1882.J 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



103 



profit of twenty-five per cent., he foolishly 

 imagines that a larger amount of capital invested 

 will bring corresponding profits. Such, at least, 

 seems to be the opinion of many capitalists; for 

 within the past twelve months I have been con- 

 sulted by at least a score of gentlemen about to 

 embark in the business of rose-growing, and I 

 have no doubt others in the trade have had the 

 same experience. Only last week a gentleman 

 entered into negotiations with a greenhouse 

 builder in Jersey City to construct at his country 

 residence, some sixty miles from New York, 

 600x20 feet, or nearly 15,000 square feet of glass, 

 as a "beginning," which, furnished, heated by 

 hot water and stocked, will cost not much less 

 than $15,000. It is true that many of these 

 amateur florists will get their fingers burnt, and 

 will not only never realize a dollar on their in- 

 vestments, but will work at a loss; yet enough 

 of them will succeed to give zest to the risk, for 

 at present prices, when success is attained, the 

 profits are so great as to produce the present 

 craze on the subject — a "craze "that probably 

 will result exactly as the Morus Multicaulis did 

 in 1840, or the grape vine fever in 1865. We 

 Jill know the disastrous results of these 

 speculations. Hundreds thought there were 

 "millions" in it, but found, to their sorrow, that 

 they were thousands out. So, we predict, will 

 be the result of the rose mania, for an over- 

 supply may quickly change the fashion. For, 

 assuredly, when the plebeian Smiths or Browns 

 can buy rosebuds suited to their limited means, 

 the Flora McFlimseys will turn up their aristo- 

 cratic noses even at the rose. All experience 

 shows that, in the perishable commodities of 

 fruits, flowers or vegetables, whenever an over- 

 supply floods the market and brings down the 

 prices below a paying level, less is sold than 

 when they bring a fair price. Two years ago, in 

 .Tune, strawberries and cabbage in the New 

 York markets got so low as not to pay even the 

 cost of marketing. The result was that hun- 

 dreds of loads had to be taken back and dumped 

 in the manure yards, as they could not be dis- 

 posed of at any price. Some thirty years ago 

 peaches one day fell down to twelve cents a 

 basket in Washington Market, New York, and 

 would not sell at that. In those daj's the crop 

 was perhaps held by a score of dealers only. 

 They got their heads together and decided to 

 destroy every peach in the market. It was 

 done. A scarcity was produced, and in twenty- 

 four hours peaches went up to $1.00 per basket. 



The lejider in the movement had no doubt been 

 a disciple of Adam Smith, and had wisely 

 studied the laws of supply and demand. 



The present excitement in rose-growing is no 

 doubt largely due to th« unprecedented prices 

 realized this winter, which has been caused in a 

 great measure by the unusual heat and drought 

 of last autumn, which weakened in many cases, 

 and in others entirely destroyed, the plants that 

 would have been used to produce the crop of 

 flowers. This, together with a brisk demand, 

 has resulted in profits which it is unreasonable 

 to expect can ever be long continued in any 

 legitimate business. 



STEAM HEATING. 



BY W. C, BAY VIEW, MASS. 



I am glad to see the subject of steam as a 

 heater being discussed through the columns of 

 the Monthly, and should it prove as great a boon 

 over hot-water as hot-water has over the old 

 brick flue, it will be a great relief to gardeners 

 and their assistants. But the main question is 

 will it be as economical as regards fuel, and can 

 boilers be made that will keep up steam say from 

 10 o'clock, P. M., until 6 o'clock A. M., without 

 attention? If this can be done then we may 

 say good-bye to hot water; if not, then we must 

 understand the management of hot-water boilers 

 better than is now generally understood. The 

 great fault with most makers of boilers is mis- 

 representation, r. e., they invariably represent a 

 boiler to be capable of heating, say 1,000 feet of 

 four-inch pipe, when under ordinary circum- 

 stances it will heat about 700 feet. Another 

 fault, not generally understood, is in not putting 

 enough pipe into greenhouses. Invariably you 

 will find greenhouses, say one hundred feet long 

 by twenty to twenty-five feet wide, with eight 

 rows of piping— that is, four pipes on one side 

 and four on the other. Now, to think that, with 

 that amount of pipe you can maintain a tem- 

 perature of 65° in zero weather, is entirely out of 

 the question, no matter what kind of a boiler 

 you use. The fact is, put in four more rows of 

 pipe, and a boiler capable of heating the con- 

 tents of said pipe, and then you will get satis- 

 faction. 



HINZE'S RED AND WHITE CARNATIONS. 



BY AUGUST D. MYLIUS, DETROIT. 



Mr. Hinze tells me, since the January number 

 of Gardener's Monthly appeared, he receives 



