July 7, 1921 



The Florists' Review 



21 



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FRISCO'S FLOWERS 



FRISCO FLOWERS TALK BUSINESS. 



What They Say. 



Last year there were sold in San 

 Francisco cut flowers and potted plants 

 valued at $3,000,000; there were sold 

 throughout the state and the United 

 States through the distributing whole- 

 salers of San Francisco another $2,000,- 

 000 in value; there was produced and 

 sold for distribution in this country 

 and abroad $2,000,000 worth of bulbs 

 and flower seeds. Most of these were 

 grown within a few miles of San Fran- 

 cisco and practically all within 100 

 miles of the city. The floral crop of 

 the San Francisco bay district then 

 approximates $7,000,000 annually. These 

 are figures supplied by wholesale and 

 retail dealers in flowers, potted plants, 

 seeds and bulbs. 



There are 3,000 persons employed in 

 growing cut flowers for the retail and 

 .shipping trade of San Francisco, an- 

 other 2,000 are engaged in the retail 

 end of the business in San Francisco, 

 and around 3,000 earn their livelihood 

 in growing seeds and bulbs. 



Donald McLaren, son of John Mc- 

 Laren, superintendent of Golden Gate 

 j'ark, who carries forward the work and 

 tradition his father'^stablished by aid 

 to home builders in planning their gar- 

 dens and supplying their needs, declares 

 that in the San Francisco and the bay 

 counties it is possible to grow to per- 

 fection plants from more portions of 

 the globe than in any other spot of 

 such limited extent in the world. 



How They Say It. 



San Francisco has imported and de- 

 veloped the eucalyptus and its dwarfed 



From tlip jirticle by Anjielo Rissi, of I'olieano, 

 Uossi & Co.. ciitltlod "Flowfis Spoil HiB In- 

 diiHtrv," in "San Francisco Knsincss." 



sister, the acacia, in their many forms, 

 from Australia; the coprosma and escal- 

 lonia from Chile; the Norfolk Island 

 pine from its native habitat; the Can-, 

 ary Island date palm; all Japanese and 

 Chinese plants; tree ferns from the 

 antipodes, and nearly every variety of 

 rhododendron. Heather, generally as- 

 sociated with Scotland, reaches perfec- 

 tion in the climate of San Francisco 

 bay. Violets from the great fields near 

 Ingleside are at this season going in 

 great quantities to the Atlantic coast. 

 Large consignments have recently been 

 sent as far as Portland, Me. 



J. A. Axell, wholesaler, states that in 

 their season chrysanthemums and asters 

 are shipped as far east as Mississippi 

 river points, Chicago providing one of 

 the best markets. Roses are shipped as 

 far east as Denver, but do not carry 

 well beyond that point, while carna- 

 tions are shipped to Salt Lake City and 

 Portland, Ore., but rarely reach farther 

 destinations in good order. 



An Urgent Demand. 



Southern California is one of the 

 largest patrons of San Francisco flo- 

 rists, according to Mr. McLaren. Prac- 

 tically all the fine poinsettias sold in 

 that market are produced in San Fran- 

 cisco's environs. Roses are shipped the 

 year around to Los Angeles, and there 

 is always a big demand for potted 

 plants, carnations, chrysanthemums, as- 

 ters and violets in their seasons. South- 

 ern California pays annually for flowers 

 and plants from San Francisco over 

 $200,000. 



Phoenix, El Paso, and even New Or- 

 leans look to San Francisco for a great 

 proportion of their supply of such flow- 

 ers as violets, roses, asters and chrys- 

 anthemums. 



The growing demand of markets out- 

 side the state is one of the promising 



features of the business. That and the 

 enormous local dpmand explain the fact 

 that more than 2 500,000 square feet of 

 glass are required to produce the har- 

 vest each year. There are more than 

 200 establishments producing cut flow- 

 ers and potted plants. Seventy per cent 

 of the production now comes from 

 Japanese growers. 



The splendid climate permits the 

 growing of many flowers in open fields 

 without the aid of glass covering. This 

 is especially true of violets and chrys- 

 anthemums. Last year nearly 100 acres 

 on the peninsula were devoted to grow- 

 ing chrysanthemums for the San Fran- 

 cisco wholesale market. In the Visita- 

 cion valley there is a large acreage de- 

 voted to hyacinth growing. 



Accessories. 



Many accessories are necessary for 

 the successful operation of a modern 

 flower shop of the San Francisco type. 

 Some florists spend $10,000 annually 

 for such items as paper boxes, ribbon, 

 baskets, waxed paper, wrapping paper, 

 tin foil, fancy cord and chiffon. Large 

 quantities of pine boxes, specially made 

 for the wholesale and shipping trade, 

 are also used. 



In the producing end of the business 

 there is a steady and growing demand 

 for earthenware pots, which is now al- 

 most entirely supplied by local manu- 

 facturers. While formerly retail florists 

 were obliged to obtain their floral bas- 

 kets from eastern sources, the manu- 

 facture of these fancy containers is now 

 one of the industries of San Francisco 

 bay. 



Orchids Speak Eloquently. 



The supreme achievement of floricul- 

 turists of San Francisco bay, however, 

 lies in the growing of orchids on a large 

 scale. Climatic conditions are ideal for 



Cattleya Labiata at the Establishment of J. A. Carbone^ Berkeley, Cat. 



