18 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



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Decembeb 31, 1908. 



MAKE A GOOD START 



On the New Year by placing a standinR order with us. No use your being handicapped by 

 not knowing whether or not you can fill an order. Have us ship you a certain amount each 

 day, or every other day, twice a week, or every Friday, as your trade requires. Then you 

 can be SUre of your supply and can sell with confidence* It works well for many. 

 Why not try it ? 



Beauties in good crop, special fancy Ricllinond and Klllarneyy large crops of fine 

 Maids and Brides. Quantities of Carnations of all grades. The largest supply of Violets in the west. 



STEYIA, MIGNONETTE, SWEET PEXS» EREESIA, VALLEY, PAPER WHITES 



A. L. Randall Co. 



Wholesale Florists 



L. D. Pkoae G«Btrsl 14»e 



PrlTAte BxehAHS* all 



DctKrtmeBlit 



l9-2r Randolph St, Chicago 



Mention The Review wben you write. 



Christmas Aftermath. 



The big shipping days of the Christ- 

 mas market were accurately reported in 

 last week's Keview, so that all that re- 

 mains to be said is that Thursday, De- 

 cember 24, the day the local business has 

 to be cared for, developed a first-class 

 demand and a larger supply of Beauties 

 than had been anticipated. Practically 

 every Beauty grower had many more 

 flowers than he had expected to cut, the 

 weather being specially favorable. In 

 addition, Philadelphia contributed Beau- 

 ties to this market. So did Council 

 Bluffs, and the largest lot of all came 

 from New Castle, having gone elsewhere 

 in recent years. So Chicago drew Beau- 

 ties from a stretch of 1,500 miles and 

 had probably as many Beauties as any 

 other year. The greatest trouble was 

 that, in holding back, many of the Beau- 

 ties which could have been marketed at a 

 good price when right, were too open to 

 be salable on arrival. As a result, prices 

 on anything but the best grade were 

 made by the buyer. The street boys got 

 long Beauties of the open variety at 

 pretty close to midsummer prices. Some 

 fairly good stock is said to have sold as 

 low as $9 per dozen after the shipping 

 days had passed; the heaviest receipts 

 were at the eleventh hour and it was 

 much easier to fill Beauty orders Decem- 

 ber 21 and Christmas morning than it 

 was December 22 or 23. 



Poinsettias also proved to be in over- 

 supply. They would have sold better if 

 long Beauties had been scarcer, but there 

 always is a limit to the price that can 

 be realized for poinsettias. Above $3 

 per dozen they go slowly and a great 

 many were left. Violets were so plenti- 

 ful that no high prices were made, a few 

 being left. Other stock came out about 

 right. Maids of the best grade were the 

 scarcest item. Red roses were unusually 

 abundant. Carnations cleaned up well, 

 but at rather lower average prices than 

 last year; some say ten per cent, some as 

 much as twenty per cent. There were 

 fewer white than usual to carry over, 

 but nevertheless most houses had a few 

 buckets of white carnations cheap for 

 funeral work December 26. 



Taking it altogether, it was a thor- 

 oughly satisfactory Christmas. The busi- 



Headquarters In tbe Great Central Bfarkat iiMr all kinds of 



Florists' Supplies 



Specially large and fine stock of 



Natural Preserved Wreaths, Moss Wreaths and Metal Designs 



Qualities always the best and prices the lowest. 



L. BAUMANN & CO.. ISiSiT'sSsS^n^^ 

 ?;?rw'b^li°C« 118 East Chicago Annua, CHICAGO 



A Maple i-flMi is ttW ■amiMsd at wr aW aMraii, 7S-7I Wafcath A«b. tmt tat mtr caa«l«ts catstom 



Mention The Review when you write- 



ness was large. Supplies were just about 

 equal to requirements. The quality of 

 stock was fair, although a good many 

 roses were soft. Reports as to how total 

 sales compared with last year vary con- 

 siderably, but just about as the sup- 

 plies of stock varied. Some bouses are 

 handling less stock than they did a year 

 ago, and others considerably more. The 

 total of Christmas business probably is 

 fully as good and possibly a little 

 greater than in 1907. And 1907 was the 

 banner Christmas. 



Christmas at Retail. 



The retailers are praciically unanimous 

 in reporting a thoroughly satisfactory 

 Christmas. Not all did more than a year 

 ago, but everyone had a good trade and 

 sold out clean and made money. An 

 immense number of poinsettias in pans, 

 azaleas and other blooming plants was 

 sold. Poinsettias are about the only 

 flower on which any of the retailers were 

 stuck. 



Gunation Show. 



The annual Chicago carnation display 

 will be held by the Horticultural Society 

 of Chicago in cooperation with the Chi- 

 cago Florists' Club at the Art Institute, 

 Thursday, January 14, from 1:30 to 5 

 p. m. There will be no competitive judg- 

 ing and no prizes will be awarded. Cer- 

 tificates of merit of the Horticultural 

 Society will be given to all new varieties 

 scoring eighty-five points or over and 

 silver and bronze medals will be avail- 



able for award either to new varieties of 

 unusual merit or the displays of older 

 varieties which in quantity, variety and 

 quality shall be considered worthy. 



All varieties will be staged with the 

 display card of the grower or exhibitor 

 and every effort will be made to secure 

 the best possible advertising returns to 

 the exhibitor. C, W. Johnson, of Rock- 

 ford, will act as judge and N. P. Miller 

 will superintend the exhibition. 



Originators of new varieties usually 

 send their blooms to the January club 

 meeting and should not miss this one. 

 It is strongly urged that exhibitors will 

 advise J. H. Burdett, assistant secretary, 

 1411 First National Bank building, as 

 early as possible as to the number of 

 varieties they will show and the quantity 

 of each, so that proper arrangements for 

 vases and staging may be made. The 

 exhibits should be addressed to N. P. 

 Miller, Art Institute, Chicago, and 

 shipped BO as to arrive on the morning 

 of January 14. The society will pay ex- 

 press charges on all exhibits. 



The committee in charge consists of 

 W. N. Budd, Leonard Kill and L. Coats- 

 worth. 



Variottt Notes. 



Chicago wholesalers are turning over 

 a new leaf in the matter of credits. Too 

 great laxity has been the common prac- 

 tice. In 1909 a good many will adhere 

 to the rule of making a draft for all 

 accounts not paid by the twentieth day 

 of each month, and refusing further 



