52 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
PULLING TOGETHER 
Read Before the Illinois State Nurserymen's Association 
By J. Fred Ammann 
Field Organizer of The Florists’ Telegraph Delivery 
If we could say with the Apostle Paul as in his second letter 
to the Thessalonians, Chapter 1, Verse 3: 
“We are bound to thank God always for you, brethern, as it 
is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the 
charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth,’’ we 
could then feel assured that we are pulling together, so that the 
cause we are working for, be it religious, social, or commercial, 
is making progress. 
There never was time in the history of our country when 
there was a greater need for agricultural interest, and I mean by 
that agriculture in its broadest sense, including horticulture and 
all it branches to become better organized and to pull together. 
The statistics of the Department of Agriculture and Labor tell 
us that if prices of agricultural commodities were in a just re¬ 
lation to those of other commodities in 1913, they are now thirty- 
six points out of adjustment. That is to say the purchasing 
power of farm products, their exchange value in other commodi¬ 
ties is only sixty four cents on a dollar compared with what it 
was in 1913. And even then it was not equitable. 
Now, I dare say that what was true of agricultural products 
in 1913 and is today, the same can be said of all branches of the 
agricultural industry. And those of us who are so closely re¬ 
lated to the horticultural and floricultural interests know it to 
be especially true of the latter. Horticulture and floriculture are 
an integral part of agriculture and we have many things in 
common. 
Therefore, our interests in the progress of agriculture in gen¬ 
eral should be such as to prove ourselves worthy of being a 
branch thereof. How could this be better accomplished than 
by organizing ourselves; co-operating and pulling together in 
order to strengthen whatever particular branch, thereof, we may 
happen to be. 
One has said and I think truly so, that good will among men 
does not come as a miracle but it has to be worked, an loved 
and wrought out into every human relationship. We are living 
in the greatest age of opportunities, as well as unrest, that the 
world has ever known. The world, at large, is in a great tur¬ 
moil. If ever man needed the hand of fellowship, it is now. 
Organization is needed; co-operation even more so. Both of 
these we have a great deal of and are hearing much about in 
these days, but unless all this organization and co-operative 
work is carried on in the true spirit of jus'tice,(and mean justice 
in the fullness that the word implies) we can never expect to get 
the benefit therefrom that we should. 
The product from the industry that you men here assembled 
represent is among the most essential in our country. The fruit 
from the trees you produce make for better health. The orna¬ 
mental nursery stock you produce helps to create happiness and 
better homes. You are, therefore, as a whole helping to produce 
a better citizenship. Hence, it is all the more essential that you 
continue to organize and co-operate to the end that your busi¬ 
ness may not only be a pleasure and a profit to you, but also in 
order that it may become a greater inducement for young men 
of this and coming generations to enter into with a willingness 
to carry on the great work. 
We need more scientific training of young men and women in 
horticulture. We are continually facing new problems in cul¬ 
tural methods. We must, from time to time, devise better meth¬ 
ods of marketing our product; all of which requires preparation 
and training which can be best brought about through co-opera¬ 
tion and pulling together. 
“Putting our House in Order” by L. E. Manning of the Ameri¬ 
can Nurserymen’s Association, published in a recent issue of 
Trade Papers, is the title of an article with diagrams of an out¬ 
line for the purpose of binding together more closely the organ¬ 
ized interests of the nurserymen by creating district associa¬ 
tions. This in turn to be linked up with the state associations. 
This, if accomplished, will be a great step in advance. 
The Florists’ Telegraph Delivery Association is at the present 
time organizing District Units along the same lines. The work 
of which I happen to be in charge of as Field Manager is pro¬ 
gressing very nicely and we feel will bring us great results. I 
might continue to dwell at length upon the matter of closer co¬ 
operation and organization for the purpose of bringing about 
better cultural methods and a higher quality of stock, and while 
this is all valuable and very necessary, we find, however, that 
the matter of production of agricultural, horticultural and flori¬ 
cultural products of America is not nearly so much lacking as 
is the proper method of the marketing of same, or in other words 
the selling of the American people to the needs of our product. 
And for the latter purpose we need more of both co-operative 
and individual advertising, nationally and locally. This must 
be done in order to sell the product. You, no doubt, are all 
familiar with the great slogan, “SAY IT WITH FLOWERS” 
adopted by the Society of American Florists in their Co-opera¬ 
tive National Advertising Campaign. This has not been going 
on for the last four years and wonderful results have been 
achieved through it. 
Other industrial organizations soon followed with similar trade 
slogans and they must, no doubt, too be getting results. To my 
mind a trade slogan to an organization is very much like a trade 
mark to a manufacturer and, therefore, every organization should 
have one. The Nurserymen’s slogan, “Plan to Plant Another 
Tree,” is a good one, but remember folks it will take consider¬ 
able money to properly launch a slogan of this kind and it re¬ 
quires liberal contributions and sincere co-operation to bring 
about the results desired from an advertising campaign 
There is, I understand,a movement on foot to raise a fund in 
your Association for putting your Slogan across. I advise you 
all to get behind it, support it and subscribe to it. Encourage 
others to do the same and I can assure you that your investment 
will be a good one, and your time and efforts for pulling together 
not in vain. 
J. FRED AMMANN, 
Field Organizer, F. T. D. 
NEW MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION 
OF NURSERYMEN 
The following have been elected to membership in the 
American Association of Nurserymen; 
W. G. Eisele, 327 Cedar Ave., Long Branch, N. J. 
George Lawler, Gardenville, Tacoma, Wash. 
J. B. Wight, Cairo, Georgia. 
Wichita Nurseries & Seed House, Wichita, Kansas. 
Washington Heights Nurseries, R. F. D. No. 12, Knoxville, 
Tenn. 
G. H. Thornburg, R. A. Box 360, Evansville, Ind. 
Sunshine State Nursery, Yankton, S. Dakota. 
A. H. Smith & Son, Perry, Ohio. 
Lehde & Schoenhut, Gardenville, N. Y. 
W. H. Guilford & Son, R. No. 2, Dubuque, Iowa. 
Edwin K. Mooney, Madeira, Ohio. 
The Bristol Nurseries, Inc., Bristol, Conn. 
Quite a number of new applications are pending and 
any number of inquiries are being received, which shows 
decided interest in the membership drive, indications are 
that by the next convention one hundred new members 
will be added to the association. 
December 27, 1922. 
The National Nurseryman, 
Easton, Md. 
Gentlemen: Will you kindly insert the following in 
your question box? Some years ago some experiment 
station sent out Populus nigra. Is there any nursery 
that has propagated from same? The Nigra mentioned 
is slower growing than any other poplar. Type, a little 
broader than the Lombardy and foliage is small and 
dark green. 
Thanking you for the favor, I remain, 
Yours very truly, 
C. N. Ruedlinger. 
The Federal Horticultural Roard has removed restric¬ 
tions against the shipment of Mahonia repens. There 
was a quarantine against this plant on account of the 
Black Stem Rust but it has been declared that this plant 
is not attacked by the rust that is destructive to small 
grains. 
