The Weekly Florists' Review* 



January 2, 1908. 



finding that the big dark blue violet of 

 Rhinebeck will sell at a profit in spite of 

 the loss of its fragrance. The violet 

 growers have complained for years that 

 there was no longer any profit in the 

 business, but just the same they keep on 

 increasing the production. 



Last spring the New York violet mar- 

 ket was overloaded and the western out- 

 let was sought and considerably devel- 

 oped, as a result. Since autumn, the dis- 

 turbed condition in the east has caused 

 heavier violet shipments west than ever 

 before.' Prices have been below those of 

 other years, while quality has been su- 

 perb. 



Bulbous Stock. 



The sales of bulbous stock in the 

 spring were at a somewhat lower level 

 than the year before, but this did no{ 

 prevent a banner business in bulbs this 

 season. The standard forcing sorts of 

 tulips were quickly cleaned up and, after 

 a somewhat prolonged season, the bed- 

 ding stock also has cleaned up nicely. 



The reports show that rather more 

 Harrisii and longiflorum have been 

 potted up than a year ago, and there are 

 larger quantities in cold storage for 

 later blooming, so that we shall have 

 lilies in quantity all the year around. 



The cut of French stuff, Paper 

 Whites and Eomans, which comes into 

 the market at the end of November, has 

 been going slowly at lower rates than 

 last year and the prospect for a good 

 season for these is not brilliant. Nor 



states and it resulted in sadly overtax- 

 ing the capacities of the greenhouses; 

 there was no room to spread out the 

 stock and a great deal of the material 

 sold was below the usual quality, as a 

 consequence. When spring finally came 

 it passed quickly into summer and the 

 large amount of spring business had to 

 be taken care of in less than the usual 

 time. Nevertheless, there was little 

 cause for complaint over the profits of 

 the season; the troubles were in the diffi- 

 culties of handling stock and sales. It 

 again was demonstrated that all the 

 good bedding plants, ready at the right 

 time, would find a sale. In fact, there 

 was a shortage in many lines at the 

 height of the season, particularly of 

 geraniums, which later became plenti- 

 ful, that part of the stock which proved 

 to be surplus not having been in bloom 

 at the time it was wanted. 



A condition specially noteworthy was 

 the spring demand for perennials. The 

 sale of hardy stock for garden planting 

 in 1907 was greater than in any year in 

 trade history. The peony and the phlox 

 stand specially well in public apprecia- 

 tion, but many florists are growing to 

 handle flowering shrubs and many nurs- 

 eries are taking up perennials. The 

 gardening instinct appears to be only 

 just awakening in the American people. 



Holiday Plants, 



Those plantsmen whose specialty is 

 holiday supplies, did a big business for 

 Easter ami again for Memorial day and 



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were the first jonquils or cut tulips 

 pounced upon with avidity by the buyers. 



The Spring Plant Trade. 



The late spring of 1907 was a matter 

 of serious moment to those who grew 

 bedding plants. The condition was gen- 

 oral throughout most of the northern 



for Christmas. In the spring they 

 cleaned up everything at good prices, al- 

 though some had their troubles with 

 lilies. For Christmas, sales were equally 

 good in volume, but prices were not quite 

 up to those of a year before. The holi- 

 day plant trade is steadily increasing, be- 

 cause the possibilities of cut flower pro- 



duction generally throughout the coun- 

 try are not equal to supply the holiday 

 demand for blooms. The sales of holi- 

 day arrangements of plants in baskets, 

 hampers or other receptacles are increas- 

 ing all over the country, not so much, 

 we believe, because of their novelty or 

 their enduring quality as because a sup- 

 ply of cut flowers adequate to every-day 

 requirements falls far short of the needs 

 of a holiday. 



Summer Business. 



The excellence of the summer business 

 is worth noting. While there are locali- 

 ties in which nothing is doing in sum- 

 mer, this condition no longer prevails 

 with the majority of the trade. Many 

 large growers of cut flowers for the 

 wholesale market now find their sum- 

 mer crops among the most profitable for 

 the year. This does not apply to asters, 

 gladioli, outdoor sweet peas, etc., which 

 generally seem largely overdone, espe- 

 cially in the poorer qualities. There is, 

 however, a good summer sale for really 

 first-class cut flowers, and crops of 

 Beauty, Kaiserin, Killarney, etc., pay 

 handsomely. 



Increase in Gltas, 



The greenhouse builders and the deal- 

 ers in horticultural supplies had their 

 banner season in 1907. It is difficult to 

 estimate with any degree of accuracy 

 the extent oi the year's increase in glass 

 area, but it is of record that one manu- 

 facturer of material supplied cypress 

 milled for 800,000 square feet of glass 

 in the first four months of the year. 

 With eight or ten firms making a spe- 

 cialty of this business, and a number of 

 smaller growers still unaware that the 

 specialist can beat the local planing mill 

 at all points in the game, the total in- 

 crease must have been something pro- 

 digious. 



It is worth while noting that the in- 

 crease was not great in the enormous 

 plants which are now supplying several 

 of the cut flower centers, but rather the 

 increase lay in the fact that almost every 

 grower who had one or more houses add- 

 ed something to his place. In addition, 

 quite a number of new establishments 

 for cut flower growing were started in 

 districts at some little distance from any 

 large cut flower market. 



Effect of New Glass. 



These plants are doing a shipping busi- 

 ness in wholesale cut flowers, supplying 

 only a few near-by customers, but they 

 must sooner or later be felt in the older 

 wholesale sections. To a greater or less 

 extent they are responsible for the sud- 

 den and violent fluctuations in wholesale 

 prices in the larger markets. These local 

 wholesale cut flower growers, with no 

 very large supply, take care of the needs 

 of a limited number of buyers during 

 times of normal production. In times of 

 heavy crops they can supply one or two 

 more near-by stores, but in times of 

 scarcity they fall short of meeting the 

 needs of their regular customers, who 

 then fall back on the big markets and 

 boost the prices they have to pay. The 

 same thing results from the building of 

 glass by those whose outlet is at retail. 

 In times of large supply they are con- 

 signors; in times of scarcity, buyers. 

 With many a wholesaler it is either a 

 feast or a famine, and the condition 

 promises to become more acute as the sea- 

 sons progress, but fortunately so far 

 buyers have increased in number and 

 needs more rapidly than local glass has 

 increased, so that thus far supply and 



i.Ul 



