March 20, 1909 



HORTICULTURE 



409- 



BUFFALO PrTTSBURQ 



March 15 1 March 15 



Flower Market Reports. WHOLESALE FLOWER MARKETS.- 



The market remains about 

 BOSTON the same as last week; 

 little it' any fluctuations 

 as regards prices, White carnations 

 are more in abundance, with loses a 

 closo second. Many large orders have 

 already been received for Blaster and 

 It looks on the surface at the present 

 writing that the business of last year 

 would be more than doubled. 



The first part of the pre- 

 BUFFALO viuus week trade was 



rather quiet in the cut- 

 flower line though the balance of the 

 week, especially Saturday, louud a 

 livelier situation, stock being plenti- 

 ful, especially colored carnations. 

 White material was in much better de- 

 mand and cleaned up satisfactorily. 

 Violets were in fine form and sold 

 somewhat better than previous week. 

 Lily of the valley is still on the quiet 

 side, as well as tulips and other bulb- 

 ous stock. Callas have been in heavy 

 supply with little or no demand. Roses 

 are coming in a little more plentiful 

 and choice stuff sells readily. There 

 is a good supply of greens. 



The usual mid-Lent in- 

 CHICAGO crease in business was 



looked for and Chicago 

 florists, both wholesale and retail, 

 were not disappointed. What they did 

 not look for, however, was the drop- 

 ping off of stock. The almost total 

 lack of sunshine for weeks has greatly 

 reduced the supply of nearly every- 

 thing. There is a special dearth in 

 white carnations, more noticeable be- 

 cause upon them depends the possi- 

 bility of the green carnation for St. 

 Patrick's Day. While ma.ny retailers 

 declare the taste for this unnatural 

 flower is fast dying out the books of 

 the wholesalers find orders increasing. 

 Roses are not plentiful, though good 

 Beauties are not so hard to find as last 

 month, bridesmaids and Killaxneys 

 are close rivals, Killarney bringing a 

 slight advance in price. All bulbous 

 stoclf is going at fair prices and 

 throughout the season very little has 

 been lost Tco large shipments of 

 eastern violets have had a tendency to 

 keep prices lower than Chicago 

 gi-owers wish and the market con- 

 tinues to remain about the same. 

 Chas. McKellar finds sales on garde- 

 nias fairly good. Cattleya Schroederae 

 stock Is fine but the trade in general 

 seems to prefer a deeper color. On 

 the whole trade is unusually good for 

 the Lenten season. The sales of sham- 

 rock plan's are steadily increasing and 

 this season will show a great advance- 

 ment over last. 



The reports received 

 DETROIT from various retailers 



during the last week are 

 encouraging and the Lenten season so 

 far has been better than usual. Stock 

 is still at low ebb, especially carna- 

 tions, but the presence of a lai-ge 

 variety of bulbous flowers eliminates 

 this scarcity to a .?reat extent. 



There has been 

 INDIANAPOLIS no perceptible 



falling off of busi- 

 ness since the opening of the Lenten 

 season; the demand for all occasions 

 has averaged up encouragingly and has 

 been well distributed among the deal- 

 ers. Good Beauties are still scarce, 

 there being no surplus even with the 

 light demand. Tea roses are plentiful 



and sell at a very moderate price. Car- 

 nations are fine and cheap. Bulbous 

 stock is quoted at surprisingly low 

 figures and is being displayed in im- 

 mense quantities. Sweet peas and lily 

 of the valley, violets, daisies, are 

 moved daily in large numbers. The 

 best Easter lilies are sold to advant- 

 age. Cattleyas are scarce and have 

 advanced in price. Quantities of green 

 goods are being handled. 



A brisk demand 

 PHILADELPHIA for carnations was 



a leading feature 

 of last week's market. Whites especi- 

 ally were in demand and seemed to be 

 scarcer than usual. The scarcity is 

 not easily explained as these usually 

 bloom as freely as other varieties. 

 The demand is also obscure; but it • 

 may be partly explained by the un- 

 lovely custom of dyeing them green for 

 St. Patrick's. Roses, also, sold a little 

 better and, as for quality, the Killar- 

 neys and Richmonds and Jardines 

 that are now coming in are simply 

 magnificent. As expected. American 

 Beauty has commenced to produce 

 again more freely and is now coming 

 in abundantly, the quality of the long- 

 stem specials being exceptionally fine 

 for the season. Southern daffodils 

 have made their advent in quantity. 

 The large flowered varieties meet with 

 ready sale, but there is very little de- 

 mand for the small kinds. Tulips are 

 now pretty well cut out, and those 

 coming on are mostly for the Easter 

 market. First-class tulips sold well 

 this year, and it is to be hoped that 

 growers will hold to the same conser- 

 vative planting policy another year. 

 It is the easiest thing in the world to 

 overdo the tulip market. More than 

 ever the shamrock has been featured 



by the retailers for St. Patrick's week 

 this year. There is perhaps not much 

 money in them but they are cheap, and 

 a windowful of them tastefully be- 

 ribboned is a pleasing and popular 

 sight tor the passing throng. The de- 

 partment stores gave little pots ol 

 these by the hundred thousand free to 

 their customers, which is bad in one 

 way and good in another. One thing 

 is sure: more shamrocks are being sold 

 every year; so that the giving free in 

 past years has evidently helped this 

 trade rather than hurt It, when all is 

 said and done. There are too many 

 violets around for the demand. Lily 

 of the valley is also a trifle too plenti- 

 ful. Cattleyas have taken on another 

 spurt of blooming and prices are eas- 

 ier. Easter lilies are selling better 

 than callas now— a reversal of recent 

 conditions. There is any amount of 

 mignonette, freesia, lilac, and such 

 minor items to be had on moderate 

 terms. The usual Saturday clean-up 

 to the street men failed on account of 

 the activity of Old Boreas and Jupiter 

 Pluvius. 



Now that Washing- 

 WASHINGTON ton has pulled it- 

 self together a little 

 after the dreadful recent storm, trade 

 has improved and prices have not had 

 their usual Lenten tumble, though 

 this may be partly due to the fact that 

 owing to such continued cloudy 

 weather there is not an overplus 

 of stock. Pennsylvania is shipping 

 flowers here, particularly California 

 violets, at such a ridiculously low 

 figure that local growers cannot begin, 

 to compete with them. There has 

 been an immense run on jonquils and 

 narcissi lately for cheap luncheon 

 decorations. 



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market 



Gardening c 



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Shipping weight 12 lbs. I)escription on request. 

 BOSTROK-BRAOV MF6. CO., 139 Madison Avenue.. ATLANTA, BA. 



