HORTICULTURi: 



CUT-FLOWER MARKET REPORTS 



There has been little or no 



BALTIMORE dumcc in th.- ni.irk.-l over 



last week :iihl - '■ '> i \v ■ \- 



ception of Tuesday and W' -! i / . I < n 



funeral work came in a littli 1 1 1 •"■'-- 



been nothing doing to spcik ..i. G.md 

 Beauties seem to be the leading llower with 

 the few buyers, and there is a slight demand 

 for first-class stock. Golden Oatcs, while 

 not of the first class order, are holding their 

 own, and a number of the growers are now 

 bringing in fairly good Couchet roses. 



The beautiful window disi)lay usually 

 noticeable among the floral establishments 

 on North Charles street have been on the 

 decUne during the past few weeks, owing to 

 the intense heat and the marked scarcity of 

 good flowers. During the past si.x or seven 

 days, however, there has been an improve- 

 ment in this line owing to the Christian 

 Endeavor meeting which has been the means 

 of bringing thousands of visitors from all 

 parts of the country to this city. This in- 

 flu.x of strangers, however, has had very 

 little effect upon sales. 



Owing to the extreme heat of 

 BOSTON the past week, stock has been 

 arriving in poor condition, buy- 

 ers buying only what is absolutely necessary 

 and with many complaints in regard to this 

 condition of stock. Roses, carnations, and 

 sweet peas have been plentiful, with not 

 much of a demand for the latter. As this 

 is the season of the year that the growers 

 take advantage of conditions and are begin- 

 ning to repair and remodel their green- 

 houses, it is e.xpected that shipments of 

 carnations will soon decrease. 



The market the past week has 



BUFFALO entered into midsummer dull- 

 ness. Everything in the so- 

 cial Une is about over and business is at a 

 standstill, a glut on nearly everything, even 

 Beauties of best quaUty were hard to move. 

 Carnations, sweet peas, roses, flooded the 

 market. Candidum UUes of good quality 

 were abundant for a few days, but sales were 

 slow as on everything else. Roses were a 

 total glut, some conspicuous signs amongst 

 retailers offer roses at $i per hundred, 1 2 cents 

 per dozen. Carnations in about same boat, 

 while peas found no sales at all. 



The coming week the Elks Reunum is to 

 be held in Buffalo, and it is to be ho|ied that 

 the market will again regain its lost vatahty 

 as this week was one of the dullest in many 

 days. 



That it was the dull season 



CHICAGO in the cut-flower trade was 

 very evident the first of the 

 week, although good stock sold rapidly and at 

 a good figure. The supply was fortunately 

 very moderate. There was a fair quantity 

 of young stock in teas of splendid color and 

 nuaUty, and as the end of the week 

 approached everything was well cleanec^ 

 up with the exception of sweet jieas and 

 other outdoor flowers. Carnations were of 

 inferior quaUty and outdoor carnations sold 

 at whatever the grower could get Asters 

 brought about $1.50 per hundred; lily of the 

 valley held its own; ferns and fancy greens 

 were in abundance. The demand for Amer- 

 ican Beauties was steady, exceeding the 

 supply, the quaUty was good. 



Little can be said in regard 

 CINCINNATI to business or stock as con- 

 ditions remain about the 

 same at in last report. Several of the flor- 

 ists have taken advantage of the preserit 

 quiet condition of trade and are taking their 

 vacations. Fred Lautenschlager of Chicago 

 was a caller this week. 



Prices remain about same as last reported. 



Business conditons last 

 LOUISVILLE week were very good Sat- 

 urday, but the balance of 

 the week was very slow. The demand bi:- 

 came so great the last day that nothing ilesir- 

 able could be obtained. Carnations of fair 

 quality can be obained in ade(|uate quanti- 

 ties, and sell up to expectations. Sweet peas 

 have sold unusually well, but can no longer' 

 be obtained in quaritity Other stock does 

 n. it find much demand. 



Notwithstanding a somewhat 

 NEWPORT late beginning the florists of 



Newport are doing quite as 

 well as last year, while indications point to a 

 rush of business during August and Sep- 

 tember. 



Sweet peas as usual, are already almost a 

 drug on the market. This is perhaps in- 

 tensified by an abundant crop of out-door 

 roses lasting longer than usual; these being 

 cheap, are bought in preference to sweet 

 peas by people who look to the price of 

 things. Good roses are somewhat scarce. 

 Beauties especially, but much better stock 

 came in during the last few days. Only a few 

 functions have so far been held, although 

 quite a number of small, but select dinner 

 parties have been given; it is at some of these 

 quiet little affairs that the most exquisite 

 table decorations are seen. Florists are 

 therefore very eager for that class of work 

 for two reasons, first because it is very 

 profitable, and second because if an unusu- 

 ally favorable impression is made by the 

 work of the decorator more orders of a Uke 

 nature come in soon after. 



It would be difficult to ex- 

 NEW YORK aggerate the unprecedented 

 stagnation that prevails in 

 the wholesale cut-flower market here at the 

 present time. Recognized as a season of the 

 year when but little can be done, it has, nev- 

 ertheless, dismayed even the most pessimis- 

 tic with its utter barrenness. It is to be 

 borne in mind that the situation is not the 

 result of a sudden collapse, but is in line 

 vrith experience ever since the first of last 

 March, since which time a comparison of 

 business with that of the preceding year or 

 the average of previous years has almost in- 

 variably shown a falling off in magnitude as 

 well as spirit. The dealer who has the least 

 stock to sell is at present, the fortunate man, 

 and the most uncomfortable is the commis- 

 sion man whose growers are numerous and 

 zealous. Roses from young stock of this 

 year are already very much in evidence, and 

 it doesn't take a very large box to hold u 

 thousand of them or a very deep pocket to 

 hold the proceeds therefrom. Carnations 

 are away down as to quahty also. Sweet 

 peas swarm everywhere, many of them of 

 very inferior quahty, but some remarkably 

 fine. Asters are already here and it is pre- 

 dicted by those who have been looking over 

 the ground that this market is booked for an 

 avalanche of these flowers a Utle later on, 

 the like of which has never been seen here 

 or anywhere else. 



Business the past week has 



PHILA- 

 DELPHIA 



been experiencing the 



The 



quality of flowers arriving has been poor, as 

 was to be expected at this season. The only 

 exceptions in the rose line that could be 

 noted were Kaiserin and Beauties which were 

 in pretty good shape and went fairly well. 

 In carnations most of the stock that came 

 in was asleep; but a slight imiJroveinent was 

 noted toward the end of the week. Lily of 

 the valley of the best grade was not over- 

 plentiful and went fairly well. Water lilies 

 and other out-door stock were in liberal 

 supply, but the commission houses as a ruU- 

 did not bother with same. Early closings 



and vacations are now in order and the 

 majority of the trade is now laying in a 

 stock of caloric for the fall trade. 



President Roo.sevelt's daugh- 



SAN ter Alice is here, and at an 



FRANCISCO affair held in her honor 



this week she wore in her 



h:iir "the pride of California," a Hannah 



Ilobart carnation of exquisite beauty. Flowers 



generally are making a poor showing. 



Not in thirty-four years have San Francisco 

 and the bay counties experienced weather so 

 over-charged with calorific rays as has been 

 that of the week beginning with the Fourth 

 of July, and the abundance of seasonable 

 flowers in market this week is far inferior to 

 the normal standard of excellence. 



The growers of roses and 

 ST. LOUIS carnations in this vicinity are 



throwing out old plants and 

 planting young stock. Carnations are very 

 poor at present, and long-stemmed Beauties 

 of good quaUty are scarce. One of the 

 wholesalers had a lot of Bridesmaids recently, 

 the best that have been seen in tliis market 

 since last vrinter. During the past week 

 there have been a great many weddings and 

 funerals, and the retailers have been kept 

 ijuite busy. The plant business in this city 

 has not faUen off as expected after the 

 World's Fair, but has been good all through 

 the season. 



SEED TRADE 



A new seed company is about to be incor- 

 porated at Washington, D. C, styUng itself 

 The Pure Seed and Plant Company of 

 America. 



The stockholders are mainly fanners, and 

 one of the principal aims is to have the 

 farmers cooperate in the effort to secure 

 pure seeds, especially of grasses and clovers, 

 by keeping their farms free of weeds, so far 

 at least as it is practicable to do so. Further 

 infonnation concerning this new concern 

 will be furnished to Horticitliuee in the 

 near future. The headquarters of the new 

 company wiU be at IndianapoUs, Ind. A 

 list of the promoters and officers will be given 

 shortly. 



During the past ten days the weather has 

 been very favorable for crops, and especially 

 beans and corn, but we need many weeks 

 more equally favorable to insure crjps of 

 these important seeds. 



r 



WANTS 



i 



GOOD MEN 



thos. h. 

 Bambrick 



34 South 7th St., Philadelphia 



Help of all kincU, iiieliKliii); that for 

 FloriBtd, Nurserymen, SeeiUineii an.l the 

 Horticultural trade generally. 



WANTED ~ Young man to take charge of carnation 

 houses. Must furnish references. .Situation will be 

 open September 1st. Address V, care of HORTI- 



CtlLTURP:, 11 Haroihon Place, Boston. 



- A working foreman and manager, one 



