504 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



FEBRUARY 17, 



PHILADELPHIA. 



Stock Prices. 



The cut flower market was in a more 

 satisfactory condition during the week 

 just ended. Feb. 7 to 12. than during the 

 three previous weeks. Stock which 

 was almost unaccountabl.v scarce in 

 certain lines, for the lack of sunshine 

 and being off crop, hardly seemed to 

 explain the declination of produce no- 

 ticed in many cases, became more 

 plentiful and resulted in a more satis- 

 factory filling of orders, the demand re- 

 maining about the same. 



The stock offered Is pretty well 

 cleared up each day. excepting the 

 poorer grades and certain lines of bulb- 

 ous flowers, notably valley and Von 

 Sion. Prices are as follows: Beauties, 

 extras, which are in rather short sup- 

 ply, $7.50 to $9 a dozen: good medium. 

 ?4 to $6; short. $1 to $3: Brides, Maids, 

 and Meteors, a few specials bring $12, 

 good stock $S to $10: seconds, $6; 

 Perles, $4 to $«. The Brides have sold 

 about as well as the colored varieties, 

 which was not the case earlier in the 

 season. Carnations, a very few fancy 

 sorts, seedlings of especial merit, are 

 held at $4. They have large flowers 

 and stiff stems that hold the bloom 

 perfectly erect; good flowers of fancy 

 sorts bring $2.50 to $3. 



Valley goes slowly at $1 to $4. 

 Romans are more plentiful, and bring 

 $3 to $4. Tulips are good and not very 

 numerous, but there are quite enough 

 for the demand. La Reine brings $3; 

 when well colored with pink, it sells 

 best. The other sorts, yellow and scar- 

 let, bring $4. California violets, 25 to 

 50 cents per 100: double, 50 to 75 cen^s: 

 a few very fine, $1. Freesia bring $2, 

 and double daffodils go slowly at $3 to 

 $4. 



There are growers who will read 

 some item in the above list with a sigh 

 or a groan. To them I add that our 

 stock is so perishable that the least 

 accident or a bit of carelessness will 

 make these prices unattainable, to gay 

 nothing of the possibility of an ab- 

 sence of buyers when most needed. An 

 uptown store had a large jar of nice 

 looking Scotts in the window during 

 the week marked 20 cents a dozen. Jt 

 is hardly likely they cost the proprie- 

 tor $1.50 a 100. 



Special Plant Sales. 



The plant trade in the stores is 

 rather quiet just now. The storekeep- 

 ers believe it is made so by the special 

 sale of palms which took place at .Tohn 

 Wanamaker's large department store 

 recently. The firm offered an Areca 

 lutescens, three plants, 24 to 30 inches 

 high, in a 6-inch pot with a jardi- 

 niere, for $1.25, and it was claimed Lad 

 sold 2,500 of them. The plants were of 

 the 50-cent grade, and could undoubt- 

 edly be bought for less money in thou- 

 sand lots. The jardinieres were sup- 

 posed to be worth 30 cents; 60 to 75 

 cents each would therefore be a fair 

 guess as to the cost of this merchan- 

 dise offered at $1.25, which approaches 

 very closely to the margin of profit 

 which the regular retailers consider 



their legitimate due. The plants seen 

 at Wanamaker's were not what .any 

 one familiar with our business would 

 consider a good investment, many of 

 them being in condition most unlikely 

 to give the buyer satisfaction. 



The retailers are very sore over 

 these special sales, believing their 

 business is thereby injured. I am dis- 

 posed to adopt their view, but from dif- 

 ferent reasons. It seems to me that the 

 putting of large quantities of stork, 

 such as I saw last week, on the mark-^t 

 will deter many would-be buyers of 

 plants in the future. Rightly man- 

 aged. I think it is an open question 

 whether these special sales are not of 

 benefit to the trade at large. They un- 

 doubtedly take some customers from 

 the regular retailers for the time be- 

 ing, but they create a love of. and 

 therefore necessity for, plants, which 

 will prove of benefit to the retailers 

 ultimately, for these are only special 

 sales, and every other variety of 

 plant offered was marked at a good 

 stiff price. 



Suppose a busy man or woman — 

 thousands of them pass daily through 

 the large department stores — fancies 

 one of these palms with vase and takes 

 it home. If it does well, is not he or 

 she almost sure to want another fir 

 a friend, or to ask some question 

 about its needs, and. the special sale 

 being over, and the counter filled with, 

 shall we say. laces, will not he or she 

 naturally go to a regular florist, and, 

 rightly managed, is not a new customer 

 made in many cases? This view is for 

 the retailer only, ignoring the grower's 

 side of the question. I sincerely hope 

 the matter will be freely discussed in 

 the columns of the Review. J. W. T. 



CHICAGO. 



Club Meeting. 



At the last meeting of the Florists' 

 Club, though not many retailers were 

 present, there was a very interesting 

 and instructive discussion upon the 

 various phases of the retail business. 

 The discussion covered a wide field 

 and became especially vigorous over 

 the question of pickled stock at the 

 holidays. The committee of arrange- 

 ments for the convention of the Car- 

 nation Society reported the details of 

 their work up to date. Two new mem- 

 bers were elected. 



At the next meeting of the club, Feb. 

 24. Mr. J. T. Anthony will read a paper 

 on "How to Market Cut Flowers. ' 



The Market. 



Market conditions have changed but 

 little. The shortage of roses continues. 

 There seems to have been some in- 

 crease in the supply, but the demand is 

 still in excess of it. Bulb stock is 

 plenty. 



Various Items. 



A banquet with covers for 1.200 peo- 

 ple was given at the Auditorium Hotel 

 the evening of Feb. 12 ( Lincoln's birth- 

 day) by the Marquette Club. The 

 speakers included ex-President Har- 



rison and Secretary Gage. The decora- 

 tions were by Mr. P. J. Hauswirth, and 

 were very handsome. On the speaker's- 

 table appeared numerous plateaus of 

 the "Novelty" tulip arranged with 

 ferns, while on all the tables were 

 scattered flowers of the same tulip 

 and Scott carnations. No less than 2,000 

 flowers of the "Novelty" tulip were 

 used. The effect was admirable. 



Mr. O. P. Bassett. of Bassett & 

 Washburn, spent a few days at West 

 Baden, Ind., early in the week. 



Mr. G. H. Pieser, of Kennicott Bros. 

 Co., left last Saturday for a two weeks 

 trip through the south. 



Bassett & Washburn are i:utting 

 some very flue Harrisii lilies and have 

 a large crop coming on. 



The Executive Committee of the 

 Hort. Society of Cliicago has adopted 

 the premium list for the annual exhibi- 

 tion next November, and the prelimi- 

 nary printed list will soon be issued. 



Dan McRory. representing W. A. 

 Manda. South Orange, N. J., was a re- 

 cent visitor. 



BOSTON. 



Club Meeting. 



The postponed meeting of the Iflor- 

 ists' and Gardeners' Club was held 

 Tuesday evening. The question of the 

 annual dinner was discussed and it was 

 Anally decided to lay the subject on 

 the table for an indefinite period. The 

 club then enjoyed a lecture by Mr. 

 Robt. Farquhar on "The Great North- 

 west, Oregon, Washington, and Indian 

 Life on the Pacific Slope," which was 

 supplemented by 130 beautiful stere- 

 opticon views. It was a most enjoy- 

 able and instructive trip upon which 

 the audience was taken by the lecturer. 

 and at its conclusion a unanimous vote 

 of thanks was tendered him. 



Mass. Hort. Society. 



At a meeting of the Executive Com- 

 mittee of the Mass. Hort. Society on 

 Feb. 7, the desirability of looking for 

 more commodious premises was con- 

 sidered. It is said that favorable con- 

 sideration was given to a new location 

 for erecting a new building that will 

 be large enough to avoid crowding at 

 exhibitions as often happens at pres- 

 ent, the structure to contain offices, 

 lecture rooms, etc., in addition to ex- 

 hibition halls. The plan contemplates 

 the disposal of the present building, 

 which is now far too small for the 

 needs of the society. 



The weekly exhibition last Saturda.y 

 was rather small and owing to the in- 

 clemency of the weather w-as only mod- 

 erately attended. Mr. James Comley, 

 superintendent of the Hayes Estate, 

 Lexington, came out with quite a large 

 exhibit of camellias in about 50 vari.?- 

 ties, Coelogyne cristata, Begonia lul- 

 gens and Cypripedium in.-ii.ijne, for 

 which he was awarded a gratuity prize, 

 Wm. W. Lunt, Hingham, showed some 

 well grown flowers of Cyp. Wm. Wal- 

 lace Lunt, for which he received a 

 first class certificate of merit. Carl 

 Blomberg. gardener for Oakes Ames, 



