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JUNE 17, 1920. 



The Florists^ Review 



25 



NEW YOEK. 



The Market. 



A market crowded with peonies from 

 southern and western sources, with a 

 Jicavy influx also of the same flowers 

 from local plantings, made possible by 

 two or three days of temperature soar- 

 ing into the nineties, about describes the 

 closing conditions of last week's busi- 

 ness. With two or three exceptions, 

 oiher flowers shared the distress caused 

 by these conditions, and the bottom 

 dropped out of the market. Many thou- 

 sands of peonies went entirely to waste, 

 almost all, of course, long-distance ship- 

 ments. Nearby products sold fairly 

 well, owing to their smaller quantity 

 and better appearance. It is almost im- 

 possible to quote otl^er than a general 

 ])rice for peonies, which may be said to 

 bo from 50 cents to $1 per dozen for 

 the best and 50 cents to $2 per hundred 

 for inferiors, with the street man the 

 host customer for the latter grades. 



Roses are in large supply and the 

 quality of the hybrid teas is good for 

 tlic time of year. Arrivals move slowly, 

 however, even at concessions in price, 

 and much stock is cleared only at sac- 

 rificial figures. American Beauty is 

 showing summer quality and, although 

 in short supply, commands only $20 per 

 hundred for the best of the specials, 

 with other grades in proportion. The 

 movement of roses is, naturally, impeded 

 by the peony influx and will be until 

 the crop of the latter is gone, which will 

 be soon, as practically early, midseason 

 and late local stock is in together. 



Carnations are too plentiful just now, 

 and, in the main, of poor quality, show- 

 ing the effect of the weather and the 

 lateness of the season. The best bring 

 as much as $2, the rest going at prices 

 down to 50 cents per hundred, and even 

 less when the street man is in wait for 

 them. 



Cattlcyas are little affected by 

 conditions, the supply being rather 

 short and the demand for them good. 

 About 25 cents to $1.25 per flower is 

 the range of prices. A few gar- 

 denias are arriving, but of inferior 

 liuality. Lily of the valley is a leading 

 item short in supply, and the best sprays 

 h.ave been bringing $20 per hundred, 

 ■^yith inferior grades down to $4. Eastor 

 lilies are plentiful and bring from $3 

 to $6 per hundred. A few gladioli are 

 arriving and move fairly well at 75 cents 

 to $1.25 per dozen. Callas are in good 

 i-'il'ply at $1 to $1.50 per dozen. 



There is an abundance of sweet peas, 

 ■*^ith much stock among arrivals 

 ^^■''athcrworn and burned. Flowers with 

 K''od stems and otherwise desirable 

 liring as much as $1.50 per hundred, 

 ^\ith inferiors down to 25 cents and less. 

 I'';^ is in great quantity, but its poor 

 slipping and keeping properties pre- 

 yttit much of a price being obtained for 

 't and much goes to waste. Other flow- 

 ''"^ of which the supply is large are 

 ^'injidragons, delphiniums, stocks, calen- 

 '•"'us, centaiireas, cornflowers, pansies 

 =^'"1 daisies, the prices of which, under 

 present conditions, are not remu- 

 "■ I'ative. 



Various Notes. 



The business of the late Maurice 



"Id is to be continued by his two sis- 



'"■s as soon as administration proceed- 



!"Ks are concluded. It will probablv be 



"'•orporated. 



Arthur Herrington, of Madison, N. J., 



will lecture under the auspices of the 

 New York Botanical Garden, in the 

 museum at the garden, June 26. His 

 subject will be "Evergreens for Ameri- 

 can Gardens." 



Harrie S. Mueller and Mrs. Mueller, 

 of Wichita, Kan., were in the city last 

 week and called at the S. A. F. oflSices. 

 Mr. Mueller is Kansas state vice-presi- 

 dent of the society. J. H. P. 



BALTIMORE, MD. 



The Market. 



The supply on the market last week 

 was unusually heavy, with all lines of 

 stock showing the effects of the ad- 

 vanced season. The demand was fairly 

 good and, except for peonies Saturday, 

 June 5, there was no glut. The only 

 reason that there was a glut of these 

 for the one day was the fact that the 

 weather had been quite cool; then sev- 

 eral days of extreme heat brought the 

 early supply in all at once. 



Roses are beginning to show the ef- 

 fects of the heat, but there are still 

 fine ones to be had and these sell well. 

 Carnations are fast passing from the 

 stage. While there is still a large sup- 

 ply, there are not many really first-class 

 ones to be ^ had. The peony crop this 

 year was not so satisfactory as it might 

 have been. Numerous complaints of 

 poor stock were heard, but some said 

 they had never seen them finer. 



Green goods continue to be scarce, 

 but some shipments from the south 

 have relieved the situation a great 

 deal. The great mass of shrub- 

 bery is about gone. Gladioli are be- 

 ginning to arrive from the south, but 

 those that I have seen have not been 

 first-class. There is plenty of all sorts 

 of miscellaneous stock. The market is 

 about what it usually is for this season, 

 except that there is more stock moving. 



A Peony Hint. 



About twenty-five years ago I was go- 

 ing through the range of William K. 

 Harris, at Philadelphia. Everyone in the 

 east knows what a wizard he was for 

 producing novelties in pots. The time 

 was Easter and I saw several peonies 

 in pots, with one or two blooms. He 

 told me that he had just tried a few to 

 see what they would do; that he had 

 devoted no special care to them, but 

 said that no doubt if properly handled 

 they could be made a good pot novelty 

 for the big flower day. Just now, when 

 they are fresh in our minds, would it 

 not be a good idea to give some thought 

 to this? Why not try twenty-five or 

 fifty? It seems to me that they could 

 be potted in 6-inch or 8-inch pots or 

 pans in the late fall, kept outdoors like 

 any bulbous stock, and brought on. 

 Just think what an 8-inch pan of either 

 white or pink would be in full bloom, 

 either at Christmas or Easter. It seems 

 to me they are worth experimenting 

 with. 



. The Advertising Campaign. 



Saturday, June 5, the Associated 

 Florists took advantage of the poony 

 glut and distributed bunches of a hun- 

 dred each in the interest of "Say It 

 with Flowers" to the following insti- 

 tutions: The Church Home, Johns Hop- 

 kins, St. Joseph's, Mercy, Hebrew, 

 Maryland General, University, St. 

 Agnes, Franklin Square and U. S. Ma- 

 rine hospitals; to the editors of the 

 morning and evening Sun, the News, 



the American and the Star; also to the 

 president and vice-president of the 

 National Union bank, both being much 

 interested in the campaign now going 

 on. They are always ready to offer 

 suggestions or give advice. I might 

 say that there are not two shrewder 

 business men in the city than ex-Gover- 

 nor Goldsborough and Mr. Boisseau. It 

 is such men as these that the campaign 

 is attracting; big business men all over 

 the city are beginning to take the flo- 

 rists' business seriously, a thing they 

 never did before. 



With an advertisement Monday and 

 one Thursday, then the week-end box 

 advertisement Friday afternoon, artis- 

 tically made up for whatever occasion 

 we want to draw the public's attention 

 to, well written, and the slogan, "Say 

 It with Flowers," prominently dis- 

 played in each one, an effect is begin- 

 ning to be seen. Some of the florists 

 who had their arrangements made for 

 the year, those who were tied up by 

 contracts, have not come in yet, but 

 the campaign has demonstrated that 

 this is the logical way to advertise and 

 by the fall we shall be well under way. 



Various Notes. 



There is not much doubt that there 

 will be a local organization of the 

 National Flower Growers' Association 

 here in the near future; this is the sort 

 of work for them to carry on. 



Baltimore will be represented by two 

 fine new roses in the near future. Glori- 

 fied La France' is being brought out by 

 F. R. Pierson and Mrs. John Cook by 

 A. N. Pierson. There is no doubt that 

 both of these are going to give a fine 

 account of themselves. Tate. 



CHICAGO. 



The Market. 



Buyers in communities which are not 

 saving daylight will do well to note 

 that the Chicago market closes when it 

 is only 4 p. m. with them. It is essen- 

 tial that orders be sent an hour earlier 

 than heretofore. 



It has been a remarkable week in the 

 Chicago market. Seldom, if ever, have 

 supplies been so large and it is a marvel 

 that the waste of flowers has been so 

 small. A wonderful business has been 

 done, though there were four or five 

 times as many flowers as the regular 

 store trade and shipping demand could 

 consume, with the result that most of 

 the stock has had to be sold as best it 

 could. Of course under such conditions 

 average prices have been extremely low, 

 but almost every wholesale house in the 

 market reports that its sales thus far 

 in June have been materially ahead of 

 those of last year. The glut was later 

 this season ^han in any recent year. 

 Usually the heavy spring crop of roses 

 is gone before the peonies come in. This 

 year the roses and the peonies are at 

 their heaviest simultaneously. With the 

 roses it has been a case of taking ad- 

 vantage of any outlet, but the peonies 

 which were in condition for storage 

 have gone into the freezer and only the 

 open flowers have had to be dealt with 

 each day. 



The high heat which began June 10, 

 coming suddenly after a late, cool 

 spring, has had the effect of making the 

 rose l3uds small or else the flowers were 

 too open to ship, but the roses still are 



[Continued on pace 30.] 



