leading Northern apple, the Baldwin, is worthless south, while many of our very best 
Southern winter apples will not succeed at all north of the Blue Ridge. 
We are very particular to have our agents offer only those varieties that do the best 
in the section where they are selling. With the care we have exercised in classifying for 
the different sections, a customer in New England or in Maryland can make his selection 
of varieties with the same assurance of getting those adapted to his particular latitude as 
one living in our own town. 
Ours being almost an exclusively retail business, a brief description of our manner of 
soliciting and filling orders may be of interest to our patrons. Experience has taught us 
that the most satisfactory way for both our customers and ourselves, is to have our agents 
call upon the people, and obtain their orders by personal solicitation. For this purpose 
we aim to employ honorable men who will do justice to both our patrons and ourselves. 
We have our agents call early, usually some months before the planting season, so as to 
give every customer ample time to prepare for receiving and planting the stock. The 
orders are sent to us weekly. We at once look them over, making an aggregate of the 
varieties sold, so we can see if any particular sort is likely to be exhausted, and if it is, 
we stop or reduce the sale of the same ; consequently, substituting is something we never 
have to do. Our experience is that not one-twentieth of the trees are planted when 
people are left to order of their own accord that there would be if they ordered through 
soliciting agents. Every one knows how easy it is to procrastinate, and that the majority 
of men will neglect to send their orders direct to the nursery. Many a man who to-day 
is reaping a pleasant and profitable harvest from his orchard can thank an agent for it. 
When the proper time for digging arrives, April in the spring, October and November 
in the fall, we have all the stock going to a particular section dug from the nursery and 
brought to the packing ground, where each variety is trenched in by itself, properly 
labeled. There under our personal supervision each customer's order is filled by itself the 
trees tied in a snug bundle or bundles, and a tag, with the customer's name written upon 
it, attached to the same. From the tier it goes to the packers, who, having previously 
provided themselves with a box, well lined with straw and of capacity sufficient to con- 
tain from 250 to 300 trees, place it therein with other bundles going to the same town. 
As the trees go into the box the roots are sprinkled and carefully covered with damp moss, 
that will retain moisture for weeks, then the whole is pressed tightly in and covered,' 
when it is in condition to be transported hundreds of miles with perfect safety. We ship 
everything in our own name, and having large quantities of freight for the same points 
we are able to obtain safety and despatch in forwarding the same. At every place of 
transfer where there is the slightest possibility of delay, we have an agent to look to the 
.forwarding. 
As far as practicable we deliver the stock at the purchaser's house, thus virtually 
placing our nursery at every customer's door. As a rule we employ reliable local agents 
to attend to the delivery of the stock and the collection of the bills, as it is not possible 
for our salesmen to deliver all of the stock that they sell. 
We agree not only that the stock shall be of first-class quality, but that it shall be 
delivered in good condition, (thereby assuming all risks of transportation ourselves), and 
if a tree is injured every delivering agent is authorized to make a proper allowance. If 
any injury or mistake is discovered after the stock has been delivered or paid for, we wish 
to be notified of it, or have the matter presented to our canvassing agent the following 
season. 
