2^(1 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
S('iiS('. sluHild Ihcy buy our producis al b‘ss Ibaii (‘osl, and 
al a li'ss prict' lliaii w (' w ill S('ll IIkmu Io IIk' liad('? \\ (' 
paid Io niiu' (*('nls (Nudi lor appb' liaM's llu' past 
s('asoii. plus llu' rroi^hl and bo\('s. and llu' same' (iiau sold 
llio sauK' ”rad(' of t |•('(^s Io l)('pai l ukmiI store's w bo r('laib'd 
Iboiii oM'r lb(' (‘oiiidf'r al b'u <*('uls ('a(*b. lbr('(' I'oi’ Iwa'uly- 
li\(> (‘('Ids. Of (*ours(', llu'y ar(' ^lad to, aud cau S('ll 
llu'iii (*boap('r Ibau w Ilu'ir luoiu'y is probably iuvoslod 
Ibirly days or loss, aud il' llu'y ob'aii up Iwo |)('r o('ul. it is 
”• 00(1 busiiu'ss. If w (' could luaki' lw('uly-four per ocul. 
a year oil our iu\ ('sIuk'uIs. Ibiuk wo would lu* salis(i('d, 
but a^aiu, llu' (pu'sliou. w by is Iboir luoiu'v boiler Ibau 
ours, aud w by sboubi Iboy buy stock al loss Ibau regular 
lrad(' rail's? TIu' uursi'ryiuau's iuvc'sluu'uls, ('vou iu 
OIK' yi'ar si'i'dliu^s is looki'd u|) a year, ou uiosl fi'uil jiro- 
diK'Is b(' looks up oa|)ilal. two Io four years aud on many 
oriiaiiK'iilal ])roduots slill lou^i'r liuu'. and can make but 
OIK' I urn-over in oik' Io six or more years. 
Tak(' our di'ai' old fio'iid ‘‘Surplus.” A nolo in a lalo 
Iraib' papi'r says ”10.000 li'i'i's sold at Western New York 
point Io b(' shipped Io Lon^’ Island and deliveia'd to ens- 
loiiK'rs at t('n ei'iits ('aeb.” Car loads of good trees No. 
1 in all w ays, w ('rc' loaib'd in ears. sbi])[)('d hundreds of 
uiib'S. loadi'd on wagons and pc'ddled onl Io planters al 
l('u ei'nls ea(*b Ibe past spring. Will not every purchaser 
who bouglil al the above jn'iec'. think in the future that 
oM'iy nurseryman w ho asks him a fair price is a robliei'? 
W(' can all tiguri' on about bow tlu' grower of the stock 
Ibal was sold as abovi' ('anu' out. Il(' lost money, but 
bow (*an matti'rs Ik' improvc'd? If tlu' grow er lias late in 
IIk' si'ason. say bO.()()() jii'acb b'ft in bis cellar with no 
(b'lnaud. and g('ls an olTcr of say -fit).00 per 1.000 that 
lu'lps him out of tin' bob' -fbOO.OO. and most of us are so 
built Ibal w (' w ill grab IIk' if^bOO.OO, in s])ite of the fad 
Ibal W(' know^ the trees will Ik' sold to ])lanters at a jirice 
away Ix'low IIk' cost of jiroduetion and probably injure 
IIk' markel for our ow n aud all otlu'r nursery products in 
IIk' future yi'ars lar mori' than Ibe small gain made. 
Crobb'in after probb'in. and real trouble after trouble, 
migbl 1k' enumerated, but we have talked and written 
and r('solul('d and eombim'd for these many years and 
gone boiiK' Io (*ul prici's and do busim'ss in the same old 
way. SoiiK' liiiK's we bavi' startl'd out resolved to kei'j) 
our plaiiliugs al a reasonable amonni. to bold our stoek 
al a relasonable jiriee Ibal would alTord a fair margin of 
prolil or burn it iiji. but how soon our good resolutions are 
as Ibe dew on a sunshiny morning, or if w e hold tbroiigb 
a season, we lind that one man “cannot live unto himself 
alone” and that it takes more than one individual to cor- 
ri'el Irade abuses that have existed for years. 
We may as well ri'alize that all. or practically all of 
Ihese things from which we sutfi'r. and about whieh we 
I'omplain are of our own introduction and making, and 
Ibal if Ibey ai'c I'M'r corri'ctcd. we ari' Ibe only ones who 
ean do it. At the same time, we ari' always prone to 
think that Ibe other fellow’s business is not as jieculiar 
as oui‘s, that Ibey can correct abusi's. ado])t better meth¬ 
ods and make money far easier than thi' nui'servman. I 
doubi il. llaM' even heard ])ainters recently complain 
of biltei' I'ompelition. There ai’e about 250.000 business 
C()i’|)oi‘ations iu the eountiT. 100.000 have no net income. 
00.000 make less Iban $5000.00 a year, and only 60.000 
maki' $5000.00 and over annually. Now" I believe that 
any man who has successfully established a nui-.sery 
business is of more than the average intelligence, al¬ 
lbough he is jirobably a born gambler. Our problems 
are large, our investments are threatened, but there is 
surely a w ay out. Such a country as ours is bound to 
use both fruit and ornamental stock in ever increasing 
(luanlilies for any average number of years and planters 
ai'e perfectly willing to pay for what they want, a price 
that will allow" the growler a fair profit, but as long as 
they are olTercd slock at ten ceids by one man, and any¬ 
where from lifteen cents to $1.00 by others, as long as one 
guarantees stock to grow", another rejilaces at half ])rice 
and the third disclaims all responsibility, after delivery 
to the Transportation company. 
So long in fact that as a trade w"e have no standard 
terms, or grades or ])rices, no selling methods, other than 
to find out w hat the other fellow ’s prices are and cut them, 
no ideas of planting, except if we made money on one 
item this year to largely increase our plantings of the 
same and kill our market as soon as possible, so long as 
we continue to deal wholly as individuals, with no care 
for the success of the otlier fellow, so long as w-e blind 
competition instead of intelligent organizers, so long Avill 
our creditors continue to push us off the map by scores, 
after every period of depression, caused either by bus¬ 
iness, poor growling seasons, low^ prices of fruit, or the 
plantings of our owm products. 
Our only hope is co-operation and standardization, 
realizing that co-operation means at least equality in giv¬ 
ing as w ell as getting. That an accepted standard once 
adopted should be absolutely adhered to. That we all 
have got to give up some pet methods and w ork for the 
good of the trade, as w ell as the individual. 
It is dead certain that no one group can ever raise 
themselves very high by trying to pull another dow n, and 
just as certain that for a few" seasons at least, we could 
much more profitably clean our own house, correct our 
ow n business methods, than to spend the time searching 
for the defects of the other fellow" and trying either to put 
him out of business or induce biin to do business in our 
own w ay, or not at all. 
We must agree on certain standards, we must realize 
that two trees even of the same size and age are not al- 
w ays of the same value. We must have some minimum 
price on standard articles fixed so that both producers 
and })lanters will understand that prices beneath that are 
below" actual value, and that there is some reason, either 
honest or dishonest for such offers being made. We 
must rise or fall together, and honestly educate ourselves 
to co-operate in plantings, methods of sale, value of pro¬ 
ducts, and then altogether educate our customers to know" 
what our standards and methods are, and that in dealing 
w ith a member of the National Association of Nursery¬ 
men they are assured of honest goods, a square deal and 
money back, if not as represented. 
First—Cut all unnecessary expense, but do not figure 
so close on help that stock w"ill suffer, or your blocks pro¬ 
duce second or third grades which should be first. 
Second Fix a fair price so that if the stock sells it 
will give a profit allowing for increased cost of both 
grow ing and selling. 
Third -Stick to your prices. 
Fourth—Do not figure that everybody else is hard up 
