18 



The Florists^ Review 



ApBiL 24, 1919, 



THE DECENNIAL CENSUS 



?N-ffi^^ffi^WWW^s<l^l»ffll»ffll^/^ 



TO ASK FEW QUESTIONS OF US. 



Enumeration Next January. 



In taking the decennial census, in 

 January, 1920, the Census Bureau will 

 devote little attention to florists, nurs- 

 erymen or seedsmen. The three branches 

 of our trade are included in the general 

 census of agriculture. Only two ques- 

 tions are to be asked specially of the 

 greenhouse trade: Area covered by 

 glass and value of products in 1919, the 

 latter divided into flowers and plants 

 and vegetables. Of nurserymen, acreage 

 and value of products are the only two 

 points to be covered. Statistics are to 

 be gathered as to field seeds of many 

 kinds, but the production of vegetable 

 seeds, sugar beet seeds and flower seeds 

 is grouped as one item, only the number 

 of acres harvested being asked. It is a 

 "tentative schedule" which has been 

 placed in the hands of the correspondent 

 of The Eeview and probably can be 

 changed by prompt action on the part 

 of the recognized trade bodies. 



All "Farms" for Census. 



The schedule formally states that * * all 

 market, truck and fruit gardens, nurs- 

 eries, greenhouses, poultry yards, places 

 for keeping bees, and all dairies, in and 

 near cities, villages and incorporated 

 towns, even though little land is em- 

 ployed, are, for census purposes, farms, 

 provided they produced in 1919 agri- 

 cultural products to the value of at least 

 $250 or required the continuous services 

 of at least one person. 



The information called for on the 

 schedule will be treated as strictly con- 

 fidential under all circumstances. The 

 information will not be used as a basis 

 for taxation, nor communicated to any 

 assessor. 



All questions are to be answered in 

 order. Inability to obtain exact data 

 does not justify failure to answer a ques- 

 tion. The most accurate returns that the 

 circumstances permit must be obtained. 

 If farm records or accounts are kept, 

 take data from them. If such records 

 are not available, careful estimates 

 should in all cases be obtained or made. 



The census will be taken in January, 

 next, and must be completed before 

 February 1. The schedule covers four 

 pages 9x12 and contains sixty-three 

 main questions and subquestions of from 

 one to ten under each of the sixty-three. 

 Questions 62 and 63, of direct interest 

 to Review readers, are as follows: 



62. Nursery products, 1919: 



1. Number of acres used for growing trees, 

 plants, vines, etc. 



2. Amount received from sales of nursery 

 products during 1919. 



63. Greenhouse and hothouse establishments, 

 1919: 



1. Total square feet under glass (include area 

 covered by greenhouses, sashes and frames). 



2. Amount received from sale of flowers, 

 plants, etc., during 1919. 



3. Amount received from sale of vegetables 

 during 1919. 



The questions preceding these call for 

 information relative to farm tonure, 

 farm acreage, farm values, farm incum- 

 brances, farm expenses, reclamation, 

 farm woodlot, forest products, pasture, 

 farm facilities, cooperation in market- 



ing, domestic animals, animal products, 

 honey and beeswax, chickens and eggs, 

 crops grown on this farm in 1919, hay 

 and forage, grains and seeds, other field 

 crops, farm garden, orchard products, 

 subtropical fruits, nuts, small fruits j 

 grape and grape products. Tom. 



MONTGOMERY, ALA. 



Easter Business Excellent. 



In 1918, Bosemont Gardens had for 

 Easter week some 20,000 lily blooms. 

 This Easter they had only 200 blooms 

 of their own growing and brought in 

 from Chicago 2,000 blooms. Easter 

 week, 1918, the business was split up as 

 follows: Fourteen per cent wholesale, 

 ten per cent F. T. D. orders, seventy-six 

 per cent general retail business. This 

 year's wholesale was only half of last 

 year's wholesale, on account of not hav- 

 ing lilies. F. T. D. business was only 

 twenty per cent of last year's F. T. D. 

 business, because of the closing up of 

 Camp Sheridan. However, in the wind- 

 up of this Easter's business they find 

 that there is a gross decrease in business 



of only seven per cent. This is remark- 

 able because Easter came so late that in 

 the south it was impossible to hold some 

 classes of plants. For instance, there 

 were no bulbous plants offered for sale, 

 as they had already bloomed out. Hy- 

 drangeas, spiraeas and pelargoniums 

 took the lead in plants sold. 



Carnations, roses, peas, valley and or- 

 chids sold best in the order named. The 

 carnation is always the leader. Of 

 course, there was a demand for lilies, 

 but the customers were willing in most 

 cases to buy something else when they 

 found there were no lilies to be had. 

 As far as the lilies that came from Chi- 

 cago were concerned, it would have been 

 as well to have left them in Chicago, as 

 they did not move fast on account of the 

 price asked for them. 



Prices this Easter were just a little 

 bit up from last year on plants and the 

 prices of cut flowers were the same as 

 last Easter. 



As a whole, Easter business was most 

 excellent and was far better than had 

 been hoped for last fall, when the 

 astounding news came that no lily bulbs 

 would come to this country. It simply 

 shows that no flower is essential to any 

 big day, but that any well grown cut 

 flowers or plants can be sold. 



Now for Mothers' day. Prices should 

 not be placed too high. The demand 

 will be great, but be satisfied with a rea- 

 sonable profit and do not kill the goose 

 that lays the golden egg. 



Wallace B. Paterson. 



HOW TO GET PLANTS IMFOBTED. 



After Quarantine Goes In. 



The Federal Horticultural Board is 

 busy with preparations for the quaran- 

 tine to go into effect June 1. Explana- 

 tions have been issued with regard to 

 the new regulation which provides for 

 the importation, under a special permit 

 from the Secretary of Agriculture, of 

 limited quantities of otherwise prohib- 

 ited stock, for the purpose of keeping 

 the country supplied with new varieties 

 of plants and stock for propagation 

 purposes, not available in the United 

 States. 



The following statement has been is- 

 sued by Chairman Marlatt to indicate 

 the limitations under this regulation and 

 the procedure to be followed in making 

 importations of the two classes of plants 

 specified, namely, new varieties and nec- 

 essary propagating stock: 



"The expression, 'new varieties,' is 

 understood to mean plant novelties; 

 that is, new horticultural or floricultural 

 creations or new discoveries. 'Neces- 

 sary propagating stock* is understood 

 to mean stock of old or standard vari- 

 eties imported for the multiplication of 

 the plants in question as a nursery or 

 florist enterprise, as distinguished from 

 importations for immediate or ultimate 

 sale of the stocks actually imported, and 

 sucu importations will be restricted to 

 stocks which are not available in this 

 country in adequate quantities. 



' * The expression, ' limited quantities, ' 



used in Begulation No. 14, is understood 

 to mean, with respect both to new vari- 

 eties and to standard stocks, such quan- 

 tities as will supply reasonable needs 

 for the establishment of reproduction 

 plantings, which may be thereafter in- 

 dependent of foreign supplies. 



No Limit on Permits. 



' ' There is no limitation as to the num- 

 ber of permits for different plants, or 

 classes of plants, under Begulation No. 

 14, which an individual may request, but 

 the applications will all be passed upon, 

 both as to necessity for the particular 

 importation, and as to the quantity ade- 

 quate for the purpose intended, by ex- 

 perts of the department, for the infor- 

 mation of the board prior to the issuance 

 of the permits. 



"All importations under Begulation 

 No. 14 must be made under special per- 

 mits, through the OflSce of Foreign Seed 

 and Plant Introduction, of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, but for the use of 

 the individual importer. The importer 

 will be required to meet all entry, trans- 

 portation and freight handling charges. 

 The department will make no charge for 

 inspection and supervision. The neces- 

 sary procedure for making such importa- 

 tions is as follows: 



The Proper Procedure. 



"1. The Federal Horticultural Board will sup- 

 ply, on request, an application blank upon which 

 request may be made for a special permit to im- 

 port. This application embodies an agreement 

 on the part of the importer that if the imported 

 material is found, on examination by an inipec- 

 tor of the Department of Agriculture, to be lo 



