22 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



December 28, 1911. 



Society of Great Britain. Only a few 

 weeks ago the trustees of the Massa- 

 chusetts Horticultural Society awarded 

 him the George Kobert White Medal 

 of Honor for the current year, as the 

 person who has done the most during 

 the year or in recent years to advance 

 the interests of horticulture in its 

 broadest sense. 



NEW YORK. 



The Market. 



It was the banner Christmas of all 

 the years, from the retail florists ' stand- 

 point. From Saturday morning until 

 Monday night there was no cessation of 

 activity, and when the evening shadows 

 fell December 25 there was nothing 

 much left to sell. The weather was 

 perfect and so mild that plants were 

 delivered without wrapping. Flowers 

 of every kind were purchased at rea- 

 sonable rates and, with the exception of 

 a few sleepy carnations and colorless 

 roses, the stock offered by the whole- 

 salers was superb. 



Business in the wholesale market 

 was dull indeed until the Friday be- 

 fore Christmas. Prices were discour- 

 agingly low. The advance then began, 

 and yet A'alues never went beyond rea- 

 sonable levels and there were no com- 

 plaints, by the buyers, as in other 

 years. American Beauties sold at the 

 retail stores at $25 a dozen for the 

 best. The finest Richmonds retailed at 

 $12 and Killarneys and the new varie- 

 ties of roses at $10. From these levels 

 down to about the basis of any good 

 Saturday during the winter season the 

 cut flowers were distributed. The plant 

 trade was enormous. The usual com- 

 binations in baskets, boxes and ham- 

 pers were in evidence. Even palms and 

 ferns sold well. Azaleas were all dis- 

 posed of. There was nothing left in 

 plants to sell by noon of Christmas, 

 and the demand for cut flowers con- 

 tinued to the end. 



The new roses were especially popu- 

 lar and the supply far too smalffor the 

 demand. All thfe choice carnations sold 

 at good figures, the red varieties espe- 

 cially so, while Enchantress and the 

 Wards were not far behind. There was 

 not much sleepy and common stock, 

 the most of the shipments being credit- 

 able and profitable to the growers. 



The variety and quality of the orchid 

 shipments has never been excelled at 

 this season. Prices were held at a rea- 

 sonable figure, and nothing much was 

 left. Gardenias were in great demand 

 and the best stock was firm at $50 per 

 hundred. Tliere were a few mums, as 

 anticipated, and these were speedily 

 sold at good prices. The usual flood of 

 narcissi, hyacinths, stevia, daisies, wall- 

 flowers and mignonette appeared and 

 sold slowly at no increase above the 

 regular prices. Lilies never went above 

 10 cents, and most of the supply sold at 

 from 6 cents to 8 cents, while 4 cents 

 was top for valley. Violets found a 

 resting place at 75 cents, few selling 

 above that figure. The supply was 

 abundant and the tendency of every- 

 thing immediately after Christmas, as 

 usual, is toward a lower level. 



The plantsmen everywhere announce 

 a complete and satisfactory clean-up. 

 Their prices were reasonable and the 

 local demand absorbed nearly every- 

 thing they had to offer. Because of 

 this out-of-town shipments were light. 

 The remarkably mild weather was 

 worth many thousands of dollars to 



the growers, in the light cost of pack- 

 ing and delivery. 



All things considered, the Christmas 

 of 1911 may be put on record as the 

 best this city has ever known. 



Gardeners' Reunion. 



The reunion of the gardeners, old and 

 new, at Thum's, December 21, proved 

 a great success, over 100 attending, 

 many from up the Hudson, from Long 

 Island and as far south as Philadel- 

 phia. Nearly everybody bowled from 

 3 p. m. to 8 p. m., at which hour the 

 call to dinner was sounded. Glen Cove 

 beat Elberon in a bowling match, 758 

 to 745. Prizes for the highest scores 

 in three games were open to all, and 

 the arrangements of the committee, 

 Messrs. Manda, Marshall and Donlon, 

 were perfect. Prizes were donated by 

 C. H. Totty, Revere Rubber Co., Carroll 

 Elliott, Rickards Bros., Joseph Manda, 

 W. E. Marshall & Co., Burnett Bros., 

 Aphine Mfg. Co., and others. Every- 

 body took part in the contests and 

 bowling continued after the banquet 

 until nearly "sun up" in the morning. 



Letters of regret were read from 

 Messrs. Watson, Henderson, Fordham 

 and O'Mara. John Everett was made 

 chairman of the committee, having in 

 view a yearly reunion of a similar char- 

 acter. Ex-president Bartholomew was 

 in the chair and called on Charles 

 Weathered to act as toastmaster. Mr. 

 Weathered was in his happiest mood 

 and kept everyone good natured with 

 his witty sallies: The toasts were: 



"The S. A. F.," responded to by C. 

 H. Tottv. 



"The 'Old Guard," responded to by 

 Ex-president John Shore. 



"The Gardeners," responded to by 

 Wm. Scott, of Elmsford, and Wm. Duffy, 

 of Glen Cove. 



"The New York Florists' Club," re- 

 sponded to by Jos. Manda. 



"The Press," responded to by J. A. 

 Shaw and W. E. Maynard. 



Other speakers were Messrs. Logan, 

 Robertson, Everett, Donlon, Griffin, 

 Gommersell and Duff. The Rickards 

 brothers and W. E. Marshall sang 

 sweetly, and Frank McNichol, of Cedar- 

 hurst, made music with the bagpipes. 



Various Notes. 



The men who make a specialty of 

 Christmas trees, roping, holly and wild 

 smilax have had a wonderful season. 

 The evergreen decorations of the store 

 fronts by the Kervan Co. and Cotsonas 

 & Co. were practical illustrations of 

 possibilities that bore much fruit. Holly 

 tecame scarce as the week advanced 

 and prices boomed for anything of 

 quality. 



Siebrecht & Siebrecht had on exhibi- 

 tion two new roses which they call Sie- 

 brecht 's Yellow and My Sweetheart, 

 the latter a small and modest pink, es- 

 pecially suitable for debutantes, they 

 say, and resembling Bon Silene. 



The rose and carnation conventions 

 at Detroit will see a large representa- 

 tion from New York and vicinity, the 

 party leaving at 5 p. m., Tuesday, Jan- 

 uary 9, by the Wolverine express on the 

 New York Central. 



E. G. Hill and Elmer Smith, while in 

 the city before Christmas, were the 

 guests of Chas. H. Totty, who initiated 

 them in the mysteries of the great white 

 way. 



J. K. Allen disposed of several hun- 

 dred poinsettias in pans and pots for 

 Christmas. His Richmond roses, grown 



by Robert Schultz, Madison, sold at 

 high water mark, 50 cents each bei^g 

 paid for the best of them. Bobby sent 

 over 3,000 of all grades to the market. 



The sympathy of the trade goes out 

 to the family of Frank Petroviski, 

 whose sudden death occurred last week 

 following an operation ^or appendicitis. 



The Geller Florists' Supply Co. 

 shortly will remove to much larger 

 quarters. Mr. Geller says this has been 

 made necessary by the rapid increase 

 of his business during 1911. 



Lord & Burnham Co. has the contract 

 for five houses 33x150 at Albion, N. Y., 

 and four houses of similar size at Me- 

 dina, N. Y., for the Bert Olney Canning 

 Co., of Oneida, these to be devoted to 

 the growing of tomato plants during 

 six months of each year, and to cut 

 flowers, probably chrysanthemums, the 

 balance of the time. 



The Greater New York Florists' As- 

 sociation, of Brooklyn, will have its 

 second annual dinner early in February. 

 The committee appointed includes Hugo 

 Jahn, E. G. Wilson, Geo. Laird, J. H. 

 Van Mater and Wm. A. Phillips. 



J. F. Marsden, of Far Rockaway, 

 sails for England January 10. His 

 mignonette and carnations are handled 

 by Badgley, Riedel & Meyer. 



J. J. Coan, manager of the Growers' 

 Cut Flower Co., is greatly alarmed over 

 the illness of his mother,- at her resi- 

 dence, Short Hills, N. J. 



At the great poultry exhibition in 

 Madison Square Garden last week the 

 Stumpp & Walter Co. made one of the 

 most elaborate displays, including every- 

 thing required in the hen raising busi- 

 ness, from food to incubators, several 

 of the latter giving practical demon- 

 stration of their utility, new live chicks 

 appearing every hour while the ex- 

 hibition lasted. 



Walter Mott, representing Wm. El- 

 liott & Sons, is making a canvass on 

 Long Island this week. 



R. G. Wilson, the Brooklyn retailer, 

 says this was the best Christmas he 

 ever has known, not only for himself 

 but for every retail florist in the City 

 of Churches. His best selling carnation 

 was Brooklyn, in the general dissemina- 

 tion of which he retains a one-third 

 interest with Messrs. Totty and Weber. 



The wholesale florists in Brooklyn 

 were completely sold out at noon on 

 Christmas. 



Gunthcr Bros, had their usual side 

 line for the holidays and disposed of 

 several hundred cases of selected holly, 

 realizing from .$4 to $5 a case. They 

 say they could have disposed of double 

 the quantity. 



Lecakes & Co. had a force of nearly 

 fifty busy day and night on holly 

 wreaths and laurel and pine roping and 

 disposed of every yard of it. 



William Kessler's daily sales during 

 Christmas week averaged four figures 

 in blooming plants and Dreyerii ferns, 

 in addition to the cut flowers. 



Charles Millang says it was the best 

 Christmas in twenty-five years. 



Woodrow & Marketos are much 

 elated with their first Christmas, and 

 disposed of a tremendous lot of plants. 



Lion & Co. have removed to 213 

 Fourth avenue, where they have great- 

 ly improved facilities in the new whole- 

 sale silk district. 



The prize bowling contest for a Christ- 

 mas turkey was postponed and a handicap 

 match for a bottle of Scotch medicine 

 took its place December 22 between 

 Messrs. Holt, Chadwiek, Kakuda and 



