TITE NATIONAL NURSERYAfAN 
3:n 
|)r()|)(‘r j)ers|)(H*tive of the cost of the delivered tree in its 
r<'latioM to voIlmik*. In otlu'r words, if the I'etail pni- 
ehas(‘r would eonx* to oni- nnrs(Mies and buy all tlu' trees 
w<‘ eonid ^now without any sah's elfort on onr part. \\(' 
eonid alford to sidl at a v(‘ry inneh 1o\\(M‘ priec' than \\<‘ 
do. hut retail j)nrehas(‘rs aia* not hnill that way. Wo 
hav(‘ ^’ot to druni. (i^hl. |)lead. driv(\ (‘xhanst printc'is’ 
iid< and eonsiinx* appallin^>' (piaidities of post:i^e in onh'i' 
to eonvine(‘ the eonsuiner that h(‘ needs onr pi'oduet in 
^()Inln(‘. .Now. mind that word, voluim*—nnd(M seor(‘ if. 
h('eans(* W(‘ must hav(‘ voluim' of sah's if we ('xisl. 
Iti^ht th('i'(' is w h(M'e we lose oui‘ vision, in the relation of 
piie('s to volinmx The majority of our ndail sah's ai'(' 
small ()rd(‘rs av(U'af>in^ a f(‘w dollars, and to 
the n(‘e(‘ssary voluim' for our husim'ss it is ahsoluli'ly 
iK'ec'ssary that we shoiddi'r an ('X|)ens(‘ depai'tnu'iit tint 
amounts to more' than tiu' cost of growing and paeking. 
Whetiu'r we employ salesmen or catalogs, or both, the 
expense is unavoidable. In the ease of a salesman, if he 
is any good, he eommands a handsome salary or prolit- 
sharing arrangement; he has to have a ear wbieh uses 
gasoline, pay other heavy exjienses and make two trips, 
once to sell and onee to delivei'; in fact, sometimes he 
goes more than once to sell. There is an overhead ('x- 
jiense. salesmanager, ollice and general expenses; the 
ex[)enses have to be averaged over good years and bad; 
yi'ars when there are wholesale eancellations, and all 
"kinds of eomiilaints and risks that arise in a business of 
this kind. These expenses, I say, are all absolutely 
necessary to volume, and the legitimate retail juices must 
be based on the same, w hether we sell one tree or 1,000; 
w hether w e have a surjilus left at the end of the season 
or not. the per-tree cost is there. 
In that ease, the man, who, having a surplus that he 
wants to unload, or the man w ho for lack of sales organ¬ 
ization (and this is far too often the ease) decides to 
make a hid on cheaj) jirices. so-called “wholesale” prices; 
or the man w ho atteiujits to do a w holesale business w ith 
retail buyers; either can create a disturbance with a very 
small stock in the normal flow ot business that gives the 
w hole industry a not very jileasing aiijiearanee. In the 
long run the consumer does not benefit, because it every 
tree that is to be moved the coming fall were sold on that 
basis, most of the retailers would be bankrujit by next 
sjiring and the w holesalers would soon follow. The es- 
sc'ntial machinery of distribution would break dow n, and 
the fruit and nut-growing industry would soon have lo 
jirojiagate their own stutT or go without. It is tlu' t('W’ 
instanc('s of this kind of jiractice, having an intluenci' 
altog(*ther bevond their actual extent, that kei'jis tin* 
trade' irritated without jiromising any solid relict tor tin' 
ultimate consumer. 
I would not attenijit to say at just what level juice's 
sheudel holel. There are instances where higher juices 
are' askeel anel obtaineel than are justitieel. I eh) met uj)- 
he)lel the ejueeting e)f unre'aseenabh' jerice's, e)i’ eef maintain¬ 
ing an e'labeerate' sales system carrie'd een feer the j)urj)e)s<' 
e)f Sj)litting jereelits teee) many ways. Ne'ithe'r eh) I agie'c 
with the* j)lans in seeme' (juaile'i's eef e'xj)h)iting ne'w jelan's 
e)f limile'el suj)j)ly anel eh)ubtful. eer at h'asl, unle'ste'el. 
mei'its. He)weve'r. h'giniate' e*e)mj)etilie)n. the* invariable 
law e)f suj)j)ly anel eh'inanel. will in the* linal analysis 
control. 
Hut I say that if we* sue'ce'e'el in the' re'lail Iri'e* busine'ss. 
we must maintain a ju ie'e' h've'l seune'w ht'ie' be'lwe'e'ii tlx* 
actual ceist of growing. j);icking anel elisiributing. anel 
that wbi(*h ceuistilule's jueilil. The* minute' we* hieik at a 
small sui'jilus that may be* elisjiose'el of at a juice* base*el on 
e'Xjieelie'iicy ralhe'r Ilian ceisl; that is. using w imlesah' 
iiH'lbeiels uneh'r re'lail e'euielilions, we* have* h)sl the* j)re)j)e*r 
jie'rsjie'cl ive*. 
We* must ge't it ch'ar in euir indi\ielual minels that the* 
wlmh'sale* anel the* re^tail tie'hls are* e'lilircly se'jiarate' anel 
elislincl. If we* weuilel e'ligage* in beilh line's, we* iiHist 
base' euir ju ice's eui the' |)ieij)i'r re'Sj)('Cli\e' e eist h've'ls ~ ke'Cj) 
tbe Iwe) line's e'litire'ly ajiirt. anel abeive' all Ihuigs, sell only 
le) the* traeh' at w hoh'sah' juice's. Selling te) the traele* is 
largely re'cijueical. as we* all have* tei eh) me)re e)r less trael- 
ing among e)urse'lves. 
I only state tbe e)bvie)us. gentlemen, when I say that 
the retailer is the main facte)r in making ve)lume e)f traele 
j) 0 ssible. He is cre'ative. His sah'snien eer his catalog, 
e)r both, are largely resjeonsible tor eeriginating the ele- 
sire e)n the jiart e)f the* j)ublic tor eeur jereeduct. anel he is 
chiefly the me*ans e)f the necessary e'Xj):insie)n that the in¬ 
dustry enjeeys. There'teere, it is te) the vital intere'st eif 
every gre)wer e)r handler e)f nursery ste)ck that the* retail 
enel of the business have* all j)e)ssil)h' ce)-e)j)err;tie)n in de¬ 
termining the* correct jerice at which his goeeels may be 
sold in a field filleel with conijietition from his own fra¬ 
ternity. 
Announcement is made that the Fraser Nursery Com- 
j)any of Huntsville, Alabama, has j)urchased the nursery 
anel greenhouse ste)ck, teegether with all equijement anel 
the good w ill e)f the Elnnvoeeel Fleeral anel Nursery Feem- 
j)any of Birmingham. Alabama, leasing the real estate of 
that firm for a number of years. The change le)e)k j)lacei 
on Sejitember 1st. Nurserymen anel florists sheeulel cor¬ 
rect their mailing lists, cancelling Flnuveeeeel Fleeral tx 
Nursery Ce). and aeleling Frase'r Nurse'iy Fanijeany, Be)x 
217. Birmingham. Alabama. 
Oliver W. Fraser, Vice* President of the Frase'r Feem- 
j)any, will have active charge e)f the Birmingham j)lant 
w ith ,1. P. Fe)ster w he) has been fielel fe)re'man e)l tbe* 
Huntsville nursery as his assistant. Be)ih j)artie*s will 
nie)ve their families le) Birmingham at e)nce'. 
The Elmwe)e)el Nurse'iie's have* e'nje)ye'el a large* business 
in the jeasl anel the'ir line* e)f eernanu'iilal |)lanfs is ce)ne*eele'el 
te) be e)ne e)f the* large'st anel be'sl in the* Seeulh. tbe* sle)ck e)l 
breead leaveel anel ceenife'reeus e'xe*rgre'e*ns be'ing e'xce'j)tie)n- 
ally tine. Me'ssrs. Fi'ase'r w ill ceenlinue' te) eejee'rate tbe re¬ 
tail fle)W(*r steere in tbe Tutw iU'r He)te*l. 
In the Feemmerce' Be'jeeerts e)f Se'j)te'mbe'r bill, a cable*- 
gram freein the* Ame'iican Le'galie)n. The* Hague', says:— 
Algeme'en. Ilanele'lslelael re'jeeerls that the* exj)e)rt e)f bulbs 
is j)re)hibiteel. 
We* h ave* alse) ve'iy geeeeel re'ase)n le) be'lieve* that large 
e*e)nsignme'nls have* alre*aely h'll Hollanel anel are* imw eeii 
Ihe'ir way lei the* Unile'd Slate's. 
