182 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT M. R. CASHMAN AT 1922 CON¬ 
VENTION OF AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NURSERY¬ 
MEN AT DETROIT, MICHIGAN 
One year ago our good friends at Chicago honored us with the 
highest office that it could bestow on any of its members, and we 
were congratulated with well-wishes and assurances of support 
on every side, by, as it seemed, every member of this association. 
We were very much encouraged by these assurances of support, 
and we entered upon our administration with the utmost confi¬ 
dence that there would be no hesitancy on the part of members 
to co-operate with us in all that we undertook for the good of 
the organization. In this, we have not been disappointed and we 
are happy to state that the best of feeling and co-operation has 
been accorded us throughout the past year, and our message to 
this convention is a report of material progress, a declaration of 
unusual unity, and an apparent flourishing condition existing 
among the nurserymen in all sections. 
The American Association of Nurserymen has shown itself to 
be a remarkable organization of tradesmen and growers insofar 
as it has been able to institute or abandon, without injury to its 
membership, any undertaking or policy that a majority of its 
members has deemed advisable. I believe that those who have 
considered the results of the various undertakings and so-called 
experiments of this association during the past six years, will 
agree with me that we have been well repaid for every invest¬ 
ment made, and that our progress has been steadily forward. I 
repeat that regardless of the wisdom of a change in policy or the 
abandonment of certain defined plans, that this organization has 
proven itself to be in a most healthy condition as to unity and 
organization. 
When we met at Chicago a year ago, we united on a policy that 
had for its first precept the holding together of the organiza¬ 
tion. This policy was in keeping with the times, and we started 
in to economize by discontinuing the executive-secretary’s office 
in New Jersey, and saddling much of the work formerly taken 
care of by that office upon the various membership committees 
supported by our very efficient secretary, Mr. Sizemore. The wis¬ 
dom of this move can best be judged by the final action of this 
convention assembled at Detroit, but if my observations are cor¬ 
rect, I venture the statement that there are very few dissatis¬ 
fied members, and that our new policy will receive the endorse¬ 
ment of a large majority of the attending nurserymen. 
I do not wish to be understood as feeling that we have accomp¬ 
lished as much as was possible during the past year, neither do 
I believe that we should be content with what we have done, but 
I do think that the new policy adopted one year ago has been 
sufficiently tested to convince every careful thinking nurseryman 
that this organization must make the best of the funds that it is 
able to raise on the present basis of assessment. We are in hopes 
that the time will soon arrive, however, when the nurserymen 
will have reached that degree of plentitude that the dues can be 
enlarged, and even then, there should be no material change in 
the policy of expenditures or the present conduct of affairs. 
Our association is in a remarkable flourishing condition, both 
as to funds and membership. We have taken care of the year’s 
business, paid all of our bills, and find our treasury between 
$5,000 and $6,000 richer than it was a year ago. We have a sur¬ 
plus of over $21,000 against $16,000 on July 1st one year ago. We 
have a small increase in membership with the prospect of a con¬ 
siderable increase during the coming year. We have a most effi¬ 
cient collection bureau and railroad claim office built up under 
the supervision of Secretary Sizemore at Louisiana, Missouri. 
His report will show a heavy increase in claims and collections 
placed with him during the year just past. There is every pros¬ 
pect of a big increase in this department during the coming 
year. Prospects are indeed most encouraging and our surplus 
funds will enable the incoming executive board to place at the 
disposal of the Market Development Committee, a very materially 
increased appropriation for next year’s work. 
Appointment of Committees 
Under our present arrangement, the new president each year 
must build up an entire new organization; he has the task con¬ 
fronting him immediately after his election of appointing commit¬ 
tees to handle the various phases of the association’s work. Your 
president is not always fortunate in securing the acceptance of 
appointments on committees. This is particularly true in the 
case of the chairman for that unfortunate individual recognizes 
at once that he will have to do nearly all of the work, and he, 
of course, attempts to sidestep, and sometimes does. This means 
delay and by the time the new administration has perfected its 
organization, two or three months have elapsed. 
It requires some time for a new committee to familiarize itself 
with the work that it is expected to do, and before it gets to 
working properly almost one-half of the year has passed, and 
by the time the committee is in a position to render valuable 
services, the year has ended, and a new administration comes in 
and has to organize all over again. I believe this should be 
remedied and some plan should be inaugurated to continue 
throughout a term of years the chairmen of important commit¬ 
tees who have proven their ability and willingness to serve the 
association. I also believe that the chairman of each committee 
should have the selection of those who are to work with him on 
the committee. This, no doubt, would promote greater efficiency, 
harmony and ease in carrying out the work. 
We have ample funds in our treasury with which to pay the 
traveling expenses of committeemen serving us at conferences 
or other gatherings where our interests are at stake, and it should 
be urged that we take advantage of being represented by promi¬ 
nent nurserymen whenever occasion arises. Our representatives 
are always accorded a hearing, and I believe that we need not 
fear vicious legislation or embarrassing regulations from any sec¬ 
tion of the country if we are prepared to present our objections 
properly through the official representatives of the American 
association. What we need is a better understanding of our 
problems by the authorities who are undertaking to protect their 
constituents. During the past year, special representatives and 
committeemen from this association have been present at vari¬ 
ous conferences, horticultural meetings and other gatherings 
where matters pertaining to our business were under discussion. 
We have secured most satisfactory results. 
Executive Committee 
The work of the Executive Committee the past year has not 
been arduous for the reason that every member promptly took 
care of all business arising in his district, and I am pleased to 
state that a feeling of genuine confidence and co-operation has 
prevailed in all the work undertaken by the Executive Committee 
the past year. In the case of the two Washington conferences 
that interested the attention of the nurserymen throughout the 
country, the Executive Board found ready and willing support 
from every nurseryman called upon to help present our case. 
We have had genuine team work, and so far as I know, satisfac¬ 
tory results have been secured. Not only this, but our represen¬ 
tatives have made a very favorable impression in Washington 
and we are now in the happy position of supporting our govern¬ 
ment officials in their commendable efforts to protect American 
agricultural and horticultural interests. There has never been 
a time in the history of American horticulture when we nursery¬ 
men could so truthfully say that the U. S. Department of Agri¬ 
culture is fostering and protecting our industry, and there has 
never been a time when the nurserymen have had so many warm 
friends as they have today in the Department of Agriculture. 
The Executive Board has held four meetings during the past 
year; the first at Chicago a year ago, immediately following the 
convention; second at Kansas City in mid-winter, during the 
meeting of the Western Association; third in Washington, D. C., 
preceding the conference on Quarantine 37, and the fourth here 
at Detroit during the past two days. All matters have been dis¬ 
posed of and we believe there was no need for a larger number 
of meetings. Many matters were disposed of by correspondence 
and the expense of the Executive Board during the past year has 
not been heavy. 
Market Development 
The woi’k of our Market Development Committee, under the 
leadership of Mr. Rockwell, who so kindly consented to give us a 
portion of his valuable time during the past year has resulted in 
demonstrating the wonderful results that can be obtained from 
a small sum of money wisely expended. Few of us have for¬ 
gotten the great benefits derived through the dissemination of 
reading articles on fruit and ornamental growing by F. F. Rock¬ 
well during the first year of our Market Development work. This 
last year your Executive Committee appropriated a sum not to 
exceed $5000 to be expended under the direction of a Market De¬ 
velopment Committee, consisting of F. F. Rockwell, E. E. May 
and Albert F. Meehan. Mr. Rockwell agreed to take charge of the 
work and give it a portion of his time. I believe he has handled 
market development in a most proficient and productive manner. 
His report, which is available at this meeting, is not only il¬ 
luminating but is suggestive of the wonderful possibilities if this 
work is further enlarged along the same line. 
Every nurseryman has felt the influence of favorable publicity 
gained through reading articles by recognized horticultural writ¬ 
ers and further by the impressions made upon the public mind in 
the movie theatres where scarcely a single reel is exhibited that 
does not show one or more beautiful homes fascinatingly set in 
a well-planted landscape or backed up by a beautiful formal 
garden. All of these things create a desire in the public mind 
for beautiful trees and flowers. People read about them in their 
