CHAPTER II 

 SOME BUSINESS CONSIDERATIONS 



OUR subject is larger and wider than, at first glance, it may seem 

 to be ; the commerce in it being large and important. Hundreds, 

 perhaps thousands, of acres of our best land are given over to its 

 cultivation, and scores of acres more, covered with glass, are devoted 

 to the production of its fragrant blooms. A very large number of 

 men and boys are engaged, the whole of their time, in planting, 

 budding, tying, cultivating, lifting, and packing, and their work 

 makes them among the best of their class. The amount of capital 

 involved has not been computed, for rose growing is not one of 

 those " industries " the statistics of which can readily be tabulated, 

 and indeed none but specialists not otherwise involved in general 

 nursery work could supply accurate figures. Yet with hundreds 

 of acres, with so much glass, with thousands of willing and devoted 

 workers, we have never yet been wholly able to meet the demand 

 and, to our own chagrin, we have to import many thousands every 

 year from Overseas. This is a thing we should not cavil at, as so 

 many do, because the remedy is altogether in our own hands, for 

 it amounts to this : that our supply is not equal to the demand. 

 This more than suggests that we should produce more, and as 

 there are no roses in the world equal to those grown in the United 

 Kingdom, we see every reason why we should do so. But while 

 we find no fault with the importation of roses from the Continent 

 in the legitimate way of business, we do most strongly deprecate 

 the dumping of surplus Continental stuff to auctioneers, who sell 

 thousands of roses at prices which the nurseryman often has to 

 pay for his stocks for budding. More than this protest would be 

 out of place here. It is up to us to produce more ; to guarantee 

 our stock as true to name and character ; to be robust and healthy ; 

 reasonable in price ; and by these methods to hold our own against 

 all competitors. 



To do this, sound business principles and strict business methods 

 must govern the cost of production, and it is very desirable that our 

 staff of workers should be taken into our confidence, and be taught 



