I EARN $20 AN HOUR...RAISING VIOLETS

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I've found that I can growas mentioned before in this article360 plants at a time on a 4 X 10foot bench ... and I can turn my "crop" over four times a year. That's a total of 1,440 African violets a year ... which I sell for $3.00 each ... for a gross income of $4,320.

When I subtract an average cost of 32 cents each for starter plants, 5cents and 2 cents - respectively the pots and plastic sleeves I use, and 1 cent! for the soil mix that goes with every violet (a total of 40 cents per plant, or $576 in all) ... that still leaves me with $3,744. And even when I further deduct the electricity used in growing the plants ($24 a year) plus a reserve for replacement of the fluorescent tubes (another $24 annually) ... I'm left with a net profit of $3,696 per year per 4 X 10-foot table of African violets. Which ain't bad.

Or, looking at the financial picture from an entirely different angle, I find that preparing soil mixes, potting up, watering, and marketing my flowers takes an average of only about 30 minutes a day. That's 182.5 hours a year and 182.5 hours into $3,696 figures out to a rate of pay of about $20 an hour. Which, again, ain't shabby at all ... especially when you remember that I set those hours at my own whim right in the privacy of my own basement. There are worse ways to net $3,696 a year!

GOIN' FOR BIGGER BUCKS YET

Obviously, since I seem to be a long way from saturating my potential market, I can double or triple the above net figure by doubling or tripling the number of violets I raise. That's because I've already taken the time to analyze my customers' preferences, record the varieties and colors (by season) of African violets which sell best here in my section of Chicago, and otherwise "psych out" the local market.

The longer I'm in this part-time business, in other words, the easier it gets to concentrate on exactly the varieties and colors of violets that will bring me the maximum return on my investment of capital, space, and time. Go ye and do likewise.

And if you feel that you need more information about growing violets before you plunge into this business, a check of any good library and/or bookstore will show you that there are several books available on the subject. Probably the best of the lot is Helen Van Pelt Wilson's African Violet Book ($4.95) published by Hawthorne Books, Inc., 260 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016.

HOW TO GROW VIOLETS FROM CUTTINGS

Although you'll find yourself in deep trouble if you try to propagate your own African violets from a Patented strain of the plants, it's entirely acceptable for you to propagate the flowers from any of the unpatented varieties. You'll also increase the profitability of your operation if you "grow yery own" starts, instead of purchase them.

It's not difficult to propagate violets from cuttings. Simply cut a leaf-stem and all-from one of the plants with a sharp knife, place it in a dish, and cover the stem with water. Then keep the stem covered with water and in dim light (on, say, a side bench next to your Illuminated main bench). Roots should begin to form within a month.

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