FLORICULTURE (from Lat. floss ;lower + culture, cultivation, from colere, to cultivate). The cultivation of plants for :esthetic purposes. In its widest sense floriculture embraces the growing of plants in windows, as well as in greenhouses and gardens. and some of its phases are closely linked on the one hand with arbori culture, and on the other with landscape gar dening (qq.v.). In floriculture plants are grown for their individuality; in landscape gardening for their effect in the landscape picture. From early times flower-growing has been practiced in all civilized countries, but its development as a business of commercial importance. especially in America, is of comparatively recent date. Commercial floriculture in the United States is scarcely a century old; but its progress has been steady, and during the last half of the nineteenth century very rapid. In 1825 there was scarcely any capital invested in greenhouses and gardens, except for the pleasure of the owners; in 1899 there were about 9000 com mercial florists' establishments having an aver age of 2500 square feet of glass each (an area that in 1825 would have been considered very large), or a total of 22.500,000 square feet.
The estimated value of these establishments was 50 cents per square foot. or a total of S11.250.000. The value of the output was about •22.50n,o0o. The retail value of cut flowers was estimated at $12.500.000. apportioned as follows: Roses. 86,000.000; carnations. $4.000.000; vio lets. $750.000; chrysanthemums. $500,000: lilies and miscellaneous flowers. $1.250,000. The retail value of the plants sold was estimated at $10. 000.000. See artieles OD flowers mentioned above. Consult: Henderson, Practical Floriculture (New York, 1'487) ; Hunt, lace to Grow Cat Flow ow (Terre Haute, 1893) ; 'raft, Greenhouse Man ayonent (New York. 1898) Scott, Florists' Manual (Chicago, 1899) ; Bailey, Cyclopedia of American Horticulture (New York, WOO).