296 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



Jaxhaby 15, 1903. 



famous ''Russian brand" of lily of the 

 valley. Its reputation for •"quality" is 

 beyond dispute. 



C. W. Ward is south on ,i business 

 trip this week, which accounts for his 

 absence from the meeting of the Flor- 

 ists' Club on Monday evening. 



Mr. Nash, of the firm of Moore, Ilentz 

 & Nash, celebrated bis half century on 

 Saturday. Tlie occasion was "bon ton," 

 as Millang, the Beauty King, was radi- 

 ant in silk hat and diamonds in honor 

 of the aJTair; and congratulations were 

 poured upon the genial "author of the 

 trouble." 



Ernst ."^smus is on a business trip 

 west, and doubtless will honor Chicago 

 with his presence. See that he returns 

 in a well preserved condition. 



Kreshover is receiving some heavy 

 shipments of wild smilax and many big 

 balls and weddings are close at hand. 

 He has the sole agency in New York for 

 Caldwell, the Woodsman Co. and for 

 \Y. C. Smith, of ifarion, N. C, the green 

 sheet moss and leucothoe shipper; han- 

 dling immense quantities of all these 

 commodities every season. 



Mr. Moore, of Moore, Hentz & Xash, 

 has been a very busy man lately, and as 

 the result of his work over eighty signa- 

 tures have been secured to his i)etition lo 

 Thos. C. Piatt, of the U. S. E.\press 

 Company, for reduction of rates. It will 

 be a case of "When Greek meets Greek" 

 when Mr. Jno. N. May presents it to 

 the "Easy Boss." 



Mr. Moore says the secret of good 

 prices is that "since Christmas not half 

 the usual product in cut flowers ha.s 

 been shipped to the market" and he 

 thinks the shortage likely to continue 

 indefinite!}'. 



February 3 the wedding of Eeginald 

 Vanderbilt and Miss Niclson will take 

 place and elaborate decorations have 

 been provided for. Rumor says 

 over 100.000 violets alone have lieen 

 ordered for the occasion. Another week 

 it will be possible to announce the name 

 of the fortunate florist who has cor- 

 raled this plum, and it will be a "fat" 

 one. 



It was an unique "dinner" given by 

 Henr\- Siebrecht, Jr., of Siebrecht & 

 Son, January 4. to the firm's "old clerks" 

 and stenographer. Fourteen sat down to 

 the handsomely decorated table, Lawson 

 cainations being used. The dishes were 

 entirely horticultural. The salt was in 

 1 inch fern pots, 2-inch pots held the 

 cocktails, and 3-inch the oyster dittos. 

 The claret was in 4-inch pots — for a 

 short time — 6-inch saucers held the 

 pickles and olives. Tlie menu was writ- 

 ten on birch biirk and placed on an easel 

 of stemming sticks. Ice cream in 6-inch 

 saucers. Finger bowls of G-inch half- 

 I>ots with saucers to match. Cigars and 

 cigarettes in 6 and 3-inch pots. A visit 

 to the conservatories in the big delivery 

 wagon proved a digestive influence and 

 with cheers for the fair hostess. Mrs. 

 Siebrecht. Jr.. the happy party voted the 

 occasion a red letter day. 



It is a comfort to know in these days 

 of coal shortage that in some respects 

 "horticulture"' is not restricted. John 

 Darcy. head gardener for the Andrew 

 Moloney estate at Spring Lake, X. Y., 

 found triplets in his Xew Year's stock- 

 ing. .John had thirteen children before 

 this Santjx Clans surprise, so the "hoo 

 doo" is lifted and the business Adam 

 originated takes its proper place at the 

 "head of the procession." 



On January 13 the Greek element had 



"Christmas" thirteen days behind the 

 "regular." Do vou know there are 10,- 

 000 of the Greek faith in Xew York 

 City, and I don't know how many are 

 selling flowers. Some of them on every 

 prominent street corner, and a few of 

 them with handsome stores and doing a 

 fine legitimate business Their churches 

 were profusely decorated for the festive 

 day. 



The annual smoker of the Morris 

 County Gardeners' Association was held 

 this Wednesday evening, January 14, at 

 Madison, N. J., and as usual a "full 

 house" greeted the society. Unfor- 

 tunately for those who desired to be "in 

 it" at both banquets, this and the one 

 at Tarrytown, the old rule got in its 

 work. "No two botlies can occupy the 

 same space at the same time." However, 

 telegraphic reports indicate a fine re- 

 union, a large attendance and a con- 

 stantly advancing society in numbers and 

 prosperity. 



The seriousness of the coal question 

 is still paramount. There may be both 

 calamities and tragedies to report before 

 the solving of the problem. 



The "Wagon E.vpress"' for cut flowers 

 from Madison via Chatham, Summit and 

 other centers, runs regularly and is prov- 

 ing a wonderful saving and convenience, 

 while the practical lesson it is giving the 

 express companies will surely bear fruit. 



John A. ScoUay. of Brooklyn, has just 

 completed a 1,7S0 foot hot water boiler 

 for Robert C. Bancroft, at Toughkena- 

 mon. Pa. 



The new firm of Purdy Bros, is de- 

 veloping an extensive violet trade and 

 has some fine growers and shippers on 

 its list. 



McManus' stock of orchids is always 

 abundant and there are some fine speci- 

 mens in his daily shipments. His out- 

 of-town trade is growing constantly. 



W. H. Gunther reports a tremendous 

 inflow of violets last week, with prices 

 for all but the best away below the av- 

 erage. 



Red tulips are in evidence at Saltford's 

 and Chas. Millang's conservatory is 

 again filled with palms and ferns for 

 his wholesale customers. 



J. Austin Sh.wv. 



BOSTON. 



Various Items. 



Trade inclined to be quiet, and goods 

 scarce. If there has been any surplus 

 at all lately it has been in the matter 

 of poorer qualities of colored carnations. 

 Violets are not so scarce as they were 

 and prices therefor have accommodated 

 themselves to the new situation. Roses 

 are particularh- scarce, but the advent 

 of tulips helps out that situation. 



Severe colds, and more serious condi- 

 tions arising from them, are plentiful, 

 but Jlr. Additon. who has been most 

 dangerotisly afflicted that way, is now 

 considered out of danger and rapidly 

 improving. 



One of the ojdest and most respected 

 gardeners, ^Mr. F. L. Harris, for about 

 forty years head gardener for H. H. 

 Hunnewell. of Wellesley. has lately died. 

 As the gentleman was about eighty years 

 of age. that is presumed to be the chief 

 cause of his death. 



.\ moment's run on business through 

 ^[r. Elliott's houses at Brighton shows 

 them to be in their usual business-like 

 trim, with Brides and Maids now off 

 crop, but seemingly very soon to come in 



heavily like everyone else's. The Kaiser- 

 ins and Carnots in full rest and th& 

 Jacques just waking from their long 

 sleep make an interesting exhibit, and 

 his arrangement for applying liquid ma- 

 nure by gravity pressure is worth a long 

 trip to see. The mammoth asparagua 

 houses never looked better and his- 

 Sprengeri is showing a surprising growth 

 of branches just ripening. 



Mr. Thomas Carter, foreman of the- 

 Exeter Rose Conservatories, Exeter, X. 

 H., has been visiting among our rose 

 growers and reports a pleasant and prof- 

 itable trip. His hosts while here also 

 express pleasure derived from his visit. 

 J. S. Manter. 



OBITUARY. 



Claudius M. Ravier. 



Claudius M. Ravier, ilobile, Ala., the 

 pioneer florist and nurseryman of Ala- 

 bama, died January 9. 



He was born in Ranee and was edu- 

 cated as a gardener and was a student 

 at the Botanical Gardens of Paris. After 

 completing his studies he spent some 

 time in England, doing landscape work 

 and later emigrated to America, spend- 

 ing some time in Xew Y'ork and Roches- 

 ter, and in 1809 reaching Xew Orleans, 

 where he engaged in business as a florist. 



He married in lS7o and the same year 

 removed to Mobile, where he started in 

 the business at the present location, and 

 where he has remained ever since and 

 where he had developed a large busi- 

 ness. Starting at first in a small way 

 he eventually had four acres of land and 

 50.000 feet of glass. 



He was always prominent at the va- 

 rious exhibitions and received many high 

 awards for his various exhibits which 

 were always of fine quality. 



He is survived by his wife and three 

 sons — Louis, Fred and Claude — and one 

 daughter. 



Seed Trade News. 



Piiii,.U)ELPi[i.\. — About all the seed 

 houses here have been very busy mailing 

 catalogues for the past ten days. Messrs. 

 W. Atlee Burpee &, Co. have introduced 

 an innovation in stamping their cata- 

 logue wrappers. The stamps are bought 

 at the post oflice in the usual way, and 

 arc cancelled in the original sheets by the 

 post office department before they leave 

 the building, the stamps are then af- 

 fixed to the wrappers as usual, the cata- 

 logues are placed in U. S. mail bags, 

 each state being kept separate, the bags 

 being properly labeled for each state, 

 and are hauled direct to the railroad sta- 

 tion, all of which is done under the su- 

 pervision of a postal employe who is sta- 

 tioned at the establishment; during mail- 

 ing hours. This plan not only pre- 

 cludes the possibility of stamp pecu- 

 lation by those handling the stamps, but 

 it also insures greater dispatch in hand- 

 ling and forwarding the catalogues to 

 their destination; on an average from six 

 to ten hours' time is gained in getting 

 the catalogues to customers. The mail 

 trade promises to be very satisfactory 

 for the present. The receipts of one 

 house are 400 per cent greater than this 

 time last year. There is already great 

 activity in placing contracts for 1903 

 crops among the growers in this section, 

 and as a consequence they are much 



