1 mber 30, 1911 



HORTICULTURE 



CHICAGO NOTES. 



Christmas Plants. 



Plants gained another step in the 

 race with cut flowers. Stores were so 

 filled with them and they were so at- 

 tractively dressed up with every em- 

 bellishment known to the supply 

 houses that it would have been a big 

 Christmas had the rut flowers been 

 left entirely out. From the little three- 

 inch pot plant to the large hampers — 

 reaching the limit probably in a giant 

 combination affair seen at Harry (' 

 Rowe's, with an immense azalea as a 

 crowning piece surrounded by as- 

 sorted plants in side pockets and 

 which brought well up toward the hun- 

 dred-dollar mark — all was artistic and 

 appealed more strongly than ever to 

 the Christmas shopper. Nothing new 

 was brought out in plants, but skill 

 in growing them just right and deliv- 

 ering them to the retailers at the right 

 moment played a big part in the gen- 

 eral success of the week. Azaleas 

 were queen of the day, with poinset- 

 tias a close rival. Ardisias, cyclamen, 

 begonias, heather, primula, obconica 

 and araucaria well trimmed with rib- 

 bon and bringing good prices as 

 Christmas trees, gave splendid variety 

 from which to choose. Fleischman 

 has one entire side of the store cov- 

 ered with steps reaching to the ceil- 

 ing filled with plants and at eight 

 o'clock Saturday evening the sign 

 "closed" was put upon the door to 

 keep out would-be buyers. 



Trade Jottings. 



Tony Einwich, who has charge of 

 the cut flower department of the E. H. 

 Hunt Co., is ill. 



Michael Leider of South Evanston 

 is having five new vegetable houses. 

 30 x 270 feet, Foley construction. 

 Work begins this week. 



Kennicott Bros. Co. will begin the 

 New Year by making its store a model 

 one. Every facility for handling con- 

 signments will be provided, and a new 

 office, fully equipped with the latest 

 devices, will be at the disposal of the 

 bookkeeping force. 



The Foley Manufacturing Co. will 

 open a branch office in New York in 

 January, an announcement of which 

 will be made later. This company has 

 discontinued the manufacture of sash 

 and doors and will devote all their 

 time and space to greenhouse mate- 

 rial. This is probably the only firm 

 in Chicago doing so. Phil. Foley has 

 just returned from a trip to Richmond, 

 Ind., where he closed a contract with 

 E. G. Hill Co. for four new flat rafter 

 houses, 34 x 400 feet. 



SOME CHRISTMAS GIFTS. 



W. J. Thurston, manager of the Bos- 

 ton Flower Exchange was surprised by 

 his friends in the market on Saturday 

 morning, Dec. 23, with the gift of a 

 superb 23-jewelled Waltham watch 

 and chain, both of solid gold. The pre- 

 sentation speech was made by Presi- 

 dent W. C. Stickel, who is a past mas- 

 ter in oratory of this sort, amid much 

 enthusiasm and applause. On Mon- 

 day morning there was another excite- 

 ment when salesmen, buyers and all 

 got together again and presented to 

 assistant superintendent George Hamer 

 a purse of fifty dollars in gold. 



At the Boston Co-operative Flower 



Market there was a similarly pleasant 

 affair on Saturday morning when su- 

 perintendent Knight was made tl 

 cipienl of a fine gold Hamilton 

 and fob in recognition of Ion: 

 faithful service, the presents 

 speech In this Instance being made by 

 John MeFarland. 



C. HARMAN PAYNE. 



Horticulture's European Representa- 

 tive. 

 Herewith appears the portrait of a 

 gentleman well-known by name to the 

 readers of HORTICULTURE by rea- 

 son of his frequent communications in 

 our columns on horticultural doings 

 abroad, and widely known in Great 



C. Habman Payne 

 Our Special Correspondent on the Job. 



Britain and on the Continent of Eu- 

 rope as a literatteur and prolific jour- 

 nalistic writer on horticultural topics 

 and — first and foremost — as a passion- 

 ate lover of and literary exponent for 

 the chrysanthemum, a flower with 

 which his name is permanently linked. 

 Mr. Payne holds a unique position in 

 the horticultural world. He has served 

 in innumerable instances in positions 

 of responsibility in connection with 

 exhibitions in England, and also in 

 France where he is, we should say, 

 just as much at home as in his native 

 country, besides Belgium, Holland and 

 elsewhere. The fact that this versa- 

 tile gentleman has not yet put in an 

 appearance on American soil is the 

 only indictment we can bring against 

 him. We hope he will make the trip 

 in the not far distant future and we 

 are greatly mistaken if he does not 

 instantly iearn the language of the 

 country and the shibboleth of "the 

 boys." He is already a member of 

 several American societies. 



937 



MUSTARD AND CRESS. 



Bj i lie Sage "f t lie Cinger Gar, Philadel- 

 phia. 

 "Send a flowergram— passage prepaid 

 to any part of the country—" is the 

 wax a clever retailer's card reads. 

 This may not be exactly clear to the 

 wayfarer but it is at least suggestive — 

 leads to inquiry and paves the way for 

 business. 



Wanted, a job! George Craig has 

 been in the flower business, some for- 

 ty years, and has made a success of 

 it. The solicitous philosopher suggest- 

 el i hat it was time to retire. George 

 looked rather surprised but at the 

 same time interested. "Why so?" said 

 he. The S. P. snorted, and asked in that 

 aggrieved and peevish tone one uses 

 in replying to a superfluous question. 

 Why, you've got money enough!" 

 "Yes," admitted the veteran; "but 

 what else could I do? Here I've been 

 shedding radiance and fragrance 

 among my neighbors all my life. Why 

 should I quit? What more delightful 

 oi bi neficent thing could I do to justi- 

 fy my continued existence in this 

 world?" The S. P. gave that up but 

 feels sure there are thousands among 

 your readers of a pessimistic turn of 

 mind who can suggest a good job for 

 this man. 



There is always a right way and a 

 wrong way to repeat a thing. The 

 In ad of the house had been inter- 

 viewed. The interviewer said at the 

 windup: "All right then, I'll go see 

 your partner about it, and see if he 

 has not got some fresh ideas he can 

 add to the subject." The head of the 

 house said: "Very well, but see that 

 they are not 'too fresh.' " And so with 

 a smile he went off to lunch. Now, 

 there is a coolness in the firm because 

 the interviewer did not put in the 

 smile to the junior but said that his 

 partner said he was not to be too 

 fresh. A joke is not a joke to some 

 people unless you start in smiling be- 

 fore you tell it to them— and like as 

 not they'll laugh at the wrong place, 

 or in some cases laugh even if its not 

 funny, just because they hate to ap- 

 pear stupid! 



"Cats!" Abbreviations are con- 

 venient and among busy men inevita- 

 ble. The flower business is no excep- 

 tion. It has its " 'mums" and its 

 " evps" and its " 'maids," and many 

 others— mysterious things to the un- 

 initiated. Robert Crawford was wait- 

 ing in his usual Chesterfieldian man- 

 ner on one of the four hundred— a 

 lady— the other day. She wanted some 

 orchids. There was some little doubt 

 about it. Robert excused himself for 

 a minute and turned to the 'phone. 

 Getting the proper number, this was 

 what apparently was said— "Hello, 

 that you Charlie? Say, Charlie, got 

 any cats? No, they won't do, cats is 

 what I want. No, they have to be 

 cats, and good ones, too. What's the 

 matter with you, can't I make you 

 understand? What's that, you say 75c. 

 apiece?" At this point the lady who 

 had been per force listening could 

 stand it no longer and broke in — 

 "Why, Mr. Crawford, I've got a nice 

 pair of kitties I could let you have, 



