72 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
are in the South few orchards and few nurserymen who 
make a fair income, because the public is in a sea of ad¬ 
vertising of prices below the cost of production. Some 
catalogues advise planters not to buy of an agent. 
Farmers as a whole would be willing to pay the price 
labor earns if they were not deterred in this way. Any 
man is entitled to a reasonable return on his investment. 
We have 200 salesmen. It costs from 25 to 40 per cent, 
more to conduct our agency business because the men 
have to face a storm of low prices. It is the only trade 
in the United States which is so demoralized We are 
cutting each other’s throats. Th : retail business is the 
life of the trade. As a result, the fruit industry is being 
ruined. I know farmers who are rich men, and yet have 
not a ripe apple for their boys to eat. It is wrong. This 
practice gets things crosswise. We should devise a plan 
for legitimate and honest trade between wholesaler and 
retailer.” 
OFFICERS AND PLACE OF MEETING. 
Mr. Watrous presented the report of the executive 
committee on nominations and place of meeting. These 
officers were suggested : President, Silas Wilson, Alantic, 
la.; vice-president, G. E. Meissner, Bushberg, Mo.; secre¬ 
tary, George C. Seager. Rochester, N. Y.; treasurer, N. 
A. Whitney, Franklin Grove, Ill. ; executive committee, 
C. L. Watrous, Des Moines; Irving Rouse, Rochester, N. 
Y. ; P. J. Berckmans, Augusta, Ga. 
The committee recommended that the association meet 
next year in St. Louis. 
In view of the probable discussion as to place of meet¬ 
ing, the question on the adoption of the report was 
divided upon the election of officers and the place of 
meeting, the latter question first occupying attention. 
Wing Smith, of New York, presented for consideration 
the Thousand Islands as picturesque, accessible, near one 
of the largest nursery centers and an eastern point. A. 
L. Brooke spoke for St. Louis. Thomas B. Meehan sec¬ 
onded Mr. Smith’s motion for the Thousand Islands. 
Mr. Meissner, of Bushberg, Mo., favored St. Louis. 
Mr. Albaugh: “ My idea has been that if there is any 
place in this world where it is cool let us get there, for it 
may be hot in the next. The last two meetings of the 
association have been in the West. We had a full meet¬ 
ing at Niagara Falls. It is a question we ought to con¬ 
sider whether one meeting in four or five should not be 
held in the East so that eastern members may attend in 
large numbers. It is a mistake to think that the eastern 
coffers are full of gold. I believe we ought to give the 
Nutmegers and those in the Green Mountains, in Maine 
and Massachusetts a chance for their white alley. We 
come out here for three or four meetings and imagine all 
the nurserymen are west of the Allegany Mountains. I 
want to know more of those in the East who can sell 
pears so cheap. I think we ought to go and enlighten 
them. I move to substitute the Thousand Islands for 
St. Louis, and when we adopt the amendment and motion 
let us bring our wives and daughters and have one of the 
good old meetings I don’t want to go to St. Louis. 
Let us go and have a good time once in a while and the 
balance of the time we can sweat it out. We can get low 
rates to the Thousand Islands.” 
Mr. Willis: “ I never knew of a meeting of the asso¬ 
ciation in the West. St. Louis is 500 miles east of the 
center of this country. Let us have a meeting in the 
West.” 
Mr. Augustine: “I live half way between St. Louis 
and Chicago. I have objections to going to St. Louis. 
In June it is about as hot there as we experience any¬ 
where. I’ve found it universally hot. I favor Chicago. 
We need not go here and there to act as missionaries. 
We ought to make Chicago a permanent meeting place.” 
Mr. Wirt, Alpha, Ill.: “ Our meetings are mainly for 
business. I disagree with Mr Albaugh who says they 
are for rest and recreation mainly. We all come here to 
transact as much business as we can. Therefore, let us 
go to St. Louis where the attendance will be larger than 
it would be in the East.” 
Mr. Albaugh: “I would refer the gentleman to the 
constitution of the American Association of Nursery¬ 
men, which says: ‘The object of the association shall 
be to promote the general interests of its members in : 
First, relaxation from business; second, the cultivation of 
personal acquaintance with others engaged in the trade ; 
third, the exhibition of fruits, flowers, plants or manu¬ 
factured articles used in the business; fourth, exchange 
and sale of stock.’ He are three ways in which the asso¬ 
ciation proposes to conduce to the pleasure of its mem¬ 
bers, and one little clause at the end referring to business.” 
Mr. Wirt : “ Mr. Albaugh presents the subject very 
nicely, but I notice he has the same lingo with his agents, 
and yet he expects them to seek work and not pleasure 
mainly.” 
Mr. Augustine’s amendment making Chicago a per¬ 
manent place of meeting was defeated ; ayes, 22 ; noes, 
50. The motion to substitute the Thousand Islands for St. 
Louis, President Wilson declared, was lost by two votes 
on a rising vote. The vote was reconsidered upon motion 
of Mr. Augustine, who said he voted for St. Louis. A 
ballot was then taken on the two places suggested. This 
resulted as follows : St. Louis, 60; Thousand Islands, 55. 
The officers as reported were then elected. 
TO PLANT OR NOT TO PLANT. 
The first paper on the programme was one by N. H. 
Albaugh, entitled “ To Plant or Not to Plant.” Mr. 
Albaugh spoke extemporaneously as follows : 
Whether it is better for the average nurseryman to continue to grow 
apple, peach and plum, etc., at a price scarcely covering the cost of 
digging and shipping, or whether it is better for the nurseryman to 
burn all his digging spades and spraying tools, and take up the oxen 
and mules and plows to raise 40-cent wheat, 20-cent oats, 5-cent 
potatoes, and 50-cents on a silver dollar, must give us pause, and cause 
us to consider whether we should rather bear those ills we have, than 
fly to others that we know not of. If the present wholesale prices 
were guaranteed to continue five years, we might better turn our at¬ 
tention to cattle raising in Texas, sheep breeding in Vermont, or peach 
growing in Georgia. But it seems that whenever this question comes 
( Continued, on page 76.) 
