THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
better understanding between the two organizations, 
which of itself, if nothing more is accomplished, is well 
worth the time and expense incurred. 
COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATION 
Will iam Pitkin, Chairman of the Committee on Legis¬ 
lation East of the Mississippi River, presented his report. 
This was supplemented by a verbal report of a confer¬ 
ence with Mr. Curtis Nye Smith, of Boston, attorney for 
the seed trade associations, and our Executive and Legis¬ 
lative Committees. 
The result of this conference was a recommendation to 
the Association that Mr. Smith be employed as general 
counsel for our Association, whose duties in substance 
would be to keep informed of proposed legislation at 
Washington and in the various states and advise and 
direct the handling of such legislative matters, to give 
frequent information to members as to the requirements 
of state laws, and to give from time to time to the in¬ 
dividual members of the Association such legal advice 
as they might need in connection with their business. 
Under the reorganization plan of the Association this 
matter was referred to the Executive Committee, and the 
Executive Committee decided that it would be wise to 
make such an arrangement with Mr. Smith, and the de¬ 
tails are now under consideration and will undoubtedly 
be carried out and can be reported on definitely within a 
short time. 
It is felt that under this arrangement it will be possible 
to keep close watch of legislation and that there will be 
other and great benefits to the Association and its mem¬ 
bers. 
A BETTER NATIONAL ASSOCIATION 
Address by J. R. Mayhew, Waxahackie, Texas, before 
the Detroit Convention, June 23rd, 1915. 
I have been directed by your program committee to 
discuss before you at this hour a subject of great 
importance, “A Better National Association,” and 
while I feel highly honored in having been chosen to dis¬ 
cuss a matter of so grave importance, I feel wholly un¬ 
equal to the task before me. Forty years ago, a few 
representative nurserymen met and organized the Ameri¬ 
can Association of Nurserymen, and during all these years 
the very best, the truest, and most loyal nurserymen of 
the country have assembled year after year to contribute 
by their presence and with their money to the general 
good as represented by this Association. When the sug¬ 
gestion is made that the time in our affairs has come for 
certain changes in the organic law of our Association, 
when new methods are proposed to meet changed condi¬ 
tions, it is in no sense of the word a criticism of what has 
been wrought in the past. Those of our beloved members 
who were responsible for the Association met the obliga¬ 
tions of life courageously, unhesitatingly, and with 
statesman-like patience. 
We are not particularly interested in the past except to 
do honor to those who have served us efficiently. We are 
confronted to-day with the present and with the future. 
Each day and each year brings changed conditions, and 
each condition demands a change in methods it met ad¬ 
vantageously. Not only is Ibis true as it pertains to the 
affairs of the American Association of Nurserymen, but 
it is true everywhere else in life. A constitution and by¬ 
laws that were good yesterday, that represented the 
needs of the business then, are obsolete to-day. The fact 
that I have been asked to speak to you on this subject is 
prima facie evidence, at least in the minds of your pro¬ 
gram committee, that certain changes are needed in the 
affairs of our Association. 
It makes little difference how thoroughly we build 
our organization, how carefully we study every word 
that goes into our constitution and by-laws, how perfectly 
our governing law may fit into the condition of the hour, 
our success, after all, or our failure, is very largely an 
individual matter. In other words, we must, as in¬ 
dividuals, realize the obligation of living squarely up to 
the methods adopted by this Association; there must be 
the fullest and frankest co-operation between us, and we 
must, as individuals, be willing to be guided as the As¬ 
sociation. through its officers, may direct. I have stated 
before that the very fact that the question is under dis¬ 
cussion is proof that all things are not well with us. and 
while I believe with all my heart that the spirit of 
optimism is the greatest asset that any man can possess, 
I believe, furher, that we are rather inclined to overwork 
the splendid spirit of optimism. 
A few days ago I received from one of the prominent 
nurserymen of the country a letter that I appreciated very 
much. I appreciated it because it was full of questions 
of the hour. Standing out prominently from all the rest 
was one that caught my eye, “What is the matter with 
the nursery business?” It is not my intention to endeavor 
to answer that question, because every subject on the 
program bears on the question, but it is related to the sub¬ 
ject under discussion and. to that extent. I shall endeavor 
to answer it. I believe that there is not a man present 
who does not earnestly desire to see the American Asso¬ 
ciation of Nurserymen the most efficient possible working 
organization, and I believe, further, that there is not a 
member of this Association who is not loyal enough to 
contribute with his time and money toward the accom¬ 
plishment of this end. Therefore, the only difference in 
opinion between us will come about through methods 
proposed for reaching this particular end. 
Financial Needs 
The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of 
our Association’s needs is money, for I am thoroughly 
convinced that no matter what policies we may adopt, 
our need for carrying out those policies will be money. T 
am not unmindful, too, of the fact that he who proposes a 
plan for raising money, no matter how worthy the cause, 
is an undesirable citizen, but regardless of this fact, most 
certainly we are all of one opinion, that if anything large 
is accomplished by the Association it will take a large fund 
to accomplish it. The American Association of Nursery¬ 
men represents the nursery interests of the L T nited States, 
and when we consider this interest as an aggregate, we 
have before us an investment of a vast amount of money. 
We have been able, during the past, to accommodate tf e 
administration of our affairs to a small amount of expen¬ 
diture, and while we have with a little money accom¬ 
plished much good, none of us doubt but that with more 
money we could have done many things that should have 
