

January 2, 1908. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



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NEW YEAR 

 GREETING, 



'S 



S. A. F. 



To THE Members of the S. A. F. O. 

 H. — Greetings: At the opening of this 

 year I desire, on taking over the office of 

 president of our national society, to ex- 

 tend to you my heartiest good wishes for 

 a prosperous and successful year, both as 

 regards our individual interests and those 

 of the organisation, the welfare and ad- 

 vancoment of which we all have so much 

 at heart. No man ever entered on the 

 duties of the presidency of the S, A. F. 

 O. H. more conscious of the great re- 

 sponsibilities resting on him than I am. 

 To maintain the standard of efficiency 

 to which the organization has been 

 brought by my able predecessors is a 

 task which even the most experienced in 

 the work of the society must regard as 

 a formidable one. But, as the old say- 

 ing has it, ' ' the best of men are but men 

 at best." I assume the leadership, there- 

 fore, to which your suffrage elected me, 

 promising you my very best "endeavor to 

 fulfill, as far as I can, the trust which 

 you, my fellow members, have reposed in 

 me. 



But in order that the society shall 

 measure up to its highest efficiency dur- 

 ing the year 1908, I must have, and ex- 

 pect to obtain, the fullest cooperation of 

 all the members. I therefore urge the state 

 vice-presidents to do their very best in 

 securing new members in their respective 

 localities, to spread abroad therein prop- 

 aganda concerning the organization, its 

 benefits, its usefulness and how deserv- 

 ing of encouragement and support it is, 

 by every man and woman engaged in 

 the lines of industry we are banded to- 

 gether to promote and advance. 



Of the various committees appointed 

 by my predecessor in office I earnestly 

 desire, as I feel sure of obtaining, the 

 faithful and full performance of the re- 

 spective duties which have been assigned 

 to them, as on the result of their en- 

 deavors very much of the progress of 

 our association depends. I also hope 

 that every member, individually, will act 

 well his or her part in the furtherance 

 of the work of the S. A. F. O. H. " One 

 for all and all for one ' ' should be the 

 motto impelling each of us in our every 

 effort along the lines of society work. 



I wish to call particular attention to 

 the forthcoming flower. show, to be held 

 under the society's auspices at Chicago, 

 111., in the fall of this year. The com- 

 mittees appointed to carry out the de- 

 tails of this our first undertaking in this 

 line are now hard at work, and I bespeak 

 for them the best assistance of all the 

 members, looking to the ultimate success 

 that is hoped for in our stupendous ven- 

 ture. 



I would briefly refer to the great loss 

 which our organization has sustained by 

 the sad death of our secretary, P. J. 

 Hauawirth. The work of the secretary 's 

 office is being looked after temporarily 

 by Willis N. Rudd. Morgan Park, 111., 

 whose well-known ability ensures the ut- 

 most efficiency in everything connected 

 with that office. 



The preparation of the annual report 



for 1907 is being rapidly pushed to a 

 conclusion, and the publication and dis- 

 tribution of the document will be ac- 

 complished with as little delay as pos- 

 sible. 



Again assuring you of the ' ' best that 

 is in me" in the conduct of the society's 

 affairs during 1908, and looking for and 

 expecting the cordial and hearty support 

 of you all, I am. 



Yours fraternally, 



F. H. Traendly, President. 



CHRISTMAS BUSINESS. 



There is evident satisfaction in the 

 Christmas trade reports. 



A fortnight before the holidays, pros- 

 pects were not encouraging, but it ap- 

 pears that almost universally the busi- 

 ness was as great as in any previous 

 year and in most of the cities a new rec- 

 ord was established. The general ex- 

 planation seems to be that all this scare 

 about hard times has been false alarm, 

 but that a few people who have in pre- 



vious years spent large sums for Christ- 

 mas gifts, really did this year content 

 themselves with sending flowers. 



It seems to have been quite generally 

 the case that supplies were greater than 

 a year ago and as a consequence many 

 wholesale centers report that prices were 

 not up to those of last year. In some 

 cases retailers tell the same story, but in 

 general they realized the same figures 

 and consequently a better profit. 



The demand for red always falls short 

 and when it came to Beauties, or Eich- 

 monds, or red carnations, it was a repe- 

 tition of the old saying that "he who 

 hesitates is lost." The retailer who 

 hesitated about placing his Christmas 

 order got no red. Nor were there, as a 

 rule, otlier roses for late buyers, but 

 carnations were enough to go around. 

 This refers to the wholesale markets. 

 In the country towns practically every- 

 thing was cleaned up and more could 

 have been sold. 



The plant arrangements, which have 

 been so popular the last few years, had 

 a larger sale than ever before. They 

 have worked their way down from the 

 fashionable stores of New York to those 

 places where the stock is retailed in the 

 |)otting-shed at the greenhouses. Nearly 

 everyone now sells some kind of plant 

 arrangement at Christmas and Easter. 

 The supply of plants was greater than 

 ever and cleaned out fairly well. 



There is general satisfaction with the 

 (liristmas business and the trade starts 

 in on 1908 with the enthusiasm engen- 

 dered by its biggest Christmas. 



RETROSPECT 

 AND PROSPECT 



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End of an Unusual Year. 



The year 1907 has passed into history 

 as one of the most unusual in the annals 

 of our trade. The early months of the 

 year saw business at high tide; not only 

 the flower business but all lines of manu- 

 facturing, mercantile and speculative ac- 

 tivity. Everything went merrily "as a 

 marriage bell" until the date arrived for 

 spring ; but spring did not arrive on time 

 and from that portion of the year until 

 its close conditions have been disturbed 

 and the future fraught with more or less 

 uncertainly. 



The Year in Cut Flowers, 



The first part of the year was one of 

 unusually high prices for cut flowers. It 

 was only the fortunate grower who was 

 able to produce the usual quantity from 

 a given space, but the good prices which 

 prevailed enabled everyone to make a 

 profit and the summer found the grow- 

 ers in the heyday of their prosperity. 



The result was a general overhauling, 

 expansion, and thorough preparation for 

 a big season in the fall of the year. The 

 autumn found rose crops well advanced 

 and production the heaviest on record, 

 with its consequent tendency, had there 

 :»een no unusual outside influences, toward 

 lower prices. Exactly the reverse was 

 the condition with carnations. In gen- 

 eral, the field conditions had been un- 



favorable, the plants were small when 

 housed and they did not get away 

 promptly, with the result that production 

 all through the autumn was lighter than 

 usual and the tendency toward higher 

 values. 



The Mum and Violet Seasons. 



With chrysanthemums, the splendid 

 season which the growers enjoyed in 

 1906 prompted a large increase in the 

 production for 1907, and, as is almost 

 always the case where production is in- 

 creased, the principal part of the in- 

 crease was of no better than medium 

 quality. This of itself would have tend- 

 ed to reduce average values all along the 

 line, and especially by comparison with 

 the splendid season of the year be- 

 fore, had there been no unbalancing of 

 general business conditions just as the 

 mum season opened. While prices were 

 lower than usual in nearly every mar- 

 ket, those growers who supply the trade 

 in New York city suffered much more 

 than those in the west, and many report 

 an unprofitable season. 



The violet growing industry along the 

 Hudson has become one of more than 

 local importance, for Ehinebeck violets 

 now are sold in practically every market 

 east of the Mississippi, and from Chi- 

 cago they find their way in thousand lots 

 clear up into British Columbia and south 

 to New Orleans. Western towns also are 



