TO OUR PATRONS AND THE TRADE. 
In presenting our Catalogue for the Fall of 1877 and Spring of 
1878, we will state that the demand for Evergreens in past years has 
been mostly for ornamental purposes, and the trade has been prin- 
cipally confined to cities, towns and villages. The general financial 
depression has to a large extent led to the stoppage or curtailing of 
productions by the manufacturers, and has entirely thrown the 
efficient labor of the country out of steady employment. The demand 
for ornamental stock in a great measure but the stock on hand in 
the various nurseries which had been planted for the purpose of sup- 
plying the wants of the cities and villages, continued to grow. The 
result of this state of affairs has left a large quantity of Evergreens on 
hand, of so large a size as to be unprofitable to ship, and which must 
now either be sold to land owners in the immediate vicinity of the 
nurseries, at prices low enough to induce their planting for screens 
and windbreaks, or, where the land is not too valuable, they may be 
allowed to grow on the land they now occupy, for forest and adver- 
tising purposes. 
In view of the fact that there has been but very limited planting of 
small sizes of Evergreens for some time past, to meet the usual demand 
for this class of trees, which will be renewed as speedily as financial 
affairs are adjusted and labor finds remunerative employment — a result 
toward which the present good farm crops and fair prices will con- 
tribute — and in view of the impetus now being given to the planting of 
Evergreens and Larch, etc., for screens, windbreaks, plantations and 
timber-belts, it becomes an important question if the nurserymen 
throughout the country are preparing to meet the probable demand 
for Evergreens for ornamental and other purposes, of such sizes as are 
required by planters, and profitable to ship. 
All our seedlings are handled with the le^ast possible exposure, and 
the packing is done under the personal supervision of the proprietors, 
who have had many years’ experience in growing Evergreens from 
seed, and in packing to ship safely over long routes, when no extra- 
ordinary detention occurs. And we would also call the attention of 
those nurserymen who design importing Evergreen Seedlings, to the 
fact that we have had costly experience in importing such stock, and 
would represent that American nursery-grown Evergreen Seedlings are 
more sure to live, making a better growth the first season, and in the 
end give better satisfaction to the nurserymen and to tree-planters. 
Our small sizes (6 inches or less) of seedlings we only recommend 
to nurserymen, or to those parties who will bestow the same care and 
attention in handling, planting and shading, as is given by experi- 
enced gardeners. Our Seedlings, 6 inches and more in height, are safe 
to plant in nursery row, and will at the end of twm or three years 
make nice trees, suitable for forest plantation or ornament. Many of 
our once transplanted Seedlings will make good ornamental trees, and 
many of them may be at once planted where they are to permanently 
remain. 
