856 



The Weekly Florists' Review 



SapTBMBiut 22, 1904. 



The variety Clifford W. Bruton is the 

 most popular sort today for shipping. 

 Next to dahlias, Beauties, hydrangeas and 

 gladioli are in good demand, also valley, 

 Kaiserins and carnations. Good asters sell 

 well, but are on the wane. 



With the Decorators. 



The department stores are decorating 

 finely for their annual fall openings this 

 week. J. J. Habermehl's Sons decorated 

 Wanamaker on Monday, while Hugh 

 Graham had elaborate decorations for 

 Lit Bros, on Tuesday and Blum Bros, on 

 the same day and again on Wednesday. 

 The first named firm decorated the new 

 Belleview-Stratford hotel, which opened 

 on Tuesday. Hydrangea paniculata 

 grandiflora was used in large quantities, 

 also dahlias, gladioli, etc. The market 

 was cleared of wild smilax. The Leo 

 Niessen Co. appeared to have a monopoly 

 on this commodity and could have sold 

 a great deal more. As announced in 

 the Beveew some weeks ago, the Messrs, 

 Habermehl have a new down-town store 

 in the Belleview-Stratford which is now 

 open. 



From the West. 



Edward Keid writes from Courtney, N. 

 D., that he is having a fine time, taking 

 it easy and knocking over prairie chick- 

 ens. He shot fourteen in an hoiir. He 

 reports the wheat crop in splendid con- 

 dition, with prices high enough to please 

 the farmers. He strongly advises the 

 retailers to buy fiour now. Mr. Eeid 

 has left for Spiritwood, twenty miles 

 away, and will be back very soon at his 

 post. Meanwhile A. M. Campbell is 

 busy shipping fine valley. Beauties, etc., 

 for his firm. 



Hatboro. 



Eugene Weiss received a visit last 

 week from Charles E. Meehan and John 

 Mclntyre, escorted by Samuel Lilley. 

 They found a range of five houses 

 planted with Brides and Maids in solid 

 beds, both own-root and grafted stock 

 two years old in most promising condi- 

 tion. Several other houses in young stock 

 of the same varieties in benches were 

 looking exceptionally well, also one of 

 Liberty which is on trial. 



A Visit to Dreer*s. 



The local train was delayed outside 

 the city. A cab and extra money to the 

 cabby resulted in nearly running down 

 a man at Eighth and Market streets and 

 in just missing the last ferry boat. One 

 hour's wait, even in Camden, at a busy 

 time is not soothing, but when you finally 

 reach your destination and find the man 

 whom you disappointed at the ferry smil- 

 ing and pleasant, with no word of re- 

 proach, you feel that man is a pretty 

 good sort, deserving the success he has 

 achieved. 



To get down to the subject. Phil was 

 honored a few days ago by an invita- 

 tion from Herbert G. TuU, treasurer of 

 the H. A. Dreer Co., whose clever head 

 and sound judgment have kept the con- 

 cern with Dun, Bradstreet and Mrs. 

 Grundy. After explanations from the 

 depressed late-comer, a tour of the place 

 began. Not a serious tour with note 

 book and solemn dissertation, but a live- 

 ly, jolly sort of tour as of two school 

 boys out for a lark. That jneans im- 

 pressions of a misty order, so don't com- 

 plain. 



The houses are in excellent condition, 

 full of clean, healthy stock. One is not 

 impressed with the one-palm idea at Riv- 



erton, although it was here a little over 

 a year ago that I first heard the sub- 

 ject discussed. The Dreer policy in 

 palms, as in everything else, is to have 

 plenty of all the best kinds. The stock 

 of Kentia Belmoreana predominated, sis- 

 ter K. F. coming next; a fine assortment 

 of home grown plants being reinforced 

 by some large stuff imported a year ago. 

 Areca lutescens seemed happy, to judge 

 by its appearance, and thoroughly at 

 home. Cocos Weddeliana filled several 

 houses, in 2-inch, 3-inch and, I am sorry 

 to say, made up three or four in a pot. 

 This is required by the customers, but 

 it seems a barbarous custom, sacrificing 

 the plant's exquisite grace. The stock 

 of this palm was in the pink of condition. 

 It was said that its use in ferneries is 

 much more general than that of Kentia 

 Belmoreana. A lively row over the iden- 

 tity of a certain block of stuff, which 

 both should have known, was settled by 

 George A. Strohlein, who was showing 

 a Bostonian around. A stop was made 

 at the saw mill, where pine boards are 

 being reduced to the required length for 

 boxes, one man being constantly in at- 

 tendance, with occasional help to pile the 

 strips. Another stop was in the tender 

 aquatic house where James T. Clark was 

 busily engaged in "fishing," his whole 

 soul being engaged in an effort to extract 

 certain denizens of the water from their 

 retreat. After a hearty greeting be- 

 tween the boss carpenter, who was mak- 

 ing repairs, and Mr. TuU — there is the 

 right spirit at Riverton — the pair were 

 joined, in an outside ramble by Mr. 

 Simm, who pointed out the beauties of 

 the water lilies, explaining the slight 

 differences between old and newer va- 

 rieties. The ponds made a fine appear- 

 ance, many showy blooms brightening the 

 surface. 



The perennials were still a mass of 

 blooms, rudbeckias, helianthus and sum- 

 mer asters producing rich color effect. 

 The immense quantity of hardy phlox 

 planted in solid colors was a eight long 

 to be remembered. The plants were 

 small, probably the size that will be sent 

 out in 3-inch pots next spring, but the 

 blooms were enormous and of most deli- 

 cate coloring. 



The Skinner rain system, which gives 

 an inch of rain in five hours of gentle 

 drizzle, received a practical demonstra- 

 tion. A look at the improved alteman- 

 thera showed that it was an improvement 

 over its parent, dnll and colorless be- 

 sides its progeny. 



A heated argument on the relative ex- 

 pense of running a large and a small 

 place, in which Mr. Tull had all the 

 figures at his fingers' ends, was some- 

 what cooled by a gentle rainfall, the 

 real thing, not Skinner system. It would 

 never do to miss the big lot full of 

 perennials that Mr. Eisele was personal- 

 ly laying out on my last visit, now full 

 of well-grown stuff. Then there were 

 varieties of tritoma in full bloom, very 

 showy ; a new ampelopsis, a field of hardy 

 teas — I use the adjective advisedly — 

 that had made strong growths, and 

 ferns! My good gracious! What quan- 

 tities of ferns there were in the frames 

 and looking well, too. Some maidenhair 

 was fine. 



All too -soon came train time. On the 

 way back through the sheds Mr. Tull 

 pointed out the comer where the office 

 used to be when Mr. Dreer and he did all 

 the clerical work eighteen years ago. 

 The present treasurer slept in a little 

 room over the office in those days. 



Inquiry about a fine lot of tiny Dra- 



caena terminalis called out a deserved 

 rebuke from Mr. Tull, but he quickly 

 softened, pointing out with justifiable 

 pride a particularly fine lot of buckwheat 

 coal, nearly as big as nut, from a special 

 colliery. , 



Farewells at the office were interrupt- 

 ed by a fiying rush of Mr. Strohlein after 

 a bloom of the new geranium Telegraph, 

 so named because the introducer 's former 

 employer made a discovery in that line. 

 Various Notes. 



Clarence J. Watson reports that his 

 firm of S. S. Pennock finds a good de- 

 mand for dahlias, especially fancy varie- 

 ties. 



Charles E. Meehan has kept his force 

 working overtime filling orders for Beau- 

 ties, hydrangeas, etc., at the Flower 



The Leo Niessen Co. filled an order 

 for 6,000 dahlias and 1,000 gladioli this 

 week. 



D. T. Conner will furnish Lord & 

 Bui^ham Co. material for a new, green- 

 hou^ for Mrs. W. L. Harvey. 



A party including George Samtman 

 and George Waterfield went out to see 

 S. Mortenson, of Southampton. They 

 report the place in excellent condition. 



Wm. F. Dreer has been summering at 

 "Takitezy, " not a Japanese resort, but 

 one that nearly everyone has enjoyed, if 

 but for an hour. 



M. Rice & Co. report that August and 

 September to date have been the two 

 best months their firm has ever experi- 

 enced. 



Chas. F. Edgar & Co. received on Mon- 

 day a shipment of 300 scarlet seedling 

 carnations that Mr. Muth considers the 

 finest thing of its kind on the market. 

 The firm expects regular shipments of 

 this sterling novelty. 



W. C. P~ay, Kinkora, N. J., has built 

 two new houses 17x112 feet each. His 

 violets are among the finest that come 

 to this market, being noted for their 

 long stems. 



Wm. Swayne, of Kennett, has built a 

 new mushroom range. His new carna- 

 tion will be pushed. 



Yellow daisies are one of Wm. J. 

 Baker's specialties. 



The Henry F. Michell Co. state that 

 many lily g^rowers who have been wait- 

 ing for the Japan-grown bulbs are now 

 buying Bermuda-grown Harrisii. The 

 former are late in arriving and the lat- 

 ter are very fine. 



Pennock Bros, secured the first dozen 

 chrysanthemums of the season last 

 week. The variety was Montmort. 



Benjamin Gibbs, E. Bernheimer 's 

 right-hand man, reports an encouraging 

 demand for field-grown carnations, also 

 for good roses. 



Fred Ehret had a clean-up order for 

 Beauties and asters on Tuesday, 



Monday night saw the closing of the 

 Bellevue, Despite the fact that society 

 was out of town, every table was en- 

 gaged for that night long ago, making 

 the last dinner a brilliant affair. The 

 Bellevue has been the home of the Clover 

 Club, the Five O 'Clock Club and other 

 kindred organizations. Its dinners are 

 famous and within its walls many bright 

 ideas have been executed by our leadme 

 floral artists. Phil. 



NiLES, Mich.— The Michigan Cen- 

 tral's greenhouse plant here has lately 

 been doubled in capacity. 



Fort Dodge, Ia.— P. L. Larson lost 

 about 1,000 panes of 16x18 glass by hail 

 September 19. He was partially insured. 



