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Fbbbcabt 19. 1920 



The Florists^ Review 



23 



Exhibits fell far below the club's 

 usual February record, as nearly all the 

 large would-be exhibitors were unable 

 to attend. 0. 8. Strout came from Bid- 

 deford, Me., with handsome vases of 

 Maine Sunshine, which was awarded a 

 report of merit, and White Delight, 

 which received honorable mention. 

 These two varieties will be disseminated 

 next season. William C. Rust showed a 

 magnificent vase of Laddie, awarded a 

 cultural certificate. Edward Winkler 

 had a nice vase of the ever popular 

 Morning Glow, awarded honorable men- 

 tion. C. J. McGregor & Sons, Newbury- 

 port, showed their new crimson seedling, 

 Ruth W. Somerby, which they will in- 

 troduce next season. 



From James Wheeler came Godfrey 

 callas of remarkable size, grown in solid 

 beds. Mr. Wheeler has 4,000 planted 

 in this way and finds them an inexpen- 

 sive crop to care for and most profitable. 

 A night temperature of 48 to 50 de- 

 grees suits them. From Walter H. Gol- 

 by came a fine selection of flowers, in- 

 cluding nemesias, Myosotis Sutton's 

 pot variety, Schizanthus Sutton's Pink, 

 and Narcissus White Lady, Seagull, 

 Barrii conspicuus, rugulosus and Golden 

 Spur, awarded honorable mention. The 

 T. J. Grey Co. received honorable men- 

 tion for a representative collection of 

 seed potatoes. 



C. S. Strout made an interesting ad- 

 dress on the Chicago convention and 

 discussed the merits of varieties seen 

 there. He discussed the present whole- 

 sale prices of carnations and disap- 

 proved of the high prices asked. His 

 policy had been to hold prices down as 

 low as profits would permit in winter 

 and hold up prices in warmer weather, 

 rather than charge an extravagant fig- 

 ure at this season. Retail florists in 

 outside cities dependent on Boston for 

 their supplies, he said, could not 

 pay $15 to $18 per hundred for carna- 

 tions and make any profit. Present 

 conditions would simply force many to 

 the wall. The present condition is un- 

 healthy, hQ asserted, and it is time 

 something was done toward stabilizing 

 prices on carnations, so that retailers 

 can make some profit. 



He advocated the use of a book for 

 all carnation growers. He carried a 

 small one in which he could tell in a 

 moment what each variety grown had 

 yielded in flowers and money each year. 

 For instance, this season to date Snow 

 White has given seventeen flowers per 

 foot at an average price of $10 per 

 hundred; Maine Sunshine, seven flowers, 

 and Laddie, three, at an average of $25 

 per hundred. He tried to produce some 

 fancy varieties and more of others 

 which were free bloomers. Pink De- 

 light with him was a steady but not 

 heavy cropper. He always aimed to 

 sell reasonably to those outside his own 

 city, as he was largely dependent on 

 them later in the season. He commended 

 the great work being done by the Dor- 

 ners in carnations and said they had 

 some excellent salmons, smaller, but 

 much freer, than Laddie. 



Gustave Thommen followed Mr. Strout 

 with an interesting talk on the benefits 

 of oil heating as proved at the M. E. 

 Moore range, at Arlington, where half 

 the area of 150,000 feet of glass is 

 heated with oil much more economically 

 than with coal. He later discussed the 

 help question and criticised florists for 

 their slack bookkeeping methods. The 

 income tax had proven a blessing to 



It is Necessary 



to eliminate overtime costs in printing The 

 Review. Advertisers are urged to send in 

 copy on Thursday, Friday and Saturday 

 whenever possible. If copy is not received 

 until Tuesday we have to pay double for 

 setting the type. 



many in showing them how little money 

 they were earning. 



Refreshments were served at the 

 close of the meeting and the cakes, 

 specially made for the occasion by Mrs. 

 W. H. Judd, were much appreciated. 



Various Notes. 



William Sim has brought action 

 against the state for $6,000 damages as 

 a result of the corn borer campaign 

 waged last season. He had a large field 

 of early sweet corn which an inspector 

 condemned and ordered him to plow up. 

 Mr. Sim promptly complied. A day 

 later another inspector called and said 

 he need not plow Wie field up, as there 

 seemed no danger from the borer. 

 Other growers who had delayed their 

 plowing suffered no loss. 



At Thos. F. Galvin's Back Bay and 

 Park street stores St. Valentine's day 

 business broke all records. Funeral work 

 has been heavy of late. 



E. J. Ahearn, of Wellesley, one of 

 our leading marguerite specialists, was 

 unfortunate enough to lose a large house 

 of thess flowers from the weight of 

 snow February 5. C. J. McGregor & 

 Son, of Newburyport, lost a house of 

 carnations during the same storm. 



At Penn's, St. Valentine's day busi- 

 ness went far ahead of all previous rec- 

 ords. Large, telling ads in the Boston 

 papers brought an avalanche of orders. 

 Owing to the blockaded streets, de- 

 livery was difficult. Automobiles used 

 the cleared streets and fifty boys were 

 hired to make deliveries on streets still 

 impassable to automobiles. 



Some remarkably fine mignonette is 

 coming in from Donald Carmichael, 

 Wellesley, and W. R. Nicholson, Fram- 

 ingham. 



B. A. Snyder & Co. report a good ship- 

 ping trade. Customers at a distance 

 continue to buy freely in spite of high 

 prices. 



At Hamlin's, in the Little building, a 

 fine St. Valentine's dav business was 

 done, sweet peas, violets, primroses, 

 pansies, roses and orchids being special 

 favorites. 



The next meeting of the Boston Flo- 

 rists' Association will be held March 2. 

 The wholesalers will present their case 

 to the meeting. 



The continued high price of flowers 

 is forcing some of the smaller retailers 

 to the wall. This is most unfortunate, 

 as the class of patrons frequenting 

 these small stores rarely venture inside 

 the mor« pretentious ones. 



A. C. Burrage will make another large 

 exhibit of orchids in Horticultural hall 

 Febrwary 28. The annual winter lecture 

 course will start the same afternoon. 

 These orchid exhibits will hereafter be 



open on Sunday afternoons in addition 

 to Saturdays. 



The local soft coal situation is seri- 

 ous and as critical as at any time dur- 

 ing the war. The inducements to ex- 

 port coal at higher prices than can be 

 obtained in the domestic market is one 

 cause. The tremendous snow blockades 

 are another serious factor. Some green- 

 housemen are reported to have little sup- 

 ply on hand. 



Ten days after the snow blockade 

 started some towns within eighteen 

 miles of Bostpn were still without rail- 

 road service. Paine Bros, and Peter 

 Hylen, of Randolph, large bulb special- 

 ists, were unable to ship at all for sev- 

 eral days and even February 16 had not 

 secured normal train service. 



William Gillson, head salesman for 

 Thomas Roland, was back on duty again 

 February 16 after several weeks of 

 sickness. W. N. C. 



WASHINGTON, D. 0. 



The Market. 



Weather conditions were better last 

 week and the supply of stock has in- 

 creased. The demand still exceeds the 

 supply and all stock is cleaned up at 

 good prices. 



The St. Valentine's day demand was 

 large and the wholesalers faced a hard 

 problem in dividing up the stock. The 

 growers were called upon frequently 

 during the final rush to hurry in with 

 anything they might have. 



Various Notes. 



Z. D. Blackistone had an attractive 

 St. Valentine's day display. The win- 

 dow was cleverly arranged, with a large 

 heart in the center. 



George C. Shaffer was unusually busy 

 with St. Valentine's day orders, and 

 his entire floor was covered with boxes 

 ready for delivery. G. V. S. 



Ellsworth, Kan. — Roth & Spicer have 

 taken over the cut flower business of 

 William Macaulay, who died recently. 



Cambridge, O. — Fred W. Arnold has 

 been kept exceptionally busy of late 

 while his grower was down with the flu. 



Hamilton, O. — Rudolph Bock has 

 taken over the old Roquet greenhouses, 

 on Fair avenue, which he opened Feb- 

 ruary 2. Mr. Bock recently returned 

 after eighteen months' service in the 

 Seventh Machine Gun Battalion, with 

 the Third Division, overseas. He has 

 had twelve years' experience in green- 

 house work, having been with some of 

 the largest growers in the country. 



