North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[mike tomlinson <tugger@netreach.net>]

John Any idea when the sale will be this year.  I might like ot take a ride up
to your area and go fishing and buy some trees
Mike Tomlinson

John Bunker wrote:

> At Fedco, we offer between 30-50 apple varieties per year.  We also sell a
> range of other fruit trees, shrubs and ornamentals.  To combat the problem
> of left over unwanted  apple trees, I've done three things.
>
> First, I vary the selection each year.  That way, we can rotate through a
> larger number of varieties without having to graft too many each year.
> After doing this for 20 years or so, I find that I can pretty well guess how
> many we'll sell of a variety in any given year.
>
> The second thing we do has to do with the question about odd varieties.  I
> spend a lot of time researching and observing any variety we sell, and I
> attempt to write a detailed, intellegent, informative and balanced
> description of every variety.  I believe that it's essential to  speak to
> the intellegence in every customer, for a number of reasons.  Customers
> always appreciate this.
>
> Thirdly, we have a four day public sale at the end of each shipping season.
> Fedco also sells garden seeds, seed potatoes, seedlings and soil
> amendments.  Everything is on sale.  We advertise to the general public.
> It's also a time when mail order customers can pick up their orders and buy
> extras if they choose.  We also sell a lot of nursery stock, potted and bare
> root that is not in the catalog.  A number of friends who have small
> nurseries bring plants to sell.  It's like a big fair.  A number of
> knowedgeable grower friends are on hand to educate customers.  It's a wild
> and enjoyable event.  And, it's a great opportunity to sell those trees that
> didn't sell by mail order.
>
> Using these three techniques, most seasons we throw out no trees at all.
>
> John Bunker
> Fedco
> Box 520 Waterville Me 04903
>
> jhecksel@voyager.net wrote:
>
> > Hi all:
> >
> > Regarding the nurseryman's problem of lumpy demand:  I think it behooves
> > us (customers) to list second and third choices if we want to keep
> > specialty, high service nurseries in business.
> >
> > I often find myself making tough choices.  My wants consistently exceed
> > my budget.  So I flip a coin and order Nova Spy apple trees instead of
> > Enterprise, for example.  It is to our mutual advantage to have the
> > nursery owner know that.  He/she might run out of Nova Spy.  Knowing my
> > second choice allows him/her to still make a sale and I can still get
> > trees I want.
> >
> > Do any of the nurserymen out there care to comment:  Just how lumpy is
> > demand for specialty cultivars like Florina or Roxbury Russet?  How much
> > does demand vary over a five year window?
> > --
> >
> >                                                -Joe Hecksel
> >                                                 Eaton Rapids, Michigan
> >
> > Personal webpage open to the public at
> > http://my.voyager.net/jhecksel
> > Criticism welcomed.
> >
> >
> >
> >
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>
>
>
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