■.,;7'5r7.: 



824 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



March 2, 1905. 



; "■»■ . 



About the year 1880 Mr. Macrae em- 

 barked in the \Yholesale florists' busi- 

 ness, locating on the old G. W. Chapin 

 place at Fruit Hill, making a success 

 of it from the start. In a few years he 

 purchased a piece of land on Smith 

 street. Here he built a model green- 

 house plant for those times, growing 

 successfully for the wholesale market 

 of Providence and vicinity. The busi- 

 ness succeeded to such an extent that 

 he soon outgrew his plant, and, dis- 

 posing of the same to his brother, John 

 A. Macrae, he purchased a tract of 

 twenty acres in the vicinity, where he 

 established the plant which he conduct- 

 ed up to the time of his death. It com- 

 prised about 75,000 feet, growing roses, 

 carnations, violets and chrysanthemums, 

 all of high quality, especially the mums. 



Mr. Macrae was for some years an 

 active participant in the affairs of the 

 S. A. F., being vice-president the year 

 of the Providence meeting, 1897, but he 

 was not a member in 1904. He was a 

 worker for the Rhode Island Gafdeners' 

 and Florists' Club and for the Rhode 

 Island Horticultural Society, at the ex- 

 hibitions of which he was a frequent 

 premium winner. 



Besides his brother, Mr. Macrae is 

 <,' fcf™"yiv*<i-by a widow and eight children, 

 Ihree sons and five daughters. His sons 

 Alexander and Walter were his asso- 

 ciates in business. 



At the funeral of Mr. Macrae on 

 February 24 there was a large attend- 

 ance of those in the trade and a great 

 many sent flowers. The bearers were 

 Alexander Rennie, W. E. Chappell, T. 

 J. Johnston and Michael Sweeney. In- 

 terment was at Swan Point cemetery. 



NEW LONDON, CONN. 



Death of John Spatilding;. 



In the death of John Spaulding on 

 February 17, this city lost one of her 

 oldest citizens and the craft one of its 

 stanchest members. Mr. Spaulding was 

 born in Scotland, December 25, 1813, 

 and was therefore in his ninety-second 

 year. He came of a gardening family 

 and was brought up in his father's 

 profession, following it for many years 

 on leading estates in England and Ire- 

 land. Arrived in this country he locat- 

 ed at Poughkeepsie, soon removing to 

 Saybrook, Conn., and later to New 

 London, where he went into the florists' 

 business at a time when it had little 

 promise for other than one who loved 

 and cherished his productions. By dint 

 of hard work he prospered and estab- 

 lished a prosperous business, wholly lo- 

 cal, but he became known far and wide 

 in the trade and graduated a number 

 of well known men from his place. W. 

 H. Elliott had his schooling here. About 

 four years ago failing health necessi- 

 tated giving up business and the place 

 was leased to S. J. Renter, of Westerly, 

 who conducts it as a branch of his own 

 large place. Two years ago Mr. Spaul- 

 ding became blind but his mind con- 

 tinued active and he maintained his in- 

 terest in trade affairs until the day of 

 his death. He leaves a widow. 



Deerfield, III.— Fred Haggle has let 

 the contract for a new greenhouse. 



Httohsonville, N. Y.— Adam Laub 

 & Son report a very good business in 

 carnation cuttings. 



MmWAUKEE. 



On March 1 the sheriff took possession 

 of the store of B. C. Lambros to satisfy 

 a judgment of John Lambros, of Chi- 

 cago, for $1,600. 



PHILADELPHIA. 



The Market. 



There is a noticeable increase in the 

 quantity of flowers coming into the mar- 

 ket. I'sptcially is this true of carna- 

 tions and bulbous flowers. Prices on 

 tlicse two lines of stock have weakened. 

 The fancy carnations are averaging at 

 least $1 lower, while large orders for 

 daffodils or tulips of good quality are 

 accepted at special 1,000 rates. Many 

 other kinds of stock have felt this com- 

 petition, noticeably Brides, Maids and 

 violets. Sweet peas of good quality are 

 more plentiful and sell pretty well. There 

 are a few nice double tulips about, prin- 

 cipally Coronne d'Or, quite popular in 

 limited quantities. Beauties continue 

 scarce. There are many very heavy ship- 

 ping orders. 



Cf A New Departure. 



Through the courtesy of John Mcln- 

 tyre, the representative of the Review, 

 was given an opportunity of seeing the 

 object lesson prepared by H. H. Battles 

 for his customers. The second story front 

 room over the Century Flower Shop has 

 been fitted up as a handsome dining- 

 room, where a table is set, with all its 

 elegant appointments ready for the floral 

 decorations, which may be chosen. The 

 sideboard is graced with choice and 

 unique silverware. Many pretty vases 

 and other objects of interest may be 

 seen about the room, which is brilliantly 

 lighted by electricity. Behind a railing 

 at one end of the room the "votaries 

 of the system ' ' carry out the latest ideas 

 in bookkeeping. 



^ iDreer's Place at Riverton. 



The Rin'iEW, realizing with true pro- 

 gressive instinct that the florists of 

 America want to know at the very be- 

 ginning of the spring season what some 

 ot the leaders in the profession are do- 

 ing, sent Phil down to Riverton to have 

 a peep at Dreer's. It was literally a 

 peep, for the place is entirely too big 

 for more in a short stay. Even in a 

 brief visit one. can gain iaeas and see 

 enough to think about during spare mo- 

 ments. There was no sign of the big 

 men at first. The Review men are apt 

 to be a little ahead, you know! So by 

 way of pastime a dozen or so houses 

 of spring plants were examined. All 

 were clean, neat as wax and full of 

 thrifty soft-wooded plants preparing for 

 May sales. Thoughts will center on 

 these after Easter, so it won't do to 

 anticipate beyond saying that the double 

 petunias, about which we have heard so 

 much, were very promising young stock. 



By this time the leaders of this great 

 place had begun to gather for a leisure 

 hour together— rare and much prized 

 luxury — the brains and force that plan 

 and execute the thousand and one de- 

 tails that make up the success of a large 

 place, J. D. Eisele, George A. Strohlein, 

 George D. and James T. Clark. By the 

 generous freemasonry of the craft Phil 

 was encouraged to share in the talk 

 that followed. 



Ferns were first examined and dis- 



cussed. Not the little pterises and adi- ; 

 antums so much 'in vogue just now, but 

 the varieties of nephrolepis. It is evi- 

 dent that the "big four" believe in John 

 Scott's find. There are several , tables 

 of it planted out for stock last May 

 that have produced a nice lot of, rooted 

 runners. Some of these runners are .* 

 transplanted into the bench to gain 

 strength and await room, but the larger 

 number are in 2-inch pots, while some 

 have advanced to threes, nice compact 

 little stock. The older or stock plants 

 have been thinned for light and air and 

 are at it again, producing more runners. 

 It is right and natural for Mr. Scott 

 to wish to perpetuate his name in this 

 promising variety, but it does seem that 

 N. Bostoniensis compacta (N. B., coro- 

 pacta ! ) would describe it with excep- 

 tional clearness. 



Two English varieties, N. Hestoni and 

 N. Westoni, are on trial, planted out 

 for stock beside the beautiful N. ele- 

 gantissima (Tarrytown). The good old 

 Boston fern is still seen in large num- 

 bers, well done in sixes, and near them 

 some Scottii in the same size pots, clear- 

 ly showing the difference in types. 



The range formerly filled with azaleas 

 is entirely filled with as pretty a lot 

 of dormant roses just starting as one 

 could wish to see. Placed on the ashed 

 floor in regular blocks all labeled, this 

 great field of roses under glass reminds 

 one somewhat of a bird's eye view of an 

 army of soldiers drawn up in companies, 

 regiments and battalions, awaiting or- 

 ders. Here is Killarney 4,000 strong, a 

 coming favorite. There the Baby 

 Rambler is a child of promise. Over 

 yonder ^re the Dickson roses, with their 

 green labels from the Emerald Isle. 

 Quite a demand has sprung up for these 

 Dickson roses, thanks to the enthusi- 

 astic support given them by Dr. Huey 

 and his friends, all amateur rosarians, 

 who believe in the grafted rose for out- 

 doors. 



Commenting on this fact, Mr. Eisele 

 If marked that the propagating of roses 

 from hard-wood cuttings seemed almost 

 p lost art. It was almost impossible 

 for an amateur to get results from 86ft- 

 v/ooded cuttings grown for forcing un- 

 der glass that would compare with those 

 obtained from grafted roses of the tea 

 and hybrid tea classes. 



Vaiioui Notes. 



J. Henry Bartram, of Lansdowne, Pa., 

 has ordered roofing material for two 

 houses. 3.5x200, from D. T. Conner, of 

 Lord & Burnham. 



The TjCO Niessen Co. is receiving some 

 very choice white carnations. Lady 

 Bountiful is superb, very large, full and 

 perfect in form. Merrion, a fine white 

 of the Scott type, is a good keeper and 

 said to be a free bloomer. They have 

 the only pansies in the market and find 

 them good sellers. 



Fred Ehret is handling a nice lot of 

 Maids and Brides. 



K. C. Hayden is well again and at 

 the Philadelphia Cut Flower Co., plan- 

 ning ways and means for pushing the 

 business. 



•Tohn E. Haines, of Bethlehem, Pa., is 

 sending fine flowers of his namesake scar- 

 let carnation and other varieties to the 

 Flower Market. 



P. J. Lynch, of the Dingee & Conard 

 Co., West Grove, Pa., will give his ideas 

 on the newer roses before the Florists* 

 Club n^xt Tuesday evening. Mr. Lynch 



