CENTERS OF THE INDUSTRY 15 



largely grown in southern New York, New Jersey, eastern 

 Pennsylvania and in the vicinity of Chicago. In a 

 similar manner, orchid culture has centered around north- 

 ern New Jersey, not due in this case to soil or climate, 

 but because orchid specialists have happened to locate 

 there. The suburbs of Chicago have become large flower- 

 growing sections where are found some of the largest 

 ranges in the world. Chicago is now one of the great- 

 est flower distributing centers in the United States. 



Greenhouses for the culture of flowers are becoming 

 more and more in demand in the south and west, while 

 in many sections climatic conditions are such that cut- 

 flowers may be grown out-of-doors ; still the perfection of 

 blooms, due to the better cultural conditions made pos- 

 sible under glass, and the consequent increased financial 

 returns, have encouraged growers to erect glass structures. 



THE MARKETS 



Flower markets are of three principal types : retail 

 stores (paragraphs 14-22), commission houses (para- 

 graphs 23-24), and cooperative markets (paragraphs 

 25-29). 



14. Retail stores, their beginnings. The exact date 

 of the establishment of retail stores for the exclusive sale 

 of cut-flowers and potted-plants is unknown. History 

 tells us that this industry had its beginning in Philadelphia 

 and Xew York in the early part of the nineteenth century. 

 It is said to have started in connection with grocery stores, 

 when merchants put potted plants in their windows for 

 decorative purposes. This led to a demand for these 

 plants by the customers, arid later a demand for seeds 

 from which the plants were grown. Eventually the plant 



