August 17. 1911' 



HOHTICULTUBE 



237 



SPEAKING OF PHILADELPHIA 



With a full realization of the com- 

 mercial importance of the annual S. 

 A. P. convention and the great pub- 

 licity value of HORTICULTURE'S 

 yearly convention special, it has been 

 the custom of our ever-alert Phila- 

 delphia representative, Mr. Watson, to 

 keep the Quaker City and her enter- 

 prising growers and horticultural 

 tradesmen fresh in the minds of the 

 trade by contributing interesting notes 

 of what is going on there each year at 

 this time. Just at present when the 

 society is returning to Chicago after 

 the lapse of 25 years the Philadelphia 

 notes that follow are especially ap- 

 propriate, for it was at Philadelphia 

 that Chicago was selected as the con- 

 vention city a quarter century ago and 

 Philadelphia was, perhaps, the largest 

 contributor in members and enthu- 

 siasm to whatever success was 

 achieved at that time. 



LEO NIESSEN CO.: This firm has 

 now been located in its new building 

 at 12th and Race streets for one year, 

 and they report a very gratifying in- 

 crease in business. Their new building 

 Is probably the largest and finest in 

 the country devoted to this business. 

 Their equipment in refrigerating ma- 

 chinery and other devices, is of the 

 very latest and no expense has been 

 spared putting the best in the various 

 departments. The success of the firm 

 has been rapid, and has been won by 

 fair dealing with friends and competi- 

 tors alike. Few business concerns 

 have won their way to the front rank 

 with so few animosities. Arthur Nies- 

 sen gives a good pointer as to one of 

 the elements that have been important 

 when he says: "Our aim in doing busi- 

 ness has always been to have facilities 

 a trifle ahead of the volume of busi- 

 ness itself. That avoids crowding 



which, as a rule, entails lack of su- 

 pervision. It takes facilities ahead of 

 actual requirements all the time to 

 assure the highest efficiency of serv- 

 ice.'' 



MICHELL TRIAL GROUNDS AND 

 NURSERY AT ANDALUSIA: This 

 establishment belonging to the Henry 

 F. Michell Co. is officially known as 

 Evergreen Seed Gardens. It is located 

 by the New York branch of the Penn- 

 sylvania R. R. at Torresdale station. 

 Has been in operation three years and 

 during the past twelve months there 

 have been erected two new green- 

 houses, each 100 feet long, making four 

 greenhouses in all and two more are 

 in contemplation for this fall. The 

 firm, up to three years ago depended 

 for their supplies of plants and nursery 

 stock, on a multitude of growers. 

 Their rapidly growing business, how- 

 ever, made this system more and more 

 impossible — hence the establishment of 

 their own grounds. There the proper 

 strains, can be absolutely assured and 

 much labor and expense saved in as- 

 sembling orders calling for a large va- 

 riety of items. Millions of vegetable 

 plants are grown by the million for 

 the store trade, and a great feature is 

 also made of hardy perennials. Field 

 grown roses occupy an important 

 place. In gladioli the collection is ex- 

 tensive and very select. The gladiolus 

 department is under the direct super- 

 vision of that well-known enthusiast 

 in this flower, Maurice Fuld, and the 

 trade in these has increased wonder- 

 fully. In peonies also, the general 

 manager, Paul Richter, informs us, 

 there has been a great awakening, es- 

 pecially for the fancy-named varieties. 

 Cannas are grown by the acre and dur- 

 ing the summer months are a fine ad- 

 vertisement for the place as they at- 

 tract much attention from the thou- 

 sands of people who pass daily in the 

 cars. There are large blocks of per- 

 ennial phlox, which like the canna is 

 also a brilliant summer feature. 

 Dahlias are looking very promising 

 but only the earlier varieties are at 

 present in bloom. Shrubs in all the 



popular varieties, and hedge plants 

 such as berberis and California privet, 

 are largely grown. 



BERGER BROS.: One of the livest 

 of the wholesale commission cut 

 flower houses of Philadelphia. About 

 a year ago they moved from 13th and 

 Filbert St. to more commodious quar- 

 ters at 140-142 North St., where their 

 business has extended and flourished. 

 Established 1904 by Harry and John 

 Berger, sons of an old Germantown 

 family long identified with the florist 

 business, their early training in the 

 growing end fitted them well for mak- 

 ing a success in marketing. They 

 have proved themselves good mer- 

 chants as well as good makers of 

 goods to merchant. 



PENNOCK BROS.: The leading 

 and oldest retail florists of Phila- 

 delphia. They have held this pre- 

 mier position for over fifty years 

 — a distinction which is we think 

 unique in the annals of the cut flower 

 trade in America. The present part- 

 ners are sons of the founders. Many 

 of the great present florists of other 

 cities (such for instance as Philip 

 Breitmeyer of Detroit) had their early 

 training here, so that the influence of 

 this young-old house can be seen to 

 have been particularly far-reaching 

 and beneficent. 



S. S. PENNOCK-MEEHAN CO.: 



Wholesale florists of Philadelphia, 

 with their other two establishments, 

 in New York and Washington, we 

 think do the largest business of its 

 kind in the country. The steadfast 

 stand for strict justice and square deal- 

 ing which has always been the key- 

 note has had its moral effect on the 

 business in general, and, although 

 silent has been no less potent in in- 

 fluencing others to try to reach the 

 highest level of sincerity. They have 

 been and are now, a potent influence 

 for good in the business — clean, 

 brainy, progressive. 



ROBERT CRAIG CO.: One might 

 think that it was an impossibility to 

 say anything new about the Craig 

 place — which is so universally known 



PENNOCK BROS. 



Retail Orders Filled and 

 Promptly Delivered 



1514 CHESTNU T STREET 



Philadelphia, Pa. 



BUYER 



AS WELL AS 



SELLER 



Much is heard of how to sell goods — the buyer 

 seems to be taken for granted. On the con- 

 trary, we think the buyer entitled to equal 

 consideration. Well bought is half sold. We 

 aim to be the faithful servant of both buyer and 

 seller. Equal justice to both is our motto. Send 

 your orders or consignments to us and judge. 



Wholesale Florists 

 140-142 North 13th St. PHILADELPHIA 



