Mat 22, 1919. 



The Florists^ Review 



33 



James S. Smith. 



James S. Smith, aged 25, son of 

 George C. Smith, landscape gardener 

 and florist, of Canandaigua, N. Y., died 

 at the Memorial hospital after a few 

 days' illness. Death was due to pto- 

 maine poisoning. Mr. Smith was an 

 enterprising young man and the many 

 and beautiful floral tributes received 

 gave evidence of his sterling character. 



James A. Foster. 



James A. Foster, proprietor of the 

 Warwick Greenhouses, at Warwick, E. 

 I., died suddenly at Fostmere, his coun- 

 try home. May 15, aged 73. He was 

 born in Brooklyn, Conn., but removed 

 to Providence when a small boy and 

 learned the jewelry business. Later he 

 began business as a retail jeweler and 

 diamond broker. He was the pioneer of 

 the automobile industry in Ehode Is- 

 land and established the first automo- 

 bile supply business in New England. 

 He was interested in upwards of a doz- 

 en large business concerns, real estate, 

 theatrical and other lines. From a 

 small beginning he amassed a fortune 

 and was worth considerably more than 

 a million dollars. 



Mr. Foster was a great lover of art 

 and nature and his estate at Warwick 

 was one of the show places of Ehode 

 Island, the landscape effects being 

 among the most attractive in that sec- 

 tion of the country. He made it his 

 year-round residence, having moved 

 there twenty-three years ago. He built 

 a range of greenhouses, eight in num- 

 ber, where he grew roses, carnations 

 and chrysanthemums for the market. 

 His mums were among the most con- 

 sistent prize-winners of any growers' 

 thereabouts. 



Mr. Foster was a Civil war veteran, 

 being less than 15 years old when he 

 enlisted. His wife, one son and a sister 

 survive him. W. H. M. 



THE COST OF BTJIIJ>INa. 



Will It Come Down? 



One of the most vexing of the many 

 problems which confront producers in 

 many other fields besides the green- 

 house trade is that of how they are to 

 prepare for increased business, provided 

 an increase is forthcoming, as all signs 

 indicate it will be. Increasing business 

 requires building expansion, and the 

 present prices of building materials are, 

 like the maiden lady's cat, high up a 

 tree and undecided whether to remain 

 there or come down. 



Nobody seems able to forecast the 

 ultimate turn of the markets. Of late, 

 steel has come down a bit, while some 

 other materials descended for a short 

 distance and then went up again. One 

 naturally dislikes to sign a contract for 

 a building and run the chance that 

 shortly afterward there would come a 

 drop in the materials market that would 

 have saved him many dollars had he 

 waited. 



The construction companies are no 

 happier than the would-be builders in 

 the existing situation. If they could, 

 they would gladly foretell just when 



and how much the markets are going to 

 drop, provided they are going to drop, 

 and figure accordingly. Present indica- 

 tions, as constructors see them, point to 

 the likelihood that the market will drop 

 neither soon nor far. However, one 

 guess is as good as another and almost 

 anything seems possible, even to a rise 

 instead of a drop in prices. 



"Cost Plus" Contracts. 



One immediate result of the situation 

 has been a change in the style of con- 

 tracts as prepared by the big general 

 construction companies. The cost plus 

 percentage contract, used so extensively 

 by the government for war contracts, 

 has been carried over into general com- 

 mercial use. In this connection, it might 

 be well to correct the erroneous impres- 

 sion held by many, that the percentage 

 figured for the builder's profit is always 

 ten per cent. Different companies have 

 different methods of figuring their profit, 

 but the general practice is to lower the 

 percentage for big jobs and raise it 

 slightly for small ones. In any event, 

 all accounts pertaining to a job are open 

 to the owner, who is at liberty to audit 

 them as frequently as he desires, to re- 

 move any possibility of error or mis- 

 understanding. 



An entirely new form, according to 

 the information department of the H. 

 K. Ferguson Co., large general contrac- 

 tors, is a contract by means of which 

 the maximum- cost of the job and the 

 builder's profit are both prearjanged 

 and agreed upon. All savings under 

 the maximum cost belong to the owner 

 of the building. Should the market 

 rise, bringing the cost up above the 

 agreed maximum, the builder stands the 

 increase out of his profit. The builder 

 usually submits his bid in competition 

 with other construction companies, so 

 there is no opportunity for him to pro- 

 tect his own interests by naming an 

 extra high figure. 



One 'hing is certain, however, and 

 that is that the construction companies 

 in general are willing to accord build- 

 ing owners every possible protection. 

 Anyone who contemplates building may 

 feel assured that he will be given the 

 benefit of every possible saving. He 

 can also feel reasonably certain that he 

 will gain little, if anything, all things 

 considered, by postponing his building 

 in the hope that markets will fall. 



CHICAGO. 



The Market. 



Market conditions show a great 

 change. Business continued fairly brisk 

 last week, but there was a steady trend 

 toward more normal spring conditions. 

 No previous May in many years has 

 seen so few flowers or so large a de- 

 mand as existed in the first half of May 

 this year. Since the mid-month day 

 there has been steady increase in supply 

 and a corresponding decrease in the as- 

 siduity with which buyers were hunt- 

 ing stock. For the first time in many 

 months the wholesale market carried 

 over a large quantity of stock when it 

 came time to close on Saturday evening, 

 May 17. 



This week opened with an unusually 

 dull Monday and a larger accumulation 

 of flowers than has been seen at any 

 time this season. Not since last spring 

 have there been so many flowers. Com- 

 pared to the present demand there is an 



abundance of stock of practically every 

 seasonable variety, from American 

 Beauties to outdoor Darwin tulips. This 

 is not an unusual condition at this time 

 of year; indeed, the condition would not 

 occasion remark if it were not that the 

 price level was considerably above what 

 flowers have brought at this time in 

 other years and that there is objection 

 on the part of growers and wholesalers 

 to seeing a break just before the enor- 

 mous demand that is assured next week 

 for Memorial day. 



There are just a few things that are 

 scarce. Easter lilies are practically out 

 of the market. The last of the cold 

 storage bulbs have flowered. A few of 

 the 1918 crop of giganteum bulbs which 

 came in a few weeks ago are coming 

 along and will flower in June, but in a 

 general way the market will be bare of 

 lilies for the next several months. Val- 

 ley also is scarce and there are few 

 orchids, local growers having cut their 

 heavy spring crops. On the other hand, 

 there are plenty of Beauties, roses, 

 carnations and the largest supply of 

 sweet peas of the season. The latter 

 constitute the wholesalers' greatest 

 problem. There are moderate supplies 

 of large-flowered gladioli and of baby 

 gladioli, also of Spanish iris, stocks, 

 daisies, calendulas, snapdragons, candy- 

 tuft, wallflower and mignonette. Peo- 

 nies exceed the present demand, but 

 have not been going into cold storage 

 after the usual mid-May. fashion. 



The weather has been cool, with little 

 hot sun, and the quality of flowers 

 grown under glass is better than even 

 the oldest inhabitant can ever remem- 

 ber flowers to have been in the third 

 week in May. Almost midwinter qual- 

 ity is the rule. 



Ferns have turned short. There are 

 those who fear there will be a pinch for 

 Memorial day. 



The Peony Crop. 



Last week's report in this column to 

 the effect that the southern peony crop 

 had suffered from weather conditions 

 has been confirmed and it now is appar- 

 ent that the damage has been severe. 

 It seems that the loss has been particu- 

 larly heavy in Tennessee and southern 

 Indiana; the southern Illinois growers 

 and the Missouri shippers have suffered 

 to a less extent. It is said that some of 

 Indiana's largest shippers to this mar- 

 ket will not have more than one-tenth 

 of a crop and good judges say that if 

 the Memorial day supply of peonies is 

 one-third what it has been in recent 

 years it will be as much as can be 

 looked for. 



The damage seems to have been the 

 combined result of frosts, of rains and 

 of a fungous disease which has attacked 

 the buds. 



A few days of good weather may make 

 a great deal of difference in the Me- 

 morial day supply, because favorable 

 conditions could bring in the cuts from 

 plantations farther north, outside the 

 damaged district. Weather conditions 

 continuing unfavorable, however, the 

 market is uncertain about peonies and 

 most of the wholesalers are cautious 

 about booking large orders. Where the 

 best stock was sold on advance orders 

 last year at $8 per hundred and $10 

 just before Memorial day, the present 

 idea is $10 to $12 on advance orders, 

 with the prediction that strictly first- 

 class stock will be worth $15 before 

 Memorial day. 



