188 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



Decejiuke 25. I'.WJ. 



quotation? sent out by our wholesalers, 

 they will be as liii;li as last Cliristmas. 



Various Items. 



The advance on the expressage on 

 flowers has caused the Pittsburg Cut 

 Flower Co., to use a sticker on their cut 

 ilower shijmients, by which the consignee 

 is informed of the time and date on 

 which the shipment was delivered to the 

 express company. Mr. Clarke, of the 

 Cut Flower Co., thinks this will hold 

 the express company more liable on de- 

 layed shipments and will also have a 

 good effect on the express companies' 

 dilatory employes. 



Breitenstein & Flemra are displaying 

 a very original window decoration of 

 yule logs, decorated with white pine 

 sprays, and tied with red libbon. At 

 night they light up their windows with 

 large red candles placed around promis- 

 cuously. The effect is beautiful. 



H. L. Blind & Bro. and John Bader, 

 report business in blooming plants very 

 active and they expect to sell out cleaii. 



5Irs. .Taeob Flicker, of Homestead, has 

 a new delivery wagon. 



G. L. Huscroft, of Steubcnville, Ohio. 

 who has been ill. is now able to be at 

 his place of business. 



Visitors: Messrs. Walker & McLean, 

 of Youngstown. Ohio: J. W. Glenn, of 

 Kittanning, and W. M. Steel, of Union- 

 town. Pa. 



Death of Benjamin A. Elliott. 



Benjamin A. Elliott, one of our pio- 

 neer florists and nurserymen, died at his 

 home in Allegheny, from heart trouble, 

 at 7 o'clock Friday evening. Mr. El- 

 liott had been a florist all his life, his 

 father having been in the same business 

 nearly a century ago. in old Birming- 

 ham. In 18.i4 the deceased opened a 

 store on Market street. Pittsburg, which 

 he conducted for many years. Later he 

 moved to Sixth street, where he con- 

 tinued the business until about five years 

 ago, when lie retired. He was 68 years 

 old. and is survived by his wife and ten 

 children. Four of his sons arc still in 

 the business. J. Wilkinson Elliott. B. L. 

 Elliott, George R. Elliott and W. J. El- 

 liott. 



^Ir. Elliott deserves much credit from 

 the craft, as he was the originator of 

 flower shows in this city, and held a 

 number of the best at his own expense. 

 He Ijelieved that to seou-e his customers 

 he had to educate them, and so did much 

 to create a love for flowers. He was 

 also one of the first to make a specialty 

 of hardy hcr1)aceous plants. This line 

 he took up with great enthusiasm. 



HooHoo. 



aNONNATL 



The Market. 



Tlic rusli is just licginning. and judg- 

 ing from it this Christmas will surely 

 be a record breaker. Carnations are ar- 

 riving in much larger quantities than 

 was at first anticipated, and roses are 

 just about equal to the demand. The 

 shipping trade seems to be larger than 

 last year. 



Business during tlie past week was 

 fine and of such a volume that the whole- 

 sale houses were well cleaned out every 

 day. Prices were held right up to quo- 

 tations. The proportion of seconds and 

 thirds, to first and selects, was verv 

 large, but sreat quantities of funer.il 

 work, distributed among the various 



stores, used up this surplus to very good 

 advantage. Short-stemmed Golden Gate 

 was a leader in this respect, and sold 

 quickly. 



The supply of all grades of roses was 

 equal to the demand, with perhaps the 

 exception of selects, which, during the 

 latter portion of the week were scarce. 

 They were undoubtedly being subjected 

 to that "salting'' process, from which 

 the grower seems to be unable to break. 

 A good many "salted" roses have al-' 

 ready made their appearance on the mar- 

 ket, and many of them met the fate 

 which they really deserved. Of course, 

 in order to meet the increased demand 

 on a holiday, one is obliged to hold back 

 slock to a certain extent; but how many 

 growers are there, who, year after year, 

 overreach that '"certain extent" and are 

 thereby the losers. ''Pickled " stock 

 never has. or never will, give satisfac- 

 tion, and a large consignment of this 

 class of slock coming into a wholesale 

 house, adds but another cross to the 

 already heavy bvirden which the com- 

 mission man is obliged to carry at this 

 season of the year. 



Christmas prices are now in effect and 

 are being well sustained all along the 

 line. 



Notes. 



Henry Behrens, of Middletown, 0., was 

 a caller during the past week. He re- 

 ports having built two modern green- 

 houses, which arc now producing some 

 fine stock. 



Wm. F. HofTmeister, aged 76 years, 

 died on Tuesday. December 16th, and was 

 buried at Spring Grove Cemetery on 

 the 19th. His sons and (laughters have 

 for many years been conducting the busi- 

 ness of the HofTmeister Floral Co.. one 

 of the most reliable firms in the city. 

 They have the sympathy of their many 

 friends. 



Visitors were E. G. Hill. Ttichmond. 

 Ind.. ami Thos. J. Wade, with Aug. Bho 

 tcrt. Xew York. C. J. Oiimf.r. 



Seed Trade News. 



A WKi.r.-KXowx Chicago seedsman is 

 said to have recently disposed of 300 

 lbs. of pickle seed for .$600.00 cash. 



OxK Philadelphia seed house received 

 7 lbs. of White Spine cucumber as its 

 quota on its contract for 500 lbs. with 

 a Nebraska grower. ' 



S. F. Leoxabi). of Chicago, was a re- 

 cent visitor in New York and Philadel- 

 phia, participating in the meeting of 

 the Seedsmen's League in New York. 



In cleaning u|) the radish seed crop 

 growers near Pliiladclphia find much 

 less seed than anticipated. Nearly all 

 contracts will be short on this item. 



Growers of field corn state they are 

 experiencing an unusual demand at vei-y 

 satisfactory prices. Several growers re- 

 fuse to take less than .$1.00 per bushel. 



^Ie.ssrs. Moore & Simon% of Philadel- 

 phia, have been mailing their 190.3 

 "seed buyers' guide" to the southern 

 and southwestern states the past week. 

 Their trade in these sections is quite 

 extensive and constantly growing. 



New York. — William Hagemann has 

 admitted Ralph M. Ward to an interest 

 in the business and the firm will be 



known as Wm. Hagemann & Co., at 55 

 Dey St. It is stated that the new firm 

 will take care of the accounts of the late 

 firm of Hagemann & Jleyer. 



Referring to Government seeds Mr. 

 A. T. Cook, Hyde Park, N. Y., writes: 

 "The officers of the government, seeming- 

 ly without the fear of God or love of 

 man in their hearts, are striving to 

 starve all seedsmen out by giving more 

 and still more seeds to our customers. 

 Why we alone should thus be singled out 

 to be ruined, after we have spent years 

 of time and much money to build up 

 a business, surpasseth all understand- 

 ing." 



Tree Seeds. — D. S. Grimes & Son. 

 Denver, Col., report that the crop of 

 conifer seed in Colorado has this year 

 proved to be almost a total failure. 'I'ne 

 drought caused the seeds to shrivel in 

 the cone, tliere not being moisture enough 

 to make them fill. There is no crop at 

 all of Abies Douglasii, Abies concolor. 

 Pinus ponderosa and grandis, and only 

 a small crop of other varieties. Piee,^ 

 pungens is about half a crop. Colorado 

 produces the bluest type of Pieea ]iun- 

 gens. It is the home of this picea, which 

 is strictly a Colorado tree. Colorado 

 Abies Douglasii is much bluer and a 

 more shapely tree than the California or 

 Oregon variety and will stand the most 

 severe climate. The seed is in great de- 

 mand in Germany and Denmark. The 

 prospect for next year's crop is very 

 good. There is more snow in the moun- 

 tains now than there was all last win- 

 ter, so we are sure of plent}' of moisture 

 for next year. 



Ati^>t.\, G.\. — Mark W. Johnson 

 siiys: "Perhaps it may not be amiss to 

 give you an item or so from the Empire 

 State' of the South in connection with 

 the growing of seeds. Vast quantities 

 of standard leading seeds are grown in 

 (icorgia and shipped to all parts of the 

 country. The Georgia watermelon i- 

 famous all over the United States. The 

 Rattlesnake, Jones. Bradford. Pride of 

 Georgia, Siigarloaf and others origin- 

 ated here, and the Georgia grown seeds 

 are sought after from every quarter. 

 The Georgia melon, like the Georgia 

 peaches, are finer flavored than any 

 other. Among other seeds largely grown 

 here for the wholesale trade are okra. 

 ciuled mustard, seven-lop turnip and 

 Georgia collard. The latter only makes 

 an abundance of leaves here, resembling 

 a cabbage, which when visited with the 

 frosts of winter become rich and mar- 

 rowy; but if you plant this collard in 

 the cold northern and western states it 

 is dwarfeil by the change of climate and 

 forms a hard white cabbage head. 

 Some field seeds are also grown largely 

 here, such as Chufas, Cattail or Pearl 

 millet. .Johnson grass, burr clover. 

 y:ims. cow peas and cotton seeds. Our 

 cotton seeds are now sought after by 

 all cotton growing countries. Russia 

 lias been ordering some for her ex]>eri- 

 ment stations. The cow or field pea is 

 the red clover for the south, as it is a 

 great soil improver. The peas, which 

 are more like a bean, are excellent for 

 table use." 



Y'ou will find all the best plant offers 

 all the time in the Review's classified 

 advs. 



When you want to buy any stock our 

 classified advs. will save you time and 

 monev. 



