492 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



January 11^ 1006. 



PUBUCATIONS RECEIVED. ^Z 



[Window Gardening in the School-room, by 

 Herman B. Dorner, B. S., published by Purdue 

 University, La Fayette, Ind.] 



In the foreword which accompanies 

 this neatly printed, well illustrated and 

 carefully indexed little pamphlet, W. E. 

 Stone, president of Purdue University, 

 says it is "intended to be an aid to 

 teachers in the selection and care of 

 plants in their school-rooms. The author, 

 who is a practical florist, has sought to 

 avoid reference to all but the simplest 

 materials and methods and has ad- 

 dressed himself to those having little 

 knowledge or experience in such matters. 

 Little need be said as to the cultural and 

 aesthetic value of plants and flowers in 

 the school-room. Scarcely anyone would 

 maintain that a reasonable amount of 

 time and attention to such matters by 

 teachers and pupils would be misspent." 



The pamphlet is directly in line with 

 the ideas presented at the last S. A. F. 

 convention, at which time a committee 

 was appointed to prepare a plan for a 

 text-book to be placed in the schools of 

 the country. The convention outlined a 

 more pretentious publication than the 

 pamphlet from Purdue, but Mr. Dorner 's 

 work makes an excellent beginning. It 

 goes as thoroughly as need be into the 

 subject of selection of window plants, 

 about watering, propagation, fertilizers, 

 etc., with chapters on some of the com- 

 moner kinds of window plants. The op- 

 erations are illustrated by half-tones. It 

 need scarcely be said that the directions 

 are sane and practical. It is to be hoped 

 that means have been provided for plac- 

 ing the pamphlet in the hands of every 

 school-teacher in Indiana and much good 

 would undoubtedly come of it if the dis- 

 tribution could be still more general. 



OBITUARY. 



Death of Joseph Kift. 



The death of Joseph Kift, which oc- 

 curred at his home in West Chester, 

 Pa., on Thursday morning, January 4, 

 removes from among us one of our 

 pioneer florists, a man widely known 

 and respected. Joseph Kift was born 

 in Boroughbridge, Somersetshire, Eng- 

 land, July 23, 1827. When fourteen 

 years of age he went to Edinburgh, 

 Scotland, where he learned to be a 

 florist and gardener. After working 

 there for seven years Mr. Kift started 

 for this country in the fall of 1848. 

 He spent the winter in New York, 

 coming to Philadelphia in the spring 

 of 1849, where he worked as a florist 

 for two years. In 1851 he went to 

 West Chester, where he established a 

 florists' business which he has carried 

 on continuously until the present time. 

 In 1876 Mr. Kift established a store in 

 the fashionable quarter of Philadel- 

 phia, 1735 Chestnut street, with his eld- 

 est son, Robert, under the firm name of 

 Joseph Kift & Son. For many years the 

 surplus cut flowers of the West Chester 

 greenhouses were retailed in Philadel- 

 phia, but gradually with the develop- 

 ment of the retail business in West 

 Chester, the two places were run sepa- 

 rately, Mr. Kift withdrawing from the 

 Philadelphia firm a few years ago. 

 Somo stock still continues to come in 

 daily. 



Mr. Kift is said to be the first in- 

 troducer of the famous Bermuda Easter 

 lily. His second son, Joseph, kept 

 purchasing the stock which he sent 

 out. Mr. Kift grew a general collec- 



JosephKift. 



tion of plants and flowers. He took a 

 deep interest in his place, rebuilding 

 three houses last summer in the most 

 approved modern style. Mr. Kift was 

 in his seventy-ninth year. He leaves 

 a widow and four children, two sons 

 and two daughters. Phil. 



PHILADELPHIA. 



The Market 



The unfortunate falling oft" in carna- 

 tions is the feature of the cut flower 

 market. Business is better than usual 

 early in the year, but the demand is all 

 for fancy roses, violets, etc. The mild, 

 clear weather last week increased the 

 supply of carnations. While the demand 

 fell off prices declined rapidly, fancy va- 

 rieties suffering rather more than com- 

 mon sorts. 



Freesia is a welcome addition, S. S. 

 Pennock having some very nice sprays. 

 Orchids, chiefly cattleyas, have been sell- 

 ing well. Single daffs are more plenti- 

 ful. Eomans and Paper Whites are very 

 poor stock to handle. 



Various Notes. 



Charles F. Edgar, of the United States 

 Out Flower Co., Elmira, N. Y., was a 

 visitor at Berger Bros, on Monday. 



P. Joseph Schembs, of Seventeenth and 

 Wallace streets, has opened a branch 

 store in a basement on Fifteenth street, 

 above Chestnut. 



Herman Krienburg has resigned his 

 position with J. S. Krell. 



Frank Ress, of East Girard avenue, 



has made an assignment for the benefit 

 of his creditors. 



J. Franklin Meehan gave a very inter- 

 esting illustrated lecture on pruning trees 

 before the Germantown Horticultural 

 Society on Monday evening. 



G. C. Watson is distributing the choice 

 dahlia roots of the Atco farms for S. S. 

 Pennock. 



John Mclntyre has taken a position 

 with J. J. Habermehl 's Sons in the Belle- 

 vue-Stratford. 



A farmers' institute meeting will be 

 held in the lecture room at Horticultural 

 hall, Broad street, above Spruce street, 

 on Tuesday, January 16, both afternoon 

 and evening. There will be an interest- 

 ing series of addresses. Better come. 



Phil. 



TWIN CITIES. 



The Market. 



The past week all the retailers have 

 done a good business, notwithstanding 

 that after the holidays trade in general 

 is not expected to be good. We are now 

 enjoying one of our fine winters, not 

 quite so cold, but lots of snow, and it 

 seems to be a foregone conclusion that 

 every change in the weather brings more 

 business, particularly in funeral work. 

 We in the north are accustomed to cold 

 winters, lots of snow, and when such 

 conditions exist business is good, not 

 only with the florist, but with all lines of 

 trade. Prices have kept up well and it 

 seems that the department stores have 



