First Timber Press, now Heronswood Nursery
IntarsiaCo@aol.com (Thu, 08 Jun 2006 05:58:58 PDT)

In a message dated 6/7/2006 7:08:17 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
wpoulsen@pacbell.net writes:

--this is the same promise we were made about
Heronswood Nursery 6 years ago), and now this, I don't much like what
it sometimes does to things that were functioning perfectly well as
they were. In fact, it irks me a lot.

Today's column by Anne Raver in the NY TImes sheds a bit more light on the
Heronswood saga. Among the quotes cited in the column:

Dan Hinkley said: he and Mr Jones spent "six years waiting for the crash you
know is coming." Apparently it was evident less than 6 months after the
Burpee purchase that it would not work out.

George Ball said: "It wasn't profitable a profitable business when we bought
it"

Business was so bad, Mr. Ball said, he asked the former owners to buy
Heronswood back for $2,000,000. "They took a day to think about it, and said no."
Burpee bought the business for $4,500,000.

The most striking quote, and I admire Mr. Hinkley for being forthright and
blaming himself for being naive: " Mea culpa," he said "This entire set of
circumstances comes down to me, and my decision was wrong."

Mark Mazer
Intarsia Ltd.
PO Box 142
Gaylordsville, CT 06755