CARNATIONS IN MISSOURI 133 



surely is the coming red. In addition to the varieties 

 mentioned, quite a few seedlings are grown by local men 

 who make no business of introducing them. We expect 

 almost any day to hear of one of these worthy gentlemen 

 making a lucky strike with a real good novelty, and then 

 send it out to the trade, which in a large measure would 

 stimulate others to try their hand in this excellent work. 



In the immediate vicinity of St. Louis there are no 

 very large establishments, but of small to medium size in 

 Kirkwood and other suburbs. These range in size from 

 10,000 to 50,000 sq. ft., most of which has been devoted to 

 the growing of Carnations. There are quite a number of 

 large establishments west, as far as Kansas City and 

 north to Chicago, also east as far as the eastern boundary 

 of Indiana, which at times contribute a large portion of 

 stock to this market. This, of course, takes in nearly all 

 the large establishments of the Middle West. To try to 

 give an estimate on the amount of plants grown from 

 which blooms are shipped to this market would be a mere 

 guess, and to get anything like a definite figure is next to 

 impossible on account of the many changes from Carna- 

 tions to Violets, Sweet Peas or Roses from year to year. 

 Suffice it to say that the writer's experience goes back over 

 twenty-five years and in all that time he has never known 

 of a single man or firm who made any more than a decent 

 living over and above ordinary expenses by growing Carna- 

 tions exclusively for the St. Louis wholesale market. Quite 

 a number have not even made ends meet. 



We think we can say without fear of contradictory 

 proof, that except on rare occasions within the last ten 

 years were Carnations so scarce, unless at the Christmas 

 holidays, that the wholesale price exceeded three cents, 

 and many times during every season they sell as low as 



