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The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



APRIL 14, 1898. 



Lilies, botli Harrisiis and longiflor- 

 ums, were plentiful, but there seemed 

 to be extra demand for church decora- 

 tion and the many other useful pur- 

 poses tor which these decorative plants 

 can be used at this season. A quantity 

 sold showed the ravages of disease, 

 to which this stock has been subject 

 the last few years. 



Notes. 



The several proprietors of the lead- 

 ing retail stores vied with each other 

 in making grand and attractive dis- 

 plays in their show windows, and the 

 streets for many yards on each side 

 of their stores were resplendent with 

 floral beauty. The weather from about 

 the middle of the week was all that 

 could be desired, although the early 

 part of the week made many look 

 doubtful and glum, for Tuesday and 

 Wednesday were very unfavorable 

 days for distributing plants, grown 

 under tropical temperature. However, 

 the clearing weather brought a boom 

 with it and successful results emanate 

 on all sides. 



Among the visitors to the Hub may 

 be noted Mr. J. D. Thompson and 

 James Hartshorne. of Joliet. 111., look- 

 ing for stock to fill a new range of 

 ten large greenhouses over 200 feet 

 long, now under course of erection at 

 Chicago. C. H. J. 



NEW YORK. 



Among the Wholesalers. 

 Disappointment and disappointing 

 was business from the standpoint of 

 all the craft, and, as one remarked to 

 me, Easter must now be relegated with 

 New Year's, from a trade standpoint. 

 The word "rush" did not enter into 

 the market from the time the doors 

 opened Monday morning till they 

 closed Saturday night. It is all over 

 now but the kicking, which will un- 

 doubtedly come from the grower, who 

 has himself killed the goose with the 

 golden eggs. As usual, there was a 

 perfect famine in flowers Thursday and 

 Friday, wholesalers running hither 

 and thither to find stock, and none to 

 be had, when good prices might have 

 been realized, and then on Saturday all 

 the flowers of Flowerdom dumped on 

 the market, artificially high prices on 

 the start, then a general slump ijtid 

 riinniug to cover, with stock leit on 

 hand. Truly, the competition of flow- 

 ers versus plants has been royal, but 

 plants have come out a long way win- 

 ner; it was essentially a plant Easter. 

 The fact remains that while the re- 

 tailer and plant grower prospered, the 

 wholesale man and cut flower grower 

 got left. There is a moral to all this; 

 it is too apparent, however, to have to 

 give any explanation; it is a bald and 

 convincing fact. 



Easter Prices. 



While the following prices are the 

 highest obtained for some stock, it 

 must be understood that the average 

 was much lower, and I must refer you 

 to the New York market for same, as 



prices broke considerably after the day 

 opened: 



Beauties, of which there was an ab- 

 normal glut, the quantity being un- 

 precedented, started at 75 cents for 

 the finest long stemmed, but soon 

 dropped to .50 cents and lower, with 

 large quantities unsold. Maids there 

 were in plenty; Brides, somewhat less, 

 realized for select stock and extra 

 graded $12 to $15 per 100, the general 

 run being from $30 to $60 per 1,000. 

 Meteors and all red roses dragged 

 slowly, the Jack taking the place of 

 the Meteor, being superior in color, 

 size and perfume. The price was low, 

 however, considering the stock, $4 per 

 dozen for the top grade and as low as 

 $10 per 100 for inferior. 



There were a few Brunners sold for 

 GO cents, but the majority of good flow- 

 ers realized but $0 per dozen; short 

 stemmed, as low as $10 per 100. Very 

 few Testouts came into the market, 

 and $10 was the top price. Morgans 

 and Cusins sold slowly at $6 per 100, 

 while for Perles there was scarcely 

 any demand. 



Carnations, which came in larger 

 quantities than expected, were pretty 

 generally cleaned up, ordinary kinds, 

 like Scott. Daybreak and McGowan 

 reaching top price at $5 per 100. run- 

 ning down to $2.50 for inferior stock, 

 while fancy varieties sold from $6 to 

 $8 per 100. 



Valley was a glut at the start, but 

 cleaned up pretty good; $3 was gotten 

 for some "extra select," while large 

 quantities were sold for $2 per 100. 

 Harrisii and longiflorums were in fair 

 demand, with unexpected heavy ship- 

 ments; they realized $6 to $10 per 100, 

 with quite a lot of inferior quality left 

 over from handling. There was no 

 demand for bulb stuff outside of val- 

 ley and Harrisii. and the bulk of tu- 

 lips, narcissus and hyacinths is to- 

 day laying in the ice boxes, unsold. 



Purple lilac and mignonette went 

 slowly and adiantum far exceeded the 

 demand. Violets were erratic, a few 

 fine ones selling for $1 per 100, but the 

 bulk went for $3 to $7.50 per 1.000. 



Later reports prove that there was a 

 tremendous lot of stuff left over unsold 

 by Monday morning and this most of 

 the finest and most expensive flowers 

 in the market, as American Beauties, 

 etc. 



Among the Retailers. 



From the retailers' point of view, 

 trade for Easter was very satisfactory. 

 It was essentially a plant Easter of 

 large proportions, with a lot of ribbon, 

 crepe paper, and baskets thrown in. 

 Many opened extra stores, branches 

 and annexes, for the quantity of plants 

 handled was prodigious, and stores 

 were filled with them from cellar to 

 ceiling. 



Our illustrations will give a fair idea 

 of the novelties handled and the wav 

 of dressing plants in this the Greater 

 New York. The varieties of plants 

 handled were much larger than in for- 

 mer years, and the Boronia elatior, a 

 bushy plant, with aromatic foliage and 

 pretty, deep pink flowers, somewhat 



resembling in shape lily of the valley, 

 was very novel and attractive. Then 

 there were heaths, epacris, gardenias, 

 rhododendrons, genistas, azaleas, lilies 

 and, last, but not least, the rose Crim- 

 son Rambler, an excellent decorative 

 plant and a quick seller, besides lots 

 of miscellaneous bulbous plants, etc., 

 etc. I noted in one store also the 

 variegated foliaged Lilium longiflorum 

 eximium, rather odd. though apparent- 

 ly a very dwarf grower. 



The florists pushed plants where and 

 whenever they could, and this is why 

 cut flowers suffered. They had bought 

 their plants, and these had to be sold; 

 if their customers demanded (this is a 

 strong word, but it fits the case), why. 

 they sent out their buyer or telephoned 

 for stock. One of the largest florists in 

 the city did not place any order for 

 flowers at all; he just rested on his 

 oars, so to speak, because there was 

 stock in plenty, and he knew he could 

 get it. He knew he had plants to sell — 

 in fact, plants to burn. 



Easter has come and gone, and it is 

 a long wait to Christmas, and the re- 

 tailer will have a chance to rest from 

 his labors, although I presume there 

 will be lots of weddings and societ.v 

 functions in the near future, unless, 

 perhaps, war is declared next week. 



Club Meeting. 



At the regular meeting of the New 

 York Florists' Club the smallest at- 

 tendance was present since the new re- 

 gime. This can be accounted for by 

 Easter just passed and the members 

 taking a well earned rest after their 

 arduous labors and incidentally to 

 count the shekels gathered in during 

 the rush. 



President Plumb was in the chair, 

 and after the usual preliminary pro- 

 ceedings, nine members were unani- 

 mously elected and the following gen- 

 tlemen nominated: W. C. Vanhornt, 

 of the Vanhorne, Griffen Co., New 

 York City; L. C. Bobbink, Rutherford, 

 N. J.; G. Kettel. Seabright, N. J. The 

 standing committee on exhibits made 

 their report. 



The Exhibit. 



W. A. Manda, Orange, N. J., staged 

 a new seedling. Begonia Hex, very dis- 

 tinct and without any zone, color dark 

 green with silver blotches and mark- 

 ings; awarded a certificate of merit. 

 Also Cobea scandens variegata and a 

 hybrid foliage. Anthurium crystalinum 

 by magnificum. 



Mr. J. Carroll, Hemstead, L. I., 

 showed a new violet, a cross between 

 Marie Louise and Swanley White, of 

 a very delicate lavender color. 



Mr. J. N. May then introduced the 

 lecturer of the evening, Mr. G. C. 

 Watson, of Philadelphia, who gave a 

 very interesting talk on "The Florist 

 and the Flower Show," which appears 

 elsewhere in this issue. 



Mr. Watson brought out some excel- 

 lent points and a general discussion, 

 in which the advantages of Boston and 

 Philadelphia as flower show cities were 

 compared with New York. 



An invitation from the New York 



