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HORTICULTURE 



June 7, 1919 



BOSTON. 

 The greatest slump ever known in 

 the Boston flower market on a week 

 after Memorial Day hit the town this 

 week. As one man remarked, "You 

 could buy carnations from four cents 

 down and it didn't make much differ- 

 ence how low one wanted to go." 

 Moreover, it was impossible to get any 

 trace of the alibi kid in the market. 

 The growers frankly acknowledged 

 that they did not know where the 

 trouble lay. Of course the warm 

 weather was blamed quite generally, 

 and other possible causes were ad- 

 vanced, but not with conviction. The 

 fact was simply that flowers were com- 

 ing in in enormous quantities and that 

 the public had largely stopped buying. 

 Of course the influx of flowers was not 

 due to any holding back the previous 

 week. Everybody was cleaned out for 

 Memorial Day but the plants had got 

 into the habit of blooming and just 

 kept it up. 



Some of the flowers looked very 

 good, too. Splendid peonies came in 

 all the week, first rate stuff. The 

 gladioli were good, but they could be 

 bought for almost any price. However, 

 it is safe to say that this condition will 

 not last long. 



The meeting of the Boston Florists' 

 Association which would have natur- 

 ally been held on Tuesday night was 

 omitted, owing to the work caused by 

 the holiday. It is probable that the 

 meetings will be postponed until Fall 

 if the warm weather continues. 



Mr. Patrick Welch is on a ten days' 

 trip to Washington, D. C. 



Mr. John Farquhar made a flying 

 trip to Washington the first of the 

 week. 



The rhododendrons at the Arnold 

 Arboretum are now at their best and 

 are attracting much attention. 



PHILADELPHIA. 



A very good business was done 

 Memorial week and it would have been 

 even better except for two warm days, 

 Wednesday and Thursday, which put 

 the wholesale trading a little on the 

 blink at the wind up. But even at that 

 the volume was away ahead of last 

 year, and the prices realized were 

 much better. Roses were very plenti- 

 ful and good. These and the peonies 

 had it all their own way in the fore- 

 front of the market. Carnations were 

 not so plentiful and the quality is be- 

 ginning to wane a little. No Easter 



Lilies to be seen around and white 

 callas are scarce. Delphiniums are 

 very good and meet with ready sale. 

 Sweet peas holding their own very 

 well, although the hot weather is a 

 little hard on them. Cut flower con- 

 ditions here are in fairly healthy con- 

 dition. Roses with the exception of 

 American Beauty are of very good 

 quality and fairly plentiful. Beauties 

 have not been up to standard for some 

 time, especially in the medium and 

 lower grades. The specials (or top 

 grade) of Beauties show up better and 

 give more satisfaction. Carnations 

 have been coming in more freely dur- 

 5ng the past few days and have dropped 

 a little in price. Sweet peas are a 

 strong factor and the long stemmed 

 bring good figures, but there are 

 rather too many of the shorts and they 

 do not go so well. Cattleyas show up 

 well and it looks as if they would be 

 on deck in quantity for the wedding 

 days — next two weeks. The trade is 

 looking forward to a lively June this 

 year. 



Frank M. Ross has the reputation of 

 being the keenest buyer in this burg. 

 The commission men say he has a 

 nerve nineteen times harder than flint 

 and has never been known to get stung 

 once, in the quarter century he has 

 been up against the smartest sellers in 

 the market. And yet they got his goat 

 the other day. There was a concourse 

 of about twenty crazy lunatics around 

 the Ross wagon at 16th and Ludlow, 

 all shouting, laughing and dancing 

 around. The chorus was "Oh, we've 

 got Frank's goat, we've got his goat, 

 we've got his goat at last!" And the 

 cause of all the excitement turned out 

 to be merely a young Billy in a pack- 

 ing case, enroute from Shenandoah to 

 Frank's farm at Hatboro, where he 

 wants it to keep the lawn trimmed, 

 clean up tin cans, and otherwise save 

 expense and bring in profits. Some 

 people would laugh if your hat blew 

 off. Bad manners. 



for the funeral of Mr. A. B. Lamber- 

 ton. An elaborate basket of American 

 Beauties and white Lilacs was sent by 

 the Park Board and a handsome casket 

 cover of Carnations and pink Roses. 



Lilac Day was observed at Highland 

 Park on Sunday, June 1st. 



Last, week's business for Decoration 

 Day was excellent and cleared the 

 overstock of seasonable flowers which 

 glutted the market. Roses are plen- 

 tiful and of good variety and include 

 Russell, Shawyer, Ophelia, Maryland, 

 Columbia and American Beauties. A 

 heavy crop of excellent sweet peas are 

 on the market and find ready sale. 

 Long-stemmed snapdragon and delphin- 

 ium are popular; carnations are good 

 for summer crop; the first crop of 

 peonies have arrived and some good 

 varieties of lilacs are on the market. 

 Lily of the valley, out door variety, 

 are unusually good. Calla and Easter 

 lilies are scarce.. Darwin tulips of 

 all shades are plentiful. Marguerites, 

 pansies, forget-me-nots, candytufft, 

 calendulas, are plentiful. Bedding 

 stock of all kinds sells well. Aspara- 

 gus is not very good but some good 

 new ferns sell well. 



ROCHESTER. 



John Murrell, of Trondequoit, had a 

 heavy crop of carnations from which 

 he cut three thousand carnations dur- 

 ing the past few weeks and has a 

 heavy stock of other seasonable flowers 

 and bedding plants. He has made his 

 first cut from the young stock of car- 

 nations. 



On Tuesday, May 27, most of the 

 florists were busy arranging flowers 



NEW ENGLAND. 



Plans outlining improvements at 

 Fuessenich Park, Torrington, Conn., 

 will be prepared immediately under 

 the direction of Mr. Gallagher, repre- 

 sentative of Olmstead Brothers, land- 

 scape gardeners. 



The preliminary schedule of prizes 

 for the exhibition of orchids and other 

 plants, March 24-28, 1920, of the Mas- 

 sachusetts Horticultural Society has 

 been issued. Prizes amounting to 

 more than $5,000 are offered. It will 

 be an exhibition of importance and is 

 already exciting considerable interest 

 among orchid lovers. 



The Abington, Mass., park commis- 

 sioners are making many improve- 

 ments to Island Grove Park, among 

 them the setting out of 600 young pine 

 trees and establishing a nursery of 

 500 more for future use. 



Henry Moller of New York and New- 

 port, R. I., has opened a new store at 

 128 Bellevue avenue, Newport. Mr. 

 Moller is well known by the summer 

 trade, because of his association for 

 many years with the well known firm 

 of Wadley & Smythe. Newport is 

 noted for its many fine floral displays, 

 few cities of its size maintaining such 

 a large trade and few stores having 

 such attractive windows. 



Archibald Edwards of Westfield, 

 Mass., has taken a position with 

 Nicholas the florist. 



