90 TKANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



will probably give three or four good pickings. I am inclined to 

 think that the new fields will overbalance all that have been ])lowed 

 under. As to acreage, some growers have planted more and very 

 few less, some new men have started in the business, and a very few 

 have quit: so that the acreage, if anything, has beeii increased. 



Mr. B. Pullen thinks that the acreage has decreased, and that 

 the poor results of the past two seasons have so discouraged growers 

 that it will be still farther decreased. This much is certain: either 

 the acreage must be lessened by one-half, or a berry that will market 

 better than the Crescent must be generally grown. He thinks that 

 the severe winters that so damaged the orchards in the northern part 

 of the State did not pass Centralia by without leaving a renjinder. 

 though unsuspected at the time. This, coupled with the exhausted 

 condition of the trees from bearing such an extra large crop last 

 year, was enough to destroy the finest prospect without the drouth. 

 Never in his experience has the Codling Moth been so destructive ; 

 hardly an apple could be found that did not show its mark. 



The President now called for the paper, 



CAX THE NURSERY BUSINESS BIO MADE PROFITABLE AVITll 

 TREE PEDDLERS IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD? 



BY C. N. DEXNIS. 



Can the nursery business be made profitable with the tree ped- 

 dler in every neighborhood? Yes. Now, 1 do not know who asked 

 this question, or why it was assigned to me, but I presume that the 

 real cjuestion is, The tree peddler in his relation to the nursery busi- 

 ness ; and this necessarily involves the planter. And first, we may 

 as well admit the fact that the tree peddler is abroad m the land, for 

 he will meet you with a cordial shake of the hand on the street; 

 will visit you in your homes; will even buzz you at church and con- 

 vention, and will almost, if not quite, kneel by you and sing his little 

 song in your ear when you are laid on your bier; ajid secondly, that 

 he has come to stay (perhaps the same one only for a short time in 

 the same neighborhood). The time has passed when the enterprising 

 business man sits quietly down and waits for trade to come to him, 

 and consequentl}^ the drummer is on every train, the insurance man, 

 sewing-machine agent and musical-instrument peddler in every town 

 and lightning-rod and tree peddlers in every neighborhood. Why /*• 

 this? Because of the almighty dollar. ''For where the carcass is, 

 there will the vultures be." But there are many benefits arising 

 from all these, and particularly the tree peddler. Whittier says: 



" Give fools their gold and knaves their power, 

 Let fortune's bubbles rise and fall ; 

 Who sows a lield, or trains a liower, 

 Or plants a tree, is more than all." 



