FROM THE BOARD 



Plug into the Future 



Chris Rohargc 



JL n this d.iy ot junk mail, wc\c 

 all received a tlver or rwo which 

 we ne\'er reqiiested. Most are 

 promptlv deposited m the circLi- 

 iar file k)r sate keepini;. A short 

 while ayo, however, 1 receix'ed 

 one such flyer ad\XTtisirm a 

 computer program packat,'e. It 

 consisted ot ,i series ot programs 

 enabling you to create drawings 

 and illustrations, 50 bar graphs, 

 word charts, manuals, reports, 

 and newsletters. Also included 

 was a paint brush program tor 

 color illustrations as well as over 

 600 pieces of computer clip art 

 and a tree mouse (the kind o\ 

 mouse which attaches to vour 

 computer). 1 read the tlyer o\-er 

 a few times to get the gist ci 

 the otter and then set it aside. 

 It seemed to good to be true — 

 all these programs and a tree 

 mouse for $99.90. Plus a 30'dav 

 tree trial period. 



A tew weeks later, while thumb- 

 ing through a computer maga- 

 zine, I noticed one of the pro- 

 grams which had been adver- 

 tised in the flyer. It was just 

 the graphics part of the pack- 

 age, but it alcme sold for ewer 

 $150.00. This raised my curiosity 

 iuid I dug out the tlyer for one 

 more look. Sure enough — it was 

 the same identical program. A 

 little more searching lead me to 

 tind the other programs included 

 in the package, all at substan- 

 tially higher prices. After reading 

 the descriptions ot the programs 

 and comparing the cost, I de- 

 cided to give the offer a trv. 

 Well, to my surprise, the entire 

 package came on time, in one 

 piece, with a simple instruction 

 manual and easy installation 

 procedures. And it did every- 

 thing it said it would. 



And what about the computers 

 themselves.' It you h.iven't 

 priced computers lately, you'll 

 be surprised ,it how things ha\e 

 changed in just the la-t year. 

 .•\ )S6 unit with \'GA monitor, 

 40MB hard drive, 1 floppy disk 

 dri\-es and key board can be 

 tound for $1299.00. Add a 

 printer tor $229.00, a bargain 

 pn:\gram package as described 

 here for $99.90 and you're on 

 your way to designing and 

 creating promotional business 

 material with a protessional 

 look. The Summer and Twilight 

 Meeting Flyers are just such ex- 

 amples. The possibilities are 

 endless and limited only bv 

 vour imagination. 



So what's my [XJint.' Well — 

 to remind us all that there are 

 some good buys out there on 

 computers and computer pro- 

 grams tor the small horticulture 

 business. They can be tound at 

 affordable prices and — better 

 yer — can be operated with very 

 little computer background. We 

 should all take a chance once in 

 awhile, mcive ahead with tech- 

 nology, and update our business 

 resc:>urces. 



So the next time that unwant- 

 ed computer tlyer shows up, 

 maybe you ought to give it 

 a second look, ask a tew 

 questions, and plug into the 

 future. 



Have a great holiday season 

 and see you at the Winter 

 Meeting. 



C/tn.s Rnhar'^ii! is Honicuhund 

 Facilmci mivuii^er, Thompson 

 School of Apphcd Science. 

 UNH. For further information, 



One 



Call 



Gets 



It All! 





iliix .irul (l.'plli ..I 



and a 



iK.rlKultur.il iu-.'(ls Call 1-800- 

 343-3132 K.d.n in discuss li.m 



GrowinR Operaiic 



Brokerage Offices: 



DUCEMBER 1991 /J, 



