THE PBOFITS OF FLOBICULTURB. 19 



CHAPTER III. 

 THE PROFITS OF FLORICULTURE. 



It is much easier to estimate the profits of the products 

 of the soil, be they in fruits or vegetables, than to define 

 by any certain rule what the profits of our greenhouse 

 floriculture are. In fact, we can only approximate to it, 

 because the conditions in which the operations are carried 

 on at different places, or the different articles grown, 

 make anything like a general average for the whole coun- 

 try impossible. But, as we have heretofore done, we will 

 confine ourselves to the district of New York, which may 

 be taken at the present time as a fair representation of 

 the whole country. 



The capital required in starting this department of 

 horticulture I consider need not be so much as in that of 

 either nursery, vegetable, or fruit growing, and the 

 chances of moderate success I believe, from my observa- 

 tions, to be far greater. I say moderate success, for the 

 chances of making a colossal fortune in this are by no 

 means so good as in the regular nursery business, while 

 to offset this the chances of failure are less, and the 

 business is pleasanter and less exhaustive to follow. I 

 have hardly ever known a man who has started in the 

 florist's business to fail, unless he brought failure on him- 

 self by his own imprudence ; while I have known scores 

 to fail in the vegetable and nursery business, from causes 

 entirely beyond their control. A frugal man, with a 

 knowledge of the business and $1,000 capital, may safely 

 start in this vicinity, or in any vicinity where there is a 

 town of 10,000 inhabitants of average intelligence and 

 culture. But the difficult question with all at starting 

 is, how best to make that $1,000 available. Of course ex- 



