+-----------+-----------+------------+------------+
| Month. | 1906. | 1907. | 1908. |
+-----------+-----------+------------+------------+
| January | 61,940 | 56,022 | 73,409 |
| February | 58,187 | 58,289 | 69,350 |
| March | 106,458 | 98,028 | 86,928 |
| April | 103,273 | 109,057 | 74,917 |
| May | 67,933 | 114,041 | 88,901 |
| June | 62,906 | 144,379 | 127,793 |
| July | 238,362 | 150,907 | 171,978 |
| August | 180,046 | 102,600 | 124,757 |
| September | 114,860 | 101,198 | 119,224 |
| October | 52,678 | 67,860 | 75,722 |
| November | 41,513 | 66,522 | 74,292 |
| December | 36,316 | 66,591 | 73,012 |
| +-----------+------------+------------+
| Total | 1,124,472 | 1,135,494 | 1,160,283 |
| +-----------+------------+------------+
| Value | L953,475 | L1,135,499 | L1,160,283 |
+-----------+-----------+------------+------------+
An important feature of modern flower growing is the production and
cultivation of what are known as "hardy herbaceous perennials." Some
2000 or 3000 different species and varieties of these are now raised in
special nurseries; and during the spring, summer and autumn seasons
magnificent displays are to be seen not only in the markets but at the
exhibitions in London and at the great provincial shows held throughout
the kingdom. The production of many of these perennials is so easy that
amateurs in several instances have taken it up as a business hobby; and
in some cases, chiefly through advertising in the horticultural press,
very lucrative concerns have been established.
Ornamental flowering trees and shrubs constitute another feature of
modern gardening. These are grown and imported by thousands chiefly for
their sprays of blossom or foliage, and for planting in large or small
gardens, public parks, &c., for landscape effect. Indeed there is
scarcely an easily grown plant from the northern or southern temperate
zones that does not now find a place in the nursery or garden, provided
it is sufficiently attractive to sell for its flowers, foliage or
appearance.
_Conditions of the Fruit and Flower growing Industries._--As regards
open-air fruit-growing, the outlook for new ventures is perhaps brighter
than in the hothouse industry, not--as Mr Bear has pointed out--because
the area of fruit land in England is too small, but because the level of
efficiency, from the selection of varieties to the packing and marketing
of the produce, is very much lower in the former than in the latter
branch of enterprise. In other words, whereas the practice of the
majority of hothouse nurserymen is so skilled, so up-to-date, and so
entirely under high pressure that a new competitor, however well
trained, will find it difficult to rise above mediocrity, the converse
is true of open-air fruit-growers. Many, and an increasing proportion,
of the latter are thoroughly efficient in all branches of their
business, and are in possession of plantations of the best market
varieties of fruit, well cultivated, pruned and otherwise managed. But
the extent of fruit plantations completely up to the mark in relation to
varieties and treatment of trees and bushes, and in connexion with which
the packing and marketing of the produce are equally satisfactory, is
small in proportion to the total fruit area of the country. Information
concerning the best treatment of fruit trees has spread widely in recent
years, and old plantations, as a rule, suffer from the neglect or errors
of the past, however skilful their present holders may be. Although the
majority of professional market fruit-growers may be well up to the
standard in skill, there are numerous contributors to the fruit supply
who are either ignorant of the best methods of cultivation and marketing
or careless in their application. The bad condition of the great
majority of farm orchards is notorious, and many landowners, farmers and
amateur gardeners who have planted fruit on a more or less extensive
scale have mismanaged their undertakings. For these reasons new growers
of open-air fruit for market have opportunities of succeeding by means
of superiority to the majority of those with whom they will compete,
provided that they possess the requisite knowledge, energy and capital.
It has been asserted on sound authority that there is no chance of
success for fruit-growers except in districts favourable as regards
soil, climate and nearness to a railway or a good market; and, even
under these conditions, only for men who have had experience in the
industry and are prepared to devote their unremitting attention to it.
Most important is it to a beginner that he should ascertain the
varieties of fruit that flourish best in his particular district.
Certain kinds seem to do well or fairly well in all parts of the
country; others, whilst heavy croppers in some localities, are often
unsatisfactory in others.
As has been intimated, there is probably in England less room for
expansion of fruit culture under glass than in the open. The large
increase of glass-houses in modern times appears to have brought the
supply of hothouse produce, even at greatly reduced prices, at least up
to the level of the demand; and as most nurserymen continue to extend
their expanse of glass, the prospect for new competitors is not a bright
one. Moreover, the vast scale upon which some of the growers conduct the
hothouse industry puts small producers at a great disadvantage, not only
because the extensive producers can grow grapes and other fruit more
economically than small growers--with the possible exception of those
who do all or nearly all their own work--but also, and still more,
because the former have greater advantages in transporting and marketing
their fruit. There has, in recent years, been a much greater fall in the
prices of hothouse than of open-air fruit, especially under the existing
system of distribution, which involves the payment by consumers of 50 to
100% more in prices than growers receive. The best openings for new
nurseries are probably not where they are now to be found in large
groups, and especially not in the neighbourhood of London, but in
suitable spots near the great centres of population in the Midlands and
the North, or big towns elsewhere not already well supplied with
nurseries. By such a selection of a locality the beginner may build up a
retail trade in hothouse fruit, or at least a trade with local
fruiterers and grocers, thus avoiding railway charges and salesmen's
commissions to a great extent, though it may often be advantageous to
send certain kinds of produce to a distant market. Above all, a man who
has no knowledge of the hothouse industry should avoid embarking his
capital in it, trusting himself in the hands of a foreman, as experience
shows that such a venture usually leads to disaster. Some years of
training in different nurseries are desirable for any young man who is
desirous of becoming a grower of hothouse fruits or flowers.
There can be no doubt that flower-growing is greatly extending in
England, and that competition among home growers is becoming more
severe. Foreign supplies of flowers have increased, but not nearly as
greatly in proportion as home supplies, and it seems clear that home
growers have gained ground in relation to their foreign rivals, except
with respect to flowers for the growth of which foreigners have
extraordinary natural advantages. There seems some danger of the home
culture of the narcissus being over-done, and the florists'
chrysanthemum appears to be produced in excess of the demand. Again, in
the production of violets the warm and sunny South of France has an
advantage not possessed by England, whilst Holland, likewise for
climatic reasons, maintains her hold upon the hyacinth and tulip trade.
Whether the production of flowers as a whole is gaining ground upon the
demand or not is a difficult question to answer. It is true that the
prices of flowers have fallen generally; but production, at any rate
under glass, has been cheapened, and if a fair profit can be obtained,
the fall in prices, without which the existing consumption of flowers
would be impossible, does not necessarily imply over-production. There
is some difference of opinion among growers upon this point; but nearly
all agree that profits are now so small that production on a large scale
is necessary to provide a fair income. Industrial flower-growing affords
such a wide scope for the exercise of superior skill, industry and
alertness, that it is not surprising to find some who are engaged in it
doing remarkably well to all appearance, while others are struggling on
and hardly paying their way. That a man with only a little capital,
starting in a small way, has many disadvantages is certain; also, that
his chance of saving money and extending his business quickly is much
smaller than it was. To the casual looker-on, who knows nothing of the
drudgery of the industry, flower-growing seems a delightful method of
getting a living. That it is an entrancing pursuit there is no doubt;
but it is equally true that it is a very arduous one, requiring careful
forethought, ceaseless attention and abundant energy. Fortunately for
those who might be tempted, without any knowledge of the industry, to
embark capital in it, flower-growing, if at all comprehensive in scope,
so obviously requires a varied and extensive technical knowledge,
combined with good commercial ability, that any one can see that a
thorough training is necessary to a man who intends to adopt it as a
business, especially if hothouse flowers are to be produced.
The market for fruit, and more especially for flowers, is a fickle
one, and there is nearly always some uncertainty as to the course of
prices. The perishable nature of soft fruit and cut flowers renders
the markets very sensitive to anything in the nature of a glut, the
occurrence of which is usually attended with disastrous results to
producers. Foreign competition, moreover, has constantly to be faced,
and it is likely to increase rather than diminish. French growers have
a great advantage over the open-air cultivators of England, for the
climate enables them to get their produce into the markets early in
the season, when the highest prices are obtainable. The geographical
advantage which France enjoys in being so near to England is, however,
considerably discounted by the increasing facilities for cold storage
in transit, both by rail and sea. The development of such facilities
permits of the retail sale in England of luscious fruit as fresh and
attractive as when it was gathered beneath the sunny skies of
California. In the case of flowers, fashion is an element not to be
ignored. Flowers much in request in one season may meet with very
little demand in another, and it is difficult for the producer to
anticipate the changes which caprice may dictate. Even for the same
kind of flower the requirements are very uncertain, and the white
blossom which is all the rage in one season may be discarded in favour
of one of another colour in the next. The sale of fresh flowers for
church decoration at Christmas and Easter has reached enormous
dimensions. The irregularity in the date of the festival, however,
causes some inconvenience to growers. If it falls very early the great
bulk of suitable flowers may not be sufficiently forward for sale,
whilst a late Easter may find the season too far advanced. The trade
in cut flowers, therefore, is generally attended by uncertainty, and
often by anxiety. (W. FR.; J. WS.)