August 8, 1912. 



The Rofists' Review 



17 



It will pay 



Do you know that if you run a 

 flower store in Denver and get a 

 shipment of plants from New 

 York you are entitled to have them car- 

 ried by express at thirty-three and one- 

 third per cent less than the merchandise 

 rate? 



Do you know that if your store is in 

 New York and your plants come from 

 St. Louis you are entitled to a rate 

 twenty-five per cent less than the mer- 

 chandise rate? 



Do you know that if you do business 

 in Chicago and order plants in Phila- 

 delphia the rate charged should be 

 twenty-three per cent less than the mer- 

 chandise rate? 



The merchandise rates are: 



New York to Denver ..$8.00 per 100 lbs. 



St. Louis to New York . ; 3.00 per 100 lbs. 



Philadelphia to Chicago 2.25 per 100 lbs. 



The special plant rates are: 



New York to Denver .$5.36 per 100 lbs. 



St. Louis to New York 2.25 per 100 lbs. 



Philadelphia to Chicago 1.75 per 100 lbs. 



In certain instances shipments of 

 plants are entitled to an express rate 

 as much as thirty-six per cent below the 

 merchandise rate. 



In another instance, merchandise 

 rates are to be charged, for the same 

 weight, the same distance, in the same 

 car. 



Still again, double merchandise rates 

 are charged on plants. And yet again, 

 the shipment is to be refused alto- 

 gether. Do you know why — ^how to get 

 the rate most favorable to you? 



Sates Little Understood. 



Florists grumble at express charges 

 without taking the trouble to inform 

 themselves as to what the correct 

 charges are. 



For instance: Did you know that it 

 is possible to ship plants, or any one of 

 eighteen other of our trade commodi- 

 ties, at a saving of more than a third 

 of the merchandise rate? 



Well, it is — if the haul is long 

 enough. 



It's in the "general specials" rate — 

 the rate that nine florists out of ten 

 speak of as "twenty percent off" on 

 plants. It isn't a uniform twenty per 

 cent off — in some cases it's as much as 

 thirty-five or even thirty-six per cent 

 off. 



There's nothing new about it; it's 

 simply overlooked, or not understood. 



Greatest Accomplisliment of S. A. F. 



When one of our trade orators is re- 

 viewing the accomplishments of the S. 

 A. F. he always begins by pointing to 

 the special express rate on plants — ' * for 

 years and years it has saved the florists 

 of this country twenty per cent on all 

 their plant shipments," he is pretty 

 sure to say — and it amounts to a big 

 sum, sure enough. 



When the express companies first 

 granted a special rate on plant ship- 

 ments it was a flat reduction of twenty 

 per cent from the merchandise rate — 

 the rate was in force so long, and the 

 change was made so quietly, that few 

 florists know there is no longer such a 

 rate. 



Now plants packed in certain ways 

 are listed as "general specials" in the 

 express classification — and the rates on 

 all general specials are prescribed in 



the trade to study the Classification 



Sciile N, shown herewith by photo- 

 graphic reproduction from page 29 of 

 Ofacial Classification No. 21. 



A study of the table will show that 

 in some instances the special rate is 

 twenty per cent, twenty-five per cent, 

 thirty per cent, thirty-five per cent, or 

 even more, off the merchandise rate. 



For instance: Where the merchan- 

 dise rate is $5.50 per 100 pounds the 

 general special rate is $3.50, a reduction 

 of thirty-six and one-third per cent. 



A study of Scale N will show that 

 the general special rate is between six- 

 teen and two-thirds per cent and 

 twenty-five per cent less than the mer- 

 chandise rate up to where the mer- 



chandise rate exceeds $3.25 per 100 

 pounds. From $3.50 to $4.25 merchan- 

 dise rate the special rate is twenty- 

 seven to thirty per cent less. From 

 $4.50 up, merchandise rate, the special 

 rate shows reductions of from thirty- 

 two to thirty-six per cent. 



History of Scale N. 



When Scale N was first authorized it 

 was so deftly hidden away in the so- 

 called poultry schedule that a good 

 many express company employees, not 

 to mention shippers, overlooked it com- 

 pletely. According to the best informa- 

 tion it has been in effect as here shown 



since November 16, 1906, but a good 

 many shippers and receivers of plants, 

 seeds, bulbs, etc., are not yet measuring 

 their express bills by it — this will be 

 their introduction to Scale N. 



The General Specials. 



Among the large number of com- 

 modities that the express companies 

 classify under the meaningless term of 

 general specials, entitling them to be 

 carried at the rates in Scale N, are the 

 following trade articles: 



(a) Mistletoe, 

 (a) Moss. 



Mush room 

 Spawn, 

 (a) Plants, 

 (a) Boots, 

 (a) Scions. 

 Seeds, 

 (a) Shrubs, 

 (a) Smllax. 

 (a) Trees. 

 (a) Tubers. 

 rates apply to 

 the foregoing 



(a) Branches of 

 Pepper Trees. 



(a) Bulbs. 



Cape Jasmines 



(a) Cuttings (ex- 

 cept cut 

 flowers) . 



(a) Ferns (cut). 

 Fertilizer. 



(a) Greens (deco- 

 rative cut). 



(a) Holly. 



General special 

 commodities in 



the 

 list 

 (a) 



which are preceded by a letter 

 only when shipped under the conditions 

 named in the paragraph below which 

 is preceded by a corresponding letter: 



(a) Completely boxed or crated and packed so 

 that they may be stowed with other freight and 

 may be handled without extra care. 



Plants growing in pots or other receptacle* 

 completely boxed or completely enclosed li» 

 baskets must be REFUSED. 



Shrubs and trees (except Christmas trees) may 

 be accepted when strawed and baled. 



Ferns, cut, and moss when In compact balek 

 completely burlapped. 



Charges must be prepaid or guaranteed. 



Plants in Pots. 



If plants are in pots the merchandise 

 rate is provided. The following is the 

 wording of the classification: 



Growing in pots or other receptacles, crated, 

 and so packed that they may be stowed wltb 

 other freight and may be handled without extra 

 care, and without Injury to the plants Mdse. 



Grown In pots or other receptacles, com- 

 pletely boxed or completely enclosed In baskets 

 must be REFUSED. 



Not otherwise specified Double Mdse. 



Packing Important. 



Anyone who has read the above with 

 sufficient care to get the meaning of 

 the phraseology employed in the classi- 

 fication will see that the packing is of 

 utmost importance — shipments must 

 conform to requirements or pay a pen- 

 alty in cash at the end of the route. 



Also, it is important to see that your 

 local agent understands the rates on 

 your shipments — and gives the right 

 ones to you. Sometimes the agent 

 thinks it is his business to always 

 charge the highest rate he can find an 

 excuse for. Show such a one the error 

 of his ways. 



"Section D" Matter. 



On light packages, where charges ar© 

 prepaid, there is a special rate that 

 competes with the postage rate by mail 

 on the following articles: 



Bulbs. Plants (not in- 

 Catalogues. eluding potted 



Cuttings (not plants), 



including cut Boots, live. 



flowers). 

 Mistletoe. 

 Onion Sets. 



Scions. 



Seeds. 



Tubers. 



[OontlDued on page 68.1 



