16 



The Florists^ Review 



JANDABT 2, 1018. 



NEW YOKK. 



The Market. 



From a buoyant market December 

 23, with every indication of a profitable 

 clean-up for everybody, there devel- 

 oped the heaviest snowfall in a gen- 

 eration and "the night before Christ- 

 mas" saw accumulation from delayed 

 shipments, lack of enthusiasm and 

 losses running up to many thousands 

 of dollars, to both wholesalers and re- 

 tailers. Ten to twelve inches of snow 

 on the level was too great a handicap 

 to overcome and so Christmas of 1912, 

 instead of the best ever known here, 

 as it would have been without the 

 storm, became just an ordinary holi- 

 day, filled with disappointment and 

 to many unprofitable. Owing to the 

 delay of many hours in the arrival of 

 shipments, trains and Jersey expresses 

 coming in many hours behind the 

 schedule, it was not until evening that 

 any life was visible in the wholesale 

 market. This delay held the market 

 steady during the day, and top prices 

 were realized, but as the night wore 

 on values gradually declined. Christ- 

 mas morning found an abundance of 

 everything for all possible demands. 

 Fine weather Christmas day was help- 

 ful and a visit to the retailers on 

 Christmas eve found every plant and 

 plant combination sold, as usual, and 

 wrecks replacing the artistic groupings 

 of the first part of the week, when the 

 retail florists' windows were the most 

 attractive displays to be seen any- 

 where in the big city. 



American Beauties, when perfect, 

 sold at $1 each, wholesale, for Christ- 

 mas. Before Saturday night the price 

 had dwindled to 50 cents and the tend- 

 ency still was downward. All roses 

 have followed Beauties in the retro- 

 grade movement. The novelties sold 

 at high figures early in the week and 

 some grand Bichmond and Bussell 

 from New England were not far be- 

 hind Beauty in price and popularity. 

 Milady, Mrs. Shawyer and Sunburst 

 also shared in the society recognition. 

 Killarney was most abundant and its 

 white and double pink varieties were 

 in general demand. Ward, Bulgarie, 

 Taft and Hillingdon were all called 

 for; only the older varieties dragged, 

 and this because of delay in arrival 

 and occasional evidence of stock hav- 

 ing been held over for the holiday by 

 the grower. 



The red varieties of carnations were 

 all sold at good prices, 12 cents being 

 top, falling ' to 10 cents at the close. 

 The latter figure was high tide for all 

 other varieties, even the novelties, and 

 many thousands sold at 8 cents on 

 Christmas morning. Prices this week 

 are lower, and likely to remain steady 

 at present quotations. There was a 

 large supply of poinsettias in pans and 

 cut, some exceptionally fine stock of 

 the latter bringing $4 and $5 per dozen. 

 There were also plenty of orchids and 

 values did not advance, nor was the 

 holiday demand so large as was antici- 

 pated. There was, however, a good 

 market for all the gardenias, some fine 

 stock touching $6 per dozen. VaUey 

 and lilies did not advance. In fact, 

 the best valley sold as low as $4 per 

 hundred. The violet supply was short 

 and prices were raised to $1 per hun- 

 dred, and occasionally above this. They 

 have fallen low enough and probably 

 have seen their top record for the sea- 

 son. The regular daily supply of lilac, 



daisies, sweet peas, hyacinths, narcissi, 

 mignonette and wallflowers continues, 

 with no change in prices. There were 

 a few mums for Christmas, and good 

 ones, too, that sold at $3 per dozen. 

 Mums have had a wonderful year, and 

 now gracefully retire from the field. 

 The social season now is in full 

 swing and business should show steadi- 

 ness and reasonable profit for all the 

 retail trade from now on to Easter, 

 March 23. 



Various Notes. 



Now the decks are cleared' for the 

 National Flower Show. Everybody in 

 New York has been resting on his oars, 

 waiting for the passing of the holi- 

 days, and now, apart from Easter, 

 there is no topic of such importance 

 to the New York florists. Chairman 

 Totty, and his big force of assistants, 

 are working, planning and preparing 

 for "the greatest show on earth," and 

 from now until the doors of the Grand 

 Central palace are thrown open to the 

 expected multitude there will be no 



Tbe Editor is pleased 

 w^hen a Reader 

 presents his Ideas 

 on any subject treated in 



eViC^w 



As experience is tlie best 

 teacber, so do we 

 learn fastest Ift iui 

 excbangre of experiences. 

 Many valuable points 

 are brousbt out \ 

 by discussion. 



Good penmanBhip, spellin? and 

 grammar, though desirable, are not 

 necessary. Write as you would talk 

 when doing your best. 



WK SHAIX BK GLAD 

 TO HKAR FROM TOU 



L 



let-up. Large blocks of exhibition 

 space have already been booked, and 

 new contracts are received daily by 

 Secretary Young. 



Christmas proved a boon to the deal- 

 ers in southern supplies and northern 

 greens. Never was there so much holly 

 used in wreaths and roping. Of mistle- 

 toe and good hoUy there was a serious 

 shortage. 



The florists' supply houses had a 

 wonderful holiday trade, and the 

 plantsmen were everywhere jubilant, 

 for all deliveries were made days be- 

 fore the storm and while the weather 

 made wrapping unnecessary. 



The horticultural banquet season 

 opens Wednesday evening, January 8, 

 with the Tarrytown society's four- 

 teenth annual dinner at the Florence 

 Inn, Tarrytown, N. Y. On the follow- 

 ing Wednesday evening, January 15, 

 the New Jersey society will enjoy its 

 eighteenth annual dinner and dance at ' 

 English hall. East Orange, N. J. Then 

 will quickly follow the banquets of the 

 Madison, Yonkers, Glen Cove, Oyster 

 Bay, White Plains, Stamford, Pough- I 



keepsie, Bed Bank, Elberon, Tuxedo 

 and other local societies, and the an- 

 nual feasts of the N. Y. & N. J. Plant 

 Growers' and the New York Florists' 

 Club must not be forgotten. 



The Cut Flower Exchange held its 

 usual Christmas raffle last week. The 

 18-pound turkey was won by J. Volke, 

 manager for W. H. Siebrecht, of As- 

 toria, and the 16-pound bird was won 

 by Alex. Smith, of Woodside. As usual, 

 Thos. H. Jackson, manager of the ex- 

 change, was turkey-holder and master 

 of ceremonies. 



The Greek ball January 2 will see 

 a great gathering of the florists of 

 that nationality, as well as many of 

 the wholesale and retail florists of 

 American birth. 



Many of the wholesale florists are 

 handling potted blooming plants, espe- 

 cially poinsettias and primroses, of 

 both of which the supply this season 

 seems to have exceeded the demand. 



The plantsmen on Twenty-eighth 

 street, Wm. Kessler and Woodrow & 

 Marketos, sold out several times before 

 Christmas and were obliged to re- 

 plenish. 



The retail florists of Broadway, 

 Fifth avenue and Madison avenue all 

 report a splendid Christmas. 



The Brooklyn wholesale houses all 

 express themselves as well pleased with 

 the Christmas trade. 



W. H. Siebrecht, of Chappaqua, 

 president-elect of the N. Y. Florists' 

 Club, is now associated with the 

 wholesale house of Siebrecht & Sie- 

 brecht, Inc. 



Several of the wholesale florists are 

 distributing handsome calendars this 

 winter. In Brooklyn Bonnet & Blake 

 have used this method of wishing tEeir 

 growers a happy New Year. 



The seed houses are all busy sending 

 out their new catalogues. Those which 

 handled Christmas goods sold out clean. 

 The MacNiff Co. sold many hundreds 

 of boxes of holly at auction. Those 

 with the foresight and enterprise to 

 buy doubled their money. 



J. D. Nicholas, on East Forty-second 

 street, will open his new store at the 

 main entrance of the New York Cen- 

 tral Terminal building in time, he now 

 expects, for the Easter trade. The 

 store will be forty-five feet on Forty- 

 second street, and fifty feet deep, built 

 entirely of glass and white marble, 

 with tiled floors. A marble ice-box 

 will be 10x25. The counters are all to 

 be of marble; offices the same. He 

 will have high grade flower, fruit and 

 seed departments. 



Eupert Hall, formerly with Reed & 

 Keller, has joined the staff of travel- 

 ers for Wertheimer Bros. Mr. Hall 

 will cover central and southwestern 

 territory. J. Austin Shaw. 



LANCASTEB, PA. 



December 19 there was the usual 

 large attendance at the meeting of the 

 Lancaster County Florists' Club. A 

 good paper was read by Harry Weaver, 

 of Bird-in-Hand, on the subject, 

 "Should We Grow More of a Variety 

 for Christmas t" He emphasized the 

 fact that the grower who is supplying 

 the wholesale market through a com- 

 mission house is better off if he sticks 

 to one or two things and grows them 

 well. In the discussion that followed 

 it was generally conceded that, situated 

 as Lancaster growers are, a consider- 

 able distance from market, it is best 



