THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
186 
PRICES SHOULD BE BETTER . proposed change in new york law. 
Good Business Reported in the Central Atlantic States—Tendency 
Is Noted Among Nurserymen to Yield in Price—Belief That 
There Should be Uniformity in Ideas to Prevent Price Cut¬ 
ting — Secret of Maintaining Prices for Stock. 
West Chester, Pa, April 12. —Hoopes, Bro., & Thomas: 
“We are still just in the midst of our spring business, the 
season being cool and very favorable, and from prospects trade 
will be larger than usual. 
“We notice a great tendency among many nurserymen to 
yield, we think unnecessarily, in price both in fruit and orna¬ 
mental stock, as we feel confident that when the season is over, 
there will be scarcely any surplus. 
“ We think that prices in the future should be better than in 
the past, but unless there is some uniformity in the ideas of 
the trade, there will still be a decided cutting from the figures 
as sent out in their lists.” 
Bridgeville, Del., April 15 .—Myer & Son : “It is very 
gratifying to us to be able to report such good spring business. 
We are entirely out of many items at this time, and are com¬ 
pelled to return orders unfilled which we had not accepted. 
At this time, we have not 1,000 one-year-old peach on hand, 
and very few June buds of the leading sorts ; apples and pears 
about cleaned up, and many varieties of strawberries sold out. 
“ Prices have been entirely satisfactory, and we have had no 
trouble in holding them strictly to our printed quotations. 
Collections are much better than usual, and we see no rea¬ 
son why the prices on all nursery stock cannot be held up to 
a paying business to the nurserymen from now on, if all will 
make their prices and hold to them, and grow no more stock 
than they can sell at a fair price. Better burn the surplus 
than dump it on the market at a cut price below the cost of 
production, which ruins trade with the same customers for 
years to come, for when once you sell a man the same article 
at a low price, he expects the same thereafter, and in many 
cases you lose the customer if you do not do it. Now the 
public, in general, knows stock is much higher than a few 
years back, and there should be no trouble to keep it so, if we 
nurserymen do our part towards that end. The secret is to 
destroy what can not be sold at a fair price ; but one nursery¬ 
man will not destroy stock and let his neighbor sell his by un¬ 
derselling him. 
“We have maintained a uniform price to the planters in 
Delaware and Maryland for the last eight years on peach 
stock, but considerable has been sent in and sold to large 
planters at the wholesale and dealers’ prices, and that at the 
very lowest. Owing to the reputation of our stock, to make 
these sales very tempting prices had to be given. But, being 
able to sell what we grow, we do not attempt to meet these cut 
prices, as we are often asked to do. 
“About the only surplus we have now on hand is Maxwell 
blackberry and Sample strawberry. While we have yet a fair 
stock of strawberry plants, they will be pretty well cleaned up 
by the last of the month. We find Kieffer pear not near as 
much in demand as last season, especially in this locality, and 
there is going to be an over-production of this stock in the 
next year or two, which can be consumed only by fire.” 
Batavia, N. Y., April 18 —Nelson Bogue : “Spring sales 
very satisfactory. No surplus left of any kind of fruits. Shall 
make the usual plantings.” 
Senator Ambler introduced in the New York legislature 
an amendment to the agricultural law relative to San Jose scale 
and the transportation of nursery stock. The bill passed both 
houses and went to the governor. The following is inserted 
in Section 83 : 
“All transportation companies within this state receiving or 
carrying nursery stock from any point without the state to any 
point within the state, shall immediately upon receiving such 
consignments notify the commissioner of agriculture of the 
fact that such consignment is in their possession, giving the 
name of the consignor and consignee and the point of destina¬ 
tion of such consignment.” 
The following it is proposed to cut out of the law: 
“A certificate issued by an official of the United States, set¬ 
ting forth the fact that the nursery stock is free from any and 
all such disease or diseases, pest or pests, shall be accepted in 
lieu of state inspection.” 
The amendment is not objected to by the nurserymen. 
A FORTUNE MAKING PLANT. 
In view of the report that some nurserymen are entering 
upon the growing of ginseng, the following from the Gar¬ 
deners’ Magazine, London, Eng., is of interest: 
The fiat has gone forth—grow Ginseng, and the inducement held out 
is that “a fortune may be made by growing the new root Ginseng 
Commands twenty shillings per pound, an acre produces two thousand 
pounds worth.” Who will not grow this root for a season or two ( 
make a fortune and retire ? The term “new root ” is delightful, seeing 
the plant was introduced from North America in 1740. It is known as 
Panax quinquefolium, or more properly Aralia quinquefolia, a hardy 
herbaceous subject growing to a height of a foot or so. Rhind de¬ 
scribes it as having “ a round purple stalk about a foot high. The 
leaves arise with the flower stems from a thick joint at the extemity of 
the stalk. They are generally three, but sometimes more, each divid¬ 
ing into five simple leaves, which are of an irregular, oval shape, with 
serrated edges, smooth and pointed, and of a deep green color. The 
flowers are produced in a round terminal umbel, and are of a whitish 
color; they appear in June.” That the Chinese ascribed wonderful 
virtues to this plant is certain. It was their specific for all disorders of 
the lungs or of the stomach, curing asthma, strengthening the eyesight, 
renewing a wornout constitution, delaying the approach of old age, 
and acting as a counter poison. One traveller states that he never 
looked into the apothecaries shops in China but they were always sell¬ 
ing ginseng ; that both poor people and those of the highest rank made 
use of it, and that they boil half an ounce in their tea or soup every 
morning as a remedy for consumption and other diseases. But the 
European experience of the drug has by no means borne out these 
assertions. It is seldom or never now employed, and when used it 
does not seem to produce any active effects. 
FORTY-SIX THOUSAND VISITORS. 
Kew Gardens were visited during the Easter holidays by 
large crowds of people, and it was estimated that not less than 
forty-six thousand persons entered the establishment on Easter 
Monday, says the Gardeners’ Magazine. The chief attractions 
in the open were the yellow crocuses near the Wood Museum 
and under the Turkey Oak along the Broad Walk, the green 
turf being for the nonce turned into a veritable Field of the 
Cloth of Gold; the chionodoxas and scillas under the shrubs, 
in many parts of the garden gave sheets of blue brighter 
even then the unusually kind Easter sky, while daffodils were 
showing color freely, and appearing to apologize for their 
lateness. 
