■936 



HORTICULTURE 



December 31, 1910 



CHICAGO NOTES. 

 The Retailers. 

 Never were the conditions more ideal 

 for a successful Christmas from the re- 

 tailei-s' standpoint and when they havo 

 Tiad time to catch up with their sleep. 

 no doubt we shall hear this was the 

 verdict. Certainly careful preparation 

 was evident in all the stores and win- 

 dows never looked more attractive 

 than this year. Stock was dressed up 

 in the most attractive manner possi- 

 ble, baskets, matting, ribbons and 

 everything offered in novelties used to 

 the best advantage. Pussy willows 

 were more in evidence than usual and 

 made a pretty addition. 



Geo. Piesser is now at W. J. Smyth's 

 and seems equally well fitted for either 

 the retail or wholesale business. This 

 store had a particularly tasteful ar- 

 rangement of green wreathing. Strands 

 of the green reached from points two 

 feet apart at the front of the windows 

 and were fastened at a common point 

 at the center of the two sides of room. 

 A miniature forest of evergreen trees 

 gave a beautiful effect to the other 

 window. Samuelson's store was a blaze 

 of color. His window had a large ball 

 of ruscus as a center and from it were 

 draped red ropes to all sides of the 

 ceiling. A lattice work of red and 

 green made an effective background. 



Trade Jottings. 



Some large local orders were can- 

 celled on account of the loss of the 

 lives of the twenty-four Chicago fire- 

 men on the 22nd. 



J. A. Budlong's addition of lily of 

 the valley to his regular stock is prov- 

 ing a decided success. Mr. Budlong 

 started in this line only this year and 

 his stock is especially large and fine 

 and was in just in time for the holi- 

 days. 



The mid-winter Flower Show of the 

 West Chicago Park Commissioners is 

 being held at the conservatory in Gar- 

 field Park, from December 18 to Jan- 

 uary 2, inclusive. The conservatory 

 will be open from 8 o'clock until 10 

 o'clock in the evening. 



The Chicago Carnation Co. is much 

 pleased with its first Christmas in Chi- 

 cago and could have sold many times 

 its stock. Carnation Washington is 

 gaining in favor and as grown by this 

 firm is a most beautiful flower, as pro- 

 ductive as its parent. Enchantress. 



One of our wholesalers among 

 the oldest in experience in the market 

 is much pleased with the Christmas 

 prices. He thinks lower prices at the 

 holidays means better trade during the 

 season and that the way prices have 

 formerly run up previous to Christmas 

 has thrown a damper on the sale of cut 

 flowers turning the trade to plants. 

 Certain it is that while extreme prices 

 were not reached, the wholesalers one 

 and all are rejoicing in a good Christ- 

 mas trade. 



E. C. Amling, who has one of the 

 largest commission houses in Chicago, 

 will move early in January to the first 

 floor of the building, the rest of which 

 is occupied by the A. L. Randall Co., 

 at 19 Randolph St. Mr. Amling has 

 been in business in Chicago fifteen 

 years, ten of which were in his present 

 location. The present move is made to 

 accommodate the increase in business 

 and he will have double the floor space. 



The largest ice box will be moved and 

 a new one 10 ft. x 30 ft. and 8 ft. deep 

 will be built by Orr & Lockett which 

 is said to have the greatest capacity 

 of any ice box in the city. At this 

 writing it is not decided who will take 

 the corner vacated by Mr. Amling but 

 It is too good a location to be vacant. 



Personal. 



Mrs. E. E. Piesser and Mr. G. H. 

 Piesser are both reported as recovering 

 from their illness. 



Mrs. Jas. Rosenthal, sister of 0. J. 

 Friedman, was buried on Monday, De- 

 cember 26th, 1910. 



John Gormley of Ganger & Gormley, 

 and formerly of Boston, is very ill at 

 the Chicago Union Hospital, the resu't 

 of a relapse following an operation a 

 few weeks ago. 



PHILADELPHIA NOTES. 



Edward Reid is now comfortably set- 

 tled in his new quarters 1619-1621 Ran- 

 stead street, one block west of his old 

 quarters. Mr. Reid reports a very suc- 

 cessful season and is hopeful and en- 

 thusiastic as to the general outlook. 



The Harrison Nurseries of Berlin, 

 Md.. have an elaborate exhibit of ever- 

 greens and ornamental nursery stock 

 at the Reading Terminal Market. This 

 is worth going to see. Our old friend, 

 Chas. L. Seybold, of Baltimore, is in 

 charge of the exhibit. 



E. J. Fancourt of the Pennock-Mee- 

 han Co., has just returned from a 

 twelve weeks' business trip north and 

 west and reports excellent business all 

 along the line. He is particularly 

 proud of the pocketful of big orders 

 for their new rose introductions tor 

 1911— Melody and Double Pink Killar- 

 ney. 



George S. Hampton, Jr., returns to 

 Michell's, January 1st. He has been 

 with a wholesale florists' supply house 

 for several years as outside salesman, 

 and is now an experienced and effi- 

 cient artist in that line. He will un- 

 doubtedly make good in a similar ca- 

 pacity with his old house — who are 

 to be congratulated on getting back 

 one of their most popular undergrad- 

 uates — finished and polished in the 

 school of outside experience. 



The growing importance of ornamen- 

 tal gardening on the Pacific Coast is 

 well exemplified in the fact that one 

 of the most important horticultural 

 establishments in the country (Messrs. 

 Dreer) has recently issued a special 

 rose catalogue (16 pp. and cover), en- 

 tirely and exclusively for that particu- 

 lar locality. The catalogue is beauti- 

 fully illustrated, and the descriptions 

 are concise and accurate. One of the 

 most important features is the dis- 

 crimination exercised in keeping out 

 undesirable varieties. The fact that 

 the head of the house has resided for 

 many years in California gives the 

 firm a powerful lever in knowing what 

 to reject, which is just as important 

 as knowing what to put in, when it 

 comes to catalogue making. 



The December lecture at the Henry 

 F. Michell Company's on December 27, 

 was very largely attended. Fully one 

 hundred truckers and their wives were 

 present. Prof. J. W. Gregg, of State 

 College, Pa., talked on "Market Gar- 

 dening — Improvement of Soil — Selec- 

 tion of Seed — Proper Method of Mar- 

 keting — Insects and Diseases." The 



main points brought forth were that 

 the average trucker is backward in ap- 

 plying sufficient stable manure and in 

 tilling the land deep enough. He 

 claims that 75 tons of stable manure 

 (or more) should be used per acre, ana 

 that most truckers think they are 

 plowing from 7 to S in. deep, while in 

 reality the plow does not go deeper 

 than i in. In the selection of seeds, 

 the leciurer recommended that one buy 

 the very highest-priced if an improved 

 strain could possibly be secured. In 

 marketing he advised that each trucker 

 should study the needs of the market 

 and grow only that for which he will 

 find ready sale. He should also study 

 to put up his goods uniformly, honest- 

 ly, and attractively, packing up vege- 

 tables so they do not need re-packing, 

 in boxes containing sufficient for an 

 average family, so the goods are not 

 handled several times before they are 

 consumed. In regard to insects and 

 diseases, he claims no trucker needs 

 to lose any sleep, providing he treats 

 the soil properly, because it stands to 

 reason that the healthy plant is im- 

 mune from diseases and insects (?) 

 Those present were intensely interested 

 and showed this fact by asking many 

 questions. The next lecture, on "Spray- 

 ing," will take place on January 30th 

 at 11 a. m.; lecturer, C. W. Tablee, of 

 The Horticultural Distributing Co. 



OBITUARY. 



William H. Allen. 

 Wm. H. Allen, a well-known market 

 gardener, died at his home in Arling- 

 ton, Mass., on December 12. 



E. C. Stache. 



Edward C. Stache, father of Herman 

 C. Stache, a well-known florist of West 

 Manchester, N. H., died at his home, 

 649 2d street, on December 17, aged 60 

 years. 



William Kitzerow. 



William Kitzerow, formerly a florist 

 in Milwaukee, father of C. F. Kitzerow, 

 who is also in the florist business In 

 Milwaukee, died at the home of his 

 daughter, Mrs. Bertha Wendland, in 

 Chicago, on December 18, aged 81 

 years. Mr. Kitzerow was born in 

 Pragen, Germany, and came to Mil- 

 waukee in 1846. 



Mrs. Peter Mergen. 

 Mary E. Mergen, wife of Peter Mer- 

 gen of Maryville, Mo., died December 

 15th after several months' illness at 

 the age of 56 years. Mrs. Mergen, one 

 of the pioneer florists of northwestern 

 Mi.ssouri, started in a small way in 

 1884 and was successful from the first. 

 The business was finally established 

 under the firm name of Peter Mergen 

 & Co. She is survived by her husband, 

 who has sold the stock and good-will 

 of the business and leased the green- 

 houses. 



The Biltmore Nursery, in North Car- 

 olina, will again supply the nursery 

 stock for the public parks and squares 

 of the city. The contract was given 

 out yesterday by the Board of Awards 

 on the recommendation of Mr. William 

 S. Manning, general superintendent of 

 parks, the concern having submitted 

 the lowest bid— $2,223.55. Thomas Mee- 

 han iV- Sons offered to supply the stock 

 for $2,424.00. — Baltimore American. 



