February 15, ]908 



HORTICULTURE. 



2ia 



FLOWER MARKET REPORTS 



The wave of overin'oduc- 

 BOSTON tion and accumulation of 

 flowers has reached Bos- 

 ton with full force and conditions in 

 the Wholesale flower trade are unpre- 

 cedented for this date. Compared with 

 one year ago, values on many things 

 are reduced 50 to 75 per cent., and the 

 demand has shut down in all direc 

 tions. Carnations and violets are now 

 in the same predicament In which the 

 bulbous stock has been traveling for 

 some weeks, 'the latter is offered at 

 unheard-of prices but buyers are not 

 to be found even then. 



A week has just passed 

 BUFFALO that was very unsatis- 

 factory to the gi'ower, 

 wholesaler and retailer, trade being 

 simply, at. a standstill. The thermom- 

 eter registered around the "zero" 

 mark and the heavy fall of snow 

 caused no little annoyance, and the 

 shop window decorations being frozen 

 up could attract no attention toward a 

 sale for a blooming plant or spring 

 flowers. It was a matter of the whole- 

 saler carying all the supply until the 

 retailers were thawed out, the same 

 being heavy and mostly in the carna- 

 tion line. In the rose line the Beauty 

 is not over-abundant but enough to fill 

 all orders. Lilies and callas are plen- 

 tiful, and lily of the valley sales are 

 again on the quiet side. All bulbous 

 stock, violets, peas, etc., are in good 

 supply. 



Business for the past 

 CHICAGO week was very dull; in 

 fact, the retailers assert 

 they could not recall a poorer week at 

 this time of the year. Roses are still 

 quite scarce but other flowers are in 

 abundance. This being Valentine's 

 week, it should make a better .showing, 

 especially on violets. The warm spell 

 will have a tendency to bring in a 

 flood of bulb stock which is now al- 

 most a dead weight on the market. 

 Good roses retain their prices but car- 

 nations have taken a decided drop. 



Trade conditions 

 INDIANAPOLIS for the past week 

 were fair only. 

 With no social affairs to look forward 

 to, the future does not seem especially 

 bright. Bulbous stock is coming in a 

 little stronger now, daffodils selling 

 the best. Owing to the cold weather 

 the rose crop is off a little. 



The cut flower mar- 

 NEW YORK ket is badly demoral- 

 ized, values being 

 without stability on any line and the 

 demand being totally inadequate to 

 make impression on the heavy ship- 

 ments of every sort of material. It 

 would be useless to specialize, for all 

 varieties and all grades are in practi- 

 cally the same predicament and the 

 prospect for relief is exceedingly un- 

 promising. The combination of slack 

 demand and overproduction as at 

 present existing is unprecedented for 

 the month of February in the experi- 

 ence of the dealers here who are put 

 to their wits' end to find an outlet 

 for the accumulation. 



The less said 



PHILADELPHIA about business 



the past week 



the better. To repeat the remarks 



of the manngerr of the various whole- 



sale markets, or of the leading retail- 

 ers, would border on the sacrilegious. 

 Wliile everything was in over supply 

 and demand at a minimum, still there 

 was a silver lining to the cloud here 

 and there. Flowers tor funeral work, 

 and these include quite a large line, 

 roses, carnations, lily of the valley, 

 stevia, lilies, and so on. were active 

 as usual, although at lower prices. 

 American Beauty roses sold fairly 

 well, and these were never so fine nor 

 so abundant before. It is estimated 

 that the area under cultivation on 

 this rose in this vicinity doubled last 

 season. That, and the sunshiny 

 weather has put the American Beauty 

 within the reach of all this year and 

 as its greatest perfection. Draggy and 

 druggy are two excellent words to 

 size up the situation on the balance 

 of the market. The commission man 

 now has to work four times as hard 

 to move the stock, but he does not 

 .get four times as much for his labors. 

 A scientific sliding scale adjustable 

 to the service performed, high and 

 low markets, might be in order. 



FIRE RECORD. 



The three violet houses of J. Todd 

 of Poughkeepsie, N. Y., were de- 

 stro.ved by fire on January 29. The 

 loss is estimated at |3,000. 



Fire which started from overheated 

 pipes in the boiler room destroyed one 

 house and contents belonging to G. H. 

 Arnold, Braintree, Mass., on February 

 ti. Loss about $3,000. 



A fire at the gi-eenhouses of Henry 

 P. Wagner, Mt. Vernon, N. Y., on 

 February 5, caused a loss of nearly 

 17,000, which is partially covered by 

 insurance. Rapid work by the firemen 

 saved two of the houses. 



PHILADELPHIA NOTES. 



The growers here are figuring on 

 getting their coal cheaper on new 

 contracts. The shut down on indus- 

 trial activity has caused a large ac- 

 cumulation, and even the iron-clad 

 coal monopoly is loosening up a little, 

 rather than carry dead stock over to 

 next winter. 



The curbstone flower merchants 

 were banished from Market and Chest- 

 nut street only— and the oft-recurring 

 spasm of the authorities to enforce 

 Ibis edict of yeais and years ago lasts 

 but a short time. At present there 

 are plenty of these humble merchants 

 to be seen on the two prohibited 

 streets when the weather is mild. 



Lord & Burnham Co. through their 

 Philadelphia agent, D. T. Connor, have 

 secured the contract for a new addi- 

 tion to the establishment of Stephen 

 Mortensen, Southampton, consisting 

 of one house, 43x265 ft. Mr. Mortensen 

 intends to grow in same the new rose 

 Mrs. .lardine. He has made a great 

 name during the past twelve years as 

 a grower of Bride and Bridesmaid 

 roses. 



If the supposed-to-be pure and spot- 

 less governments of the cities of 

 Boston and Washington have been 

 guilty of the petty graft of using 

 plants and flowers for private purposes 

 at public expense what about the airs 

 those superior burgs put on when 

 speaking of I'hiladelphia? No such 

 graft as that has ever been heard of 

 in the Quaker City. 



Chas. F. Krueger. the Reading-ter- 

 minal florist, is sending out a sou- 

 venir postal card to his customers, 

 illustrating the interior and exterior 

 of his place during the holidays. 

 This is good advertising and quite 

 in line with the up-to-date methods 

 of this successful retailer. 



INCORPORATED. 



Mitchell & Co., Waterville, Me: G. 

 A. Mitchell, F. E. Mitchell, G. E. Ter- 

 ry; capital, ?30,000. 



Alki Floral Co.. Seattle, Wash.: H. 

 R. Anderson, .7. R. Justice, E. O. Lar- 

 son; capital, $1,^00. 



Palisades Nurseries, Sparkill, N. Y. ; 

 Angus McGillivary, J. M. Stevens, 

 James Cochran; capital, $15,000. 



The Satsuma Co., Newark, N. J.: M. 

 C. Lefferts, D. G. Maynard. J. R. Let- 

 ferts, H. C. Hulbert, J. W. Plume; 

 capital. $150,000. 



The Leedle Rosary Co., Springfield, 

 0.: C. C. Leedle, C. P. Brunner, H. J. 

 Roth, M. M. Livingston, James Sagar. 

 Arthur C. I^eedle will be manager of 

 this new company. 



BUSINESS CHANGES. 



R. A. Betz, wire worker, Cincinnati, 

 has moved to 128 E. 3rd street. 



Henry Barton, florist, Westfield, 

 .Mass., has moved to 58 Elm street. 



In ordering goods please add, "I saw 

 It in HORTICULTURE." 



LEADING RETAIL FLORISTS — 

 Index by Towns will be found in 

 Buyers' Directory. 



J. B. Murdoch & Go. 



Wbolesale Florists 



FLORISTS' SUPPLIES 



714 Penn Ave.,? PITTSBURG, PA. 



Long DIstince Phone 1435 Court. 



J. KOPELilN & CO. 



Wholesale Dealers in 



Cut Flowers and 'Florists' Supplies 



EVERGREEN AND FERN LEAVES 



OF ALL KINDS. 



21 Washington St., PROVIDENCE, R.I. 



Telephone Cooneciion. 



roberTITWsart, 



Public Accountant and Jtuditor 



Simple methods of correct accoantlni | 

 especially adapted for florists' ose. 



Books Balanced and Adiusted 



Merchanu Bank BuU<lla( 



18 STATE ST., BOSTON 



TdcphOBe, Mala jl 



The KERVANCO. '"-JTw^vW 



WHOLESALE DEALERS 



Fresh cut Palmetto & Cycas Palm Leaves, Galax, Leu- 

 cothoe. Ferns and Mosses. All Decorating Evergre««. 



