150 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
IFn Common Council. 
FOR PRACTICAL PEOPLE. 
Editor National Nurseryman : 
I herewith enclose you postal order to secure subscription 
for another year for your elegantly gotten up and newsy 
monthly. Some of your advertisers have secured large orders 
through this channel. For practical people this is the best 
paper I take in its line. 
Chestertown, Md., Dec. 22 , 1898 . H. L. Boyd. 
MINOR MATTERS TO ADJUST. 
Editor National Nurseryman : 
I do not feel that the western nurserymen have any reason 
to complain of the western classification of nursery stock. 
There are some minor matters, however, which I think might 
be adjusted without much trouble. 
I see no reason why grafts, grape vines, or cuttings should 
be placed in the second class instead of being classed with 
trees and shrubs under third-class. It also strikes me that 
baled trees and shrubs, completely wrapped, each bale weigh¬ 
ing 100 lbs., or over, are entitled to second-class rate. 
Charles City, la., Dec. 28 , 1898 . E. M. Sherman. 
TRANSPORTATION SUGGESTIONS. 
Editor National Nurseryman : 
It seems to me the chief trouble with the railroads at the 
present is the trouble that sometimes comes from delay in 
transfer of goods from one run to another and some inequali¬ 
ties in charges that should be rectified. I do not think we 
should make any effort for what may be called a flat reduc¬ 
tion, but our efforts should be directed toward securing such 
arrangements as would more certainly secure quick transporta¬ 
tion and more certainty of our goods- going from point of 
shipment to point of delivery without delay at point of trans¬ 
fer or any other point enroute. It seems to me a good deal 
of work could be done in this line that would be very helpful 
to us. We often, as shipping arrangements are now, have 
delays and troubles in this line and sometimes suffer serious 
loss in our business and sometimes on the stock from the 
delay in transportation. 
There is another trouble that is a very serious matter to 
nurserymen sometimes. When we ship our retail deliveries to 
points of delivery, we have them there often a day or two, and 
if the distance to ship is considerable and if there are some 
transfers on the line, when the liability to delay is considered, 
we must ship a considerable time in advance of delivery and 
if then, as sometimes happens, the goods go to point of 
delivery promptly, they are at the point of delivery several 
days ahead of time. We have studied this matter a good deal 
and we are unable with the present uncertanties of shipment 
to avoid this. Now if, as sometimes happens, the station 
agent is neglectful of the interests of his customers when the 
perishable nature of the goods is considered, there is danger 
of serious loss. We had a case the past fall. The agent was 
very neglectful of his duty to us and there is likely to be 
serious trouble on account of it. We often have complaints 
of this kind and some of them very serious. If some plan 
could be devised to secure the prompt forwarding of goods 
shipped and the proper care of goods at the point of delivery, 
Ijhinlc there would be a great advance toward securing the 
service from the railroads we are entitled to ask. 
There is one further item we should ask for. The present 
arrangement is that all bales shipped, in order to be entitled 
to be received as first-class freight must average not less than 
100 lbs. weight. This should be reduced to 50 lbs. It could 
be and make us a saving in packing ; and no railroad station 
agent would complain because we did not ask him to lift a 
full 100 lbs when he had to lift one of our packages. It does 
not seem possible that when the great bulk and light weight 
and low valuation is considered we could stand an advance of 
freight charges. As it is I often pay from 25 to 50 per cent, 
of the value of the goods as freight charge and it seems to 
me that is pretty high. 
A. Willis. 
Ottawa, Kan., Dec. 23, 1898. 
WESTERN WHOLESALERS. 
The Western Association of Wholesale Nurserymen held its 
semi-annual meeting at the Hotel Savoy in Kansas City, Mo., 
Dec. 13th. Nearly the full membership was present. 
The following officers were elected for the ensuing year : 
President, A. L. Brooke, North Topeka, Kans.; vice-president, 
R. H. Blair, Kansas City, Mo.; secretary and treasurer, U. B. 
Pearsall, Fort Scott, Kan.; executive committee, A. Willis, 
Ottawa, Kans., chairman ; Peter Youngers, Jr., Geneva, Neb.; 
E. S. Welsh, Shenandoah, la., J. L. Bagley, New Haven, Mo.; 
E. J. Holman, Leavenworth, Kans.; committee on transporta¬ 
tion, J. H. Skinner, North Topeka, Kans.; F. H. Stannard, 
Ottawa, Kans.; J. W. Schutte, South St. Louis, Mo.; commit¬ 
tee on tariff, Peter Youngers, Jr., Geneva, Neb.; E. W, Stark, 
Louisiana, Mo.; A. C. Griesa, Lawrence, Kans. 
The usual routine of business was transacted. The past 
season has been fairly prosperous. Collections have been 
better than usual except in Oklahoma and some other localities, 
where local causes affected the condition of the people. 
The supply of stock for spring is much lighter than usual, 
especially apple trees, but the planting is checked by failure of 
the fruit crop, so possibly there may be enough to supply the 
demand. The plant for spring of 1899 will be about the same 
as last year. 
The next meeting of the association will be held in Kansas 
City, Mo., on the second Tuesday in July, 1899. 
The members of the association are as follows : 
J. Wragg & Son, Waukee, la.; Blair & Kaufman, Kansas City; R. 
H. Blair & Co., Kansas City ; Brewer & Stannard, Ottawa, Kans.; A. 
L. Brooke, North Topeka, Kans.; Bush & Son & Meissner, Bushberg, 
Mo.; Wm. Cutter & Son, Junction City, Kans.; A. H. Griesa, Lawrence, 
Kans.; A. C. Griesa & Bro., Lawrence, Kans.; W. H. Ileikes, Hunts¬ 
ville, Ala.; Holman & Bente, Leavenworth, Kans.; Jewell Nursery 
Company, Lake City, Minn.; D. S. Lake, Shenandoah, la.; New Haven 
Nurseries, New Haven, Mo.; Peters & Skinner, Topeka, Kans.; Schutte 
& Czarnowski, St. Louis; Stark Bros., Louisiana, Mo.; L. R. Taylor & 
Sons, Topeka, Kans.; Sedgwick Nursery Company, Sedgwick, Kans.; 
E. S. Welch, Shenandoah, la.; Williams & Bernardin, Parsons, Kans.; 
A. Willis, Ottawa, Kans.; Youngers & Co., Geneva, Neb. 
For the encouragement of tree culture in some of the prairie 
countries of Minnesota the state legislature appropriates an¬ 
nually $20,000. Last month State Auditor Dunn distributed 
this fund among 2,800 applicants. Everyman who plants and 
grows an acre of trees receives $2.40 per acre as a bounty. 
No one is allowed a bounty on more than ten acres. The 
distribution indicates the planting of 8,147 acres of trees. 
