94 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
turers into groups in order to get the best and most econ^ 
omical results. 
He pointed out that the time had passed when each 
tradesman could gain by keeping his secrets from his 
neighbor because it limits and does not make for the 
greatest progress and returns in the industry as a whole. 
“Unless considerable thought has been given to these 
matters, the average organization is a very primitive 
thing. 
“A man starts in a small way of business and is apt to 
let things go along hoping that things will turn out all 
right. There is no definite plan and no definite respons¬ 
ibility. But there are certain figures that you all ought 
to have as executives. It is soon realized in trade, that it 
is proper to specialize in certain products. Nothing will 
show better than keeping good records of your stock. Cer¬ 
tain advantages in different parts of the country make it 
impossible for others to make a profit on some products. 
You must give individual attention to the various concerns 
of your organization. 
“Many concerns are able to go along in spite of a lack 
of proper accounting, but the losses today are mostly 
owing to the fact that they have not kept cost accounts. 
This they find out when they reach the bankruptcy courts. 
A simple, but comprehensive plan of accounting would 
avoid all this. There are essential figures any organiza¬ 
tion must have in order to know what they are doing. It 
is well known that without knowing what our competitors 
are doing, there is danger of going wrong in Hie matter 
of price. For this reason it has been found a great help 
to have regular reports of prices and from them obtaining 
a more correct average price for commodities. If you 
have no standard, the tendency is to try to get by and try 
to undersell. Anything you sell ought to be worth the 
price not only to get you by, but to give you a surplus. 
The higher your service, the higher your price, and people 
are quite willing to pay. But what is a standard of qual¬ 
ity? We don’t know. The apparent lack of any stand¬ 
ard hurts the industry as a whole. The best thing for the 
good of the horticultural interests of this State, is for your 
association to get together and arrange standards based on 
business methods. This will include methods of handling 
and paying employes. This getting together will enable 
you to help each other and at the same time raise the 
standard of your business throughout the States.” 
Mr. Jacob’s address was listened to with great interest 
and as might be expected, led up to a discussion on the 
question which refuses to be side-tracked—that of 
“costs.” A number of speakers took part in the discussion 
and some of the old difficulties were resurrected but still 
there was an indication that the Illinois Nurserymen's As¬ 
sociation is gradually coming into a state of concord as to 
the importance of the cost question. It was pointed out 
that two years ago the association had decided to support 
the plan of engaging an expert to advise on the subject, 
but the financial support had not been sufficient. Now 
that the subject was again coming to the front, several 
gentlemen urged that a beginning be made, and promised 
to guarantee the money necessary for the purpose. 
The filing of the “Trade 
Mark” of the American 
Association of Nursery¬ 
men in Washington 
marks a distinct ad¬ 
vance in the affairs of 
the Association. 
It is a climax of the 
thought and labors of those who have worked so hard to 
bring about cooperative effort to lift the nursery business 
on to a higher plane. 
The trade has now something to “tie to.” ,4 standard¬ 
ized code to work by and a plan for market development 
that will have a cumulative force that will accomplish. 
As Mr. Watson points out, this trade mark is already 
beginning to tap, tap into the consciousness of four mil¬ 
lion six hundred thousand customers, through national 
advertising, with which the fact that those using this 
trade mark supply the best trees and plants that are 
grown and can be depended upon to give them a square 
deal. 
It will be a shortsighted business man who does not 
take full advantage of such an opportunity to connect up 
and become identified from the start with a trade mark 
that stands for Trustworthy Trees and Plants and a fair 
deal to the customer. 
THE TRADE MARK OF THE AMERICAN 
ASSOCIATION OF NURSERYMEN 
To be candid we like the trade mark 
adopted by the American Association 
of Nurserymen. It is not stereotyped. 
It even suggests, in its lack of the 
geometrical, things that grow, which 
it represents. 
The chain has its sentimental application. 
It lacks a motto, unless “Trustworthy” be it. 
It is dainty and will not look out of place on any man’s 
stationery and literature. 
We do not know who approved the design but we do 
take oil' our hat to the courage that will dare so many 
critics. 
There are prettier pictures than a twenty dollar bill, 
but lots of them do not represent that much value. 
HOW HE GOT IN 
If a bug should find its way 
Into the cleanly U. S. A. 
There is always hell to pay, 
And the most that we can say 
He passed the quarantine. 
REACHING THE CUSTOMER 
In a letter from the New Haven Nursery Co., New 
Haven, Conn., calling attention to their catalogue, they 
state “Careful compilation, sizes and prices are the three 
features of first importance to the purchaser who wants 
to buy and select for himself. 
“There is however a large buying public which is not 
.Trustworthy 
'iTrees & Plants f 
Members 
American Association i 
OF NURSERYMEN 
