The suburban citizen., 1901-04-27

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after that.
"Florists put tobacco stems all
around a greenhouse to drive away the
green fly, but sometimes the little
wretch gets a hold, in spite Of the pre-
cautions. Then one has to fumlgate
with tobacco smoke. The green flies
descended upon my plants, and had
to resort to fumigatlng, but l hate to-
bacco smoke, and every time 1 fumi-
gated the house l was desperately
sick.
II never had any big catastrophes,
but the days were full Of maddening
little ones. Violet culture is very diff
fcult. You would think to read the
articles about the women who are
doing II, that 1t is as simple as wear
ing bunch Of yiolets, but it isn't
Sometimes one will have phenomenal
luck with violets for several years
but it doesn't last For some mex
plicable reason, a blight will suddenly
come on the plants. AS the florists
say, the violets will just go off. No
one seems able to ext ain the trouble
There is a big profit IN successful yio-
let growing, but the chances of fall
ure are perfectly tremendous. You
don't hear about the failures
Carnations have way of going
off, too, from no perccptlble cause.
They just seem TO die Of anaemia,
sometimes. Then their calySes burst
and they are prey to rust Altogeth-
er they fairly turn my hair gray, but
they are interesting, because there
has been such progress and develop
ment in them. \ good carnaton isn't
cheap flower any more. Roses are
the easiest things to raise They don't
often so TO the bad entirely, though
the American Beauty is a serious prob
lem. Dull weather will spoil it, and
any number of florists have been
ruined by the culture of American
Beauties.
"a good many florists failed in
business last year because Of the price
of coal Fires have to be kept going
night and day. l buy my coal by the
hundred tons, and it makes a pretty
big item OF expense. All expenses are
big.
"At the end of my second year, I
had been successful enough to warrant
my spreading out. Now, l have eight
houses l pay over 500 a month for
expert labor. Then there is the to-
bacco the fertilizer, the wear and tear
and repair, the handling and shipping,
and the losses. You have to get good
prices to make any profit.
But then, there is always market
and high price for good flowers. The
trouble is that so many OF ones how-
ers must, necessarily, fall below first
grade.
"Pye given you the stamy side Of
the business, haven't Pa regular
tale Of woe. Well, it is all true, and
no woman, without a strong constitu-
tion ana stubborn courage, ought to
try the wholesale flower business; but
there's a pleasant side to IT.
"The work is never monotonous.
There is never q time when the green
houses are really still. There is con-
stant interest in the growing things.
Now that most Of the drudgery is done
by my employees. and l have only the
experimenting, l find the wholesale
business fascinating, but dislike the
retail business.
THE latter is profitable and em-
ploys womans taste to advantage
in the choice Of paper for boxes, new
ideas for putting up flowers, table
decoration, wedding decoration, etc.
In spite Of high prices, the profits
are not so large as they used to be, In
the first place, the quality OF the flow
ers is better.
Fine lasting roses on thick, sturdy
stems are procured by cutting long
stemmed roses and so leaving few
eyes on a rose branch. AL the strength
will go into the shoots and blossoms
coming from those eyes, and the re-
sulting roses will be exceptionally
fine; but a good many roses have been
sacrificed to make those few good
ones and the price is naturally high.
Still, If buyers would only realize it
there is more satisfaction in two OF
three Of the fine roses than in a dozen
Of the weak-stemmcd, dropping sort.
Handsome boxes and ribbons and
all those things are n necessary part
Of the retail florists business now.
and, except in the case Of a big order,
they cut down the profit considerably.
I've often sent out small orders on
which there wasn't a cent Of profit,
but the customers were valuable to
me, aud I had to satisfy them"