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36 



The Florists^ Review 



Mabch 18, 1915. 



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Express Rates 



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on Plants 



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TABIFF MEN WILL LISTEN. 



Will Consider Shippers' Ideas. 



Eepresenting the trade interests as 

 chairman of the S. A. F. committee, 

 William F. Gude has been sounding the 

 express company tariff officials and the 

 Interstate Commerce Commission with 

 regard to the express rates on plants. 

 There is a belief in the trade that plants 

 shipped in pots, if so crated that they 

 can be stowed with other freight, should 

 be entitled to the classification given 

 the same stock knocked out of pots, 

 which takes twenty-five per cent less 

 than first-class rates. The express com- 

 panies' tariff officials are willing to 

 listen. 



George S. Lee, traffic manager of the 

 Wells-Fargo, says the second-class ex- 

 press rates on growing plants were in- 

 tended for application only on cheap 

 nursery stock, such as strawberry, cab- 

 bage and tomato plants, and not on flow- 

 ering plants, ornamental plants or 

 plants in receptacles, which are by their 

 nature packed in such a manner as to 

 require additional care in handling. He 

 states that the entire question of classi- 

 fication of growing plants was care- 

 fully considered by the committee on 

 classification in connection with the in- 

 vestigation recently made by the Inter- 

 state Commerce Commission and that it 

 is believed that the present classifica- 

 tion is entirely reasonable. He com- 

 pares the existing express rates with 

 freight rates, calling attention that the 

 former appear to be more liberal than 

 the latter. 



Invitation to Conference. 



Similar contentions were advanced by 

 the assistant general traffic manager of 

 the American, who also states that the 

 purpose of classifying growing plants 

 not in pots or tubs, placed in boxes, the 

 sides and ends of which are as high or 

 higher than the plants and slats nailed 

 over the top, completely protecting the 

 plants, at second class, was to legalize 

 the classification that had been applied 

 by many agents and was claimed by 

 many shippers as the proper one for 

 such shipments. To this there might 

 have been added that there was a cer- 

 tain amount of soil around the roots 

 and that the roots were or were not 

 wrapped in paper. He stated that it 

 was the general understanding that it 

 was the custom of florists to remove the 

 pot and substitute paper in many in- 

 stances therefor, otherwise placing the 

 soil and the roots in the box without 

 pot protection. Their observation has 

 been that when the pot or tub is 

 shipped with the growing plants, the 

 same is crated only and that it is not 

 possible to load, transport and handle 

 these except with considerable care and 

 that it is impossible to pile such ship- 

 ments with other freight. "We feel 

 that in giving to these shipments of 

 growing plants, not in pots or tubs, the 



s e c o n^d - class classification, we have 

 greatly favored the florists and grow- 

 ers," he stated. "We are disposed, 

 however, to hear anything that the 

 trade may have to otter on the subject, 

 and our suggestion would be that if the 

 trade thinks it of sufficient importance, 

 a committee be appointed and arrange- 

 ments made for a conference between 

 such committee and the traffic officials 

 representing the various express com- 

 panies, to be held in New York city at 

 a time that the question can be thor- 

 oughly discussed." 



Bfr. Oude Wants Facts. 



With respect to this invitation for a 

 conference, Mr. Gude stated to The 

 Review correspondent that he is willing 

 to do all in his power toward bringing 

 about any desired change in the classi- 

 fication, but declares that he must have 

 absolute- facts from people interested in 

 the matter, so that he may be abso- 

 lutely sure of having a good case before 

 going before the committee or the ex- 

 press companies. It is his suggestion 



that interested parties write to him, ad- 

 vancing such ideas and information as 

 they may be able. 



The Adams states that it will \,q 

 pleased to have a representative present 

 at the conference. A representative of 

 the Southern declares that a long expe- 

 rience has demonstrated that it is al- 

 most impossible to transport plants in 

 pots without breakage, and even though, 

 as florists contend, no one should m^c 

 complaint to the express companies for 

 a few broken pots, which is sometimes 

 inevitable, this would not serve to pro- 

 tect the companies against these claims. 

 C. L. L. 



MONTBRETIA CBOCOSSISFLOBA. 



Please advise me as to the growing 

 of Montbretia crocosmaeflora. Should 

 the bulbs be started in a greenhouse 

 and taken up in the fall like gladioli? 

 This is my first year at growing these 

 plants and I shall appreciate a little 

 information about them. 



J. P.— N. Y. 



These can be taTsen up with gladioli 

 and planted out again in April or May 

 with them. Or, they can be divided 

 and planted much more thinly in rows 

 at the end of October. If the land is 

 well drained, they will winter to per- 

 fection if pulled to pieces and later 

 given a liberal mulch of dry leaves to 

 exclude frost. C. W. 



Elizabeth, N. J.— J. W. Blakely has 

 moved to 80 Broad street, four doors 

 below his old location. 



Rhododendron John Wolten as an Easter Pot Plant. 



