October 24, 1914 



HORTICULTUKE 



597 



Flower Market Reports 



BOSTON 



The story of flower 

 market conditions in 



Boston this week may be 

 told in a very few words. There is no 

 flower obtainable at this season of the 

 year in the wholesale mans, that is 

 not stagnated in superfluous accumu- 

 lation for which a market is simply 

 out of the question. What sales are 

 made are from the high-grade stock 

 and at the prices of tlie refuse, the 

 latter being absolutely unsalable. The 

 quality generally, in all sorts of flow- 

 ers is very fine. Even dahlias, which 

 were supposed to be finished up for 

 this year, are coming in under the re- 

 juvenating i-ains and merry sunlight, 

 In quality better than heretofore and 

 they have the unusual experience of 

 facing the chrysanthemum hosts, al- 

 ready in the trenches and with loaded 

 guns. Carnations are side-tracked as 

 effectively as anything else and, al- 

 though of excellent quality, they are 

 not wanted. So much for glorious 

 weather and other glorious things too 

 numerous to mention. 



Trade conditions have 

 BUFJ^ALO changed but little. Too 

 much of the outdoor ma- 

 terial, dahlias, gladioli, asters, mignon- 

 ette marigolds, cosmos and other truck 

 filling a good portion of the whole- 

 salers' counter space. With chrysan- 

 themums coming on heavier each day 

 and the increase in supply of carna- 

 tions, roses, lilies, lily of the valley, 

 violets and other stock the market is 

 badly weighted, although the dealers 

 are making excellent show and win- 

 dow decorations and encouraging the 

 buyers to their utmost. Bargain sales 

 on Saturday did not help much as the 

 threatening weather had a tendency to 

 hold off the buyer of cemetery flowers. 



The market still re- 

 CHICAGO mains inactive. Week 



after week has found 

 practically the same condition and 

 now on the 20th of October, flower 

 beds are as bright as ever and not a 

 vine has been touched by frost. Social 

 events are becoming more important 

 and the opening of clubs and a few 

 weddings have called for more or less 

 flowers but the volume of fall business 

 has not begun. The principal change 

 in the market is the finishing up of 

 the big crop of roses that has been 

 coming in for many weeks. About 

 Thursday the 15th it began to be 

 noticeable and by Saturday the 

 change was apparent to all. It has 

 made no material difference as yet, for 

 the demand is so light. Chrysanthe- 

 mums are coming in large numbers, 

 a great many of them being below 

 grade. The great number of chrysan- 

 themums, according to one of the 

 largest growers, is making no differ- 

 ence this year in the sale ol' Ameri- 

 can beauties. Lily of the valley is no 

 longer scarce and special prices are 

 often made to move it. Violets are 

 very slow sale. Orchids sell spasmod- 

 ically and either sell at a fair price 

 or go unsold. All kinds of green can 

 he had in quantity and no great 

 amount can be sold. Shipping trade 

 is fair. 



FOR HALLOWE'EN WE OFFER 



QUEEN OF AUTUMN 



LARGE CHRYSANTHEMUMS 

 MEDIUM CHRYSANTHEMUMS 

 SMALL CHRYSANTHEMUMS 



Any Quantity Any Grade Any Variety 



Mf.lium. *r..0(), Sli.oo. SX.(K) anil $10.00 per 



KHI. fl.oiie. $12.50, $15.0(1, $i0.00 per 



KM). 

 V.\I,LKV— Special, $4.00 per 100; Extra, 



$:i.00 per 100. 

 CATTLEYAS— Special, $fi.00 per doz., 



$40.00 per 100; Extra, $5.00 per iloz., 



SSo.liO per 100; First, $1.00 per doz., 



Si.',.(M» per 100. 

 OAKKKM.VS— Special, $3.00 per doz.; 



Fancy, $2.00 per doz. 



Send tor our plant price list. 



EVERYTHING IN RIBBONS AND 



FLORISTS' SUPPLIES. 



Send for our catalogue. 



S. S. PENNOCK-MEEHAN CO. 



The Wholesale Florists of Philadelphia 





REW YORK 

 117 W. 28ih Si. 



FBILADELPBU 

 1608-1620 Udlon St. 



BALTIMORE 



Franklin and St. Paal Sts. 



WASHINGTON 



1216HSt.,N.W. 



WHOLESALE FLOWER MARKETS — 



TRADE PR«CES-^P,«j,'OOlERS ONLY 



Roses 



Am. Beauty, Special 



•' " Fancy and Extra 



No. I 



KiUamey, Richmond, Extra 



Ordinary.- 

 Exi 



HillingdoD, Ward, Sunburst, Extra 



" " " Ordinary. 



Maryland, Shawyer, Taft, Extra 



'• " *' Ordinary .. . 



Russell, Hadley, Ophelia 



Carnations, Fancy 



" Ordinary 



Catlleyas 



Lilies, Longif lorum 



Lily of the Valley 



Violets 



Corn Flower 



Chrysanthemums 



Dahlias 



Sweet Peas 



Gardenias 



Adiantum 



Smilax ; 



Asparagus Plumosus, Strings ^loo). 

 " " & Spren. (too Bchs.) .. 



BOSTON 



Oct. 22 



ST. LOUIS 



Oct. 19 



PHILA. 



Oct. 19 



10.00 to 



5.00 to 



1. 00 to 



3,00 to 



.50 to 



3.00 to 



.50 ;o 



4.00 to 



1. 00 to 



1.00 to 



1 .00 to 



.50 to 



12.00 

 8.00 

 3.00 



4.00 



2.00 



4.00 



2.00 

 6.00 

 3.00 

 8.00 



2.00 

 1. 00 



30.00 to 40.00 



6.00 to " " 



3.00 to 



.25 to 



.25 to 

 2.00 to 



8.00 



4.00 

 .50 



.50 

 8.00 



to 



.40 to 



20.C0 to 



.50 to 



4.00 to 



25.00 to 50.00 



15.00 to 35'00 



.60 



25.00 



1. 00 

 10.00 



20.00 to 



10.00 to 



5.00 to 



4.00 to 



1. 00 to 



4.00 to 



2.00 to 



4.00 to 



1.00 to 



4.00 to 



2.00 to 



.00 to 



25.00 

 15.00 

 8.00 

 6.00 

 2.00 

 6.00 

 3.00 



5.00 



2. 00 



S.oo 

 3.00 



1.50 



15.00 to ao.oo 



8.00 to 12.50 



3. CO to 



4.00 to 



1,00 to 



4,00 to 



1 ,00 to 



4.00 to 



1.00 to 



2.00 to 



2.00 to 



1,00 to 



6.00 

 6.00 



3.00 



40.00 to 50.00 20.00 to 



6.00 



3.00 to 



.20 to 



8.00 

 4.00 



.»5 



10.00 to 20.00 



i.oo to 4.00 



.50 to .75 



1.00 to 

 10.00 to 

 35.00 to 



1.25 



12.50 

 50.00 



15.00 to 25.00 



6.00 to 

 1.00 to 

 .25 to 

 .30 to 

 2.00 to 

 1.00 to 

 to 



3.00 



s.oo 



3.00 



I2.00 



3-00 



i-SO 

 50.00 

 10.00 



4.00 



•50 



.40 



20.00 



3.00 



13. 00 to 



.75 to 

 15.00 to 



25.00 



I. CO 



20.00 

 to 50.00 

 to 50.00 



In our many years 

 NEW YORK familiarity with the 

 New York wholesale 

 flower district we have never known 

 such a redundance of fine flowers as 

 is in evidence on all sides this week. 

 Ice boxes, tables and floors are heaped 

 high with roses, lilies, carnations, 

 dahlias, violets and chrysanthemums 

 of high degree, the larger part of 

 which it is impossible to dispose of at 

 any quotable figure. $5.00 a thousand 

 is gladly accepted for roses in quan- 

 tity and even at that, the buyers 

 are very capricious about quality. 

 One wholesaler estimated the stock of 

 speciosum rubrum lilies on his hands 

 one day this week, at 25,000. Other 

 stock is in proportion, so some idea 

 is readily conveyed of the enormous 

 quantity of material on hand just as 

 the chrysanthemums are beginning to 

 assert themselves, and what it means 

 for the next few weeks especially if 

 the lovely weather should continue. 

 The country is too beautiful and auto 

 riding too much of a pleasure for peo- 

 ple to have any interest in store flow- 

 ers. People of means are buying noth- 

 ing and if it were not for the spec- 

 ulative element, distributing flo\vers 

 at cheap prices through popular chan- 

 nels, the situation would be hopeless. 



Trade reports are 

 PHILADELPHIA not so optimistic 

 this time; rather 

 •on the blink." The weather has 

 been so fine— all kinds of outdoor 

 stock in immense supply. This has 

 had a marked effect on the demand 

 for choicer and more expensive mate- 

 rials. What the growers are praying 

 for now is a hard black frost, which 

 would finisn the dahlias and other 

 disturbing factors. Then the roses 

 and chrysanthemums and other fine 

 things would have a show. The com- 

 mission man has had to do an awful 

 lot of work for nothing. As a rule 

 he did a dollar's worth in labor and 

 overhead expenses for every ten cents 

 he got back. And yet the growers 

 find fault; and the retailers grumble 

 and the "seceders" fuss. The latter's 

 latest idea is to standardize prices— 

 never offer your customer a bargain; 

 have a standard price: don't cheapen 

 your goods. We have not heard any 

 of these men remark that they would 

 refuse to accept a bargain themselves 

 if offered to them. Of course, that's 

 very different. 



