The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-26
$50, 900 oARNArroN A DREAM.
Never Was Such an Expensive Flow
err, MIR. Wtthers Says.

From the New 1olk AilieS
The Boston story Of the sale Of the $780, 600
carnation has been ruthlessly and unfeel-
ingly exploded When a few days ago the
tale was telegraphed far and wide, bota-
nlsts and florists throughout the country
whistled astonishment and swore to each
other that such a thing could not be.
And now ii is said that the story Is pure
fake" born of an advertising idea on the
part of a Boston florist aided by the per-
feryld imagination of constituencies re-
porter. The unmaskng comes from j. W.
Wuhers, editor of American Gardening, OF
this city. The story is interesting, Mr..
Withers says, as showing what sort OF
absurd misinformation can at times be
unloaded on a gullible public.
Peter Fisher of Ellis, Mass, is the grow
er of a particularly fine carnation known
as 1.-THE Mrs. Lawson Carnation." He
contracted with Thomas Calvin. Boston
florist. who became his sole agent In that
CITY. for the sale at a stipulated price OF
an of this variety of carnation blooms.
Some time ago a syndicate OF Chicago
florists. az the head Of which Is II. N.
Jieinbotham. heard OF the famous Lawson
carnat ton, and wanting striking feature
for their new business, offered A'Oo Tor
Mr. Fishers entire stock. The olier, u
was said, was refused by Mr.. Fisher ana
some davs later it was announced from
poeton that the syndicate's offer could not
touch the carnation, but that II had Deeh
sold elsewhere for $4,000.
mo" said Mr.. Withers yesterday, the
sale was never made, for have seen let
Ter from Mr. Fisher 10 dealer in this city
in which ne says the sale never took place.
Moreover. no such price was ever obtained
for flower, and certainly the Lawson car
nation would not bring anywhere near thdt
sum. Even the offer of AW0 II II was
really made, was of itself enormous, and
could be justified only on the ground That
the Chicago florists, hearing Of the famous
flower, wanted to do a little advertising
themselves
"Generally speaking, the value Of flow
or &c regulated to a great extent by the
individuals fancy. A new carnation OF
witch there would be. say, 800 plants
would be worth 800 or 800. You can fg-
ure out what profit there would be in
$50 900 purchase"
According to Leonard Barron, an assoc
ciate Of Mr.. Wthers, the highest prices
prices paid for flowers, with but rev ex-
ceDtiOns have been lot ofcHiuS' Ahe tpP
figure for orchids, he says, was given at
nm auction in London some time ago. when
81 .2S3 .75 was paid for an Aerides Lawren-
clae. named after Lady Lawrence, wife OF
Sir Trevor Lawrence, president OF the
ROYAL Horticultural Society of England
Mrs. Charles G.. Roeblng Of Trenton, N.
J.. paid 81 900 for one specimen, the white
trianae.
There are instances. Mr.. barron said,
where higher prices than those mentioned
for orchids have been obtained. For in
stance. there was the Belle Siebrecht rose,
a new species.l II brought 5000 in Ire
land Then, again there was Her Maj
ostv rose. sold in London for nearly ST.
oo0 and renamed the Bennett. The Ben
nett rose il was afterwards related, prov
ed an utter failure, and not bloom Of
il Was ever sold.
Mr.. Barron said that orchids realize
higher prices In Europe because there are
more collectors there than in this coun-
trv "They will always be q high-prlced
nlant." said he. "They are hard TO get,
and what enhances them In value is that
thev cannot be raised from cuttings They
can be raised from seeds but Il takes about
twenty years of careful nursing TO bring
them 10 a Towering state. This Is now be-
ing done, and In a few years the success
or failure of the experiment will be de-
nonstrated. The area IN which the spccl-
mems are found Is decreasing every year
Central America Is the best territory for
orchids, but because Of the encroachment