264 ANNUAL, REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



grcenliouse establislimeiit in Delaware county, this State. Callas 

 are being more generally grown, though not in sucli large quantity 

 in any one place. 



The tendency iu the building of greenhouses is towards a greater 

 permanenc}' in the use of galvanized iron and steel entering into 

 the structures wherever practicable, and the greenhouses are being 

 built much larger now than formerly; especially does this apply 

 to the width and^the height of the houses; especially is this the 

 case in which to grow roses. Several advantages are claimed for 

 these wider houses, one of which is the more uniform ditfusion of 

 light. This latter point applies more especially when the house 

 is to be used in which to grow tlie American Beauty rose for cut 

 llowers. In the greenhouses built formerly the maximum width 

 was twenty-six feet, and after the plants have a luxurious growth 

 of five or six feet high, densely clothed w^ith its dark green foliage, 

 it is then the house appears darlc and it is dark from a growing- 

 viewpoint. 



A wholesale flower market was organized in Philadelphia, No- 

 vember 1, 1902, capitalized at $20,000, where it is expected the grow- 

 ers' product will be distributed among the retail florists of that and 

 other cities, the object being to centralize this part of the business 

 as far as possible. 



Floriculture in its various branches is attracting outside capital, 

 as it is found that a large establishment is much more economically 

 and profitably operated than a small place, costing less for heating 

 and labor- -two of the most important items in running greenhouses. 

 These growing establishments are best located outside of the larger 

 cities, where the air is more pure and where the shipping facilities 

 are ample and adequate for rush orders. The ideal place, generally 

 speaking, would be on a hillside, facing the south or a little east 

 of south, and convenient to a railroad station, so that the hauling 

 of coal, manure and other freight would be convenient, but far 

 enough removed so that the smoke from the locomotives would not 

 darken the glass. It is better that pot plants should be grown 

 within city limits or easy of access, as they are more bulky and are 

 best delivered by the growlers' own teams and teamsters. 



There is no falling off in the demand for palms, ferns, azaleas, 

 etc., for decorative purposes and home adornment, and the florifer- 

 ous French Begonia Gloire de Lorraine as a pot plant has been found 

 to be a great help at Christmas time, wiien the supply of the better 

 class of cut flowers is not equal to the demand, as it gives more 

 general satisfaction than the same amount of cash spent on cut 

 flowers alone would do. 



As a note of warning, allow vour committee to sav that if there 

 were enough flowers for all demands at Christmas time there would 



