256 



The Weekly Florists' Review, 



JAXUAKV 8, 1903. 



such a large, well kept place. This was 

 our first visit here, and without exagger- 

 ating at all we never saw a place that 

 struck us with such signs of good man- 

 agement. 



Here, as at Craig's, a general assort- 

 ment of plants is grown. A house of 

 gardenias is being tried; we shall watch 

 with interest any reports concerning it. 

 A large house of holly bu.shes. in pots, 

 well berried, pyramidal form, anywhere 

 from four to eight feet higli, was the 

 leading feature in Christmas plants. 

 Tliis struck us as being a good invest- 

 ment. Investment we must call it. as all 

 the plants were imported from Europe. 

 We left Philadelphia mth the thought 

 that there was still a good opening in 

 or near Chicago for a first-class pot- 

 plant establishment. Who'll venture it? 

 James Hartshokxe. 



BUFFALO. 



New Year's Trade. 



Time was, some twenty-five years ago, 

 when New Year's day was the floral day 

 ot the who.e year. For many years it 

 has been entirely different, and New 



tiful day made everybody good tem- 

 pered and generous. 



The demand for plants was not worth 

 mentioning after the Christmas trade, 

 yet there was a little. The business was 

 cut flowers. Roses and violets were in 

 great demand and good carnations found 

 buyers freel}'. Prices have taken the 

 usual drop, which they can well aft'ard 

 to take, but are yet high enough to be 

 healthy all around. 



Sweet Peas. 



Sweet peas were quite a feature this 

 season with several local men, W. J. 

 Palmer & Son having a fine cut, and 

 Louis H. Neubeck at his Corfu place has 

 picked some twenty dozen every morn- 

 ing for several weeks past. These were 

 sown in August on benches in five inches 

 of soil and two single stems cied up to 

 a string just as you would smilax, the 

 strings being about nine inches apart 

 each way. I have never grown them 

 this way, but am inclined to think it a 

 paying crop if you have something to 

 succeed them after April. 



Items. 



Mr. C. F. Christensen had a grand 



Overhead View of the Short Roof Greenhouses of Mr. J. F. Ammann, Edwardsville, 111. 



Year's has been little more than any 

 other day of mid-winter. This year, 

 however, there was a crowd of social 

 events that maue it a busier time than 

 for many New Year's days past, the 

 annual charity ball that all societj' at- 

 tends; every club in this city held open 

 house; there were private dances, re- 

 ceptions, the coming out of some fair 

 buds and even a wedding in high life. 

 Altogether it was a. day filled with fes- 

 tivities and all wanting more or less of 

 our work and wares. And then, only 

 once in a decade do we rejoice in such 

 ideal weather — a few inches of snow 

 on the ground, the sleigh bells jingling 

 everywhere, bright sunshine all day and 

 so little below the freezing point that it 

 felt warm and balmy. Sleighing is nice 

 fun in such weather, b\it when it's zero 

 you have to sit awfully close together 

 to keep from freezing, and then your 

 loes and nose are likely to suffer. An 

 English girl on a visit to Canada said 

 shj enjoyed a sleigh ride ever so much, 

 but it was a pity it always came in such 

 cold weather. So perhaps a most beau- 



pick of carnations for Christmas. He 

 is alKiut the first around here that has 

 made a great success of that useful va- 

 riety "(ilacier." His soil or his skill 

 grows Bradt, Crane and Marquis to 

 perfection. His house of mignonette 

 was also in splendid shape for Christ- 

 mas trade, and .so was a fine batch of 

 Lilium Harrisii. 



I iiarles Guenther, of Hamburg, sent 

 in a splendid lot of Bridesmaid and 

 Bride roses. I don't moan by this that 

 he had been saving up a month's cut 

 and sent them in for Christmas, but 

 be manages to have a fine lot when they 

 are worth most and when we all want 

 them. He is a student and a rose 

 grower and his success is not "good 

 luck" ; it is knowledge and experience 

 carefuUv applied, with lots of hard 

 work. 



Violets. 



The Wise Bros., of East Aurora, have 

 been sending in a very superior grade 

 of carnations, but I don't envy them that 

 as much as I do their "Imperial" dou- 



ble violets. These have been of great 

 size and color and equal In every way 

 to the finest of the Hudson River flow- 

 ers. You may live to be ninety years 

 old and think you are a past master on 

 violet culture, having tnem beautiful 

 and growing on November 1, and in two 

 weeks the leaves are curled, the buds I 

 are wilted and you have the blues. In 

 January they will pick up again and 

 when they are worth very little you 

 will have a fine crop. Such are the 

 tribulations of marv who think they 

 know all about Viola odorata. 



Vv?. S. 



PHILADELPHIA. 



The Market- 



Business has fallen olT a little since 

 New Year's. The quantity of stufl' com- 

 ing in would seem to indicate that the 

 growers are giving their plants a much 

 needed rest. Prices held well until this 

 week, when they fell, especially on roses. 

 White flowers suitable for funeral work 

 were scarce and brought good prices, 

 much higher than colored flowers of the 

 same grade. 



The event of the week was the depart- 

 ure of Herman Schoenfeld for Harris- 

 burg on the 4:20 a. m. train on Tuesday 

 morning to be on hand bright and early 

 for the opening of the State Legislature. 

 He was loaded down with flowers — 

 bunches, bouquets and designs, including 

 a great horseshoe and a gavel for the 

 speaker's desk. Before leaving Mr. 

 Schoenfeld made an impression, as my 

 Sharon Hill friend would say, on the 

 rose and carnation markets and nearly 

 carried the sweet pea market away, tak- 

 ing l,.iOO of Edward Kcid's best blooms 

 with him — no small number for this 

 wintry month. 



The Wholesalers. 



The wholesale cnminission merchants 

 have been too busy to talk until this 

 week when the let up in business activ- 

 ity made it ])ossible to get their ideas 

 into shape regarding what was done 

 during the holidays. William J. Baker 

 was better .satisfied tlian ever before 

 with the results obtained. He said that 

 business had lieen good at Christmas 

 and since, which is saying a good deal 

 for Jfr. Baker. He deplores the hold- 

 ing back of tlowers, which makes so 

 much trouble, both with the buyers and 

 consignors, still he thinks the evil grows 

 less year by year. 



Eugene Bernheimer is gieatly encour- 

 aged by the increase in the volume of 

 his business. A letter from one of his 

 largest growers, dated December 31, was 

 very gratif}^ng. It said that the grower 

 was that day closing the most prosper- 

 ous year of his business and thanked JD'. 

 -Bernheimer for disposing of the large 

 cut of flowers at such good prices. Such 

 expression of feeling is very encourag- 

 ing to the conmiission man, doing much 

 to establish that mutual confidence so 

 necessary to plea.sant business relations. 



Geo. M. Moss is greatly pleased with 

 his holiday results. He spoke of the 

 splendid demand for all kinds of flowers, 

 commenting especially on the call for 

 white flowers ex])erienccd this week. 



IjCO Niesscn was much gratified with 

 the increase in business of 50 per cent 

 over last year. He handled an immense 

 stock of fine Beauties. His Liberties 

 and bouvardias were especially choice. 

 All orders were filled on time with 

 scarcely a complaint, and at the close of 

 Christmas day there was hardlj- $200 



