February 26, 1903. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



527 



L. E. Marquisee's New Yellow Carnation Sunbird, Certificated at the Brooklyn Exhibition 

 of the American Carnation Society. 



trade's congratulations were fittingly ac- 

 knowledged. 



ilr. J. L. Dillon has been "renewing 

 his youth" lately. He only recovered 

 from a severe attack of the mumps in 

 time to be at the convention. But it is 

 getting fashionable to grow yoimg these 

 days, even if it be necessary to try so 

 serious a system. 



Herman Bartmann. the bulb man, 

 from Sassenheim, Holland, became a 

 member of the Brooklyn Horticultural 

 Society last week and was an enthusias- 

 tic and fraternal representative of the 

 "foreign element" at the banquet. 



John H. Taylor has Ijeen shipping 

 an average of 2.000 Lawsons a day late- 

 ly, which Mr. Eaynor has no difficulty 

 in disseminating at top prices. The 

 stock is superb, as, in fact, all "Lawson'' 

 stock has been, at nearly every whole- 

 saler's this season. 



The trip on Saturday of the 35 "left 

 overs" to the Cottage Gardens, the "old 

 fashioned sleigh ride" and the hospital 

 ity of Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Ward, to- 

 gether with a description of the great 

 carnation achievements on view there, I 

 am sure ilr. Scott will elaborate more 

 interestingly than I can. 



A "visitation" on Saturday among the 

 wholesalers and the seedsmen revealed 

 a very healthful condition of trade, and 

 an anticipatory atmosphere, that augurs 

 well for the spring business so close at 

 hand. 



In the supply houses, too. "So busy in 

 preparation for Easter that we " are 

 working night and day" is the universal 

 statement. 



At the cut flower centers the improve- 

 ment was very evident and the demand 

 was about the best of the year. Good 

 Brides and Maids were especially scarce, 

 and a few grand specimens soared to 

 25 cents when the scarcity became evi- 

 dent. Beauties, however, failed to join 

 in the general gain, but were satisfied 



to hold their own. Bulbous stock of 

 all kinds abundant. Even violets "lift- 

 ed up their heads" on Saturday and 

 values became respectable, a few hun- 

 dred specials commanding a "simoleon" 

 once again. 



Fluctuations these days, however, are 

 rapid and the better weather and sun- 

 shine of the opening days of the week 

 will doubtless create again a normal 

 condition, which, with the advent of 

 Lent, will hold during the "40 days of 

 penance" in which society is about to 

 indulge. 



A brief chat with Patrick (TMara 

 found him enthusiastic as to Florida's 

 climate, ruddy with the glow of a south- 

 ern sun's baptism and full of good prac- 

 tical ideas on the express question, 

 which if acted upon will yield rapid re- 

 turns if anything will. 



Tlie editor of the Rn-IEW can put 

 down for Saturday last in his records: 

 "My busy day." For 12 hours, and long 

 after Broadway was ablaze with its elec- 

 tric brilliance, he gave his entire time 

 to "pastoral visitations," calling on 

 nearly every firm in the business, in New 

 York, and was only prevented from see- 

 ing all by the limitation of time. His 

 welcome, and the cordial good wishes 

 expressed everywhere for the success of 

 the Rewew must have given him an in- 

 spiration as to eastern appreciation 

 and made his visit to Xew York and 

 Brooklyn a pleasant memory. 



J. AusTix Shaw. 



PHILADELPHIA. 



The Market. 



The cut flower market rather antici- 

 pated the close of the social season, be- 

 coming a little less active toward Ash 

 Wednesday, although the last couple of 

 days were full of business. The general 

 feeling among the leading retailers and 

 commission men is that Lent is improv- 



ing year by year from a business stand- 

 point, and that this year will be no ex- 

 ception to the rule. 



The stores are in full spring attire. 

 Quantities of daflfodils, tulips and hya- 

 cinths in pots and pans have reinforced 

 the azaleas, primroses and cinerarias, 

 making gay the show windows. Foliage 

 plants are moving better than at any 

 time since Thanskgiving. It is likely 

 that a good many more will be moved 

 before Easter. 



Lonsdale and Burton. 



A good many years ago, back in the 

 middle of the eighties, a group of four 

 were gathered in the landscape garden- 

 er's office in Fairmount Park. They 

 were Chas. H. iniler, the landscape gar- 

 dener; Thomas Mingey. the superintend- 

 ent; the clerk, and a" lad. It was dur- 

 ing the dinner hour at noon, and Jlr. 

 Jliller was chatting about the events of 

 the day. Presently he remembered that 

 the firm of Lonsdale & Burton had dis- 

 solved partnership. Mr. Lonsdale was 

 to build a new place at once, while Mr. 

 Burton was to carry on the old place. 

 Mr. Miller added that the wisdom of the 

 step was a question in his mind. The 

 firm had done well, very well, as pio- 

 neer growers for the wholesale cut flower 

 market in this city. There was no man 

 for the road like Lonsdale, and no man 

 for the place like Burton, but — and here 

 was the problem — could Philadelphia 

 support two such places in the future, 

 where in the past it had supported only 

 one? He evidently had grave doubts. 

 It is nearly a score of years since this 

 little scene occurred. The group is sc^t 

 tered now. Two have joined the great 

 majority; the other two have left the 

 park. Yet the scene in tiiis rather bare, 

 lofty room came vividly back to my mind 

 the other day while walking through the 

 two large places that lie side by side at 

 Wyndmoor. Then think of the many 

 other places that have grown up near 

 the city, and the progress made in our 

 business is indeed wonderful. 



Edwin Lonsdale spoke of himself as 

 conservative and old fogyish, the ex- 

 quisite humor of which was betrayed by 

 his merry laugh as much as by the roses 

 on his place-— Queen of Edgely, Ivory, 

 Golden Gate, Sunrise, and two coming 

 claimants to popular favor, both yellow, 

 a sport from tbe last named variety and 

 a promising unknown. Plants gained a 

 foothold here some years ago. There 

 is now a fine variety of crotons. Bego- 

 nia Gloire de Lorraine, some interesting 

 geraniums and Boston ferns. 



John Burton has his entire place in 

 roses, with the exception of a house of 

 Asparagus Sprengeri and a quantity of 

 Cyps. (I have an uneasy feeling that 

 there is also a house of A. pliunosus.) 

 Red is the predominating color among 

 the roses grown. Beauty, Meteor, Lil? 

 erty. and Brunner are all here. A house 

 of the latter flowered for Christmas was 

 just breaking nicely. An "Easter gam- 

 ble" was Alfred Burton's view of it. A 

 house of dormant Kaiserin was also be- 

 ing started into growth. The feature of 

 the new place across the way is the space 

 devoted to Beauties in solid beds. There 

 are two houses of them in their second 

 year. They produced a wonderful crop 

 of specials during December and are now 

 the picture of health, the long shoots 

 well set mth buds, and quantities of 

 strong breaks from the base of nearly 

 every plant. George is justly proud of 

 these ISeauties. He is seriously consid- 

 ering carrying the plants a third year. 



