22 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Mav 24, 1906. 



CHICAGO. 



The Great Central Market 



The oldest men in the market can re- 

 call no week of such unwieldy oversup- 

 ply as depressed the market from May 14 

 to May ]9. In the thirty years that some 

 men look back there is no week when the 

 glut has been so utterly unmanageable. 

 Never in the history of the market has 

 there been so much waste and never have 

 average returns to the growers been so 

 low. If there was any item of which 

 there Avas not an oversuppJy, the fact 

 was unobserved. Tuesday, Wednesday 

 and Thursday of last week the tempera- 

 ture ran to 90 degrees in the shade. The 

 normal mean temperature for the middle 

 of May is 58 degrees. Is it necessary to 

 say anything further? 



Not only were all flowers brought into 

 the market with a rush, the receipts be- 

 ing three or four timeg what they nor- 

 mally are, but the heat took the quality 

 out of everything. All stock came soft 

 and without keeping quality, which 

 added to the burdens of the wholesalers. 

 The select goods brought fair prices be- 

 cause there were so few of them. The 

 bulk of the stock, after the legitimate 

 local and shipping demand was supplied, 

 was jobbed off at any price the Greeks 

 chose to offer. Some of the sales, stated 

 in figures, seem ridiculous enough, but 

 it was a case where any sale was a good 

 sale because something was left every 

 night to go in the dump the next morn- 

 ing. It is impossible to overstate last 

 week's glut and the consequent fall in 

 values. 



A fall in temperature on Saturday to 

 10 degrees below the normal did not 

 bring the expected revival. Of course it 

 operated to reduce receipts, but it seems 

 that such headway had been gathered 

 that the cuts are still coming on, and 

 the weather man says more high tem- 

 peratures are in sight; indeed, by Tues- 

 day it was already hot. There still are 

 some good Beauties, but most of the 

 bufls are small and require much peeling, 

 which they can ill afford, to get down 

 to natural color. Chatenay holds its 

 quality better, and red roses are good. 



To find first-class Brides and Maids 

 one must be early on the market. Tea 

 roses suffered to a greater extent than 

 anything else during last week 's torridity, 

 and Kaiserin, which has not been in de- 

 mand heretofore, sprang into high favor. 

 A little cool weather would put quality 

 back into the rose crops, but it is feared 

 there will be few, if any, good roses for 

 Decoration day. A number of whole- 

 salers are advising buyers to push pe- 

 onies instead of roses. The mildew on 

 roses is something ' ' fierce. ' ' Many good 

 growers were caught. 



Carnations- sold for a nickel a bunch 

 last week and are in only a little better 

 shape now. Keceipts continue large and 

 quality has deteriorated to a marked de- 

 gree. Only the oest sell at anything like 

 a fair price. 



This week the glut of peonies is per- 

 plexing the wholesalers. Local Old Eed 

 arrived Monday. Hundreds of growers 

 are making shipments from down the 

 state and have no knowledge of how the 

 peony should be handled. This class of 

 stock is bringing $1 to $3 per hundred, 

 according to variety, and is injuring fhe 

 sale of the better goods, which, in conse- 

 quence, fire going into cold storage. 

 There are varying reports as to the 

 peony crop. Some growers say much of 

 their stock was ruined by the unseason- 



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able and changeable weather. There are, 

 however, at present more peonies than 

 the market can use. 



Outdoor lily of the valley is abundant. 

 There are a few cape jasmine in the mar- 

 ket, but it begins to be accepted that 

 the supply for Decoration day will be 

 short. Pansies are in large supply. A 

 few gladioli are seen, including The 

 Bride. The outdoor tulips have about 

 passed. Sweet peas are largely used, 

 but the receipts are so heavy that they 

 must be of high quality to bring a profit- 

 able price. A cent a bunch for short- 

 stemmed Blanche Ferry was a good price 

 last week. Lilies are also a problem. 

 Bridal Wreath spiraea is in. Lilac is 

 about over. 



Green goods are in larger supply and 

 selling fairly well. A number of nice 

 orders for sniilax and asparagus are on 

 file for June. 



All the wholesalers report large orders 

 for Decoration day. There certainly 

 will be a heavy demand, as prices are 

 moderate. Supply is likely to be not so 

 heavy as at present, but there neverthe- 

 less will be enough to go around. 



Sleulh to be a Grower. 



Herman F. Schuettler, assistant chief 

 of police and credited with being the 

 handsomest man on the force, has erected 

 a range of seven greenhouses at 754 Bos- 

 worth avenue and is preparing to put up 

 as many more. N. P. Miller is superin- 

 tending the construction of the plant, but 

 a grower from Peter Reinberg's staff 



has been engaged. Mr. Eeinberg sup- 

 plied the carnation plants with which 

 half the glass will be stocked, roses oc- 

 cupying the balance of the space. 



West Madison Street. 



A traveling man from New York called 

 Madison street the Broadway of the west 

 side and he found prosperous flower 

 stores scattered pretty evenly along its 

 four and a half miles to Garfield park, 

 but, strangely enough, no more of them 

 than there were ten years ago. 



As one goes out from the city the 

 first flower store is that of H. F. Halle. 

 A large room is well fitted up and there 

 is a commodious conservatory at the 

 rear, where a large stock of palms in 

 decorating sizes is carried. Mr. Halle 

 suffered a period of ill health two or 

 three years ago, but again is entirely well 

 and doing a nice business. 



At the old Schiller place George Asmus 

 has an up-to-date store and if there is 

 any funeral work doing on the great 

 west side, a share of it is sure to be 

 found in his place. A good business has 

 been done all winter but it has been 

 quiet the past fortnight. 



Where Colorado avenue has its root in 

 Madison the store of Mrs. E. Anderson 

 presents an attractive front. Years ago 

 this stand was conducted as a branch by 

 C. Frauenfelder; who sold the property 

 and business to Mrs. Anderson. She put 

 up a new building about a year ago and 

 is doing well. 



Next as the star of empire takes its 



