Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-05-10
FORTUNES IN RARE EXOTICs.
Some Of the Splendid ConservaeOries Of
Rach New TOFkerN.
MILLIONAIRE AMATEUR FLORISTS AND THEIR
RARE GREENHOUSE FLOwERs-PERFUMES
THAT RIVAL THE SPICES OF ARABIA
THE CRAZE on ROSES.

From the n. Star.
Flowers are the poetry of earth" quoted the
Star reporter from Mrs. Hemans. or somebody
like her as he leaned back in hard wooden
chair under the glass of certain fiorist-''prac-
tical" forist-of this city. Around him were
flowers of various hues and smells and tough
botanical names. which the journalistic tramp
could not have pronounced TO save his life
THAT may be, young man." softly commented
the floral nurse. cutting a tender branch with
his scissors, but they cost more than most
poetry. and won't keep as long on the shelf
nuther."
lis there much doing in flowers nows' asked
the Bohemian, with an air of a country stock
specuiator lnquiring after the price of Wabash
The subject is too big for small talk. but I'll
just give you few packed facts. 1t is estima-
ted that there are 500 florists establishments
within radius of ten miles from the city hall.
and that the capital invested in land. structures
and stock, is not less than SS.OOO.0O0. the pro-
duct of which is mainly for this city alone To
show you how the market for these tender
touches of nature has grown within q genera
ton, take tine fact that at Of the largest
floral establishments in New York the sales for
New Years day. 1874. amounted to hardly 300;
while now about $4,000 is annually spent for
flowers on New Years day i'm New York.
Probably flowers are sold in proportion
tlIrou rhout the country 1t is liza rdly to
lions necessary 10 horticulture we are in adj
vance of Europe. The personnel of the flower
business would make chapter i'm biography.
won't give you the whole of it now. but I'll
mention a name or two. Mr.. David Hoscock
started the Elgin Botanic Garden in this city i'm
1901. and in his catalogue for ISL nearly 5000
species of plants were described. among which
were 500 greenhouse eXOtics. The curator of
tie Elgin at that time a Mr.. DennisOn, who
begun business as florist i'm 1914. i'm this city,
hot al
now stands. Mr.. William Wilson wrote book
on Kitchen Gardening and was one of the
originatOrs of the first horticultural society in
New York in 1878"
"Tell something of the great gardens owned
and run by tine mliOnares of the city at these
Edenic spots where they doff business and like
the lilies of the field. neither SOW puts nor
reap the fruits of 'straddles'"
I" Certainly" answered the flower merchant
putting rose on its stem. I'll tell you what
i know. But understand. first. that gardens
owned by comparatively rich New Workers are
scattered freely all around the rural circle of
which the metropolis is the hub, but the great
and notable ones are not so numerous. Mr.
John Hoey. for instance, superintendent of
Adams Express company. has magnificent
garden at Long Branch. which has cost him
probably not less than S25O.000. He has an
enormous range of glass. fitted with every ap-
plIance that experience can suggest or money
buy for raising flowers and plants. Under a
bright sun these hOthouses glisten like gems
and to visit them is treat to all lovers of Gods
sweetest thoughts. the flowers
Add to your list" said Dir. Peter Henderson
"Mr. w. L. Dinsmore's garden at Staatsburu-
On-the-HudsOn. just below Rhinebeck This
brilliant parterre is situated bluff overlook
ing the river. and in the season is visited by
many people from all the region roundabout"
The Stcr man knew it well. for many a time
Rad he landed there from his boat, climbed the
hill and fallen asleep. to the lullaby of the sum-
mer wind. under the great trees while the per
Hrne OF that garden entered his open nostrils
Ike the spicy gales from Arabia.
And suppose" added Mr. Henderson THAT
MT. DinsnOre has about as much money in the
BUSINESS. or pastime. as has Mr.. Hoey. At
NylngtOn. Mr. Jay GOuld's hOthOuses which
were burned two years ago. have been rebuilt.
with more than their original magnificence The
great speculat0r. hard and tough as he is to-
ward men in business has soft side toward all
beautiful and novel things in the growing
world don't know the amount of money he
spends in this pursuit, but it must be very
large
DO these men. as whole. really understand
the businessf'
No, they know nothing practically about it:
they rely upon their gardeners for success
whether they make profit by it or pot is not
vital TO them. yet it is curious with what inter-
est the rise or fall Of a few cents i'm the rose
market is regarded by them New jersey has
her full quota of these millionaire florists.
There are four in Madison, one i'm Summit and
two In Orange. one of the latter being Mr. Sam
uei Colgate of this city and as much interest is
nianif ested by them in the prices at Wilhelm
the technical slang of the flower shOp-'croOks'
Jacks, 'mer1nets,' and 'perles'-are quoted in
Broadway "a is evinced in Wall street in Lake
ShoIe. Erie or Central
What are the profits when anv are realized.
AID how do they put the money IMP queried the
JepoTter, rubbing geraDium leaf between his
Slender. plumbagO-Staned fngers
well. wholesale dry goods merchant or a
manufactures doing a business of million dol
lars year is amply repaid by net profit of )
Per cent; but when he is given to understand
tsat some ill.terate digger of the soil by an in
vestmsnf of $1,000 gets a net profit of % per
cent. he iooiishiy imagines that larger amount
OF capital invested viii yield corresponding
profits
They buy on a falling market then, some
times?"
just Last March gentleman entered
into negotiations with greenhouse builder i'm
Jersey City 10 construct at his country resi-
delce. some sixty miles from New York GOOy2O
feet, or nearly 1900 feet of glass as beginning
which. furnished. heated by hot water and
stocked. will cost not much less than 515 600
lie may get his fingers burned. as many of these
nfen do. yet enough of them viii succeed 10 give
zest 10 the risk for az present prices when sue
cess Is attained the profits are so great as to
produce the present craze on the subject You
must understand am Talking now of growing
roses
There is a rose craze. then: You know the
poem ab0ut-well, it = runs i'm this way: The
vase IN which roses once We're dist"
Yes, there IL u craze roses went on this
howery talker. snubbing the reporter and his
stale quotation land shouldn't wonder if ii
would end exactly as the MOrus Multicaulis did
In 1910 or the grapevine fever in 1863
"How did the AOrus end:' asked the reporter
hun5iy.
Badly. badly. Hundreds thought there were
millions in it, but found to their sorrow, that
they were thousands ont. All experience shows
mat IN the perishabe commodities of fruits and
MOWERS whenever an Oyer-supply floods the
market and brings down the prices below paw
IN" level. less is sold than when they bring a
fair price"
DO you remember. Mr.. Henderson the IA
nous discussion in Wilkie Collins 'Moonstone
between Sergeant Cuf the great London de-
tective. and the gardener. Higbie as to whether
the moss rose should be first budded on the dog
rUs..:'
Don't remember anything about It." said the
scotsman. apparently regarding the reporters
reference Ia the dog-roSe as irrelevant to the
subject. but il takes science and experience TO
grow roses. no matter how they are budded, es-
peclaly In winter"
W hat are the fayOrite roses grown in win