118 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



farmer 400 Nortons Virginia for !$60 that all proved to be Concords ; 

 or as a letter from Nebraska states to me, the agent sold the hardy 

 Minnesota ap])le8 for fifty cents each and they proved to be seedlings ; 

 or like that agent that came to me this spring to buy " Queen of the 

 Prairie Rose" for twenty-five cents, packed it it my presence to be ex- 

 pressed to Mr. , Moberly, Mo., and to a councilman in our city, 



to whom he had sold the rose for $2.50, as a novelty ; he lied, saying he 

 had just received it from Quincy, 111. I ask you, have not you all heard 

 of such frauds ! 



This is the last bill I buy from a tree agent is the standard talk of 

 our farmer, and it is certainly a puzzle to any logical thinking man to 

 see that very same man buy another bill of trees from the next agent 

 that makes his appearance. 



If the profitable invesiment of money and labor constitutes the 

 basis of prosperity in a nation, there is certainly an immense loss 

 heaped upon this people by the unprincipled tree peddler. Or who 

 will defend the planting of millions of worthless fruit trees that are 

 annually sold in the United States, worthless because they do not suit 

 the climate, soil nor demand. 



But all this is discussed in our meetings and the best varieties of 

 fruit trees as found by actual experience are promptly published, the 

 answer will be, that the man that orders in his ignorance the worthless 

 varieties is to blame for the loss he has to stand. 



In the first place most of the farmers are, as a rule, ignorant in re- 

 gard to these points, and to remove his calamity, of course, our Horti- 

 cultural Societies are the very best institutions. With one fault, it seems 

 to me, that is the knowledge and experience pointing out the best 

 varieties of fruit trees for profit is not sufficiently made known. 



A pami)hlet specially. prepared every fall alone for the fruit tree 

 planter containing the seasons results and experience in this branch 

 and nothing else, could be delivered for ten cents and would certainly 

 be read, instructing and preparing the farmer, for the inevitable tree 

 agent.- 



But instead of this true and practical guide, he receives his agri- 

 cultural paper, containing all sorts of advice, some good and others 

 worthless, advertisements and i)ufit's and God knows how many cata- 

 logues, the result of their reading practically leads to confusion and 

 contradictions in his judgment. 



Better diffusion of practical knowledge is needed here to learn 

 the best methods of planting and raising trees, to buy only the best 

 known varieties and thus save money and labor. 



