20 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
cyclopedia from the nurseryman’s standpoint. The design of 
the work is to describe fully all those species of plants which 
are in the American trade—that is, the species that are bought 
and sold. In order to determine what species there are in the 
trade, catalogues of nurserymen, seedsmen and florists have 
been indexed and other commercial literature has been con¬ 
sulted. In addition, specialists have been oonsulted freely for 
lists of plants. The work includes the plants offered by for¬ 
eign dealers who have American agents and who circulate in 
America catalogues printed in the English language. Profes¬ 
sor Bailey says that he has been surprised to discover the 
great wealth of American horticulture in species of plants. As 
to nomenclature, a somewhat middle ground between the Brit¬ 
ish and German ideas of genera has been taken. 
The cyclopedia is a credit to Professor Bailey and his assis¬ 
tants ; to the publishers, Macmillan & Company, and to the 
broad field of horticulture which it promises so admirably to 
cover. The remaining three volumes are in press and will be 
issued soon. The work is sold by subscription. The price 
of each of the four volumes, in cloth, is five dollars. 
IRecent publications. 
Nurserymen will be interested in a bulletin of the United States De¬ 
partment of Agriculture, on some miscellaneous results of the division 
of entomology, by Professor L. O. Howard, chief entomologist. 
The eleventh annual report of the Missouri Botanical Garden, for 
the year 1899 , has been issued by the director, Professor William Tre- 
lease. It contains the report of the officers of the board of trustees and 
four scientific papers. It is handsomely illustrated, as usual. 
In their new descriptive catalogue of fruit and ornamental trees, 
shrubs and vines, the Franklin Davis Nursery Company, Baltimore and 
Richmond, take special pains to acquaint their patrons with the man. 
ner of cultivating nursery stock at these nurseries. Advice as to varie. 
ties for certain localities is also given. A supplemental list of Japanese 
plums is issued. 
The Deming Co., Salem, O., have issued an edition of “Spraying 
for Profit,” a little book which is given with each spray pump of their 
make, for the purpose of educating fruit growers in the advantages of 
spraying. It is a practical handbook of the best methods of suppress¬ 
ing the more common injurious insects and fungous diseases, and wa s 
prepared by Howard Evards Weed,recently entomologist of the Missis¬ 
sippi experiment station. The new catalogue of the Deming Company 
gives useful information concerning the construction and use of spray 
pumps and nozzles of many kinds. 
There is a business-like air and a completeness about the bound copies 
of the proceedings of the Illinois State Horticultural Society which 
appeals to the nurseryman and the fruit grower. The proceedings of 
t he forty-fourth annual meeting have just been issued under the direc¬ 
tion of the secretary, L. R. Bryant, Princeton, Ill. The volume con¬ 
tains 439 pages and gives full reports of the meetings of the state 
society and those of the northern, central and southern societies. It is 
illustrated with photo engravings showing exhibits and results of 
spraying. A full page engraving of the late John Y. Cotta, nursery¬ 
man, is given. He was a prominent member of the state society. 
Fresh from the press of the Post Express Printing Company, Roch¬ 
ester, N. 1 ., comes the 1900 catalogue of Ellwanger & Barry. For 60 
years the Mt. Hope Nurseries have been disseminating the best that is 
to be grown in fruit and ornamental stock. The work is crowned in 
most appropriate manner by the handsome catalogue before us. A 
beautifully lithographed cover of gold, stamped with white and purple 
lilac blossoms, true to nature, encloses a descriptive fruit and flower 
list of 144 pages, which is a handbook and manual of commercial nur¬ 
sery stock. I he book is copiously illustrated with new engravings, 
all in half-tone. A simple and systematic arrangement, combined with 
a complete index, makes the publication very convenient for reference. 
It is a model catalogue. 
FOR A SPECIFIC DUTY. 
A Remedy for Present Custom House Uncertainties—Need of Know¬ 
ing Foreign Prices Would Be Obviated—Same Protection for 
Grower—Why a Specific Duty Would Be Much Bet¬ 
ter Than the Ad Valorem —Present Methods. 
Referring to the article by Thomas B. Meehan, German¬ 
town, Pa., in the last issue of the National Nurseryman, 
George Achelis, West Chester, Pa., says : 
Under the heading ‘‘Custom House Methods,” a very good 
article appeared in the February issue. It was fully shown 
that it was necessary to know the prices of stocks in the for¬ 
eign markets at the time of shipment of the plants. The 
schedule given in the previous issue was prepared for Decem¬ 
ber ; now will another schedule be made for March and April ? 
And if so, what will be the changes ? How can we obtain 
them ? Nursery agents of foreign houses may learn of these 
changes, but if stock is bought direct and not through such 
agents, the owner may not know the schedule prices nor of 
any changes, and then may be compelled to pay a penalty, in 
case he bought the stock during the preceding summer at a 
low price. 
The trouble and difficulty of obtaining the knowledge of the 
proper schedule prices, so as to avoid paying a penalty, can be 
made unnecessary by changing the tariff, in omitting the “ ad 
valorem duty and increasing the “specific” duty, or rate by 
the thousand. Why not make the duty on Mahalebs 75 cents 
or $1.00 per 1,000 instead of 50 cents per 1,000 and 15 per 
cent, ad valorem. And pears $1.50 per 1,000, instead of $1.00 
and 15 per cent, ad valorem, etc., etc. Such specific duty, 
which could be applied to all different plants, would simplify 
matters, and would not necessitate forwarders, brokers, or 
owners to be conversant with the foreign prices at time of ship¬ 
ment, nor would there be any danger of unlooked-for pen¬ 
alties. 
A change ought also to be made in the tariff on roses. It 
reads row as follows : 
Rose plants, budded, grafted, or “on their own roots,” 2 
cents each. 
As rose seedlings are “ roses on their own roots,” the above 
ought to be changed to “roses grown from cuttings.” 
And instead of giving the names of Manetti, Multiflora and 
Briar roses, it ought to read “ rose seedlings,” because there 
are rose stocks besides the three varieties named used for 
budding, etc. 
If specific duty were applied to this class, a duty of 2^ 
cents each can be placed on roses budded, grafted, or raised 
from cuttings, and 50 cents per 1,000 (or any rate which may 
seem proper) on rose seedlings. 
The advantages of a specific duty are great. It protects the 
grower just as well, the appraiser need not inform himself of 
the foreign prices to fix his schedule ; the agents, forwarders 
and owners need not be conversant with the appraiser’s sched¬ 
ule ; and the owner will know exactly how much duty he 
will have to pay when he buys his goods, and need not specu¬ 
late whether the foreign prices will be higher or lower at the 
time of shipment of the plants, than at the time of purchase. 
By a united effort of the nurserymen this could be 
effected. 
