314 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  10,  1902 
ticable,  for  the  reason  that  different  seeds  can  be  better  grown 
in  different  localities.  California  will  pi'oduce  better  seeds  of 
many  kinds  than  any  other  part  of  the  counti-y.  Portions  of 
Nebraska  produce  the  best  seeds  of  Vine  crops  to  be  found  in  the 
country.  Long  Island  seems  to  be  the  ideal  place  for  Cabbage 
seed  iiroduction.  Portions  of  Connecticut  are  unrivalled  for  the 
quality  of  Onion  seed  produced.  Northern  New  York  and  Maine 
are  unexcelled  for  Potatoes.  The  great  north-w^est  has  excep¬ 
tional  possibilities  as  a  seed  producing  country.  Europe  still 
supplies  its  quota  of  seeds  and  bulbs ;  but  with  the  vast  extent 
of  territory  over  which  floats  the  American  flag,  with  the  wide 
range  of  temperature,  the  rich  soil,  and  the  energy  and  intel¬ 
ligence  of  the  mein  engaged  in  horticulture,  there  is  every  reason 
to  believe  that  in  the  near  future  we  Avill  not  only  produce  all 
Ave  need  ounselves,  but  Avill  be  able  to  control  the  markets  of  the 
Avorld  in  seed  production. 
The  Seen  GroAwer. 
The  seed  groAver  for  the  most  part  is  a  contractor  Avho  takes 
the  stock  supplied  by  the  seedsman  and  deliA^ers  the  entire 
product.  His  work  is  supervised  by  the  seedsman,  Avho  inspects 
the  groAving  crop  and  carefully  ‘  rogues,’  that  is,  destroys  any 
plants  which  are  not  up  to  type,  Avhich,  in  other  Avords,  shoAv  a 
reAmrsion  to  an  inferior  type.  It  often  happens  that  an  improve¬ 
ment  Avill  be  apparent  in  indiA'idual  plants,  and  these  are  care¬ 
fully  marked,  the  seed  product  kept  separate  and  soAvn  the 
folloAving  season.  This  is  the  source  of  many  of  the  iiiAproved 
Amrieties.  It  is  obvioAis  that  the  greater  the  amount  of  care 
bestoAved  on  inspection,  the  greater  the  intelligence  brought  to 
bear  upon  it,  the  better  in  proportion  must  be  the  result.  It  is 
upon  this  care  and  intelligence  tliat  reputation  is  ba.sed ;  hence 
the  difference  in  stocks  sold.  The  seed  groAver  is  often  a 
hybridiser,  and  to  the  patient  Avork  of  these  men  Ave  OAve  many  of 
the  impi’oved  A'arieties  noAV  in  existence. 
The  greatest  Amhicle,  unquestionably,  for  developing  horti¬ 
culture  is  the  catalogue  of  the  seedsman,  the  nurseryman,  and 
the  florist.  The  first  is  beyond  doubt  the  most  important  in  its 
effects,  and  might  be  called  the  centre  from  which  the  biAsiness 
ends  radiate:  the  millions  of  catalogues  distributed  annually  are 
an  inspii’ation  to  the  recipients  and  to  the  hundreds  of  thousands 
who  are  influenced  by  seeing  tlieir  neighbours  engaged  in  horti¬ 
cultural  Avork.  Great  is  the  responsibility  of  the  catalogue  firms, 
and  great  is  the  labour  m\mlved.  It  is  undeniably  the  most 
tiying  of  all  the  business  ends  of  horticulture.  The  men  engaged 
ill  it  must  be  evmr  on  the  AA^atch  for  neAv  and  improved  varieties ; 
they  must  lead,  and  not  folloAv,  popular  opinion ;  but  yet  they 
must  be  cautious  not  to  get  too  far  in  advance.  They  must  be 
ready  to  explain  Avhy  crops  fail ;  they  must  be  able  to  advise 
remedies :  they  must  be  entomologists,  pathologists,  be  up  in 
soil  chemistry  ;  and,  Avhen  the  great  extent  of  the  country  is  con¬ 
sidered,  it  is  readily  understood  that  the  task  is  not  an  easy  one. 
The  Catalogue  Compiler. 
They  must  be  ready  to  tell  Avhen  and  Avhat  to  plant  or  soav 
in  fai'in  or  garden  from  Puget  Sound  to  Florida  Keys,  from 
Aroostook  to  San  Diego.  They  must  be  able  to  tell  the  dear  old 
lady  Avhat  is  the  matter  Avith  her  sick  Pelargonium  or  her 
debilitated  Begonia.  To  be  successful,  the  catalogue  man  must 
be  not  only  resourceful  in  business  methods,  enterprising  in 
developing  and  introducing  A-arieties  of  merit,  but  he  must  be 
optimistic,  he  must  be  able  to  communicate  his  optimism  to  his 
customers,  he  must  be  liberal  in  his  dealings,  be  ever  patient, 
be  a  natural  diplomat,  and.  aboA'e  all  things,  be  scrupulously 
careful  to  send  out  only  the  best  obtainable.  What  is  said  of  the 
seedsman  is  also  applicable  in  a  great  measure  to  the  nursery¬ 
man.  The  details  of  his  business  are  hardly  as  numerous,  how¬ 
ever.  consequently  not  as  trying.  His  business  is  in  a  larger 
degree  localised,  Avhich  tends 'to  simijlify  it.  With  San  Jose 
Scale,  Peach  “  YelloAvs,”  and  other  troubles  incidental  to  his 
stock  and  the  legislative  effort  to  control  them,  he  is  not  Avithout 
troubles  of  his  own.  The  niu’seryman,  too,  must  be  up  in  the 
“  ologies,”  even  more  so,  perhaps,  than  the  seedsman.  He  must 
be  a  fair  laAvyer  as  Avell,  and  be  an  expert  in  transportation 
matters.  The  lithographer  and  the  tree  agent  are  poAverful 
agents  to  the  nurseryman.  The  latter,  armed  with  his  book  of 
plates,  Avends  his  Avay  over  the  face  of  the  land,  in  many  cases 
reviled  and  thrust  out,  treated  little  better  than  the  hobo.  His 
book  is  sneered  at,  and  Avhile  it  may  be  a  trifle  highly  coloured, 
and  the  size  of  the  pictured  floAvers  and  fruits  may  be  a  little 
exaggerated,  yet  a  long  experience  has  shown  that  such  are  the 
best  fitted  to  tempt  the  Avavering  into  purchasing  something 
Avhich  Avill  really  be  a  benefit  to  them.  It  is  a  case  where  the 
end  justifies  the  means,  if  there  ever  Avas  one.  Many  a  garden 
Avould  be  giAmn  over  to  Aveeds  Avhich  now  supports  a  feAv  fruit 
trees  and  small  fruits;  many  a  porch  and  dooryard  Avould  be  as 
bare  of  living  ornament  as  the  proverbial  “  Job’s  turkey  ”  Avas  of 
flesh  and  feather,  were  it  not  for  the  tree  agent  and  his  book. 
That  business  end  of  horticulture  is  not  “  one  grand  SAveet  song  ” 
for  the  men  engaged  in  it;  the  emoluments  arising  from  it  Avill 
not  make  them  plutocrats.  Be  patient  AAlth  them,  then,  if  not 
for  themselves,  at  least  for  the  good  they  accomplish. 
The  Wholesale  Men. 
The  groAver  for  the  catalogue  firms  is  another  of  the  business 
ends  of  horticulture ;  that  is,  the  man  who  groAvs  plants  in 
quantitj'  on  contract,  or  Avho  groAvs  them  on  speculation  to  sell 
in  large  quantities.  His  field  embraces  greenhouse  plants,  fruit 
plants',  hardy  outdoor  plants,  shrubs,  roots,  and  bulbs.  It  is  a 
safe  business  on  the  whole,  but  is  not  capable  of  great  dcAmlop- 
ment,  like  the  catalogue  trade.  It  is  generally  folloAved  and 
taken  up  by  men  Avho  liaAm  some  land,  but  little  Avorking  capital, 
and  the  profits  are  as  a  rule  very  meagre.  Because  of  the  limited 
capital  with  Avhich  it  can  be  entered,  provided  the  land  is  already 
secured,  a  great  many  of  the  smaller  nurserymen,  florists,  and 
even  farmers,  have  entered  it  of  late  years,  and  it  may  be  safely 
sajd  to  be  a  Avell-ploughed  field  at  the  present  time.  Because  of 
the  fact  that  these  men  are  not  in  touch  Avith  the  retail  market 
they  groAv  many  things  for  Avhich  there  is  not  ready  sale.  Failing 
to  obtain  buyers  for  these  at  remuneratiA-e  jArices,  they  are  fre¬ 
quently  taken  up  at  a  sacrifice  and  pushed  by  catalogue  men,  tn 
the  detriment  of  better  things.  I  think  it  may  be  accepted  as 
an  axiom  that  the  succes.sful  catalogAie  business  man  must  be  a 
bona-fide  producer,  either  under  his  oAvn  direct  control  or  by  the 
contract  system.  This  applies  to  plants  more  than  seeds  or  bulbs, 
which  can  be  treated  as  merchandise.  The  expense  of  cata¬ 
logues,  advertising,  packing,  and  groAving  hardly  admits  of  de- 
Amloping  a  large  business  by  buying  plants  and  selling  again  ; 
besides,  there  is  always  the  trade  grower  Avho  has  a  surplus  of 
something  inferior  to  offer  at  a  tempting  price,  and  it  is  Avell  to 
beAvare  of  the  “  great  pennyAvorth.” 
The  Cut  FloAwer  GroAwer. 
The  business  end  of  horticulture  represented  by  the  cut  floAver 
grower  is  perhaps  the  simplest,  in  a  business  sense,  of  any.  In 
that  the  skill  of  the  groAver  is  the  paramount  issue.  His  pro¬ 
duct  is  sold  for  Avhat  it  is  Avorth  on  sight.  Although  the  market 
takes  exasperating  tumbles,  he  has  little,  if  anything,  to  do  with 
it.  He  is  saved  the  nerve  Avear  incident  to  bargaining,  planning^ 
hoAv  to  get  rid  of  his  product,  hoAv  to  get  his  money  after  he  has 
sold,  and  the  many  and  vexatious  problems  incident  to  barter 
and  sale.  I  speak  of  the  groAver  Avho  supplies  the  large  cities  and 
consigns  to  a  commission  house.  Of  course  he  is  constantly  con¬ 
signing  the  commission  man  to  a  place  warmer  than  his  hottest' 
greenhouse,  but  that  is  his  privilege,  and  the  commission  man 
gets  accustomed  to  it,  so  no  one  is  much  hurt.  The  market 
is  cut  out  for  him.  Ilie  Rose  groAver  has  the  great  triology  of 
Beauty,  Bride,  and  Bridesmaid.  The  'Carnation  groAver  has  a 
little  more  vexed  problem  as  to  the  varieties  he  Avill  groAv,  but 
it  is  plain  sailing  for  the  Violet  groAver.  There  is  ahva^s  some¬ 
thing  new  coming  up  in  Roses,  too,  to  vex  the  groAver.  If  the- 
man  who  gets  hold  of  the  neAv  one  first  has  a  reputation  and  can 
.succeed  in  growing  it  Avell,  it  is  an  easy  matter  for  him  to  get  a- 
market  for  the  plants  and  so  turn  an  honest  penny.  But  busi¬ 
ness  instinct  counts  just  as  heavily  in  groAving  cut  flo Avers  as  in 
the  other  birsiness  ends  of  horticulture.  It  Avas  business  instinct 
Avhich  years  ago  influenced  one  of  our  leading  groAvers  of  Roses 
to  discard  every  floAver  Avhich  did  not  come  up  to  his  standard. 
That  policy  made  his  reputation,  and  Avas  the  foundation  of  his- 
success.  It  Avorked  both  Avays ;  it  concentrated  his  efforts  on 
producing  something  up  to  that  standard  and  maintaining  it, 
Avhile  it  made  his  reputation.  It  did  more;  it  elevated  the- 
standard  and  really  made  tAvo  classes  of  grow'ers  in  all  lines  of 
cut  flower  growing,  the  one  aaIucIi  aims  at  “fancy”  floAvers  and 
Avhich  embraces  all  the  high-class  establishments,  the  other  Avhichi 
does  the  best  he  can  and  takes  things  as  they  come.  I’Am  been 
among  groAvers  of  Violefs  and  have  seen  flowers  discarded  for' 
slight  imperfections  of  colour  Avhich  the  unobservant  eye  would 
scarcely  detect.  I  have  seen  Roses  discarded  which  a  fcAV  years- 
ago  would  be  sent  to  the  market  for  what  they  Avould  bring.  A 
walk  through  the  Avholesale  districts  in  any  of  the  large  cities 
will  reveal  to  the  observer  stocks  of  Roses,  Carnations,  Violets, 
and  so  forth,  which  seem  to  be  different  varieties  although  the 
same,  the  difference  being  in  the  groAving  mainly,  but  also  in  the 
care  Avith  Avhich  the  cutting,  keeping,  and  packing  are  done. 
It  is  one  of  the  most  pleasant  branches  of  horticulture,  and 
one  of  the  most  remunerative  for  the  capital  invested.  It  has 
developed  fastest  of  all  during  recent  Amars,  and  although  the 
constant  cry  goes  up  that  it  does  not  pay,  it  continues  to  develop. 
Tile  demand  for  flowers  is  constantly  groAving,  and  the  laws  of 
demand  and  supply  are  inexorable. 
The  Shop-keeper. 
The  business  end  of  horticulture  represented  by  the  shop¬ 
keeper  in  the  large  cities  is  a  branch  by  itself.  Its  connection 
with  the  producing  branches  is  a  very  slender  one,  and  seems  to 
be  groAving  more  attenuated.  Why  this  should  be  does  not 
appear  on  the  surface  to  most  of  us.  Tlie  fact  remains,  however, 
that  as  a  class  they  hold  aloof  from  the  trade  organisations,  Avhen 
it  would  seem  that  their  interests  Avould  be  conserAmd  by 
affiliating  with  them.  The  combination  of  all  branches  of  trade 
horticulturi.sts  in  one  organisation  should  inure  to  the  benefit  of 
all.  The  smaller  cities  are  generally  represented  in  the  shoj)-- 
