22 



The Florists^ Review 



Auoucw 26, 1916. 



. WHY KERB WENT HOME. 



8. A. F. members who wondered last 

 week at the absence from San Fran- 

 cisco of Robert C. Kerr, of Houston, 

 Tex., at the time of the convention 

 ,>vhich ' elected him vice-president of 

 thle society, have only to glance at the 

 illustration on this page to find the 

 answer. 



A wind storm of terrific strength vis- 

 ited Houston and wrecked most of the 

 greenhouses in the vicinity. Mr. Kerr's 

 raiige was completely demolished; the 

 loss amounts to about $5,000. The loss 

 at the range of H. H. Kuhlmann is 

 about the same. F. L. Cotney's store 

 was wrecked and his family caught 

 in the wreck. Mr. Cotney was in- 

 jured, but, it is believed, not se- 

 riousl}-. W. T. Hauser's loss was about 

 .$3,000, half of his greenhouses being 

 destroyed. The Brazos Greenhouses 

 suffered little in comparison; only 300 

 or 400 panes of glass were broken. As 

 the houses were modern in construc- 

 tion, they withstood the storm well. 



In the downtown section, the Forest- 

 dale Flower Shop suffered the loss of 

 three large plate-glass windows and 

 considerable damage to stock. At 

 H. H. Kuhlmann 's store two plate-glass 

 windows were broken. The Gulf Flo- 

 rist, operating a small greenhouse in 

 the business district, was badly dam- 

 aged. Mr. Kerr 's store had the pro- 

 tection of several high brick buildings, 

 and received little damage. Henry 

 Bleeker, at Glenwood cemetery, suf- 



BOCHESTEB, N. Y. 



The Market. 



Six days of fine weather has been 

 good for business, and there is a notice- 

 able change for the better. Saturday, 

 however, was exceedingly quiet, owing 

 to the return of rain. So far, the re- 

 ceipts for this month and the one pre- 

 ceding are much less than those of last 

 year. General business conditions are 

 poor. Little is heard or seen of wed- 

 dings and local functions, and stores 

 consequently are not busy. Market 

 reports show that heavy consignments 

 arrive daily, but much of the stock 

 is disposed of at the customer's own 

 figures. For a few days last week, the 

 market was fairly glutted with asters, 

 chiefly in lavender, purple and white, 

 but the delicate shades of pink were 

 slow in arriving. American Beauties 

 receive no special call. Sunburst 

 Ward, Russell, Maryland and Ophelia, 

 as well as other varieties in pink 

 shades, are plentiful and do not move 

 <|uickly. Carnations are poor and 

 scarce. There is a fair supply of sweet 

 l»eas, but the majority are of poor qual- 

 ity and many are short-stemmed. The 

 supply of gladioli is good and easily 

 meets the present demand. The better 

 sellers are America and Rochester 

 White, which bring medium prices. 

 Easter lilies arrive daily, but do not 

 clear fast. Valley does not sell well. 

 A few outdoor flowers, such as stocks. 



Two Views of the Wrecked GreeDbouses oi R. C. Kerr, Houston, Tex. 



fered some damages to his greenhouses, 

 and the top was blown off his store. 



Every cloud has its silver lining: As 

 a result of the storm Houston will have 

 a number of up-to-date ranges to show 

 visitors next year, in place of the 

 houses that have been in use for the 

 last ten or fifteen years. Although it 

 is considered too late to begin construc- 

 tion this fall, except such as is neces- 

 sary for the protection of the stock on 

 hand, next spring will probably see all 

 of the wrecked ranges replaced by 

 houses of the most modern type. 



Coshocton, O.— Mrs. E. J. Clary and 

 her sons are building two pipe-frame 

 houses, 25x140. The material is being 

 furnished by the Lord & Burnham Co., 

 Cleveland. 



verbena, phlox, candytuft and cosmos, 

 are arriving, but do not sell too well. 

 There is a sufficient supply of fern 

 leaves. Asparagus pluniosus, smilax 

 and other greens. 



Various Notes. 



The flower show committee of the 

 Rochester Florists' Association, under 

 the chairmanship of George B. Hart, is 

 working hard on arrangements for the 

 Rochester exposition and flower show. 

 Building No. 5, which will be known 

 from now on as Floral hall, will be 

 transformed into an attractive floral 

 bower. Several of America's biggest 

 and best growers will exhibit, as well 

 as most of Rochester's florists and 

 growers. The committee promises a 

 show that will surpass all others. The 



show will be held August 30 to Sep- 

 tember 12. 



The annual picnic of the Rochester 

 Florists' Association was held August 

 19, at Walter Salmon's grove. The 

 splendid weather brought out seventy- 

 five members, and a good time was had 

 by all. The committee worked splen- 

 didly. Arrangements were complete in 

 every way. There was an abundance of 

 food. Sports, including tennis, all kinds 

 of races, baseball, etc., were indulged 

 in. Music was furnished by a negro trio, 

 which proved to be one of the main at- 

 tractions of the day. 



The florists have discovered that un- 

 dertakers are asking for artificial wax 

 roses, to be used on magnolia wreaths 

 for door pieces. As a wreath of arti- 

 ficial roses costs about the same as 

 one of real roses, the florists are satis- 

 fied. 



Lord & Burnham Co. 's Rochester 

 office has contracted for the following: 

 E. R. Hyde, Wayland, N. Y., one pipe- 

 frame greenhouse, 21x58.6^ Fr^nk La- 

 vigne, Rochester, one pipe-frame green- 

 house, 17x3x58.6, and a boiler house, 

 6.5x15, and for C. B. Emmons, Pitts- 

 ford, N. Y., one pipe-frame greenhouse, 

 24.6x50.2. Harry E. Bates is away on 

 a business trip to Pittsburgh, Pa. 



H. J. H. 



NEWARK, N. J. 



The Market. 



Business in the flower stores drags 

 on. Occasional funeral work is the 

 only activity noticeable. If it were 

 not for the fact that such conditions 

 must be expected during midsummer 

 months, many of the florists would be 

 discouraged. Each passing week, how- 

 ever, 'sees a slight improvement in 

 general business conditions, and many 

 are optimistic as to fall business. No 

 one expects a boom in business, but 

 large numbers of business men expect 

 l)etter conditions than we have had for 

 a long time. Activity in other lines 

 must mean a greater volume of sales 

 for the florists. So many people are 

 away on their vacations that few 

 stores are branching out at present, 

 whatever may be their plans for the 

 fall. When the majority of the vaca- 

 tionists return, after Labor day, the 

 fundamental improvement of business 

 will doubtless be more apparent. As- 

 ters and gladioli continue to be the 

 staples in the flower shops. The cos- 

 mos that have appeared so far have 

 generally been of inferior quality, 

 owing, in part, to the heavy rain this 

 season. Such dahlias as have arrived 

 have also been poor. A better grade 

 has begun to appear, but they are not 

 yet up to average quality. Some of the 

 better flowers sell at $1 per dozen; the 

 others for about 75 cents per dozen. 

 Outside hydrangeas are beginning to 

 arrive, and are of fairly good quality. 

 Roses are good for this time of the 

 year. 



Various Notes. 



Fred Philips, of Philips Bros., is 

 spending his vacation fishing on the 

 New Jersey coast. Last year he caught 

 a sea bass weighing forty-two pounds, 

 and he is trying to duplicate the per- 

 formance this year. Philips Bros, have 

 had considerable funeral work. Their 

 entire store will be renovated so as to 

 be in excellent condition at the open- 

 ing of the fall season. 



A pretty fountain is a summer at- 



