Decembeb 21, 1905. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



3i3 



better. Polypodium aureum is now well 

 done but is too plentiful to command 

 high' prices. Asplenium nidus does not 

 find so much favor as it did a year or 

 two ago, yet even now there are a good 

 many sold. Asplenium biforme still re- 

 mains the most popular of the bulbiferum 

 section. Laxum pumilum which sold well 

 some years ago is now rarely seen, and 

 foeniculaceum is another which is not of- 

 ten seen now. Of nephrolepis, exaltata 

 still remains the most useful, but it is 

 only the plants which are propagated 

 from the off -sets, or divisions, that make 

 the best material. Kecently we have been 

 having a good many of the new crested 

 variety Westoni. This makes a well fur- 

 nislied plant, but the color is rather 

 somber and the spores being produced so 

 freely, gives it a dusty appearance as 

 soon as the spores begin to fill. The 

 beautiful American variety Piersoni, has 

 not yet quite taken the attention of flo- 

 rists, yet it is one of the handsomest 

 ferns we have, and as I have a plant which 

 has been in the house some months and 

 still looks well, this proves that it will 

 stand well. Adiantums vary but little, 

 if anything, they are not so much wanted 

 as formerly. Some good lomarias are 

 coming in but these are not much want- 

 ed. I think that most of those that are 

 sold are for country orders. The Japan- 

 ese fern balls have not been making such 

 good prices as formerly; the large impor- 

 tations have made them too common. 

 There is not such a good sale for small 

 ferns as formerly and supplies are over- 

 plentiful." 



SHASTA DAISIES. 



The accompanying illustration is 

 from a photograph taken August 25, at 

 the establishment of T. F. Larison, Le- 

 Eoy, Kan., and shows flowers of the 

 Shasta daisy produced during a hot, 

 dry season. Writing October 17 Mr. 

 Larison says : ' ' They have been bloom- 

 ing all season, and at the present are 

 full of bud and bloom. I know of no 

 white flower that is so good a summer 

 bloomer as this, or that will stand the 

 neglect. I do not know if my treat- 

 ment is common among the florists, but 

 it works well here. I divide the roots 

 up in the spring and cultivate until 

 June, at which time I give a good 

 mulching of well-rotted manure. The 

 work is then done for that season; it 

 only remains to cut flowers the season 

 through. Clumps that were not di- 

 vided only gave one good crop of 

 blooms." 



BOSTON. 



The Market 



The usual shortening up in supplies 

 previous to Christmas was evident at the 

 first of this week. Prices are averaging 

 very good, an improvement over a year 

 figo. It looks as though a good deal of 

 pickled stock would be thrown on the 

 market at the end of the week. It would 

 pay growers to bring in a little more 

 stock at prevailing prices rather than 

 hold back everything to the closing day 

 of the Aveek, but the temptation of high- 

 cr prices is irresistible. 



Roses have stiffened in price quite ma- 

 terially, best Beauties going up to $50. 

 Other varieties are also higher. The 

 Jea^^t advance is noted in Brides, the col- 

 ored varieties, as usual, having most 

 <^aJI. Carnations are becoming quite ag- 

 gressive, and it is expected will sell 



Shasta Daisies Cut by a Kansas Grower, 



higher than ever before at Christmas. 

 Fancies are bringing $6 to $8, such 

 sorts as Fiancee, Helen Goddard, Fenn, 

 Enchantress and good scarlets bringing 

 these prices. Prosperity, which is, how- 

 ever, only coming from a few growers, 

 makes $12. Whites are overabundant 

 and drag. Something of a glut of these 

 is likely and probably $3 per • hundred 

 is as much as many will bring. Violets 

 are selling at $1 to $1.50, but will be 

 higher at the end of the week. Some 

 very good poinsettias are arriving. 

 These bring $5 to $6 per dozen bracts. 

 Cypripedium insigne is abundant, but 

 cattleyas are not overplentiful, C. Perci- 

 valliana and a few C. triana; being seen. 



Bulbous stock holds about the same 

 and never scores much of an advance at 

 the holidays. Lily of the valley sells 

 well. Callas and Easter lilies are bring- 

 ing an average of $2 per dozen. Sweet 

 peas continue quite plentiful. There is 

 a good call for asparagus, adiantum and 

 snnlax. In addition there is consider- 

 able business being done in laurel, box- 

 wood, holly, mistletoe and other green- 

 ery. The demand for these seems to be 

 better than ever. 



There is a good variety of pot plants 

 on the market. Those most in evidence 

 are Lorraine begonias, poinsettias, ber- 

 ried plants in variety, primulas, cycla- 

 mens and azaleas. An unusually good 

 demand is noted for these. It is hoped 

 the seasonable winter weather now pre- 

 vailing may last over the holidays and 

 under such auspices business will break 

 all previous records. 



Club Meeting. 



As was to have been expected, the at- 



tendance on December 19 when the 

 Gardeners' and Florists' Club held 

 ladies' night, was the largest in the 

 club's history and this in spite of the 

 fact that the near approach of Christ- 

 mas made it impossible for some to at- 

 tend. The exhibition table had a very 

 attractive lot of exhibits as usual, and 

 the membership roll was swelled by fur- 

 ther additions. The stereopticon lecture 

 on Japan by John K. M. L. Farquhar 

 was deeply interesting, especially the 

 views of the siege of Port Arthur in the 

 late Kusso-Japanese war. 



The club quartet led by Frank B. 

 Cannell furnished some delightful selec- 

 tions. There also was an excellent la- 

 dies' banjo club. A reception commit- 

 tee of young men, of which Herbert E. 

 Tyler, of the Montrose Greenhouses, 

 was chairman, helped to make everyone 

 feel at home and at the close served the 

 refreshments. 



During the evening the secretary gave 

 a report on the attendances during the 

 year as compared with 1904, in itself a 

 prosperous year. Last year the average 

 attendance at meetings was thirty-five 

 and total of new members elected forty- 

 six. During the present year the aver- 

 age attendance, including 'the December 

 meeting, has been eighty-six and the 

 number of new members 145; total mem- 

 bership is now 253. At the January 16 

 meeting the newly elected officers will be 

 installed. As this will just precede the 

 coming meeting of the American Carna- 

 tion Society thorp will be much Avork in 

 connection with that society to do. Pros- 

 pects for 1906 are excellent and a mem- 

 bership of 400 ere the close of the year 

 is predicted. 



