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24 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



April 15, 1909. 



Niessen's 



News 

 Column 



W6 Want 

 Your Business 



There Ib a reason for our in- 

 creasing shipping trade. If it 

 were possible to give that part of 

 our basiness closer attention, we 

 would certainly do so. We claim 

 to give you service that is as near 

 perfection as a good supply of cut 

 flowers and a thorough knowl- 

 edge of the business can make it. 



We wish to call attention to a 

 few items that are particularly 

 good value at the present time. 



Beauties 



The best, $4.00 per doz. 



We can vouch for their quality 

 to be equal to any that are offered 

 in this market. 



Sweet Peas 



The best grade, 

 Very choice stock, $1.00 per 100 



We can furnish these in most 

 any quantity, in pink (flesh color), 

 Blanche Ferry , lavender and white . 



Snapdragon 



Stalks 4 to 5 ft. long, with large, 

 heavy flowers. Flowers in white, 

 yellow and dark pink. On short 

 notice we can furnish 600 stalks 

 in the best of condition. 



Price, $1.50 per doz. 



Dagger Ferns 



The best we have ever handled 

 at this season of the year. You 

 would hardly expect to get ferns 

 of a quality such as we are ship- 

 ping at this time of the year. 

 Good, clean stock, every leaf a 

 good one, and no waste. , 



Price, $2.50 per 1000 



..The.. 



Leo Niessen Co. 



Wholesale Florists 



1209 Arch Street 



PHILADELPHIA 



Op«a from 7:00 a. m. to 8:00 p. ■. 



Orange Blossoms 



We offer choice sprays of ORANGE BLOSSOMS for Easter 

 WeddingB, in qaantity to suit purchaser, and can fill orders at short 





notice. 



Sweet Peas 



Pink, white, pale pink and lavender, finer than ever before; you 

 can depend on these for quality in your bridesmaids' bunches and 

 flower girls' baskets. 



Valley for bridal bouquets. Bride, Bridesmaid, Maryland and 

 KlUarney Roses. Wild Smilax for the decorator. 



W. E. McKISSICK & BROS. 



WHOLESALE FLORISTS 



1619-21 Ranstead St., PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



Mention The Review when you write. 



PHILADELPHIA. 



The Easter Market 



The volume of business in Easter 

 plants was larger than ever before in the 

 history of this city. The quantity of 

 plants shipped to outside cities and towns 

 and distributed throughout the city was 

 something phenomenal. The demand was 

 so large that there was practically noth- 

 ing worth having left in the houses of 

 the growers on Easter morning, and the 

 street, which is the outlet for much un- 

 sold stock, was not nearly so well sup- 

 plied as usual. The retailers in a large 

 majority of cases sold all the plants they 

 purchased. Only a few odds and ends 

 could be found on Easter Monday in 

 most of the retail shops. The weather 

 conditions prevailing this year were most 

 unusual. The early part of- last week 

 was so warm that the buds opened rapid- 

 ly, and the most delicate blooming plants 

 required no protection in transit through 

 the city. A change came on Thursday,, 

 and both Friday and Saturday were so 

 cold that thick ice formed, an unusual 

 occurrence at Easter. This gave the re- 

 tailers additional work in protecting 

 their plants in delivery, and quite demor- 

 alized the stock of the street dealers. 



The quantity of lilies grown for this 

 market this season was so much smaller 

 than that of a year ago that it did not 

 require an ordinarily good demand to 

 take them all. Prices stiflTened consider- 

 ably, the prevailing market figure being 

 12 cents for each bud and flower, al- 

 though many of the finest lots of tall, 

 well-flowered lilies were sold at 10 cents, 

 due to the growers not realizing market 

 conditions. The price paid by depart- 

 ment stores in hundred and occasionally 

 thousand lots was about 9 cents per bud 

 and flower. The growers claim that the 

 department stores are not so critical as 

 the florists. Azaleas maintained their 

 popularity. They are considered first by 

 many good judges. The sizes wholesal- 

 ing at from $1 to $3 each went quickly. 

 The larger sizes were not always so much 

 in, demand. Mme. Vander Cruyssen con- 

 tinued favorite, with Vervseneana sec- 



ond, and John Llewellyn pushing up to 

 third place. Spiraea came next in popu- 

 larity, the plants being better done in 

 many cases than ever before. Some 

 growers report that many more could 

 have been sold. The consensus of opinion 

 is that the supply was not equal to the 

 demand. Gladstone was favorite. The 

 pink variety Queen Alexandra had some 

 admirers. Hydrangeas were in excellent 

 shape this season, dwarf, bushy, well 

 budded, as a rule. Otaksa had the field 

 almost to itself. William K. Harris has 

 the Alice Blue down fine. Most of the 

 growers produce a preponderance of 

 soft pink, with fortunately only a few 

 dull purple. Bhododendrons were finer 

 than ever before this season, the plants 

 being remarkably well budded. Their 

 quality induced the buyers to purchase 

 freely, a large supply being marketed. 

 There were a few left over. 



The features of the rose plants were 

 the inroads made by the Wichuraiana 

 hybrids into popular favor, and the ad- 

 vent of Sichmond as an Easter plant. 

 The Bobert Craig Co. did Sichmond ex- 

 tremely well in 6-inch pots, the plants 

 being well flowered. The flowers proved 

 lasting and their brilliant color was much 

 admired. The feature of the Wichu- 

 raiana hybrids was Hiawatha, with its 

 beautiful scarlet and white clusters. 

 Newport Fairy, Lady Gay, Tausendschon, 

 and an occasional Dorothy Perkins, were 

 the others on the list. Crimson Bambler 

 maintained its popularity in many quar- 

 ters. 



Queen Alexandra uaisy and its pink 

 sport were popular, most of the dealers 

 taking a few for variety's sake. Duetzia 

 gracilis, better grown here than anywhere 

 else in the country, it is said, was superb, 

 and went quickly. W. K. Harris' method 

 of potting in August plants from the 

 field enabled him to offer a pot-grown 

 plant at Easter, combined with all the 

 luxuriance of field-grown stock. Genistas 

 sold out cleanly, aided perhaps by the 

 fact that many growers have dropped 

 them. The 4-inch size of genista was 

 popular for basket work. With it pots 

 of valley and of the azaleas of the 



