NOVEMIIEU 8, 1900. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



)603 



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THE AUTUMN 



EXHIBITIONS 



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vr CHICAGO. 



The man who coined the phrase "The 

 "World's Greatest Flower Show" knew 

 '■ , y exactly what it was that the public would 

 throng to see at the Coliseum beginning 

 November 6. It is no misnomer. Last 

 year's exhibition at Chicago, which was 

 called "The Million Dollar Show," es- 

 tablished a record as the ' ' greatest 

 ever," but it is relegated to a second 

 place by the exhibition now in progress. 



Last year the fear that not sufl5cient 

 stock would be forthcoming to make an 

 adequate show in so great a building led 

 to some overcrowding. This year this 

 defect has been remedied by using 

 y smaller groups of decorative plants and 



by devoting the annex, which last year 

 was given to the lectures, to a part of 

 the display of cut blooms. 



The arrangement is a decided improve- 

 ment over last year's, the broad prome- 

 nade down the center of the building 

 being bordered with bay trees joined by 

 streamers of laurel wreathing, the plant 

 exhibits ranged on either side, with the 

 model gardens occupying the ends of the 

 hall, and the spaces between the arches 

 along this side being occupied, as last 

 year, by the exhibits of the retail flo- 

 rists. The whole arrangement is greatly 

 to the credit of Manager George Asmus, 

 whose work improves with each year of 

 bis experience. 



It is to the committee on decorations — 

 C. A. Samuelson and W. J. Smyth — that 

 a large part of the credit for the gen- 

 eral effect must be given. The horse show 

 canopy of green and yellow was retained. 

 Beneath it are festooned long lines of 

 laurel wreathing leading from loops of 

 the same material in the center of the 



great span down to where the arches cut 

 the balcony. These are spaced every 

 few feet, and present an excellent ap- 

 pearance, especially at night. The bal- 

 cony is looped with interlapping garlands 

 of the same material, in all about 15,000 

 yards of laurel wreathing having been 

 employed. It is probably the largest 

 quantity of laurel wreathing ever got to- 

 gether for one purpose. In addition a 

 carload of wild smilax has been used to 

 cover the structural parts of the build- 

 ing below the Hue of the balcony. 



As was the case last year, the circle 

 of retailers' displays not only is a won- 

 derful attraction in itself, but serves to 

 bind the show into a harmonious whole. 

 Each one of the spaces formed by the 

 steelwork of the building is occupied by 

 a retailer, and there were others who 

 would have made exhibits had there been 

 spaces for them. There is a greater va- 

 riety in their displays than was the case 

 last ye4r, and several have gone to large 

 expense to provide a fitting setting for 

 their stock. The retailers appear to 

 thoroughly appreciate the advertising 

 value of such a showing, nevertheless 

 credit should be given them for what 

 their enterprise adds to the interest of 

 the exhibition as a whole. They are 

 using only the choicest of material in 

 great variety and changing the display 

 each day, so that there is constant nov- 

 elty. The diagram reproduced in this 

 issue shows who are exhibiting and the 

 location of each display. 



The participation of the Chrysanthe- 

 mum Society of America has added not 

 a little' in point of trade interest. It 

 has given Chicago growers an opportu- 

 nity to see many of the season's novel- 

 ties before placing their orders for stock. 



Usually they have been compelled to act 

 on the reports from eastern exhibitions. 

 Charles H. Totty, of Madison, N. J., is 

 one of the largest eastern exhibitors, his 

 cut blooms having traveled in excellent 

 shape, and are a center of interest. His 

 collection of forty blooms in forty vari- 

 eties never has been equaled so far as 

 western exhibitions go. Wm. Duckham, 

 president of the Chrysanthemum Society 

 and superintendent of the estate of 

 D. Willis James, Madison, N. J., almost 

 swept the decks in the classes for six 

 blooms, and what probably affords him 

 greatest pleasure is to show western 

 growers how the chrysanthemum beating 

 his name looks when well grown. Pos- 

 sibly it is climate rather than culture 

 that makes the difference, but the vari- 

 ety, as he shows it, is a complete surprise 

 to Chicago growers who know it only as 

 locally produced. But there is the same 

 difference in Mr. Duckham 's Beatrice 

 May and the same sort as grown here. 

 Another Madison grower who has splen- 

 did blooms is R. Vince, gardener to 

 B. D. Foote. All told, Chicago never 

 has had such fine cut mums as the Madi- 

 son gentlemen have brought, and the 

 vases of 100, all home grown entries, 

 also show an advance in quality. 



Arthur Herrington, of Madison, con- 

 tributes the largest chrysanthemum plant 

 ever seen in Chicago. It occupies a point 

 of vantage directly in front oi the en- 

 trance, and is easily the most noticeable 

 feature in the eyes of the general pub- 

 lic. The plant is about eight feet in di- 

 ameter, and is said to carry 500 flowers, 

 each about three inches across. 



The Chicago parks and private gar- 

 deners are exhibiting as usual. 



Special Features. 



The special features are so numerous 

 that it is wholly impossible to mention 

 any considerable part of them. One that 

 cannot be overlooked is A. Herrington 's 

 plant of Chrysanthemum Mrs. J. E. 

 Tranter, which is said to be the Iftrgest 

 chrysanthemum plant ever exhibited in 

 the United States and probably in the 

 world. It is about eight feet in diameter 

 and carries over 500 flowers; not guess- 

 work; Mr. Herrington says he counted 



A Glimpse of the Chicago Exhibition in Progress Thw Week* 



(Totty e ma^nlficeat forty varieties, one of e^h| at t^e left.) 



