220 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
have arrived for flowers in the house and ornamental 
plants for the yard are now considered a necessity with 
us. That there will he a still greater demand for these, 
there can he no doubt. 
In the growing of ornamentals, the nurserymen of the 
Pacific Coast are keeping well up with the demand. 
But in all line of human endeavor, this is an age of spec¬ 
ialization and I believe that the future will see most of 
our growers specializing in the growing of one or two 
things for which their soil is specially suited or to 
which their personal tastes lead them. I further believe 
that success is ahead for most anyone who will special¬ 
ize in most any of our ornamental plants. For ten years 
our customers have called for roses by name. Some few 
agents still sell white, pink, or red peonies, hut they are 
finding their customers calling for Festiva maxima, Ed- 
ulis superba, and Louis Van Houtte. Iris are now but 
largely ordered by name of the varieties wanted. The 
same is true with the spring bulbs, dahlias and gladioli. 
In a few years this will also be true with the delphin¬ 
iums, phlox, perennial asters and in fact all plants. The 
people are being educated along these lines and nursery¬ 
men should do everything possible to further this educa¬ 
tion for it means greater sales by means of an increas¬ 
ing demand. 
When the famous Quarantine 37 went into effect, 
some said it was an injury to the nursery trade, re¬ 
straint of trade, etc. But the fact is that it started us in¬ 
to the production of stock for which we had heretofore 
been dependant upon Europe. Today we are producing 
our own stock cheaper, upon the whole, than formerly 
imported. The fact that so many have gone into the 
propagation of stock has lead some to fear an overpro¬ 
duction for the future and the throwing of such stock 
on the market at below cost. But much of this young 
stock is now being produced by florists who look for a 
quick turnover. To them twelve months is a long time 
for a crop to be produced and marketed but a nursery¬ 
man is satisfied if he sells his product in from three to 
five years. The production of young stock by the florists 
is an experiment with them and it may reasonably be ex¬ 
pected that they will produce much of the quick grow¬ 
ing plants, but the nurserymen making young stock a 
specialty will have to be depended upon for most of our 
wants. 
I am glad that some concerns are specializing on this 
line. I am further glad that the production of rhodo¬ 
dendrons and azaleas is to be taken up as a specialty. 
Steele has made a great success with just pansy seed. 
Dibble and Franklin are doing the same with the spring 
bulbs. Pudor is specializing in iris. Barber with del¬ 
phiniums, while a host of growers are showing us the 
beauties of dahlias and gladioli. There is room for all 
in this special growing, so let others take up the grow¬ 
ing of hollyhocks, lilies, weigelas, spireas, lilacs, con¬ 
ifers and other plants to show us what the new varieties 
of all these are like. Some one near a good source of 
supply should take up the growing of our native rho¬ 
dodendrons. 
So much for the growing of ornamentals. The object 
of growing is that they may be sold at a profit. In these 
modern times we hear much of the term “service” in 
connection with sales. While the nurseryman has nev¬ 
er been given the credit for it, yet the fact remains that 
he was the first to give service in connection with his 
sales. lie has always told “how” to plant and most 
times has told “where” to plant. 
In the sale of fruit stock the information thus given 
has, in the main, been correct. But with the conditions 
brought about by the many new ornamental plants and 
the developement of the art of landscape gardening, the 
average nurseryman of today needs education along 
these lines. To give the proper service we must know 
how the best effects may be obtained in landscape art 
and if we do not know this, we should refer our cus¬ 
tomers to trained landscape architects for advice. Sim¬ 
ply to litter up a yard with the planting of ornamentals 
will no longer pass. There must be proper massing effect 
with green grass forming center of landscape, proper¬ 
ly framed up with flowers, shrubs, and trees in har¬ 
mony. A nurseryman will get a larger order from a 
properly landscaped place, so no one in the business 
should hesitate about advising a customer to call in a 
landscape architect. We should also be broad minded 
enough to consider the customers side as well as our 
own and if we educate the customer to landscape effects 
rather than just planting, lie will have a better home 
and we will have an increased sale. 
In the long run “he profits most who serves best.” But 
in connection with this word “service” my sympathies 
go out to those of you who have sales yards or nurseries 
near cities. For when the spring days come and you 
are overworked in getting out orders, at a time when 
you could use considerable competent help but which 
cannot be had, you are bothered with “shoppers.” Most 
of them come to buy in small amounts, but wish to se¬ 
lect their stock and want all kinds of information as to 
th is, that and the other things. They want to see every¬ 
thing you have and attempt to describe to you some 
plant they saw in some yard last summer and wonder if 
you have it. Finally after from one to two hours of in¬ 
formation getting, they purchase a small order. IIow you 
stand it without losing your temper, is beyond me. I be¬ 
lieve we should give all the information possible, but we 
cannot be reasonably expected to have our time so much 
taken up at a busy season by so much “shopping.” If 
we but educate the people to the value of mass planting 
there will be less call for one of a kind of each variety. 
Our people also need education as to the value of fall 
planting. For most of our shrubs will do much better 
if the roots become established in their new location 
during the winter months. They are thus ready for a 
better growth the first season. 
Fellow nurserymen, we are assembled in our conven¬ 
tion to get as much personal good from our meetings as 
possible. We receive in just the proportion that we give. 
So let each of us give of our abundant store of exper¬ 
ience, that we may all profit to the best advantage. 
