PREFACE TO FOURTH AND GREATLY 

 ENLARGED EDITION. 



It is eight years since the last edition of "Practical 

 Floriculture" was published. Great strides have been 

 made in Floriculture in this country, even in that short 

 time, particularly in the growing of Roses, Bulbs, and 

 other prominent classes of plants for winter flowers, 

 in all of which we have endeavored to give as plainly 

 as possible the details of the most approved methods 

 as practiced in the vicinity of New York City, where 

 at the present time, a higher degree of perfection is 

 believed to have been attained than in any other sec- 

 tion of the country, or, perhaps, in any part of the world. 

 London, Paris, and other large European cities may yet 

 excel us in the variety and in the greater care of plants 

 grown for sale, but by careful observations they seem to 

 be now far behind us in the methods of producing the 

 leading kinds of winter flowers grown for sale. 



Although prices for both cut flowers and plants are 

 even less than when the last edition of this work was 

 written, the improvement in green-house structures, to- 

 gether with improvements to lessen the labor of culture, 

 have kept the business of commercial floriculture, so 

 that all things considered, it is quite as profitable as it 

 was ten or twelve years ago. There are now believed to 

 be over 10,000 florists in the United States, a large per 

 centage of whom, if not making colossal fortunes, are 

 making comfortable livings in a safe and pleasant 

 business. 



PETER HENDERSON. 



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