

August 25, 1904. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



657 



Interior of the Range of the United States Cut Flower Co., Elmira, N. Y. 



the frame work, which is bound together 

 by the use of tie rods and turn buckles. 

 The supports are placed on cement foun- 

 dations and for durability and strength 

 are beyond question. The drainage sys- 

 tem, which is covered by patents grant- 

 ed to R.. W. King, is the most perfect 

 in existence and is carefully guarded by 

 the company. The ventilating system 

 possesses all the latest improvements, in- 

 cluding the patent spring connections 

 which entirely do away with the strain- 

 ing and twisting due to ice or snow, the 

 steady pull of the spring preventing the 

 sash from war ping. 



The plant will be heated by steam and 

 will embrace some of the newest features 

 in that science. The boilers are being 

 installed with a view to using the auto- 

 matic stokers and will be fitted with the 

 latest designs for economizing fuel. 



The benches are built of cement with 

 tile bottoms and are practically inde- 

 structible. Twelve of the houses are 

 planted to roses, which will be made a 

 specialty, the remainder being devoted 

 to carnations, lilies, etc. 



The compapy has purchased sixty-two 

 acres of land and located here by reason 

 of the many advantages to be derived 

 from soil, climate and shipping facili- 

 ties which are ' ' second to none. ' ' 



JaS. J. CURRAN, Supt. 



THE EXPERIENCE OF SIMON. 



A Business Parody. 



Simon was a simple, country lad, who 

 lived with his parents near the city of 

 X. When Simon was sixteen his family 

 moved to a small farm on which there 

 was a greenhouse. This greenhouse 

 Simon's father told his son should be 

 his to do with as he liked. Visions 

 of wealth floated through Simon's mind 

 and he went to work in earnest, spend- 

 ing all his spare time putting the house 

 in order, carpentering, glazing, painting 

 until all was in readiness for soil an«i 

 plants. 



What to grow was now the question. 

 Simon subtjcribed to the Review and 



consulted William Scott. That week the 

 great William was for mignonette. So 

 lucidly and glowingly was its culture de- 

 scribed that Simon at once decided that 

 he would grow mignonette, and nothing 

 but mignonette, in his new house. The 

 soil was wheeled into the ground bed, 

 the manure added, the seed purchased 

 and sown and in due time the young 

 plants appeared. Then came thinning, 

 pinching, supporting and feeding. Simon 

 must have had ability, for the first crop 

 in his little house was as pretty a sight 

 as one could wish to see. There were 

 between 500 and 600 great spikes of 

 bloom, all borne erect on straight, long 

 stems and not a poor flower among 

 them. 



Simon again consulted the Review. 

 The price given in X for mignonette 

 was, ordinary, $1 to $2 per hundred; 

 fancy, $3 per hundred. 



"Mine are fancies, and I shall have 

 $15 this week, when my first crop is 

 harvested," Simon thought. 



That night at supper Simon asked 

 his father who would be the best florist 

 to see about his mignonettes. 



"You might try Freddie Cattleya," 

 his father said, "they say he's struck 

 a mine." 



Simon did not know what a florist had 

 to do with a mine, but he called on Mr. 

 Cattleya after school next day. 



Mr. Cattleya 's shop seemed to Simon 

 the most beautiful place he had ever 

 seen. It was dusk when he reached 

 there. The electric lights were reflected 

 and multiplied by the long mirrors on 

 every side, making the fine flowers that 

 stood in jars everywhere look most in- 

 viting. Simon was unhappily conscious 

 of dust on his shoes and looked about 

 for Mr. Cattleya. Everyone seemed to 

 be in a rush, making bouquets, filling 

 or taking oixt orders, and no one ap- 

 peared to pay any attention to Simon. 

 He was just thinking he had better 

 come another time when an attractive 

 young man came toward him quickly 

 with, "Well, my lad, do you want mef " 

 Simon mustered up courage and told Mr. 



Cattleya, for it was he, about his 500 

 mignonette. 



"Bring me a bunch tomorrow morn- 

 ing early; mind it be early," and with 

 a pink in his buttonhole Simon found 

 himself in the street so happy he scarce 

 knew how. 



He was up at 5 o'clock the next morn- 

 ing, picked his bunch of twenty-five 

 mignonette and by 7 was at Mr. Cat- 

 tleya 's shop. It was very quiet now. 

 Simon was directed to a back room 

 where Mr. Cattleya was giving orders to 

 several men. As soon as he saw Simon 

 he greeted him kindly and Simon pro- 

 duced his mignonette. Mr. Cattleya 

 asked the price. 



Simon said it was 3 cents. 



' ' It would be worth 3 cents, ' * Mr. Cat- 

 tleya said, "if the heads were all simi- 

 lar. This one is perfect, but this one, 

 and this one, have a little more green 

 than white and the bronze is irregular, 

 a serious defect." "Is not that true, 

 Peter?" "Yes, Mr. Cattleya." 



Simon was dumbfounded; he thought 

 his mignonette was perfect and now he 

 saw his mistake. Simon was about to 

 roll up his mignonette and depart when 

 the pleasant-looking young man who had 

 been addressed as Peter offered him a 

 bright half-dollar, saying, ' ' Mr. Cattleya 

 will give you 2 cents for the bunch." 



Simon clutched the half-dollar and 

 ran out precipitately. He reached 

 school in time, but he was floored in 

 every recitation. "His mignonette 

 was not even ; the coloring was irregular ; 

 it was 'ordinary.' " His pride was 

 hurt. That was the worst of it. The 

 fact that his hoped for $15 would be- 

 come only $10 was of secondary import- 

 ance. 



At supper that night a friend of his 

 father's was telling of some flowers 

 he had bought that day, "I wanted a 

 fancy article and Freddie Cattleya 

 showed me a find, the best mignonette I 

 ever saw. Could only let me have a 

 dozen; they came pretty steep, too," 



"Was it your mignonette, Simon t" 

 his father asked. 



