142 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
Report of Committee on Relations with Landscape Archi¬ 
tects, Thomas B. Meehan, Chairman. 
Report of Committee on Courses in Nursery Training in 
Agricultural Colleges, Alvin E. Nelson, Chair¬ 
man. 
Report of Advisory Committee, Cooperating with United 
States Department of Agriculture, J. II. Skin¬ 
ner, Chairman. 
State Vice-Presidents will meet this evening (Thursday) 
at eight P. M. 
Friday Morning —10 o’clock—Open Session 
New business—Short, snappy, one or two minute talks on 
conditions, out-look, shortage and surplus from 
all sections of the country. The chair will call for 
these reports. Be prepared. 
New business. 
Report of State Vice-Presidents. 
Eection of Officers. 
Selection of next place of meeting. 
Unfinished business. 
Song “America.” 
My country! ’tis of thee 
Sweet land of liberty, 
Of thee I sing; 
Land where my fathers died; 
Land of the Pilgrims’ pride; 
From every mountain side, 
Let freedom ring! 
Adjournment. 
LET US HAVE SAFE AND SANE METHODS 
By Walter F. Webb, Cutler Bldg., Rochester, N. Y. 
Having read all the leading trade papers in the Nur¬ 
sery business from cover to cover the past year, I thought 
perhaps a few words from one who is not a member of 
the American Association might be of interest. 
For the present officers and executive committee of the 
American Association, I have the highest respect, and I 
hope they may he guided by good judgment at the June 
meeting. I recognize the right of every man to his own 
opinion and try always to respect it. I also realize that 
the opinions of men are often swayed by propaganda. 
Many good men have been swayed back and forth hv the 
outpourings of gas and hot air that have emanated from 
our Capitol City during the past four years and it has 
been a relief to everybody since it has died down. Many 
of us remember the 16 to one issue and other propaganda 
of a similar nature in more recent years. 
We seem to he passing through a period when people 
jump at all kinds of ism’s and purifying schemes and 
most any one who has good uplift ideas can get a re¬ 
spectable following. I had a good time at the Detroit 
convention but I told some of my friends that the pro¬ 
paganda that was started there would cause dissentions, 
and it has. The Market Development scheme as started 
was unworkable and it has so proven. Any really ex¬ 
pert advertising man would have condemned it at the 
start, as enough money could not be raised among the 
nurserymen of the country to even cause a ripple on the 
public mind large enough to cause any dollars to event¬ 
ually roll into the nurserymen’s pocket. It was con¬ 
demned at the start by most of our leading nurserymen 
and it is really surprising that the rank and file did not 
propose ere this to give it a decent burial and forget it. 
But the really brilliant idea that is entitled to the cake 
and should he classed with the League of Nations, Super- 
State, etc., was Trustworthy Trees and Plants. The 
brains that conceived this brilliant scheme are entitled to 
a medal. They are good fellows and I hope I am on 
friendly terms with all of them, hut I am really sorry it 
has proven such a boomerang. Was it not clever? Just 
print that little picture on all of our literature, tell the 
good people where to buy their trees and plants, advertise 
it, only buy from a member who dispensed Trustworthy 
Trees and Plants, and in a short time everything would 
he heavenly in the nursery business. 
But how has it worked? A few firms, members of the 
Association, are using it. A lot of others are not, and firms 
who are not members of any association have the cut on 
their stationery. What are you going to do about it? 
How is the poor misguided public to know that the firm 
who is using this label is a member of the American As¬ 
sociation in good standing and has paid his dues? 
Pardon the mention of a personal experience. I buy 
all my stock and I am getting to use a considerable quan¬ 
tity. Every single instance where I have received junk 
stock, stock improperly graded, not graded at all, or 
shipped a month late, poorly packed, has been from a 
firm using on their stationery Trustworthy Trees and 
Plants. Rather queer is it not? Perhaps it just hap¬ 
pened so to he, but 1 feel that this label has opened the 
way for all kinds of disreputable practices. Firms who 
found it hard to sell their stock can now gull the pubic 
to their hearts content, and they are doing it. 
Down here in New York State it is hard to find a firm 
who will stick by the Association if it does not sweep 
away these foggy notions and get down to a safe and sane 
basis. It has been j ust twenty years since I attended my 
first Nurserymen’s Convention and looking back over 
these years, I long for the time when the members met 
for a good visit, heard the reports of the Transportation 
and Legislative committees, a few good speeches for “the 
good of the order” and went back home contented and 
satisfied. There is no real need for anything more at 
this time. The real power of the Association as I see it 
is looking after legislation and transportation. 
Members should not be taken in the Association until 
their business ethics are known to be above reproach, 
and those in the Association who adopt unfair practices 
should he dropped out quietly and without any fuss. I 
have felt from the start there never was any real need for 
these schemes at all. I made these statemnts at the De¬ 
troit convention to my friends and at later conventions, 
and I have never heard or read any convincing arguments 
since that would cause me to change my mind. 
Our business is a noble and inspiring one, worthy of 
the best efforts of any intelligent man. It has never 
been, in my opinion, as crooked as some people try to 
make out. It never needed any “purifying” as some 
people think. 
