OCTOBEB 28. 4880 



The Florists' Review 



29 



Michael H. Norton. 



Michael H. Norton, former president 

 of the Society of American Florists and 

 for many years actively identified with 

 the trade in Boston, died at Dorchester, 

 Mass., October 19, at the age of 76 

 years. 



The deceased was born in Boston, on 

 the south side of the city, but shortly 

 after his birth his parents moved to 

 Dorchester, then a country-like suburb, 

 where young Norton went to school. 

 He completed his education in the 

 Chauney Hall school. Even in his youth 

 he manifested his interest in horticul- 

 ture by giving his services to a local 

 florist by the name of Wales. After his 

 apprenticeship he went to Watertown 

 to enter the employment of the J. P. 

 Gushing estat«, where his brother, Pat- 

 rick, was at work. When the estate 

 passed to another owner, Mr. Norton 

 and his brother bought a piece of land 

 near their old home in Dorchester and 

 entered the trade. Eight at the outset 

 they showed originality. The houses 

 they constructed were larger than those 

 previously used, being 200 feet in 

 length. Another innovation was the 

 cultivation of violets in the houses, the 

 usual course then being to grow them 

 in frames. Their first stock was chiefly 

 bedding plants. 



It was not long before the firm, which 

 bore the cognomen, Norton Bros., be- 

 came famous for horticulture and par- 

 ticularly for rose growing. When Bon 

 Silene was introduced to the trade they 

 made a specialty of it and did much to 

 increase its popularity. They shipped 

 large quantities of their blooms to New 

 York and Philadelphia. They still spe- 

 cialized in bedding plants, but when 

 the market became flooded, when other 

 florists learned that this was a lucrative 

 branch of the trade, they changed their 

 specialty. 



In 1875 they entered the retail busi- 

 ness in Boston, leasing space in the 

 Hotel Berkeley. They operated this 

 store until a few years ago, when Mr. 

 Norton withdrew from activity in the 

 trade. His brother, Patrick, prede- 

 ceased him by several years. 



Besides being sucaessful in business, 

 the deceased was always active for the 

 general welfare of florists and horti- 

 culturists. He was one of the founders 

 of the Boston Gardeners' and Florists' 

 Club and acted as its first secretary and 

 second president. He acted as both 

 vice-president and president of the So- 

 ciety of American Florists, holding the 

 latter office in 1890. 



He married Miss Alice T. Lennan, 

 who died several years ago. Two sons, 

 Arthur, of Buffalo, N. Y., and A. J. 

 Norton, of Providence, R. I., and three 

 daughters, Claire, Madeline and Alice, 

 survive him. Funeral services, held 

 from his home at Milton, October 22, 

 were attended by many of his friends 

 in the trade and there were many hand- 

 some floral tributes. 



Matthew Jones. 



Matthew Jones, superintendent of 

 Evergreen cemetery, at the Highlands, 

 Cincinnati, O., died October 21. Death 

 is supposed to have been due to heart 



Michael H. Norton. 



trouble. Mr. Jones had been connected 

 with the florists' business since his 

 youth and had been for some years su- 

 perintendent of the cemetery. He was 

 a brother of C. J. Jones, of the Walnut 

 Hills Floral Bazaar, and his attractive 

 personality won for him many friends 

 among members of the trade in Cin- 

 cinnati. 



CHICAaO. 



The Market. 



In a general way conditions in the 

 Chicago market may be described as 

 normal for the season and yet there 

 are many unusual features. There is 

 some variation in reports, but summing 

 it up the probability is that last week 's 

 sales were slightly ahead of the record 

 for the same week last year. Both ends 

 of the week were moderately good, 

 showing some increase over the corre- 

 sponding days of last year, but in the 

 middle of the week there was a depres- 

 sion, with sales falling behind those of 

 last year. It will be remembered that 

 last October business was none too 

 brisk, for the boom last season did 

 not begin until after the mums were out 

 of the way. 



There has been considerably more 

 stock in the market than was the case 

 a year ago. Prices have been lower. 

 That sales aggregate as much or a little 

 more than a year ago is due to the larger 

 volume of business and is in spite of 

 lower prices. 



Last week the market had to contend 

 with summer-like weather. It increased 

 the supply while decreasing the de- 

 mand. The present week opened with 

 cooler weather and rain, but at the time 



this column was written the tempera- 

 ture still was above normal for the 

 date. It has been the warmest and 

 brightest autumn on record, a condi- 

 tion not at all favorable to the flower 

 business. That sales should have 

 amounted to such good totals under the 

 handicap of the weather, the excite- 

 ment of the approaching election and 

 the depression in general business 

 seems reason for satisfaction and seems 

 to indicate that seasonable weather will 

 result in a prompt decrease in the sup- 

 ply, with a corresponding increase in 

 the demand and a sharp advance in 

 prices. 



The rose supply already has fallen off. 

 The conditions have been so unsettled 

 that no general statement will cover 

 individual cases. Some houses have 

 been short of the finest grades and have 

 had to buy of those who had a surplus. 

 In general there have been more roses 

 of all grades than the market really 

 needed and prices have been low com- 

 pared to this season's high cost of pro- 

 duction. Pink predominates. Red and 

 white command a little extra value be- 

 cause of the relatively small supply. 

 There are not many Beauties, the sup- 

 ply being confined to two wholesale 

 houses. 



The chrysanthemum is the principal 

 flower of the moment. Bonnaffon put in 

 an appearance October 23, so that it 

 may be said that midseason is here. 

 There are all kinds of mums, but more 

 small flowers than fancy ones. There 

 is some variation in reports, but several 

 sources say mums thus far have aver- 

 aged slightly better prices than a year 

 ago. Pompons now are plentiful in a 



[Continued on paife 34.] 



