AUGUST 30. 1900. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



389 



Decoration of Wanamaker's New York Store by Habermehl & Bro., Philadelphia. 

 View used by Mr. Kift in illustrating his lecture at New V'ork Convention. 



It will pass down as an heirloom in 

 many families. 



I observed scarcely anything in the 

 whole convention that I cannot look 

 back to with the greatest pleasure. 



Perhaps the pleasantest observation 

 to me was that sweet, soft, insinuating 

 man. Rudd. of Chicago, who from 

 pure kindness of heart and brotherly 

 feeling said: Ladies and gentlemen, 

 Chicago will vote unanimously to go 

 to Buffalo next year, aud many thanks 

 to those good men. 



And now in conclusion we observe 

 that we have promised you a good 

 time and great sights and from now 

 on will observe to mind our Ps and Qs 

 to fulfill all we promised. 



WM. SCOTT. 



AMERICAN FLORICULTURE. 



Retrospective and Prospective. 



Bv B. T. Galloway. U. S. Depahiment of 



AC.RILULTURE. 



(Continued frora last week.) 

 With these various changes came the 

 establishment of large retail stores and 

 commission houses, all so organized as to 

 be able to handle the great quantities 

 of flowers and plants produced by the 

 growers themselves. The importance and 

 need for organization brought into be- 

 ing this society, and the demand for 

 closer union developed the trade jour- 

 nals—small at first, but growing and 

 waxing strong as the years pass by. 



A careful survey of the field at the 

 present time leads us to believe that 

 there are now in the Unitd States be- 

 tween nine thousand and ten thousand 



establishments engaged in the growing 

 and selling of plants and flowers in a 

 commercial way. There are. In addition, 

 many hundreds and perhaps thousands 

 of individuals scattered over the country 

 who sell small quantities of flowers and 

 plants either at their own homes or in 

 other places, but these can hardly be 

 regarded as conducting commercial es- 

 tablishments, although the aggregate 

 amount of glass they control is no doubt 

 considerable. In order to get a satisfac- 

 tory basis for the figures which follow, 

 we have tried to reach every commercial 

 llorist in the United States and to ob- 

 tain from them data on the amount of 

 glass controlled, kind of crops grown, 

 etc., as would enable us to draw reliable 

 conclusions in regard to the present sta- 

 tus of floriculture. This work has been 

 supplemented by personal studies and ob- 

 servations in many sections, and as a 

 rc^sult information" has been secured 

 which is believed to be reliable as far as 

 it is possible to make it at the present 

 time. At best, however, it must be un- 

 derstood that the figures given are tenta- 

 tive, and with the carrying out of more 

 thorough plans, for which the present 

 work opens the way, they may be materi- 

 ally changed. 



The tot.al area of glass in the United 

 States is estimated at from 23..'jOO.(K.iO to 

 30.0O(J,OOO square feet, the largest number 

 of square feet being found in tlie states 

 of New York, Illinois. Pennsylvania, 

 Massachusetts. Ohio and New Jersey, in 

 the order named. New York is accred- 

 ited with twelve hundred establishments 

 and 4,500.000 square feet of glass; Illinois 

 with eight hundred establishments and 

 4.250,000 square feet of glass; Penn. "Iva- 

 nia with about nine hundred establish- 

 ments and 4,000.000 square feet of glass. 

 The development of the business has 

 been mor^ rapid in Illinois, principally 

 in the vicinity of Chicago, than anywhere 

 else, and if present conditions continue 

 it will be only a few years when Illinois 



as a state and Chicago as a city will 

 lead the country in the amount of stock 

 grown and handled. On the basis of 22.- 

 500.0110 square feet of glass, the following 

 estimates have been made and publisibed 

 in the last Year Book of the U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture: 



"The estimated value of the establish- 

 ments in this country, including houses, 

 boilers, and all fixtures, is placed at 50 

 cents for each square foot of glass, or 

 .i;il.250.lX)0 in all. The income of the pro- 

 ducer will average 50 cents per square 

 foot annually, or $11,250,000, and double 

 that amount when viewed from the 

 standpoint of the retailer. Considering 

 the matter from the retailers stand- 

 point, therefore, the total value of the 

 annual output is $22,500,000, or $1 for each 

 square foot of glass. 



"It is estimated that the retail value 

 .f cut flowers sold annually is $12,500.00i), 

 the estimated apportionment of this sum 

 being, for — 



Roses $6,000,000 



Carnations 4,000,000 



Violets 750.000 



Chrysanthemums 500,000 



Miscellaneous flowers, .including 



lilies, etc 1,250,000 



"Estimating the average retail value of 

 roses, carnations, and violets at $6, $4 

 and $1 per hundred, respectively, the to- 

 tal number of each sold annually, based 

 on the above values, Tvould be, of — 



Roses 100,000,000 



Carnations 100,000.000 



Violets 75,'';00,000 



Total 275,000,000 



"The retail v.alue of the plants sold is 

 placed at $10,000,000. Taking the plant 

 trade as a whole and the country in the 

 aggregaiv', the average sized pot used is 

 estimated to be S inciies, and the averages 

 retail price 10 cents per pot. This means 

 that there are no loss than 100,000,000 

 plants sold every year 



"To handle this business in its entirety 

 -equires probably an average of not less 

 than one man Cor everv 1,500 square fe?l 

 of glass, or 15.000 men in all. Fifteen 

 hundred square feet of glass per man 

 may seem like a low estimate, and such 

 is the case when considering commercial 

 estab.isnments of any size. 1 he larger 

 the area of glass, other things being 

 equal, the more s(!Uare f.et one man can 

 handle. As a matter of fact, some of the 

 large rose-growing establishments do not 

 employ more than one man for each 10.- 

 000 square feet. Large carnation estab- 

 lishments will run about the same as 

 roses, while violets, owing to the great 

 amount of work involved in cleaning the 

 plants and picking the flowers, average 

 hi.sher. It is the many thousand small 

 establishments that increase the amount 

 of labor required." 



It may not be out of place now to 

 briefly point out some of the lines along 

 which floriculture seems likely to develop 

 during the coming years. I think all 

 will agree that much is yet to be ac- 

 complished in tne way of impro\ ing busi- 

 ness methods in conducting this work. 

 We have been especially struck with this 

 fact in our eft oris to get data which 

 would be of value in connection with the 

 figures alre.ady quoted. The producer of 

 plants, be he farmer, fruit grower, or 

 florist, as a rule, does not consider it 

 necessary to apply to his workthe ordi- 

 nary practices followed in the v orld cf 

 business. The reasons for this become 

 apparent on considering the position in 

 which the plant grower is placed with 

 reference to the manufacturer and store- 

 keeper. The grower of plants is at all 

 times required to assume great risks — 

 in fact the risks as a rule are so great 

 as to preclude anything in the nature 

 of mathematical precision in the matter 

 of calculating profit and loss. It must be 

 ;;aid, however, that this statement does 

 not hold true so strongly in greenhouse 

 work as it does in outside horticultural 

 I>ursuics. With the increased facilities 

 for growing plants under glass and the 

 speciali:-;ation that is rapidly coming 

 ■^bout liie »*isks are becoming less at the 

 s.tme time competition is becoming more 

 Keen. 



It behocves every man, therefore, who 



