34 



The Florists' Review 



OCTOBBB L;t, 1921 



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LOS ANGELES LEADERS 



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ONE FIRM'S WIDE INTERESTS. 



Various and Valuable. 



If there is one ])laee more than an- 

 other that visitors to the big show can- 

 not afford to miss, it is the establish- 

 ment of Howard & Smith. The com- 

 pany's various places hold so much of 

 interest and in such great variety that 

 they form a uuique business. The vari- 

 ous departments arc situated a long dis- 

 tance apart and are each worthy of an 

 extended visit. The firm was estab- 

 lished twenty-five years ago by ¥. H. 

 Howard and George Smith. Some few 

 years ago Mr. Smith disposed of his in- 

 terests in the business and it is now run 

 by the Howard brothers, with Fred H. 

 Howard as president and general man- 

 ager. 



The oldest part of the business, as it 

 stands, is the Ninth and Olive street 

 l)lace, iu Los Angeles, which is built on 

 the Howard homestead. The city has 

 <i;rowii nj) aroniul it, so that it now ocru- 

 pies an almost central jxisition in the 

 business district. Formerly a good deal 

 of stock was grown here, but it is now 

 the pl^ce of the head offices and store, 

 all being taken care of in a fine buildinj^ 

 erected about eight years ago. It is 

 shown in the accompanying illustration. 

 In tlie retail store Arthur Howard holds 

 tlie leading strings and, with a capable 

 and energetic staff, runs one of the big- 

 gest and best retail businesses in the 

 eity. 



Besidos the flower business, the retail 

 trade in seeds and plants is handled 

 here, the roomy and convenient store- 

 room giving ample facilities. Upstairs 

 .•ire the general offices for members of 

 the firm; for O. W. Howard, head of the 

 landscape department, drafting rooms 

 .•iiid m;iny otlier conveniences for the 

 liandling of th<^ immense business car- 

 ried on. As will be noted in the pic- 



Thc exhibition features being prepared 

 for the convention of the California As- 

 sociation of Nurserymen are expected to 

 draw many trade visitors to Los Anpeles 

 October 20 to 2J. Additional interest 

 will be found hy tltcm in a number of 

 (stabVuHhments in the vicinity which oc- 

 cupy a prominent place in oior industry. 

 Some of these are described in current 

 issues of The liciieu-, one on this page. 



ture, two extra fine specimens of giant 

 bamboo beautify the front of the store, 

 a rather costly feature in much valuable 

 sj)ace, but a unique landmark and orna- 

 mental feature. A small portion of the 

 old growing quarters still remains iu 

 the rear, but most of it has had to give 

 way to modern improvements, as the 

 locality has developed. O. W. Howard 

 lias landscaped the front portion, faeinji 

 Olive street. 



Roses Are Leaders. 



Growers of fine roses will be inter- 

 ested in the 7U-acre rose field up near 

 the foothills in the famous San Fer- 

 nando valley. Here about 7.50,000 plants 

 are gi-own, of every conceivable variety 

 that is known to be good as a garden 

 rose, and there is always something 

 interesting in flower, though, naturally, 

 the summer is the best time to visit. 

 F. II. Howard is one of the most suc- 

 cessful hybridists in the country, his 

 success along this line being proved by 

 the many medals, cups and other awards 

 won by the firm in strong and world 

 wide competition. The most famous of 

 all his varieties is the wonderful Los 

 Angeles, the rose that won the gold 

 medal ;it the Bagatelle Gardens in Paris 

 several months ago. Probably there 

 never was a garden rose sold in such 

 immense numbers as this has been in 

 thi- short time it has been in existence. 

 Last year the firm won the same prize 



against world-wide competition with 

 Miss Lolita Armour, another of Mr. 

 Howard's seedlings. These two alone 

 are enough to make the name of the 

 firm famous, but there are many others 

 already fixed and named and a host of 

 other new seedlings on trial. A wonder- 

 ful variety is Mrs. W. C. Egan, which 

 Mr. Howard describes as a glorified 

 Mme. Segond Weber. This haa the same 

 long-pointed buds and is a delightful 

 twO-tone rose of light pink and flesh 

 color. It will be disseminated next 

 year. Cashmere Bouquet is described as 

 the most fr.agrant rose extant, a delicate 

 pink, with the base of the petals golden 

 yellow, another of the Pernetiana 

 crosses, which will also be sent out in 

 1922. W. F. Dreer is another splendid 

 rose, orange yellow, with a picotee edge, 

 a profuse bloomer and fine garden rose. 

 This variety won for the firm a silver 

 medal and the Chamber of Commerce 

 cup at the Portland, Ore., rose show two 

 years ago, while Miss Lolita Armour 

 won the cup last year. 



The rose fields are about twenty miles 

 from Los Angeles, easily reached by a 

 good boulevard all the way, and no mat- 

 ter what time of day a visit is paid 

 there is alwaj's something interesting to 

 sec. Just at present the budding sea- 

 son is about over. It should be noted 

 that all the fine plants sent out from 

 this nursery are budded on stocks suited 

 to the various kinds. The soil is a deep 

 loam, rich and moist, and just what 

 roses delight in, the location being prac- 

 tically frost-proof, yet open to the sun 

 and every wind that blows. It is doubt- 

 ful if in the whole state of California a 

 finer piece of land could be found for 

 the purpose. 



Seed Fields at Rivera. 



At 7{i\era are the seed trial groimtH; 

 and a portion of the herbaceous bor- 

 ders, twelve acres in all. Here are 



Down-town Retail EstabHshment of Howard & Smith, at Ninth and Olive Strests, Los Angeles, Cal. 



