28 o 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
nurser\Tnen” and advertise such a list generally throughout 
the state, and warn their citizens that they must buy of the 
nurser^Tuen represented in this list, otherwise they will have 
no redress, should varieties prove untrue, indirectly attempt¬ 
ing to force every nurseryman to file a bond for fear he will be 
on the black list and unable to sell his goods. 
The law provides that the nurseryman must attach official 
labels to the trees before sending them out. These labels 
must remain on the trees until the purchaser has planted 
them, then the purchaser may detach and fasten them to a 
stake driven in the ground near the trees, and then send a 
chart of his premises to the Secretary of Agriculture and the 
nurser\Tnen, which chart is to be checked up and verified by 
an inspector at any time within six months from date of 
planting. We fail to see what protection the nurseryman 
has between the time the purchaser receives the trees and the 
date he sends the chart to the Secretary of Agriculture. Dur¬ 
ing that time, he can mix up the labels, and the nurseryman 
has no guarantee that the labels and the chart agree with the 
labels as attached at the nursery. Certainly an unwise and 
dangerous piece of legislation, which if enacted would tend 
to drive every responsible nurseryman out of the state. 
The bill is in Committee, and we are endeavoring to 
ascertain the prospects for its passage, but have no further 
information at this writing. Your new Committee should be 
instructed as to your wishes in this matter. 
Respectfully submitted, 
Wm. Pitkin, 
Chairman. 
REPORT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE 
Regarding transportation matters, your committee still 
believes the question of a Uniform Classification to be the 
most vital to the nursery interests at this time. In the 
railroad news of the Globe Democrat for November 1912, 
the following articles on uniform classification appeared: 
“Chicago, III., November 14 —Opposition to a bill now pending 
in Congress, the intent of w'hich is to empower the Interstate Com¬ 
merce Commission to enforce a uniform classification of freight rates 
throughout the country, was voiced at the annual meeting of the 
National Industrial Traffic League today. The Legislative Committee 
was instructed to use its influence toward preventing the bill becoming 
a law.’’ 
“St. Louis, Mo., January 25 —The National Industrial Traffic 
League is urging shippers everywhere to work for defeat of the uniform 
classification bill.’’ 
On reading the above articles, we wrote Mr. R. C. Fyfe, 
Chairman Western Classification Committee who is also a 
member of the Committee on Uniform Classification and 
below is his reply reproduced in full: 
“Chicago, November 25th, 1912, File RCF, 
Mr. Chas. Sizemore, T.M., 
Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co., 
Louisiana, Missouri. 
My Dear Mr. Sizemore: 
Referring to your letter of November i 8 th, beg to advise that I 
have no idea of what bill the National Industrial League have in mind 
opposing through Congress unless it is a bill which was presented in 
the fore portion of the last session, in which I think a representative 
from Missouri proposed that the Interstate Commerce Commission 
within six months of that date compile a new classification, and that 
the carriers within the next six months put same into effect. 
I do not think that you need to give any concern to this matter 
as the Interstate Commerce Commission, from what I know, do not 
care to be burdened with the making of a Uniform Classification and 
prefer to see the carriers continue the work that they now have under 
way. 
Yours truly, 
R. C. Fyfe, Chairman.” 
The articles show that quite a number of shippers are 
opposed to having Congress empower the Interstate Com¬ 
merce Commission to make a uniform classification, and 
the letter from Mr. Fyfe will show that the committee 
does not believe that any such action is likely to take place. 
During the last year, your committee has succeeded in 
having the Uniform Classification of nursery stock em¬ 
bodied in the Official, Southern, Western, and Illinois 
Classifications, and we believe that within the next year all 
of the other minor state classifications will adopt the same 
rulings and descriptions. The next step, and by far the 
most important along the lines of uniform classification, will 
be that of uniform ratings or scale of ratings. At the present 
time, the Official Classification makes trees in car lots 5th 
class and less than car lots rule 25, which is 15 per cent 
less than second class. The Western Classification makes 
car lots class “B” or 7th class, and less than car lots 3d class. 
The Southern Classification makes car lots 5th class, and 
less than car lots 3d class. The Illinois Classification has 
the same ratings as for Southern. To illustrate more 
plainly, we have produced below the class rates between 
several points in the country which show at a glance the 
different classification ratings: 
1st 
2d 
3d 
4 th 
sth 
Class 
Class 
class 
class 
class 
class 
class 
"A" 
“B” 
St. Louis to Denver . . 
1.62 
1.27 
1.01 
80K 
63 
74 
56 
St. Louis to Kansas City 
60 
45 
35 
27 
22 
24>^ 
19 J^ 
ist 
2d 
Rule 
3d 
Rule 
4 th 
sth 
6 th 
class 
class 
25 
class 
26 
class 
class 
class 
N. Y. to St. Louis 88 
76 
65 
59 
47 
41 
35 
29 
1st 
2d 
3 d 
4th 
Sth 
6 th 
Class 
Class 
class 
class 
class 
class 
class 
class 
“A” 
‘■B’’ 
Chattanooga to 
St. Louis .... 1.04 
88 
77 
61 
52 
40 
27 
34 
The committee on uniform classification have maintained 
up to this time it was not their purpose as yet to uniform the 
ratings, although the Interstate Commerce Commission 
have suggested same in connection with the uniform classifica¬ 
tion. However, from the change in the Southern Classifica¬ 
tion during the last year, that is, from 6th class to 5th class 
on carloads and from 4th class to 3d class on less than car 
load shipments, your committee on transportation are 
constrained to believe there is a quiet move on foot among the 
carriers to do more or less unifying the ratings than would 
appear at a glance. A careful study of the figures given 
above will confirm this belief. 
If the carriers have in mind to make nursery shipments 
in car lots 5th class all over the country, the Association 
can readily see how the rates would be increased in Western 
Classification territory. First, take the rate St.. Louis to 
Denver, which at present is 56 cents class “B”. If that is 
set up to the 5 th class of 63 cents it will make an increase 
