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Hoover & Smith. Besides developing its own roses, J. & P. searches the world for new varieties, and pays out almost $250,-000 a year in royalties for the rights to grow and sell its competitors' roses. It even gives rivals space in its 17-acre show gardens at Newark, which last year were viewed by 600,000 visitors.
In the highly speculative business, Charlie Perkins sometimes loses a bet. He turned down a chance to buy a French origination called Mme. A. Meilland. U.S. Competitor Conard-Pyle bought the rights to it in 1945, called it the Peace rose and made it a bestseller. Perkins countered by developing the Fashion rose, made it such a fast seller that this year he will gross $410,000 from it alone. "In the rose business," says Perkins, "the name is the thing." He once bipartisanly named two roses Al Smith and Herbert Hoover. After the 1928 election, sales of the Smith died, after 1932 the Hoover withered—but not for good. Lately, Hoover's reputation as an elder statesman caused the Hoover to bloom again.