260 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



January S, 1903. 



of "live and let live" or a willingness to 

 see each other prosper and rejoice in 

 each other's prosperity. If there were 

 more of this spirit shown and less of 

 the animosity tliat we have now, tliere 

 would be less throat cutting and no back 

 biting, as we have at present. Of course 

 my sphere of observation is limited, be- 

 ing confined to Cleveland and its imme- 

 diate vicinity in these remarks. 



We sat down to the banquet table at 

 about 10 o'clock and from that time un- 

 til midnight the members present spent 

 their energies in satisfying the inner 

 man and listening to the flow of wit, 

 mirth and song that is ever present when 

 the members get together on an occa- 

 sion of this kind. In the absence of our 

 honored president, Mr. Gordon Gray, 

 who was detained for some unknown 

 reason, one of our ex-presidents, Mr. 

 Adam Graham, was chosen as toast- 

 master, much to the gratification of all 

 present. He called on several for 

 short talks on what was uppermost 

 in their minds. All responded, rejoicing 

 in the fact that so many were present 

 and that the club was in such a pros- 

 perous condition, but they would all re- 

 vert to the original proposition; namely, 

 how to combat the high price of coal, 

 glass and iron. Some suggested peti- 

 tioning our congressmen for the removal 

 of the tariff on these articles, whicli has 

 been done with a cordial assurance of 

 assistance from the one and an evasive 

 answer from the other, until finally our 

 toastmaster said he thought we would 

 have to submit in regard to iron and 

 glass, but thought we might \>cat out on 

 tne coal barons by each and every florist 

 discovering a coal mine on his own prem- 

 ises. 



Holiday business in general was ex- 

 tra good, there being a good demand for 

 all stock. I think the demand for cut 

 flowers tills year was ratlier in excess of 

 last season, although good plants sold 

 well — poinsettias. azaleas and ardisias 

 in the lead, followed by cyclamens, Lor- 

 raine begonias, primroses and Roman 

 hyacinths in pots and pans. Prices 

 ruled a little higher this year. Palms, 

 rubbers and Boston ferns sold Mell the 

 week before Christmas, and with the 

 mild weather we had up to Christmas 

 eve there was no trouble in delivering, 

 but very little stock getting frozen. 



Te.\ep. 



ONdNNATL 



The Market. 



Stock of all kinds has lieen short since 

 Christmas, and anything that is at all 

 good is quickly jiickcd up. A little sec- 

 ond and tliird grade is seen after the 

 morning's business is over, but it is of 

 the kind which is hard to sell at any 

 price. And the worst of it all is, there 

 is no prospect for an immediate change 

 for the better. We need more good 

 stock to fill all of our orders, but we 

 simply cannot get it. 



Trade after Christmas was very good, 

 in fact better than was expected. New 

 Year's business did not amount to a 

 great deal, nevertheless everything rea- 

 sonably good was sold out and at Christ- 

 mas prices. In many cases the figures 

 averaged higher. Considering that busi- 

 ness was a trifle quiet, it was perhaps a 

 good thing that stock was scarce. Had 

 there been a good supply there is no 

 telling what might have happened. 



Trade is now taking its usual post-hol- 



iday rest, which is to be expected. There 

 are, though, quite a few decorations on 

 for this week, and many flowers will be 

 used. Julius Baer had one for the 6th 

 which was the largest and most elabor- 

 ate seen in this city for some time. T. 

 W. Hardesty & Co. were busy with a 

 large one on Monday. There is also con- 

 siderable funeral work, which helps to 

 move the seconds and thirds, with which, 

 as a rule, this market is well supplied. 



Prices on all kinds of stock have 

 dropped somewhat and are now just a 

 trifle liigher than they were before the 

 holidays. Good stock being scarce, it is 

 held stiff at quoted figures. 



Harrisii lilies are very popular of late 

 and sell well. Bulbous stock is moving 

 somewhat better. Violets are very 

 scarce. The few that are grown around 

 here are not blooming well, and we de- 

 pend upon those shipped in for main 

 supply. 



Orchids are in better demand this win- 

 ter than ever before. A great numl>er 

 of them are being handled and more 

 could be used. 



Both Asparagus Sprengeri and plu- 

 mosus are getting scarce. Tliere seems 

 to be plenty of smilax. Asparagus Spren- 

 geri is daily becoming more popular and 

 great quantities are being used. Several 

 growers are planting considerable of it. 

 and within another year the demand 

 will be well taken care of. 



Notes. 



Tlie regular monthly meeting of the 

 florists' society will be held Saturday 

 evening, January- 10, in the dub rooms 

 over the Jabez Elliott flower market. 



Dick Witterstactter reports being 

 well pleased with Cliristmas trade. He 

 had a large cut of his high-grade fancy 

 carnations, and tliej' brought a good 

 price. C. J. OiiMER. 



KANSAS CITY. 



Dark weather for a considerable time 

 preceding Christmas threatened a short- 

 age of stock, but there was enough to 

 go around, with a volume of sale-s 

 amounting to about 25 per cent more 

 than last year. Christmas eve the bot- 

 tom dropped out of the thermometer 

 and zero weather made a great amount 

 of extra work wrapping plants. Ixir- 

 raines and azaleas easily took the lead 

 in plants and a large numl)er were dis- 

 posed of. Poinsettias were not much 

 in evidence. All kinds of greens sold 

 well and all dealers were entirely 

 cleaned out. The town was flooded with 

 Christmas trees; but very few were left. 



Rock kept twenty people busy all 

 night December 23 and 24, getting out 

 orders. He handled a fine lot of azal- 

 eas, Jjorraines and poinsettias. 



Newell had a nice thing in an order 

 for twenty-five boxes from one man at 

 .$5 per. Tlie gentleman who bought 

 tliese boxes distributed them to friends 

 living in his own neighborhood. 



This was Lawrence Schwager's first 

 tlhristmas. but he succeeded in doing 

 his share of the business. He had a 

 particularly large trade in trees and 

 greens. 



Miss Dalley reported a good business. 

 She was badly handicapped liv her head 

 clerk being laid up just at the time he 

 was most needed. 



Barbe was in jusc right with a big 

 crop of carnations, azaleas, ijorraines 

 and other plants. 



The New Year's season was a surprise 

 to all, and the leading expression con- 



cerning it was, "I never thought it." 

 Prices held well up to the week before, 

 and as there had been sunshine, stock 

 was plentiful and of good quality. I 

 hope 11. is an indication for the coming 

 year. 



Tom Cane, clerk for Lawrence 

 Schwager, is laid up with a sprained 

 ankle. In his haste to wait on an early 

 morning customer he slipped and fell. 

 Haste is always commendable, but the 

 quality should be exercised with discre- 

 tion by one not habitualh' used to it. 

 John M. Veset. 



ST. LOUIS. 



The Market. 



New Year's day trade was quite a sur- 

 prise to some of the florists, and most 

 of them report business away ahead of 

 last year. The old custom of keeping 

 open house was revived this year and a 

 great many cut flowers were used to 

 decorate the tables and parlors. Some 

 of the downtown florists report that they 

 were caught short of stock, not think- 

 ing that the day would bring iiiuch de- 

 mand, and were very much surprised at 

 the call for cut stuff. The weather was 

 delightful, which was very enjoyable to 

 all, making deliveries pleasant and easy 

 of accomplishment. 



Referring to Christmas trade, which 

 is still the talk among the trade when 

 they meet, one feature was the increasing 

 demand for plants, both flowering and 

 foliage. Florists who maKC a specialty 

 of plants and have greenhouses at- 

 tached to their stores had a surprisingly 

 large demand for this stock. F. C. We- 

 ber, Geo. Waldbart, Jlrs. Ayers. Tlieo. 

 ISIiller and Mary Ostertag, who have 

 stores of this kind, report the best 

 Christmas trade in plants in years. C. 

 Young & Sons Co. and Ellison & Tesson. 

 who also handled a large number of 

 plants, report a great sale on Christ- 

 mas. 



As to prices on cut flowers at whole- 

 sale this year, the growers will have a 

 big surprise when they receive their re- 

 turn checks from the commission men. 

 Much of the stock was of fine quality 

 an<l very little pickled stuff came in. No 

 doubt tile growers have learned a lesson 

 from past experience. 



Trade since New Year's has been very 

 quiet; still prices have been kept up. as 

 stock has been scarce. The wholesalers 

 say that tnese prices will be kept up 

 until stuck liecomes more plentiful. The 

 past week quite a lot of funeral work, 

 which almost filled a car of the special 

 train, was sent to Jefferson City to the 

 funeral of Mrs. Dockery. wife of Gov. 

 Dockery of Jlissnuri. There are a few 

 large wedding and reception decorations 

 on iap for the latter part of this month, 

 which will use up a lot of choice stock 

 of all kinds. 



Notes. 



W. K. .Jordnn and wife left last week 

 for Omaha. Neb., to attend the funeral 

 of their brother-in-law, J. .J. Dickey, 

 superintendent of the Western Union 

 Telegraph t'o. Jfr. Dickey was son-in- 

 law of the late J. if. Jordan, and at one 

 time a stockholder in the old Jordan 

 Floral Co. 



The club meeting this week should 

 have taken place at Belleville, but owing 

 to Mayor Halstedt's being too Imsy with 

 municipal matters to properly entertain 

 the members, he recalled his invitation 

 until some time later, so the meeting 



