April 13, 1907 



horticulture: 



505- 



rSOUTHERN WILD SMILAXl 



I 



We are booking orders now for future delivery for Fancy Greens 

 and Beaven's Fadeless Sheet Moss. Wrlta far Samplem. 



E. A. BEAVEN, Evergreen, Ala. 



CUT FLOWER MARKET REPORTS 



If anything, the market 



BOSTON is worse than it was last 

 weelt. There is certainly 

 no improvement apparent. Although 

 the very inclement weather has 

 shortened up the supply of flowers 

 generally the markets have gained 

 nothing as conditions are such that 

 the street men can do nothing to un- 

 load the surplus, as they would if the 

 crowds were out. Out-of-town trade 

 has held up much better than the city 

 trade -and has proved a valuable asset 

 to the shippers who, otherwise, would 

 lose the larger part of their stock. 

 Quality holds good on about every- 

 thing, especially roses which have 

 never been better at this season of the 

 year. Violets have improved and 

 taken a second lease on life, under the 

 wintry weather. Carnations and lilies 

 are abundant, with the latter badly 

 congested. 



The after-Easter deluge 



BUFFALO began on Monday last 

 and continued through- 

 out the week, the weather being much 

 the cause. Up to Friday there was 

 an oversupply on stock such as has 

 not been seen in many days. Lilies 

 and callas were in heavy supply with 

 no outlook. Carnations are being car- 

 ried along from day to day, but the 

 outlet did not come until Saturday, 

 when bargains were in order and a 

 good lot of carried-over stock was 

 cleaned up. Roses were also plenti- 

 ful, the quantity being good, but they 

 took the same course as the rest. 

 Lily of the valley, psas and other 

 stock suffered also. Violets sold con- 

 siderably better, the quality being 

 good. This week the trade has 

 started in much better and prospects 

 look bright for good business. 



The past week we 



COLUIVIBUS have been feeling the 

 usual after effects of 

 a great Easter business. Violets are 

 at last being received in good quality, 

 but are selling very low. Roses are 

 fine in quality. Richmond is having 

 and has had right along a great run. 

 Carnations are better this week than 

 for a long time. We are getting very 

 much disgusted with the large 

 amount of "pickled" stock that many 

 try to work upon us. Bulb stock is 

 now drawing to an end, and no one is 

 sorry, as such enormous quantities of 

 it as we have had lately are very hard 

 to handle with satisfaction to either 

 grower or customer. Considering 

 everything, trade is in a good healthy 

 condition, and all are well satisfied. 



To size the Easter situa- 



DETROIT tion up it was much be- 

 yond all expectations. 

 Everybody ■was exhausted by Monday 

 morning and many closed their shops 

 at noon. The most elaborate prepara- 

 tions for delivering goods were in 

 most cases foimd to be below the re- 

 quirements. The grower probably did 

 not fare as well as the retailer. The 



warm weather just previous to Easter 

 brought the stock on too fast and lilies 

 were very soft and easily spoiled; 

 bulbous stock was also over plentiful. 

 A heavy crop of roses and carnations 

 all around falling due for Easter made 

 matters appear unpropitious for a 

 while. To the surprise of all every- 

 thing cleaned up well. There being 

 plenty of stock on hand every re- 

 tailer procured a good supply and, 

 although prices kept up well, the con- 

 sumer meeting a large display every- 

 where felt more inclined to buy liber- 

 ally. Plants and cut flowers and es- 

 pecially fancy baskets went very well. 

 At the present supply is above the 

 demand although there is no real 

 stagnation in the business. Som.ething 

 doing all around. 



The volume of 

 INDIANAPOLIS Easter business 



exceeded anything 

 in the previous history of the Indian- 

 apolis market but the aggregate money 

 value of sales for the week does not 

 make a larger if as large a sum as 

 in 1906. The Easter weather was all 

 that could be desired but the warm 

 weather for the two preceding weeks 

 brought out all the bulb flowers too 

 soon, some growers losing two-thirds 

 of their stock. There was abundance! 

 of everything in the cut flower line 

 except lilies and violets. Violets were 

 of poor quality and limited quantitj'. 

 Lilies ra.n very lew; the greater part 

 of the trade was unable to get them. 

 The best buyers chose flowering 

 plants in preference to cut flowers 

 particularly the higher giades. There 

 was a noticeable increase in plant sales 

 this year although an immense amount 

 of cut stock was handled Saturday and 

 Sunday. 



Conditions since 

 NEW YORK Easter have been 



very perplexing to 

 the wholesale dealers. The general 

 demand has been far below normal, 

 while the shipments from the growing 

 districts have been enormous, and 

 values have been battered down to 

 the lowest peg by the dealers who 

 are in full control of the situation for 

 the time being. Lilies that failed to 

 reach the goal for Easter are being 

 received in huge quantities, most of 

 them bearing evidence of the pace 

 they were put to in the futile en- 

 deavor to get them out on time. 

 Roses seem to be doing their best to 

 average up on the short crops that 

 prevailed throughout the winter. All 

 bulbous material is badly congested, 

 none more so than lily of the valley, 

 which is a burden on the hands of all 

 the wholesalers. Retail trade is very 

 dull, and April has, thus far, failed to 

 come up to its reputation as a profit- 

 able month. With a lively demand at 

 the present time, the retailers could 

 make some money with the oppor- 

 tunity for buying material so cheaply. 



The market on 

 PHILADELPHIA cut flowers was 



very slow last 

 week. There was an extra demand 

 for sweet peas, with supply ample. 

 Roses and carnations 'steen times as 

 many as wanted. Lily of the valley 

 sold a little better, but still long. Cut 

 lilies sold fairly well; arrivals and 

 enquiries about equal. There are a 

 few good double violets coming in • 

 yet, but the singles are nearly over. 

 In orchids, there is little of conse- 

 quence except a few good cattleyas- 

 which find ready takers. Far too many 

 daffodils and poeticus from the South. 

 A new item is the golden Spanish 

 iris. On the whole, however, there 

 were but few bright glints to relieve 

 the gloom of the situation. The April 

 weddings that were counted on to 

 make things hum came along all 

 right, but they were entirely inade- 

 quate to prevent the general slump. 



Trade since Easter 

 TWIN CITIES week has been ex- 

 ceptionally quiet; 

 even the larger stores have done prac- 

 tically nothing. The opening of the 

 new city Auditorium in St. Paul cre- 

 ated some demand, but it seemed to 

 run more on violets than anything 

 else. Stock is plentiful, especially 

 roses, which are quoted very low. 

 Carnations are in abundance, but for 

 some reason the price has not de- 

 clined to any extent. Bulb stock is 

 on the wane. Violets are also about 

 through, and those that are now of- 

 fered are very light colored. About 

 every dealer has on hand a number 

 of Easter plants; in one place from 

 100 to 150 fine lily plants were car- 

 ried over; there are also some fine 

 specimen azalea plants, but all other 

 Easter stock sold to good advantage. 



NEWPORT'S EASTER MARKET. 



Easter business was on the whole 

 very satisfactory. Of course it would 

 have been much more so if lilies had 

 been in proper condition'' in greater 

 numbers, but even as it was I do not 

 think any grumbling is at all justifi- 

 able in view of all the facts. In nearly 

 all the stores there were many lilies 

 that might be supposed would remain 

 there for the prolonged decoration of 

 the stores, but they didn't; every one 

 ol them found a purchaser because 

 better could not be had at any price. 

 Azaleas, deutzias and spireas sold fair- 

 ly well at usual prices. Genistas in. 

 S-in. pots were in good demand. Hy- 

 drangeas, H. P. roses, and acacias sold 

 well at good prices. Baby Ramblers 

 and Crimson Ramblers were favorites 

 in about equal degree. Dorothy Per- 

 kins was picked up quickly. White hy- 

 acinths took the place of lilies when 

 the latter disappeared from view. Cut 

 flowers were in such demand that on 

 Saturday evening there was nothing Ini 

 that line left. D. M. 



