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The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



205 



EUROPEAN NOTES, 



A while ago I read an article in one of 

 the Iloiist papers where some one was 

 calling it a nuisance to send flowers to 

 friends leaving on an ocean steamer. Any- 

 one enjoying a trip on the ocean will re- 

 member wliat a pleasure it is to receive 

 Howers on the steamer and how much 

 more those llowers are appreciated than 

 any presented on laud; and not only for 

 those who are receiving the flowers is 

 it a pleasure, but for every passenger 

 on board, and the more the better. They 

 are no mure in the way than in any draw- 

 ing room or dining room, as large bou- 

 quets or Moral pieces are very seldom 

 kept in staterooms. 



When on board the Augusta Victoria 

 last spring, many pretty flowers arranged 

 by New York florists in all difTerent 

 styles, decorated our dining room tables, 

 library and drawing room for a whole 

 week, and it depends a good deal on the 

 flowers to keep people, especially the 

 ladies, in good humor. They are always 

 glad to decorate themselves with a pretty 

 rose or carnation every day. Of course, 

 horseshoes, horns of plenty and all flow- 

 ers worked on toothpicks, do not keep 

 so long and are not so useful. 



I imagine that steamer-work, especially 

 for a New York florist, means nearly as 

 much as balls and receptions in winter. 

 What was enjoyed most is that some of 

 the best grade of Beauties looked pretty 

 fair at the arrival in Hamburg, and I 

 must say f enjoyed them mj'self. I have 

 not seen a Beauty since, Ijecause there 

 are none heie. JIany floi'ists have asked 

 me about the American Beauty. Some 

 knew something about it, but none 

 favored it. One said, it is just a common 

 rose; the other, it is a little darker than 

 Paul Neyron, and so forth. But what 

 would our American florists do without 

 an American Beauty? There are ever so 

 many Americans traveling through Ger- 

 many and they nearly all ask for Beau- 

 ties. 



While I am now regaining my health, 

 at first 1 was not well enough to run 

 around nuicli and talk about flowers and 

 business. In Hamburg I visited the store 

 of Leyderhelm Bros., near the Jungfern- 

 stieg. Leyderhelm Bros, do not raise any 

 flowers at all, but buy all flowers from 

 specialists. I saw some beautiful cattleyas 

 and lielias and so far the finest carna- 

 tions, but none that will compare with 

 ours: also some very fine centaureas and 

 verj' good Jfalmaison. Kaiserin and Tes- 

 lout roses. This is about the largest re- 

 tail store in Hamburg. Miss Leyderhelm. 

 a si.ster to the Messrs. Leyderhelm, is in 

 charge and has about twelve young lady 

 assistants, all arranging flowers in the 

 most tasteful way. 



For the first time in years, I saw field 

 flowers coming in and being worked into 

 bouquets — such flowers as wild poppies, 

 wild centaureas (so-calle*l cornflowers) 

 mixed witli wlieat and all kinds of pretty 

 grasses. 



From there I went to Mr. Herman 

 Leyderhelm's, Hohenfelde, another 

 brother, who owns a fine place and raises 

 almost everything, especially good lilacs, 

 and sells them at wholesale and retail. 

 This gentleman was so kind as to guide 

 me through several large nurseries. First 

 we went to Mr. L. Gernet, who also raises 

 almost everything and who spoke very 

 highly of the Cattleya Triante. I saw 

 some e.xcellent blossoms of this variety, 

 but the season for them was almost over. 



Next we went to Mr. W. Runde's, 

 where I found an especially large healthy 

 stock of arancarias and palms; also some 



good orchids. From there we went to call 

 on Mr. Ludwig Roch, a specialist in small 

 ferns, who was very busy packing and 

 shipping. 



Next we visited the place of Mr. C. 

 Stoldt, also located in Wandsbek, near 

 Hamburg. All the places I visited before 

 were in pretty good shape, but here I 

 went through with the greatest pleasure. 

 The place was especially clean and every- 

 thing in the very finest condition. Mr. 

 Stoldt is a specialist in orchids, but still 

 more so in cyclamen. In orchids the win- 

 ter bloomers had about finished blooming, 

 but I still saw some of the older well- 

 known varieties, as Laelias aneeps and 

 purpurata and Cypripediums caudatum 

 and Lawrenceanum. What I had not seen 

 in bloom before was the new shaded Cat- 

 tleya Mattutina. It has a beautiful pur- 

 ple color and shades contrary to the 

 others, being lighter in the middle. Ly- 

 caste Skinneri and alba and Odontoglos- 

 sum vexillarium. 



Mr. Stoldt was very busy packing his 

 cyclamen seed for shipping. He spoke 

 about cyclamen and how he made his first 

 cross between C. splendens and C. persi- 

 cum in 1877, and how he succeeded in 

 continually improving the result of this 

 cross. Cyclamen splendens fimbriatum is 

 the newest variety. It is edged white with 

 red eye; leaves red and fringed like a 

 cockscomb. I was told that Mr. Stoldt 

 is the largest dealer in cyclamen and cy- 

 clamen seed and is well known for his 

 fine selection of orchids. 



Next we visited Mr. E. Neubert, where 

 I was introduced to Jlr. Waldemar Neu- 

 bert, the present proprietor. It was on a 

 Saturday afternoon when we entered the 

 large packing house, and about forty 

 women came in to put away their garden 

 tools and receive their week's pay. Each 

 one was given a bunch of finest valley. 

 When I asked Mr. Neubert about his 

 generosity to the working women, he 

 said: "On Sundays when the working 

 class of people with their families come 

 out to Wandsbek, they generally pay my 

 valley fields a visit and tramp every- 

 thing down. For this reason some of the 

 hired women have to pick the flowers 

 on Saturdays and make them into 

 bunches for every one of the employes, 

 so they may cnjov them on their Sunday 

 table." 



As the fields were so large. Mr. Neu- 

 bert drove us through in his carriage, but 

 we could not see all, as there are two 

 million square feet to look at, and still 

 Mr. Neubert says he has not enough. 

 After we came in from the fields I was 

 shown tlic large stock of azaleas, and 

 went to the section of his elegant green- 

 houses containing an immense stock of 

 all difi'erent palms, and so far the finest 

 collection of ferns in Germany. 



Besides Mr. Neubert, who I was told 

 has the largest quantity of valley, many 

 are cultivated near Hamburg. For this 

 reason they cost almost nothing in the 

 blooming season and the local florists can- 

 not make much on them. I saw a beau- 

 tifully arranged wreath, containing at 

 least 500 vallev, in a window, for ten 

 marks ($2.50).' What would that cost 

 with us? Isn't it possible to raise valley 

 pips in America ? Still in the winter the 

 local florists must pay well too for first 

 grade pips, because so many go to for- 

 eign countries, especiallv to the United 

 States. 



From IIand>urg I went to Leipzig, 

 where I was received and entertained 

 for a few days by Mi-, and Mrs. Albert 

 Wagner. Mr. Wagner is a well-known 

 wholesale florist in Germanv. Formerlv he 



traveled through foreign countries to col- 

 lect rare plants. Besides his large range 

 of greenhouses for ferns and palms, es- 

 pecially decorative plants, I found a fine 

 collection of all kinds of shrubbery and 

 conifers, among them some beautiful 

 specimens of Abies balsamea and Abies 

 Nordmanniana; also some Picea pungens 

 and Picea pungens glauca, and a Japan 

 conifer, Sciadopitys verticillata. Mr. and 

 Mrs. Wagner were very kind and hos- 

 pitable, and Mr. Wagner offered to guide 

 nie through other large nurseries around 

 Leipzig, but I was on my way to Kis- 

 singen. 



In Kissingen I lived very quietly on 

 account of my health, still it was impos- 

 sible to drop every interest in business. I 

 paid the stands at the market a visit 

 every morning. Some pretty shaded pop- 

 pies and some fine gaillardias attracted 

 my attention. Long stemmed roses were 

 always scarce. The florists here do not 

 favor the pink La France any more. It 

 always has a faded color and will not sell. 

 Belle Siebrecht is well recommended 

 everywhere. I made the acquaintance of 

 Oberhofgartner Linger, father-in-law of 

 Peter Lambert in Trier. Mr. Linger said 

 it was hard at first to cultivate Belle 

 Siebrecht, but now it is the finest 

 grower here. Besides Belle Siebrecht, 

 Maman Cochct and the white Cochet are 

 doing finely in Kssingen. It is believed 

 that the new Hybrid Tea rose, Oberhof- 

 gartner Linger, raised by Peter Lambert, 

 Trier, will be a fine rose for the American 

 market. 



I was entertained by Mi', and Mrs. 

 Linger at their beautiful place in Kis- 

 singen. Mr. Linger is an elderly gentle- 

 man and has retired from business, 

 which is in the hands of his son now, 

 Mr. Linger, Jr. Mr. Linger, Sr., guided 

 me through his difTerent nurseries here. 

 Besides his retail business, he has a 

 good trade in shipping rose bushes, fruit 

 trees and shrubbery. So far I have not 

 seen anything new. Whatever I found 

 is familiar to me in the American mar- 

 ket. Mrs. C. Eiokholt. 



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FLORISTS' 

 REVIEW. 



