3^4 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
"Cradc papers 
Salem, Mass., August 31, 1911. 
N.4TIONAL Nurseryman, 
Rochester, N. Y. 
Dear Sirs; 
At the last meeting of the Ornamental Growers Association in 
New York, the following report was adopted: 
“Report of the committee on periodicals. 
This committee recommends that the trade papers be interviewed 
to ascertain their exact position individually regarding the publishing 
of trade prices and further regarding their practice of accepting or other¬ 
wise subscriptions from persons or firms other than those who are bona- 
fide nurserymen, florists, seedsmen or dealers, and further that this 
committee be instructed on behalf of the organization to request these 
trade papers to publish a disclaimer in each and every issue to the 
effect that all prices appearing in their advertising columns are intended 
for the use of the bona-fide wholesale trade only. 
G. C. Perkins, 
J. W. Manning, 
Harlan P. Kelsey, 
Chairmen Committee.” 
I would greatly appreciate if you could let me have your views in 
line with the action of this organization,—there is an extremely strong 
feeling among the nurserymen of the country on the question involved 
and while there is latitude for considerable difference of opinion, it i ’ 
well for all interested to get together and work out the matter for the 
benefit of all concerned. 
I trust I may hear from you as early as possible so our report may 
be put in shape for the next meeting. 
Thanking you in advance, 
Yours truly, 
Harlan P. Kelsey. 
We are thoroughly in sympathy with the feeling that 
suggested the adoption of the above report as it is perfectly 
in accord with the policy of the National Nurseryman. 
The National Nurseryman is a trade paper, and we 
fully realize that the best interests of the nursery business 
are served by confining its circulation exclusively to the 
trade. All requests for sample copies and subscriptions are 
investigated and if from unknown parties their letter heads 
or business cards are requested to show they are entitled to 
become subscribers. 
A glance through the pages of the National Nurseryman 
will reveal the fact that there is no need for us to publish a 
disclaimer to the effect that all prices are intended for bona- 
fide use of the wholesale trade. 
We never intentionally allow prices to be published in the 
advertisements,—occasionally, through oversight, when 
copy has been received late and not properly proof read, 
prices may have appeared in our columns. Such instances 
are very rare, and never have been repeated. 
To many advertisers this policy may seem extreme and 
unnecessary but we are of the firm conviction that it is the 
policy serving the best interests of the trade at large. 
Every nurseryman knows there is no fixed standard of 
nursery merchandise by which price will tell its real value 
and the publishing of prices would have a tendency to grade 
prices and quality down rather than up. 
The sentiment of the American Association of Nursery¬ 
men as expressed at the conventions is plainly one looking 
to the elevation of the business and its various phases and 
may be summed up as follows: 
Quality rather than over production. 
Fair prices based on cost of production rather than on the 
individual nurseryman’s necessity for selling at what he can 
get. Protection to the trade customer by preventing unfair 
competition such as results from selling to the retail customer 
at trade or near trade prices. 
Our policy we believe to be in perfect harmony with these 
practical ideals so we feel confident of the support of the entire 
trade. 
TRANSPORTATION MATTERS 
Chairman Sizemore of the Transportation Committee 
reports the following action of the Western Classification 
Committee, in regard to items interesting to the nurseryman. 
No. 1950. This item now reading “prepaid” was changed to 
read “prepaid or guaranteed.” Nos. 1951-1962, as docketed, 
were also adopted. The above is the report of Mr. B. C. 
Stevenson, assistant freight traffic manager on the Chicago 
& Alton Railway Company. 
Mr. Sizemore in acknowledging this writes as follows: 
We are glad to learn that changes as desired by us were 
adopted by your committee. Kindly advise if the prepaid 
requirement regarding peach stones No. 2147 was also 
changed to read “Prepaid or guaranteed.” Advise us further 
what was done with the apple seed proposition that I spoke to 
you about and before the committee. As apple seed are not 
mentioned at all in Part 2, No. 2151 which reads, “Seeds not 
otherwise indexed by name in bags, barrels or boxes, first 
class,” if that goes into the new Classification as it now reads, 
we will have to pay first instead of third class as formerly. 
If you remember, you said that you had made a note of 
the apple seed question. You stated that, if the whole 
paragraph could not be changed, you would try and handle 
the apple seed separately. 
Mr. Chas. Sizemore, 
Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co., 
Louisiana, Mo. 
Dear Sir: 
Referring to your letter of the 12th: In my letter of the 6th I 
should have stated that No. 1950 now reading “prepaid” was changed 
to read “ prepaid or guaranteed.” Likewise item 2147 covering peach 
stones. 
The committee was not disposed to put in a separate item on 
apple seeds, as that subject was not on the docket. I would suggest 
that you docket the matter for consideration at the next meeting of 
the committee. Yours truly, 
B. C. Stevenson, 
Ass’t Freight Traffic Mgr. 
EUROPEAN NURSERY STOCK 
The season seems to have been very much out of joint in 
France and Germany, if we are to believe the reports which 
come to us from various sources. A prolonged drought was 
felt throughout Germany, especially in the northern portions, 
and this spread across Alsace and into the valley of the Loire. 
The effect of this drought, of course, was the shortening of 
growth of all kinds of crops, and it is reported that nursery 
stock suffered severely. Authentic reports are not yet 
available. All this would suggest that fruit stocks and the 
import goods will be higher than usual. 
