HORTICULTURE 



January 6, 1917 



HORTICULTURE 



VOL XXV JANUARY 6, 1917 NO. 1 



PUBLISHED WBEKirS BY 



HORTICULTURE PUBLISHING CO. 

 14'7 Summer Street, Boston, Mass. 



Telephone, Bea«b 292. 

 WM. J. ST£WABT, Editor and Manager 



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Entered as Becond-class matter December 8, 1904, at the Post Office 

 at Boston, Mass., under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. 



CONTENTS Page 



COVER ILLUSTRATION— Conservatories of Miss E. 

 .Jenkins. 



NOTES ON CULTURE OP FLORISTS' STOCK— Aspar- 

 agus — Clirysanthemums — Dracaena — Mignonette — 

 Roses in Pots — Reminders — John J. M. Farrell 7 



SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS— New Year's 

 Greetings from President — Robert C. Kerr, portrait — 

 Thomas Roland, portrait — President's Appointments 

 —Ladies' S. A. F 9-10 



CLUBS AND SOCIETIES- Gardeners' and Florists' 

 Club of Boston — Meetings Next Week — G. E. M. 

 Stumpp, portrait — Chrysanthemum Society of Amer- 

 ica — Horticultural Society of New York — American 

 Carnation Society — American Gladiolus Society — Club 

 and Society Notes 10-11 



A BIG WEEK PLANNED AT ITHACA ' 11 



OBITUARY— Mrs. M. M. Ayres— Nicholas J. Rupp 14 



SEED TRADE — American Seed Trade Association — 

 One Week's Imports 16 



OP INTEREST TO RETAIL FLORISTS: 



Easter Dates 18 



Flowers by Telegraph 19 



Retail Trade in New York 20 



DURING RECESS— Chicago Florists' Bowling Scores. . 18 



THE IRON SAFE CLAUSE IN YOUR INSURANCE 

 POLICY— £;<0)( ./. Bucklei/ 20 



NEWS ITEMS FROM EVERYWHERE: 



Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, Boston 21 



FLOWER MARKET REPORTS : 



Boston, Buffalo, Chicago 23 



St. Louis 25 



Cincinnati, New York, Philadelphia, Washington.... 30 



MISCELLANEOUS: 



Disastrous Fire at J. C. Moninger Co.'s Factory.... 11 



Culture of Begonia Rex — David F. Roy 11 



Flower Pots 13 



To Standardize Trade Terms and Practice 14 



Patents Granted 16 



Visitors' Register Ig 



Personal 20 



We liave infurnuitiuu tu the ell'ect that the 

 Insurance Holland shippers have arranged to insur.' 

 of Holland themselves against loss on shi])nients of 

 shipments plants and bulbs to this eountrv. Some- 

 thing on this order was attempted last year, 

 we think. The plan as now in operation is to cover 

 damage or an}- deterioration to the goods in transit from 

 any cause until they have reached their final destination, 

 It is a question how long lhc> arrangement may last. 

 The object is to protect the Dutch shippers against 

 claims by buyers for damage, which have been very fre- 

 quent of late and its operation should be to the general 



advantage. Local buyers, unfortunately, do not always 



do tlieir part to facilitate the process by promptly report- 

 ing to the Hollander when shipments are received in 

 damaged condition. This may be often due to a lack of 

 knowledge of the foregoing. All claims should be made 

 innnediately on arrival of the goods. 



We ha\e heard many complaints from 

 Are you business men who are in a position to 

 paying too know, of overcharging by express corn- 

 much? panics. Bulbs, plants, etc., are second- 

 class express matter, but it would seem to 

 l)e the practice of the carriers to charge first-class rates 

 whenever thc}^ think they can "get by" and many shij)- 

 pers and receivers, either from ignorance or carelessness, 

 are being mulcted right along by this form of petty rob- 

 bery. It should l)e the business of every florist and seeds- 

 man to find out just what his rights are in this respect. 

 Demand a rate book or at least the privilege of seeing 

 it before paying exi)ressage, so that the unfair practice 

 he discontinued as much as possible. The explanation 

 sometimes given by the carriers is that they do not know 

 the case contents, but surely it is their business to know 

 what they are carrying. Transportation companies will 

 stand watching, as has been repeatedly shown, both as 

 to weight and rate. Their 30-story office buildings and 

 large investments in real estate are ever-present examples 

 of their avarice. Are i/ou paying too nnich? 



From all accounts that have come to us 



Prevent- about the Christmas and New Year busi- 



able losses ness it would appear that much loss has 



been sustained in the aggregate Ijy flower 

 and plant growers and dealers, particularly in the large 

 business centers during the holiday season just past. The 

 weather played a large part in the troulile, transportation 

 delays and freezing of stock in ti'ansit being jjrolific 

 causes of complaint. Is it not possible to materially re- 

 duce the percentage of lo.ss from these two causes at such 

 times? We all realize the stupendous difficulties that 

 confront the transportation companies at holiday time 

 hut the traffic in flowers is now lai'ge enough to war- 

 rant special attention the year through and more dis- 

 criminating care in handling shij)nients than is usually' 

 liestowed on them. As to the second trouble — freez- 

 ing of material in transit — the shippers themselves 

 are sometimes far from blameless. The majority/ 

 of cases of loss from freezing are preventable. How- 

 ever balm}' the weather conditions may be at the 

 time, all packing at this season of the year on goods 

 to be sent by express or parcel, post, should be done 

 on the presumption that they will be exposed to excessive 

 cold. Then, if goods are delivered frozen, carelessness 

 on the part of the carriers will be apparent. Another 

 cause of loss and bitterness this season was the recurrence 

 of the old discredited foolishness of over-kept flowers. 

 ,\rgument or ajipeal is lost on some people. Just as sure 

 as a holiday ajiproaches, the fit seizes them and they are 

 "at it again" regardless of the inevitable consequences 

 to themselves individually and to the trade at large. 

 AMiat should lie done with these idiots? 



