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30 



The Florists^ Review 



Decbhbbb 12, 1018. 



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 TORONTO. 



ST. LOUIS. 



The Market. 



The demand for flowers never has 

 been heavier than during the last few 

 weeks. Ever since the epidemic caused 

 the rapid rise in the death rate, the 

 demand for funeral flowers has exceeded 

 all previous records and now there is 

 beginning to be, in addition to the calls 

 for flowers for the sick and the dead, 

 a demand for happier occasions. It is 

 apparent that social activities are be- 

 ginning again, after four years of al- 

 most total cessation. 



The supply of stock is nowhere near 

 so large as the trade would like it to be. 

 While it usually is possible to supply 

 something or other which will meet the 

 customer's need, prices are higher than 

 florists like to charge and it is not 

 easy to turn out work which satisfies 

 the florist. 



The prospect for Christmas is for a 

 large demand and a supply much below 

 normal. 



Baskets May Come. 



As a war measure the Dominion gov- 

 ernment prohibited the importation of 

 baskets and florists throughout Canada 

 have been unable to obtain new stock 

 from the United States for more than 

 a year. The result has been that every 

 flower store is cleaned out. 



Last week the government removed 

 the import restrictions and the trade 

 is making haste to replenish stock. 

 Many orders have been dispatched to 

 supply houses in the principal cities in 

 the United States and efforts are being 

 made to get the goods in time for the 

 Christmas trade. After the holiday rush 

 there will be the opportunity for the 

 manufacturers in the United States to 

 do a large business with the Canadian 

 florists. 



Varioas Notes. 



George M. Geraghty, manager of the 

 Dunlop store, is one of those who had 

 a close call with the "flu." He was 

 critically ill, but men of his wiry build 

 and indomitable disposition never give 

 up and Mr. Geraghty again is attending 

 to business, not quite recovered, but on 

 the road to it. "When the embargo on 

 the importation of baskets was removed 

 Mr. Geraghty and J. J. Higgins went to 

 Chicago, where they spent several days 

 last week buying supplies for the Christ- 

 mas trade. They returned home De- 

 cember 9. 



WINNIPEG, MAN. 



"The 'flu' started here shortly after 

 I returned from the F. T. D. meeting 

 in Cleveland early in October, and it 

 is still going strong," says A. E. King, 

 of the King Florist. " So I had to throw 

 my coat off and work every night and 

 day since it started, letting everything 

 else slide. And some orders I have re- 

 ceived were pretty good ones. 



' ' Prospects for Christmas business are 

 excellent. The only drawback appears 

 to be the probability that there will not 

 be enough stock to supply the demand." 



Sheldon, la. — O. E. Logan grows 

 plants and flowers at his greenhouse 

 for the local trade. 



The Market. 



It is hard to recall any previous sea- 

 son when the wholesale cut flower mar- 

 ket was in the condition it is at pres- 

 ent. Since Thanksgiving day only a 

 small supply of seasonable stock has 

 been received, while the demand, both 

 local and out-of-town, has been excep- 

 tioAally heavy. Prices are high and, 

 as all consignments that were received 

 last week had been ordered in advance 

 of their arrival, there was nothing left 

 over. Many retailers, in fact, had to 

 resort to artificial flowers to make up 

 their orders. 



While there are a few mums still 

 coming to the market, the season is 

 about over. A few excellent flowers 

 were received at the end of last week 

 and sold at high prices. Carnations 

 established a new record in price, as $15 

 per hundred was demanded for good 

 stock, while splits sold for $10 per hun- 

 dred. The few flowers that arrived 

 were sold at sight at these prices. There 

 are some extra fine carnations coming 

 in now, but the supply is about half 

 that in normal years. While roses are 

 a little more plentiful than carnations, 

 the prices on anything good are away 

 up. Some fine blooms of Bussell, Ophe- 

 lia and Columbia were seen, but the big 

 demand cleaned up the market before 

 noon each day. Sweet peas and violets, 

 too, bring high prices and the supply 

 is not adequate to the demand. Calen- 

 dulas, stevia, Easter lilies, valley and 

 orchids all cleaned up well during the 

 week. Paper Whites are slow in coming 

 and the few that have arrived brought 

 $5 per hundred. Bomans are expected 

 for Christmas. Greens sold well all the 

 week. The demand is excellent for 

 galax, smilax and asparagus. There is 

 a good supply of wild smilax in the 

 market. 



Various Notes. 



The florists' publicity committee held 

 a meeting at the headquarters December 

 3 to consider the holiday advertising. 

 Proofs of advertisements were presented 

 by the local newspapers. They will be 

 taken up for final consideration at a 

 special meeting to be held December 10. 



The officers of the Florists' Club met 

 at the home of President August H. 

 Hummert December 5 and decided to 

 postpone the club meeting and victory 

 banquet until after the first of the year. 

 The action was taken because of the 

 ban on public meetings. 



The St. Louis County Growers' Asso- 

 ciation held a meeting at the Eleven 

 Mile House December 4. There was a 

 fair attendance. Thanksgiving business 

 and the prospects for Christmas were 

 considered. The growers say that un- 

 less bright weather continues there will 

 be a great shortage of seasonable stock 

 for the holidays. 



Oscar Ruff, of the Bergstermann Flo- 

 ral Co., who has been at a local hospital 

 since November 27 with the influenza, 

 is reported to be much improved and 

 was expected to be able to return home 

 this week. 



Gus W. Grossart, Adolph G. Fehr and 

 Henry Emunds, of Belleville, all re- 

 port heavy orders for funeral work. All 

 made several trips to this market last 

 week to secure stock. 



Charles Young, of the C. Young & 

 Sons Co., has returned to the store after 

 a short illness with influenza. Walter 



Young is expected home to help out dur- 

 ing the holidays. 



Arthur Beyer has resigned his position 

 with Grimm & Gorly and has returned to 

 his former home, Bochester, N. Y. Louis 

 Geiger has taken his place. 



Baymond Welty now has charge of the 

 inbound freight at the American Ex- 

 press Co. depot. 



Louis Frank, recently with the Grand 

 Leader floral department, has returned 

 to his home in New York city. He 

 expects to return to St. Louis when con- 

 ditions improve. 



All the wholesale houses report an 

 exceptionally large call for artificial 

 flowers last week, due to the scarcity of 

 flowers. 



Fred Ude, Jr., of Kirkwood, will not 

 make his usual trip to Florida this 

 winter. His two sons, Paul and Martin, 

 are in the army and Mr. Ude will be 

 forced to remain at home. 



Alexander Lurie has been appointed 

 assistant to the director of the produc- 

 tion division of the U. S. Food Ad- 

 ministration in St. Louis. 



The American Seed Co. has completed 

 the installation of new fixtures in the 

 retail department of its store at 814 

 Broadway. The bins are being filled 

 for the early spring business, and Man- 

 ager Kerr expects that sales will be 

 large. 



L. Baumann, who makes his headquar- 

 ters at the Bourdet Floral Co. store, says 

 that he has had a busy fall season with 

 landscape work. 



Charles Beyer has given up his idea 

 of closing the show house facing Grand 

 avenue and it will be stocked with 

 blooming plants for Christmas. 



The plantsmen say there will be no 

 surplus of blooming stock for Christ- 

 mas, as nearly all the supply is sold. 

 This is especially so with cyclamens 

 and poinsettias, but cherries and peppers 

 are plentiful. 



Joseph Manda, South Orange, N. J., 

 has in exchange sent a valuable collec- 

 tion of orchids to the Missouri Botanical 

 Garden. 



The Sailors* and Soldiers' Home, at 

 Twelfth and Olive streets, was hand- 

 somely decorated with flowers and 

 plants last week by the florists* pub- 

 licity committee. There were window 

 boxes, single plants and Christmas deco- 

 rations with the S. A. F. slogan, "Say 

 It with Flowers," to please the eyes 

 of the returning sailors and soldiers. 

 The Bourdet 'Floral Co. and the W. C. 

 Smith Wholesale Floral Co. donated the 

 plants. J. J. B. 



OHIO STATE "UNIVEESITT. 



To those who are not fitted with the 

 proper preparatory work for the four- 

 year course in college, or those who have 

 attended college but have always wished 

 for a little more education, the Ohio 

 State University, Columbus, O., offers 

 an eight weeks' course which starts 

 January 6. The course continues through 

 Farmers' week. Farmers' week is a 

 week filled with talks and demonstra- 

 tions by leaders. Special courses are 

 offered for the sons and daughters of 

 florists in gardening, commercial flori- 

 culture, fruit growing, soils and various 

 allied subjects. 



The tuition amounts to merely the 

 payment of several small fees for labo- 

 ratories. It is estimated that the course 

 should not cost a provident student over 

 $60. Write for information to B. G. 

 Watson, secretary of the College of 

 Agriculture, Ohio State University. 



