JANUARY 8, 1903. 



The Weekly Florists* Review. 



259 



single week, the great liolidaj-s alone 

 excepted. There were several elaborate 

 weddings, numerous receptions, lunches 

 and other social entertainment.s. and two 

 or three large funerals at which the 

 floral offerings were numerous and hand- 

 some. A new practice prevailing here — 

 it may be provincial — which is not un- 

 likely to have some influence on the 

 beautiful and appropriate, even if some- 

 times overdone, custom of sending flow- 

 ers as tributes of respect and admira- 

 tion for the dead, is the publishing in 

 the daily papers of the names of 

 the contributors and descriptions of 

 the flowers. This is a new de- 

 parture in this section. The day 

 ol "designs" for funeral occasions seems 

 to have departed. The gates ajar and 

 flying doves have practically been wholly 

 superseded by wreaths of rose bunches, 

 and the stifT creations, save occasionally 

 a cross, are seldom seen where a higher 

 taste prevails. 



We have had variable weather for the 

 past week — not cold, but cloudy and raw 

 ■ — with a tremendous rain Frida}'. To- 

 day, January 5, is threatening and dull. 

 The fuel problem continues unsolved and 

 many florists have limited supplies and 

 are living from hand to mouth after 

 a very disagreeable and perplexing fash- 

 ion. 



The demand for finer qualities of 

 roses is considerably in excess of the 

 supply, and white and red carnations 

 continue scarce. 



Frederick C. Bauer, of Govanstown, 

 met with a severe accident, being thrown 

 from his wagon, which was upset and 

 destroyed oy contact with a frog in the 

 railway track, his horse also being in- 

 jured, though not severely. 



Messrs. Madsen and Anderson, also of 

 Govanstown, and neighboring but not 

 rival growers, continue to send in fine 

 American Beauties of excellent color and 

 healthy foliage. In this class they are 

 the leaders here. R. 



PITTSBURG. 



The Market. 



The florists have enjoyed a very busy 

 week. Tlie demand for flowers for New 

 Year's was very good, in fact I believe 

 better than for many a year. Large 

 quantities of carnations arrived last 

 week, and the market was in a peculiar 

 condition; only the best, large, fancy 

 flowers seemed to sell at fair prices, 

 while the medium and poor grades moved 

 out slowly, at prices which at times were 

 very low. 



The supply of Maids and Brides is 

 limited, but those which are received are 

 exceptionally fine. Beauties still bring 

 good prices, almost Christmas prices for 

 the better grades. The supply is equal 

 to the demand. Liberties and Meteors 

 are off crop. Valley finds a brisk de- 

 mand and the quality is good. 



Roman hyacinths are scarce, narcissus 

 is a glut. Lilies are being received in 

 larger amounts and bring very good 

 prices. Mignonette, pansies, sweet peas 

 and tulips are more plentiful, and find a 

 ready sale. Freezias and single daffo- 

 dils are beginning to make their appear- 

 ance. In greens, Sprengeri is the only 

 stock that is scarce. 



Notes. 



A very heavy fog prevailed in this city 

 on New Year's day. and resulted in al- 

 most a complete tie-up in traffic, the rail- 



roads suffering most. The mantle cov- 

 ered an area of t\vent\--live miles. Every 

 local florist suffered inconvenience and 

 loss by delayed deliveries on that day. 

 Violets and other stock from the east 

 were ordered to arrive in the morning, 

 for orders for noonday luncheons, etc. 

 The shipments arrived late in the after- 

 noon, causing disappointment to custom- 

 ers and loss to the florists. Such delays 

 are very frequent and the fault lies with 

 the express companies here. 



This matter of delayed shipments 

 seems to be of sufficient importance to 

 call for concerted action among the trade 

 everywhere. The recent rise of rate on 

 cut flowers to one and one-half times 

 merchandise rate begins to look like ex- 

 tortion, when cut flower shipments re- 

 ceive the attention of only ordinary mer- 

 chandise shipments. Can it not be made 

 part of the work of the Society of Amer- 

 ican Florists or of local associations to 

 aid their members in collecting claims 

 for stock refused on account of delay, 

 when such delay is due to the careless- 

 ness and negligence of the express com- 

 panies? The vexations of pressing a 

 claim frightens many an individual. A 

 systematic and persistent pressing of 

 every claim to which a florist is entitled 

 would probably cause some change in the 

 attention given to cut flowers by ex- 

 press companies. Something should be 

 done; it is a matter that vitally affects 

 the whole trade and united action should 

 certainly be taken at once. 



Considerable excitement was caused 

 among the employes at Randolph & Mc- 

 Clements' the other afternoon. On 

 opening a case of southern smilax a live 

 gray squirrel suddenly emerged. Mr. 

 S<iuirrel made his debut with a leap 

 from the case of smilax, which caused 

 the ladies present to make a hasty exit; 

 the display of silk clocks and lingerie 

 caused blushes and embarrassment to 

 the modest florists. 



J. B. JIurdoch & Co. are cutting some 

 good Maids and Brides from their new 

 range at Cannonsburg. 



J. J. Joliff, of Belle Vernon, is the 

 proud father of a 10-pound baby boy. 

 Mrs. Jolift' and son are doing well. 



Tom LHam was very uusy with fu- 

 neral work last Thursday; one design 

 for which he received ,$100 was a harp. 



In California the new year was inaug- 

 urated with a tournament of roses, but 

 let us not be jealous. By next .June we 

 ought to be able to do some rose tounia- 

 menting ourselves. 



Visitor: — Robt. Craig, of Philadelphia, 

 Pa. Hoo-Hoo. 



CROMWELL, CONN. 



New Y'ear's has come and with it the 

 usual increased demand, but no such a 

 call as before Christmas. The fine 

 weather preceding helped matters out 

 wonderfully and we trust that we may 

 always be favored with such weather at 

 the holidays. 



Cow Manure. 



One of the most serious problems of 

 the greenhouse business here is near- 

 ing a solution and we are trusting that 

 we may never again be confronted with 

 such a serious problem as we have had 

 to face the past few years. Despite the 

 fact that Cromwell is largely a farming 

 town there is very little cow manure to 

 be had at any price and our experience 

 has shown us that it is an absolute ne- 

 cessity. Horse manure has its uses, but 



in the growing of roses especially it can 

 never replace cow manure. 



Plans for a stable to hold beef stock 

 are under consideration and this time 

 next year will probably find our com- 

 post being enriched by the droppings of 

 at least a score of steers which will be 

 fatted for beef. This number will be 

 increased to at least one hundred as 

 soon as possible and we trust that this 

 will solve the problem. The present price 

 of beef will at least partially make it 

 a paying venture aside from the value 

 of the manure. 



Tobacco Stems. 



The question of fumigation for aphis 

 is also one that has led to numerous 

 experiments. We have for years used 

 tobacco stems but this method is prov- 

 ing very unsatisfactory. Formerly we 

 could biiv stems that would do the work 

 Init today conditions are very different. 

 We have' used stems in two ways, isiJe 

 from putting them on the pipes, burning 

 them and steaming them; but today the 

 tobacco stems of commerce are of little 

 more value for fumigating purposes than 

 so much hay. Whether the dealers ex- 

 tract tobacco extract from them and 

 rob them of whatever value they pos- 

 sess or not we do not know, but the fact 

 remains that they are valueless and 

 other methods must be found. Aphis 

 punk is being tried and the expense is 

 the onlv thing against it, but even with 

 the extra cost, if it will do the work it 

 will replace stems wliicli fail to produce 

 results. 



Valley Pips. 



A large shipment of lily of the valley 

 pips was received recently which prove! 

 very unsatisfactory and the whole hun- 

 dred thousand were returned. Therj is 

 something wrong with the dealer when 

 he fails to deliver to the buyer first-class 

 pips when such are ordered a year in ad- 

 vance and he is given to understand that 

 the best produced in Germany is none 

 too good and the extra price is paid to 

 insure the receipt of such high-grade 

 stock. In this case the pips were to 

 cost ten marks more than the usual 

 quality on the other side and when re- 

 ceived" they proved to he at least no bet- 

 ter than the ordinary if not inferior to 

 them. Soinething certainly is radically 

 wrong. 



Among the visitors this past week arc 

 J. A. Budlong and son of Providence, 

 E. I. W. R. PlERSON. 



CLEVELAND. 



Tlie annual banquet of the Florists' 

 Club was held last Monday evening, 

 about fifty members being in attend- 

 ance. The first part of the evening was 

 spent in bowling and card playing, 

 in which all joined with a vim 

 and vigor that predicts for the club a 

 growth that has never been known be- 

 fore. It also showed that the mem- 

 bers can get together in a brotherly 

 spirit and enjoy themselves. If the same 

 spirit could be aroused in the members 

 outside of the club rooms and away from 

 the banquet table there would be none 

 of that throat cutting that is shown 

 now, and one of the most serious prob- 

 lems that we have to contend with, and 

 one that is occupj'ing the minds of the 

 craft in general; namely, how to raise 

 the price of our produce to compare with 

 the increased cost of production, would 

 be solved. Here is where the florists in 

 general are lacking that brotherly spirit 



