630 



HORTICULTURE 



May 11, 1907 



NEPHROLEPIS 



Piersoni E^leg^antissima 



TJ:\e Tarryto'wri Fern 



A good stock in all sizes on hand at all times. A splendid seller and 

 money-maker. Large specimen plants, ready for immediate sale : 6-inch at 

 75c and $1.00 each; 8-inch at $1.50 and $2.00 each; lO-inch at $3.00 each; 

 12-inch at $5.00 each; 14-inch at $7.50 each; J 6-inch at $10.00 each. Also 

 fine young stock for growing on, 2>4-inch at $8.00 per hundred. 



F. R. PIERSON CO., Tarrytown-on-Hudson, N. Y. 



thirty-flve packers. A horticultural 

 establishment thus equipped requires 

 systematic organiaiation to cope with 

 the ever increasing demand of the 

 eager plaat-loving public, and, as the 

 pressure and bulk of the business is 

 confined to the short period of spring 

 operations, the strain is severe upon 

 those on whom the responsibility falls. 

 The force must be divided and assigned 

 to the various branches, the heads 

 of each force to assume the responsi- 

 bility for the accomplishment of such 

 work to which he is delegated. The 

 staff must be headed by a manager, 

 vigilant and capable, assisted by an 

 office force of skilled horticulturists 

 who take up the details and carry 

 them to completion, answering all in- 

 quiries of the departments to which 

 they belong. He must be able to an- 

 swer inq;uries on all subjects in horti- 

 culture, and give information leading 

 to same; advise the inexperienced re- 

 garding plants. He must be a fund 

 of information, one on whom the en- 

 tliusiastic amateur can and does diaw 

 freely. He must be in constant touch 

 with his trustworthy and capable 

 heads of each department, who with 

 him formulate plans for the seasons 

 ahead, anticipating the demands which 

 catalog and other advertising mediums 

 might inspire. 



The propagator, a dependable per- 

 sonage, must be capable, one with good 

 judgment in regulating the stock 

 quantities by general conditions and 

 species. Only by close application and 

 years of practice and study, does he 

 become familiar with the wide range 

 of plant conditions and the care of 

 same, observing through all his work 

 that careful labeling is imperative. He 

 is to propagate in such quantitia| as 

 the manager may direct. 



The packing department is an im- 

 portant one. While the order clerks 

 may do their work carefully and to all 

 appearances completely, yet the pack- 

 er must again check up before he 

 finally packs for shipping. He must 

 use judgment as to the duration of 

 transit and pack accordingly, to guard 

 against weather conditions at destina- 

 tion and in transit, to pack consist- 

 ently light to save heavy transporta- 

 tion charges. After he is through he 



passes the case or cases over to the 

 shipping department, after making a 

 record, marking date and time of his 

 release of said packages. 



The shipping department must be 

 under the supervision of one who 

 knows how, when, and where to ship, 

 1st by the most expeditious and 

 cheapest route; 2d, at a time when 

 safe against severe weather; 3d, to a 

 point most accessible to the consignee. 

 He is to be provided with the latest 

 shipping guides, and be in close touoii 

 with carrying companies so as to keep 

 himself informed of the most expedi- 

 tious routes. Thus it requires one of 

 keen scrutiny regarding shipping 

 rules and conditions, so that the 

 perishable stock he delivers is prompt- 

 ly and safely transported to destina- 

 tion, carefully marked and certificate 

 of inspection of State Entomologist 

 attached. The modern horticultural 

 establishment should have a corps of 

 travelers, who have a knowledge of 

 the stock besides their catalog in- 

 formation, they must anticipate the 

 wants of their patrons, knowing the 

 special line of each one. They should 

 be practical plantsmen, and in all 

 their transactions advance the integ- 

 rity of their house. 



The catalog of the modern horti- 

 cultural establishment is now an in- 

 dispensable medium, finding its way 

 into the remote corners of the globe. 

 It is the feature on which the mail 

 trade depends as well as that of the 

 customers who are within reach. This 

 medium must be new every year and 

 full of information in order to appeal 

 to the prospective buyer. Since the 

 half toning process from photography 

 gives such real reproductions, the 

 plant catalog, like the magazine, be- 

 comes a household pleasure and must 

 be in the hands of the patrons early 

 enough to be consulted before the 

 close of winter when open air work 

 is being eagerly anticipated. The work 

 of compiling this volume must be in 

 the hands of one who has practical 

 experience in all departments, as in- 

 formation given through a reliable 

 catalog is taken as authentic. It has 

 become as much of an educator as the 

 horticultural magazines, and must 

 therefore be resplendent with new 



matter and illustrations. As photo- 

 graphy enters largely in its compila- 

 tion, a fully equipped department must 

 be provided to observe every oppor- 

 tunity through the seasons for the re- 

 production of new features. The one 

 having all catalog matter in charge 

 should also provide the advertising 

 matter fresh and varied for the trade 

 papers and other mediums. 



I have touched only superficially on 

 the subject of equipment and organiza- 

 tion, and have only cited that of the 

 plant producing industry. A large, if 

 not the greater part of those engaged 

 in commercial horticulture are inter- 

 ested in the cut flower growing. Near 

 the busy marts of this country and 

 of Europe are to be found extensive 

 glass structures which find, ready mar- 

 ket for their immense product. These, 

 too, are almost entirely given up to 

 specialties, such as are best suited to 

 soil, climate and conditions of their 

 locality, and to these all forces are 

 concentrated. I have visited some of 

 these establishments in the East, and 

 note from the excellent system adopted 

 and the success achieved, that it is en- 

 tirely through ])roper organization and 

 up-to-date equipment. The structures 

 are modern in every detail. The force 

 is divided into sections and to each 

 of these is allotted the care of a block: 

 the cutting, packing and shipping is 

 in care of experts who through long 

 experience have learned to confine 

 their efforts to types and varieties 

 susceptible to the greatest improve^ 

 ment under intense cultivation. It is 

 true, also, that the quality of the 

 produce from improved varieties has 

 greatly increased the demand and en- 

 gendered a wider taste. 



Proper organization is essential to 

 the economical and successful opera- 

 tion of a modern horticultural estab- 

 lishment, more especially that it does 

 not and should not increase the detail 

 of labor of the management, but he 

 divided among the various heads of 

 departments in whom confidence 

 should be reposed. 



Crops and trees in Barry CJounty, 

 Mo., were seriously damaged by a 

 heavy hail storm on May £. , 



