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JCNK 1. 1905. 



TTic Weekly Rorists^ Review* 



83 



June Weddings 



and Commencements 



We have supplies of all seasonable stock to fill every need* 

 Specially strong on Long Beauties and Peonies, the 



most popular flowers for decorations. Let us have your order. 



HEADQUARTERS FOR SMILAX AND ASPARAGUS 



E. C. 3MLING, 



The ^ar^eat, Beat Eanlppad and BCoat Centrally Located 

 Wholesale Cut Flower House in OUoag'o. 



32-34-36 Randolpii St., 



Long Dicteece Telephoees | j^^ Autometlc 



Chicago, 111 



Mention The Review when yon write. 



CHICAGO. 



The Market 



No feature of the flower business has 

 developed so rapidly in the past two or 

 three years as the Memorial day trade. 

 It has become something phenomenal. 

 And this year marked another big in- 

 crease in the volume of business in spite 

 of the fact that the teamsters' strike 

 undoubtedly kept more or less stock out 

 of the market. It is worth while mak- 

 ing a mental note for reference next 

 year that Memorial day calls for a great 

 deal more stock than anv other holi- 

 day and that in point of money value it 

 ranks next to Christmas and Easter. 



The business did not start until Fri- 

 day but from then until Monday night 

 every wholesaler was on the jump and 

 hardly able to give the attention which 

 individual orders demanded. As an in- 

 dication of what the business amounted 

 to, one house shipped on Sunday seventy- 

 seven orders and there were none of 

 them in small boxes. The express com- 

 panies delivered the incoming stock in 

 satisfactory shape and the wholesalers' 

 teaming arrangement operated splendid- 

 ly in getting the out-going boxes to the 

 depots. "While Friday and Saturday saw 

 very big business, still the bulk of the 

 shipments were on Sunday afternoon. 

 Wabash avenue is dead at that time 

 and the wholesalers pre-empted the west 

 sidewalk just north of Eandolph street, 

 a spot familiar to practically everyone 

 in the trade. Here big squares were 

 drawn out and marked with the times of 

 out-going trains. As fast as a box was 

 ready it was hustled over to this spot 

 and placed in the proper square. Of 

 course, the 700 or more boxes were never 

 all together at one time but the huge 

 piles of boxes which grew as fast as five 

 teams could make the trains served to 

 give many people a new idea as to the 

 extent of the shipping business in Chi- 

 cago. There was a good deal of ship- 

 ping again on Monday and a big local 

 trade and the extent of the shipping on 

 Tuesday was a surprise to everyone. 



There were immense quantities of 

 stock to do business with but practically 

 all the standard items were in good re- 

 quest and firm in price. The one excep- 



tion to this was long American Beauties. 

 In this department there was a surplus 

 and long, fancy stock was sold in big 

 lots at cheap prices. The principal short- 

 age developed in carnations and for sev- 

 eral days it was dif&cult for the local re- 

 tailers to supply their needs, as the 

 wholesalers were putting all carnations 

 out on shipping orders as fast as re- 

 ceived from the growers. Many out-of- 

 town orders for carnations were turned 

 down or at least cut materially. But 

 this did not warrant an increase in price. 



Here is another dollar for sub- 

 scription to 



m 



and it may interest you to know 

 that the Primula obconica adv. 

 placed with you about last 

 Thankssfiving brought me one 

 dollar and nineteen cents 

 for every cent invested. 

 How is that for returns ? 



A. J. BRYAN. 

 Washington, N. J. 

 May 18, 1905. 



Memorial day is not a time for high 

 prices and most of the shipping orders 

 named a price limit. Traveling quality 

 was not like mid-winter but it was all 

 that could be expected at this season. 



There were too few peonies. The lo- 

 cal cut was just coming on. In fact, 

 the buds were too tight to appeal to the 

 average buyer. There were two or 

 three lots in cold storage, Kennicott 

 Bros. Co. having a very large supply of 

 stock from Missouri which was in great 

 demand. The quality was not up to 

 vrhat it has been in the last year or 

 two, due to the early hot spell, followed 



by unusual cold. It made the flowers 

 small, but the buyers were very glad to 

 get them. The local cut of peonies 

 promises to be on in full force in a 

 very few days. A few Old Bed were 

 ready for Decoration day. 



There were large supplies of Brides- 

 maid roses, but not so many Bride. 

 Liberty was fairly plentiful and Chate- 

 nay very abundant. It was distinctly 

 noticeable that the demand was for car* 

 nations and that roses, except Liberty, 

 did not move freely until the buyers 

 found that carnations were out of the 

 question. 



There were large quantities of sweet 

 peas, valley, lilies, feverfew, spiraea, 

 daisies, tulips and other odds and ends 

 of stock, which cleaned up in first-class 

 shape considering the slow sale they 

 have had at other recent holidays. 

 Cape jasmine was received in only limit- 

 ed quantities, but the few houses which 

 handled them did not find them in great 

 demand. 



Various Notes. 



Bituminous coal is selling in Chicago 

 at the lowest price reached in ten years, 

 said to be due to the teamsters' strike, 

 which is affecting the coal industry all 

 over the middle west. Tempting offers 

 and long time credits are being made by 

 coal men to consumers who are in a posi- 

 tion to take in considerable quantities. 



Under date of May 24, John Mangel 

 notified the trade that J. G. Johnson is 

 no longer connected with the business at 

 163 Wabash avenue and that Mr. Man- 

 gel has no connection with the business 

 conducted under his name at Forty-sev- 

 enth street and Lake avenue. 



During the week the teamsters' strike 

 has spread to the lumber industry and 

 the Adam Schillo Co. is one of the firms 

 affected. They are, however, making 

 prompt deliveries in spite of the trouble. 

 The strike is supposed to be spreading 

 but in fact is weaker and is having less 

 effect on business every day. 



To those of the local wholesalers who 

 have had similar experiences, it may be 

 interesting to know that a Greek in New 

 York went into bankruptcy the other day 

 with fifty-four creditors with claims ex- 

 ceeding $5,000, but no assets. Many 

 wholesale florists were on his list. 



