40 Commercial Gardening 



ducing the stocks chiefly the Brier and the Manetti which must be 

 raised in hundreds of thousands from seeds or cuttings and be ready at 

 the proper period to receive their choicer burdens. In addition to these, 

 men who are not rose-growers at all, or even gardeners, find brief em- 

 ployment in the autumn in ransacking hedges for the clean straight 

 stems of the Dog Rose, which they cut out and sell to the nurseryman, 

 occasionally trying to dispose surreptitiously of Blackberry stems in the 

 bundles. The nurseryman who propagates thousands of Roses every 

 year for sale, and who often spends large sums of money in advertising 

 and in printing catalogues, must naturally deal with hundreds of varie- 

 ties that are unknown to the man who grows Roses simply to produce 

 a supply of cut flowers in the open air or under glass. The nurseryman 

 must be prepared to supply any and every variety asked for by his 

 fastidious customers: the marketman contents himself with growing only 

 those varieties that experience has taught him will sell in large quan- 

 tities, and will cost as little as possible to produce. Fortunately the 

 fashion in Roses shows no signs of decrease, notwithstanding the com- 

 petition from other fine flowers; and it may be safely said that there 

 are thousands of plants and blossoms sold to-day where only dozens 

 were sold twenty years ago. What becomes of the enormous number 

 of plants raised and sold every year goodness only knows; but it would 

 be a bad day for the grower if his customers had only a tithe of his 

 cultural skill. 



It is difficult to arrive at any very definite estimate as to the expenses 

 and receipts of the rose-growing industry, as there are so many factors 

 in the case. To secure the best results the land must be of that type 

 known as a rich and rather heavy loam, and such land may be not only 

 higher in price, but also cost more to bring into fine condition, than a 

 soil of a different nature. Still, it cannot be gainsaid that the growing 

 and raising of Roses is a fairly profitable business. Good rose-growing 

 soil may be rented on reasonable terms from 2 or 3 to 10 per acre, 

 according to circumstances, and a man may raise from 5000 to 10,000 

 plants annually upon such an area. His total expenses, apart from living 

 and house rent, may vary from 60 to 90 a year per acre in the case 

 of the "small" man who does a local and costermonger trade, to as much 

 as 100 to 150 per acre in the case of the big grower who advertises 

 extensively, issues elaborate catalogues, and who makes a point of exhibit- 

 ing at every show worthy of note. But it matters little whether the 

 actual expenses be great or small so long as a reasonable profit can be 

 made on the outlay; and as a rule large sums of money spent wisely 

 generally bring back greater returns in proportion than small sums spent 

 in the same way. But injudicious spending will soon lead the big or 

 little man to the bankruptcy court. 



Apart from the nurseryman, who mainly grows for private indi- 

 viduals, and the florist who grows his plants in pots under glass, the 

 market gardener also in many cases undertakes the culture of Roses. 



