IMPORTANCE AND DEVELOPMENT 5 



and sweet pea culture under glass was at that date un- 

 heard of. From 1870 to 1880, the demand for both 

 potted plants and cut-flowers increased rapidly. More 

 attention was paid to city and town ornamentation, 

 therefore more greenhouses were built. Each year wit- 

 nessed improvements in construction and consequently 

 better grades of florists' products. 



STATISTICS FROM UNITED STATES CENSUS OF 1910 



The floricultural statistics taken from the census of 

 1910 show a marked increase in the importance of this 

 branch of agriculture as compared with the statistics of 

 1900. There is not only an increase in the number of 

 establishments, but what is more striking, there is an 

 increase in the valuation of the establishments. This 

 means that the business has been highly remunerative, 

 and as a result, ranges have been built. The following 

 quotation from Volume V, United States Census of 1910, 

 is full of valuable information regarding the importance 

 of the flower-growing industry in the United States : 



" The total number of farms and florists' establishments 

 reported their production of flowers and plants in 1910 

 as 10,614; the total acreage reported as devoted to these 

 products was 18,248; and their value was 834,467,440. 

 This was an increase of 85 per cent as compared with the 

 census of 1900. The acreage of flowers and plants in- 

 creased 96.1 per cent between 1900 and 1910. 



" About 99 per cent of the value of flowers and plants 

 in 1910 was produced in 7444 establishments, that had an 

 output valued at more than 8250, the average valuation 

 of these establishments being 84630. As would be ex- 

 pected, a large part of these establishments were located 



