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January 8, 1920. 



The Florists^ Rcvic\^ 



27 



obituary| 



Marcus Stephenson. 



Marcus Stephenson, whose death De- 

 cember 27 was announced in a brief 

 telegram from Philadelphia last week, 

 was a prominent rose grower of Mont- 

 gomery county, Pennsylvania. Mr. 

 Stephenson, who traded as John Steph- 

 enson's Son, had two ranges, both on 

 the old York road near Oak lane. 



Marcus Stephenson was best known 

 as a landscape gardener and contractor 

 who was successful in securing contracts 

 for laying out some of the handsomest 

 places in Philadelphia's beautiful sub- 

 urbs. Like so many others, Mr. Steph- 

 enson's first entrance into the florists' 

 business was as a grower of geraniums 

 and other soft-wooded plants for bed- 

 ding. Later he went into rose growing. 

 His Mrs. Jardine, grown by William A. 

 Gciger, were the finest in the Philadel- 

 phia market. Later he built in two 

 seasons his second greenhouse establish- 

 ment. It consisted of one wide house 

 800 feet long and was planted entirely 

 with roses. 



Mr. Stephenson had been ill for a 

 long time. He was 61 years of age and 

 unmarried. He is survived by two sis- 

 ters. Phil. 



Peter Gottfried Pearson. 



Peter Gottfried Pearson, of Betten- 

 dorf, Li., died January 2 at the Mercy 

 hospital after a brief illness. He was 

 at one time a landscape gardener on the 

 Studebaker estate, South Bend, Ind., 

 and later worked for W. L. Velie, Mo- 

 line, 111., where he also had charge of 

 the city parks. For the last five years 

 he had been employed by Joseph Bet- 

 tendorf , of Bettendorf , ' la. Funeral 

 services were held in the home Sunday 

 afternoon, January 4, with interment in 

 Oakdale cemetery. 



Bobert A. McKeand. 



Robert A. McKeand, florist of the 

 National Military Home, at Marion, 

 Ind., died during the holidays. Mr. Mc- 

 Keand was well known to the older 

 tradesmen, as he formerly took a large 

 part in the work of the Indiana State 

 Florists' Association, acting as secre- 

 tary for several years. In this capacity 

 he was instrumental in staging a num- 

 ber of the early flower shows that were 

 held under the auspices of the associa- 

 tion. For several years Mr. McKeand 

 was foreman of A. "Wiegand 's Sons Co. 

 and later served under the park board 

 of Indianapolis. E. E. T. 



NEWARK, N. J. 



The Market. 



After a satisfactory holiday business, 

 the outlook for the new year is consid- 

 ered excellent by Newark florists. 

 Prices, though a little lower than during 

 the holidays, were still high last week. 

 These high prices kept many persons 

 from purchasing who would otherwise 

 have done so, but still the demand was 

 large enough to bring the total returns 

 and profits up to a satisfactory figure. 

 Cut flowers especially were affected by 

 the high prices. Paper Whites were 

 quite plentiful and were the most rea- 

 sonable in price of all the cut flowers. 



Eoses were of fine quality, but still so 

 high in price that they did not sell as 

 readily as they otherwise would. Carna- 

 tions were of fair quality, but still 

 showed a tendency to go to sleep easily. 



Various Notes. 



Charles J. Connolly, 320 Bank street, 

 finds the sale of cut flowers limited be- 

 cause of their high prices, but reports 

 much funeral work last week. 



Incorporation papers have been filed 

 for the Joseph Manda Co., whose regis- 

 tered office is at 191 Valley road, West 

 Orange, N. J. The registered agent is 

 Joseph Manda and the authorized cap- 

 ital stock is $100,000. The incorpora- 

 tors are Joseph, Edward A. and William 

 J. Manda. R. B. M. 



PROVIDENCE. 



Christmas Trade. 



Christmas exceeded anything in the 

 way of business ever experienced here, 

 the only discordant note being the 

 scarcity of stock. Anything and every- 

 thing red went like hot cakes without 

 regard to price, quantity or quality and, 

 in fact, the sale of artificial and dyed 

 sprays and flowers was astonishing. 



The dealers in greens also had a good 

 holiday trade, especially in wreaths and 

 ropings. Holly, as usual, sold well, but 

 it was somewhat discounted this season 

 by the large supplies of black alder 

 berries that flooded the market during 

 the three weeks before Christmas. These 

 bright berries were never so abundant 

 and luxuriant as this season and every 

 farmer, green-goods man and florist has 

 reaped a veritable harvest from them. 



Prices went soaring on cut flowers, 

 quotations going far beyond anything 

 ever recorded in this city. Roses held 

 the center of the stage, with carnations, 

 a few poinsettias, some chrysanthe- 

 mums, violets, valley anii a few scatter- 

 ing novelties constituting the stock. 

 Potted plants were not so plentiful as 

 usual, but in their place baskets of box, 

 laurel and other greens with artificial 

 and dyed sprays and large bows of red 

 ribbon were quickly moved. 



Mistletoe was never so scarce, only 

 a few of the downtown stores having 

 any. What there was, however, was 

 exceptionally good and was much sought 

 after. Those who had it kept it out of 

 sight in reserve for special customers 

 who knew what they wanted and were 

 willing to pay for it. 



The New Year. 



The new year opened auspiciously for 

 the florists and growers in this city and 

 vicinity, with every prospect of an even 

 better business than during the preced- 

 ing twelve months, which have exceeded 

 any previous year in volume and profit. 

 The holiday season that has just closed 

 was far in excess of any previous year 

 and the returns for the New Year fes- 

 tivities also show a big business. 



At the end of last week the supply 

 was somewhat curtailed, with the rc>sult 

 that prices ranged a trifle higher than 

 normal. Carnations showed a slight 

 decline last week, closing at $10 and 

 $12 per hundred. Roses were scarce, 

 ranged from $8 to $2.5 per hundred and 

 moved rapidly. Few novelties were 

 called for. 



Various Notes. 



Ed Brooke, of T. J. Johnston Sc Co., 

 had a large wedding decoration at Attle- 



boro New Year's day for the Webster 

 wedding. 



The case of the Breck-Saunders Nurs- 

 ery Co. against M. B. Saunders was 

 heard in the civil session of the Sixth 

 District court Friday, January 2, on a 

 disputed book account. On motion, 

 judgment for the plaintiff was entered 

 for $28.86 and costs. 



Fred Dietz, of French street, was a 

 business visitor in New York last week. 



David W. McCoid, who had both 

 tiiighs broken last Oclober by falling 

 from a fruit tree and has since been 

 at the hospital, returned to his home 

 last week. 



Frederick B. Luther has disposed of 

 four lots of land with buildings at the 

 corner o/ Oxford and Harriet streets, 

 ou which he has taken a mortgage of 

 $10,000. 



William Chappell had the decorations 

 for a large wedding on Smith hill dur- 

 ing Christmas week. 



A number of those who shut off their 

 houses last year and this winter, en- 

 couraged by the increasing trade, are 

 ])reparing to resume business this spring. 



foheu Bros, are planning to make ex- 

 tensive alterations in their range of 

 houses as soon as the weather opens up. 



William Crompton, of Crompton vil- 

 lage, was a business visitor during 

 Christmas week. W. H. M. 



CHICAQO. 



The Market. 



The New Year's business also made 

 a record for this market. Like Thanks- 

 giving and Christmas, the demand was 

 much greater than at the corresponding 

 season in any previous year. The sup- 

 ])ly of flowers was short of the require- 

 ments. Prices remained steady. There 

 was considerable recession in the price 

 of the longest grades of roses, but the 

 siiort roses and good carnations held 

 up almost to Christmas values, as did 

 most of the miscellaneous flowers, of 

 which the supply at present is small. 



Since New Year's there has been a 

 steady, stiff market. Demand is good, 

 although not of remarkable proportions. 

 There is a. good, strong shipping demand 

 !uul a fairly brisk city trade, but what 

 keeps the market steady and strong is 

 the fact that the supply of stock has 

 fallen away to the point where it keeps 

 everybody hustling to get what is need- 

 ed to fill orders. The best buy, today, 

 is the longer grades of roses. Short 

 roses are so much less than the demand 

 that it is impossible to fill all orders 

 and prices are higher than normal by 

 compar^ison with the price of the med- 

 ium grades. At the same time the de- 

 mand for the long, fancy roses has 

 fallen away since Christmas to the point 

 that has brought the price of the best 

 stock below what it should be in com- 

 Iiarison to the present price of the med- 

 ium and short stock. Practically every- 

 one could use more roses at from 10 to 

 20 cents, and practically everyone could 

 use more orders at from 25 cents to 50 

 cents per flower. A few of the best 

 Russell and Premier still make 60 cents. 

 There are not many Beauties and not 

 much call for them. 



A sharp shortage of carnations de- 

 veloped last week. Probably the failure 

 (»f the supply to increase to the degree 

 ex]iected after Christmas was due to 

 the return of zero weather. At any rate, 

 it has been severely cold and few car- 

 fContinued on oaRC S2.] 



