Mat 18, 1906. 



The Weekly Florists' Review/ 



S581 



CHICAGO. 



The 



Ma^et 



At the close of last week business took 

 a little spurt and Saturday found the 

 market well cleaned up, but things have 

 fallen into the rut again this week and 

 the regular business consumes but a small 

 part of each day's receipts. It is a case 

 of cleaning up at whatever the street 

 salesmen or job-lot buyers will give. For 

 almost the first time on record wiring 

 cheap o£fers to out-of-town buyers does 

 not move the stock, for all other markets 

 are also loaded. 



The one exception is American Beauty 

 roses. Receipts of these have become 

 light, largely due to drying oflf or re- 

 planting operations. Some new Beauties 

 are coming in and others have good crops 

 in prospect, but for the time being good 

 stock is scarce. The warm weather has 

 had its inevitable effect upon all roses, 

 the buds being smaller, softer and color 

 poorer, although qualities are what would 

 be called good for so late in the spring. 

 Liberty is becoming more plentiful and 

 promises a good crop for Decoration day. 

 Chatenay is one of the most abundant 

 of roses, particularly in the special 

 grade. 



Carnation receipts continue heavy and 

 quality is very good for this late date. 

 Of prices, however, the! same cannot be 

 said, as averages for so good a grade of 

 stock were probably never lower than in 

 the past two weeks. Sweet p^s have 

 been in large supply and are selling ex- 

 ceptionally well where the quality com- 

 mends them. Peonies are coming in un- 

 usually heavily for the middle of May 

 and thousands of dozens are already in 

 cold storage awaiting the Decoration day 

 demand. There have been reports of a 

 shortage) in the crop, but it is not yet 

 apparent. There are peonies for all and 

 roost of the stock is of good quality. 

 Lilac has been one of the principal com- 

 modities of the week but is past its 

 prime. There are still quantities of out- 

 door tulips of exceptionally good quality. 

 Outdoor valley is beginning to come in. 

 Harrisii lilies are not quite so bad a 

 glut as last week, but there are still 

 plenty, and this applies to efvery other 

 item in the market, including "green 

 goods." 



The Strike Situation. 



There has been no change in the strike 

 situation since last report. The express 

 drivers are still out, but they have lost 

 enthiisiasm and most business operations 

 are going ahead as though there were 

 no trouble. The wholesale! florists hardly 

 know that a strike exists since they have 

 become accustomed to the new methods 

 of receiving and making shipments. The 

 telegraph messengers struck on Tuesday 

 and this delayed some orders. There is 

 possibility of an extension of the strike 

 to othefr trades, but it will not likely af- 

 fect the florists. Country buyers are safe 

 in sending important orders to this mar- 

 ket and consignors can send along the 

 stuff with perfect assurance. 



Everyone hopes the labor difficulties 

 will be over by Decoration day. The 

 prospect is for a splendid business, to 

 which the feeling of relief at the discon- 

 tinuance of hostilities will add not a 

 little. There is every prospect of plenty 

 of stock and the city retailers want a 

 chance to share in the prosperity. 



VafioM Notes. 



On May 11 there was two and one-half 

 inches of rainfall and the growers who 

 have their carnation plants on low places 

 have sustained quite a loss. 



Peter Beinberg has a very fine crop of 

 Liberty just coming on. 



E. H. Hunt la getting borne especially 

 fine outdoor lily of the valley, something 

 that has not been vety plentiful in this 

 market this season. 



It is stated that Weiland &, Risch have 

 sold their range of carnation houses and 

 will devote their attention exclusively to 

 rose growing, handling carnations on 

 commission. 



Since stock has become so cheap in the 

 market the fakirs have opened stends in 

 every nook and corner of the downtown 

 district. They clean up a great deal of 

 stock on pleasant days. 



N. K. Welter has opened a retail cut 

 flower store at 840 Custer avenue, EN^ans- 



AM very gUA to enclose a 

 check for $L0O for renewal of 

 my subscription to 



m 



If I could get as much return for 

 every dollar invested, I would be 

 more than satisfied. Please see that 

 I do not miss a number. 



WALTER B. SOUTHWORTH. 



West Stougbton, Mass. t_^ 



ton, oposite the Northwestern passenger 

 station. ^ 



Kennicott Bros. Co. says that the real 

 injury done this market by the strike was 

 not in extra expense in handling ship- 

 ments, though that is considerable, but 

 in that it cut off the large quantity of 

 outdoor stock ordinarily handled. May 

 of last year was the best month in the 

 history of the Kennicott Bros. Co. and 

 many thousand dollars of sales were out- 

 door stock, which has not come to Chi- 

 cago this year. 



Reports from southern Illinois indicate 

 that the peony crop in that district is 

 not more than one-third what it was 

 last year. This should give a better mar- 

 ket for the home-grown crop, which will 

 be along soon. 



Louis Wittbold has been at work per- 

 fecting his automatic watering and 

 syringing apparatus and has it down to 

 a fine point. He proposes to sell it to 

 the trade, his first customer being Qhas. 

 Heim, of Blue Island, who will put it in 

 his rose houses. 



Otto Kroeschell, one of the members 

 of the Kroeschell Bros. Co., disappeared 

 on May 8, and has not been heard from 

 since. It was noted that the recent death 

 of one of his brothers had affected him 

 strongly mentally, but no theory is ad- 

 vanced as to his disappearance. The 

 police have been searching for him more 



than a week. He was well known to 

 many in the trade. 



It is reported that Mrs. Geo. S. Mc- 

 Reynolds and Miss Nina Howard are 

 building greenhouses at Qlencoe, to go 

 into commercial violet culture, havinj^ 

 procured stock of Miss Chittenden, of 

 Lansing, who. has been one of Hunt's 

 consignors for years. 



Employes of the George Wittbold Co. 

 found a young man in the orchid house a 

 few days ago with twenty-four cattleya 

 blooms concealed in his clothing. 



Only routine business was dispatched 

 at the club meeting May 11. It is now 

 proposed to wind up the season with 

 that much-talked-of supper. 



Sinner Bros, are rebuilding all their 

 benches with pecky cypress. 



George Beinberg has a nice crop of 

 Liberty on and expects a crop of Beau'- 

 ties for Decoration day. 



Carl Thomas, of the A. L. Slittdall 

 Co., has returned from his visit to his 

 old home in Pennsylvania, feeling much 

 refreshed by his vacation. 



Warren Garland is sending Percy 

 Jones some exceptionally nice sweet peas. 



At Amling's, mushrooms are 35 cents 

 a basket. He has done quite a business 

 with this specialty for one of his growers 

 this season. 



Vaughan k Sperry, who receivp consid- 

 erable stock from Grand Rapids, say 

 that with only one of their growers has 

 there been any reduction in crop since 

 the big hail storm over there. The rest 

 got off easily. 



N. J. Wietor seizes a day now and then 

 while trade is dull to go fishing. 



C. W. McKellar says he anticipates 

 no trouble in handling cape jasmines. 

 The express companies are again mak- 

 ing deliveries. 



The Gardeners' Union is reported to 

 have withdrawn its demand for an in- 

 crease in wages and is said to have re- 

 ceived evidence that its members were 

 mistaken in their belief that the big 

 growers are making more money than 

 ever before. 



Matt Mann has a lot of cool-grown 

 longiflorums coming on. Last year they 

 brought big money at this season. 



At J. A. Budlong's they say that 

 business is good, referring to the ship- 

 ping demand. 



When visitors enter the office of the 

 E. F. Winterson Co., they pause and 

 wipe their feet. The carpet there is the 

 only one of which the Chicago market 

 can boast. 



EVERGREEN. ALA. 



George W. Caldwell says that the 

 huckleberry branches have "caught on." 

 They are pie for the decorators at thia 

 season, when wild smilax is out of the 

 market. He has received many compli- 

 mentary letters from the trade, as there 

 is a manifest appreciation that he is 

 giving tjmi something of just as much 

 value to the storekeepers as is a new 

 fern, or rose, possibly of more value as 

 it fills a place where there is nothing at 

 present. One writer says he ought to 

 have a medal, but Caldwell says there 

 isn't even a leather one in sight. 



Charleston, W. Va. — J. W. Alexan- 

 der says that this is his most successful 

 year since going into business. The use 

 of flowers and plants is increasing very 

 fast in this region and he will add to hia 

 glass this summer to keep up with the 

 demand. 



