THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
97 
Nursery stock, with the exception of some blight on apple, is looking 
well, and has made an excellent growth.” 
Osage, Ia.,> August 15.—Gardner & Son: “Our sales for fall ’96 
will run from thirty to forty per cent, larger than last season, but we 
are pushing them two hundred per cent, harder than we did at that 
time. Times are very slow and many retail firms near here have no 
men in the field at all. Nothing but extra strong men can do business. 
Our men are all on salary and each gang is under an efficient foreman 
who weeds out all poor orders and keeps the men hustling. The out¬ 
look for spring ’97 under ordinary circumstances would not be flatter¬ 
ing, but we expect to increase over last spring if such a thing is pos¬ 
sible. If we can keep sound money in the coming campaign, we 
anticipate no trouble in doubling our sales, but if free silver prevails 
we will have to work hard to come up with last season.” 
Waukee, Ia., August 20.—John Wragg & Sons Co.: “ Orders are 
coming in for fall in a very satisfactory way ; perhaps not quite equal 
to last year’s sales at this time. Local nurseries are not early buyers, 
so it is hard to judge how much stock they will use. We are of the 
opinion that the present season’s sale to jobbers and local nurseries 
will hardly equal that of last year. The fine planting season last spring 
and the good apple crop are stimulating features, and we are prepar¬ 
ing to do about our usual quota of business. Sales of our new Stod¬ 
dard plum threaten to exhaust the supply and our new hybrid rasp¬ 
berry, the Redfield. is fast taking a leading place for a red berry in the 
West on account of its hardiness and productiveness. 
“ We appreciate the reports in your valued journal and should have 
written sooner, except for absence from home.” 
KANSAS. 
Ottawa, Kan., August 15.—Brewer & Stannard :—“ Up to date we 
have about the same amount of sales that we had a year ago at this 
time, not quite so large a sale for fall delivery, but more for spring. 
There seems to be a growing tendency for spring planting in our terri¬ 
tory. There is not more than one-half the apple in the western country 
to go on the market this year that there was last year, and plum are 
way short of last season, and not as many pear, cherry and grape, and 
with the good crops in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma, as 
well as Iowa, we believe all the stock in this territory will be taken up, 
and a call for heavy shipments from the East. 
“ A word about presidential years. Our books show an increased 
sale during the three of the last four presidential years, over each year 
before and after, and we believe our sale this year will be better than a 
year ago.” 
Fort Scott, Kan., August 13.—A. B. Combs, assistant secretary 
Hart Pioneer Nurseries: “We have managed pretty well through 
correspondence and personal observation while on the road to familiar¬ 
ize ourselves with the general prospects for sales this fall and next 
spring and so far as our firm is concerned individually, think we will 
manage to obtain our usual amount, both in wholesale and retail. 
We are receiving some very good inquiries now for wholesale bills and 
while our agents’ reports do not aggregate as much in dollars and cents, 
still we have more men on the road to offset this, so we have no fears 
that we will not do the same amount of business as we did last year. 
We have had frequent showers in this locality and all of our stock 
without a single excc ption is looking very fine and is making a very 
satisfactory growth. Our peach and apple especially are way above 
the average.” 
Sedgwick, Kan., August 11.—The Sedgwick Nursery Co.: “ Our 
sales up to date are better than last year and we anticipate an increase 
in both wholesale and retail orders for spring of ’97 over previous 
years. ” 
Ottawa, Kan., August 10.—A. Willis : “Trade with me has been 
about the same as last year. The last week it has run a little light and 
is likely to continue to do so, I think. It has run better so far this 
season than it seemed reasonable to anticipate at the beginning, as 
politics is absorbing the attention of our people in a considerable de¬ 
gree. Sales are hard to get and yet this is a true planting country and 
a large amount of trade for fall and spring is bound to be done and we 
feel confident we shall be able to get a reasonable share of what is done 
with this business, as in other lines times are close and the people 
cautious about buying ; but hard work has in the past and I think will 
in time to come bring profitable results.” 
Lawrence, Kan., August 10.—A. C. Griesa & Bro.: “Up to July 
15th our sales were better than last year at that time, though at harvest 
and threshing season there is always a shrinkage. The outlook for the 
remainder of the year is good. We are confident that by April 1st, 
1897, all stock of commercial sorts will have found a market. We see 
no reason for any decline in the wholesale price of last spring. 
“We feel sure that for various causes, the amount of No. 1 stock on 
the market and to be offered, will be much less than last spring, while 
the planting will be the same if not better. Crops of all kinds are 
good ; and the fruit crop the best paying of all. Consequently there is 
no|other conclusion. With a knowledge of existing conditions, we are in 
a hopeful and confident mood.” 
Topeka, Kansas. August 19.—L. R. Taylor & Sons: “We find 
sales come rather hard this fall, however they compare quite favorably 
with last fall. We look for quite an active market the coming spring. 
We think this season’s sales will average about the same as last year, 
light in the fall and heavy in the spring.” 
NEBRASKA. 
Freemont, Neb., August 11.—Fields & Bryant: “Our retail sales 
have not been as good as last year. Bills run smaller this year than 
ever before and it cuts down the aggregate of our sales nearly one- 
third. Light crops the last two years is the principal cause, but if the 
present prospects for corn materialize we look for a good trade this 
winter. 
Crete, Neb., August 10.-—E. F. Stephens: “Concerning sales 
present and past, we think the nurserymen of Nebraska are selling more 
trees this year than last, on the whole. We are, at any rate. Perhaps 
twice as many. Not because sales are easier to make, but because we 
are making double the effort. The crops in the eastern half of the 
state are abundant and sales would be free if it were not for the presi¬ 
dential year. The silver people are sure the state is going to ruin if 
McKinley is elected, and the rest of us are quite sure of unparalleled 
hard times if Bryan is elected. So between the two, there is great 
hesitation in buying. I think the impression is current among most 
business men that if the Republican ticket is elected, confidence 
restored, and capital moves again, then nursery sales for the spring of 
’97 will be 50 per cent, larger than for the spring of ’96. 
“ Fall delivery of ’96 will be very light with all. I think most of 
the salesmen are putting in the bulk of their work for the spring of ’97. 
Nursery stock has made a remarkably large growth this summer, and 
the state is overstocked with apple trees and some other lines of stock 
of excellent quality.” 
Arlington, Neb., August 10.—Marshall Brothers: “Our sales so 
far this season are about 5 per cent, above that of this date in ’95. 
Ratio of fall to spring is about the same.” 
Weeping Water, Neb., August 21.—C. S. Harrison: “Sales are 
about as usual this fall. Our line is Rocky Mountain seeds, trees, 
shrubs and plants. Not so much doing in the fall as spring ; yet orders 
are better than a year ago. ” 
IN THE SOUTH. 
Huntsville, Ala., August 11.—Alabama Nursery Company : “At 
this time our retail sales are one-eighth larger than last year at the same 
time, but owing to the severe drought in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas 
sales in these states have dropped to almost nothing, and if at the end 
of the season our total sales for ’96 are equal to those of ’95 we shall be 
satisfied. Our spring business here is very light, the bulk of our busi¬ 
ness being for fall delivery.” 
Austin, Ark., August 14.—George P. Murrell: “The season opened 
up very favorably, in this state, Louisiana, Texas and the Indian Terri¬ 
tory, which is the field that I have been operating in this season, and 
for several years past. Last year crops were very fine over the above- 
mentioned territory, which placed people in a better financial condition 
than they had been in for years. My outlook now for collecting this 
fall is extremely gloomy, as the above-mentioned territory has suffered 
for weeks with the most severe drought ever known. My sales are 
larger this year than heretofore, but the outlook now for collecting is 
very gloomy.” 
Denton, Tex., August 14.—Lone Star Nursery Company : “Our 
efforts have been greater than usual this season to sell goods and yet we 
are $5,000 short of last year. Crops very poor here and prospects for 
spring sales are very bad.” 
