8 
Sherman Nursery Company, Charles City, Iowa 
perience of several generations of nurserymen 
is represented in our packing methods. Our 
packing cellar covers approximately one and 
one-half acres; it is thoroughly insulated and 
provides ideal conditions for handling and 
packing nursery stock. Compare the condition 
of our trees on delivery with the condition of 
the trees from the ordinary nursery and you 
will quickly understand another reason why we 
can say “Our trees are better.’’ 
Thousands of dollars and years of labor have 
been spent in the selection of our trees and 
plants and in their improvement, as well as in 
improving the methods of production, handling 
and packing, that our customers might have 
the best tree, shrub, plant, or vine that money 
can buy. 
General Instructions 
Be honest in your dealings—truthful in your 
statements. Sherman Nursery Company’s stock 
is of the quality that requires no misrepresenta¬ 
tion to sell it. This company has made its ex¬ 
tensive growth through the superiority of its 
stock; honest and fair treatment of its cus¬ 
tomers and the rendering of an intelligent and 
efficient service. You are our representative 
and as such are responsible in a large way for 
the maintenance of the good reputation we 
have established and the further continuance of 
our g’rowth. The public judges a firm by the 
conduct of the men who represent it. The 
good will we have built up is a most valuable 
asset—we expect you to protect it. And by so 
doing, you will be building for yourself that 
same item of “good will” and a permanent and 
profitable business. 
Sizes 
Avoid confusion and misunderstanding by 
confining sales strictly to sizes and varieties in 
your price list. Write sizes in your order blank 
as they are shown in your price list; under no 
circumstances write in a single exact size, such 
as 5 ft., 6 ft., or 18 inches; confine your speci¬ 
fications to the range printed in the list. 
Delivery Season 
Do not promise a definite date for delivery. 
We guarantee to ship at the proper time for 
planting—we cannot agree to ship on any par¬ 
ticular day. 
Delivery Point 
Inform your customers they will be notified 
to call for their stock at some centrally located 
place in town at time of delivery; do not agree 
to deliver goods to premises. Bunch your deliv¬ 
eries so far as possible at some central delivery 
point; avoid making deliveries at every small 
town. As a rule, customers can be induced to 
g'o to your regular delivery station. Don’t 
write orders for delivery to inland (off the 
railroad) towns. 
We Pay Transportation 
The prices quoted in your Price List are for 
goods delivered at the railroad station, trans¬ 
portation charges prepaid. The same rule ap¬ 
plies on express or parcel post shipments. Some 
nurseries make an extra charge of 10% or more 
to cover cost of packing and transportation. 
Stock supplied under our Replacement Policy 
is shipped by express, charges collect. 
Packing 
Every customer’s order is burlapped at heavy 
expense to us to assure delivery of his order in 
first class condition. Large orders are boxed 
with plenty of moist packing material. No ex¬ 
tra charge is made for this feature of service. 
Terms of Payment 
All orders must be taken with the under¬ 
standing that cash will be paid in full at time 
of delivery unless payment has been made in 
advance. 
Premiums for Cash With 
the Order 
The cost of nursery stock is increased when 
it is shipped to the customer’s town or city to 
be delivered by some local party or a regular 
delivery agent, for the reason that this delivery 
and collection plan requires the nursery com¬ 
pany to hire some business man or bank to 
look after the delivery for them. In case the 
delivery is large a man trained in the care and 
handling of nursery stock must be sent to see 
that the customer’s goods are properly deliv¬ 
ered. This means thousands of dollars in rail¬ 
way fares, salaries and other expense yearly. 
If goods are shipped parcel post or express 
C. O. D., there is a charge made for collection 
and return of the money. The handling of 
deliveries and collection by the above methods 
makes necessary an expensive bookkeeping 
system, and a lot of high priced office help to 
handle the thousands of accounts. 
These are the reasons that caused us to adopt 
the plan of CASH WITH ORDER. In adopt¬ 
ing this plan, however, we have also planned 
that the customer who so pays should share 
liberally in the saving which prepayment makes 
possible. 
What We Do for the Customer 
Who Sends Cash With Order 
We allow liberal premiums to all customers 
paying cash with their order. Every salesman 
should carry with him our special premium 
lists. These lists cover a large and varied 
assortment of useful and desirable trees, plants 
and shrubs, and in most instances the customer 
can, by careful choosing, get absolutely free, 
as a premium, stock equal to as much as 20% 
of his purchase. 
In case the premium lists do not carry the 
stock your customer would prefer, allow him 
to choose from your catalog, any stock as a 
premium, equal to 10% of his cash payment. 
We acknowledge to the customer, receipt of 
his order and payment as soon as it is received, 
sending him a copy of the order as booked 
by us. 
If cash payment does not accompany the 
order, we send with the copy, our latest pre- 
