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H R T I C U L T U K E 



February 17, 1917 



NEWS ITEMS FROM EVERYWHERE 



CHICAGO. 



It seems probable at this writing, 

 Feb. 13, that St. Valentine's Day is 

 going to exceed any previous record 

 made as a florists' holiday. It has been 

 steadily gaining in importance for 

 several years and the effect of the 

 special advertising campaign, promoted 

 by Fred Lautenschlager, who by the 

 way, is a past representative of Hiiini- 

 rtiTi HE. is being felt all over the city. 

 Some of the retail florists have ordered 

 heavily of potted plants and prepara- 

 tions for the day have been second 

 only to those for Christmas. Mrs. Rus- 

 sell rose took the place of American 

 Beauty, now extremely scarce, in more 

 ways than one, for prices ran to $6.00 

 per dozen wholesale. 



The wholesale florists of Chicago 

 liave held two meetings recently, the 

 main object of which was to plan con- 

 certed action regarding charges for 

 shipping boxes, etc. The prevailing 

 opinion was to the effect that a reason- 

 able charge should be made. The real 

 outcome of the meeting, however, will 

 be the forming of a permanent organ- 

 ization of the wholesale florists of 

 Chicago, which will make for closer 

 acquaintance and better understand- 

 ing, when all the details of the busi- 

 ness may be discussed and worked out 

 together. Aug. Poehlmann was elected 

 chairman and AUie Zech secretary. A 

 banquet is arranged at the La Salle 

 Hotel on Feb. 16th, when the organ- 

 ization will be perfected and perma- 

 nent officers elected. 



A fire in the Atlas Block, corner 

 Randolph street and Wabash avenue, 

 headquarters for more wholesale flor- 

 ists than any other block in Chicago, 

 caused a great commotion Monday, 

 Feb. 12th, and business was interrupt- 

 ed for several hours as water poured 

 down stairs and elevator shafts. The 

 fire originated on the fourth floor, 

 where the only florist is the Califor- 

 nia Floral Co. The second floor and 

 basement houses over a dozen florists 

 and for several hours no one was al- 

 lowed to enter or leave the building. 

 There was really no loss to the florists, 

 but the age of the building and its 

 reputation tor not being particularly 

 substantial caused much alarm and all 

 were relieved when the fire was ex- 

 tinguished. 



Bulb growers are not placing 

 their orders as quickly as the store 

 men. but are carefully watching the 

 stock now coming into bloom, to see 

 where it can be improved. In hya- 

 cinths nothing so far has surpassed La 

 Innocense as best white for pots 

 and pans. Gertrude, the old favorite, 

 is still holding its own in pink, though 

 Lady Derby, Nimrod and some of the 

 new varieties are well thought of here 

 for light shades. The old blue. Grand 

 Maitre seems to be on the decline. In 

 the new blue varieties Bismarck and 

 Capt. Boyton are very promising, mak- 

 ing strong growth and the former 

 comes early. In tulips Brilliant Star, 

 a bright early red. Prosperity and 

 Flamingo, bright pink, bid fair to re- 

 place Proserpine because their color 

 is more attractive. It is too early to 

 form opinions on many of the new 

 ones which flower later on. 



NEW YORK. 



C. H. Atkins, of Bobbink & Atkins, 

 is home from his visit to Cuba. 



P. L. Bogart is reported as still very 

 ill with no improvement noticeable. 



Fred Marquard, of iliddle Village, is 

 enjoying the zephyrs at Palm Beach, 

 Fla. 



Westerbeck & Klyn, of Sassenheim, 

 Holland, have opened an office at 25 

 Beaver street. 



Philip Breitmeyer, of Detroit. Mich., 

 was a visitor this week on his way 

 home from Cuba. 



The New York and New Jersey Plant 

 Growers' Association will "whoop-'er- 

 up" on Saturday evening, Feb. 17. 



We were pleased to see W. H. Long 

 at the Florists' Club meeting after his 

 serious illness and looking so well, too. 



Mr. F. .R. Newbold is confined by 

 illness at his New York home and is 

 greatly missed by his fellow workers 

 on exhibition committees. 



Bound Brook Nurseries is now well 

 settled down in the new city- head- 

 quarters at 57 West 28th street, with 

 Mr. Spaulding in charge. 



Mr. and Mrs. Charles Schenck cele- 

 brated on Monday, Feb. 12. the tenth 

 anniversary of their wedding, at Wal- 

 lace Hall on W'est 153rd street. About 

 eighty friends were present. 



A. L. Miller proposes a special party 

 from New York to visit the Rose Festi- 

 val at Philadelphia next .March similar 

 to the excursion which was so success- 

 ful on the occasion of the National 

 Flower Show at Philadelphia. 



Very few days pass now without a 

 committee meeting of some kind in 

 the flower district. What with fiower 

 shows, annual dinner and S. A. F. con- 

 vention planning these are busy times 

 for the craft in New York. 



W. L. Trumpore, buyer for J. H. 

 Small & Sons, is now able to attend 

 to business, but still shows the effects 

 of his recent suffering and affliction, 

 his wife having died at their home 

 during the time he was himself in the 

 hospital in a serious condition, under- 



going a dangerous operation. Wide- 

 spread sympathy is expressed in the 

 wholesale and retail trade for Mr. 

 Trumpore, where he has been well 

 known and esteemed for many years. 



PHILADELPHIA. 



William Gibson, late of the Idle 

 Hour Nurseries, Macon, Ga., was a re- 

 cent visitor. He left on the 20th inst. 

 to occupy a new position with C. P. 

 Mills, retail florist of Jacksonville, Fla. 



The executive and local committees 

 of the American Rose Society had a 

 meeting at the Bellevue-Stratford on 

 February 8th. Much important busi- 

 ness was transacted and everything in 

 connection with the National Rose 

 Festival seems to be moving along 

 nicely. 



CINCINNATI. 



Ralph Schlomer has joined C. E. 

 Critchell's force of employees. 



Mr. and Mrs. E. G. Gillett are visit- 

 ing Mr. and Mrs. C. J. Ohmer at West 

 Palm Beach, Fla. 



We are glad to report that Geo. Ber- 

 ner, of C. E. Critchell's is greatly im- 

 proved after his recent operation. 



The proceedings of the thirty sec- 

 ond annual convention of the Society 

 of American Florists and Ornamental 

 Horticulturists has been received from 

 Secretary John Young. It is the most 

 bulky volume ever sent out by the S. 

 A. P., comprising 444 pages, the re- 

 ports, including the proceedings of the 

 Houston Convention and of the Flor- 

 ists' Telegraph Delivery Association 

 being given verbatim, the F. T. D. 

 alone filling 118 pages. The illustra- 

 tions include a portrait of Ex-President 

 Daniel MacRorie and seven full page 

 views of bulb and plant culture at the 

 Cottage Gardens plantations in Eureka, 

 Cal. The report is very complete, and 

 affords a vast amount of intoiination 

 on all departments of the work and 

 objects of the S. A. F. The list of 

 members totals 1,751. of whom 447 are 

 life members and 1,304 annual mem- 

 bers. Mr. Young is to be congratulated 

 on the volume and the official fidelity 

 and industry of which its pages are 

 impressive evidence. 



Siuppixo GL.\Di0Lrs Bulbs fboji Cedar Acres. Wexham, Mass. 



