740 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



MARCH 31. 1S98. 



glasses to protect his eyes from the 

 moonflower display. 



An art gallery is the latest addition 

 to Reinberg Bros. High art, too, so 

 high that the bookkeeper has to use a 

 step ladder to make the entries in the 

 <;ombination. 



Recent visitors: P. Vos, represent- 

 ing the Holland Bulb Co., Oegstgeest, 

 Holland; C. L. Whitney, Traverse City, 

 Mich.: H. Van Teylingen, representing 

 Van Zanten & Co., Hillegom, Holland. 



Mrs. A. H. Saxon wants to rent the 

 greenhouses left her by her late hus- 

 band. There are five houses, at Down- 

 er's Grove, an acre or so of land and a 

 four-room cottage. This seems like 

 an excellent opportunity for some 

 young florist, as a very low rental will 

 be made. Full information may be 

 had by addressing Mrs. A. H. Saxon, 

 Downer's Grove, 111. 



WASHINGTON. 



S. A. F. Committee Meeting. 



According to reports in the daily 

 press, the executive committee of the 

 S. A. F. met here on the 14th inst., and 

 it was a very successful meeting. 



The visitors were given a drive about 

 the city and to the establishment of 

 the American Rose Company, and on 

 the return the party lunched at the 

 Maltby. The party was then conducted 

 through the new Library building and 

 through the courtesy of Mr. Durfee vis- 

 ited the capitol and were admitted to 

 the senate cloak room, where they were 

 introduced to several senators and 

 ■were also extended the courtesy of 

 seats in the reserve gallery. 



No correspondents were invited to 

 any of the functions of the committee 

 and the daily press is responsible for 

 news of the meeting. 



The florists feel slighted in not being 

 invited to the meeting or receiving 

 some recognition, but from the fact 

 that a government official steered the 

 party and planned the meeting it was 

 evident that the florists were not want- 

 ed. The whole arrangement seems to 

 have been in charge of this oflScial. 

 This official. I am informed, character- 

 ized the Washington florists as asses 

 for their endeavor to stop the existing 

 abuses of free distribution by the gov- 

 ernment, in which case the Baltimore, 

 Philadelphia, Cleveland, St. Louis and 

 other clubs, for their endorsement of 

 our action, must be included. 



The florists would have been only too 

 glad to have postponed the banquet 

 held by them the week previous and 

 joined in to make the visitors doubly 

 welcome had it been possible, but un- 

 der the circumstances it was not per- 

 mitted. The florists were not invited 

 to the meeting, or to meet the gentle- 

 men, but were kept in the dark as to 

 the proceedings. I3ut on the eve of the 

 banquet they were approached and 

 asked to help defray the expenses. 

 While all were eager to show the visi- 

 tors the usual courtesies, they could 



not consistently do it in that way. The 

 menu cards gave the impression that 

 the banquet was given under the aus- 

 pices of the florists of Washington. 

 There were but five present, and four 

 of this flve are not in sympathy with 

 the movement against free distribution 

 by the government. These were Wm. 

 Gude, A. Gude, Wm. Clark, Benj. Dur- 

 fee and J. H. Small, Jr. Others pres- 

 ent were Hon. Jas. Wilson. Secretary 

 of Agriculture: Wm. R. Smith. Super- 

 intendent of Botanical Gardens; Col. 

 Ed. B. Hay, Rev. Dr. Thos. C. Easton, 

 Adam Graham, Wm. J. Stewart, J. G. 

 Esler, Elmer D. Smith, Geo. M. Kel- 

 logg, E. H. Cushman, W. W. Coles, E. 

 M. AVood, W. K. Harris and Robert 

 Kift. 



In justice to Mr. Gude I might add 

 that at the first of the agitation against 

 the free distribution of flowers by the 

 government he not only took an active 

 part, but signed his name to the pro- 

 test sent to the Secretary of War. The 

 florists cannot see how the S. A. F. 

 would be embarrassed by any action he 

 might take as an individual in sympa- 

 thizing, or even taking an active part 

 in our cause. We also think that the 

 florists should have been invited to 

 send a delegate to state their grievance 

 before the executive committee and let 

 them take such action as they deemed 

 proper. But with the official mentioned 

 in charge of arrangements such would 

 not have been proper from his 

 point of view, to let the so-styled asses 

 state their case. I trust the S. A. F. 

 was intended for the benefit of the 

 fiorists as a whole and not for a chosen 

 few. 



Trade Conditions. 



Business has improved very much, 

 potted stuff selling especially well. The 

 extreme warm weather has started the 

 people getting their gardens in shape 

 and many have already bedded out 

 plants that will succumb to the cool 

 nights before Jack Frost has left us. 



The large plate glass in the store 

 window of Mr. J. Louis Loose was 

 broken recently by an unruly horse 

 backing the vehicle it was attached to 

 into it. 



The prospect for Easter stuff is en- 

 couraging: every one seems to be well 

 stocked and only waiting for it to 

 come. Easter lilies will not be so scarce 

 this year as they were last and will be 

 of much better quality. W. H. K. 



BOSTON. 



Mass. Hort. Society. 



The spring exhibition of the Mass. 

 Hort. Society, held last week and ex- 

 tending over four days, was a decided 

 success. Among the many excellent 

 things shown may be mentioned the 

 beautifully grown cyclamens exhibit- 

 ed by Mr. Donald, gardener to J. S. 

 Bailey, and Mr. John Barr, gardener 

 to Mrs. Cheney. The competition be- 

 tween the two was very close. Mr. K. 

 Finlayson, gardener to Dr. C. G. Weld, 

 showed some extremely well grown 



specimens of Acacia Drummondii, A. 

 pubescens and A. cultriformis in fine 

 flower, also some well grown hya- 

 cinths, tulips and narcissus. 



A very interesting exhibit by Mr. 

 Cameron, superintendent of the Botan- 

 ical Gardens at Cambridge, included 

 Dendrobium nobile nobilius, and D. 

 Fitchianum. the latter rarely seen in 

 such good form. Mr. Thatcher, gar- 

 dener to John L. Gardner, made his 

 usual flne display of orchids, hya- 

 cinths, tulips, narcissi, etc., and his 

 collection of polyanthuses and prim- 

 roses was much admired. 



Warren Ewell, of Dorchester, was 

 again to the front with a large collec- 

 tion of finely grown bulbous plants, 

 and he was the winner of many prizes. 

 Mr. Peter P^isher, Ellis. Mass., exhibit- 

 ed his new carnation, Mrs. Thos. Law- 

 son, and was awarded the society's sil- 

 ver medal. Mr. Patten, of Tewkes- 

 bury, was also a successful exhibitor. 



The regular weekly lecture on Sat- 

 urday was by Mr. Henry Lincoln 

 Clapp, of the George Putnam School, 

 Boston, on "The Native Ferns of New 

 England." The lecture was illustrated 

 by stereopticon views, which made it 

 very interesting and instructive. At 

 the close a unanimous vote of thanks 

 was tendered the lecturer. 



Various Notes. 



Recent visitors: H. A. Siebreeht, 

 New York; Mr. Fotheringham, repre- 

 senting F. R. Pierson Co., Tarrytown, 

 N. Y.; A. Dimmock, representing San- 

 der & Co. 



We regret to have to report the se- 

 rious illness of Mr. Fred Becker, Cam- 

 bridge, with pneumonia. For a few 

 days his life was despaired of. but he 

 is reported to be now imprrvirg, and 

 hopes are entertained of his rfcvcry. 



C. H. J. 



A SUCCESSFUL WHOLESALE FIRM 

 IN BOSTON. 



It is about twenty years since Messrs. 

 Welch Bros., proprietors of the City 

 Hall Flower Market, Boston, began the 

 wholesale business, and they may now 

 be truthfully designated the pioneers 

 in the wholesale business in New Eng- 

 land. They have originated many im- 

 portant methods of simplifying the 

 handling of the immense quantities of 

 flowers that are shipped to them daily. 

 It is well known that they were the 

 flrst to introduce the grading of flowers 

 as to quality, and by this means they 

 not only gained better prices and gave 

 better satisfaction to the customer, but 

 were enabled to increase the returns 

 to their growers. The results of this 

 system were so satisfactory that it is 

 now almost a universal custom in the 

 trade. 



It is also stated that they were the 

 flrst to introduce the system of desig- 

 nating the consignments of each grow- 

 er by letters, thus enabling them to 

 trace the ownership readily and with- 

 out question of doubt. There has never 



