The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-10-28
1000 ACRES OF FLOWER GARDEN
Something About the Town Which
ShiDs Beans to Boston.

something ADOUt tlc 1oNH NiiiSii
Ships Beans to Boston.
Writing from Weimar, Consul Will
liam L. Lowrie says that Erfurt, a
thriving commercial city of Southern
Prussia, with more than 100000 in
habitants, is known throughout Ger
many as the flower city" 1t has,
a worldwide reputation for flower
and farm seeds and plants, the trade
in which the Consul portrays as fol-
lows:
"The declared exports of these pro-
ducts to the United States in the last
ten years amounted to $~561,741, last
years shipments being worth $53,-
SIS.
THE origin of the industry dates
from the tenth century, and 1t was
developed by the monks of the Peters
monastery. The growth to the pres
ent large proportions is Of much more
recent date. Since 1880 the business
of raising flowers and garden seeds
and plants in Erfurt has increased
rapidly, until it is now five times as
large as it was a quarter of a century
ago. When the land failed to pro-
duce good wine grapes the people
turned their attention to the seed in
dustry as a mean of saving their
waning fortunes. In former years
the hills about Erfurt and Jena were
famous for their vineyards. The
wine was sold mostly at Weimar,
about half way of the distance be-
tween those two cities, giving this
place its original name of Vein
markt, which was changed later to
Weimar.
"The soil about Erfurt is especially
adapted to the culture of vegetables
and plants. 1t is deep, rich and we'll
watered. The annual rainfall is
heavy, and the surrounding hills
afford good protection from the cool
winds which sometimes sweep down
from the Thuringerwald. There are
10S concerns engaged in the seed in
dustry, also thirty-fye seed exporters
and twenty-four florists. An idea of
the extent of this business may be
| gained from the area of glass en-
ployed. The total is 1875 square
L eters (square meter equals 10.764
,quare feet), Of which 30,S67 square
meters propagating houses, and
sass square meters are used over
specially fertilized beds. Nearly
5000 people are employed in various
capacities.
While there are no statistics
available in regard to the total an
nual output of the Erfurt seed and
plant concerns, a single firm produces
each year 10000 to $4,000 cyclamen,
100000 lilies Of the valley, $4,000
apple sprouts Tin pots), 10000 pear
sprouts, 10000 plum, apricot, peach
and ounce sprouts, 10000 straw
berry plants, 100000 short stemmed
and 100000 long stemmed roses.
About 1000 acres of land in the
! city and the immediate vicinity are
devoted to gardens. This land is
owned by the Crown, the city and
private individuals. 1t is leased to
the various concerns at rentals de-
pending on the location and on the
productiveness of the soil. Owing to
the rapid growth of the city, which
rivals the percentage of a Western
boom town in the United States, quite
an area of the best garden land has
been plotted into city lots and is fast
being covered with fine villas and
houses.
1.-The cultivation of the gilly flower
in Erfurt dates from 1910. 1t first
appeared in the window of a citizen,
and from this one pot hundreds of
thousands of these flowers have been
promulgated. The estimated annual
production is 100000 plants. To the
same extent, or nearly so, is the cul-
tivation of the calceolaria, verbena,
~petunia, ~gloxinia, zinnia, pansy, car
nation, balsam, phloz, h%ollyhock, Pc
largonium, fuchsia, a~zalia, etc., in
almost endless variety. 1t is esti-
mated that the annual output Of
flower seeds is not much under
100000 marks ($23S, 0O0).
vegetable and farm seeds are cul-
tivated in large quantities and in
great variety. Among them are in
Guided 101 kinds of peas, 16S of
beans GOO bushels shipped this year
TO Boston to help make up the deficit
in its staple food, 269 varieties of
kitchen herbs, thirty-four of onions,
etc., sixty-five of grass for fodder,
thirty of clover, 800 species of pota-
toes. There are 1912 varieties of
vegetable seed cultivated in Erfurt.
Washington Correspondence Mil.
waukaa Sentinel