122 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
handled in a way that holds their customers from year to 
year. 
Their main office is located at No. i East Park, Rochester, 
N. Y., wherein are employed constantly from twenty-five to 
thirty clerks, bookkeepers, correspondents and stenographers. 
Their Canadian business is handled from a branch office at 
Colborne, Ont., under the management of James McGlennon 
and his son, F. O. McGlennon, who have been with the com¬ 
pany for many years. They have a force of about 1,500 agents 
covering the United States and Canada. 
In addition to their nurseries at Brighton and Pittsford, 
N. Y., they are largely interested in the Alabama Nursery Co. 
at Huntsville, Ala., whose product commands a ready market 
through the South and Southwest. 
Lewis Chase, the president, who was born in Maine, has 
long been a prominent citizen of Rochester and a recognized 
leader in the nursery business. C. H. Perkins, the vice-presi¬ 
dent, is a resident of Newark, N. Y., and is engaged in the 
banking business, in addition to his nursery interests, and 
gives his personal supervision and attention to the large green¬ 
houses and propagating houses and grounds located at Newark, 
in which are grown this season over 400,000 roses, 75,000 
clematis, 300,000 shrubs, besides other sto k. 
William Pitkin, secretary and treasurer, a native of this city, 
devotes his time and attention specially to office affairs, and, 
in addition to his connection with the company, is secretary 
of the Eastern Nurserymen’s Association, and a director of 
the Central Bank of Rochester. 
The company is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, 
(and represented in its board of trustees by Mr. Pitkin), and 
of the American Association of Nurserymen,, and other trade 
organizations. 
Henry J. Peck, the fourth director, gives his personal atten¬ 
tion to the large plantings of the company located in Brighton. 
He has been a nurseryman since boyhood and his connection 
with the company dating back to 1870, adds largely to the 
experience and skill at its command. 
THE FIRST NURSERY SALESMAN. 
R. Blair, Rochester, N. Y., writes to the Florist's Exchange 
as follows : “ In 1846 I came to Monroe County, N. Y., and 
engaged with a new firm to superintend a nursery in Penfield, 
N. Y. Soon after I commenced in Penfield, I thought I would 
like to engage with Messrs. Ellwanger & Barry. I went to 
Rochester, a distance of seven miles, and secured a fine saddle 
horse to ride up to see the firm and ascertain if I could get a 
situation, but, to my surprise, there was no opening for me. I 
learned afterwards that I put on too much style, and I thought 
so myself when I came to think of riding a fine saddle horse 
in looking for a place to work. However, Mr. Ellwanger gave 
me a word of encouragement by telling me if I would call next 
spring he would give me a situation if there was an opening 
I made a memorandum of the agreement at once. This was 
in the fall of 1848, and I went to Ellwanger & Barry’s office 
March, 1849, and engaged with that firm, but not for any par¬ 
ticular branch of the business. I was there only a short time 
when they engaged me to sell trees and plants in the street in 
front of a store in Rochester, and I did a good paying busi¬ 
ness—at least I thought so. 
“ When the spring sales ended, the firm asked me if I 
thought I could sell trees on the road. I fell in with the sug¬ 
gestion at once, as I thought it would be nice business. I 
finally packed my grip in the latter part of May, 1849 ; I do 
not remember the date. The nursery catalogue was then a 
very small affair ; I took one with me and started east as far 
as Geneva. I began to get very nervous, and did not know 
whether I would call on some one or go home. Finally I 
made a commencement by calling at a new house where they 
did not have any trees. I got a small order and that gave me 
encouragement to look for the next order. I made a thorough 
canvass between Geneva, Albany, Troy, and Saratoga, and up 
the canal to Oswego, and with the lack of knowledge I had in 
taking orders, without considering how they would be delivered 
—it required all the men at the nursery to make the delivery. 
I then made up my mind that the work must be more syste¬ 
matic, and afterwards all my deliveries were made by myself 
and local agents. I continued on the New York Central Rail¬ 
road and the New York & Erie, before the Erie Railroad was 
built, for about two years, then I went west into Pennsylvania, 
Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois, and continued 
in the business for about twenty-seven years. 
“’ There are many interesting incidents that I might relate, 
if I had the time. I will, however, say that before I gave up 
the business the hotels and country roads were alive with tree 
venders, many of them reliable men, but by far the greater 
number were not what they should be. However, I had the 
advantage of the high standing of the firm I represented. 
About the first question asked was, ‘ What firm do you repre¬ 
sent?’ My answer was always ‘Ellwanger & Barry.’ That 
was enough ; I got the order. 
“ I have always believed that I was the first man in America 
to canvass on the road as a salesman for the sale of nursery 
stock.” 
FOREIGN APPLE MARKET. 
George Cochrane, of Boston, a well-known exporter, says of 
early October shipments of apples to England : “ It is gratify¬ 
ing to note that all well-conditioned parcels of Baldwins, 
Kings, 20-ounce, Hubbardstons and like varieties have re¬ 
alized fairly good prices and brought from $2 to $2.65 for 
Baldwins ; Hubbardstons $2.50 ; while Kings have brought 
from $3 to $4.25. Out-of-conditioned parcels have ranged all 
the way from $1 to $2. The foreign markets have been 
greatly influenced by the prospects of enormous arrivals from 
this side which, with the poor landing condition of the early 
arrivals, have probably forced prices at or near to the mini¬ 
mum. 
While it is imprudent to look for anything else than a very 
low range of prices for the next month or two, it must not be 
forgotten that the shipments that have arrived out and met 
these low prices were largely due to the unsuitable varieties, as 
well as a low standard of quality in matter of selection, and 
,that with shippers realizing, as most are, the importance of 
sending only the largest and finest fruit, it is reasonable to 
look for a fairly healthy condition of markets for such fruit. 
It is simply out of the question for parties to attempt to 
ship to foreign markets that are at distances that make the 
freight into Boston over 40 cents a barrel as long as ocean 
rates of freight from the seaboard are above 65 cents a barrel.” 
