700 



HORTICULTURE, 



December 22, 1906 



IMPERIAL and PINK IMPERIAL CARNATIONS 



You Cannot Afford to be Without these Two Excellent Varieties 



Price $12.00 per 100 ; $100.00 per 1000, 250 at 1000 rates, a discount allowed when cash accompanies the order 



A, J. CUTTMAN, JOHN F. HAINES, 



The Wholesale Florist of New York RCTUi ETUFIlll DA 



43 WEST 28TH STREET ^^ ' riUCntlTI, r §\. 



ANNOUNCEMENT 



We have opened a WHOLESALE COMMISSION FLORISTS' DEPARTMENT in addition 

 to our regular wholesale EVERGREENS and FLORISTS' SUPPLIES 



CONSIGNMENTS SOLICITED 



HENRY M. ROBINSON & CO., 



See our Greenm Advertisement on page lOB. 



8, II and 15 Province St. 

 and 9 Chapman Place, 



L. O. Telephone, Main 2B1B 



Boston, Mass. 



THE FLORISTS' CHRISTMAS. 



Once more it is "clear the decks", 

 for the greatest annual trade skirmish. 

 The time has arrived when the best 

 must be made of materials and cir- 

 cumstances, and persistent hustling 

 accompanied by a good natured appre- 

 ciation of the occasion and its re- 

 quirements is all-powerful and neces- 

 sary to success. Every indication 

 points towards a record-breaking 

 Christmas and if the volume of busi- 

 ness done is disappointing to individu- 

 als, competition must be given due al- 

 lowance. It is in the retail trade as in 

 the growers', solely a question of the 

 survival of the fittest. Here and 

 there a few buyers remain who will 

 overlook or tolerate the indifferent at- 

 tention or inferior goods offered by 

 some but the florist who keeps up 

 with or ahead of the times in methods 

 and material is sure to be able to 

 satisfy normal ambitions. There is no 

 florists' store no matter its location 

 which should not have its gala dress 

 on, so to speak, for this occa-sion. 

 Many an undecided mind is often ruled 

 by the pleased eye. It is unfair to 

 expect the people to be purchasers and 

 designers too. 



A tremendous trade will this year 

 be done in Christmas greens. There 

 are a few florists who heretofore have 

 ignored this class of trade but such 

 was at all times unwise for the one 

 reason, if no other, that the people 

 will have Christmas greens and 



LADY GAY 



AND 



HARDY GARDEN ROSES 



in choice varieties. Field grown plants, 

 first quality stock including Frau Karl 

 Druschki. New Hardy Hybrid Tea 

 Dean Hole. Killarney and Souvenir 

 de Pierre Netting. Herbaceous 

 Paeonies. Hollyhocks and Phlox. 



Catalogue mailed on requeAt. 



M. H. WALSH 



IWSE SPECIALIST WOODS HOLE, MASS. 



where they purchase them they are 

 liable to buy other things if such ap- 

 peal to their inclinations. A good 

 stock of a nice variety of green goods 

 should be kept and under the juris- 

 diction of a special man who will offer 

 them neatly and be conversant with 

 all the requirements. Except where 

 specifically ordered otherwise all or- 

 ders for wreaths and greenery should 

 be delivered a few days before Christ- 

 mas. The early hanging of wreaths 

 will not only relieve the crush but 

 will also do much to induce others to 

 buy and do likewise. As in previous 

 J ears a large variety of wreaths are 

 offered such as boxwood, princess 

 pine, laurel and the several combina- 

 tions, and especially the holly wreaths 

 the best of which are made heavy, 

 both sides, with clusters of the ber- 

 ries of Ilex verticillatus at top and 

 medium bow of ribbon. These sell all 

 the way from $1.U0 to $3.00 — special 

 large sizes up to $8.00, but it is not 

 in the temporary victory of obtaining 

 high prices where one shows keen 

 business acumen and in the long run 

 'tis better to sell one hundred wreaths 

 at 11.00 each to fifty different people 

 then fifty wreaths at $2.00 each to 

 twenty-five people. Send a boy or 

 two out with cheap circulars to reach 

 the masses. In energetic attempts, re- 

 sults the busy mart. It seems a pity 

 that our numerous nurserymen fail to 

 see the importance of supplying the 

 market with well-shaped Norway 

 spruce — the smaller sizes we mean; 

 they are far above all others for the 

 purposes required of a small Christ- 

 mas tree and are easy to grow and 

 make shapely. 



A careful stockman is worth con- 

 siderable where an extensive cut 

 flower trade is done. Very consider- 

 able loss is suffered from ill-kept or 

 misapplied stock where there is no 

 watchful eye; fine flowers are easily 

 damaged or the best customer gets 

 the poorest. The matter of greens for 

 cut-flower boxes is a troublesome 

 item. Almost all flower buyers whilst 

 demanding plenty of greens do not 

 consider them in a monetary value — 

 but they do cost the retailer lots of 

 money and many a handful of expen- 



sive fern is unnecessarily put into a 

 cheap box of flowers. Except where 

 specified very little greens need be 

 put in; a few common ferns, a sprig 

 of holly or leucothoe, with a bit of 

 adiantum or asparagus to finish off 

 will suffice. We believe in putting a 

 small cushion of tissue paper at the 

 head of most boxes both to protect the 

 first flowers and to elevate them. 

 There is lots to learn in the arranging 

 of a box of flowers — but sate arrival 

 at destination is better than nicety in 

 the store. 



Plants should have foliage and pots 

 perfectly clean. There are a few 

 r.ovelties in the way of accessories 

 which may be obtained from HORTI- 

 CULTURE'S advertisers. A few 

 prominent florists have had special 

 vases made to harmonize with cer- 

 tain plants; for example, ardisia in 

 green vase with red berries worked on 

 the vase. There is a disposition to 

 go more heavily into special vases in- 

 stead of baskets. Then there are some 

 art boxes with "Kate Greenaway" de- 

 signs on the lid. 



The people want higher colors for 

 Christmas — the pink and white belong 

 to Eastertide — but even now anything 

 and everj'thing may be sold if it is 

 presented right and offered at sensible 

 prices. J. IVERA DONLAN. 



A LIBEL ON KIRKALDY. 

 It was gravely reported by a con- 

 temporary last week that his Satanic 

 Majesty was dead and buried in Kirk- 

 aldy. That is interesting if true. We 

 h.^ve made careful inquiry but have 

 been unable to confirm the rumor. The 

 prevailing Christmas spirit may have 

 given rise to this canard, but judging 

 from the goings-on in Pittsburgh, the 

 sanil in the sugar, the ill taste of Job, 

 the backwardness of the carnations, 

 the piratical behavior of the express 

 companies, the number of splits from 

 the finest iDall that ever went down the 

 alley, the costliness of salt, and vari- 

 ous other Indications too numerous to 

 mention, we are inclined to believe 

 that "His Nibs" is still doing business. 

 Take no stock in that Kirkaldy propo- 

 sition. G. C. W. 



