THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
141 
minister to his aesthetic desires, or to set trees for the purpose 
of selling the crops they produce. It is as much his bu iness to 
to purchase the best stock at . the lowest price, as it is the 
business of the nurseryman to sell stock at the highest price 
obtainable. From the business standpoint their efforts are 
therefore somewhat opposed to each other although in the 
final analysis they are laboring for the same end ultimately. 
We have scores of farm journals, many of them ably edited. 
We have a large number of gardening periodicals, some* of 
them giving us fresh, up-to-date material in each issue, while 
others are collections of despatches, clipped from daily papers, 
displayed beneath startling headings. This latter type rep¬ 
resents the newspaper style—a system of retailing alleged 
facts or occurrences pertaining to horticulture gathered 
from all parts of the world. Some people like the scrap book 
periodical, others prefer matter of a more original and sub¬ 
stantial character. 
This is an age of specialization. No journal can cater to 
the pomological interests of the country and meet at the same 
time the needs of the business man in fruit growing—the 
nurseryman. When a journal enters the field of pomology 
it essays the scientific aspects, for pomology, represents the 
technical phases. Some nurserymen are pomologists, but 
first and foremost they are business men. 
Without casting reflections or asking for comparisons we 
wish to state that this journal is for the nurseryman. The 
interests involved are sufficiently great and important to 
support a journal, published exclusively for the trade. We 
are endeavoring to meet the needs of the tree and ornamental 
plant growers and we feel that our efforts are being appre¬ 
ciated. We have been requested to make this statement 
regarding the platform and scope of the National Nursery¬ 
man; but after all we might have saved space by saying that 
its aim is now what it was at the first, namely to conserve 
the nursery interests of the country and to advance the calling 
of the nurseryman. 
We would like to call attention to the excellent and un¬ 
remitting efforts of the editor of our contemporary— Arbor¬ 
iculture —in behalf of the forest interests of this country. 
Mr. John P. Brown, of Connersville, Ind. 
MISSION A RY lias, for many years identified himself 
work in with sylviculture throughout the United 
arboriculture States in general but more particularly 
in the prairie states of the middle west. 
For years Mr. Brown has been waging a campaign in behalf 
of rational forest legislation and reasonable efforts leading to 
the reforestation of the rougher lands adjoining the water 
courses in these great middle States. 
Among the trees that Mr. Brown lias most warmly advo¬ 
cated and championed is the Hardy Catalpa. As set forth in 
a previous issue of this journal, there are many people who 
are not aware that two forms of the catalpa—native to 
southern Indiana and adjoining states—exist. One of them 
is comparatively valueless; the other exceedingly valuable. 
In order to stimulate the cultivation and planting of the best 
form, Mr. Brown has collected seed and grown seedlings. 
Much of the seed and many of the seedlings have been dis¬ 
tributed gratuitously. Unfortunately, Mr. Brown is not a 
moneyed man and is unable to continue the work along this 
line pro bono publico. There are many nurserymen who wish 
to grow the true Hardy Catalpa. Those who would obtain 
seed of the best type should write Mr. Brown. We have 
no hesitation in commending his efforts and urge nursery¬ 
men to co-operate with him in futhering his useful endea¬ 
vors. 
There is a good deal of complaint about the business side 
of the nursery industry. Growers are crying out that it is 
all work and no profit, that on account of the invasion of 
the business by jobbers, commission men, 
departmental stores, and the like, the 
profits of the legitimate grower are ser¬ 
iously lessened, and further that the out¬ 
look is most unpromising. It is claimed that firms which have 
for many years been regarded as reliable and conservative 
are being seriously crowded and handicapped by younger, 
more aggressive, and less scrupulous competitors. Moreover, 
that many of these competitors are not true nurserymen in 
the proper sense of the word, but are more or less transients 
in the business, remaining it in long enough in a single locality 
to secure the cream of the profits, injure the prestige of the 
business, when they move on or move out into another kind 
of business. 
THE 
FINANCIAL 
SIDE 
The more or less well established system of rebates arid 
bonuses which prevail in connection with the business of 
departmental stores, the letting of contracts with stewards 
of private estates, all tend to unsettle if not demoralize the 
satbility of the business. 
What the remedy is, no one seems to be able to suggest. 
Combinations and trusts are talked of, but they are more 
difficult of organization and management in the case of per¬ 
sons who deal with products whose growth is governed bv 
natural laws, than by those which are developed more or less 
automatically by mechanical means. It was thought that 
this subject would be discussed at the recent convention, 
that some feasible scheme might be developed by which 
nurserymen could at least secure a modicum of protection, 
but nothing of the kind occurred. The fact of the matter is 
that nurserymen are, as a rule, individualistic. They feel 
like disposing of the stock they grow to whom and at such 
price as pleases them. Understandings don’t hold and com¬ 
binations are difficult to effect. Growers should look far 
enough ahead however to realize that a competence or even 
a livelihood is not to be secured unless “living” prices are 
maintained. 
There came to our desk recently a prospectus of the work 
of the Ottawa Horticultural Society for 1905, which proves 
so suggestive and interesting that we cannot refrain from 
offering our readers a sketch of the work 
of this successful horticultural organiza¬ 
tion. The society has been in operation 
some twelve years, and it has continued 
to grow in activity and influence since 
its inception. The management rests with a board of direc¬ 
tors consisting of the president and nine directors elected 
annually. It holds periodical meetings for the discussion 
of horticultural topics, exhibitions in which members com¬ 
pete for prizes in flowers, vegetables, and fruits, and the giving 
formal lectures by men prominent in the horticultural world. 
ENCOURAGE 
LOCAL 
HORTICULTURAL 
SOCIETIES 
