THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
177 
ied this report and made suggestions or criticisms so that 
Chairman Kelsey can present to the convention for adop¬ 
tion, a report covering not only the committee, but the 
entire association’s reaction on same. Looking back over 
the past year, one feels that he can safely say, without 
being called too optimistic, that the horticultural and 
related industries have just completed a year of progress 
and success. 
I have not the time in this brief report to mention all 
features outstanding during the past year, yet a few 
stand forward so prominently that I desire to call to 
your attention again before commencing another year of 
progress. 
First and foremost is J. A. Young’s “Plan to Plant 
Another Tree,” which burst forth during the year as a 
star of the first magnitude, with many local “Plan to 
Plant Another Tree” clubs in all sections of the country, 
backed by a progressive group of Illinois association nur¬ 
serymen, and the recently formed Tree Lovers’ Associa¬ 
tion of America, should mean thousands of dollars in 
sales to the nurserymen. It should be our duty as a 
member, also as an association to aid this great move¬ 
ment. W. T. Cowperthwaite, of Holm & Olsom, St. Paul, 
Minnesota, deserves a word for his attractive articles, 
backing up our publicity activities. 
It is also interesting to note that during the past spring- 
radio talks by two Quakers, Edward Moon and Robert 
Pyle, were broadcasted for the benefit of garden lovers 
and plant growers. Frequent talks during the growing 
season on after care would be service really worth while 
for the A. A. of N. to “tune in” with. 
Three books have been published, which every nur¬ 
seryman should have on his desk. “Amateur’s Garden¬ 
ing” by E. G. Hilborn, Valley City, North Dakota ; “How 
to Grow Roses” by Robert Pyle, West Grove, Pennsyl¬ 
vania, featuring the culture, and one by J. Horace Mc¬ 
Farland, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, covering the rose in 
general, “The Rose in America.” 
On October 13th after a hearing with a committee ap¬ 
pointed to confer with the Federal Horticultural Board, 
the board announced that the washing of roots of import¬ 
ed plants would not thereafter be demanded, provided 
such roots could in some other way be rendered entirely 
free from soil. On October 12th there was organized at 
Washington, D. C., the American Horticultural Society, 
a non-commercial body that will no doubt help largely 
in our horticultural progress. On December 5th a Canad¬ 
ian National Nurserymen Association was formed, which 
will do much toward strengthening the ties between the 
Dominion and the United States. We welcome these two 
new societies. 
During the last year or two the nursery trade has 
made progress along all lines ethical, and my report 
would not be complete without calling to your attention 
the election of Harlan P. Kelsey, as a member ol the 
Executive Committee of the Commercial Standards Coun¬ 
cil, and the New England Association is going alter the 
grafters. When this bill comes before your state asso¬ 
ciation, back it. 
A paper by Professor S. W. Fletcher, Pennsylvania 
State College, presented at recent meetings ol the 
Jersey and Indiana State Horticultural Societies, was in¬ 
teresting and inspiring. Representatives from all state 
horticultural societies should be invited to our associa¬ 
tion meetings. 
This has been a year of slogans. Coue’s battle was 
won before he sailed from France, “won by a word.” 
IIis slogan, “Day by day in every way, 1 am getting bet¬ 
ter and better,' was in a lew weeks heard in every re¬ 
mote hamlet in America. Rhyme and rhythm had much 
to do with the popularity of Coue. 1 have read some¬ 
where that “men shall not live by word alone, but mostly 
catch-phrases,” and recent history seems to indicate that 
man shall not get rich by industry alone, unless he can 
hook it up to a convenient slogan. Have also heard 
that the success of a publisher and the reputation of a 
novelist was made by a hired hand in the print shop, 
suggesting the title, “When Knighthood Was in Flower” 
to an otherwise undistinguished book. 
“The beer that made Milwaukee famous” did no such 
thing, but the phrase itself accomplished what the beer 
had failed to do. “The flavor lasts” may or may not be 
true as applied to the product, but the flavor of the phrase 
certainly sticks in men’s memories. 
What about a slogan for the nurserymen? During the 
past year many have been suggested. At recent annual 
conventions bigger men than I am have told you what 
the paint, cement and many other manufacturing organi¬ 
zations have accomplished with a slogan and national ad¬ 
vertising. A paint or cement factory can be defined in a 
few words, a manufacturing plant and capital. It takes 
money and factories making similar products to make 
national advertising pay. 
Did you ever try to define a nurseryman? The head 
waiter here in the Congress Hotel can walk into the office 
of any newspaper in Chicago, contract for pages of copy, 
and be a nurseryman. A lock box in the post office, a 
vacant lot his office, and plant. 
The above shows how easy it is to become a nursery¬ 
man. Any farmer can start a nursery, many manufac¬ 
turing plants and real estate concerns plant out a small 
acreage for the purpose of securing wholesale lists. 
The United States is so large, our interests so varied, 
that I doubt the wisdom at this time of attempting to do 
national advertising, using a national slogan, but we can 
put the American Association of Nurserymen to the front. 
Let’s stop and consider first, a field worker, an efficient 
man spending all his time before horticultural and nur¬ 
sery organizations, explaining what A. A. of N. means, 
its aims and aspirations toward American horticulture. 
There is no better way to add new members and create 
renewed interest in our work and organization. The 
greatest of buildings arise one brick or beam at a time, 
and it might prove difficult to arrange for this as contin¬ 
ual service, but this man could assist the president in 
publishing each month a “house organ,’ handle our vigi¬ 
lance work face to face with a nurseryman at his office 
promptly and fearlessly. 
A small insignia is what we need for a slogan, the 
three letters, A. A. of N. printed on every piece of litera¬ 
ture we send out, and on the reverse side of the millions 
of labels. 
I am sure all broad minded nurserymen realize that 
something more is needed, that we must be better organ- 
