APRIL U. 1S98. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



807 



Mr. Geo. M. Stumpp, New York, among his Easter Plants. 



brid roses, hyacinths, hydrangeas, and 

 extra fine cinerarias. He thinlvs that 

 hyljrid roses in pots are a coming 

 plant for Easter sales, as they seem to 

 catch the popular fancy and sell at 

 good prices. Tulips did not seem to 

 sell with him, and he will not carry 

 any another year. Hyacinths went 

 well. His last year's experience made 

 him cautious about preparing many 

 expensive plant arrangements and his 

 sales were almost entirely of those of 

 moderate price, ranging generally 

 from $3 to $5. 



P. .1. Hnuswirth's Easter trade was 

 fully equal to that of last year. He 

 also noted an increasing call for 

 plants, but the down-town stores find 

 it difficult to provide the necessary 

 space for handling. A new feature at 

 his store is the utilization of what 

 might be called an upper story show 

 window. It wouldn't be noticed much 

 from the sidewalk, but is sure to catch 

 the eyes of passengers on the elevated 

 road which passes in front. 



H. F. Halle found Easter business 

 fully as good, if not better, than last 

 year. The supply was ample and no 

 pickled stock was in evidence. Plant 

 sales were large, lilies leading, as us- 

 ual. The larger sizes seemed in best 

 demand, such iis sold at $1.50 each, 

 and none sold at less than $1. Azaleas 

 went well, especially the larger sizes. 

 In hyacinths and tulips, the light col- 

 ors sold best, and those in pans far 

 outsold individual plants in pots. Daf- 

 fodils did not sell well and he had a 

 surplus. Call for palms was light, all 

 seeming to desire plants in bloom. The 



addition of crepe paper materially 

 helped the sale of plants. 



A quantity of left-over spiraeas was 

 noted at several p. aces, and the opin- 

 ion was unanimous that it was useless 

 to attempt to make the spiraea an 

 Easter plant. Buyers do not want it, 

 and the growers had better save their 

 effort and expense in growing it. 



The unfavorable weather undoubt- 

 edly lost the retailers consideralde 

 transient trade, and had the weather 

 been more favorable, sales would have 

 been I otice^bly laiger. 



The Wholesalers. 



All the wholesalers report an excel- 

 lent Easter trade, from equal to last 

 year to one-third larger. The supply 

 was very good, under the circum- 

 stances, and everything salable seems 

 to have been cleaned up except some 

 lots of violets and adiantums. Some 

 of the houses had quite large batches 

 of these left over. The small demand 

 for adiantums was a surprise, as was 

 also an apparent falling off in the call 

 for asparagus. Sniilax went well. 



Bassett & Washburn report the larg- 

 est business in the history of the firm, 

 as does also Kennicott Bros. Co., and 

 demand has held up well since Easter. 

 Reports were also obtained from E. H. 

 Hunt. Vaughan, McKellar & Winter- 

 son. Reinberg Bros., W. E. Lynch, S. 

 B. Winter. E. C. Amiing, Rogers Park 

 Floral Co.. A. G. Prince & Co., and A. 

 L. Randall, and one was a repetition 

 of the other — good sales all around; 

 wish Easter came oftener. 



■Various Items. 



The McCormick greenhouses at Lake 

 Forest have been toi-n down, and thus 

 passes away an old landmark in the 

 cut flower growing industry in the 

 vicinity of Chicago. Fifteen years ago 

 these greenhouses sent to the Chicago 

 market about all the "fancy" roses the 

 city could boast, "fancies" at that time 

 including such varieties as Mermet, 

 Perle and Niphetos. They were the 

 first large three-quarter span forcing 

 houses erected around Chicago, and 

 the establishment was considered to 

 be of enormous extent at the time, 

 though the range of glass was a small 

 one compared with many of today. 



Mr. W. A. Kennedy, who rented the 

 McCormick houses the last few years, 

 has removed to Milwaukee, and has 

 rented the Deuster greenhouses there. 



Mr. John Cook, formerly with W. N. 

 Rndd. at Mt. Greenwood, has rented 

 the Saxon greenhouses at Downer's 

 Grove. 



The quarterly meeting of the Horti- 

 cultural Society of Chicago was held 

 last. Saturday afternoon at the Sher- 

 man House, but there being no quo- 

 rum, the meeting adjourned, subject 

 to the call of the president. No use 

 depending upon florists to attend a 

 meeting on the day before Easter. 



This Thursday evehing (April 14) 

 will be "Private Gardeners' Night" at 

 the Florists' Club. 



E. H. Hunt is improving, but is still 

 unable to attend to business. O. W. 

 Frese is also on the sick list. 



W. Warnaar. representing Van 

 Heemstra & Co., Sassenheim, Holland, 

 was a recent visitor. 



T. J. Corbrey has returned from 

 California, and may resume business 

 here. 



ST. LOUIS. 



The Easter Trade. 



Easter trade in St. Louis was fully 

 up to the expectations of all the flor- 

 ists and the weather was most favor- 

 able to the flower buyers. Flowers 

 were not over-plentiful — that is, no 

 glut. The commission men sold out 

 clean and at top prices, claiming they 

 could have sold more if stock could 

 have been had. The bulk of the or- 

 ders came in at the last moment and 

 compelled the majority of the florists 

 to work half the night, and some all 

 night, in order to get them in shape 

 for delivery early Sunday morning. 



Harrisii plants were not plentiful, 

 the supply being short of demand. 

 Pots having from 3 to 4 blooms 

 brought $1. and from 5 to 8 flowers, $2. 

 Azaleas were in good demand, bring- 

 ing from $1.50 to $3. Hydrangeas and 

 caHas sold well at from $1 to $2 each. 

 The report is that this Easter more 

 plants were sold than ever before. 



Good, first-class roses were scarce 

 and sold all the way from $8 to $10 per 

 100; seconds. $6 to $8. Carnations 

 were in good supply and plenty of 

 them to be had. only the white being a 

 little scarce. The poorer grades 



