The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-08-30
FORTUNES IN FLOWER s.
Blossom Growing Is One of the Coun-
try's Formidable Industries.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
The exhibition of the\ Society of Ameri-
can Florists at the Grand Central Pal
ace, which ended on Friday night, did
much to impress visitors with the fact
that great advances have been made by
American florists in recent years. The
importance of Horticulture was also indi-
Gated by some of the odd facts made pub
lie.
The Society of American florists and
Ornamental Hortcultursts was organized
in 1884 and ever since its officers and
members have been collecting facts and
figures for the use of florists. The most
recent figures are those compiled by Prof.
b. T. Galloway of the Bureau of Vegetable
Pathology and Physiology at Washington
They show that there are not fewer than
1900 commercial florists establishments
in the United States and that these for
lists use 225O0,O00 square feet of glass. New
York state alone has 1900 florists estab-
llshments which use 1850 O0O square feet
of glass. Illinois has 800 establishments,
with 4,25C00O square feet of glass. The
estimated value of all the establishments
in the United States is $11, go 900, and of
their total annual output $27,500,00O
Hail the Florists Enemy.
1t isn't hard for anybody to see that
the question of glass is a serious one with
the florists. The greatest enemy they
nave to meet, not excepting even the de-
structive bug, is the Maidstone Thousands
OF feet of glass are destroyed every year
by hailstorms, and one result of the found
ing of the Society of American Florists
has been the establishment of the Flor
fists Hall Association of America This
association has an aggregate insurance
upon 13,O25,762 square feet of glass more
than half of all the florists glass in the
country. Last year the association had
to pay for more than 7O,900 square feet
of glass which had been broken by hail
Concerning the growth of the industry as
measured by glass, President +. NJ Wood
OF the society said in his address opening
the convention:
AS an illustration of the remarka Bile
growth of Horticulture and horticulture
we may instance the great West where
in some localities it has increased in pop
ulation in twenty years 400 per cent The
increase of glass in the same time for
Horticulture and horticulture is over LOO
per cent. No one could have foreseen
this enormous and phenomenal growth"
Fortunes in Flowers.
Some interesting estimates of the value
of different cut flowers annually sold were
made by C. w. Ward of Queens. one of
The estimated value of the cut flowers
annually sold is divided up about as fol-
lows: Roses, 100000; carnations, $1,000
600; violets, $4,000; chrysanthemums
100000; and miscellaneous, 81, $4,000. The
estimated number of roses annually sold
is 1O0,G00,000; carnations, 10000 0O0; violets
100000; total, 275,O00,O0O l estimate the
capital invested in carnations alone at the
present day a 100000. The total annual
sales of cut flowers in New York city is
$3O00CO0. and of plants, 81 800 600"
OF the cut flower part of the florists
business, President Wood said:
Defense of the Floral Price List.
'An erroneous idea has gone abroad that
cut flowers at some seasons OF the year
are exorbitantly high, but an analysis of
the prices for the year will find that the
average is lower to-day than the grower
ought 10 receive. Adverse criticism is oc-
casionally made, which is heralded abroad
by the newspapers and periodicals. that
extravagant prices for flowers are charg-
ed by the growers for the holidays. These
criticisms are made by those who know
little or nothing regarding the cost of cut
flowers. 1t is the one season of the year
in which the grower hopes to receive
remuneration for his efforts. He is
obliged, oftentimes. TO lose a crop of flow
ers for which he received nothing, in or
der that he may obtain the desired crop
for the holidays, when there is a great de-
mand for them. Did he not do this, not
over half of the flowers could be offered
for sale in the holidays The high prices
which we hear of are only for the few
flowers which are called exhibition flow
ers If the grower depended for his IN
come upon this class of his product, there
would not be commercial foot of glass
in existence for the growth Of cut flowers
II is to the vast volume Of second, third
and fourth-class flowers, and that demand
which comes from the MIC die as well as
the poorer class of people. who never pay
high prices for them, that the grower, and
In large measure the florist, depends for
his success. Those who want, and viii
have the very finest of flowers, selecting
only the perfect in form, foliage, size and
colorinp. and who are thoroughly CONVEX
SAINT with these qualities are willing, as
they ought to be, to pay the price which
is demanded for them.