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2008 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



Mat 16, 1007. 



PACIFIC COAST. 



HISTORY OF THE VIOLET. 



The fact that the growing of violets 

 for the San Francisco market has prac- 

 tically passed into the hands of the 

 Italians, and also that there is no 

 variety cultivated to any extent except 

 Princess of Wales, shov?s another in- 

 stance of the survival of the fittest. 



It is probably twenty years since the 

 boom for violet growing commenced in 

 the neighborhood of Menlo Park. At 

 that time the old-fashioned Russian, the 

 Neapolitan and the Swanley White were 

 grown in about equal numbers. A few 

 patches were to be found all the way 

 from San Francisco along the country 

 roads as far as Belmont, cultivated prin- 

 cipally by Italians. When it was found, 

 however, that the rich, mellow soil of 

 San Mateo and Menlo were particularly 

 adapted to their growing, many acres of 

 ground were devoted to their culture, 

 with good profit. 



About this time the California violet 

 made its appearance and this favored 

 locality scored more of a success than 

 ever. The growers had everything in 

 their hands for a few seasons and made 

 money rapidly. 



The Italian growers at length began 

 to find there was no longer any demand 

 for the old-fashioned, purple an<i blue 

 violets, and so they began to weed them 

 out and replant with California. The 

 Chinese, in turn, began to get inter- 

 ested, and in a couple of seasons, 

 although their stock was not equal to 

 that produced under more favorable 

 auspices on the larger places, still they 

 succeeded in lowering the prices so that 

 the others could not compete, and the 

 beds were allowed to go to ruin. 



In the meanwhile the Princess of 

 Wales violet appeared on the horizon 

 and was quickly taken in hand by the 

 growers who had ceased to make money 

 out of the others. A short and suc- 

 cessful season attended their efforts 

 again, until the stock was disseminated 

 among the smaller growers. Then a 

 thi'ee-cornered fight was waged between 

 the large growers in the more aristo- 

 cratic section, the Chinese growers in 

 the immediate neighborhood and the 

 Italian growers in the vicinity of Ocean 

 View and South San Francisco. The 

 Italians won out because they had the 

 faculty of raising large families, who 

 invariably did all the picking. As the 

 Chinese, Japanese and others did not 

 seem to be blessed in the same way, 

 there was but one result, and that was 

 that practically every violet grower from 

 San Francisco to Menlo Park went out 

 of business except the Italians, and they 

 entirely control the trade today. 



When, during the race for supremacy, 

 it was evident that the picking proposi- 

 tion was the one that was most con- 

 cerned in the controversy, the growers 

 one by one began discarding the double 

 sorts, as they cannot be gathered so 

 readily or bunched to such advantage. 

 The public, in the meanwhile, seeing so 

 few Marie Louise or any other of the 

 double sorts in evidence, apparently for- 

 got all about them, and the retailers, 

 knowing what a difficulty was always 

 experienced in trying to fill orders for 

 them, ceased recommending them, and 

 now they are rarely seen here. 



This is the history of the violet in this 



True Asparagus 

 Plumosus Seed 



Raised under latb in California, is so superior 

 in vitality as to be beyond comparison. We are 

 grlad to be able to announce that at last we have 

 our seed picked. It is later than usual this year, 

 owinff to long, continued cold rain, but the seed 

 is all the better for it. 



We can guarantee delivery from now on. 



1000 seeds $ 2.00 



6000 seeds 10.00 



13,000 seeds 20.00 



25,000 seeds $ 36.00 



50,000 seeds 65.00 



100,000 seeds 110.00 



Gash, please. 



r. Giiman Taylor Seed Co. 



(imoobporatxd) 



Box 9. OLINDALS, CAL. 



Mention The Review when yoa write. 



RED 

 FLOWKR 



■^ ^^ ■ i^ per 1000. 



Size 2-in. only, formerly used by Chase Bose 

 Co., and good goods. Los Angeles make. No 

 collars, no nicks (larger than H in.) Noxsharge 

 for packing. Try sample 1000. Write for price 

 on Hotbed Sash, Ventilator Sash, Washed SxlO 

 Glass, Hastlca and Half-tone Cuts. 



Chas. Howard, 2121 Park Ave, Riverside, Cal. 



Mention The Review when you write. 



GROWN 

 BULBS. 



CALIFORNIA 



AH varieties. UnstirpaMed. Catalogue 

 free. We deliver Narcissus and Daffodils 

 specially early for earliest forcing. 



THE LEEDHAM BULB CO., Santa Cruz, Gal. 



Mention The Review when yon write. 



portion of California and, although 

 there are many acres devoted to their 

 culture here, everything is in the hands 

 of the thrifty Italians. G. 



OAKLAND, CAL. 



Clarke Bros, have recently opened a 

 new retail store at 1087 Clay street, 

 corner Twelfth street. It is the finest 

 store of its kind in Oakland and as fine 

 as any on the Pacific coast. The Clarkes 

 have extensive greenhouses at Fruitvale, 

 where for the last ten years they have 

 been growing cut flowers for their large 

 retail store in Portland, Ore., and for the 

 wholesale trade in San Francisco. On 

 their opening day, Saturday, April 27, 

 they gave away over 20,000 carnations. 

 Eobert Newcomb, formerly of Chicago, 

 but more recently with J. Seulberger, of 

 Oakland, has been engaged by the 

 Clarkes for their new store. 



SAN FRANCISCO. 



The Market. 



Business is at the lowest ebb that the 

 writer has experienced in the last forty 

 years in San Francisco, with the possible 

 exception of a few weeks immediately 

 after the fire of last year. The street 

 car strike, although it has only been in 

 force for four days, put the finishing 

 touches on what was already hopelessly 

 bad. The retail business has come to 

 such a condition that the retail stores 

 have had several meetings at which the 

 advisability of closing all the retail stores 

 in certain sections of the town was ad- 

 vocated by the merchants. The advan- 

 tages of this would be to save clerk hire 

 and operating expenses until such time 

 as things right themselves. As I write, 

 the shrill voice of the newsboy in the 

 street proclaims that already there has 

 been bloodshed as a result of the strike. 



PETUNIAS. 



Giants of California, from my Champion 

 Strain, 2-ln., 12.50 per 100. Seedlings from 

 plants, 11.26 per 100. 



Per 100 

 Campannla Media Calycanthema, white 



and blue 12.00 



Ooreopaii I.anceoIata Grandiflora, 2-in. l.GO 



Dlanthaa Plnmarina, 1- year-old 4.00 



Hibisons Crimson Bye, 1-year-old 8.&0 



Lobelia BeddlnK Qaeen, 2 in 2.00 



Bfargnerlte Qaeen Alexandra and 



Blolle D'Or, 2-ln 1.60 



Pentstemon, Burbank Hybrids, 2-ln 2.00 



Platyoodon, 2-ln 2.60 



PhyaosteKla Tlrclnlca, 1-year-old 3.60 



Oriental Popples, 1-year-old 3.60 



Stokeala Cyanea, 1-year-old..... 4.00 



Tloleta, Princesa of Wales, California, Swan- 

 ley white and Marie Louise, strong field 



plants 1.00 



Orders booked now for seed to be delivered fall, 

 1907. Send for list. Seed raised on contract. 



TRED GROHE, Santa Rosa, Cal. 



Mention The Review when yoa write. 



Surplus Stock 



or THK PACIFIC MUB8XRISS 



Ererfreeii Treei and Flowering Shmba Per 100 

 Acacia (loribunda fragrans. 8 feet iiiKb...^$12.60 



Acacia melanoxylon, 2 feet higb 12.60 



Dloima alba« 1 to 1}^ feet high 12.60 



Saeallonia rosea, 8 feet high 14.00 



Metrotideros semperflorens, 2feet high.... 15.00 

 HelalcDca, in 6 varieties, 2 to 3 feet high... 14.00 



BngeBia aplenlata, 2 to 3 feet high 16.00 



Laims tlnna, 1 to 1>^ feet high 14.00 



Camphor tree, 2 to 3 feet high 16.00 



GrevlUea robnata, 214 to 3 feet high 16.00 



Cork oaka, 1 foot high 9.00 



Pittoaponim eraiaifollBm, 2 feet high 14.00 



Pittospomm teaoifoUam, 2feethigh 14.00 



Dracaena Indiviaa, 2 feet high 10.00 



All the above plants are pot-grown and in the 

 most healthy condition. 25 plants will be sold at 

 100 rate. V. LUDBMAHN, 



8041 Baker St., San Franolaoo, Cal. 

 Mention The Review when yon write. 



Asparagus Plom. Seed 



Lath House Grovm, 1907 Crop 



100 seeds $0.25 10,000 seeds $15.00 



lOOOseeds 1.75 50,000BeedB 62.00 



Gash with order. 



Oak Grove Nuraeries, S. Fleur 

 404-S N. Los Angeles St. Los Anceles, Cal. 



Mention The Review when yon write. 



Although only four days have elapsed, 

 7,000 men are idle and the end is not yet. 

 Under such conditions it is hardly pos- 

 sible that a correspondent can report 

 anything very favorable in his chosen 

 field. 



Although the towns across the bay, 

 such as Oakland and Alameda, are to a 

 certain extent removed from the seat of 

 warfare, still the ill effects seem to in- 

 fluence all the bay towns and there is 

 nothing to report except a fair amount 

 of funeral business for the last week. 



I am in' hopes that by next week I will 

 be able to report more favorably of the 

 situation, but at the present writing I 

 cannot truthfully say anything that in 

 any way might convey the idea that we 

 are short of being strictly "up against 

 it. ' ' 



Variouf Notes. 



Henry J. Zimmer, of Chicago, is vis- 

 iting friends in San Francisco. He will 

 remain here for several weeks and pro- 

 ceed eastward by the way of Portland, 

 Ore., and Seattle, "Wash. 



James Skinner, after having disposed 

 of a carload of bay trees to the local 

 trade, has removed his base of operations 

 to Portland, Ore. Mr. Skinner will make 

 a trip to Alaska during the summer, to 

 inspect some claims he has in that part 

 of the world. 



The Alameda retailers report heavy 



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