We sell stock over a very large extent of territory and fully realize that some kinds 
that are eminently popular in one section are worthless in otliers. To illustrate : The 
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 salesmen offer 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 c^tn make his selec- 
tion of varieties with the same assurance of getting those adapted to his particular 
latitude as one living in our own txjwn. 
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 salesmen call upon the people and obtain their orders by personal solicita- 
tion. For this purpose we aim to employ honorable men who will do justice to both 
our patrons and ourselves. We have our salesmen call early, usually some months 
before the planting season, so as to give every customer ample time to prepare for receiv- 
ing 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 ; conse- 
quently, 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 salesmen. 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 profit- 
able harvest from his orchard can thank a salesman for it. 
When the proper time for digging arrives, April in the spring, October and Novem- 
ber 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 pre- 
viously provided themselves with a box, well lined with straw and of capacity suffi- 
cient to contain 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, which will retain its 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 dispatch 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 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 iissnming all risks of transportation ourselves), 
and if a tree is injured the delivering agent is authorized to make a proper replace- 
ment. 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 sales- 
man the following season. 
