214 
THE NATIONAL NUESERYMAN 
MARKET DEVELOPMENT 
Discussion of the Movement at the Chicago Convention 
(MR. PYLE IN THE CHAIR.) 
Gentlemen, as we finished that song, and standing in front of 
this beautiful rose Columbia, I was deeply impressed with the 
real significance of the term, “The Land of the Free,” and it is 
this thought, that I believe that nurserymen, who are more accus¬ 
tomed than men in any other line of business to working under 
the open sky, stand for more than anything else, and that is 
freedom of choice. Americans do not like to be forced to do 
something that is definitely against their conviction, and it 
seems to me that just one word of explanation is due you, 
further making clear the reasons for tlie convictions on the part 
of the Publicity Committee, for promoting the establishment or 
the organization of a subscribers’ movement that should be 
distinct and separate, for very good reasons, from the American 
Association of Nurserymen. 
As I have said, Americans do not like to be forced to do 
things beyond their convictions, and this is especially true of 
nurserymen. Some men have thought and felt that it would be 
much better if this were made a matter of assessment, and yet 
that feeling to which T refer convinced your Publicity Committee 
tliat this .movement must be started, at least, as a voluntary 
movement, and for that reason it has been so started and estab¬ 
lished by the organziation, as one of the speakers will presently 
^how you. 
I have heard, since coming here, of men who have traveled, at 
increased expense, as we all know, over a thousand miles who 
\aid they would not have left home had it not been for the 
lubject of “Market Development” that was to be considered at 
{his meeting, and I believe that is true of a very great number 
of 1 eople who are here. The nurserymen realize what a tremen¬ 
dously big subject it is and how full of significance for them. 
That being the case, yoAi will realize that it is entirely too big 
a subject for one person to present, and for that reason I am go¬ 
ing to call on a number of different persons—each briefly, I 
trust — to present this subject to you. And first I will call on Mr. 
J. Edward Moon, who will briefly present the movement to you 
as it was first started. 
IMR. J. EDWARD MOON: This Market Development Idea, as 
Mr. Atkins has said, has grown out of the public movement, 
and nurserymen have been hearing it at our conventions for a 
number of years, until some of us thought it ought to take 
some definite, tangible shape and that we ought to get to work 
at it instead of talking about it. Now then, just for a moment 
let me review the possibilities of it. 
All of us know that in every community from which we come 
there are numerous houses unplanted, or insufficiently planted. We 
have an abiding opinion that if those people had attractive 
lawns they would be more happy; we know their real estate 
would be enhanced; we know the community would be benefit¬ 
ed,but we somehow have not sufficiently impressed the advan¬ 
tages of our products upon the community to have created that 
irresistible desire for them. Those of us who grow fruits know 
that in many parts of the country there are vacant spaces 
where fruits ought to be growing, particularly they ought to be 
producing food this summer. The field and the possibilities are 
indefinite. 
We can take the Victrola as an instance. There is a sort of 
native desire for music in every one, a sort of latent desire, but 
when it can be had as easily as the Victrola has made it 
possible, the Victrola becomes essential. The difference 
between essentials and non-essentials is the man. We are.find¬ 
ing now to some extent that we are by some being classed as 
non-essentials; we are not ready to believe that ourselves. In 
order to bring this great work about, some organization is 
necessary. We want to make America beautiful and we want to 
make America finitful. Nobody could have greater 
aspirations, and nobody has it in their power to do 
more than this body of American nurserymen. To accomplish 
that the nurserymen’s organization for INIarket Development has 
sprung into existence. 
I would point out first that it was thought best to make a 
separate organization of it; that the subs'Cribers who contribut¬ 
ed their money for this particular purpose might control the ex¬ 
penditure through their chosen directors. That organization has 
been effected. Sixteen gentlemen have been chosen, I understand 
they have not yet organized and some of the speakers after me 
will tell you who they are. 
Those sixteen men have been chosen, eight from the different 
sections in the United States and eight at large. They will 
organize and be ready to receive subscriptions. The original 
form of subscripton as announced in the paper, is somewhat 
changed and it will be a certificate of membership, or a stock 
allotment having a face value of $100, issued payable in install¬ 
ments of $20 each over a period of five years. Just how that 
will work out will be developed by the directors. 
Now,, then, the idea seems to be prevalent in the minds of 
some, that we hand this sum of money over to a board of direct¬ 
ors and that they will proceed to pour this out through the Sat¬ 
urday Evening Post or some other nationally circulated mag¬ 
azine. I want right here to get that idea out of anybody’s head, 
if it is there, for the nationally circulated magazines are prob¬ 
ably one of the last avenues to use in the expenditure of this 
fund. They have a lot of waste circulation, they have a lot of 
circulation among city inhabitants. Your directors will weigh 
those matters carefully before placing any such advertising. 
The avenues of publicity that have tentatively appealed to 
the directors most in connection with this movement are some¬ 
what as follows: There are tremendous possibilities in the 
movies. Any individual nursery firm could likely not stage a 
movie film, but unitedly we can do it if we can get those circu¬ 
lating up and down the land, showing the fruit tree in the back 
yard, its growth, the flower opening, the ripening and reddening 
of the fruit seeing the children enjoying the flowers, showing the 
joy that the fruits and flowers give the community and we have 
got there a story of real personal interest. We can show flower 
borders from the early spring until frost comes, we can show a 
never ending succession of bloom and the enjyoment that the fam¬ 
ily gets from it. That is one of the many avenues. Another is 
the possibility of lectures. Every grange, every farmers’ club, 
every garden club, every agricultural or horticultural organ¬ 
ization of any kind is always glad to have lectures, illustrated 
or not. We hope to be able to arrange such lectures, and 
either by establishing a circuit, or in someway that the hoard 
of directors will devise, they can be sent out, always with a 
message that these products can be had from the nurserymen of 
America. l 
Then a great possibility lies with an opportunity to get into 
the press, news articles; news articles that tell more about fruit 
trees and how to grow them and the necessity of planting 
m.ore, the value of fruits, the necessity of eating more fruits; 
news articles that tell us the values of both trees and orna¬ 
mentals. These, if properly conducted and syndicated, can un¬ 
doubtedly be gotten into the American press so that we can 
reach millions of people that we have not heretofore reached. 
Other possibilities are through the schools. .Just how we can reach 
the schools has not yet been determined. In fact, none of these 
methods have been determined up, but there undoubtedly is a 
way of reaching the public through schools and school gardens, 
through arboreteums and parks and innumerable other 
channels. 
Now your committee and board of directors will probably be 
working out this plan through some person. No one has been 
chosen, no one is in mind and nobody has any favorites, it will 
undoubtedly engage some one of national - merchandising exper¬ 
ience, preferably not an advertising agency, who can get these 
lectures, who can stage these films, who can edit and distribute 
these news articles, who can arrange exhibits and demonstra¬ 
tions that can be taken to expositions and to fairs. Lastly, he 
may find it desirable to use some publicity through the mag¬ 
azines, but as I said, the impression seems to be that that is one 
of the last avenues. Now I hope that in this talk 1 have opened 
up to you a vision of the possibilities of this thing. It grows on 
us, it is infinite. America is our market, to make it more beauti¬ 
ful and to make it more fruitful is our ambition. (Applause.) 
THE CHAIRMAN: No doubt there are a number of men 
here who would like to be heard on this question, but in view of 
the fact that the hour is fast growing later, we are confining the 
remarks mainly to the members of the board of directors who 
have been selected. However, we should make one exception to 
