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Jdnb 12, 1919. 



The Florists^ Review 



19 



OBITUARY 



Anton J. G. Simmers. 



Anton J. G. Simmers, one of the best 

 known seed merchants of Toronto, 

 Canada, died suddenly June 4, at the 

 age of 59. Mr. Simmers had been in the 

 best of health and his sudden death was 

 a great shock to all. 



Mr. Simmers was born and educated 

 in Toronto. His father established the 

 firm of J. A. Simmers, Ltd.; and upon 

 his death in 1883, Anton assumed the 

 presidency of the company and, along 

 with his brother, Herman, he had con- 

 ducted the business ever since. 



Mr. Simmers is survived by six chil- 

 dren, of whom three served with the 

 Canadian forces* in France. One of 

 them, Victor, is still overseas. 



J. J. H. 



Edwaxd Hicks. 



Edward Hicks, a retired and wealthy 

 florist, of St. Louis, Mo., died there re- 

 cently. He was 80 years old and was 

 well known to the older florists. Mr. 

 Hicks came here from England fifty 

 years ago. He leaves a wife and son to 

 mourn his loss. 



BAI.TIMOBE. 



The Market. 



The market this week is at a stand- 

 still. The principal business of both 

 wholesale and retail houses was dona- 

 tions for the returning soldiers. The 

 French and Italian idea of strewing the 

 pathway of the returning heroes with 

 flowers was much in vogue. Wagons 

 went along the route of the parade sell- 

 ing peonies at 25 cents per two dozen 

 and many of them were sold. 



Speaking of ° peonies, there has been 

 the largest crop here ever known. Never 

 before was there such a glut in them. 

 The first part of the crop was of fine 

 quality and brought good prices, but as 

 the crop advances the quality became 

 poorer. The extremely warm weather 

 caused them to open too fast, so that 

 when a buyer made a reasonable offer 

 for a lot it was not refused. Roses of 

 all kinds are plentiful, especially those 

 of the rambler variety. Occasionally 

 some of the stores receive good or- 

 ders, but there is so much stock on the 

 market that it makes no impression. 

 This is a condition to be looked for at 

 this time, but it will not be long until 

 the glut is over. Then it will be hard 

 to secure stock at any price. If we 

 remember, this was the case last year. 

 The growers sent in anything they had, 

 such as geranium blooms, etc. 



Colleges Bar Flowers. 



This is June week at the U. S. Naval 

 Academy, Annapolis. It has always 

 been a big flower occasion, but, for some 

 reason this year, the authorities inserted 

 a notice in the paper, "Please omit flow- 

 ers." This sounds a little funereal, 

 but when the navy issues an order it 

 must be carried out. I tried to find a 

 reason for it, but could not. Many flo- 

 rists had large orders, which were coun- 

 termanded. The authorities, however, 

 placed a large order for first-class stock 

 to be used in decorations. 



Commencement exercises at Goucher 



College were held yesterday. This, too, 

 has always been a big flower occasion, 

 but this year flowers were conspicuous 

 by their absence. 



These are the first commencements 

 that have been held, and if they are a 

 precedent for those to follow the com- 

 mencement business will not amount to 

 much this year. 



Various Notes. 



Ward Perry, son of J. J. Perry, of the 

 S, S. Pennock Co., has been discharged 

 from the 110th Field Artillery and is 

 now taking a few weeks' vacation. 



Eobert Johnston is still at Camp Dix. 

 His family had an opportunity to see 

 him in New York when he arrived. Rob- 

 ert paid particular attention to the 

 flower stores in France and Germany, 

 which, in most cases, are combined with 

 fruit. He says he has some good ideas 

 to introduce in his mother's store next 

 fall. 



Bedding is about over for this year. 

 In spite of handicaps, there were cer- 

 tainly many bedding plants sold at 

 prices that made growers smile, and I 

 predict that there will be no shortage 

 next spring. Tate. 



BQLWAUKEE. 



The Market. 



The week ending June 8 brought a 

 condition which had been expected for 

 some time — an overloaded market 

 from Monday to Saturday. Flowers, in 

 general, sold at almost any price. Quan- 

 tity buyers could name their own price. 

 Such a week demonstrates how miser- 

 able the flower business can be and gives 

 emphasis to the past forty weeks of un- 

 broken prosperity. 



Our climate is kindly cool in summer 

 and, following the present hot spell, 

 stock will shorten up quickly and prices 

 catch a medium-good balance. Roses 

 have suffered but little and carnations 

 have size and substance. Sweet peas 

 are not plentiful, and any that have 

 good appearance bring good prices. 



Some good Gladiolus America are 

 coming in. Yellow and white daisies 

 are plentiful and good. Centaureas, in 

 lavender and white, are plentiful and 

 sell well. Salpiglossis, annual larskpur, 

 clarkia, pyrethrum, daisies and white 

 buddleias are among the new ones of the 

 season. 



Red Arrow Day. 



Under the auspices of the war moth- 

 ers, June 6 was set aside as a day of 

 festivities for the boys of the 32nd 

 Division. The day was declared a holi- 

 day. All banks and nearly all other 

 business houses were closed. The pro- 

 gram started with a parade in the morn- 

 ing. Then followed big "eats" at noon 

 for the Red Arrow boys, free theater 

 performances and a ball game in the 

 afternoon, with a dance in the evening. 



The day was set just right for florists, 

 as it moved like magic our one and 

 only glut in flowers. A handsomely 

 decorated automobile strewed flowers 

 and rose petals before the parade. 

 Aeroplanes dropped flowers on the 

 marching boys from overhead. Flowers 

 were everywhere. 



The evening before, a dozen or more 

 enthusiastic retailers met at one of the 

 wholesale houses and tied up 200 gen- 

 erous-looking bouquets from flowers do- 

 nated by all the wholesalers. These 



were presented to the wounded soldiers 

 and nurses, who rode in automobiles. 

 • The things accomplished were a pub- 

 lic showing of flowers which caused 

 much favorable comment, and the grati- 

 tude of the war mothers, which is some- 

 thing to covet. It made the boys happy 

 and moved the glut. 



Various Notes. 



Milwaukee friends of Adam Zender, 

 of Chicago, were grieved to hear of the 

 sudden death by drowning of his son. 

 Fred Holton and Herman Hunkel at- 

 tended the funeral June 4. 



C. C. Pollworth and William Ken- 

 nedy were in Chicago on the evening of 

 June 5, in response to invitations to a 

 ball given by the Chicago Florists ' Club. 

 A number who had intended to go re- 

 mained to make up bouquets for the 

 soldiers. 



Mr. and Mrs. Fred Holton and their 

 daughter, Ruth, will leave June 12 for 

 a trip through the west. Their first stop 

 will be at Salt Lake City, where they 

 will attend the national convention of 

 Rotarians. Their itinerary includes Yel- 

 lowstone Park and the Pacific coast, 

 from Vancouver to San Diego. 



The coming week will see the first 

 of the graduations. Some geod orders 

 have been booked by the local retail 

 stores. 



William R, Schroeder, of North Mil- 

 waukee, has been cutting some early 

 dahlias. Mr. Schroeder is going to in- 

 vestigate the possibilities of forcing 

 dahlias. 



August Kellner decorated the Audi- 

 torium for the ball in honor of the Red 

 Arrows. 



A number of stores which operate 

 every spring, selling bedding and vege- 

 tables plants in otherwise vacant store 

 rooms, have closed, owing to their in- 

 ability to procure a large stock in flow- 

 ering plants. Some grocers who found 

 geraniums profitable in former years 

 have let them alone on account of the 

 advanced prices. A. H. M. 



CHICAGK). 



The Market. 



The glut, beginning on the last day 

 of May, continued for exactly a week. 

 It was bad while it lasted, but condi- 

 tions now, happily, are greatly im- 

 proved. While the oversupply was at 

 its height it was difficult to make any 

 sort of a clearance. There were so many 

 flowers that no one was able to use them 

 all, regardless of prices. At the same 

 time, a large part of the daily receipts 

 was in such condition that the stock 

 could not be used for shipping trade, 

 and it was necessary to do a great deal 

 of sorting to get out the comparatively 

 small quantity of stock required for 

 out-of-town orders. June 6 some of the 

 wholesalers saw the back of their ice- 

 boxes for the first time since Memorial 

 day and June 7, Saturday, the market 

 cleaned up in good shape. Prices were 

 not high, but there was a first-class, 

 active demand and at closing time that 

 night there were few flowers left in the 

 market, certainly less than at any time 

 since May 29. Saturday's clean-up was 

 due to the city buyers; there was no 

 special shipping demand that day. 



The present week opened with the 

 market in good condition for this sea- 

 son of the year. There is an abundance 

 of stock in nearly all lines, but it does 



