918 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



April 23, 1903. 



NEW YORK. 



The Market. 



The dispenser of weather has en- 

 deared himself to all florists here in 

 the brand he provided for the Easter 

 celebration, but as an evidence of what 

 might have been, nearly all of the week 

 following the great festival was the 

 most disagreeable of the year. Even 

 the equinoxial storms did not compare 

 with these in fury. Nevertheless the 

 business of the past week was fairly 

 satisfactory and to many of the retail- 

 ers away beyond the average of the 

 month, owing to the increase in after- 

 Lent weddings and festivities. 



The shipments of American Beauty 

 roses continued in excess of the demand, 

 however, and seldom was the price 

 raised above 15 cents for the best of 

 them. Carnations and violets have 

 been strong all through the week owing 

 to scarcity, and in the matter of violets 

 deterioration in quality. Another week 

 will record the passing of the violet. 

 For good stock $1 per 100 has been the 

 figure since Easter. 



Items. 



Wm. Plumb has comfortably located 

 in his new growing establishment at 

 Madison and has received his credentials 

 as one of that great fraternity — "the 

 Madison rose growers." We shall look 

 for a new rose within a year from this 

 source, for Mr. Plumb is like the Chi- 

 cago frog — a hustler. 



Fred C. Cliadborn, of Newburg, presi- 

 dent of the Chadborn Mfg. Co., was in 

 the city on Monday. He reports the big 

 new factory already building and an 

 abundance of contracts for the season. 



Tlie new Florists' Board of Trade is 

 making progi'ess under President Hay- 

 den's personal supervision, and deserves 

 the confidence and patronage of the trade 

 generally. Mr. Hayden is a gentleman 

 of great experience and of unblemished 

 reputation. With anything like fair 

 co-operation he will make the financial 

 reports and work of this institution a 

 necessity. 



The great Vanderbilt-Nielson wedding 

 at Newport last week was a success 

 from the practical standpoint of the 

 florist. Wadley & Smythe have certainly 

 made a good "opening" of their season 

 there. A "carte blanche" order is a 

 picnic even if it takes thirty men and 

 three carloads of flowers to do the busi- 

 ness. 



It was a "white wedding," for, with 

 the single exception of American Beau- 

 ties, white was the color employed, 

 white roses, lily of the valley, white 

 orchids and Easter lilies being most in 

 evidence. The bride's bouquet was of 

 white orchids, stephanotis and orange 

 blossoms ; the bridesmaids' of white 

 lilacs. The groom and his assistants 

 wore gardenias. 



In the main hall an antique chapel 

 was constructed of palms, Bride roses, 

 orchids and valley, an excellent imita- 

 tion. The ceiling of the chapel was 

 covered with orchids and stephanotis; 

 the walls were banks of lily of the val- 

 ley. The balcony and staircase were 

 completely hidden by Easter lilies, thou- 

 sands of them being used in construct- 

 ing the terrace. Altogether it was con- 

 sidered the most elaborate floral decora- 

 tion ever seen at this great center of 

 fashion and society. 



David Clarke's Sons have been very 



busy since Easter. Last week three 

 weddings in one day and three similar 

 engagements booked for the present 

 week. This firm decorated nine large 

 churches on Easter Sunday. 



Mrs. Warendorff at the Ansonia has 

 recovered from a serious illness and is 

 much pleased with the Easter business 

 of her store. She received the order for 

 the floral work at the funeral of Mrs. 

 Fitzsimmons, amounting to nearly $500. 



MlcConnell's nursery department is 

 overwhelmed with orders. Mr. McCon- 

 nell left for Boston on Tuesday. 



The corner of Thirty-seventh street 

 and Fifth avenue, where Siebrecht & 

 Son have held the fort for twenty-seven 

 years, has been sold to Tiffany & Co. 

 for $2,000,000. This was by all odds 

 the finest corner in New York for the 

 retail cut flower business, and only a 

 few months ago the firm had completed 

 their fine conservatory and greenhouses 

 here. Fortunately the lease reimburses 

 the firm for all these improvements, and 

 it may be some time before a move fur- 

 ther up the avenue may be necessary. 



Theo. Lang, captain of the New York 

 Bowling Club that was, is one of the 

 leaders in the city tournament and keeps 

 his arm in shape for effective work at 

 Milwaukee. New Y'ork will surely be 

 represented by a good, strong team 

 there.. 



Preparations for the New York club's 

 "outing" are about complete, and July 

 1 promises to be a record day in at- 

 tendance and athletics. Prizes for every 

 known legitimate sport are offered by 

 the club members most liberally. 



J. Austin Shaw. 



PHILADELPHIA. 



The Market 



We have been having a wonderfully 

 buoyant market for this season of the 

 year. Everything that is pretty for wed- 

 dings 'is eagerly sought. Valley is actu- 

 ally scarce, telegraphic and telephonic 

 orders to the growers being frequent. 

 Sweet peas are also rushed. White is in 

 high favor, though all colors are in de- 

 mand. The better grades of roses are 

 taken at good prices; the poorer go 

 slowly. Brides are in great demand. Fine 

 Kaiserins can now be had. Jacques are 

 excellent. Carnations sold well last week. 

 This week the supply is much heavier, 

 while the demand is not so strong. Good 

 judges expect lower prices soon. Yellow 

 daisies are popular. Easter lilies have 

 sold almost as well since Easter as be- 

 fore, the weddings using up all the fine, 

 long stemmed flowers. Violets are near- 

 ly over. Daffodils are good stock now, 

 the southern shipments being pretty well 

 over. Greens are in good demand, with 

 supply about sufficient. 



Fire Insurance. 



John Burton has sent out cards to the 

 growers, asking their reply to two ques- 

 tions: "First. Number of square feet of 

 glass operated? Second. Has a fire oc- 

 curred during the past ten years? If so, 

 amount of loss?" His idea is to present 

 facts to the insurance companies which 

 will force them to reduce the present ab- 

 surdly high rates. The move is a splen- 

 did one. Every grower should respond 

 at once. 



Gardenias. 



The novelty of the Easter cut flower 

 market was the gardenia. They were 



fine and could be had in quantity on long 

 stems covered with foliage. S. S. Pen- 

 nock sold a thousand of these large, fra- 

 grant, pure white blossoms. How many 

 Edward Reid and the Flower Market 

 handled I do not know. The best brought 

 $2 a dozen. The feeling seemed to be 

 that, although a very fine thing, the 

 price was a good one for the season. 

 This opinion was not shared by the 

 growers who produced the flowers. To 

 them it was simply a case of covering a 

 loss. 



There is an interesting story connected 

 with the production of these gardenias, 

 which, though not new, has just come 

 out. The "street" has it now, so it can 

 no longer be regarded as a secret. It 

 seems that it was known some years ago 

 that a dozen or more Philadelphians 

 greatly preferred the gardenia bouton- 

 niere, would in fact wear no other on 

 cert<ain occasions of festivity. This idea 

 originated in England, where the gar- 

 denia flourishes. The English social sea- 

 son comes at a time when these flowers 

 naturally bloom. Our own social sea- 

 son comes at a time when they naturally 

 rest. Tlie select coterie of Philadelphi- 

 ans didn't care for this little fact; they 

 w'anted gardenias anyhow and were will- 

 ing to paj' for them. A few could be 

 had occasionally, chiefly from Long 

 Island, but the supply was uncertain. 

 Tliey were easily bruised and very ex- 

 pensive. 



Here ^^■as an opportunity for Philadel- 

 phia enterprise. What matter if the 

 flowers were wanted out of season; other 

 flowers had yielded to cultural skill, 

 why should not the gardenia? It- was 

 understood that the stock was wanted 

 from Christmas, or a trifle earlier, until 

 Lent, and that really choice flowers 

 might be expected to bring $1 each or 

 thereabout, only it must be remembered 

 that the demand was limited; it might 

 easily be overdone. First one grower 

 tried, then another. Robert Craig & 

 Son tried; William K. Harris tried; 

 Robert Scott & Son tried. It was said 

 that William Kleinheinz, of Ogontz, 

 tried. I do not know whether this be 

 true. I do know that Phil tried. It 

 is a melancholy fact that despite all this 

 effort the gardenia was just as scarce 

 here as ever until the fag end of the sea- 

 son. Different methods have been tried 

 by different growers. Some had G. flor- 

 ida, some G. Fortunei; possibly some had 

 other varieties. Some had them in pots, 

 some planted out. All grew like weeds 

 during the summer and set their buds 

 nicely. Upon the advent of winter 

 weather, when everything seemed bright- 

 est for a good crop, trouble began. It 

 usually came when the grower noticed 

 that his plants were standing, the buds 

 no farther forward than the week be- 

 fore. A little gentle pushing was tried, 

 and then, alas, buds, or foliage, or both 

 fell with bright hopes. I have such con- 

 fidence in the skill and pluck of our 

 growers that I am certain that in a 

 year or two at farthest we shall have 

 gardenias in the season as well as out 

 of it. 



Notes. 



Myers & Samtman are cutting heavily 

 from their Beauties and Edgelys. 



Leo Niessen has the daffodil market 

 pretty much to himself just now. He is 

 liandiing a great many pansies. 



Joseph Bevis is sending in some 

 Brides and Maids equal to anything ever 

 seen in this city at this season. 



William J. IJaker is receiving some 



