230 
THE [. LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
estimate of the value imported last season, it is safe to 
say that not less than two hundred thousand dollars’ 
worth were actually imported the last twelve months. 
The bulk of these being hyacinths and tulips, more than 
one-half being used to force for cut-flowers, this does not 
include half a million of lilies-of-the-valley which are not 
dutiable. Thus far I have not said anything about a very 
important branch of the business or those engaged in it. 
I refer to that branch known as the florist’s supplies and 
requisites, which has grown to be a most important factor 
in the trade. The number engaged is estimated at 700. 
The most important articles are shapes for floral designs, 
such as ornamental baskets, vases in glass and porcelain, 
and other wares; wire-work, holders for bouquets, tinfoil, 
wire for stemming, different papers for packing and 
wrapping flowers, and other articles used in the business. 
The actual amount of capital invested in this branch of 
our business is in the aggregate many hundred thou¬ 
sand dollars, employing more labor in proportion, than 
does the florist proper, paying in many cases enor¬ 
mous rents for their accommodation. Most of those 
engaged in this branch have other business relations, 
either as seedsmen, dealers in bulbs or cut-flowers. Then 
we have the army of cut-flower men, those who are not 
producers but make a business entirely of selling flowers, 
either made into shapes or loosely, fnis is a growing 
branch and to-day there are not less than 2000 employed 
in it. 
The land occupied with flowering plants and bulbs of all 
kinds scattered over the country must aggregate at least 
twelve thousand acres, in addition to several thousand 
acres used for growing flower seeds. This is accounting 
only for land so occupied in America. It would not be 
too much to say that fully half as much land in Europe 
is also used in the same manner for the American trade. 
In addition to this there is nearly as much area of land, 
and as much glass and more than half as much labor 
devoted to the cultivation of flowers by gentlemen who 
can make a pleasure of so doing; yet with all this, the 
florists and gentlemen growers of America have been 
unrepresented by any organization until the Society of 
American Florists was established. Just think of an in¬ 
dustry of such magnitude without a voice or a word in 
its own interest! We are not only entitled to considera¬ 
tion as a national union, but as educators of the people. 
Matters of national importance have been submitted to 
the Government through our sligntly older brethren, the 
American Nurserymen’s Association and the American 
Seedsmen’s Association, The time may not be far dis¬ 
tant when we may have to submit to the powers that be 
questions of vital importance which may affect us as 
florists. With our society we can demand and will be 
entitled to consideration. Besides, the Society of Ameri¬ 
can Florists will be the channel through which the Gov¬ 
ernment will be pleased to give and receive information 
in all matters immediately relating to it. I really wonder 
how we have sat still so long without taking any action, 
represented as we are by capital, uumbers and influence. 
Let us be up and doing, I say. 
The practical part of the business must always be well 
considered and well represented at every movement of 
the Society of American Florists. The time has gone by 
when half-measures and improper cultivation can be suc¬ 
cessful. The diffusion of knowledge in a florist’s busi¬ 
ness is of as much importance as in any other pursuit. 
This we can obtain by personal contact, by interchange 
of ideas, by comparing notes and by close observation. 
It is our duty, pure and simple, as an association, to aid 
each other in all that we can, Let us give to others, when 
in our power, such information as may be of service, and 
in return we can ask information from them. It has been 
my experience whenever I have paid a visit to a brother 
florist, however limited his establishment may have been, 
never to have left without gaining something of impor¬ 
tance. The same is true of men. The man pretending 
the least often imparts most valuable information, i 
feel certain every member here present has come with the 
intention of doing all the good in his power, and when he 
goes home he will feel that he has accomplished far more 
than he expected. A successful florist needs to be a man 
of intelligence, perseverance and fidelity. The business 
requires brains as much as capital; he must be on the alert 
to turn to account all improvements ; he must be compre¬ 
hensive and quick to take advantage of favorable oppor¬ 
tunities. It is necessary for him to be of a mechanical 
turn of mind ; he must be well read on all subjects relat¬ 
ing to the business; he must be alive to the requirements 
of his patrons and try to lead rather than to wait to be 
led by them. I am induced to remark that only a few 
years since our brethren in small towns would remark that 
they only wanted two or three kinds of geraniums, half a 
dozen sorts of roses, and two or three kinds of fuchsias, 
these being variety enough for their customers. It is 
now very different; they want to get all the new and 
good things, because they say their patrons demand it. 
That is just as it should be—let us have the best of every¬ 
thing as far as we possibly can. Let us see how the busi¬ 
ness has grown in ten years. 
In numbers we have grown four-fold; in volume of 
business six-fold, and in value just as much. At the 
sales of plants at public auction in ten weeks, the past 
spring, there were not less than one million disposed of ; 
ten years since there was not ten thousand. At that time 
there were scarcely twenty catalogues published in a 
year, now there are hundreds; and as to illustrated 
catalogues, they were not known. The florist’s cata¬ 
logues of to-day are not merely lists of plants, but 
they are works of art; and let me stop to say that 
we are indebted to those gentlemen who have made 
the illustrations of catalogues a business. While on 
the subject of catalogues, I would just like to say that 
some of our members are inclined to think the cata¬ 
logue trade militates against those not publishing one. 
I most emphatically say it is a mistake ; for, depend upon 
it, the more catalogues there are distributed the better it 
is for the local florists. Catalogues stir up an interest in 
flowers greater than the local florist dreams of. They 
educate the people to love flowers more and more ; they 
incite a desire for something new, and in nine cases out 
of ten the local florist is applied to for information, which 
brings him in personal contact with those desiring such 
information, and personal contact is the best of all me- 
