The 
National Nursery^afe 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCKAl 
Copyright, 1893 , by The National Nurseryman Publishing Co. 
VOL. 
ROCHESTER, N. Y., MAY, 1893. 
No. 4. 
SPRING SALES. 
Reports from Various Points Regarding 
the Season’s Trade. 
An increase of business in all sections, with notable 
ADVANCES IN SEVERAL CASES, NOTWITHSTANDING LOW 
PRICES—Stock in good condition—The weather gener¬ 
ally FAVORABLE—Prospect of a vigorous summer 
CANVASS—Spring planting progressing—Details from 
THE PACKING GROUNDS OF HEAVY RETAILERS. 
Reports from the packing grounds all over the 
country indicate that, notwithstanding the low prices 
prevailing, there has been a large increase in many 
cases in the amount of stock handled in the retail trade. 
The busy season has been characterized by the usual 
weather, which in most sections has been very favorable. 
On all the large packing grounds in this vicinity there have 
been the usual busy scenes. The largest grounds are 
centered at East Rochester. 
CHASE BROTHERS COMPANY. 
The largest of the retail shippers at that point is the 
Chase Brothers Company, whose retail output this spring 
aggregated $300,000. This company, conducting the. 
New England Nurseries, was the first to develop the 
canvassing system in the sale of nurser}^ stock. It em¬ 
ploys-nearly 1,000 salesmen through whom it covers 
every portion of the country. The firm of Chase 
Brothers commenced the business of retailing nursery 
stock thirty-five years ago. It was the pioneer in its 
line, and as its business has increased, it has succeeded 
in keeping in the front rank with improved methods and 
facilities. At first it made its headquarters in Maine, 
buying stock from Western New York growers; but as 
sales increased it was found expedient to move the head¬ 
quarters to .Rochester, and now the firm is one of 
the largest growers of nursery stock in Western 
New York. Its plan is to lease pieces of land, instead 
of purchasing them, thus securing strong, fresh soil, and 
a superior grade of stock. Its planting for the Spring 
of 1890 was 3,189,000 trees and plants ; for the Spring 
of 1891, 1,897,000 ; for the Spring of 1892, 3,080,000. 
It now has 750 acres under cultivation. This Spring the 
planting was increased. On July i, 1887, the firm of 
Chase Brothers was reorganized under the corporate 
name of Chase Brothers Company. The officers are ; 
President, Lewis Chase ; treasurer, Ethan A. Chase ; 
secretary, William Pitkin. Mr. Pitkin entered the busi¬ 
ness thirteen years ago. He has had general charge 
much of the time. 
Several years ago Chase Brothers Company purchased 
for its packing and shipping grounds a tract of land at 
East Rochester, comprising six acres, adjacent to the 
New York Central & Hudson River Railroad, and estab¬ 
lished there one of the most complete shipping grounds 
in existence. The stock received from the nurseries is 
trenched in at the south side of the grounds upon either 
side of a wide run-way. The long trenches are labeled 
by means of large sign boards upon tall posts. A force 
of 350 men is employed, and the handling of stock is in 
accordance with a system which reduces liability to errqr 
to a minimum. Experienced foremen direct the work¬ 
men in each department. The stock for each customer’s. 
order is selected, and placed between stakes, where it is 
checked and tagged and removed to the binding ground, 
where it is again compared with the order list. It is then 
placed in a bin, one of a long series, each bin represent¬ 
ing the orders that go to one city or town. These orders 
are again checked from the list for that town and when 
correct the bin is closed upon the inside and opened 
upon the outside where workmen are packing the boxes 
from the bins preparatory to weighing them on platform 
scales near by, and then removing them a short distance 
further to the large platform at the special switch which 
runs from the railroad into the grounds. 
There are six cellars, comprising i 5,000 square feet, 
on the grounds. These are provided with large and 
small bins for the accommodation of tender stock of all 
kinds. In these cellars the handling of stock of this 
kind may begin and continue during all kinds of weather 
without danger of freezing. Other . buildings on the 
grounds are a label house, a large barn, a box factory, 
two dwelling houses and two offices. In the box factory 
300,000 feet of lumber, 3,500 pounds of scrap iron, and 
75 kegs of nails are used each year. Three thousand 
boxes were made up this Spring, and between 600,000 
and 700,000 labels were ordered to be used in addition 
to a considerable supply on hand. The company packs 
daily during the season retail orders valued at from 
$25,000 to $30,000. It sends out 750,000 trees and 
shrubs in the Spring, and 250,000 in the Eall. Chase 
Brothers Company does a general nursery business 
throughout the United States and Canada, and has an 
