122 
the National Nurseryman 
TRANSPORTATION 
March 31, 1921. 
Mr. Elisha Lee, Vice President, 
Pennsylvania Railroad Co., 
Philadelphia, Pa. 
Dear Sir:— 
We have been interested in your Information Bulletin 
and especially that part which refers to the high costs 
of freights which have been forced by the heavy operat¬ 
ing expenses. The increase in rates has placed great 
restriction on the area of our shipments and conse¬ 
quently on the value of business which we can turn over 
to Pennsylvania. We have made a memorandum of just 
what the freights have been in 1905, 1915 and 1920 to 
the points where we have heaviest shipments and may 
we say that any shipments beyond Chicago are practi¬ 
cally out of the question on account of freight rates. 
In the past we have had many carloads each season 
into Minnesota, Oregon and Washington; of course these 
long distance points only give you a haul to Chicago and 
while these have been cut entirely, the higher rates have 
restricted very much shipments to points beyond three 
or four hundred miles of Philadelphia. 
Outside of the percentage increases which have 
been made in freight rates in general, the rates on nur¬ 
sery stock were raised one classification, so you will see 
that since 1905 there has been an increase of 200 per 
cent and since 1915 an increase of 100 per cent and in 
some cases of 150 per cent. This does not only effect 
Andorra, but all the nurseries in the Eastern section 
who used to ship tremendous quantities of material to 
points west of Chicago and south of Washington. Our 
shipments at present to Georgia and other southern 
points are going by boat. 
If there is any possible way that the Nursery Trade 
could have some relief in the matter of freight rates, it 
would stimulate business for your lines. 
Yours very truly, 
Wm. Warner Harper, Prop. 
1905 1915 
New York, N. Y. lOi^c. 
Buffalo, N. Y. 
Pittsburgh, Pa. 
Columbus, O. . 
. .21 
c. 26.7c. 
Cleveland, O. . 
. .19 
c. 
Chicago, Ill. . . 
. .28 
c. 29.5c. 
Boston, Mass. 
, , 
17.9c. 
Seattle, Wash. 
1.52 
1920 Min. 16,000 car 
’20— $57.12 
35i/ 2 c. 
40 ^ 0 . 
41 c. 
54i/ 2 c. 
49y 2 c. 
7oy 2 c. 
41 c. 
3.80 
April 4, 1921. 
Mr. Wm. Warner Harper, 
Proprietor, Andorra Nurseries, 
Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pa. 
Dear Sir:— 
Please accept my thanks for your kind letter 31st ult., 
outlining your difficulties in marketing nursery stock 
to distant points, and which you attribute to the present 
high level of freight rates. 
We have had suggestions of a similar nature in a 
number of other instances appertaining to various kinds 
of commodities,—as a matter of fact, there is more or 
less of a general clamor for a reduction in rates. The 
state of business just now is such that even a wholesome 
reduction in rates would not bring any material in¬ 
creased volume of business. The country is going 
through a “slump” in business, which is caused by a 
series of conditions, of which we believe the question of 
freight rates has, perhaps, the least bearing. 
We are very anxious to do everything in our power to 
cause a permanent recovery in business, and we are 
naturally extremely interested in safeguarding the long- 
haul traffic, out of which the profits are the greatest. 
The conditions which you bring to our attention will re¬ 
ceive our earnest consideration, but I am sure you will 
share our belief there must first be a reduction in the 
high level of operating costs before any wholesale re¬ 
duction in freight rates can be safely undertaken. 
I appreciate exceedingly your having brought the 
matter to our attention, and we express the hope that in 
the near future there will be a restoration of more nor¬ 
mal business conditions throughout the country. 
Yours very truly, 
Elisha Lee, Vice President. 
NURSERYMEN WARNED AGAINST MISUSE OF 
STATE CERTIFICATION 
Misuse of State certification in shipments of currant 
and gooseberry plants by nurserymen affected by Fed¬ 
eral quarantine No. 26 against pine-blister rust may be 
prosecuted as a violation of the quarantine, it was de¬ 
clared by the Federal Horticultural Board, United States 
Department of Agriculture. 
Several nurserymen in the area covered by the quar¬ 
antine, it is said, have made arrangements to have orders 
for currant and gooseberry plants from points outside 
the quarantined area filled by nurserymen west of the 
quarantine line. There is no objection to this practice, 
it is declared, but there is a very decided objection to a 
misuse of State certificates in connection with such ship¬ 
ments. A number of instances have come to the notice of 
the board in which the tag of the firm situated in the 
quarantined area, bearing the inspection certificate of 
the State in which the firm is located, has been attached 
to the shipment. 
The use of such certificates, it is said, under the cir¬ 
cumstances given is not only fraudulent but is likely to 
be very much to the ultimate disadvantage both of the 
shipper and the receiver of the stock. Both State and 
Federal inspectors, it is pointed out, must take the evi¬ 
dence of the shipping tag and certification, and persons 
making such misuse of shipping tags and certificates run 
the risk not only of being prosecuted as violators of the 
quarantine but of having the stock seized and destroyed 
or refused entry into the State of destination. 
Nurserymen who have engaged in this practice, says 
the board, are therefore warned of the risk involved. 
The certification of such goods should be made by the 
officials of the State from which the shipment is actually 
made. 
