THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
836 
Quiz Column 
CUSTOMS CLASSIFICATION 
A prominent importing firm writes as follows: 
“Our last winter’s shipment from Europe included quantities of 
rose stocks—Rosa canina, R. rubiginosa, R. rugosa and R. setigera 
from France, and Rosa rugosa alba and rubra 18-24 inch from 
Holland. 
We entered the French stock through the custom house as 
“Ros_ stocks’’ dutiable at $ 1.00 per 1000 and the Holland Rugosa 
seedlings at 25 per cent as “shrubs.” All were raised by the U. S. 
Appraisers in spring to the classification of “Roses, budded, grafted 
or own roots” dutiable at four cents each. We were obliged to pay 
“under protest” additional duties of about $800 and have finally 
succeeded in getting our “hearing” before the general board of 
appraisers. 
This hearing will involve Rosa rugosa alba and rubra only; 
decision upon the other rose stocks will be largely influenced by the 
decision on these. 
We seek to establish the following facts: 
1 . That Rosa rugosa seedlings from France are stocks or seed¬ 
lings and as such are dutiable at $1.00 per 1000 and not as rose plants 
dutiable at four cents each. (They are freely offered by French 
nurserymen at from $ 1.60 to $6.00 per 1000). 
2 . That the French rosa rugosa seedlings are actually seedlings 
—grown from seed. 
3 . That they are not “Roses.” 
4 . That they are not grown in France in any other way than 
from seeds. 
5 . That the Holland grown Rosa rugosa alba and rubra 18 - 
24 inch are groAm exclusively from seeds. 
6 . That they are Shrubs—not Roses. 
Comments by Editor 
Several species of the rose group propagated from seed 
are imported in large quantities from France, and are used 
by landscape gardeners and planters in general, for the 
general purpose for which shrubs are employed, in massing 
and banking in lawn, park, and cemetery-planning. In 
this class are included Rosa rugosa, Japan rose, and its 
varieties alba, white, and rubra, red; also Rosa setigera, 
prairie rose. Rosa Canina, dog rose, and Rosa rubiginosa 
sweet briar, are used primarily as stocks for the propagation 
of named varieties of hybrid perpetuals, and other garden 
forms, but are used with the species just named quite freely 
in shrubbery planting. These forms should not be classified 
as roses budded, grafted, or on their own roots as grown 
from cuttings, because they are propagated from seed like 
our garden vegetables, and are a much cheaper grade of 
stock than the grafted and budded varieties. These roses 
seed very freely, and this fact enables the nurseryman to 
propagate them very cheaply and extensively. It would 
be foolish and absurd for any nurseryman to attempt to 
grow them in any other way than from seeds. 
The Holland grown varieties of the Japan rose, Rosa 
rugosa, known under the name of alba and rubra, white and 
red, come true from seeds also, and are grown in the same 
way that the previous forms mentioned as being imported 
from France and propagated. These plants are used for 
the same purpose that the usual run of shrubs are employed 
in this country, namely, for setting in borders, massing in 
clumps in lawns, parks, and so forth. We think there is no 
doubt at all as to the intent of the law in separating that 
class of roses which are propagated by the more expensive 
methods of grafting and budding or from cuttings struck in 
the bench, from those which are grown from seed; and all 
these species under question are in the latter category. 
Editor. 
STATUS OF DISTRICT SOCIETIES. 
Would you kindly tell me if there is any formal enrollment of 
this Society to be carried out or whether this and other similar 
societies are quite independent; also if it is possible to get a list of 
States having like Associations. W. J. Hugo, Sec’y. 
Florists’ and Nurserymen’s Association of Montana. 
There is no enrollment of your society in any other asso¬ 
ciation necessary, for as we understand it, you are organized 
independently and not affiliated. The other state or 
sectional associations of the country usually keep in touch 
with the national organization, the secretary of which is 
Mr. John Hall, Granite Bldg., Rochester, in order to get 
the benefit of such action on tariff, legislation, and the like, 
brought about by the influence of the national society. 
All associations of this kind are listed in the Florists’ 
Directory, published by the American Florist of Chicago. 
It would be quite worth your while to have a copy of this 
directory in your possession. You will find on the editorial 
page of this journal a roster of the principal societies of the 
nurserymen of the United States. We wish your organiza¬ 
tion every success. 
THE NEWLY ELECTED MEMBER OF THE 
MONTANA LEGISLATURE 
Mr. W. E. McMurry of Hamilton has been appointed 
chairman of the committee on legislation of The Florists’ 
and Nurserymen’s Association of Montana. 
The additions to membership of the Association during 
the past week are: Mr. David Gibson, Helena, and Mr. 
W. E. Gleason, Florence. 
ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN NURSERYMEN 
The annual meeting of this progressive society will be 
held in Kansas City, December 20 and 21, when an 
attractive and instructive program will be presented. This 
regional organization is one of the active factors in pro¬ 
gressive nursery work. It has co-operated continually 
with the national organization in promoting movements 
and enterprises favorable to the nursery interests the 
country over. It is only by this type of co-operative 
effort that the largest benefits from organizations can be 
expected. President E. P. Bernardin, Parsons, Kansas; 
Secretary, E. J. Holman, Leavenworth, Kansas. 
AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
President L. A. Goodman of Kansas City and Secretary 
John Craig of Ithaca, N. Y., are making arrangements for 
the forthcoming meeting of the above society in Tampa, 
Florida, at the end of January, 1911. There will be an 
extensive exhibit of fruits in competition for Wilder medals. 
