372 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
(‘I'lils ^^('1 any nioiv for liis just l)e(*aLiso ho was not able to 
j)i'o(lii(‘(' tluMii as olioaply? Iloiiioinbor also Dial some of our 
brothers bav(' iiih'rc'sl to |)ay on tboir boines and farms 
and. j)('rha|)s. a lar^o' family to suj)[)oi't, and while they 
wonld like to mak(‘ a profit, in faet intend to, still they 
eonsid(‘r “half a loaf b(‘tt('r than no bread at all” and are 
V(‘ry likely to try to save the pi(‘ees from the \M'eek. 
Tb(‘S(^ ai'e tlu' main troubb's, but not all by any means. 
Tb(‘ matter of eolleeting is in a bad way too. Time was 
w b(Mi eustonuM’s paid up pndty promptly, June 1st and 
l)(‘eemb(U‘ 1st. Hut now some try to let tlie account run 
indefinitely and aet offended when the matter is urged. 
When a man has bad bis money invested in growdng 
stock from oiu' y(‘ar to four years, and after delivery al¬ 
lows the aeeount to run to next pay day without grumb¬ 
ling. I tliiidv be is tlum (mtitled to ])rompt and cheerful 
payment. The usual merebandise terms—thirty days, 
or two per cent, w ithin ten days—do not fit this trade 
beeaus(' w(‘ are too bu.sy to eolb'et during the packing , 
season. 
Then, the matter of state ])ermits is getting worse every 
year. It would j)uzzle a Pbiladelpbia buvyer to keep 
ti-aek of all the various state requirements, to say noth¬ 
ing of the exi)ense. Some are funny, too, and pathetic 
at the same time. For instance, there are two states 
which number their state j)ermit tags and want them 
us('d in numerieal order. They wilt furnish them for a 
consideration and exj)ect the unused ones to come back 
free. Another state reciuires that nurseries outside its 
boundaries shall first secure a ])ermit for a consideration, 
thus clearly discriminating against out of state nurseries, 
an act which is, therefore, unconstitutional. The same 
law further says, “Dealers w ill he granted a certificate 
in this state only when they purchase from a certified 
nursery in the state.” Thus again discriminating against 
outside nurseries, and is, therefore, unconstitutional, etc., 
etc. 
I w ish you could straighten these things out. To me 
they are hopeless. However, I would like very much to 
hear from you. 
Yours very truly, 
(Signed) Lewis Roesch. 
October 19, 1917. 
Mr. Lewis Roesch, 
Fredonia, N. Y. 
My l)(‘ar Mi'. Koesch:— 
Your v('ry good letter of October 3rd, was duly re¬ 
ceived hut because of its importance was laid aside until 
1 could find lime to give due eonsideration to your inter¬ 
esting (|uestions. Refore attempting to answer your 
h'tter. allow me to thank you for your very frank criti¬ 
cism and to say further that because others arc doubtless 
cism and to say further that because of the importance 
of your discussion of these questions and because others 
art' doubt h'ss thinking along the same lines, 
I am taking the liberty of sending copy 
of your letter and my reply thereto to the 
trade journals. A fair and honest discussion of these 
(pieslions will do good, and if the ])lan I have proposed 
and which is now scheduled for the first order of bus¬ 
iness at Chicago in June, 1918. will not admit of the most 
searching int|uiry it is not w orth w hat it has already cost. 
I did not offer the |)('nding resolutions as a panacea for 
all the nurserymen's ills, on the contrary I feel confident 
that so long as life lasts we shall have opportunity to in¬ 
corporate in our dealings higher ideals and more ag- 
grc'ssive business plans. 1 think we are all agreed that 
what is needed is a more intense business organization 
ami closer eoopi'ration among the membership, and this 
is wliat the writer of these I'esolutions had in mind. 
What 1 have proposed is, to he sure, only a start, and 
each year and ('ach deeach' w ill bi^yond any sort of doubt 
open up the way for other changes. Your questions, 
how ever, cannot he answ ered in generalities, and I am, 
therefore, earnestly endeavoring to answ er you in sueh a 
way that wdll he s})ecific for I know w^hen I read your 
letter that you are just as anxious to see a better con¬ 
dition hi'ought about among the fraternity as am 1. 
(1) You are correct in your statement that there are 
tw o distinct elements among the nurserymen, hut is there, 
after all, such a distinction as would render their inter¬ 
ests antagonistic one to the other? In the truest sense, 
is not every nurseryman a “Imll?” Has he, in other 
words, anything to gain by depressing the market, even 
though temporarily he is seemingly benefited? This 
year he is a buyer and next year, perhaps, he is a seller. 
It is never to the nurseryman’s interests to “bear” the 
wdiolesale market, even though he be on the buying side. 
Now'", I have never seen a nurseryman wmrthy the name 
w^ho did not agree wdth the above statement, and yet, as 
you suggest, a large majority of us go into the competi¬ 
tive market determined to buy as cheap as possible. Who 
is to blame for these conditions? Every one of us. We 
do not know the worth (cost) of our products and, as a 
consequence, no one has a very high regard for values, 
hence the “battering ram.” We issue each season a 
wholesale trade list, based not on cost but the rankest 
speculation, and not being sure of ourselves we fail ut¬ 
terly in convincing the buyer, whether wholesale or re¬ 
tail, that our prices are fair and equitable. 
Now^, my friend, it is proposed tbrough tbe plan of 
gatbering statistics to endeavor to determine the matter 
of costs, furthermore, to w ork out standards covering the 
entire field of operation. This is going to be a more 
difficult task than it is to determine costs in most manu¬ 
facturing lines, but I am thoroughly convinced that it 
can be done and my opinion is reinforced by some mighty 
good authority. If the A. A. N. can determine the mat¬ 
ter of costs and adopt certain standards, I have the con¬ 
fidence to believe the majority of the membership will 
live up to the spirit as w^ell as the letter of the law, and 
as a result stock both wdiolesale and retail will settle 
dowm to a fair and stable basis. In other wmrds, this 
will give us a basis, and w hether absolutely correct or 
not its effect w ill be salutary. Will everyone live up to 
such an ideal? Ry no sort of means, in the beginning, 
but as is true everywhere else in life, if the principle wui 
are striving for is right the few wdio wdll not abide by 
the majority rule should not deter us. Furthermore, 
those who do live up to the ideal will be most benefited. 
(2) I find myself in hearty agreement wdth your sug¬ 
gestion that confidence or cooperation is after’all the key 
to the whole situation. Without the sincerest coopera¬ 
tion of the membership all our plans will go awry for 
