that of the florist. And that 

 there will be an equal, or greater, expan- 

 sions during the next ten there can 

 be no doubt. But the methods of ten 

 years ago will not avail now. The trade 

 is .so ditl'erent from what it was then that 

 it may be called practically a new busi- 

 ness. Conditions have changed, and are 

 still changing, and those who would 

 keep to the front must change with them. 

 Modern methods both in growing and 

 selling the products of the greenhouse 

 must be fully made use of. Well di- 

 rected and judicious expense is an in- 

 vestment that will return good earnings. 

 Not so many years ago new boxes were 

 considered too expensive to use in put- 

 ting up flowers for customers. Now, the 

 ou'y florist who does not have new boxes, 

 for the purpose, is one whose retail trade 

 amounts to but little. Not so long ago 

 flimsily constructed greenhouses were 

 considered cheap because the investment 

 was small, and now no grower will at- 

 tempt to make such houses profitable. 

 He builds well, not because he has- 

 the money to spend, but because he 

 finds good construction is the cheapest 

 in the end. and that with first-class houses 

 he can make the larger investment pay a 

 vast sight more than he can the smaller 

 investment in the cheaper (?) houses. Not 

 so many years ago few j'reenhouses were 

 fitted with the labor-saving ventilating 

 apparatus now considered absolutely es- 

 sential in a modern house. And this ap- 

 paratus is more than labor-saving. It 

 makes possible a control over tempera- 

 ture and atmcspheric conditions that 

 could not be had without it, no matter 

 how much hand labor was devoted to it. 

 No florist can now aff'ord to be without it. 

 Note the big ranges of houses now cared 

 for, and well cared for, by small forces of 

 men. Under old methods it w-ould take 

 double or treble the number. That is 

 w-herethe .saving comes in. That is where 

 old methods are expensive as compared 

 with new ones, even though the modern 

 methods compel a larger original invest- 

 ment. It paj-s to have good houses, good 

 tools and good help. Have half the 

 quantity and have it good, rather than 

 double the quantity and half the quality. 

 It will prove a more profitable investment 

 under present conditions. 



Send in your advertisements of help 

 wanted and situations wanted. Where 

 they do not exceed five lines in length, 

 ( .seven words to a line ) we will insert 

 them free. 



