THE SELECTION OF A LOCATION 37 



immediately from the range. If flowers grown are to 

 be sold personally in co-operative flower-markets, again 

 the range should be accessible to rapid transportation, 

 and especially on a line where early morning trains to the 

 town are available. The grower must often start for 

 these markets very early in the morning, for the major 

 part of buying and selling is done before seven o'clock. 

 Should the plan be to sell all products at wholesale and 

 to ship them by express to city stores, distances from these 

 markets are less important. The range should, however, 

 be on a line of railroad which has several daily express 

 trains to some large business center, and if several of 

 these centers are available, the added market facilities 

 make such a location all the more desirable. 



31. Soil. An abundance of fibrous loam of a character 

 which suits the particular crop to be grown, is a most 

 valuable asset in the florists' business. Flower-production 

 under glass is intensive agriculture, therefore, sufficient 

 soil in which to grow crops may be transported with 

 more or less ease. Nevertheless, if an abundance of 

 soil of a physical and chemical character which exactly 

 suits a particular species of plant be easily available, the 

 cost of transportation and preparation will be considerably 

 lessened and the plants grown more economically. There 

 are few broad margins of profit in flower-production. 

 Products are quickly perishable, competition is keen and 

 prices variable, so that forethought in regard to economy 

 in installing and maintaining a range will be of immense 

 value in increasing the finances after the houses are estab- 

 lished. The owners of one of the largest rose-growing firms 

 in the East studied soil characters of different locations for 

 several years before deciding on a site for their range. 

 They analyzed many soils until at last they found their 



