The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



401 



Orchid House at the Private Pla.ce of Mr. H. G. Selfridge, Lake Geneva, Wis. 



into three .sections l>y glass partitions. 

 < )ne section is devoted to East Indian 

 -.|)€cies, another to Brazilian and the 

 third to Mexican. Running through 

 the center of the house is a cement water 

 tank three feet high, seven feet wide and 

 S.T feet long. Into this tank is collected 

 all the rain that falls on the range of 

 glass, and in addition to the tank there 

 is a, large cistern for storage. To the 

 latter a. large force pump is attached 

 and the orchids are syringed with rain 

 water only. The water in the tank in 

 the house maintains the atmospheric 

 moisture. 



Tlio walks ari^ of cement and have 

 depressions that will hold water. And 

 alongside of (he walk is an inch water 

 pipe perforated every six inches. By 

 turning a ^•alve the entire length of the 

 walk and under the side benches is moist- 

 ened in a few minutes. The picture 

 shows one side of the East Indian house 

 and hardly does the subject justice. 



Mr. Solfriilge is a great lover of or- 

 rhids and altlumgh he started to collect 

 (inl}' about a year ago he now has one 

 of the finest collections in the west. He 

 has taken a very warm interest in the 

 exhibitions of the Horticultural So- 

 ciety of Chicago and though a. very bu.sy 

 man. has given of his time as well as 

 his influence, financially and socially, to 

 insure their success. 



PHILADELPHIA. 



The Market. 



Tlie quantity (jf Mowers coming in 

 town is increasing steadily. All ro.ses, 

 excepting American Beauties, are more 

 plentiful than a week ago. White carna- 

 tions continue extremely scarce, but col- 

 ored sorts are in fair supply. Double 

 violets and lily of the valley are almost 

 a drug on the market, there being a 

 good supply of both with no positive 

 demand. Single violets sell better than 

 dnulilc. cspeciaily the finer grade. 



I'.ullii.n- flowers are coming in freely 

 and picivc a great addition to the vari- 

 eties. Tulips are fine and in great de- 

 man.l, Dnfi'ndils. both single and dou- 



ble, can be had in quantity from both 

 Leo Xiessen and W. K. Harris. Tlie 

 former is also receiving the first Nar- 

 cissus poeticus seen in this city this 

 season. Campernelles and paper whites 

 are still in their glory, but move rather 

 slowly. Freesia is plentiful and the 

 Giant strain very fine. S. S. Pennock 

 has Easter lilies in quantity this week; 

 they must be money makers at market 

 lates. Both E. Bernheinier and Leo 

 Niessen are receiving forget-me-nots. 

 Greens are quite scarce, especially as- 

 paragus in bunches, which are virtually 

 "jO per cent higher than a few weeks ago. 



The Business Outlook. 



It is gratifying to Icani that goo<' 

 judges of the business conditions among 

 fiorists feel confident that this season 

 will by no means prove a disastrous one. 

 They think that the worst of the coal 

 famine is over, barring a possible bliz- 

 zard, and that from now on coal can 

 be had at fair prices. Tliey say that had 

 this coal famine come at a lime of busi- 

 ness depression the result would have 

 k'en disastrous to many, but that busi- 

 ness is nov,' so good that the extra ex- 

 pense will mean decreased profits to 

 most of the florists, but actual loss to 

 \er}' few. 



Farmers' Institute. 



A Farmers' Institue meeting for 

 Philadelphia county under the auspices 

 of the State Board of Agriculture, as- 

 sisted by the Pennsylvania Horticul- 

 tural Society and our Florists" Club, will 

 be held in Horticultural Hall. Broad and 

 Spruce streets, on Wednesday, Febru- 

 ary II. from 2 until 10 p. m. There 

 will be a number of interesting ad- 

 dresses on a variety of topics by well 

 known speakers. The question box will 

 l)e a feature of the meeting. All persons 

 interested are cordially invited to be 

 present. 



In this connection it is of interest 

 that Bulletin No. 07. issued by the 

 State Board of Agriculture, is devoted 

 to "The Management of Greenhouses." 

 by Edwin Lonsdale. The subject is 

 treated especially for the benefit of the 

 farmer and tiuck-gardener. but is also 

 of interest to every florist. 



Notes. 



Tliere was a lively debate on the ex- 

 press rate resolutions submitted at the 

 Florists' Club meeting Tuesday evening. 

 Mr. Elliott, of Brighton, presented an 

 outline of the Boston plan, which was 

 adopted, the resolutions Ix'ing referred 

 back to the committee with instructions 

 to see the express company managers per- 

 sonally and present a petition with many 

 signatures asking former rate. 



"The testimonial given to David Paist 

 bv his fellow members in the Horticul- 

 tural Society was a fitting recognition 

 of the secretary's many years of consci- 

 entious work. 



The first number of Floral Life ap- 

 peared last week. It is beautifully got- 

 ten up and contains an interesting ar- 

 ticle on roses by Edwin Lonsdale. 



Wanted — A receipt for making Beau- 

 ties bloom in January and February. 

 Apply to Phil, 



The flower market is quite a garden 

 now. The foliage plant disj/lay has been 

 brightened this week by a variety of 

 blooming plants, primroses, cinerarias, 

 azaleas, etc. Manager Meehan reports 

 several new stallholders and general 

 satisfaction among the old stallholders. 



Mr. and Mrs. Robert Craig have is- 

 stied invitations for the wedding recep- 

 tion of their daughter. Miss Edna ilayne. 

 to 5Ir. David William Lank, on Tues- 

 day evening, February 17, from 8 until 

 10 o'clock. 



There was an unexpectedly heavy de- 

 mand for carnations on MeKinley day. 



Phil. 



BOSTON. 



Market Conditions. 



Business seems very good indeed. But 

 material is scarce enough to make it 

 seem so against facts, if otherwise. If 

 anything is plentiful enough it is lilies, 

 and the best grade of roses, and perhaps 

 other material never gets much more 

 scarce. This condition keeps prices up 

 a bit, as given in our regular list in 

 another column. 



The upsettiiit; of a light at the e-- 

 labli.shment of'W, S. Wilson, the Wel- 

 lesley rose grower, started a fire which 

 burned the boiler house, tools, boxes, 

 etc, and the ends of three of the houses. 

 The loss is $1,000. with no insurance. 



Express Rates. 



Those express rate resolutions that 

 tasted so good to the meeting which 

 passed them did not seem quite the 

 thing when the committee reached ex- 

 press headquarters to read them to the 

 high officials there. Consequently a 

 new tack is made and a much diflerent 

 document lies upon the desk at Park 

 street, which you are invited to inspect 

 and sign if it meets your approval. The 

 express companies, too, make a new 

 move in charging a few cents more for 

 return of empty boxes. 



'W. J. Dana's Establishment. 



Marked in]]novcments are the order of 

 the dav out at the ro.se lirowing estab- 

 lishmeiit of W. J. Dana. Wellesley Hills, 

 chief among them being a large amount 

 of concrete w-alls for hou.ses and car- 

 nation beds, the finest underground con- 

 crete vault for cut flowers and a huge 

 concrete taid< for preparation of liquid 

 manure. This i> placed high on the 

 hillside to obtain gravity pressure in 

 Using the hose, and by an ingenious use 

 of valves the same pipe that carries 



