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Jakcabt 14, 1009. 



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The Weekly Florists* Review. 



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PROSPEROUS YEAR 

 BEFORE THE TRADE 



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THE CONSENSUS OF OPINION IS THAT ALL FLORISTS 

 SHOULD PROSPER THIS YEAR. 



BROSPERITY ia rampant in the West, and no -wonder, for the farms and 

 the mines are both mostly in the West. The soil gave to the people of this 

 country in 1908, $7,778,000,000 of new agricultural wealth and nearly 

 $2,000,000,000 of new mineral wealth — to be spent, either at first or at later 

 hand, in 1909. The florists of the West "did not know there was a panic," to use 

 their own expression, and those of the East report the clouds of depression rolling 

 away, though not as rapidly as would be liked in some manufacturing centers. It 

 is apparent from the following extracts from letters recently received by the Review 

 that the depression of 1908 was most felt in the East, especially the cities and 

 manufacturing towns. Here is what some florists say: 



Alabama* 



Mobile. — ^Money was a little scarce 

 last year and an unusually large propor- 

 tion of business was done on a credit 

 basis. We have good hopes, however, of 

 a first-class spring trade. — Minge Flo- 

 ral Co. 



Birmingham. — The outlook for 1909 

 is all that could be desired. The bad 

 effects of the general business depres- 

 sion, which were still noticeable last 

 fall, seem to have disappeared since 

 then. — William M. Lindsay. 



Montgomery. — We believe that pros- 

 pects are excellent, and we have showed 

 our faith in the future by moving into 

 a new store, where we will have much 

 more space and much better facilities 

 for business. — W. B. Paterson. 



Arkansas. 



LiTTLB Bock. — We consider the out- 

 look good. The business depression does 

 not trouble us.— J. W. Vestal & Son. 



California. 



Santa Cruz. — The future looks ex- 

 ceedingly bright. As to whether the 

 effects of ihe panic were helpful or hurt- 

 ful to the holiday trade, I don't know. 

 Something helped, for trade was cer- 

 tainly lively. — W. E. Kino. 



Colorado. 



Colorado Springs.— ^We feel no effect 

 of last year's panip. — Frank Hayden. 



BouLDER.-^Prospects never were bet- 

 ter than now, though the effects of the 

 general depression were noticeable as 

 late as last fall. — CharlDs F. Fawcett. 



Connecticut. 



Greenwich. — The outlook for spring 

 trade is good, though we may not yet 

 have fully recovered from the effects of 

 the financial trouble. — MacMillen & Co. 



New Britain.— Still feel a little ef- 

 fect of the off year and don't feel quite 

 certain of 1909. — Carl Lorensen. 



New London. — We expect to do a 

 larger business here in 1909 than ever 



before. The panic made cut flowers a 

 little less profitable here, but apparently 

 did not affect plant sales. — Edward 

 Smith. 



Delaware. 



Wilmington. — Prospects are good ; 

 effects of last year's troubles have worn 

 off and people are buying more expen- 

 sivie stock than ever. — H. P. Potter, 



Georgia. 



Savannah. — The business situation 

 looks good to us now. Last year's let- 

 up seems to have been helpful to us 

 lately, rather than harmful. — John 

 Wolf. 



Savannah. — The only way this sec- 

 tion felt last year's troubles was in 

 slow collections; sales kept up. As to 

 1909, we can't say, only hope for the 

 best. — A. C. Celschig & Sons. 



Idaho. 



Post Falls. — The business is just 

 fairly beginning to develop in this part 

 of the country. — W. S. Van Dorn. 



Boise. — Last year's panic seems to 

 have caused some decrease in this sea- 

 son's plant sales, but it did not harm 

 the cut flower trade here. Prospects 

 are good for the spring. — Boise Floral 

 Co. 



Illinois. 



RocKFORD. — The outlook for 1909 is 

 good indeed. Ine effects of the financial 

 disturbance have been imperceptible 

 here of late. — J. J. Soper. 



Aurora. — The prospects for the coming 

 season look good to me. Last year's 

 panic, though it probably caused us 

 some loss of trade, was not as bad as 

 expected. — Joseph M. Smely. 



Bloomington. — The outlook for busi- 

 ness is good. This is largely a farming 

 community, and though crops last year 

 were not large, the prices were high 

 enough to compensate for the lack of 

 quantity. — A. Washburn & Sons. 



Peoria. — Stock is looking fine and 

 prospects are bright for a fine supply of 



flowers. There is reason to expect t^ 

 good trade for the balance of the sea- 

 son. — C. LOVERIDOX. 



JouET. — It is a little early to make 

 predictions for 1909, but we know of 

 nothing to prevent our having a pros- 

 perous year. — Albert C. Rott. 



Aurora. — ^Business up to date has been 

 unusually prosperous, but it is a little 

 early to make a forecast of the coming 

 season — ^Aurora Greenhouse Co. 



Indiana. 



Marion. — The prospect is good; busi- 

 ness increasing every year. — Marion 

 Floral Co. 



KOKOMO. — Every line of business is 

 improving in our vicinity and this gives 

 good promise for the future. — Walter 

 W. Coles. 



Goshen. — The outlook is fair. People 

 here have not really been much affected 

 by the troubles elsewhere, but are still 

 a little scared. — Colonial Flower 

 Shop. 



La Fayette. — Orders are coming in 

 fast and the future looks bright. The 

 panic was helpful to us rather than in- 

 jurious, as it led to the purchase of 

 flowers at Christmas by many who would 

 otherwise have bought something more 

 costly. — F. DoRNER & Sons Co. 



Iowa. 



Burlington. — ^We don't feel any ef- 

 fect of slow business; it has been good 

 right along. — ^Joseph Bock. 



Marshalltown. — The money troubles 

 were only slightly felt and prospects now 

 are better than ever. — ^William H. Ford. 



OsKALOOSA. — The flower-buying habit 

 is growing and betokens an increase of 

 business in 1909. — Kemble Floral Co. 



Dubuque. — The prospect for spring 

 looks good at present. The financiid 

 stringency was felt here little, if at all. 

 — W. A. Harkett. 



Fort Madison. — The outlook is good. 

 The effects of the money shortage were 

 noticeable early in 1908, but did not 

 harm holiday trade. — J. M. AUOE. 



Davenport. — We think that prospects 

 now are fair. Though the panic may 

 have caused some injury to our trade as 

 late in the year as October and Novem- 

 ber, it seemed to have just the opposite 

 effect on our holiday business. — Bills 

 Floral Co. 



Kansas. 



Hutchinson. — Business is all right in 

 Kansas, better every year. — John 

 Stamm. 



Leavenworth. — Spring prospects are 

 excellent. The panic did not trouble us. 

 — J. E. Meinhart. 



ToPEKA. — As far as we can see, the 

 outlook is good. We never felt the panic 

 in Kansas. — James Hayes. 



Wichita. — We have not been able to 

 trace any of our trade conditions, either 

 good or bad, to last year's panic. The 

 panic affected the fiorists of this vicinity 

 only indirectly. We consider the outlook 

 as good as usual, which means a fairly 

 healthy increase over the trade of the 

 previous season. — W. H. Gulp & Co. 



Kentucky. 



HOPKINSVILLE. — I think the prospect 

 is fair. — T. L. Metcalfe. 



Winchester. — The outlook for 1909 

 is the best ever and we are planning to 

 build more houses. It seems hardly pos- 



