THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
191 
There are three types of trailers in common use; the 
.two-wheeler, the semi-trailer, and the four-whel trailer, 
with various modifications of each to adapt them to the 
special work of particular industries. 
The two-wheel trailer is generally light, being in¬ 
tended to be used with passenger cars, and having a ca¬ 
pacity of 500 to 2000 pounds. It is much used by far¬ 
mers for miscellaneous hauling. 
Semi-trailers run in size from one to fifteen tons cap¬ 
acity. The smaller sizes, from one to two tons capacity, 
are meant to be operated with automobiles while the lar¬ 
ger sizes are constructed for use with trucks or tractors. 
When a semi-trailer is used with a truck, the body of the 
latter is removed and the front end of the semi-trailer is 
supported on the rear platform of the truck, the semi- 
supported on the rear platform of the truck, 
the semi-trailer and the truck being joined by a “fifth 
wheel,” similar to the “fifth wheel” of an ordinary wa¬ 
gon. This construction enables the trailer to follow the 
track of the truck, and to turn corners with facility. The 
semi-trailer, of course, has only one axle and two wheels. 
Four-wheel trailers are commonly built on the prin¬ 
ciple of the motor truck, but since the weight of the en¬ 
gine, etc., is dispensed with, they are much lighter. The 
more common type has steering knuckle axles with the 
tie-bar linked to the drawbar, enabling the front wheels 
to steer as a unit with the drawbar. This construction 
allows the trailer to follow in the tracks of the motor 
truck or automobile and to make turns without “cutting 
corners.” Those up to one-ton capacity are built so that 
they may he used with automobiles, but the larger sizes, 
which go up to ten tons or more, are intended for com¬ 
bination with motor trucks. The larger sizes are also 
manufactured in reversible styles. These are useful in 
congested places or wheie it is desired to avoid turning 
or to use several trailers in a train. 
Load Capacity Doubled 
It has been found in practice that by using a four- 
wheel trailer with a truck, where the road surfaces are 
hard and fairly level, the load capacity of the combina¬ 
tion is twice that of the truck alone. In other words, the 
truck, besides carrying its own full load, is able to haul 
a trailer with an equal load. The reason for this is that 
the engine of the truck is designed and built to be power¬ 
ful enough to enable the truck to haul its full load up 
steep grades and through heavy mud. It is seldom called 
upon to meet these unusual conditions, however, so that 
ordinarily only a small part of its power is utilized, leav¬ 
ing a considerable portion available for hauling a 
trailer. The latter is naturally much lighter than a truck, 
as it has no engine, transmission and other heavy driving 
mechanism, which makes it possible for a truck and 
trailer to haul a load of shrubs, trees or flowers, at a 
lower cost per ton-mile than could two trucks of the 
same load capacity as the truck and trailer combination. 
When a semi-trailer is used with a truck, the total 
load capacity of the unit is about tlnee times that of the 
truck alone. An important advantage of the semi-trailer 
.is that the weight is distributed between the two, each 
bearing its share, so that there is no danger of overload¬ 
ing the truck. 
Trailers are now produced in so many styles and types 
that there is scarcely an industry that cannot find use for 
them in solving its transportation problems and mater¬ 
ially reducing the cost of transporting goods. The nur¬ 
sery trade is beginning to recognize their value and just 
as the nurseryman has substituted for the horse-drawn 
vehicle the far more efficient an I economical motor truck 
or automobile, so in time he will consider his motor 
equipment incomplete without its proper complement of 
trailers. 
SUCCESSFUL ADVERTISING 
The Elm City Nursery Co., New Haven, Conn., reports 
so large a demand for their Box-Barberry that every¬ 
thing is cleaned up in saleable sizes. There is no better 
proof of the value of consistent and persistent advertis¬ 
ing. 
The Box-Barberry is a plant that might have remained 
unknown to the general public until a shrewd far-seeing 
nurseryman saw its possibilities, took it in and propa¬ 
gated and made its value known to the public. As a plant 
it does not differ greatly from the ordinary Berberris 
Thunbergi. In fact to the casual observer, it would pass 
unnoticed as being the common barberry. Yet it has 
qualities that make it extremely valuable for a definite 
purpose: namely, To be used as edging for formal gar¬ 
dens and positions where a neat low plant is desired and 
to take the place of the box, which has been used for 
generations for that purpose, but which in many local¬ 
ities proves so uncertain during severe winters. 
The Elm City Nursery organized and acted upon their 
conviction, propagated it and exploited it and certainly 
deserve the success it has made. There are hosts of 
plants equally good that are still unknown to the public, 
due to their not being taken hold of by some live firm 
and demonstrated to the public. We often think because 
we know the qualities of a plant that everyone else does 
and we wait for the demand to encourage us to work up 
a large stock. Those who wait will wait forever or else 
get the tail end of the demand created by some one else. 
The first essential is to decide on a really worthy plant, 
figure out the possibilities in demand for it, that can be 
created. It is useless to expect a very great sale of a 
plant that no one would wish to plant more than a single 
specimen, but take a plant that could be used in quanti¬ 
ties and that is a good thing, the demand is sure to he 
large when it is well known. 
There are many varieties of roses that have qualities 
that would guarantee very large use if properly ex¬ 
ploited and the same may be said of numerous other 
plants that are listed in many catalogues, yet it is for the 
nurseryman himself to decide and then go ahead with 
all the strength of his conviction, which will invariably 
meet with success. 
Reports received by the Missouri State Fruit Experi¬ 
ment Station indicate that the commercial apple crop of 
1920 in the United States will probably equal or exceed 
last year’s crop, which was estimated at 26,174,000 bar¬ 
rels. Report covers conditions to June 15. 
