Uecembek TS. lMi)T 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



199 



he kindly says he will go on the wagon 

 with the driver himself and gives the 

 name of a reputable citizen. Off goes 

 the wagon, driver, swindler and palms. 

 He then tells the driver he will unload 

 the palms licf'' in front of a house having 

 no connection with the name of the per- 

 son used and to come for them in the 

 morning. It is supposed that in a few 

 moments another wagon drives along, 

 loads up the palms and they are quickly 

 peddled out at of course a sacrifice price 

 to the peddler, yet the transaction pays 

 him. ."V detective recovered almost all 

 of them, but even if he did, it is very 

 disagreeable. Florists are not often a 

 victim to that kind of swindler, not be- 

 cfiuse they are the least bit more astute 

 than other merchants, but their goods 

 are not so readily converted into ready 

 cash. I am sorry I cannot give you a 

 description of the man, but he is said to 

 have had a Kentia Belmoreana attire, a 

 Caryota urens expression, and a Krahea 

 iilamentosa beard, with the disposition of 

 a Pandauus utilis. W. S. 



BALTIMORE. 



Christmas Indications. 



One b}' one the floral establishment^ 

 are donning their holiday regalia, and it- 

 is very interesting to note the many 

 different and tasty arrangements which the 

 same general class of stuff is made to 

 undergo. It is quite remarkable that at 

 this season of the }'ear we should be hav- 

 ing such spring-like weather. In fact, it 

 seems as if we were having two holi- 

 days in one; and to augment this delusion 

 one has only to look into the florists' 

 windows, where Harrisii and longiflorum 

 lilies, azaleas, ericas, and a great many 

 more typical Easter flowers are sharing 

 the honors with Japanese oranges, metro- 

 sideros, ardisias, cyclamens, orchids and 

 every other seasonable novelty. The 

 Christmas sign boards, such as holly, 

 mistletoe, southern smilax, magnolia-foli- 

 age, red wreaths, stars, etc., are also with 

 us in profusion. 



Supply Short — Prices High. 



The wholesale market is demoralized. 

 The commission houses are very slimly 

 stocked and the prospect for a good 

 supply is no better now than last 

 week. Prices on all available stuff 

 have taken an upward jump and 

 are steadily on the rise. Violets and 

 carnations can only be had at the approxi- 

 mate Christmas rates. A few days more 

 though will tell whether this seeming 

 scarcity of stuff in general is real or 

 whether the growers are only holding 

 back to flood the market next week. As 

 this has often been done before in our 

 city, one cannot be censured for suspect- 

 ing this fright to be only another false 

 alarm. By thetime these lines go to press, 

 the craft of theU. S. will be reaping their 

 first harvest of the season. Let us hope 

 for a prosperous one. 



Meeting of Gardeners' Club. 



Monday evening, the 13th inst., proved 

 an eventful and memorable one for 

 those who were present at the meeting of 

 the Club. At the roll call the boys made 



a good showing; for in honor of our 

 Washington guests many were there 

 who had not attended for months. 

 President Pentland being late, vice- 

 president Moss, the early part of t)ie 

 evening, filled the chair. Those who 

 comprised the district delegation 

 were: Messrs. Jos. R. Freeman, Robt. 

 Bowdler, Chas. F. Hale, Jno. Boyle, 

 Wni. H. King, Harrv Lewis and J. M. 

 Wood. 



Discussion of Free Distribution of Cut 

 Flowers. 



After an impromptu introduction by 

 Mr. E. A. Seidewitz, of our club, these 

 gentlemen soon got down to the business 

 of their mission, namely: to protest 

 against the government's free distribu- 

 tion of cut flowers, plants, etc. , to mem- 

 bers of congress and other influential 

 per.sons, which practice has now grown to 

 such an extent as to cripple the legitimate 

 trade. Mr. Freeman acted as chairman 

 and expressed himself in a very lucid and 

 concise manner. He said in part: " 'God 

 helps those who help themselves,' and as 

 the people of Washington are only 

 political units, with no voice in politics, 

 they, who like ourselves, have a living to 

 make, are obliged at the time of defense 

 to seek foreign assistance. It is solely to 

 enlist your S3-nipathies and ask an 

 extended hand of Ijrotherhood towards 

 our cause that brings us to your cit}- this 

 evening. The fact is those who have 

 control of the public grounds in Wash- 

 ington, are always ready to oblige anyone 

 to whom they may be under obligations 

 or with whom they may desire to curry 

 favor, by donating the floweis. palms, 

 etc., grown in the Botanical Gardens, the 

 Smithsonian, and White House grounds, 

 to congressmen, .senators, army officers, 

 foreign tliplomats and others. The 

 practice is in direct violation of the law 

 which was passed in the 45th Congress, 

 second session, 1S77-1879, volume 20, 

 page 220, when the appropriation for the 

 production of plants and flowers was first 

 made. 



"It said: 'For ordinary- care of green- 

 houses and the nursery, $1,500, provided 

 that hereafter only such trees, shrubs and 

 plants shall be propagated at the green- 

 houses and nurseries as are suitable for 

 planting in the public reservations, to 

 which purpose, only the said productions 

 of the greenhouses and nurseries .shall be 

 applied.' 



"In those days, when the public reserva- 

 tions were nothing but barren lands, and 

 there were only a few greenhouses, it did 

 a great deal of good to have congress in- 

 terested in their welfare, for from time to 

 time this appropriation was increased, 

 which gave more scope towards the city's 

 general improvement. It has now, how- 

 ever, reached the enormous sum of J90,- 

 000 per annum which is more than enough 

 to meet the general expense of keeping 

 the parks, etc., in first-class order were it 

 not for this objectionable cut flower de- 

 partment. At present nine-tenths of the 

 two acres of glass which the government 

 controls is devoted to smilax, asparagus, 

 carnations, roses (of all kinds), azaleas, 

 swainsona, valley, tulips, hyacinths, nar- 

 cissus, decorative palms, etc. The cut 

 flower portions of the above go to make 



up select boxes, 6,000 of which are 

 monthly distributed among the wealthv 

 and inlluenlial who could amply afford, 

 and would buy from the trade, were it not 

 for this evil. The balance go towards 

 their decorations when needed. 



"Col. Theodore Bingham, who is in 

 charge of the public buildings and 

 grounds, gave us no satisfaction when we 

 called on him. He said that it was a 

 cu.stom of long standing, to give flowers 

 away to certain persons and congressmen 

 and that he could not change it. As a 

 matter of fact, the public squares are a 

 disgrace to the city and nation, while the 

 major part of the liberal appropriation is 

 really being given away, with the event- 

 ual result of the extinction of the florist 

 tra<le both in the city and district." 



After a general debate upon the sub- 

 ject, the following resolutions, drafted by 

 Messrs. E. A. Seidewitz, F. G. Burger, 

 and Win. McRoberts, Jr., were unani- 

 mously adopted. "Resolved, that this 

 organization reprobates and protests 

 against the existing and further growing 

 practice of the free distribution, to offi- 

 cials and private persons, of cut flowers^ 

 decorative and flowering plants, in the 

 District of Columbia by the sub-depart- 

 ments of the U. S. Government as con- 

 trary to justice, to the correct principles 

 of business and public polity, as well as 

 the very letter of the law governing the 

 production of plants, etc., adapted to the 

 use in the public ground ; and also as 

 working great detriment to the florist 

 trade of Washington and vicinity." 

 Copies of the above are to be sent to Col. 

 Bingham and the Maryland senators and 

 congressmen. 



Roses on Exhibition. 



Two beautiful varieties of roses were 

 exhibited at the meeting, w inning general 

 admiration ; one, a sport from La France, 

 of a deep pink, grown by Mr. I. H. 

 Moss, of Govanstown, and the other an 

 unusually fine specimen of LaFrance 

 grown bv Madsen and Andersen. 



C. F. F. 



BOSTON. 



Preparations for Christmas, 



Business has been very dull this last 

 week, and shipments have come to hand 

 lacking in quality and color on account 

 of the very rainy and dull weather we 

 have been having throughout New En- 

 gland. Great preparations are being made 

 by all the florist stores in decorations, 

 some of which are of a very elaborate 

 nature, with anticipation of a verj- busy 

 week, and if the weather is favorable 

 good results are sure to ensue. 



Visitors. 



Mr. E. F. Crumb, representing Charles 

 H. Childs & Co., Utica. N. Y., was in 

 Boston offering to the seed houses and 

 other dealers a new "Electric" sprayer. 

 He claimed it to be an improvement on 

 other inventions as it had great force and 

 threw a very fine spray, and said any in- 

 secticide could be used with his machine. 



E. J. Harmon of Portland, Maine, was 

 visiting Boston purchasing stock for 

 Christmas. ' C. H. J. 



