The San Francisco call., 1896-03-28
A WAR AMONG THE ROSES
Choicest of Cut Flowers Offered
at Fifteen Cents Per
Dozen.
Violets and Lilacs as Cheap as Ordi.
nary Cabbages Il Some Florists
May Become Bankrupt.

There is a merry war among the San
Francisco roses.
Florists have piled their shops full to
the ceiling with the choicest flowers of the
season, and are Offering them at prices
which would make London, New York
or Paris dealer drop dead with amaze
ment.
The war is being fought with roses. The
fragrance of the queen of flowers is the
odor of battle, and the only blood that is
shed flows from the pocketbooks of the
dealers pricked with the thorns of undue
competition.
Too many people are in the business;
too many flowers are grown in and around
San Francisco, say the dealers, and the
end must come soon. Many must lie
down in the bed of bankruptcy on mat
tress of rose leaves, mixed with caterpil-
lars and thorns.
Early in the season several dealers pla-
carded their shops with the announcement
that the choicest cut roses would be sold
in quantities to suit for IS cents per dozen.
The other dealers saw the cut and put out
bigger signboards, offering roses at so
cents
were offered at 10 cents per bunch, and
finally down to two buncnes for cents in
some places. Each bunch contained as
many violets as man could cover with
large-sized hand opened to its fullest ex-
tent.
When lilacs came in they also were en-
listed in the war, and yesterday they were
being offered in the florists shops on SUIT
ter. Post and Geary streets at 10 cents per
bunch, each bunch being as big as fiat
Dutch cabbage of adult growth.
Hotter and hotter ragged the battle, and
lower and lower fell the prices until roses
were offered yesterday at 25 cents per
dozen and in two or three shops at Is cents.
Nor were they stale or wilted specimens,
or of the common varieties. They COM
prised all shades of tint, perfume and ele-
gance. Among them were la France,
Jacqueminot, Gloire de Dion, Marecha!
Mel and the gorgeous deep velvet blush
rose, whose perfume is so rich and gener
Gus that it renders the air almost burden
some, tea and moss roses, and yellow, and
white, and pink, and crimson and purple
were massed in the general slaughter of
prices.
The war was q revelation for the tourist
from abroad. At this time of year he
would cheerfully pay guinea, or five
solid dollars, for boutonniere in London
or Paris, but in San Francisco to-day he
may have his pick of the choicest flowers
with maidenhair fern and tinfoil thrown
in for S cents.
Around Lotta's fountain the air is sweet
with the fragrance of roses, lilacs and vio-
let's, the boys selling them to the passers-
by at and 10 cents bunch. What lovely
woman with tho instinct of her sex for the
beautiful things on earth could refuse to
provide herself with q corsage bouquet of
violets margined with mountain fern when
she can get it for nickel! And she
doesn't refuse, either, as the absent
m inded man learns to his confusion when
he bumps his nose into bunch of violets
and scatters perfume and bad temper all
over the indignant woman who wears
them.
This war of cut rates on cut flowers
can't last long" remarked florist yester-
day. "The big dealers are losing money
and the small fry are barely making liv-
ing, Something will have to drop pretty
soos asa .hs3 prices viii 60 up 10 2 liYiu.
point. The trouble IL that there are too
many people in the business and too many
flowers are grown. In this climate they
may be raised out of doors sll winter, and
that's what knocks the business"