150 Wisconsin State Horticultural Society. 



certificate from some reliable firm either east or west; promised to 

 be around next year and replace any failures; he won your good 

 opinion, and although you had been caught before, and had firmly 

 resolved you would never give another order, yet he talked so fair, 

 and represented a firm that you knew; he had also sold to many of 

 your neighbors, and showed their orders; and lastly he had the 

 recommendation of the president of your Horticultural Society, and 

 you thought you had a sure thing, and as you wanted some of the 

 new Russian apples, you ordered ten at one dollar each; and as you 

 had had poor luck with cherries, he persuaded you to try the " Utah 

 Hybrid;" it was just the one to bear every year, loaded down with 

 fruit in clusters like grapes; it seemed a wonder it had not been 

 discovered before; you would try a few. As you had always failed 

 in raising pears and he had a new stock on " the French root," on 

 which pears would not blight, Eureka! now you thought was the 

 time to go in on pears. The Alaska crab, he said was something 

 wonderful, and so you thought as you saw it through glass, and 

 although one dollar a tree was high, if they were bearing size, you 

 could soon make that up in fruit. A few winter crabs, so nice in 

 the spring; a " tree rose," a " strawberry tree," a half dozen " blue 

 roses." As grapes were your favorite fruit, but on account of extra 

 cares or labor you had not given them the proper attention at the 

 right time, and had failed; and as he had the grape that needed no 

 protection, and would load down with fruit even if not pruned, and 

 so many prominent nurserymen of Wisconsin had recommended it, 

 you took a dozen; they were to be bearing size and you were to 

 pay a good price; and then there was that white grape, you had 

 heard so much about and had never been able to find it, " as hardy 

 as the Clinton, as great a bearer as the Concord, and the fruit would 

 keep all winter;" a dozen of them would not be too many. Now a 

 look at his jars convinced you that if such gooseberries, currants, 

 plums and strawberries can be raised, and here is the proof, why, 

 you will take some of the gooseberries that will not mildew; cur- 

 rants that the currant worm will not eat; some of the plums the 

 curculio will let alone; and if strawberries as big as apples can be 

 grown like that, why, set me down for one hundred, not even ask- 

 ing the price; such a chanoe you might not have again. Now you 

 are through; but wife wants a few roses, shrubs, bulbs, shade trees 

 and evergreens, and the order is finished and signed; too much in- 



