62 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
warrantedly classed most scientific official horticulturists 
as impractical chair warmers and theoretical dreamers. 
Whenever two groups of individuals are being com¬ 
pared I have always taken the stand that there are good 
and poor individuals in both and that is the way 1 feel 
about the two groups now under discussion. 
1 am also glad to say that it is a well known fact that 
the legitimate nurserymen have taken decisive steps to 
eliminate all individuals that are not conducting a first 
class, fair and square business. 
bince there was no organized ell'on here in the north¬ 
west towards any cooperation between these two groups 
for their mutuai benefit as well as lor the interest oi the 
public, and realizing the necessity and value oi sued co¬ 
operation, the speaker was instrumental in bringing to¬ 
gether at Mandan, N. H., on August 23 and 24, 1616 a 
representative number of oiliciai horticulturists oi the 
JN orthwestern States and the Canadian Provinces north 
of us, which resulted in the organization of the “Great 
Plains Official Horticulturists Association.” The objects 
and purposes of this association in brief are: the co¬ 
ordination of horticultural investigations, the stimulation 
of interest and mutual assistance, the encouragement of 
proper and consistant horticultural publicity and last but 
most important of all the adoption of a comprehensive 
plan of commercial cooperation. 
Our second annual convention was held at Winnipeg, 
August 16th to 20th, 1919. At both meetings a number 
of representative nurserymen as well as horticultural 
writers were present on invitation from the association. 
The association is now definitely organized with a num¬ 
ber of standing committees that are pretty much alive 
and right on the job. 
The one committee that 1 wish to mention in particular 
is the one on commercial cooperation of which the 
speaker was made chairman. Other members of this 
committee are Mr. Patmore, of the Patmore Nursery Co., 
of Brandon, Man., Mr. Heckhouse, of the Prairie Nur¬ 
series Co., Ltd., of Estavan, Sask., and Mr. F. E. Colfiq 
of the Northern Great Plains Field Station, Mandan, N. D. 
While the membership of the association is limited to 
official horticulturists, i. e. those employed by the state 
or federal government, still nurserymen are urgently re¬ 
quested to attend our meetings and to participate in all 
our deliberations. It is also specifically provided for that 
nurserymen may serve on standing committees. In this 
capacity it will be seen, that the nurserymen can be of 
great service in bringing about that closer cooperation 
between these two groups. It should also be mentioned 
that this association actually takes the initiative in the 
matter of commercial cooperation. The committee on 
commercial cooperation is to serve as a clearing house 
and as a go-betweeen for bringing together the scientific 
horticulturists and the nurserymen. This means that it 
will assist nurserymen to secure all possible informa¬ 
tion of value to them, and such new varieties as are avail¬ 
able for distribution as well as promising experimental 
material that might be of use to nurserymen. In order to 
make such a committee most effective it seems that com¬ 
mittees of the several nurserymen’s associations might 
be appointed for the purpose of getting together with and 
working hand in hand with our committee on commercial 
cooperation. As soon as the work of this committee is or¬ 
ganized it is intended that it will issue a briei report or 
statement giving what information and what plant ma¬ 
terials may he available that might he of value to nur¬ 
serymen in the northwest. Such reports are to be sent 
to all nurserymen in this section, the committee also 
wishes to secure from organized nurserymen or Irons 
individuals such suggestions and helpful criticisms as 
will assist scientific horticulturists to plan proper experi¬ 
mental work and to develope such new fruits and plants 
as are wanted by the nurserymen for their trade. 
In the past, due to the lack of any suitable system of 
commercial cooperation, several outstanding cases of 
successful individual effort have appeared: the work of 
our own l)r. Hansen having been the most unique and ef¬ 
fective system that could have been devised. Federal 
stations unfortunately can not adopt such a system due 
to the regulations. The Minnesota system has also been 
effective in getting new varieties into the trade. Iowa 
has also done considerable work along this line. 
Little else has been done in the Northwest by other 
state or federal stations in any attempt towards commer¬ 
cial cooperation. With an effective system of cooperation 
and with both groups in the congenial state of mind and 
being desirous of mutual assistance, no doubt, much 
good will be accomplished. 
For the most effective cooperation, it is absolutely ne¬ 
cessary that the scientific horticulturist and the nursery¬ 
man meet on the level. They must have that true respect 
for each other which alone can be the welding link for a 
real cooperation which will make it possible that the re¬ 
sults of the scientist will find their broadest application. 
For the data and information as well as the new creations 
in the plant world are of little value if these are not prop¬ 
erly distributed and disseminated. And we all know that 
the nurseryman thru his catalog or agent as well as thru 
his products is one of the chief agencies of horticultural 
propaganda. He takes a new variety and makes it avail¬ 
able to the public, he gets information from the experi¬ 
mentalist as to a good stock for certain purposes and 
grows and uses them in his trade and in this way he gets 
many good things before the public that would otherwise 
not become disseminated. 
So far I have largely emphasized the value that the 
scientific horticulturists can and should be to the nur¬ 
serymen but loooking at this matter of cooperation from 
the other standpoint it becomes evident that the nursery¬ 
man can also be of considerable value and assistance to 
the scientist. Nurserymen can and gladly would assist 
the scientists in the testing of new and promising var¬ 
ieties especially in regard to their ease of propagation. 
They would also be glad to cooperate in propogation ex¬ 
periments as these could he conducted very often at no 
extra expense. When such experimental work is initiat¬ 
ed however, a number of practical nurserymen should 
be consulted before such projects are definitely decided 
on. 
Another phase of cooperation is that of horticultural 
publicity. Unfortunately, at present, most nurserymen 
are obliged to conduct their own publicity or educational 
campaign. In this matter of the dissemination of horti¬ 
cultural information there is no consistency or coordina- 
