US: The rise and fall of Madison's rose industry
Wealthy New Yorkers began to spend summer weekends in Madison, bringing with them a desire for fresh flowers. Immigrants from Italy and other countries followed with some helping to build mansions and others growing flowers.
In 1856, estate owners began to sell their roses commercially turning what had been a hobby into a business, according to Cathie Coultas of the Madison Historical Society, whose family was in the rose-growing business.
Soon growers began to compete with one another, Coultas said, and by 1896, there were 45 to 50 rose growing businesses in Madison, employing more than 200 workers.
The intricate piping allowed the business to produce three million roses annually, harvesting more than 8,000 roses daily at its peak.
"Twenty-five million roses were sent into New York City from Madison in 1948," Coultas said.
Soon though, as roses began to be flown in from all over the world, businesses began to close. Former Madison Mayor Woody Kerkeslager specifically cited Colombian tax benefits for the influx of international roses.
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