THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
161 
National Service Bureau is still a very small beginning, 
but if the little we have done so far has shown results 
so noticeable, can any nurseryman who is at all familiar 
witli the part publicity plays in modern merchandising 
have any doubt that at least a small i)art of his advertis¬ 
ing a})propriation can be expended more elTectually in a 
co-operative campaign for general publicity than in in¬ 
dividual effort? 
“No nursery concern in the country, at no matter what 
expense, could possibly have obtained the publicity 
which tlie Sei-vice Bureau has been able to get. If paid 
for at advertising rates it would have cost tens of thou¬ 
sands of dollars,—but it could not have been bought at 
any price. 
EVIDENCE 
From a letter to F. F. Hockwell from Charles Dexter 
Allen, Manager Reader's Service of the Inde¬ 
pendent and Harper's Weekly. 
“We have had recently an increased number of 
inquiries about the planting of trees and shrubs. 
These inquiries, without exception ask for names 
and addresses of dependable nurserymen, growers, 
dealers and seedsmen of wbom they can buy. 
“When we have an inquiry from the Northwestern 
or the Southeastern , the Central or the Southein 
portions of the United States regarding trees, shruhs 
and plants, we would like in answering, to give the 
address of a reliable nursery in the general location 
from which our correspondent writes. 
“It would be a manifest convenience to him to be 
able to order goods from a nursery fairly close at 
hand. 
“Do you know if a directory of nurserymen can be 
had? If you make a recommendation we shall ap¬ 
preciate th(^ courtesy. 
Very truly yours. 
Independent Efficiency Service^ 
Chas. Dexter Allen, Manager. 
April 25th, 1919.” . 
DOES PUBLICITY PAY? 
Three years ago the National War Garden Com¬ 
mission and the Department of Agriculture 
started a puhlicity campaign on 
VEGETABLES :- 
Seed sales jumped! The Seedsmen have had 
the three biggest years in their history. 
Two years ago the Florists started tlieir pub¬ 
licity campaign on 
FLOWERS :— 
Flower sales jumped! In spite of adverse con¬ 
ditions, business increased so much last year 
that many florists this year are dodtd'ing their 
suhscrijitions to the Publicity Fund. 
This year the yiurserymen, through the national 
Service Bureau, started their publicity cam¬ 
paign on 
NURSERY STOCK :- 
Nursery sales jumped! Nurserymen have had 
all the business they could do—at Iiigher prices. 
DOES PUBLICITY PAY? 
A SUGGESTION FOB STABILIZING PBICES 
Why not eliminate the trade price list completely and 
in its place publish the retail selling price in every pos¬ 
sible way, standardizing grades and qualities and then 
the individual nurseryman could send his discount sheet 
to those entitled to it? 
To the trade, jobbers, quantity consumers, landscape 
gardeners, florists or all those that are entitled to it for 
some reason or other. 
The discount need not be the same to the (luantity con¬ 
sumer as to the trade. 
While perhaps this suggestion would not be a cure-all 
for the present chaotic state, it would be backing up the 
Market Development Movement and be a great advance 
tow^ards stabilizing prices, and in bringing about a more 
equitable arrangement betw^een the grower, middleman 
and consumer. 
In fixing the retail price it should be based as near as 
possible on the average known cost of production and 
about three and one-half times greater. 
Assuming the cost of growing an apple tree 2 year 
XX grade is 20 cents, the retail price wmuld be 70 cents. 
The element of labor, risk, etc., that enters so largely 
into the cost of handling a living plant when out ol the 
ground explains the big difference between the cost of 
production and juice to the consumer, add to this fact the 
manufacturer, grower or producer is often his own dis¬ 
tributor and you have the real cause of unstable and low^ 
prices. 
THE LABOR QUESTION 
The labor (juestion is a serious matter and likely to re¬ 
main so for some time, not only the transient help that is 
put on for the rush season, but the steady help, that is 
depended upon to learn the work and act as foremen. 
The experience of a large nursery in the east illus¬ 
trates tlie attitude of tlie average man towards nursery 
work. 
Advertisements were put in the local jiapers for mar¬ 
ried men to learn the nursery business. There w^ere 90 
replies. To tliese a letter w-as sent giving details of the 
work, wages J|^2.75 per day, steady work the year round, 
no lost time, low rent for house and garden. Out of the 
ninety only six investigated and of these two applied for 
a position, one of these was physically unfitted for out¬ 
door work, so that out of the ninety ajiparently interested 
and looking for work only one cared to work on a nur¬ 
sery. 
A second advertisement w as inserted as a number of 
men were wanhal, but was barren of results as soon as 
they found out wdial kind of work it was. 
