The National Nurseryman. 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK. 
Copyright, 1893, by the National Nurseryman Publishing Co. 
VOL. III. ROCHESTER, N. Y., MAY, 1895. No. - 
SPRING SALES. 
Reports from Various Points Regarding 
the Season’s Trade. 
Season two weeks ueiiinu—Retail business holds its own, 
WHILE WHOLESALE BUSINESS IS INCREASED—SATISFACTORY' RE¬ 
TURNS IN MOST CASES—GENERAL EXI’RESSION OF FAITH IN CON¬ 
TINUED REDUCTION OF SURPLUS STOCK AND CONSEQUENT ADVANCE 
IN PRICES—The abuse of yvholesale lists—Trade i’articu- 
LARLY ACTIVE IN THE WeST—ENCOURAGING OUTLOOK FOR FaLL— 
The situation in Canada—Sales reduced in the South. 
Reports from packing grounds throughout the country 
indicate at least the usual amount of trade in most places 
and in many instances a material increase. Wholesale 
trade has been livelier than retail. The reduction of 
surplus stock has continued and in the opinion of the best 
judges the outlook for the nursery business is favorable. 
Following are reports from the main centers: 
IN THE EAST. 
Cambridge, Mass, April II.—E. L. Beard, president of 
the Shady Idill Nursery Co., said to-day: “The season 
being at least two weeks behind that of last year, orders 
have been kept back during March, but with somewhat 
warmer weather, the usual spring activity begins to 
assume a normal form. 
“ 1 here is every prospect that the amount of business 
will run as large as last year which was the worst known in 
this section for many years, and there is a prospect that 
’95 will be a grain better. The natural explanation for 
the present steadiness of the nursery business in the New 
England states, is that ornamental planting is largely on 
the increase, and the demand for all kinds of ornamental 
stock bids fair to grow greater each year. The demand 
for fruit is also on the increase, and farmers seem to be 
enlarging their planting of all kinds of fruit. 
“The worst feature in the nursery business is the 
abnormally low prices which the nurseryman secures for 
. is stock. Nothing like it was ever known. It is largely 
due to the nurserymen themselves, who seem to have lost 
their head, and their grip. In this they are their own 
worst enemy. Wholesale lists are sent to retail buyers, 
indiscriminately ; stock is offered to retail buyers at less 
than wholesale prices; the tree agent gets his stock at 
any price he chooses to offer, and in the general scramble 
for bu?iness the nurseymen seem to forget that with more 
firmness and courage they could maintain prices, at a 
paying level, instead of throwing open their business to 
the mercy of every buyer who has been educated within 
a short time to think that nursery stock is worth just 
what the buyer chooses to give for it. One cannot predict 
where it is to end, but none the less it is a disgrace to the 
nursery trade. The large nursery interests of this country 
are not so antagonistic to each other, but that they might 
combine against this sort of wrecking, and to a large 
extent, protect themselves from the modern cut-throat 
style of business. Every nurseryman who does any busi¬ 
ness knows this to be a fact but few are ready to speak 
out frankly about it. It is about time they did.” 
Reading, Mass., April II.—Jacob W, Manning, Jr.: 
“ The spring opening of trade is rather slack owing we 
believe to the prevalent cold weather. Doubtless we 
shall have fair to good trade, though it will be unusually 
hurried by the probably advanced season.” 
West Chester, Pa., April 9.—Hoopes, Brother and 
Thomas: “ We are still in the midst of our spring pack¬ 
ing and of course, know nothing as to the outlook next 
autumn ; but we have no doubt before the spring is over 
all of the surplus nursery stock in this vicinity and else¬ 
where will be gone and we know of nothing to complain 
of except that prices are not remunerative and if a change 
does not take place in that direction, we think that in the 
next year there will be many less firms in the business.” 
Morrisville, Pa., April 9 .— Samuel C. Moon : “The 
prospect for spring trade is good, thus far, although it is 
too early yet to speak too positively. The season was 
two weeks later than last year in opening and there is 
always a rush of wholesale orders for the first few weeks. 
We are receiving an encouraging number of orders for 
expensive ornamental stock of large sizes which count 
into money, and we feel encouraged to believe that this 
season’s trade will be at least as good as last spring’s. This 
appears to be the general belief among the nurserymen 
here. I have been very agreeably surprised in finding 
that the general business depression of the last two years 
has not effected nursery trade as seriously as I anticipated 
it would, and as compared with other industries think we 
have no just cause to complain.” 
Bridgeport, O., April 13.—Reid’s Nurseries report 
spring sales as being up to about the regular average. 
The season opened up somewhat late owing to the severe 
winter and sales were slow at the early part of the season, 
but since the middle of March sales have increased very 
rapidly and the indications are that they will be fully up 
to if not more than those of last year. 
