FEBBUABlf 15, 1906. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



849 



*ions on one or two days. This was, 

 liowever, only temporary. Beauties con- 

 tinue extremely scarce, nearly all the 

 'rack growers having to admit defeat at 

 ■ he bands of the weather this season. It 

 ;s confidently predicted that the van- 

 o'uard of the next Beauty crop will ap- 

 ,,ear simultaneously with Lent; not, per- 

 .laps, the ideal time to secure them. The 



ieficiency in Brides noted before is more 

 :iiarked now, but the increase in produc- 



ion of LaEeine tulips is more than 

 equal to meet the requirements. Brides- 

 maids are in moderate supply, the best 

 oeing of very fine quality. Prices are 

 higher than at any time since Christmas. 

 The supply of bulbous flowers is excel- 

 lent, but the demand is, hardly suflBcient 

 to absorb them all at satisfactory prices. 

 A few fancy tulips, notably Keizers- 

 icroon, have been seen at S. S. Pen- 

 nock 's. They sell better than the ordi- 

 nary varieties. The Leo Niessen Co. is 

 strong on cattleyas, which are in demand. 

 Wm. E. MeKissick is handling quite a lot 

 of forget-me-nots, so much prized for 

 St. Valentine's day. He has the market 

 pretty nearly to himself. 



Fifty-fifth and Sprinef ield Road. 



There is ap amicable feud existing be- 

 tween Wm. K. Harris and Phil. To sum 

 up briefly, the situation stands this way: 

 Wm. K. Harris says that his reputation 

 stands so high that the newspaper men 

 must, come out to his place and tell what 

 they see there; that if they don't they 

 will be behind the times, and that he 

 doesn't want any advertising! It would 

 only bring him an order from Denver, 

 Colo., or some equally distant, un-get-at- 

 able place from the standpoint of a 

 grower of flowering plants. Phil says 

 that reputation may be all right. He has 

 no doubt that Wm. K. Harris' reputa- 

 tion was all right in the days when there 

 were only a few florists and no Eeview, 

 but in these present days of modern 

 business, when new florists are springing 

 up everywhere, and competition is keen, 

 reputation may or may not count. There 

 is great risk of being forgotten, cast up 

 on the sands, as it were. However, Wm. 

 K. Harris is such a thoroughly whole- 

 souled, genial man that Phil determined 

 to go out to see him, but he wants it 

 distinctly understood that he did not 

 have to go, that it was done out of pure 

 good will, and had nothing whatever to 

 do with Wm. K. Harris ' reputation, be 

 it good, bad, or indifferent. 



Unluckily, Wm. K. Harris was away, 

 and Mqxk B. Mills was busy with Mr. 

 Money-Maker and a representative of M. 

 Witt, who appeared deeply absorbed in 

 Golden Spur and Single Von Sion. But 

 Wm. Mills, whom the aforesaid represen- 

 tative addressed as Lew, probably the 

 latitude great men allow themselves, 

 acted as cicerone in a hasty trip through 

 the houses. This trip was so hasty that 

 I can only give you impressions and not 

 any detailed notes of the stock grown. 

 I was impressed by the transition from 

 former days, the quantity of flowering 

 plants, as compared with the decorative 

 plants, being far greater. At present 

 azaleas form the staple of the flowering 

 plants. There were some fine specimens 

 in bloom, with many more to follow, sev- 

 eral houses being used for storage pur- 

 poses for the Easter crop. 



The advance in the cultivation of gar- 

 denias is marked. One house, filled en- 

 tirely with, I think, 8-inch pots, was a 

 sight. The plants averaging, Mr. Mills 

 said, at least twelve buds, were in per- 

 fect condition and should be in full 



WiUiam K. Harris. 



flower when these notes see the light. 

 White lilacs are very fine. Bulbous stock 

 is still grown to a considerable extent, 

 but as compared with former years, one 

 is impressed with the idea that it is de- 

 cidedly on the wane. The various types 

 of Boston ferns are here in numbers so 

 great that the palms have been crowded 

 off the place, the last arecas having dis- 

 appeared this winter. Rubbers appear to 

 be on the increase. Dracaena terminalis 

 and Pandanus Veitchii are holding their 

 own. Both are well done. 



Primrose buttercup is not so largely 

 grown as last year, it having proved a 

 poor shipper. More than one large house , 

 is devoted to shamrock for St. Patrick's 

 day. The seeds are sown in 2'4-iDcb 

 pots, almost exclusively. When sham- 

 rock-shaped pans are desired these pots 

 can be shipped with the pans, the cus- 

 tomer filling them, as the pans do not 

 ship well when filled. The quantity of 

 Easter plants grown is very large. Crim- 

 son Rambler roses, Baby Ramblers, 

 hydrangeas, genistas and the azaleas 

 before mentioned forming the staples, 

 rhododendrons lilies and a few other 

 things being grown in smaller quantities. 

 The place is in very fine condition. 



Now, Wm. K. Harris, have I heaped 

 coals of fire on your headf 



Improvements. 



Paul Richter, manager of the Henry F. 

 Michell Co., pointed out improvements in 

 the packing and shipping department 

 by which the company's business will be 

 more rapidly and easily transacted than 

 in the past. The entire packing depart- 

 ment has been transferred to the base- 

 ment, heretofore used as a storeroom. 

 This basement is well lighted, has a good 

 cement floor, and the further advantage 

 of freedom from interruption. Part is 

 devoted to storing the less bulky goods 

 required every day, and part for pack- 

 ing. The room on the first floor hereto- 

 fore used for packing will be devoted en- 

 tirely to shipping, the boxes being there 

 divided for the different railroads or for 

 local routes. A new system has been 



devised by which the possibility of errdrs 

 in shipping is even further reduced. 



Various Notes. 



The Floral Exchange will erect one 

 new house, mammoth size, for the Rich- 

 mond rose this spring; 11,000 grafted 

 plants will be planted therein. 



Wm. Kleinheinz, of Ogontz, Pa., the 

 only Philadelphian who was successful in 

 winning a first prize at the recent carna- 

 tion show in Boston, favors pot-gfrown 

 plants, exclusively. He grows his carna- 

 tions in pots, planting them out in the 

 houses in the end of July or early in 

 August. 



Albert Harvey & Sons, of Brandywine 

 Summit, Chester Co., Pa., are planning 

 a new range of three houses to be used 

 for carnations. 



Theo. Edwards, of Bridgeton, N. J., 

 has the honor of being first in this mar' 

 ket with several items on the bulbous list^ 



E. H. Bower, of Chisselhurst, N. J., 

 has given the ever active D. T. Connor, 

 representing the Triple Alliance, an or- 

 der for one new carnation house 100x20. 



Wm. Munro, of Garretsford, Pa., will 

 rebuild one house 35x150, replacing a 

 smaller house. It is unnecessary to say 

 that the before mentioned representative 

 of the Burnham-Hitchings-Pierson Com- 

 pany secured the order. 



Geo. R. Geiger, a well known florist of 

 Nazareth, Pa., died January 28. 



Dr. Herman Burgen addressed the Ger- 

 mantown Horticultural Society last Mon- 

 day evening, on the subject of Gold Fish 

 and Aquarium Plants, 



Edw, A, Stroud, of Strafford, Pa., is 

 to be congratulated on the fine condition 

 of his carnation plants. They are in full 

 crop. 



The customers of Edw, Reid are to 

 be congratulated on securing a corre- 

 spondent who spares no pains to execute 

 their orders exactly, no easy task during 

 times of scarcity like the present. 



J. J, Habermehl's Sons had another 

 handsome decoration at the Bellevue- 

 Stratford on the 9th inst. for a large 

 private ball, 



Pennock Bros, decorated their window 



