THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
327 
RETAIL PRICES 
Some months ago the National Nurseryman took up 
the subject of the cost to produce nursery stock. The many 
replies received from various nurserymen on the subject 
indicated very clearly that no practical method had yet been 
discovered for arriving at the cost of their products and that 
prices were largely set at random. 
The large nurseries have to a certain extent attempted to 
find out and had some idea of what their stock did cost, but 
many fixed their prices according to the other man’s catalogue 
so that there was a downward tendency in prices all along 
the line regardless of supply or demand, the prices being set 
largely for the purpose of getting business. 
With perhaps the exception of some of the standard kinds 
of trees that are generally planted, the public at large has 
little knowledge of the price of nursery stock. They are 
just as likely to imagine it is three times the price it can be 
readily bought for as they are to think it is dear at the price 
usually asked. Even the mrrseryman himself is often at a 
loss to know what value to place upon his own goods. 
A good illustration of. the necessity of a better knowledge 
of values comes to the mind of the writer. Calling at a small 
ornamental nursery in the east he noticed a few very fine 
specimens of Rehnispora obtusa nana asking the price he 
was informed $2.50 and could have bought them at that 
price. A couple of weeks later these same plants were 
valued at $15.00, they were worth it too even when figured 
at the estimated cost of growing them. 
In addition to this there actually exists a great range of 
prices. Anyone who will take the trouble to get a representa¬ 
tive list of retail catalogues and analyze them will find the 
range to be extremely large. What may be offered in one 
man’s catalogue for a dollar very likely is priced in the next 
at five, for apparently the same kind and grade of stock. 
Of course, the nurseryman himself can understand the 
difference but the buying public cannot and naturally lean 
towards the low priced stock. 
Although we have no method of getting at actual cost 
we do know from the results of our business about what 
plants cost and that they differ very greatly in value accord¬ 
ing to the kind and even according to the locality in which 
they are grown, for instance in some localities a given tree 
will be scarce and costly to grow while in others it will be 
plentiful, free growing and cheap. 
Anything that will enable the nurseryman to bring uni¬ 
formity in retail prices and prevent him from either under 
charging or over charging according to the conditions under 
which he is doing business will be of benefit. 
The following is a suggestive grouping with a base price 
that ean be made to fit the conditions of any nursery retail 
business. 
SUGGESTED BASIS OF RETAIL PRICES 
Single Rate for Transplanted 
Bushy Stock 
Shrubs that propagate very easily and produce 
saleable plants in very short time. Hard wood 
cuttings, such as Willows, etc. 
18-24 in. @ $.25 
2- 3 ft. @ .30 
3- 4 ft. @ .35 
4- 5 ft. @ .50 
Single Rate for Transplanted 
Bushy Stock 
Plants raised from soft wood cuttings, seed, layers ^ 
fairly common and easy to grow such as Weigelas, t 
Spireas, Deutzias and Hydrangeas, etc. I 
2-3 ft. @ . 3.5 
Small growing shrubs, such as Deutzia gracilis, 
Berbcris Thunbcrgii, Hypericum, etc. 
Choice Hard wooded and evergreen shrubs 
such as Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Mag¬ 
nolias, Japanese Maples, Osmanthus, 
Ilex. 
@ 
•12-18 in. 
18-24 
2- 2 X ft. @ 
2K-3 ft. @ 
3- 3K ft. @ 
3 >^-4 ft. @ 
4- 4 ft. @ 
3- 4 It. (01 .50 
4- 5 ft. @ .75 
12-18 in. @ $.25 
18-24 in. @ .35 
2-2 ft. @ .50 
2K-3 ft. @ 
@ $1.00 
75 
1.50 
2.00 
2.50 
3.00 
3-50 
4.00 
$1.00 
to 
$4.00 
per 
foot 
Common, quick-growing Evergreens, such as Arbor f _ . e ^ 
Vitae, Norway Spruce, Common Pines. 1 50c to 75 c per foot 
Choice slow-growing evergreens.. $i.oo per foot 
Very slow-growing and rare. $1.50 to $2.00 per foot 
Quick-growing trees. 75c per inch 
Medium-growing trees. $1.00 per inch 
Hard Wooded trees, such as Norway 
Maple, Oriental Plane and com¬ 
mon Oaks. 
Rare trees... $2.00 per inch 
Magnolias and such trees that are sold by height rather j ^ „ , , 
Have a X grade priced as above XX grade priced one size in advance. 
^1.25 and $1.50 per inch, 3 inches 
and up at $2,00 per inch. 
By a careful study of the above it will be readily seen that 
this table does not fix a price but only gives a basis of price 
and it is up to the individual nurseryman to do his own 
grouping. In other words, if he finds the Norway Maple 
is a free growing tree with him and a fairly cheap one in his 
locality he can put it among the medium growing trees at 
$1.00 per inch, or even among the quick growing trees at 
75e per inch. Likewise it is up to the individual nurseryman 
to decide for himself what particular shrub, evergreen, or in 
fact any kind of plants are the most expensive for him to 
handle and group them accordingly. 
DUSTING UP THE OFFICE 
About this time of year we get busy dusting the stationery 
boxes and shelves, take account and inspect such stock, 
preparatory to getting ready for new supplies for the coming 
season. While we are about it we might as well also make a 
good inspection of the office work in general; revise our 
plans, improve our system, material and conveniences so as 
to make the work go more smoothly and facilitate the 
office handling of our business. 
After a careful review of the office work for the past season, 
we will find no doubt several places where our plans and 
systems have fallen down and proven inadequate. Here is 
where we need to strengthen up or maybe our systems 
are too cumbersome and need pruning; however the case 
may be, some careful adjusting may be found necessary. 
Many follow the same routine year after year without 
so much as asking themselves if there is a better way; a 
careful review and study will generally find it. Keep 
everlastingly on inquiry and alert for the better way, for 
therein lies a large portion of the service that both holds 
and draws trade. G. W. 0 . 
