502 



OIL-BEARING PLANTS 



ORNAMENTALS 



L. M. Tolman and L. S. Munson ; same, Bulletin 

 No. 80, Part II, Rose Geranium Oil and Its Substi- 

 tutes, Lyman F. Kebler ; Hopkins, The Oil-Chem- 

 ists' Handbook, New York (1900); Andes, Vegeta- 

 ble Fats and Oils (trans, by C. Salter), London 

 (1897); Benedikt, Chemical Analysis of Oils, Fats, 

 Waxes, and of the Commercial Products Derived 

 Therefrom, London (1895); Dent, Fats and Oils 

 (in Groves and Thorp, editors, Chemical Technology, 

 Vol. II, 1895); Lewkowitsch, The Laboratory Com- 

 panion to Fats and Oils Industries, London (1901); 

 Wright, Animal and Vegetable Fixed Oils, Fats, 

 Butters and Waxes, London (1903). 



nately, there is no generic term for the growing 

 of all ornamental plants, covering such phases as 

 floriculture and the rearing of trees and shrubs 

 for adornment and for shade. 



The extension of floriculture and allied occupar 

 tions is due, of course, to the rise in taste ; but 

 the rise of taste has been promoted and hastened 

 by the increasing effectiveness of the plant-grow- 

 ing business. The business is becoming more effect- 

 ive because a much greater variety of plants is 

 increasingly available, because of the perfecting 

 of the glasshouse, of more expeditious and satis- 

 factory means of transportation and handling, and 



Fig. 727. A flower and iilant farm. Eose Hill, New Eoohelle, N. T. 



ORNAMENTALS. 



While some farmers are growing crops to pro- 

 vide their fellows with food, clothing and shelter, 

 others are reciprocating by growing plants to or- 

 nament the home and public places. The growth 

 of the desire for beautiful plants has been very 

 marked in the last half-century. Within that time 

 commercial floriculture has arisen, together with 

 a large part of nursery-farming. [See Nurseries.] 

 The growing of ornamental plants, however, is a 

 wider business than floriculture. The business of 

 floriculture is included within it. Floriculture is 

 properly the growing of flowers, including, of 

 course, the rearing of the plants that are to pro- 

 duce the flowers. By custom, also, the term is ap- 

 plied to the raising of many or most herbaceous 

 ornamental plants and all greenhouse ornamentals, 

 whether grown for foliage or habit. Unfortu- 



because the increased demand has made it possible 

 to make a more effective business organization. 



The business of floriculture may derive its rev- 

 enue from (a) the selling of cut-flowers (as carna- 

 tions, roses and violets); (b) the selling of pot- 

 plants to the user (as begonias, palms and many 

 greenhouse and window - garden plants) ; (c) the 

 selling of nursery products, more or less whole- 

 sale (as small plants of carnations, chrysanthe- 

 mums, cannas); (d) the selling of seeds or bulbs. 

 Flower-farming of one kind or another has now 

 become one of the important agricultural indus- 

 tries, comprising a total in the United States at 

 the last census of 6,159 commercial farms or es- 

 tablishments, with 42,662 acres, a total property 

 valuation of $52,462,419, a total value of products 

 of $18,505,881, and an average value of $431.83 

 per acre of products not fed to live-stock. Aside 



