22 



The Florists^ Review 



Dkcbmbsb 31, 1914. 



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30 East Randolph St., CHICAGO 



Open to 6 p.m.; Sundays and Holidays to 12 M. 



I THE ALWAYS RELIABLE WHOLESALE FLORISTS 



Wishing You a Happy and Prosperous New Year 



No matter what you want, we have it - everything in 

 Cut Flowers and Greens. 



Carnations, Violets 



None better to be had anywhere— no larger supply 

 of the big seasonable staples. 



In Di^ciic SUNBURST, BULGARIE, SHAWTER, RICHMOND, 

 in l\USC9 : WARD, KUiLARNEY, WHITE KILLARNEY, ETC. 



You can't find a better source of supply. Our stock is unsurpassed, we have 

 a complete liue and we stop at nothing to please a customer. Sweet Peas, 

 Valley, Bouvardia, Paper Whites, Romans, Freesia, Jonquils, Lilies 



—everything— awaiting your word to ship. 



We have built up our big shipping trade. North, East, South and West, by 

 handling flrst-class stock and large quantities of it. Send along your orders. 



WE ARE WHOLESAUERS DOING A STRICTLY WHOLESAUC BUSINESS. 



MfPtioD Tb» ReTlew when yon write. 



^1 WHOLESALE GD°WEPS<CUT FLoVEDS^-'-PLANTS 



L. D. Phone 



Randolph 5449 

 Gentxal 282 



176 N.Micl\^8J> Ave. "^ 



VIOLETS : : ROSES 





CARNATIONS 



Everythingf Seasonable in Flo'wers and Greens. 

 WRITE, WIRE OR PHONE. 



Mention Thp Review when you •write. 



of the market is the report of one 

 wholesaler, who says that where last 

 year his house bought over $2,000 worth 

 of stock from other wholesalers, this 

 Christmas less than $100 worth was so 

 purchased. Everybody had enough. The 

 shipping trade was the backbone of the 

 market. The orders were fully as numer- 

 ous as at the best previous Christmas, 

 but they were not so large as usual. 

 The out-of-town people wanted good 

 stock, if not always the longest stems, 

 and did not expect to get flowers for 

 next to nothing just because the market 

 was overstocked. After the shipping 

 orders were out all the houses were in 

 the same boat. An unexpected feature 

 was that while the larger stores, cater- 

 ing to the better class of trade, seemed 

 to buy about as many cut flowers as 

 ever, numbers of the smaller stores 

 appeared to buy scarcely anything — 

 they had prepared to do the Christmas 

 business practically all with plants and 

 supply house stock and it was too late 

 to change their plans when it was found 

 the market was overloaded with cut 

 flowers. 



Eegretfully, it must be recorded that 

 growers' averages in many cases were 

 pulled down by the shipping of the 

 worst lot of pickled stock this market 

 has seen in many a day. With cuts so 

 large and the market so weak as was 



the case between Thanksgiving and 

 Christmas, it was only natural, perhaps, 

 that growers should hold back their 

 stock. They might have got away with 

 it if the supply of fresh stock had run 

 short, but with more fresh flowers than 

 could be sold there was little chance 

 for anything that showed signs of age. 



One flower was in about as bad a 

 situation as another; the oversupply 

 extended to practically all important 

 lines. Perhaps it was worst with carna- 

 tions. Some estimates of the quantity 

 offered put it as high as three times last 

 year's Christmas supply and there are 

 individual growers who are known to 

 have shipped from four to six times as 

 many as in the same week last year. 

 That sleepy and split flowers should 

 have no saJe was not to be wondered 

 at, and of course the market weakened 

 rapidly after the shipping demand had 

 been satisfied. Even red was left. 



The eastern Beauties did no good; no 

 more Beauties were sold, either at 

 wholesale or retail, at this year's low 

 prices than have been sold at better 

 prices in previous years. Retailers who 

 bought in the east are said to have 

 come out all right, but wholesalers who 

 speculated were lucky if they broke 

 even and the eastern stock spoiled the 

 market for local growers. Relatively, 

 roses did better than anything else. 



There was an oversupply, it is true, but 

 good roses at from 8 cents to 15 cents 

 sold well. The novelty roses were most 

 in demand, of course, but fine, long 

 Killarney could be had at such reason- 

 able prices that it held down the prices 

 for the novelties. Mrs. Russell sold up 

 to 50 cents per flower, as did Milady, 

 but the shorter lengths suffered by com- 

 parison with the Killarney offered at 

 the same price. Russell was carried 

 over, the same as other roses. Rich- 

 mond for once went around, and more. 

 Violets were, contrary to general ex- 

 pectation, as much in oversupply as 

 anything else. The quantities of Beau- 

 ties and violets ordinarily sold in New 

 York and Philadelphia that this time 

 came to Chicago was the subject for 

 wide remark. Violets sold well in the 

 good retail stores and had it not been 

 for the volunteer shippers the market 

 would have had a pleasant story to tell 

 on this item. Singles were not nearly 

 so plentiful as the Hudson river doubles. 

 There were moments when poinsettias 

 were not easy to find, but late arrivals 

 went unsold. Cattleyas and sweet peas 

 were the least plentiful of flowers, but 

 no complaint is heard. It is well under- 

 stood that when roses and carnations 

 are in oversupply there can be no short- 

 age of miscellaneous flowers, so all the 

 other items may be dismissed with the 



