142 STATE HOKTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



admit that deception, or even mistakes in the tree business, may not be de- 

 tected until after a lapse of years. The only way I know of is for all parties en- 

 gaged in either branch of this business to use every precaution to have everything 

 reliable ; and I know of no better method than for the nurseryman who is trying 

 to build up a good business to require of each agent a good bond for the faith- 

 ful performance of duty to customer as well as employer, and then provide the 

 agent with a certificate and other necessary credentials, according to the terri- 

 tory to be canvassed. I am of the opinion that if good canvassers thus 

 equipped were uniformly treated courteously, the occupation would be sought 

 after by a better class of persons than at present. 



H. W. Doney, Jackson. — I believe that I am not so prejudiced that I cannot 

 appreciate every word of the paper ; still the question under discussion, if put 

 to me, would be answered No! and very Jittle qualification. I do not condemn 

 all of the agents, but the most of them will lie, steal and draw their nets about 

 honest men, in a way that deserves the severest condemnation. My own ex- 

 perience has been a bitter one. I have grown trees in Jackson county over 

 forty years, and have grafted a good deal about the county, and there is not a 

 school district but has suffered from the raids of these unprincipled villains. 

 Mr. Doney gave a lengthy account of the way in which, on several occasions, 

 he had been deceived by agents, and enlarged upon the long-continued effects 

 of this kind of rascality. He closed by advising that men should deal directly 

 with well-established nurseries, or only with agents that could prove themselves 

 authorized by such establishments to take orders. 



J. Lannin. — I believe that many a farm is improved through the adding of 

 an orchard, the direct result of the persistence of the fruit-tree agents. It was 

 my own case in Canada. I have not always got what I ordered, but the aver- 

 age has been good. The fault at least should be divided between the agents 

 and the purchasers. A man should know first what he wants, and then should 

 have sufficient keenness to detect in agents at least the worst forms of villainy. 

 It seems to me that by the use of discretion a man will do about as well to deal 

 with agents as the nursery itself. He is not obliged to buy of any man until 

 he knows what and whom he represents. 



H. E. Hooker, Rochester, N. Y. — This topic has to take a prominent place 

 in the discussions of fruit-growers, because of the rascality which, as has been 

 said, is practiced in every State, and perhaps every county. But with all the 

 evil, has come a great deal of good. We want to eliminate the evil, and must 

 do it through the dissemination of intelligence in horticultural matters from 

 our organizations ; in the same manner that the University here is educating 

 the people by sending out men all over the world that have been started within 

 its walls. I have seen for some years that nurserymen are very largely in blame 

 for the frauds practiced in tree selling. If nurserymen would not sell trees to 

 men that they believed were unscrupulous, the evil would be decimated. I 

 know of dealers who go to nursuries and buy trees, making their own labels 

 and placing them to suit the orders, regardless of the varieties they purchase. 

 A nurseryman is not honest who will allow this upon his premises. I am a 

 nurseryman, and say we should not allow this practice, but rather should see 

 that the trees leave the nursery correctly labeled. 1 can see even now, with all 

 the frauds, that the good outbalances the evil; but we should seek to lessen 

 the evil. Nurserymen can do a great deal in this direction. For four years 

 I have been particular to let dealers understand this, and have lost many sales 

 by it, but shall continue my method, and believe it will pay me to do so. I am 

 satisfied that there are many honorable men, who are dealers in nursery stock, 



