FLORICULTURE 499 



The retail value of the plants sold is placed at $10,000,000. 

 Taking the plant trade as a whole and the country in the aggregate, 

 the average-sized pot used is estimated to be 3 inches, and the average 

 retail price 10 cents per pot. This means that there are no less than 

 100,000,000 plants sold every year. 



To handle this business in its entirety requires probably an aver- 

 age of not less than one man for every 1,500 square feet of glass, or 

 15,000 men in all. Fifteen hundred square feet of glass per man 

 may seem like a low estimate, and such is the fact when considering 

 commercial establishments of any size. The larger the area of glass, 

 other things being equal, the more square feet one man can handle. 

 As a matter of fact, some of the large rose-growing establishments do 

 not use more than one man for each 10,000 square feet. Large car- 

 nation establishments will run about the same as roses, while violets, 

 owing to the great amount of work involved in cleaning the plants 

 and picking the flowers, average higher. It is the many thousand 

 small establishments that increase the amount of labor required. 



Methods for Disposing of the Flower Crop. In conclusion, the 

 farmer's attention is called to some of the modern methods of han- 

 dling and disposing of the vast amount of plant material produced. 



Many of the crops grown pass through several hands before 

 reaching the consumer. Some of the larger establishments, espe- 

 cially those devoted to vegetable growing, dispose of their products 

 through special agents, who receive a salary for this work, and are 

 expected to keep in close touch with the markets and look after every 

 detail, so as to obtain the highest price for the material handled. 

 That such a method pays and pays well is evident from the fact that 

 some of these agents receive salaries exceeding any paid by ordinary 

 business establishments except in very special lines. 



Auction sales are another important innovation which enables 

 the plant grower to dispose of much of his stock. Within the past 

 few years these sales have become quite popular, and have done much 

 toward broadening the opportunities for work, especially in plant 

 growing. 



A vast amount of stock, especially cut flowers, is now handled by 

 wholesale commission houses, which are to be found in nearly all the 

 large cities. These houses have every facility for the rapid handling 

 of flowers, and afford to the growers an opportunity of disposing of 

 stock which a few years ago was not possible. Some of these whole- 

 sale men are already finding it necessary to specialize, and for this 

 reason are making reputations for having on hand the best in the 

 market in the way of roses, violets, or whatever their specialty 

 may be. 



In addition to wholesale commission houses, there are in some 

 larger cities cut-flower exchanges, which handle a great deal of stock. 

 These exchanges are controlled and managed largely by growers 

 themselves, and are conducted as nearly as possible on an equitable 

 basis. The New York Cut Flower Exchange has been in existence for 

 five or six years, and its success has been quite marked. It has for its 

 supporters some of the best growers in the Eastern United States, and 



