U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE R. P. LAMONT, SECRETARY

0v .$,BUREAU OF THE CENSUS fl W. M. STEUART, DIRECTOR

FIFTEENTH CENSUS OF THE UNITED STATES: 1930

HORTICULTURE

STATISTICS FOR THE UNITED STATES AND FOR STATES, 1929 AND 1930

PREPARED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF WILLIAM LANE AUSTIN CHIEF STATISTICIAN FOR AGRICULTURE

BUREAU. ~ ;r- C -i.G H,-

Ut . I H .. '-' - · ·

LIBRARY

UNITED STATES

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE t '"' IL

·-. W•SIUNG'{ON: 1932

ll'or sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. - - - - _ • _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - - - Price 20 cents

REPORTS ON AGRICULTURE AND

THE IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE OF AGRICULTURAL LANDS

FIFTEENTH DECENNIAL CENSUS, 1930

Volume I.-FARM ACREAGE AND FARM VALUES, BY TOWNSHIPS OR OTHER l\IurnR CIVIL DIVISIONS.

Volume II.-REPORTS BY STATES, WITH STATISTICS FOR CouxTIES, AXD A SulDIARY FOR THE UNITED STATES.

Part 1.-THE NORTHERN STATES.

Part 2.-THE SOUTHERN STATES.

Part 3.-THE WESTERN STATES.

Volume III.-TYPE OF FARM-REPORTS BY STATES, WITH STATISTICS FOR COUNTIES, AND A SUMMARY FOR THE UNITED STATES.

Part 1.-THE NORTHERN STATES.

Part 2.-THE SOUTHERN STATES.

Part 3.-THE WESTERN STATES.

Volume IV.-GEKERAL REPORT-STATISTICS BY SUBJECTS.

Horticulture. (One volume.)

Irrigation of Agricultural Lands. (One volume.)

Drainage of Agricultural Lands. (One volume.)

STATES, BY SECTIONS AND GEOGRAPHIC DIVISIONS

THE NORTHERN STATES

NEW ENGLAND DIVISION

l\Iaine Ne-w Hampshire Yermont l\Iassachusetts Rhode Island Connecticut

MIDDLE ATLANTIC DIVISION

Ne-w York New Jersey Pennsylvania

EAST NORTH CENTRAL DIVISION

Ohio Indiana Illinois Michigan Wisconsin

\\EST NORTH CENTRAL DIVISION

l\Iinnesota Iowa Missouri North Dakota South Dakota Nebraska Kansas

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THE SOUTHERN STATES

SOUTH ATLANTIC DIVISION

Dela-ware l\Iarylan!f District of Columbia Virginia \\est Yirginia Korth Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida

EAST SoUTH CENTRAL DIVISIOX

Kentucky Tennessee Alabama 1\1 ississippi

WEST SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION

Arkansas Louisiana Oklahoma Texas

116422

THE WESTER~ ST ATES

l\louxTAIX DIVISION

l\Iontana Idaho Wyoming Color a.do X ew Mexico Arizona Utah Nevada

p ACIFIC DIVISION

Washington Oregon California

Sm :

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

D E PARTMENT OF COMMERCE,

BUREAU OF THE CENSUS,

fVashington, D. C., 111.arch 3, 1932.

I transmit herewith the volume on Horticulture of the Fifteenth D ecennial Census. T his report contains the statistics on horticulture in six sections, as follows: !.- Flowers, plants, and vegetables grO\Vll under glass, and flowers grown in the open; IL-Nurseries; III.- Bulb farms ; I V.-Flower and vegetable seed production; V.-Mushrooms; and VI.-Blueberries (including huckleberries). These statistics were compiled from data obtained by a mail canvass at the 1930 census of agriculture, which was taken in conformity \vith "The act providing for the Fifteenth Census and for the Apportionment of Representatives in Congress," approved June 18, 1929.

The collection and compilation of these statistics and the preparation of this volume were under the super­vision of William Lane Austin, chief statistician for agricultlire, assisted by Mrs. Clara _l\,f. Cox and J. A. Burroughs.

Respectfully, w. M. STEUART,

D irector of the Census. Hon. R. P. LAMONT,

Secretary of Commerce. 3

SUIVIIVIARY OF CONTENTS

Page INTRODUCTION___ ________________________ _____________________________________________ 5

SECTION:

I.-FLOWERS, PLANTS, AND VEGETABLES GROWN UNDER GLASS, AND FLOWERS GROWN

IN THE 0PEK, 1929------------------------------------------------------- 7

II.-NURSERIES_---- -- -- -- - - - - -- -- - - -- -- - - - - -- - - -- - - - - -- -- - - - -- --- - ------- - - --- 53

III.-BULB FARMS-------------------------------------------------~-------- - ---- 87

IY.-FLOWER AND VEGETABLE SEED PRODUCTION___________________________________ 105

·v.-1\fuSHROOMS __ - - --- -- -- - - - - - -- - - - - -- -- -- -- - - - - -- ----- ---- - ---- -- ---- -- -- - - - 115

VI.-BLUEBERRIES (INCLUDING HUCKLEBERRIES)_ - - ------- - - --- --- - - -- - --- - - -- - - - -- 121

APPENDIX-SCHEDULES AND GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS _____ -------------------------------- 125 4

CENSUS OF ·HORTICULTURE: 1929 AND 1930

INTRODUCTION

Scope of the census of horticulture.-This report presents detailedinformationfor the calendar year,1929, on horticulture under six specific sections, as follows:

SECTION !.-Flowers, plants, and vegetables grown under glass, and flowers grown in the open.

II.-N urseries. III.-Bulb farms. IV.-Flower and vegetable seed production . V.-Mushrooms.

VI.-Blueberries (including huckleberries).

The horticultural census is a part of the Fifteenth Decennial Census and was taken at the request of various horticultural organizations and others interested in the industry. The general farm schedule included only two questions on horticulture but the trade desired more extended data with the view of aiding both the individual grower and the entire industry.

A conference, including representatives of trade organizations and trade publications, the Depart­ment of Agriculture, the Tariff Commission, the Bureau of the Census, and others interested in the industry, was held at the Bureau of the Census on April 15, 1930, to determine the advisability of taking a horticultural census by mail. It was not possible, because of this late date, to make this canvass during the regular census of agriculture which had begun on April 2, 1930.

There were 16 organizations represented at the con­ference, as follows: American Association of Nursery­men, American Horticultural Legion of Honor, Ameri­can Horticultural Society, Florists' Exchange and H or­ticultural Trade World, Florists' Publishing Co., Florists' T elegraph Delivery Association, N cw York and New Jersey Association of Plant Growers, New York Florists' Club, Seed World, Society of American Florists and Ornamental Horticulturists, Southern Nurserymen's Association, Tennessee Nurserymen's Association, United States Department of Agriculture, United States Tariff Commission, Washington Florists ' Club , and Wholesale Cut Flowers Protective Asso­ciation.

At this conference tentative schedules were pre­pared and it was decided to appoint an advisory trade committee comprised of representatives of each branch of the horticultural industry to confer with and assist the Director of the Census in taking the horticultural census by mail.

The members of the committee selected by the trade and publication organizations and a represen ta­tive appointed by the United States Departmen t of

Agriculture operated as an advisory committee under the following title: Advisory Trade Committee in Connection with the 1930 Federal Census of Horti­culture. This committee consisted of five members, four of whom represented the industries and one the D epartment of Agriculture as follows: E. L. D. Seymour, chairman, representing florists; William F lemer, jr., nurserymen; ,V. A. Sperling, growers of bulbs; D avid Burpee, growers of flower and vegetable seeds ; and Dr. L . C. Corbett, the United States D epartment of Agriculture.

The 1920 census agricultural schedules showing nurseries and greenhouses, the Horticultural Trade Directory, lists furnished by trade organizations and county agricultural agents, and other available sources were used to prepare the mailing list.

The canvass star ted on August 13, 1930, and ap­proximately 93,000 first requests with instructions for preparing the reports were mailed to all growers on the mailing list , this request was followed by 61,000 second requests, 35,000 third requests, 26,000 fourth requests, and 20 ,000 fifth and final requests, to all delinquents at the time the different. requests were made. Lists of delinquen ts were also mailed to members of the advisory committee and to trade associations requesting their cooperation in securing complete returns. Assist ance in Denver and else­where in the State of Colorado was given by the local representative of the Bureau of Foreign and Domes­tic Commerce of the United States Department of Commerce.

While every effort was made by the Bureau of the Census to secure a complete canvass so that the statistics would be of the greatest value to the trade, a number of establishments canvassed failed to file returns.

An extensive correspondence was necessary to obtain additional information for incomplete reports. It required considerable time to edit the reports and tabulate the data. As the statistics for each State were completed, press releases for all branches of the industry were issued showing the principal items re­ported. After publishing the preliminary data for the States a press release for the United States was published.

This report gives the information for all items called for on the schedules used for the horticultural canv-ass, and while it is not claimed to be a complete report for each branch, it is representative of trade conditions in the United States and can readily be interpreted by trade associations, trade papers, and others interested in the industry.

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