EXHIBIT 14
 

                                            
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                          GENERAL HOST CORPORATION CONTACT:
                                               Robert M. Lovejoy
                                               Vice President and Treasurer
                                               (313) 366-8400

 
                            GENERAL HOST CORPORATION
                          RECEIVES SENIOR NOTE CONSENT
 
Stamford, CT, December 10, 1997--General Host Corporation (NYSE: GH), today
announced that in connection with its tender offer for its 11-1/2% Senior Notes
due 2002 (the "Senior Notes"), it received sufficient consents as of 5:00 p.m.
on December 9, 1997 to amend the terms of the indenture under which the Senior
Notes were issued. The amendments will take effect, subject to the satisfaction
or waiver of the conditions to the tender offer for the Senior Notes, when the
tendered Senior Notes are accepted for payment.
 
The consents were sought in connection with a tender offer that was first
announced on November 24, 1997 to purchase for cash all $78,000,000 in aggregate
principal amount of General Host's Senior Notes. The tender offer and consent
solicitation are being conducted in connection with a tender offer by Cyrus
Acquisition Corp. for all outstanding common stock of General Host pursuant to a
merger agreement between General Host and Cyrus Acquisition Corp.
 
The purchase price for the Senior Notes is $1,056.25 per $1,000 principal
amount, of which $20.00 per $1,000 constitutes a consent payment that will be
paid only for notes tendered on or prior to the above time and date. In
addition, tendering note holders will receive accrued but unpaid interest up to,
but excluding, the payment date. Settlement is expected to occur on December 29,
1997. The Senior Notes tender offer will expire at 12:00 midnight, New York City
time, on Tuesday, December 23, 1997, unless extended.
 
General Host is the operator of Frank's Nursery & Crafts, Inc., the nation's
largest chain of specialty retail stores devoted to the sale of lawn and garden
products, crafts, Christmas merchandise and pet food and supplies--including
more than 200 different proprietary lawn and garden products. The Company
operates 258 stores in 15 states, mostly in the east and midwest.
 
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