24 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



Max 20, 1909. 



dNONNATL 



The Market 



Business was only fair last week. The 

 demand was no more than medium, and 

 the buyers were not particular whether 

 they got anything or not. A large 

 amount of stock was moved out, but it 

 could only be done by cutting tlae price 

 until it had reached rock bottom. Only 

 a little really high-grade stock is coming 

 in at present, and that little brought 

 good prices, but the bulk was of medium 

 to poor quality, and much of it sold at 

 job lot prices. With the advent of clear 

 and cool weather, we can look for stock 

 of a little better quality, and it ought to 

 bring out a better demand. Some first- 

 class Beauties are selling right up to 

 quoted prices, but the majority of roses 

 of all varieties are of poor quality. Car- 

 nations average fair only. Some of the 

 better grades sell well, but there are so 

 many of the poorer grades that the aver- 

 age price is away down. 



The market is well supplied with the 

 various spring flowers. Some fine irises 

 are seen. Outdoor valley is in, and the 

 demand for it is only fair. There are a 

 few peonies on the market. The main 

 crop will not be in for a week or two 

 yet. Sweet peas are coming pretty 

 strong, and sell fairly well. Fancy fern 

 leaves have been scarce this spring, and 

 the price has been higher than for many 

 years. A few of the new crop are com- 

 ing in now, but as yet they are a little 

 soft and not of much account. Another 

 week ought to put them into better con- 

 dition. Smilax and asparagus are in good 

 demand. 



Decoration day will soon be upon us, 

 and the prospects for a rattling good 

 business have never been better. With 

 anything like good weather, there ought 

 to be a good supply of first-class stock, 

 and of just the kind that the buyers want 

 for that day. The last few years have 

 taught us that Decoration day business 

 is good business, and that it is wise to 

 be prepared for it just as well as for 

 Easter and Christmas. Each year this 

 business has grown, till now it usually 

 cleans out everything that comes into the 

 market. Owing to the dry weather last 

 fall, the peony crop will not be as good 

 this year as usual, but we hope to have 

 enough to take care of the business if 

 we have anything like good business in 

 the meantime. 



C. J. Ohmer. 



A FLORIST FLIMFLAMMED. 



By means of an ancient and well tried 

 form of "flimflam," a stranger recently 

 secured $20 from Miss Clara Forbes, of 

 the firm of Misses Forbes & Donahey, 

 Wheeling, W. Va. 



The man went to the flower store and, 

 exhibiting a number of one-dollar bills, 

 asked if he could exchange them for a 

 $20 bill. The bill was passed over to 

 the man, who tendered the ones in ex- 

 change. Upon counting them, but eight- 

 een bills were found in the lot. The 

 man stated that he had been given the 

 money in change by a merchant, and 

 that a mistake had been made. In the 

 meantime he had sealed up the $20 bill 

 in an envelope, which he put in his 

 pocket. 



Asking Miss Forbes to take charge of 

 the envelope while he went out to have 

 the mistake rectified, the stranger van- 

 ished, and upon examination the enve- 

 lope which he had turned over was found 

 to contain nothing but paper. 



OBITUAHY. 



Mrs. S. S. Skidebky. 



Mrs. S. S. Skidelsky died at her home 

 in Philadelphia May 13. Mr. Skidelsky 

 has many friends all over the United 

 States who will sympathize deeply with 

 him in his great loss. 



Mrs. John Galvin. 



Mrs. John Galvin, widow of the late 

 superintendent of the Boston public 

 grounds and mother of Thomas F. Gal- 

 vin, died at her home, 511 Washington 

 street, Dorchester, Mass., May 16, at the 

 age of 90 years. Mrs. Galvin 's husband 

 planned much of the present Boston Pub- 

 lic Garden and the deceased lady was 

 herself a great lover of floriculture and 

 arboriculture. Funeral services were held 

 May 18 and were largely attended. 



Peter Bauscher. 



Peter Bauscher, pioneer resident, gar- 

 dener and florist, of Freeport, III., suc- 

 cumbed to the infirmities of old age, 

 Saturday, May 15. 



Peter Bauscher was born in Frankfort- 

 on-the-Main, Germany, August 15, 1829, 

 and as a young man spent six years in 

 the employ of Herr Eenz, at that time 

 the largest florist and nurseryman at 

 Frankfort. He came to America with 

 his mother and two brothers at the age 

 of 24. The trip across the water took 

 fifty-two days. After the landing of 

 Mrs. Bauscher and her two sons they 

 started at once for the west, where they 

 intended to make their home. The fam- 

 ily got as far as Eoekford, 111., and since 

 there were no railroads running into 

 Freeport at that time they made the trip 

 across country in a wagon to Freeport, 

 arriving there in 1853. Two years after, 

 in 1855, Mr. Bauscher was united in 

 marriage to Miss Elizabeth Stephan, who 

 died May 26, 1897. The courtship was be- 

 gun in Germany, and after Mr. Bauscher 

 had accumulated enough means he sent 

 for his fiance, and they were married in 

 Freeport. 



Six children were born, three having 

 died and three survived. Among the lat- 

 ter is the florist and former alderman, 

 Louis Bauscher. 



For a man of his age Mr. Bauscher 

 possessed a remarkable memory. He was 

 present at the great Lincoln-Douglas de- 

 bate held in Freeport, August 27, 1858. 

 His description of the first railroad train 

 which entered Freeport was a vivid one. 

 He was the owner of fourteen acres of 

 land in the third ward. He had resided in 

 the home in which he died since 1873. 

 Funeral services were held Tuesday, 

 May 18. 



Christopher Rossmann. 



Christopher Eossmann, a native of 

 Germany, died of Bright 's disease May 

 13 at the home of his sister, Mrs. Carrie 

 Wilkins, 704 West Oak street, Louisville, 

 Ky. Mr. Rossmann had been in Louis- 

 ville only two weeks, having come from 

 Illinois, where he was engaged in the 

 nursery business. He is survived by two 

 sisters, Mrs. Edward Zwigard and Mrs. 

 Carrie Wilkins. Three brothers also sur- 

 vive. 



Gasport, N. Y. — White Bros, are 

 building another greenhouse. 



Concord, N"; H. — Charles H. Barrett 

 recently visited York Beach, and from 

 there went to Dover to attend the annual 

 meeting of the grand encampment, P. M., 

 L O. 0. F. 



BOSTON. 



The Market 



Business has been poor during the 

 last week. Hot weather brought in a 

 flood of flowers, for which there was no 

 demand. Conditions now show a slight 

 improvement, and rather better trade 

 may be expected from now until after 

 Memorial day. Roses are abundant and 

 down in price; 15 cents is now top price 

 on Beauties. Killarneys and Richmonds 

 continue of good quality. Some good 

 Kaiserins and Carnots are also arriving. 



Carnations continue of fair quality, 

 but the call for these is poorer, many 

 preferring sweet peas and other spring 

 flowers. Violets are over. Valley will in 

 a few days be abundant, as the outdoor 

 crop is nearly in. Sweet peas are plenti- 

 ful, but getting shorter stemmed. 



Bulbous stock is on the wane. Another 

 week will practically clean up all narcissi 

 but poeticus, and all tulips except the 

 late section. Spanish iris and gladioli 

 are plentiful; the former sells the best. 

 There is a poor call for such flowers 

 as mignonette, antirrhinum, wallflower, 

 stocks, etc. Peonies will not be in season 

 here for some time yet. A few of the 

 old oflBcinalis may be in for Memorial 

 day. 



Plant trade is improving with the ad- 

 vent of warmer weather. Bedding plants 

 are now in quite active demand. There 

 promises to be a good supply of outdoor 

 flowers for Memorial day, such as lilacs, 

 late tulips, early German iris, etc. 



Qub Meeting. 



It was to be regretted that Peter 

 Bisset, the lecturer of the evening, could 

 not leave Washington to be at the meet- 

 ing of the Gardeners' and Florists' Club, 

 May 18, but his paper on water garden- 

 ing, being forwarded, was read by J. W. 

 Duncan and proved to be full of interest 

 to the 130 members present, a large au- 

 dience for a May meeting. The seventy- 

 five slides, showing many pretty scenes in 

 the water garden, helped to illustrate the 

 speaker 's remarks and an interesting dis- 

 cussion followed, in which Robert Cam- 

 eron, W. Downs, Mr. Duncan, W. N. Craig 

 and other members joined. A rising vote 

 of thanks to Mr. Bisset and regret at his 

 inability to attend were passed. 



There was as usual an interesting ar- 

 ray of exhibits on the tables, outdoor 

 flowers predominating. In the question 

 box were numerous queries. One referring 

 to the relative importance of outdoor and 

 indoor gardening to the average private 

 gardener elicited opinions that the out- 

 door department was the more important 

 and was becoming increasingly so. A 

 discussion on Tanglefoot, a preparation 

 much used of late years for application 

 to tree trunks to catch moth pests, 

 brought out the facts that this substance, 

 when applied direct to the bark, had 

 proved injurious and the preparation 

 was unanimously condemned. Arsenate 

 of lead was voted the best insecticide for 

 all leaf-eating insects. California privet 

 was pronounced a worthless hedge plant 

 in Massachusetts; Ligustrum reglianum, 

 Berberis Thunbergu and Crataegus Crus- 

 galli were best thought of. 



The question of an age limit for mem- 

 bership was not considered important 

 enough to discuss, and there seemed to 

 be no general idea as to what had caused 

 such a slump in the popularity of mums 

 in and around Boston of late years, but 

 all admitted the big blooms were not pop- 

 ular as they used to be. Other queries 



