THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
99 
REGARDING REPLACEMENT OF NURSERY STOCK 
Read by C. H. Sierman at the Annual Meeting of the Connecticut 
Nurserymen’s Association, Feb. 6, 1912 
Being absolutely without any oratorial gifts, it is not my 
intention to speak at any length on this question of replacing 
nursery stock without charge to the purchaser, but I am urged 
into this by Brother Hunt, and I might as well start the ball 
a-rolling, bring this 
matter before you, and 
let you thresh it out. In 
fact, I am a firm be¬ 
liever in discussions, 
knowing that better re¬ 
sults will be derived 
therefrom than from 
long lectures. 
If I don’t want to 
crack old nuts, there is 
really nothing for me left 
to say regarding this 
replacing evil. You are 
all familiar with it; you 
all know that this replac¬ 
ing of nursery stock at 
your cost is an entirely 
unbusinesslike monstros¬ 
ity, an absurd foolish¬ 
ness. To think that 
you sell to some custom¬ 
er some of your goods— 
with no extravagant 
profits attached to it— 
then this customer, in 
return, neglects to give 
these goods even or¬ 
dinary care, and they 
pass, consequently, off 
into a better world; or 
adverse circumstances, 
elementary influences, 
etc., cause such plants to 
die, and you turn around and supply another lot of plants, 
and this time at your cost. This is, no matter how I focus 
it, a decidedly silly business transaction. 
Any honest business concern will find it to its interest to 
sell to its customers an honest article, of quality according to 
the price charged, and should stand behind his goods in case 
of defects, and if the article is accepted by the customer, the 
actual business transaction should cease right then and there. 
In no other line of business, no matter where you look to, may 
it be beast or machine, will there be any replacing done except 
for evident flaws. Right across the street here is the store of 
a live stock dealer and right behind those busildings the 
stables of several horse dealers; you go and buy a horse from 
one, from the other a pen of chickens, then go home forget to 
feed and water your animals, or kill them off by other abuse, 
or a fire may break out in your barn and these animals, by 
accident, may bum to death without your fault. Then go 
you back to these dealers and claim some new animals free of 
cost; will they give them to you!* They arc no such fools! 
The same might be applied to any other article of merchan¬ 
dise, except to articles handled in this, our blooming profes¬ 
sion. But this custom of replacing nursery stock without 
cost is by no means general. I know many firms (usual!v 
they are the most reputable ones) who will not follow that 
custom, or if they do assume the risk of plantings, they add an 
additional charge of say 
25% to the first price. 
Some people who re¬ 
place will say, “Well, we 
advance our prices so 
that we are protected,’’ 
but this is not right 
business principles; they 
are fooling their custom¬ 
ers by charging for 
something that cannot 
be seen. Would it not 
be much more consistent 
with honest business 
principles, to charge for 
your goods with your 
regular ]3ercentagc of 
profits but without any 
replacing guarantee in 
case of failure, and if 
anyone wants to have 
his plants insured against 
loss charge him an ad¬ 
ditional 25% or so 
premium for the risk 
you are assuming ? 
This would give your 
customer an opportun¬ 
ity to see what he pays 
his additional cost for, 
and the whole transac¬ 
tion would be more 
satisfactory to all con¬ 
cerned. 
I see, with great satisfaction, that the Western Nursery¬ 
men have taken action in this matter, and no doubt you all 
have read about this in The National Nurseryman, but I 
would be more gratified if something similar could be accom¬ 
plished by the Eastern Nurserymen. 
Well, Gentlemen, I shall leave this matter now in your 
hands for disccussion. I thank you for your attention. 
MASSACHUSETTS NURSERYMEN’S ASSOCIATION 
President, W. H. Wyman, North Abington, Mass.; 
Secretary-Treasurer, A. E. Robinson, Bedford, Mass. 
Meets annually first Tuesday in December. 
The Charlton Nursery Company offer for this season a selected 
stock of Standard Fruits, Roses and Hyrangeas. Their advertisement 
appears on page 83 of this issue. 
PROF. G. M. BENTLEY 
Re-elected Secretary of the Tennessee Association 
