THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
in# an unprofitable order. 
Having once accepted an order treat it like a good sol¬ 
dier does an order from his superior, obey it for all you 
are worth. 
To quote Elbert Hubbard. “Having promised to deliver 
goods by a certain time, do not start the thing a going and 
trust to luck for the rest. Do your own part in full and 
then follow up to know the rest is moving on schedule 
time. Remember that the thing specially promised and 
of special importance needs watching.” 
WHADDYMEAN “THE ATTITUDE?” 
Editor, National Nurseryman: 
Anent your able editorial in the January National Nur¬ 
seryman touching on the subject of sales, it seems to the 
writer that one who lias not had wide experience in sell¬ 
ing nursery stock would, after reading it, have both atti¬ 
tude and altitude. He would surely be “up in the air.” 
That improvement and efficiency can both be injected 
into the retail sales department of the business is scarcely 
open to argument. But that the catalog can be eliminated 
or greatly abbreviated, is a suggestion of doubtful value. 
Reference to the tinker, the tailor, the candle stick maker, 
and the florist simply befog the issue. Goods compre¬ 
hended under the classification suggested by reference 
to the immortal trio are produced in a different way. and 
becauseof their inherent qualitiescan be handled and dis¬ 
tributed to the consumer by methods that would destroy 
the product of the Nurseryman. The florist is the only 
one whose product is in a similar class. The Nursery¬ 
man who wants to adopt the same method of sales, (and 
the plan is feasible) will have to prepare to stand large 
losses on his stock and to advance bis prices to the pur¬ 
chaser to probably more than double present average 
figures. 
But the nurseryman is not lonesome in bis persistent 
use of the catalogue as the chief agency of promoting 
sales. Even the tinker, the tailor, and the candle stick 
maker have taken their cue from him and in many cases 
have abandoned all other methods of sales. Indeed, so 
successful has the catalogue method proven that this 
same immortal trio sold from under one roof in 1914 over 
seventy million dollars worth of their products, every dol¬ 
lar of it by catalogue. And do you know, Mr. Editor, 
that this method which you characterize as a “tremen¬ 
dous expense to the business” has proven itself to be so 
cheap, dependable, and so effective that it has driven the 
peddler from the road and has given the country mer¬ 
chant a permanent pair of cold feet. 
In the nursery business the catalogue method of sales, 
except in very few cases, has never been given a serious 
tiial, and has not been brought to a point of completeness 
and selling efficiency as have mail order catalogues in 
other lines, yet in spite of these deficiencies, in scores of 
cases the nursery catalogue, as we know it, is selling- 
goods at a percentage of expense which no other method 
has yet approached. 
One of the weak spots in the retail sales end of the 
business is the failure of the large wholesale grower to 
hack up the retailer. By this attitude he is both shirking 
a responsibility and neglecting an opportunity of large 
possibilities. The attitude of the average wholesale 
grower is that when the stock is grown, sold, and shipped 
61 
to the retailer and bis check acknowledged bis interest 
in the whole transaction ends. The large producer in a 
very great many other lines helps in a very substantial 
way to create a demand for his goods to such an extent 
that before the retailer puts a dollar into them they are 
advertised so effectively that they are half sold. 
To illustrate, we will again refer to the old firm of the 
tinker, the tailor, and the candle stick maker, and need go 
no lurther back than the last magazine or the morning 
paper to find that the tinker or his successors is buying 
large spaces to help the retailer sell safety razors; the 
tailor is using pages and double pages to assist in the sale 
c*l clothing; and the candle stick maker is buying other 
pages to sell for the retailer Mazda lamps and the like. 
The answer is obvious. There is not one tree or shrub 
now planted where ten should be, especially of ornamen¬ 
tals. It is the opportunity ot the large grower to create 
the demand and supply the stock. In doing this he 
should encourage and help the retailer to issue more and 
better catalogues, to do more and better advertising. A 
plan of this kind properly worked out and executed 
would double the sales of nursery stock in five years. 
Yours truly, A. B. Morse. 
OHIO NURSERYMEN’S ASSOCIATION 
The Ohio Nurserymen’s Association * in joint session 
with Ihe Ohio State Horticultural Society held its eighth 
annual meeting at Columbus, Ohio, January 12th and 
13th. 
The following topics were discussed :— 
“Fall and Spring Planting”—W. N. Scarff. New Car¬ 
lisle, Ohio. 
“Replacing Nursery Stock”—A. R. Pickett, Clyde, Ohio. 
“Best Way to Purchase Nursery Stock”—T. B. West, 
Perry, Ohio. 
“Good Will between Nurserymen and Fruit Growers” 
II. S. Day, Fremont, Ohio. 
Much interest was shown in the discussion of the var¬ 
ious papers. The good feeling pervading the meeting 
showed that the most friendly relation existed between 
the nurserymen and the.fruit growers of the state. Even 
in the matter of replacing nursery stock which has so 
often proven a stumbling block. The fruit growers were 
in full accord with the nurserymen in condemning the 
practice of replacing free, believing it to be the cause of 
much indifference and neglect on the part of tin* planter. 
On the second day the nurserymen held a business ses¬ 
sion at the Hotel Vendome. 
Trade was reported fully up to the average, stock in 
good condition and prospects good. It was thought that 
all stock would be in demand at fair prices with the ex¬ 
ception of apples. 
The following officers were elected for the ensuing 
year:—T. J. Dinsmore, Troy. Ohio, President; A. R. Pick¬ 
ett, Clyde, Ohio. Treasurer; W. P. Cole. Painesville. Ohio, 
Secretary. 
William P. Stark, Stark City, Missouri, made an ad¬ 
dress before the Arkansas Horticultural Society, Univer¬ 
sity Experiment Station. Fayetteville, Ark., on the sub¬ 
ject of “Peach Growing.” 
He reports a splendid meeting, great enthusiasm and 
the outlook for spring business very good indeed. 
