November 30, 1905. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



81 



J. M. Gasser. 



span and eleven feet to the ridge, plant- 

 ed to Bride and Maid. The benches are 

 six feet wide, divided in the middle by 

 a corridor running through the house 

 from the office. The two benches in the 

 east end of the house are twenty-eight : 

 inches high, also the south bench in the 

 west end, but the north bench in the 

 west end is forty-eight inches high. The 

 two benches in the east end, the north ; 

 one planted with Maids and the south 

 one with Brides, and the south bench in 

 west end are all affected alike, appar- 

 ently from salt water, but the north 

 bench on the west end, planted with 

 Bridesmaid, is in good condition. It is 

 the one forty-eight itiches high. Now, all 

 these benches have had the same treat- 

 ment throughout. All the east and front 

 part of the house is exposed to a coun- 

 try three miles away with 150 oil wells 

 on it and the paint on the house has all 

 turned black with oil gas. Now, the case 

 is new with the writer but it suggests to 

 me that the oil gas has formed a part in 

 the early fall, before tlie regular firing 

 started, in the destruction of the roses. 

 Were the salt water all at fault it would 

 have served all four benches alike. Could 

 it be possible that tlie gas would accu- 

 mulate and affect those lower benches 

 and escape the one that is higher and 

 has a better circulation? B. B. 



Mr. Gasser has been a resident of 

 Cleveland during nearly his entire life. 

 He is a native of Switzerland, but when 

 he was only a child his parents emigrated 

 to the United States, locating in the 

 Forest City m 18.54. While his boyhood 

 days were passed amid surroundings and 

 under circumstances which narrowly lim- 

 ited his opportunities for securing au 

 education, ho has not neglected the culti- 

 vation of his mind, but improved it by 



reading, traveling and experimenting, 

 and, being possessed of more than ordi- 

 nary faculties, he has acquired a rich 

 fund of information on general subjects 

 far in advance of many men who in youth 

 had the advantage of good schools and 

 colleges. Mr, Gasser began at the bot- 

 tom, and year after year has mounted 

 the ladder until he now stands close to 

 the topmost rung; and this success has 

 been brought about only through his 

 business ability, industry and integrity. 

 Today he is regarded as one of Cleve- 

 land 's most successful business men. 



In 1861, when he was 19 years of age, 

 he enlisted and served loyally in the war 

 of the rebellion, as a member of Com- 

 pany B, Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infan- 

 try, serving in the ranks until 1864, 

 when he received honorable discharge. 

 He participated in many of the princi- 

 pal battles of the war and was wounded 

 in the left arm and side, March 2^, 1862, 

 at Winchester, being incapacitated for 

 service for some time. 



In 187Ji, he made his first business 

 venture on his own responsibility, open- 

 ing a stationery and candy store, which 

 he carried on for six years, gradually 

 drifting into the line of enterprise to 

 which he has now devoted his entire 

 attention for more than a quarter of a 

 century. The start was one of the mod- 

 est order. Flowers sent in weekly as a 

 gift from Mrs. Gasser 's mother's garden 

 to beautify the window and soda foun- 

 tain were a great attraction. Customers 

 admired and wanted them. Mr. Gasser, 

 being of a generous disposition, gave a 

 few blossoms with each purchase. Soon 

 the demand became so great that a small 

 sum wa.s charged for tlie flowers. This 

 proved very satisfactory and the business 

 continued to grow. To one familiar with 

 its present large jtroportions the early 

 vicissitudes arc very amusing, but at 

 the time the troubles were real enough. 

 As related by one closely identified with 

 the work, ' ' The flowers were tied up in 

 25-cent and 50-cent bouquets, with a 

 home-made paper holder thrown in. The 



MR. GASSER, OF CLEVELAND. 



In flower growing, so much is to be 

 learned by seeing how the other fellow- 

 does it that the most progressive people 

 are great travelers, none of them more 

 indefatigable than J. M. Gasser, than 

 who few of our trade are more widely 

 known. Let the word but go out that, at 

 a certain place a special crop is done 

 particularly well and, it matters little 

 where it is, it will not be long before Mr. 

 Gasser will drop in to "have a look" 

 and repay his host out of the store of 

 his long experience. 



Group of Orchids at the Chicago Show, Staged by H. G. Selfridge, C. H. Gebhardt, Gardener. 



