328 



The Weekly Florists' Review, 



jAXLAitv 22. 1903. 



landscape work. Although the ground 

 was covered with snow, we could see 

 those long, graceful curves and the ef- 

 fective and practical planting of the 

 tender and hardier shrubs and trees 

 where each is given its own peculiar 

 location, where it will grow the best, and 

 at the same time the desired efTect is 

 maintained. We were first introduced 

 to several houses of Adiantum Farley- 

 ense, which was wonderfully well done. 

 A very large house for storage of the 

 more hardy ferns and bay trees was a 

 very practical building for the wintering 

 of the handsome specimens contained 

 therein. The growing houses and the 

 service buildings attached makes a 

 model place, everything seems to be ar- 

 ranged so conveniently. 



The orchids were in fine condition. 

 Cypripediums were just in the height of 

 their glory, and a splendid sight they 

 were. ilr. Herrington seems to have 

 gotten a corner on Cyp. viilosum. He 

 has an immense stock of it. The flowers 

 bring nearly double the price of those 

 of insigne. A house of Gros Colman 

 grapes was a sight to make your mouth 

 water at this time of the year. The 

 color of the berries was fine for this 

 variety and one eight-pound bunch was 

 still hanging, perhaps for some par- 

 ticular occasion. 



Carnations? Yes, they have a few, 

 and some great seedlings among them, 

 of which you will hear about in the 

 near future. We met Brian-Boru for 

 the first time. He is Mr. Herrington's 

 right bower, and after a short chat soon 

 discovered that wo had played marbles 

 in nearly the same alley and one of 

 our party traveled over the same pike 

 as Mr. and Mrs. Herrington. You know 

 how people do talk then. Those are 

 little incidents that go toward making 

 a long journey seem short. 



JAIIES HaRTSHOBXE. 



PHILADELPHIA, 



The Market. 



The cut flower market is tremendously 

 active. All flowers are in brisk demand 

 and in rather short supply. Many vari- 

 eties are oxtremely scarce. The" short- 

 age in fancy roses creates a lively de- 

 mand for some other flowers not gener- 

 ally sought at tliis season. Carnations 

 are selling well. White continues scarce. 

 The commoner grades of colored sell 

 better than a week ago. All fancies are 

 eagerly sought. Bulbous stock is slowly 

 increasing in quantity. Freesias and 

 dalTodils are pretty good. Tulips can 

 lie had in several colors, but are still a 

 bit short in tlu' stem. Kaster lilies can 

 be had in quantity; S. S. Pennock sold 

 over 1,000 last week. Double violets 

 and valley are good and quite plentiful. 

 White lilacs are very fine. E. G. Asmus 

 is sending some superb long stemmed 

 stock to this city. Francois Supiot is 

 cutting heavily. 



The First Assembly. 

 The first assembly was held last week. 

 The hall itself was beautifully decorated, 

 but it is the private dinner parties be- 

 fore the ball that are of especial interest 

 this year on account of their floral ar- 

 rangements. The assemblies are our 

 city's oldest bails and the dinners before 

 the assemblies are famous. The idea tills 

 year was to return to the flowers used by 

 our grandpa florist for our custom- 

 er's grandpapa. Probably the most ef- 



fective of these decorations was the fol- 

 lowing: In the center of the table a 

 ball of carnations, around which were 

 laid the ladies' bouquets made of white 

 camellias. Each bouquet was edged with 

 a narrow border of another flower — one 

 mignonette, another sweet peas — and was 

 tied with a large bow of ribbon match- 

 ing the border flower in color and 

 stamped with the intials of the lady 

 for whom the bouquet was intended. 

 Each bouquet was laid so as to come 

 opposite the proper plate. 



Down in Jersey. 



They are very busy at the Dreer place 

 this week potting up 65,000 roses into 

 fives and sixes. They are always busy at 

 Kiverton; in fact, the band of workers 

 (night best be described as systematic 

 hustlers. It is this .sj'stematic hustling 

 that keeps the entire place in perfect 

 condition, neat and trim, so that one is 

 only conscious of here a bench to be filled 

 by shifting and there a cement walk to 

 be finished, without having the feeling 

 that anything is so pressing that a big 

 palm or azalea order could not be shipped 

 off without seriously delaying the regu- 

 lar work. One fancies tliat when they 

 catch up with the work, which must 

 sometimes happen, then one man goes 

 abroad, another on the road, a third 

 chooses the time to get ill (they can't 

 ordinarily spare the time to be ill at 

 Riverton). and the rest are so scared 

 lest the work get ahead of them that 

 Ihey pitch in like blazes and keep it 

 down. 



Be this as it may, the place is in very 

 fine condition now and always. Geo. A. 

 Strohlein, who is at the helm during the 

 absence of J. D. Eisele, is justly proud 

 of the vast palm fields. "We have got 

 the upper hand of the insects," he said, 

 "by keeping eternally at it" — arccas, 

 kentias, latanias in all sizes and stages 

 of growth. All looked well and prom- 

 ised freely to keep up the firm's repu- 

 tation for fine stock. 



The quantity of fern spores sown is 

 imusually large, the business of selling 

 small ferns in flats having been added 

 lo that of sending out 2 to .3-inch ferns, 

 and larger. 



The coloring on Pandanus Sanderi is 

 vivid, and Mr. Clark, who has this nov- 

 elty under his especial charge, is justly 

 proud of its appearance. He considers it 

 a rapid grower and easy propagator. 



The new range of twelve houses, 

 Dietsch pattern, built last summer, are 

 of great interest. These houses are 

 strong and light, showing great economy 

 in room, and appear easily heated. While 

 each house is rather narrow, the fact that 

 twelve houses are open between (with 

 one exception, a temporary division) 

 gives a volume of warm air far greater 

 than that contained in any ordinary 

 house, or even houses. This range is en- 

 tirely filled with azaleas in from .5 to 

 10-inch pots, presenting a beautiful 

 sight. It has never before been my good 

 fortune to see so many azaleas at one 

 glance. All were in fine condition. 



There were two interesting novelties 

 which I hope to describe later. 



Notes. 



J. D. Eisele has arrived safely on the 

 other side. He expects to return next 

 month. 



William J. Baker is receiving some 

 fine carnations. Gov. Roosevelt, Lorna 

 and Estelle are among his favorites. 



S. S. Pennock is out of town for a day 

 or two on a flying trip. 



Geo. M. Moss is receiving some fine 

 freesias. 



George Jlorrison read a paper on 

 Hawaii before the Pennsylvania Horti- 

 cultural Society on Tuesday. 



R. G. Palmer entertained several of 

 his business friends at his home at 

 Doylestown on Wednesday and showed 

 them his place and one or two others, in- 

 cluding that of John F. Andre. 



Charles E. Mcehan says the only mis- 

 take Mark Mills ever made was grow- 

 ing scarlet Due tulips. 



Mr. John Burton, of Wyndmoor, will 

 build two houses, each 150x27, on his new 

 place, and will rebuild four large houses 

 on his old place, using Lord & Burnhani 

 ii-on posts, plates, gutters and all roof- 

 ing material in the entire six houses. 



CHICAGO. 



The Market. 



Though there is no material change 

 in quotations the prices on roses are 

 more sharply maintained, as they con- 

 tinue very scarce. The quality is fair 

 for the season and comparatively few 

 are sold at the lowest figures quoted. 

 In carnations there is a sutficient sup- 

 ply of color, hut none too many white. 

 Almost any kind of a white carnation 

 will bring .$2 and good ones sell quicklv 

 at $.3, while tlie best reach $4. It i"s 

 only the poor colored flowers that sell 

 as low as $1.50 and a few down to $1. 



Violets are the only flowers of which 

 there seems to be a surplus and there 

 is an abundance in the market. A few 

 of the choicest dark ones reach .$2, but 

 the gi-eat bulk of the receipts is disposed 

 of at 50 cents to $1. 



The outlook for the relief of the rose 

 scarcity in the early futnre is not en- 

 couraging, judging from a glimpse into 

 the houses of several growers. In half 

 a dozen places the indications are that 

 the cut cannot fail to continue small for 

 several weeks. 



The general demand is fair but not 

 what was anticipated at the season. 



Various Items. 



An effort is being made to secure an 

 appropriation from the state legislature 

 for the erection and maintenance of 

 greenhouses at the state experimental 

 station at Urbana. Prof. Blair, of the 

 State University, was in the city Tues- 

 day and in conference with committees 

 from the Horticultural Society and the 

 Florists' Club a draft <if the proposed 

 bill was made and will be presented to 

 the legislature. It calls for an appropri- 

 ation of $30,000 for the first year and 

 $15,000 for the second year, and the ob- 

 jects are stated as the investigation of 

 diseases affecting greenhouse plants, ex- 

 periments with soil for such plants, etc. 

 Every florist should use his influence 

 with the representative of his district 

 in the state legislature to secure favor- 

 able action on this proposed bill. 



There was a fire Monday morning in 

 the building at the corner of Wabash 

 and Riindolph, in which so many whole- 

 sale florists are housed. Fortunately 

 the fire did not enter any of the whole- 

 sale houses, though the big glass win- 

 dow in John Muno's place was broken 

 and a flood of water poured over his 

 desk. A few doors were forced in other 

 places by the firemen while fighting the 



