AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NURSERYMEN. 285 



loose upon you, and has made you believe your business would go to the denmition 

 bow-wows unless you gave him your good trees at his poor prices. 



Nurserymen all over the country have increased their plantings, stimulated by the 

 price of former years, with no controlable outlet to move off their stock at maturity. 

 Catalogues are going forth with the legend emblazoned thereon: "No agents employed," 

 which is a direct bid to dealers to represent them. And they can't be blamed for 'this, 

 because it relieves the nursery offii-e of a world of bother and trouble to dispose of the 

 stock; and such a business is a pleasure to transact, always provided it can be kept in 

 bounds. These agents, whose only interest in your business is the margin between 

 wholesale and retail prices, have not always talked things just as they are; customers 

 have become suspicious, sales have fallen off, e.xpenses increased, until, today, the man. 

 that can retail 810,000 worth of trees, can earn a better salary than a member of 

 congress. A wild chase has been entered into between producers, the object of which 

 apparently is to see who can sell the most and the cheapest. 



Can not this be obviated? Other goods find their way to market short of such 

 enormous tolls; dry goods are sold away past consumption at an average of less than 1 

 per cent, commission from the wholesaler to the retailer. As between 100 per cent, of 

 labor, land, and expense, invested to net, say 81,000, there certainly ought to be a larger 

 profit to the man that saves 25 per cent, of land, labor, and expense to gain the same 

 81,000. 



The cure for this? That you must work out. The hair of the dog is said to be good 

 for the bite. Reckless, indiscriminate planting must be avoided, cost must be con- 

 sidered, [how many of us can tell the cost when ready for market of our wares?] and, by 

 judicious, careful manipulation, prices brought up to the standard of returns that the 

 grower should receive for his labor and capital. 



This is clearly to the interest of all parties concerned. The dealer is foolish to kill 

 the goose that lays the golden egg; foolish, because, while he may think: "Well, I will 

 make my pile and quit," he will never reform in the world. Once a tree man, always a 

 tree man, until death do part the tie between time and eternity. 



Do not understand me to desire to convey the impression that every nurseryman is on 

 the verge of ruin, and that all have to do business as has been faintly outlined; nothing 

 of the kind. There are scores of nurserymen to whom your financial faith can be 

 pinned with every assurance of safety; but, all the same, they feel the demoralizing 

 effects of this wholesale cutting, and would gladly join hands in any honorable endeavor 

 to control existing abuses. 



Mr. WiLLARD of New York: There is a good deal of tliat whieli is valu- 

 able connected with that paper, and, for one, I trust it will not be allowed 

 to pass without proper discussion. There is not a man in this room, that 

 has been engaged in the nursery business legitimately for years, but ought 

 to be able to appreciate such sentiments. It is a serious question, and one 

 that ought to have careful consideration at this time, and I trust that Mr. 

 Emery has advanced ideas that will provoke helpful discussion, and that 

 thoughts may be brought out that will aid us to come to a careful and 

 thorough solution of this very difficult problem. 



Mr. Emery: I ought to have said, in composing this paper, that it was to 

 nurserymen, not to the members of this association; because, while I 

 respect them very highly, there are very many members of this association 

 who are salesmen and dealers ; they have no special interest in such talk as 

 I have given them. Now, it is not a paper that is calculated to make a 

 man very popular and to add to his sales, but, I tell you, it is God's truth. 

 The nurserymen all over this country have fallen ov^er each other; they 

 have rushed up, anyway to get up; they give away these things. When a 

 man says to me, "Emery, you can have the best apple you have ever seen 

 at two cents apiece, I know that man is going the wrong way; I know that 

 he can not even dig those trees at any such price; I know if he does it he 

 has to rob his laborers. No%v, what T desire is that we look at this thing 

 like men, and either quit doing this kind of business, or go into something 

 else with which we can starve to death with a little more comfort. 



Mr. Douglass of Illinois: It is good to see yourself as others see you. 



