Entered as Second-Class Matter, June 26. 1 879, at the Post 
Oftive at New York, N. Y., under the Act o{ March 3, 1879. 
Published Weekly by The Rural Publishing Co., 
33.'! W. 30th St.. New York. Priee One Dollar a Year. 
A Discussion of Greenhouse Problems 
The Outlook for Selling Flower^ 
I am thinking o' embarking in commercial flower 
growing. I know nothing about this business, but feel 
that I should like to try it, and therefore am seeking 
your advice in the matter. I am married, 35 years old, 
of good health and habits. I have one hoy, 1 1 years 
old. I own a little cottage in the suburbs of a New 
Jersey city. The ground is 100x120. fertile soil, with 
a number of fruit trees on it, occupying one-half the 
ground. I am holding a position paying me -S40 per 
week. My idea is to start planting flowers in the yard 
that are the most profitable. This will be done in my 
spare time. Of course my wife and boy will help all 
they can. Then, perhaps, if it proves to be paying, say 
about the middle of next Summer, I shall have a small 
greenhouse lmilt in order to grow Winter flowers. I 
still intend to hold on to my position until 1 feel that 
the market just a little more, the florist does not 
try to ward off prospective competition by discour¬ 
aging beginners, but you will find every one of them, 
who has made any success of the business, willing 
to help the beginner with his problems, of course 
there arc a few men who think they are smart who 
will imt give out information freely. These fellows 
are few indeed, and usually so all-important that 
they never realize their own narrow ignorance. 
Several years ago outdoor flowers sold on nearly 
all markets at a price that left the grower a good 
profit over expenses. I have a man in mind who 
planted a small area of asters, just a bed in his 
one of the best all-round Summer cut flowers on the 
list. Men who had a very small area previously 
have planted acres and acres of it, till the shipments 
have been far in excess of the possible sales. 
Gladioli are another flower of which millions are 
grown each season, and with the exception of the 
early season forced stock the prices have ruled very 
low, even as low as $5 to $7 per 1.000 on some mar¬ 
kets. Compare this with the cost of the bulbs, the 
lowest of which sell for about $20 per 1,000. This 
overstocked condition started with the advent of the 
outdoor flowers, and last Thursday. September 14. 
I was in Philadelphia, and the wholesale florists 
A String of Horses Caught at “ AttentionFig. 526 
it is necessary for me to stay home altogether. I intend 
to get my knowledge from books and by getting in touch 
with different nurserymen. j. j. u. 
New Jersey. 
T ill'! outdoor flower situation this season is in 
such condition that 1 would not wish to offer 
any advice whatever on the subject. 1 am afraid 
by the time 1 have stated the exact conditions all 
readers who may have contemplated trying flowers 
as an assistance to the family exchequer will accuse 
me of trying to discourage them. Possibly not only 
discourage them, but the thought may flud utter¬ 
ance: "()li, that fellow grows flowers himself, and 
is just trying to keep us from being a possible com¬ 
petitor." 
That is not the intention, as one or two more in 
the game is of very little consequence to the man 
who is established. Though each one helps depress 
garden, and sold $115 worth from it. This was too 
good to keep, so in the following year some of his 
neighbors planted quite a lot, and he increased his 
area. They brought a fair price last year, and more 
farmers in this vicinity planted asters; one not 
many miles from here planted 10 acres. When these 
various aster areas began producing there were little 
mountains of flower boxes at our railroad station 
each morning going to the city. In a week the mar¬ 
ket was so badly overstocked that in self-defence 
the commission men in the cities simply asked the 
farmers to discontinue shipping. The result has 
been that almost their entire crops were not mar¬ 
keted. for the simple reason that there was not 
enough business to absorb the enormous surplus. 
'I’he same condition has obtained in repard to Del¬ 
phinium Belladonna, an easily grown perennial, and 
there were simply jammed with flowers from floor 
to ceiling in the large cold storage rooms 12 to 45 
ft. high. That has been the condition without let¬ 
up all this Summer. Just last week asters that last 
season would have sold as high as $4 per 100 were 
averaging the grower 43 cents per 100, and there 
was a selling commission of 15 per cent deducted 
from that figure. 
Now this is simply a plain statement of conditions 
the past Summer. We florists hope we may never 
see another like it. but I am very much afraid we 
will, especially if farm produce does not bring higher 
prices. Many farmers will consider even a very 
small income from flowers as a side line as just that 
much more cash on hand. The fact that income 
does not meet cost of production on all the other 
crops does not enter into the calculation, as the cost 
