2Ibe fatfonal 1Rurser$anan. 
FOR GROWER SAND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK 
The National Nurseryman Publishing Co., Incorporated 
Vol. XXXII. HATBORO, PENNA., OCTOBER 1924 No. 10 
The Young Nurserymen 
Just as prosperity and progress of the individual nur¬ 
sery business dei)ends on the amount and quality of 
young stock it plants and brings to perfection, so does 
llie welfare of the trade depend on the (luantity and (lual- 
ity of boys and young men that are enlisted in its service, 
lhat will stick, grow up, and become skilled, and imbued 
with the best traditions of its service. 
In many instances the nurseries of the country have 
been family affairs, and very slow to encourage outside 
help, by taking them in and allowing them an interest. 
Even in the old country it was very much a family in¬ 
dustry, but there to keep the succeeding generation up to 
the mark, to bring new thougbts and ideas into the 
business it was customary for one nurseryman’s son to 
work a few years on another nursery. 
This custom had much to recommend it although it is 
not likely to appeal to the narrow' gauge nurseryman 
w ho w ould hesitate to allow' a conqxditor’s son to learn 
of his methods and then lose him just wdien he was be¬ 
coming valuable. 
Present business has begun to recognize the opposite 
policy an essential to success. By some means or other 
it must be made possible for tbe employee to acciuire an 
interest or the best men will gravitate to some other 
house with a more liberal policy or to some other occu- 
])ation. 
Much has been written and said of late concerning the 
education and training of young nurserymen. 
In spite of all the theories about college courses from 
such recruits would come new' life and enter])rise in the 
trade. 
While nursery work is not one that would a})peal to 
easy money chasers or even the feminine dude, it un¬ 
doubtedly has as much to offer youth as other profes¬ 
sions that are well supplied wdth recruits. 
If recruits could be draw'u from men of middle age 
there w ould be no lack of them. Age gives men a better 
idea of real values but youth must be guided and en¬ 
couraged. 
It is really up to the trade to encourage youths to 
apprentice themselves to the business and this can only 
be done by a liberal policy towards them. Most youths 
are “from Missouri” these days and rewards for inter¬ 
est, service and loyalty in the interests of their em])loy- 
ers must be reasonably sure to hold them. 
To develo}) them, the one fact remains: there is only 
one place to train and develop a nurseryman and that is 
in the nursery. 
The reason is obvious enough. Nursery activities are 
])hysical as W'cll as mental. Perhaps more so than any 
other profession. 
The young man that graduates from high school at 
16 years of age or so and then takes a four year college 
course, may be w^ell trained mentally but has missed 
that invaluable trainijig in physical skill in the profession 
and contact with j)lants at the proper age that handicaps 
him as a wmrker and a nurseryman. 
Of com 'se there are many exceptions. The nursery¬ 
man’s son is most likely to be one. Born and raised on 
a nursery he has perha])S naturally absorbed much and 
ac(iuired skill that would he entirely lacking in a boy 
with no such background. 
What the trade really needs is an influx of new blood 
in the shape of boys with, say, a high school education, 
lo go and work in the nursery with a view' of making it 
their life profession. 
SOUTHERN NURSERYMEN’S ASSOCIATION 
The attendance, woather and Southern hospitality all 
combined to make the convention of the Southern Nur¬ 
serymen’s Association held at Greensboro, N. G., Septem¬ 
ber 3rd and 4th, a memorable event. 
Visitors began to arrive early. By Tuesday there was 
quite a gathering of nurserymen in the lobby of the 
Hotel O’Henry and by the time the first session w as call¬ 
ed to order by President Hellenmeyer, the ball room of 
the hotel was w'ell filled. 
The w'eather in the first part of the w^eek had been 
extremely hot, arriving travellers reported, the country 
very jiarched and dusty but a soaking rain cooled off the 
atmosphere and made conditions ideal. 
Messrs. Paul Lindley, John G. Young and Robert 
Young and Sons acted as hosts and fulfilled their tasks 
in true Southern style. If any nurseryman did not en¬ 
joy his visit it was no fault of the local management or 
the hosts. Too much cannot be said in favor of the hotel 
selected as it proved extremely comfortable and reason¬ 
able. 
After the first session autos were provided and the 
visiting nurserymen and friends were taken to the J. 
Van Lindley Nurseries, Pomona, N. C., where they w'ere 
treated to a real Southern Barbecue prepared by the 
darkies in the enqiloy of the firm. This was laid out in 
the large packing houses, packing eases serving as tables 
and was a most enjoyable treat. The supply of eatables 
