Practical Work Experience: 

 A Key Component 



Pioneer Pointers 



Here at UNH, Dr. Paul Fisher (along with oth- 

 ers) is working to promote opportunities 

 for students in the plant biology depart- 

 ment, particularly the environmental horticulture 

 program, to gain practical work experience in the 

 Green Industry as part of our university education. 

 The student here at the keyboard is most fortunate 

 in having been nudged into an opportunity this sum- 

 mer at Pleasant View in Loudon. While this fellow is 

 committed to a future working in the field of flori- 

 culture, he is beginning as a complete novice. So 

 along with the chance to become familiar with aspects 

 of growing and marketing floricultural plants, gaining 

 experience with basic plant care, especially watering, 

 was an important part of the experience. 



Beginning by giving me a smaller greenhouse area 

 to tend to and observe the response of plants to tim- 

 ing of watering and other practices, the growers 

 gradually increased the area 1 would be asked to 

 tend to whenever 1 was needed on the watering 

 crew. The expert instruction and patience received 

 from the growers — Rob Farquhar, Stuart Mills, Mike 

 Goyoute, and others — enabled me to make much 

 progress in understanding how to efficiently evaluate 

 the requirements of a group of plants and go at it. 



An additional and very special aspect of the sum- 

 mer work was assisting with the planting and care 

 of display and trial gardens, whereby I developed 

 quite a liking for the ornamental bedding plants of- 

 fered by the Huntingtons. I found using these plants 

 to be much like painting with brilliant colors and 

 living textures. As Jeff Huntington laid out the gar- 

 den with great sweeping gestures, we simply fit the 

 plants into place where they quickly filled the beds 

 with a lovely sight for the eyes. Being such a novice 

 and yet so taken by the use of ornamental plants in 

 the landscape, 1 have a heightened interest in observ- 

 ing plantings of all kinds wherever I go. On a brief 

 recent trip to New York City (my first), we 

 criscrossed our way down Fifth Avenue and ended 

 up at a formal garden at the upper end of Central 

 Park. It was satisfying to recognize some of the plants 

 in the flower beds. In fact, a couple that had been a bit 

 of a curiosity sitting on a greenhouse bench were very 

 nice to see growing in the gardens. 



Having had this summer of practical work experi- 

 ence at Pleasant View, I feel much better poised to 

 make full use of the two years of schooling ahead of 

 me at UNH and am grateful for the oppourtunity. 



Art Cady is a junior in the Environmental Horticulture 

 Program at UNH. 



Savvy Billing 



Alas, the peak of your season has passed and 

 the majority of the plant material has been 

 shipped successfully to the customer. Now you 

 have the arduous task of sending an invoice to 

 the customer and collecting the bill (account re- 

 ceivable) on all those quality plants you grew. 

 After all, collection of payment is the cash flow 

 that pays your operating expenses and provides 

 the return of your investment (profit). 



Have you ever considered the effectiveness of 

 your billing system? Ask yourself the following: 



Is it easy and concise to follow (due date, mini- 

 mum payment due, finance charge clearly stated, 

 etc.)? Before you say, "Yes, of course," have an 

 employee from outside the billing department 

 provide a second opinion. 



Is the bill itemized and does it reconcile with 

 the last invoice sent? 



Does the invoice provide the customer with a 

 phone number to call if there are questions? 



Do you offer incentives to pay early or by a cer- 

 tain date? 



Do you use your bills/invoices as marketing op- 

 portunities for your business a k a marketing 

 flashes — for example, "Don't forget to order your 

 fall mums — we have a size to suit every 

 customer's needs. Place your order today!" 

 Lastly, do you send your invoices promptly? 

 They should be sent within five days of 

 shipment.lt is unfair to expect swift payment 

 from customers if bills are not sent in a timely 

 manner. 



Invest the time in revamping your billing system 

 now. Savvy billing may mean quicker and easier 

 collection of payment. It's worth it. (SW) 



first Pioneer Farm Credit is a farmer-owned 

 cooperative providing financial services to the 

 Green Industry. These include lending, leasing, 

 business consulting, appraisal, payroll, 

 recordkeeping/ accounting solutions, and tax 

 preparation. For more information, contact the 

 Bedford office at 1-800-825-3252. 



OCTOBER. NOVEMBER. 1998 



