',V.' »■ iT 



14 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



January 2, 1008. 



their being off crop. The highest price 

 heard of was $14 per hundred. Beacon, 

 Victory, Eobert Craig, Fenn, Octoroon 

 and other scarlets and crimsons made 

 $10 to $12. If of good quality, Enchant- 

 ress and other pink sorts made from $6 

 to $10, while whites dropped as low as 

 $4. Of course, many flowers were sold 

 at lower prices, but these were not first- 

 class flowers. "Violets did uncommonly 

 well. The majority made $1.50, a few 

 reaching $2. Ordinary flowers cleared 

 at $1. 



Lily of the valley, Koman hyacinths, 

 Paper Whites and yellow narcissi were 

 all rather druggy. Poinsettias were 

 plentiful enough, but many were small. 

 They did not sell as well as usual. Eas- 

 ter lilies and callas were in fair supply 

 and advanced but little. The demand 

 for greenery was unprecedented and all 

 dealers in it had a heavy trade. 



Since Christmas the market has been 

 rather quiet. Prices have weakened some- 

 what, due in large measure to so many 

 flowers arriving, owing to the warm 

 weather. Carnations vary from $3 to $6. 

 Violets have dropped back to 75 cents 

 and $1. Bulbous stock goes slowly. 

 Roses are not in heavy supply and are 

 selling quite well. Poinsettias are now 

 almost unsalable. 



Various Notes. 



The sad tragedy in which Mr. and 

 Mrs. John Clark and family of three 

 children perished December 26 has ex- 

 cited much sympathetic interest among 

 the trade, in which Mr. Clark was widely 

 and favorably known. There was a 

 large representation of seedsmen and 

 florists at the funeral services. 



Andrew Christensen, of Stoneham, is 

 one of the largest growers of Queen car- 

 nations for the Boston market, having 

 over 25,000 plants of that popular white 

 variety. Beacon, Winsor and other novel- 

 ties are all doing well with Mr. Chris- 

 tensen. 



Both Welch Bros, and H. M. Robinson 

 & Co. report Christmas trade as beyond 

 their expectations in volume. 



S. J. Goddard, E. Sutermeister and 

 one or two other growers are bringing a 

 little freesia into the market. 



From present indications there will 

 be an excellent delegation from Boston 

 and vicinity to the carnation convention 

 in Washington. 



The annual inaugural meeting of the 

 Massachusetts Horticultural Society will 

 take place January 4. The early winter 

 exhibition will be held January 25. 



W. H. Ward, of Montvale, as usual, 

 is sending in some extra fine carnations, 

 to the sale of which Mrs. Ward devotes 

 part of her time. 



The week ending December 28 was an 

 abnormally mild one and the daily press 

 contains numerous references to dande- 

 lions, lilacs bursting their buds and 

 other premature signs of spring. 



A feeling of optimism pervades the 

 trade here and all look forward to 1908 

 being their banner year. 



W. N. Craig. 



CXEVELAND. 



Christmas Trade* 



Reports from the different retailers 

 on holiday trade are far more gratifying 

 than expected, nearly all of them being 

 more than satisfied. The wholesalers 

 also did a fine business, cleaning up 

 everything in color with the exception of 

 a few poinsettias. White carnations and 



Roman hyacinths went rather slowly, but 

 found a stronger market the day after 

 Christmas. Roses were short in supply 

 and sold at from 6 cents to 20 cents. 

 Carnations were received in large quanti- 

 ties, bringing from 4 cents to 10 cents. 

 The demand for violets was exceptionally 

 heavy, a larger quantity being moved 

 than ever before. Quantities of fine lilies 

 were to be had, and sold well at $2.50 per 

 dozen. Sweet peas, stevias, Paper Whites 

 and valley were all in heavy supply and 

 were moved at good prices. There seemed 

 to be a heavy call for all kinds of fine 

 potted plants, among which there were a 

 great many azaleas, Lorraine begonias, 

 decorated araucarias and different varie- 

 ties of ferns. 



Various Notes. 



C. M. Wagner, of Euclid avenue, re- 

 ports Christmas trade as very gratifying 

 in his new store, having had a heavy call 

 for fine decorative plants of all kinds. 

 He also ^ays holiday trade wanted a fine 

 grade of stock this season. 



Westman & Getz report a fifty per cent 

 increase in trade for the holidays, having 

 moved quantities of made up baskets, 

 consisting of dracsenas, crotons and dif- 

 ferent varieties of ferns. 



Milford Parks has been on the sick list 

 the last week, with a siege of the grippe. 



John Kirchner, of Quincy avenue, has 

 been very busy with a heavy run of fu- 

 neral work. 



The J. M. Gasser Co. reports both 

 wholesale and retail trade as good for the 

 holidays. 



Aniirews Bros., of Lakewood, are send- 

 ing in a fine cut of carnations to the 

 Cleveland Cut Flower Co. 



A. Graham made a specialty of large 

 boxwood wreaths that were very beauti- 

 ful and sold well. He also had a fine lot 

 of poinsettias in pans. 



The Cleveland Cut Flower Co. handled 

 over 25,000 carnations for Christmas, as 

 well as the same quantity of violets. 



Knoble Bros, had a fine Christmas 

 trade, with a heavy call for the best of 

 everything in the cut flower line. B. 



NEW BEDFORD, MASS. 



Christmas Trade. 



Christmas trade was good. Prices were 

 high and the weather for delivery was 

 grand. Carnations were none too plen- 

 tiful. They brought from $1 to $1.25 

 per dozen retail. Violets were at a 

 premium. They sold for $2 and $3 per 

 hundred retail and the demand was good. 

 Roses brought $3 per dozen retail; 

 Paper White narcissi, 60 cents per 

 dozen. 



The funeral of a prominent mill man 

 Christmas week called for a large quan- 

 tity of flowers. Add to this a coming 

 out party, and the florists were taxed to 

 the limit. 



There was a good assortment of holi- 

 day plants, such as azaleas, primroses, 

 cyclamens, begonias, etc. E, H. Cham- 

 berlain had some nice Firefly azaleas, 

 also a magnificent display of Lorraine 

 begonias, which sold like hot cakes. There 

 was a good demand for wreaths, etc., 

 prices ranging from 25 cents to $2. Well 

 berried holly was rather scarce. 



Various Notes. 



S. S. Peckham, of Fairhaven, had a 

 heavy cut for Christmas. Cleary, the 

 Pleasant street florist, handled the entire 

 cut. Mr. Peckham is a carnation spe- 

 cialist. He grows some 12,000 plants. 



He will root lieavily for the trade the 

 coming season. He thinks a great deal 

 of Jahn's new white, Lloyd. Speaking 

 of Mr. Jahn reminds me that he has 

 two or three third-year seedlings which 

 are promising. One, a white, is a cross 

 of Lawson and Queen and looks to be a 

 winner. He has about 1,000 plants of 

 these. Another, a dark one, is a magni- 

 ficent variety both in size, stem and habit. 

 This is also in its third year. Another 

 is a bright red, a grand color, and easily 

 goes ahead of Victory, besides being a 

 much freer bloomer than that variety. 

 Growers around here intend to give his 

 new white, Lloyd, a good test. Many of 

 them have bought heavily of it. 



We are having mild weather of late, 

 which is very good for the coal bill. 



H. T. Reynolds & Co. will go out of 

 business. 



A. B. Hathaway had a good cut of 

 violets for Christmas and realized good 

 prices for them. 



J. H. Cleary had some nice pans of 

 Roman hyacinths and a big display of 

 Christmas plants. W. L. 



THE DEATH ROLL. 



Alfred Plant 



Alfred Plant, the head of the Plant 

 Seed Co., St. Louis, doing business for 

 the last fifty years at 814 North Fourth 

 street, died at his home in Webster 

 Groves, Saturday evening, December 28, 

 at six o'clock. He was ill eight months. 

 The funeral took place Tuesday, Decem- 

 ber 31, from his late residence, to Belle- 

 fontaine cemetery. 



Mr. Plant was 87 years old and was 

 born in Lancaster, now Clinton, Mass. 

 He attended Yale from 1843 to 1847, 

 being one of the oldest of Yale's alumni. 

 He was in Europe in 1850, when he vis- 

 ited the first world's fair in London. In 

 1853 he returned to St. Louis and in 

 1856 he entered the employ of Plant 

 Bros., seedsmen, eventually becoming the 

 head of the firm. 



One son survives, Frederick S. Plant, 

 for some years the active manager of the 

 Plant Seed Co., and a member of the 

 St. Louis Florists' Club. 



Everett B. Clark. 



Everett B. Clark, president of the 

 Everett B. Clark Seed Co., Milford, 

 Conn., died at noon December 23 at 

 Darlington, S. C, where his wife and he 

 had stopped for a month previous to 

 going to Florida for the winter. He 

 was 64 years of age and a kinder, more 

 generous or more considerate man never 

 lived. He was of stanch New England 

 stock and served his country well during 

 the civil war. He returned to start his 

 career with a capital which consisted of 

 debts. For thirty years he worked as 

 few men have worked, days leading the 

 best of his men in the heaviest toil on his 

 seed farms, nights doing all of his own 

 office work. In this way he paid debts, 

 acquired surrounding farms and bnilt up 

 a reputation as a seed grower. His sons, 

 Frederick M. and Arthur B., have taken 

 up his work, for during the last few 

 years he has chosen to withdraw from 

 active participation in the business, and 

 many are the times they have heard: 

 ' ' You young men will have to strive hard 

 to live up to the reputation established 

 by your father," or "If you use us as 

 well as your father always has, we shall 

 be well pleased. ' ' Another incentive the 

 sons have had was the pleasure given 

 their father by the growth and develop- 



