314 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



January 13, 1898. 



Mr. E. Nagel, of Minneapolis, was a 

 recent caller and reports a very favorable 

 business in our .sister city. 



Mr. Swanson displayed a very beautiful 

 basket of cypripediums and ferns neatly 

 tied with ribbons. 



Dr, Schififman has a fine collection of 

 orchids now in bloom, including some 

 rare C. Trianiu and C. Schroederi. 



X. Y. Z. 



PHILADELPHIA, 



Business Forecast. 



The cut flower market has Ijeen very 

 quiet since New Years. Prices remain 

 fairly firm, but the supply exceeds the 

 demand and in consequence the second- 

 class stock suffers severely at times. The 

 large balls being given now, while lav- 

 ishly decorated with foliage and flowering 

 plants, do not require many cut flowers. 

 The German favors are sometimes of 

 flowers and a few choice roses are often 

 sent, but large bouquets are not popular 

 this winter at the private balls. 



General business, our own included, is 

 steadily improving. The depression 

 through which we have passed in the last 

 few years is clearl}- .shown by the number 

 of growers who are willing and anxious to 

 dispo,se of their places; some to leave the 

 business entirely, but most of them to im- 

 prove their facilities for producing else- 

 where. 



1 he retailers, taken as a class, hardly 

 seem to have .suffered so much, which 

 would appear to show either that there is 

 more profit in selling than in growing 

 plants and flowers, or el.se that the re- 

 tailers are better busine.ss men than the 

 growers. I am disposed to take the latter 

 view. In an admirable paper, written, I 

 think, for the i.SgS convention of the S. 

 A. F., Mr. C. W. Ward pointed out that 

 in times of general prosperity nearly 

 everyone who attended to his business 

 made something, while in times of general 

 depression only the man who had thor- 

 ough business ability could make ends 

 meet. This is of cour.se speaking gener- 

 ally-, there are exceptions to all rules. 

 Now it seems to me that the growers as a 

 rule are not nearly such good business 

 men as the retailers. Many of our very 

 best growers are woefully careless in their 

 methods, having only a general idea 

 whether a given house has or has not 

 paid. If you ask them the question point 

 blank, "Did so and so payyou last year?" 

 they would probably reply, "Well, it 

 looked well all the season, but the sales 

 were a trifle slow." In fact a gentleman 

 who is posted in matters floricultural as- 

 serted a few days ago that you could count 

 the growers around Philadelphia on your 

 fingers, who could tell }-ou certainly just 

 what a house had produce<l and whether 

 or not it had paid. I can hardly believe 

 this possible, but if it is true, little won- 

 der the retailers have the best chance of 

 succeeding. 



What successful retailer would answer 

 such a question in a general way? He 

 knows just what he needs and how much 

 of it for his normal business. Of course, 

 if the market offers good stock at a 

 reasonable price, he itiay speculate a 

 little when business is likely to be brisk, 



but as a rule he knows just where he 

 stands and acts accordinglj'. Rach grower 

 should know just what a house costs to 

 run, add the interest on construction and 

 on the land, and then grow only what 

 will pay them a living profit over this ex- 

 pense. 



Notes. 



The florist team won their first match 

 game at ten pins in the Philadelphia 

 Bowling League, defeating the Zingari 

 team by 190 pins. Eleven clubs have en- 

 tered the competition. 



I am probabl)' the first floricultural 

 writer who ever mentioned the consumer 

 at Christmas, which undoubtedly accounts 

 for the Review proof reader substituting 

 "consignor" for "consumer" in my last 

 letter wherein appears "the consignors (?) 

 too, received more value for their moiiey 

 than of yore." J. W. Y. 



Trade Dull. 



Trade on the whole is very dull. The 

 notable exceptions are easily counted on 

 one's fingers' ends. So when we .say the 

 Harrison Ball at Horticultural Hall was a 

 blooming success we want to say that 

 Graham, who Iiad the contract, did the 

 act creditably to himself and to the pro- 

 fession. The local papers speak of this 

 society event in terms of prai,se, and say: 

 "The blaze of electric lights among the 

 gorgeous foliage produced a dream of 

 beauty." Philadelphia cannot squeal at 

 the condition of trade. It is about as 

 you will find it all over the east. 



Mr. Charles Fox Retires. 



Among the business changes announced 

 at the first of the year, is the retirement 

 of Mr. Charles Fox from active business. 

 Mr. I'^ox has been a life-long florist. The 

 past fifteen or twenty years he has carried 

 on a lucrative business on North Broad 

 street. His trade was among the fash- 

 ionable set of the North end of the city, 

 where he made a reputation as a skilled 

 artist in his line. While he leaves the 

 active walks of life as a bu.siness man of 

 our craft, we will all remember him as a 

 most congenial and wholesome friend, 

 who will still be seen among the florists' 

 gatherings. May his days of leisure be 

 blessed with .health and pleasure is the 

 wish of his many friends. 



Club Meeting. 



The last meeting of the I'lorists' Club 

 was of e-xceptional interest. The club 

 was called on to receive with deep regret 

 the resignation of Mr. Thomas Cartledge, 

 as treasurer. Mr. Cartledge, who has 

 been in poor health for several months, is 

 compelled to relinquish all work, hence 

 the step. After reluctantl}- acceding to 

 his request the club, as a token of his 

 valuable services, tendered a resolution 

 expressing the feeling of his many 

 friends in trade circles. 



The sad announcement of the death of 

 Miss Lily Dean was a surprise to many 

 present. Evidently but few of the mem- 

 l>ers knew her personally, but the esteem 

 in which the Dean family is held here 

 called forth a resolution expressing to 

 Mr. Dean the deepest sympathy of his 

 man}' Philadelphia friends. 



Mr. J. Wm. Colflesh was unanimously 



elected to succeed Mr. Cartledge as 

 treasurer. 



A resolution introduced by Mr. G. C. 

 Watson which strongly condemned the 

 free distribution of seeds by the govern- 

 ment was adopted l.>y a unanimous vote. 



Carnation Exhibit. 



In connection with the reading of the 

 paper on the newer carnations, already 

 published in these columns, there was an 

 extensive display of carnation flowers at 

 this meeting. Following is the report of 

 the committee on exhibits: 



Vour comraUtt e btg to report tliat tbe ex- 

 hibits comprise a long list of well Kfown varie- 

 ties, Inclutiing many novelties, in de.scribing 

 which the committee can scarcely do full justice 

 in the short time allottccl to them, ancldifttculty 

 in properly di-stinguishmg the exact color by 

 arlilicial light. 



R. Witterstaetter, Sedamsville, Cincinnati, O. 

 — Evelita. white; good calyx: good stem. 



Wm. Swayne. Kentieti Square, Pa.— Em- 

 press, dark maroon: large flowers on good stiff 

 stem. 



Hugh Graham— Vase of fine blooms of well- 

 known variety \'ictnr. 



CM Fick. Phil;delphii.-No. 14, exception- 

 ally Hne large while: with good calyx: com- 

 pact flower: also Laura E. Doty, pinU: Kath- 

 rvne. white, and Mrs C. M Pick. pink. 



Stollery Bros.. Argyle Park, Chicago. 111.— One 

 plant and vase of bloom of new carnation Ar- 

 gyle: plant seems to be clean, healthy grower: 

 flower.-s produced on long, stiff stems: bright 

 darli pink inciilor; large good shaped floweis. 



Collection of stellings. H. Weber & Sons, 

 Oakland. Md.— A numberof which give promise 

 ( f being hrst class varieties: vase of new rose, 

 Mrs. Robert Garrett, large, delicate pink, fine 

 form. 



Henry A. Niemeyer, Erie, Pa.— Uncle S im, 

 variegated variety: Pluto, crimson: Goliath, 

 red: Snow Que n. white: Rob Roy, red. 



C. F Baker. Utica. N. Y.— Red Jacket, scar- 

 let: Oneida, good pink: both full Hne flowers, 

 and likely to prove good commercial varieties. 



E. G. Hill & Co.. Richmond. Ind.— Painted 

 Lady, large tine dark pinli: exceptionally good: 

 Psyche, variegated white and pink, large and 

 full: Seedling No. l.UOU. large pink, full flower. 

 All these varieiies are exceptionally tine, with 

 good stems and large blooms. 



The Cottage Gardens. Queens. N. Y.— Collec- 

 tion of ne , varieties, many of which are liUely 

 to prove valuable additions to our list of com- 

 mercial kinds, especia'ly Bon Ton. scarlet; 

 White Clou. I, white; and John Young, another 

 good white. Other varieties are New York, 

 crimson seedling; Mrs. Jas. Dean, blush and 

 scarlet seedling: a particulaily tine collection 

 in its entirety. 



F. A. Blake. Rochdale. Mass.— Vase of scarlet 

 Bon Ton: on strong stems: tine. 



E. J. Weaver. Bird in Hand, Pa.— White; 

 lightly penciled red: good calyx; givesproraise 

 of being a good sort. 



C. Besold. Mineola, X. Y.— Two vases and one 

 plant; Mrs. Francis Joost. a large flowered 

 pink variety; on good stems, plant shows a 

 clean robust growth. 



C. S. Swayne, Kennelt Square, Pa —Sweet- 

 he;! rt, white, deeply penciled with red. 



Wm. P. Craig, Philadelphia.— Collect oi of 

 standard varieties: Flora Hill, white, a fairly 

 well known variety of the present day; Victor, 

 pink; Mrs. G. M. Bradt. variegated, good heavy 

 stem, large full flower; Harrison's white; 

 Mayor Pingree, .vellow; Lily D3an, large varie- 

 gated var ety; Jubilee, scarlet; Maud Dean, 

 blush, with deep pink center. 



John Burton, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia.— 

 Vase of Alba Superba. large pure white on 

 long erect stems, well foimed globular blooms: 

 will undoubtedly become one of our standard 

 varieties. F. 



ORANGE, N. J. 



The regular meeting of the New Jersey 

 Floricultural Society was held in Deck- 

 er's Hall on Monday night, President 

 McRorie in the chair. The secretary pre- 

 sented his annual report, which gave the 

 society an active membership of eighty- 

 si.x, and the fi-easurer reported a balance 

 in the society's favor of I242.50. The 



