62 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
The National Nurseryman 
Established 1893 by C. L. Yates. Incorporated 1902 
Published monthly by 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN PUBLISHING CO.. Inc. 
218 Livingston Building, Rochester, N. Y. 
Editor.ERNEST HEMMING, Flourtown, Pa. 
The only trade journalissued for Growers and Dealers in Nursery Stocks of all kinds. 
It circulates throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. 
Official Journal of American Association of Nurserymen 
AfFARDED THE GRAND PRIZE AT PARIS EXPOSITION, igoo 
SUBSCRIPTION RATES 
One year, in advance. $i.oo 
Six months. 75 
Foreign Subscriptions, in advance. 1.50 
Six months.!. i.oo 
Advertising rates will be sent upon application. Advertisements should reach 
this office by the 20 th of the month previous to the date of issue. 
Payment in advance required for foreign advertisements. Drafts on New York 
or postal orders, instead of checks, are requested by the Business Manager, Rochester, 
N.Y. 
Correspondence from all points and articles of interest to nurserymen and horti¬ 
culturists are cordially solicited. 
Address, Editor, Flourtown, Pa. 
Entered in the Post Office at Rochester, N. Y,, as second-class matter. 
Rochester, N. Y., February, 1913. 
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NURSERYMEN 
President —Thomas B. Meehan, Dresher, Pa.; vice-president, J. B. Pilkington, 
Portland, Ore.; secretary, John Hall, Rochester, N. Y. treasurer, Chas. J. Maloy, 
Rochester, N. Y. 
Executive Committee —H. B. Chase, Huntsville, Ala.; J. W. Hill, Des Moines, 
Iowa; P. A. Dix, Roy, Utah; T. B. Meehan, Ex-Officio, Dresher, Pa,; 
John Hall, Ex-Officio, Secretary, Rochester, N. Y. 
Chairmen of Committees 
Transportation —Chas. M. Sizemore, Louisiana, Mo. 
Tariff- —Irving Rouse, Rochester, N. Y._ 
Legislation East of Mississippi River —Wm. Pitkin, Rochester, N. Y. 
Legislation West of Mississippi River —Peter Youngers, Geneva, Nebr. 
Co-Operation with Entomologists —L. A. Berckmans, Augusta, Ga. 
Program —Samuel Miller. Milton, Oregon. 
Exhibits —F. W. Power, Orenco, Oregon. 
Arrangements —John Hall, Rochester, N. Y.; J. B. Pilkington, Portland, Ore. 
Publicity and Trade Opportunities —W. P. Stark, Louisiana, Mo.; Jefferson 
Thomas, Harrisburg, Pa.; Orlando Harrison, Berlin, Md.; C. M. Griffing, Jack¬ 
sonville, Fla.; G. C. Roeding, Fresno, Cal.; H. D. Simpson. Vincennes, Ind.; James 
M. Irvine, St. Joseph, Mo. 
Membership —James McHutchison, New York City. 
STATE AND DISTRICT ASSOCIATIONS. 
American Nurserymen’s Protective Association—President.!. W. Hill, Des Moines. la.: 
secretary, Thomas B. Meehan, Dresher, Pa. Meets annually in June. 
American Retail Nurserymen’s Protective Association—President, Charles J. Brown, 
Rochester, N. Y.; secretary, Guy A. Bryant, Princeton, Ill.’ Meets annually in 
June. 
Association of Oklahoma Nurserymen—President, J. A. Lopeman, Enid, Oklahoma; 
secretary. C. E. Garee, Noble, Oklahoma. 
Canadian Association of Nurserymen—President, E. D. Smith, Winona; secretary, 
C. C. R. Morden, Niagara Falls, Ont. 
Connecticut Nurserymen’s Association—President W. W. McCartney, New Haven, 
Conn.; secretary, F. L. Thomas, Manchester, Conn. 
Eastern Association of Nurserymen—President, Wm. C. Barry, Rochester, N. Y.; 
secretary-treasurer, William Pitkin, Rochester, N. Y. Meets annually in January. 
National Association of Retail Nurserymen^President, E. S. Osborne, Rochester, 
N. Y.; secretary, F. E. Grover, Rochester, N. Y. 
National Nurserymen’s Association of Ohio—President, J. W. McNary, Dayton, O.; 
secretary, W. B. Cole, Painesville, O. 
Pacific Coast Association of Nurse^men—President, P. A. Dix, Roy, Utah; secretary- 
treasurer, C. F. Tonneson, Tacoma. Wash. Meets annually in June. 
Pennsylvania Nurserymen’s Association—President, Abner Hoopes, West Chester, Pa., 
secretary. Henry T. Moon, Morrisville, Pa. 
Southern Nurserymen’s Association—i’resident, W. A. Eakerly, Cleveland, Tenn.; 
secretary-treasurer, A. I. Smith, Knoxville, Tenn. 
Tennessee Nurserymen’s Association—President, E. W. Chattin, Winchester, Tenn.; 
secretary, G. M. Bentley, Knoxvijle, Tenn. 
Texas Nurserymen’s Association—Preadent, J. R. Mayhew, Waxahachie, Texas; 
secretary-treasurer, John S. Kerr, Sherman, Texas. 
Western Association of Nurserymen—President, Geo. A. Marshall, Arlington, Nebr.; 
secretary-treasurer, E. J. Holman, Leavenworth, Kan. Meets annually second 
W’ednesday in December. 
The California Association of Nurserymen—President, W. V. Eberly, Niles, Cal.; 
Secretary, H. W. Kruckeberg, Los Angeles, Cal. 
It is very gratifying to note the similarity 
COST OF of opinion on the subject of cost, as 
PRODUCTION published in our last issue, and although 
there is evidently no royal road to 
ascertaining the cost of growing nursery stock, as the patent 
medicine man says, “There is hope.’’ Every nurseryman 
evidently sees the importance of it, but many are evidently 
under the impression that supply and demand set the selling 
price, and are willing to keep on gambling with the growing 
of stock without knowing where the line of safety is. A 
better understanding of selling price would be that it is set 
by the cost of production, supply and demand rather 
determine the amount of profit. 
This seems to be the view of the Courts in their recent 
investigation of the trusts and monopolies. They forbid 
rebating or selling under cost as in the case of the railroads 
selling their services at reduced rates to preferred customers, 
and they forbid a monopoly for the purjiose of boosting 
prices. 
If we go down to first principles we recognize that neces¬ 
sities must be had at any cost and doubtless supply does 
figure in the price, but the moment we leave them and get 
into luxuries, there are many other influences at work that 
have to do with the selling price. 
The recent advance in price along all lines has not been 
the result of a shortage, for according to reports the past 
year was a banner one for crops, but rather due to a greater 
cost of production. 
The nurseryman that sits back and waits for demand to 
fix his price is liable to get left. He must And a market 
and create a demand and get better prices by delivering 
better stock and better profits by using better methods. 
A large order gentlemen, but possible. It is evident that 
the consensus of opinion tends to the view that finding cost 
on a mixed nursery is impractical but that general averages 
over a number of years will give it. It is a pretty safe state¬ 
ment to make—that if all the knowledge of cost as ascer¬ 
tained by the different growers could be recorded we should 
know near enough what the selling price, on a given item, 
ought to be, and the nurseryman who could not produce at 
those figures would do better to concentrate on things he 
could grow to better advantage. 
Practically all nurserymen admit the influence of other 
price lists in fixing their own. This makes the man with 
a surplus or the man that must sell at any price, too severely 
felt in the beginning of the season. 
There is excuse for the man cutting prices at the end of 
the season when he has no choice but the brush pile, but it is 
radically wrong for the surplus man to bear down prices at 
the time the catalogues are made. 
The lesson to be learned from the expression of opinion 
on cost is mainly to have more backbone and independence 
of what others are doing, and base prices on known cost as 
near as they can be arrived at and never underprice the other 
feUow unless you are sure you are making a profit. It 
shows the tremendous advantage there would be in getting 
a little closer together. The nursery business has plenty of 
outside handicaps without having a cut-throat policy within 
itself. 
