JCNB 16, 1921 



The Florists' Review 



25 



CmCAGO TO WASHINGTON. 



The following routes of travel, rates 

 of fare and sleeping car schedules are 

 presented for the trip of members of 

 the Chicago Florists' Club and friends 

 to the annual convention of the Society 

 of American Florists, to be held at 

 Washington, D. C, August 16 to 18: 



BALTIMORE & OHIO RAILROAD. 

 Loave Chicago Due Washington 



8:40a. m 7:30a.m. 



10:45 a. m 9:00 a. m. 



5:40 p. m 4:40 p. m. 



9:15 p. m 10:25 p. m. 



PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD. 

 I>eave Chicago Due Washington 

 10:30 a. ra. Manhattan Limited 9:28 a.m. 



5:30 p. m. Pennsylvania Limited 4:50 p. m. 



A rate of a fare and one-half for the 

 round trip on identification certificates 

 has been authorized. On this basis, the 

 fare from Chicago to Washington and 

 return will be $44.96. Tickets will be 

 on sale August 14 to 16, validation may 

 be made August 16 to 19, and the return 

 limit is August 21, 1921. The one way 

 rate is $29.97, including tax. 



Pullman fares, Chicago to Washing- 

 ton, including surcharge and war tax, 

 are: Lower berth, $8.91; upper, $7.13; 

 compartment, $25.11; drawing room, 

 $32.40. 



For those who wish to make an ex- 

 tended tour of the east, it may be stated 

 that there is on sale all-year tourist 

 tickets from Chicago to Atlantic City, 

 N. J., and return at a fare of $63.54, 

 also Chicago to Asbury Park, N. J., and 

 return at a fare of $70.61. The Atlan- 

 tic City tickets will permit of stop-over 

 at all points within limit, which is six 

 months from date of sale, and may be 

 routed via the Baltimore & Ohio line 

 through Pittsburgh, Washington, Balti- 

 more and Philadelphia, returning same 

 route or via Pennsylvania lines direct 

 or via Buffalo and Niagara Falls if de- 

 sired. The Asbury Park tickets may be 

 routed via the Baltimore & Ohio line 

 through Pittsburgh, Washington, Balti- 

 more, Philadelphia and New York, 

 thence to Asbury Park and return to 

 New York, thence via Hudson River 

 day line to Albany, returning New York 

 Central lines direct through Buffalo, 

 Cleveland, Toledo or via New York Cen- 

 tral lines to Buffalo, thence Michigan 

 Central railroad via Niagara Falls and 

 Detroit with optional trip via boat line, 

 Buffalo to Detroit, if desired. These 

 tickets are on sale daily and bear re- 



turn limit of six months from date of 

 sale. They require no validation or 

 deposit. 



CHICAGO. 



The Market. 



Although business for the month of 

 May was the largest this market ever 

 has known, so much can not be said for 

 the first half of June. Sales have not 

 been footing up a total equal to last 

 year at this date. Interested persons 

 seeking a reason for the change find it 

 in various causes, but agree that the 

 difference is not in the number of flow- 

 ers sold, but in the price. It seems quite 

 clear that about the same quantity of 

 stock is being sold, but that average 

 prices are considerably below those of 

 the first half of June last year. Pro- 

 verbially optimistic, wholesalers say the 

 difference is the result of different 

 weather conditions, the earlier arrival 

 of summer, the earlier local peony cut, 

 etc., but growers and retailers, prone 

 to pessimism, fear the difference in 

 prices is the first manifestation of 

 the trade's participation in readjust- 

 ment and is the result of general busi- 

 ness conditions, which seem steadily to 

 grow worse instead of better. 



Not much can be said of the stock in 

 market without repeating what has 

 been printed in the two last reports. 

 There continues to be more stock than 

 the legitimate demand will consume. It 

 continues to be apparent that the regu- 

 lar trade will take only about so much 

 stock, no matter how low the price is 

 made, and that the surplus must be 

 moved, if at all, through channels other 

 than stores handling flowers only. As 

 the weather has been hot and the sun 

 strong, many roses are wide open, and 

 much sorting is necessary to get out the 

 stock needed for the shipping orders. 

 The discard is worth little and is the 

 reason for the low average rose prices. 



The peony is passing, earlier than 

 usual. By the end of the present week 

 it is thought the crop will have been 

 moved except for two lots in storage, 

 neither of which will be of such size as 

 to affect the market seriously. But in 

 place of the peony we now have the 

 gladiolus to reckon with. The earlier 

 season has brought this crop on a 

 fortnight or more ahead of last year, 



while the great increase in gladiolus 

 growing in America is reflected in the 

 numerous sources and larger supply. 

 There are all grades. Some of the in- 

 door stock is excellent and brings 20 

 cents per spike in a dull market. The 

 outdoor stock also is of fine quality 

 and, as fields nearer home come in, ar- 

 rives in better condition. There is the 

 promise of an abundant supply for all 

 summer. 



Weddings have been numerous so far 

 this month, with a good call for the 

 usual flowers, valley, sweet peas, daisies 

 and lilies. Good peas are scarce, due to 

 the hot weather, which has rendered 

 much of the receipts unfit for use in 

 good work. Valley is equal to the de- 

 mand and there are plenty of daisies 

 and lilies, some of the latter coming 

 from the east, cut in bud. Carnations 

 are affected by the heat and are not in 

 the favor they enjoy in winter. 



Garden flowers have begun to arrive 

 in considerable quantity, including 

 Delphinium Belladonna, gaillardias, 

 coreopsis, gypsophila and others. They 

 sell well locally, but have little share 

 in the shipping trade, which is the back- 

 bone of the market. 



The arrival of new ferns in quantity 

 has relieved the only shortage in the 

 greens department. 



Cash or C. O. D. 



It is several years since the last at- 

 tempt was made at concerted action in 

 the matter of credits and collections for 

 the cut flowers sold on this market, but 

 there has been a steady increase in the 

 conviction that the only money to be 

 made off a customer who does not pay 

 is when he buys from the other fellow. 

 Consequently the wholesalers, particu- 

 larly the commission men, as individ- 

 uals, have been tightening credit lines 

 steadily if rather slowly. Customers 

 who do not pay with dependable regu- 

 larity have been handled with increas- 

 ing firmness until most of the local 

 buyers who do not pay regularly have 

 been placed on a cash basis and those 

 out of town are shipped c. o. d. What 

 can be done in this direction is shown 

 by the statement that one of the houses 

 showing total sales of $160,000 in May, 

 on June 1 had only $140,000 on its 

 books, including all past due accounts 

 from April and preceding months. 



Experience shows the wholesalers 

 can do a retailer no greater service than 

 to keep him from letting bills pile up — 

 no retailer ever failed until he had been 

 given too much credit. 



Pageant of Progress. 



The florists' Pageant of Progress 

 committee, of wliich George Asmus is 

 chairman, W. J. Smyth treasurer and 

 Joseph Pollworth secretary, is bonding 

 energetic efforts to make the trade's 

 display at the Municipal pier July 30 to 

 August 14 one of the big features of 

 the mayor's exposition. 



It is planned to devote the central 

 part of the section to a flower show, for 

 which $5,000 in prizes is to be provided. 

 The University of Illinois is expected 

 to have an educational exhibit, where 

 information concerning plant insects 

 and diseases and the caro of flowers will 

 be given the public. The park boards, 

 it is planned, will decorate the en- 

 trances to the pier and assist in adorn- 

 ing the florists' section itself. 



The large seed houses of the city 

 have agreed to take booths, and the 

 [Continued on patre 30.] 



