FLORICULTURE FOR WOMEN, 



269 



to sound them for him, to gain any noto- 

 riety by pulling or tickling the ear of the 

 public. He has simply done his duty, and 

 that not always a pleasant or a popular one, 

 and has allowed himself to be judged by the 

 public on the merits of the work done. His 

 work speaks for him, and the agriculturists 

 and others of this province know that the 

 Ontario Agricultural College embodies the 

 life work of President Mills and the many 



energetic workers by whom he has sur- 

 rounded himself during the past twenty- 

 four years. Since Dr. Mills has been given 

 full control of the College things have be- 

 come settled into systematic methods, and 

 one can see evident marks of progress in 

 every department. Since the college 

 opened last September more than seven 

 hundred students have been enrolled. 



FLORICULTURE FOR WOMEN. 



RAISING flowers in greenhouses for 

 market is a profession for which wo- 

 men are proving themselves especially 

 adapted. It is a business that has to be 

 learned like any other, but with a little v- 

 perience added to natural qualifications, such 

 as perseverance, energy and common sense, 

 one is sure to succeed. The plant I own 

 and am running at the present time was 

 started on $250, and I have built up a large, 

 well-paying business. Given an acre of 

 land, the first requisite, of course, is a green- 

 house. A modest one can be built for $100 

 and a rough heating apparatus put in for 

 $50. The cost of plants and seeds is slight, 

 and other expenses, such as tools, fertilizers, 

 cold frames for starting the plants, etc., 

 would amount to little on so small a scale. 

 The secret of success is to utilize every inch 

 of space. In a vegetable house the tables 

 can be filled with lettuce, cucumbers or to- 

 matoes, while rhubarb and mushrooms can 

 be grown on the ground underneath. A 

 good head for planning is a necessity, and 

 no time must be wasted between crops. 



The best location for such a venture as 

 this is a small town or community of pros- 



perous people. In a prosperous commun- 

 ity you do not have to market flowers ; cus- 

 tomers will come to you for them. I sell 

 all my flowers at my greenhouses. The 

 profit is in decorating and set pieces rather 

 than in cut flowers. A great advantage in 

 this profession is that there is so much room 

 in it for originality and taste. A branch 

 in which a great deal of money can be made 

 is in the sale of plants. All kinds of bed- 

 ding plants are wanted in May and June for 

 lawns, parks, cemeteries, cottages at the sea- 

 shore, vases and wayside nooks. Pots filled 

 with two or three California violet plants in 

 bloom brought seventy-five cents in this city 

 last winter. Pansies are in demand in their 

 season. Ferns, palms and orchids grace 

 your dining rooms, churches, etc. The fill- 

 ing of window boxes, designing new eflfects 

 in jardinieres and hanging baskets is a line 

 in which a woman can be very successful. 

 The rose in all its colors is one of the most 

 profitable flowers to grow under glass. The 

 demand is great and people must have them. 

 — M. E. Cutler before Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultural Society. 



