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The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



March 19, 1908. 



was never exhibited where I could see it. 

 We were- on the point of ordering it, 

 when a traveling man in whose judgment 

 we have considerable faith happened in, 

 and, being from the same vicinity as 

 the variety in question, he was questioned 

 as to its value, etc. We were advised 

 not to bother with it, as it amounted to 

 little. Later we were induced to try it, 

 anyway, and that variety proved to be 

 one of the best in its color on our place 

 for several years. So much for reports, 

 honest as they may be. We reason that 

 every variety which is introduced has 

 shown merit at least on the introducer's 

 place, and that should be sufficient guar- 

 antee that it is at least worthy of a trial. 



Replacinjr Old Varieties. 



Then there is the question of replac- 

 ing varieties with better ones as they are 

 offered. Mr. Osborn's idea of replacing 

 varieties only when they show deteriora- 

 tion is certainly not a progressive one. 

 We want not to keep our stock as good 

 as it is now, but we want to better it at 

 every opportunity. Suppose, for instance, 

 a man would be growing Scott, Day- 

 break, Silver Spray and varieties of those 

 days as good as he ever grew them; 

 would he stand any show against our 

 varieties of today? The same can be 

 said of more recent varieties, only the 

 difference is not so great. 



As for letting your neighbor test the 

 varieties for you, I can only say that it 

 is one of the most selfish ideas I can 

 imagine, and does not deserve any con- 

 sideration, even if it were practical, 

 which it is not. Your neighbor and 

 yourself may have different success with 

 a variety and, of course, your estimation 

 of the variety will differ as widely. 



As to the American Carnation Society 

 doing anything along the line of deter- 

 mining which variejb^s will prove to be 

 profitable to grow, you will never see it. 

 As one member put it some time ago, it 

 is not within the province of that society, 

 and if it attempted anything of the kind 

 it could only fail. The brightest men in 

 that society gave the matter their best 

 consideration for several years, without 

 working out any plan that would hold 

 water for a minute. If anyone thinks 



he has a feasible plan, let him come for- 

 ward with it, and render the carnation 

 growers a service for which, I am sure, 

 they will give him their everlasting 

 thanks. 



1 have not gone into details as fully 

 on some of these points as I might have 

 done, nor have I brought out all the 

 points, but I have consumed enough space 

 for this time. I have tried to show that 

 it pays to keep up with the new varieties, 

 and that by buying in a limited way of 

 a dozen varieties instead of plunging on 

 one, you stand a dozen chances of get- 

 ting the good one against the one chance 

 of the plunger. I hope others will give 

 their views on this most important ques- 

 tion, and I feel sure that through dis- 

 cussion the disseminators and a certain 

 part of the buyers can come to a better 

 understanding. A. F. J. Baue. 



OMAHA FLORISTS. 



The accompanying illustration shows 

 a group of well-known Omaha florists, 

 photographed by B. Timler, superintend- 

 ent of Krug park, upon the occasion of 

 a recent meeting of the Omaha Florists' 

 Club at the establishment of Hess & 

 Swoboda. Reading from left to right 

 the gentlemen are: 



Paul B. Floth. 

 O. H. Herman. 

 George Sorenson. 

 August Peterson. 

 W. R. Adams. 

 L. Henderson. 

 K. S. Herman. 

 George H. Swoboda. 

 J. J. Hess. 



The officers of the Omaha Florists' 

 Club are: President, J. J. Hess; secre- 

 tary, L. Henderson; treasurer, George H, 

 Swoboda. 



THE DEATH ROLL. 



Joseph M. Gasser. 



Death claimed Joseph M. Gasser, of 

 Cleveland, Marcfi 12, at Flint, Mich., 

 where he had been for two months taking 

 treatment in a sanitarium. About fifteen 

 months ago he suffered a mental break- 

 down, but death was due to heart failure. 



Mr. Gasser had been a resident of 

 Cleveland during nearly his entire life. 



He was a native of Switzerland, born in 

 1841, but when he was only a^child his 

 parents emigrated to the United States, 

 locating in the Forest City in 1854. While 

 his boyhood days were passed amid sur- 

 roundings and under circumstances which 

 limited his opportunities for securing an 

 education, Jie did not neglect the culti- 

 vation of his mind, but improved it by 

 reading, traveling and experimenting 

 and, being possessed of more than ordi- 

 nary faculties, he acquired a fund of 

 information on general subjects far in 

 advance of many men who in youth had 

 the advantages of good schools and col- 

 leges. Mr. Gasser began at the bot- 

 tom, and year after year mounted the 

 ladder until he was regarded as one of 

 Cleveland's most successful business men. 

 In 1861, when he was 19 years of age, 

 he enlisted and served loyally in the war 

 of the rebellion, as a member of Com- 

 pany B, Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infan- 

 try, serving in the ranks until 1864, 

 when he received honorable discharge. 

 He participated in many of the princi- 

 pal battles of the war and was wounded 

 in the left arm and sidp, March 23, 1862, 

 at Winchester, being incapacitated for 

 service for some time. 



In 1872, he made his first business 

 venture on his own responsibility, open- 

 ing a stationery and candy store, which 

 he carried on for six years, gradually 

 drifting into the line of enterprise to 

 which he devoted his entire attention for 

 more than a quarter of a century. The 

 start was one of the modest order. 

 Flowers sent in weekly as a gift from 

 Mrs. Gasser 's mother's garden to beau- 

 tify the window and soda fountain were 

 a great attraction. Customers admired 

 and wanted them. Mr. Gasser, being of 

 a generous disposition, gave a few blos- 

 soms with each purchase. Soon the de- 

 mand became so great that a small sum 

 was charged for the flowers. This 

 proved very satisfactory and the business 

 continued to grow. To one familiar with 

 the large proportions of the business 

 now done by the J. M, Gasser Co. the 

 early vicissitudes are amusing, but at 

 the time the troubles were real enough. 

 As related by one closely identified with 

 the work, "The flowers were tied up in 



A Group of Well-known Omaha Florists. 



