THE NATIONAL NURSEliYxMAN 
ably accounts for tlie fact that on Fel)riiary 1st some 
of these express rates will l)e increased on the sliort 
hauls. 
Furtlier we lind that in all zones without exception 
that the parcels ])ost rate on all small ])arcels weigh¬ 
ing a few ])ounds is much lower than the express 
rate. 
Think of sending a parcel weighing two ])ounds 
from Maine to California for 24 cents. Yet that is 
the parcels post rate and in addition, if the consignee 
lives out on an R. F. 1). route the parcel will he deliv¬ 
ered at his door. 
Yet, that is not so wonderful when we consider 
that for years before we had the parcels post in this 
country, owing to the fact that foreign countries had 
it, this same parcel could have been sent, not to Cali¬ 
fornia, for it Avould have cost 32 cents to have sent it 
there, but on through to Japan or to any countr;;^ hav¬ 
ing a parcels post convention with the-United States 
for this same 24 cents. Or the same parcel ';ould 
have been sent from California to Berlin, London or 
Paris or vice versa, and the same rate prevails today. 
I am verv sure that vou will find if vou investigate, 
that the ex])ress rate on the long hauls and on the 
larger parcels is, or will he a])Out the same as the par¬ 
cels post rate, although before the latter went into 
etfect it was much higher. 
Is not that alone an argument for the parcels post? 
I have never yet heard of an express company go¬ 
ing into bankruptcy and if a parcels post system, by 
the means of competition will result in bringing down 
the express rates, which at least a few people have be¬ 
lieved were exhorhitant and arbitrary, then I say, 
boost for the parcels post. 
The latter system has a decided advantage over 
the express companies in that parcels will he deliver¬ 
ed and collected on the R. F. D. routes to the farmers 
door. 
Think of the convenience to your customers in this 
alone. Think of the convenience even between nur 
serymen. How often it happens, at least it does with 
me, that you want just a small amount of something 
with which to complete an order and have to send to 
a neighboring nurseryman in an adjoining town to 
help you out. Possibly you want only a few plants 
or bulbs of only two or three pounds weight and 
which would cost only six or seven cents if it could 
come parcels post, and yet the exjoress rate is always 
that same old tiresome minimum rate of 30 or 35 
cents. That difference often represents the difference 
between ])rofit and loss on those few ]dants. You 
can get ten pounds a distance of 150 miles for 14 
cents. 
I believe it is a duty we owe our customers, if we 
have their intei'ests at heart to secui'e a ]uircels ])ost 
rate on nursery stock. 
How often do you now receive an order which says 
^‘send by i)arcels post” the customer little dreaming 
05 
that that kind of stock which for y(*ars enjoyed a 
S])ecial low I’ate of ])ostage is now subject to a much 
higher rate than oth(‘r merchandise. The customers 
have not yet all heard what th(‘ committee of seeds¬ 
men did to congr(‘ss when the ])arcels ])ost lull was u]) 
tor consideration. .Ml they have been hearing and 
reading is about the wonderful success of the system. 
And speaking of success, who can deny that the 
system has not be(m a succ(‘ss of the most howling 
vaiiety ? 
The way the merchants and manufacturei-s of the 
country have taken advantage of it has ])i-oved that 
it has been a success to all, (*xce]>t to the rival ex- 
l)ress coni])anies. 
I made imiuiry of a manufacturing company at 
home this week who told me that in a ])eriod of about 
2 weeks i-ecently that on 5000 sam])les which they 
sent out they saved .$350 over the lowest s]iecial rate 
quoted them by the ex]u-ess coni])anies. 
In our little town of about 10,000 population our 
parcels post carrier has collected as high as 1100 }u\r- 
cels in one day. He is e([ui])ped with an automobile 
and his collections run close up to the 1000 mark on 
many days. Does that look as if ex])ress were better, 
or is it any wonder that we want access to it? 
As far as catalogues are concerned there will be a 
regulation go into effect on iMarcli 16th, making all 
books, matter of the 4th class or ]uircels ])ost matter. 
Up to eight ounces the ])ostage will be the same flat 
rate as at present. But over that weight the sender 
of a catalogue will be at a slight inconvenience and a 
slightly increased cost. 
Personally I ])elieve that some provision should be 
made whereby a flat rate should apply to a bona fide 
trade catalogue of whatever weight. And I presume 
that this obstacle may be overcome the same as many 
others have been in regard to other ob¬ 
jections and differences which have arisen in the 
first year of operation of the ]Jan. 
There are ])robably some well founded objections 
to the parcels post system as applied to nursery 
stock. For one thing, from the nature of the package 
usually put up by nurserymen containing trees it 
would be impossible under the preseiit rule of meas¬ 
urements to ])ack up any trees much over four feet in 
height. But there are so many things sent by ns in 
small pac'kages that could go by ])areels ])ost if the 
rate were not prohibitive that it looks to me as if we 
were snbmitting to the gi'ossest kind of an injustice. 
I do not believe that the objection raised by the 
seedsmen and florist that it would take an infinite 
amount more of office hel]) to ascertain the amount of 
])ostage needed for ]iarcels going to different zones 
is well founded. AVe are ready to admit that it wilt 
take a little more time but the saving will so far over¬ 
balance the extra cost that it would be a good busi¬ 
ness investment and one which will ])ay big returns. 
To begin with the act of weighiiig the parcel will 
