THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
399 
TARIFF COMMITTEE AT WASHINGTON 
Ask for Specific Duty on Fruit Stocks and Higher Duty on Ornamentals and 
Conifers, Rhododendrons Free. 
Special to the National Nurseryman. 
The Ways and Means Committee which is holding hearing 
in Washington for the purpose of the revision of the tariff 
considered the Agriculture schedule on November 18th and 
19th. The tariff on nurserystock comes under the Agri¬ 
culture schedule. 
Unfortunately Irving Rouse, who is chairman of the 
tariff committee of the American Association of Nurserymen 
was unable to attend the hearing in Washington,but he ap¬ 
pointed Theodore Smith of Geneva to take his place. Mr. 
Smith, accompanied by the members of the committee, 
Wm. Pitkin, Rochester, J. H. Dayton, Painesville, Ohio, and 
James Pitkin, Newark, N. Y.,went to Washington for the 
purpose of presenting the claims of the nurserymen. 
The Pennsylvania Nurserymen’s Association was re¬ 
presented by Thomas B. Meehan, Pres, and Wm. H. Moon. 
Mr. Bobbink of Bobbink & Atkins, Rutherford, N. J. was 
also present and gave the committee very material assis¬ 
tance. 
In the opinion of the Committee a specific duty on fruit 
stocks would be better than an ad valorum duty, as this 
would do away with the difficulties usually encountered by 
nurserymen in having the appraisers value the goods at the 
market price at the time of importation, which is usually 
higher than the stock has actually been purchased for. 
The committee representing the Pennsylvania Nursery¬ 
men’s Association backed up by suggestions and with the 
approval of a number of nurserymen in the East, who grow 
large ornamental stocks urged that a higher rate of duty be 
charged on large ornamentals, including conifers and other 
trees and shrubs. They made the statement that large 
quantities of this kind of stock was annually being imported 
into this country and at the low prices charged for this class 
of goods in Holland the present duty of 2 5 per cent amounted 
to almost nothing. 
The committee agreed upon the following schedule which 
was presented to the Way and Means Committee. 
Mahaleb, Mazzard, and Myrobolan Stocks, $1.00 per M. 
Pear, Apple, Quince, and St.Julian Plum stocks, $2.00 per M. 
Roses $4.00 per 100. All other stocks-and ornamentals 30 
per cent ad valorum. 
Conifers, 2 ft. or more in height, transplanted stock at 
15c per foot, or fraction thereof. 
Deciduous Shrubs, 2 ft. or over transplanted, Rosa 
rugosa, Paeonies, 5c per plant. 
Deciduous Trees, young stock not over 8 feet in height 
less than inch diameter measured 12 inches above 
ground, same as at present. 
Deciduous Trees, jQnch diameter and over, measured 
12 inches above the ground, 5c per p(inch calliper or fraction 
thereof. 
Evergreen Seedlings, cuttings, etc., one and two 
years old, grown in seedling beds or frames, used for lining 
out in nursery rows, at present duty. 
The Committee succeeded in getting a hearing before the 
Ways and Means Committee at 7 p. m. on November 19th. 
The request for the changes of duties, also an argument urg¬ 
ing the Ways and Means Committee to adopt the schedule 
was presented by Wm. Pitkin. 
The -committee of nurserymen feeling that it would be 
necessary to make some concession in order to secure the 
advance in duties asked for, decided to suggest that certain 
plants, which cannot or are not grown extensively in this 
country, be placed upon the free list. This list contains 
Rhododendrons, Azaleas, various bulbs, lilies, etc. 
The schedule specifying deciduous shrubs 2 feet or over 
deciduous trees not over 8 feet and conifers under 2 feet will 
not affect the small imported stock by nurserymen for 
planting in the nursery. It is intended to cover only the, 
larger stock of which large quantities are imported direct 
for private planting and much of which is also sold at 
auction in the large cities at very low prices, greatly to the 
detriment of the nursery trade in this country. 
GENERAL ARGUMENT OF TARIFF COMMITTEE. 
To The Committee on Ways and Means, 
Of the House of Representatives. 
Gentlemen: 
This Committee represents the American Association of Nursery¬ 
men, whose membership embraces all the nursery sections of the 
country, and is authorized to speak for the entire nursery interests 
of the United States. 
Under the present tariff schedule, nurserymen are interested in 
Sections, No. 251 and 252 of Schedule G. Section 251 covers certain 
specified items of bulbs and plants on which the duty is twenty-five 
per centum ad valorem. We ask that the following items be placed 
in the free list for the reason that they are not propagated in this 
country, and we must depend on foreign countries for our supply, 
viz.: Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Tulips, Crocus, Hyacinths, Narcissi, 
Jonquils, Lilies, Lilies-of-the-Valley. 
Section 252 provides for a mixed ad valorem and specific duty on 
certain fruit tree and evergreen seedlings, for a specific duty on rose 
plants, and for an ad valorem duty on items “not specially provided 
for.” 
For the purpose of our argument, we wish to divide this section 
into three paragraphs to be considered separately, and to ask for the 
insertion or addition of a new paragraph removing certain items from 
the class “not specially provided for’’ and establishing a specific duty 
on such items. 
(a) We ask that the schedule be changed on the items of fruit 
and evergreen seedlings,to provide for a straight specific duty instead 
of the present mixed specific and ad valorem rate, and that ever¬ 
green seedlings as well as fruit tree seedlings be covered by the 
qualification of “three years old or less.’’ 
(It is the opinion of our Committee that this wording was in¬ 
tended in the present Tariff Law, and that the change was merely a 
typographical error.) 
