SUMMER MEETING AT LOUISIANA. 119 



As it is to-day, it is naturally easy to the sharp, shrewd tree agent 

 to make a prey of the poor, hard toiler of the soil. But let one-half 

 dozen years be passed with the pani|)hlets mentioned, distributed on 

 every farm in the State and you will tind your farmers 100 per cent. 

 . better advised what to select and from whom to buy when they make 

 out their tree bill. 



To say the tree agent is the pioneer of horticultural life in a new 

 country may be all right, as he undoubtedly induces thousands of 

 farmers to buy and plant trees, but if we look at the poor result these 

 very farmers have with most all of their trees and the loss of money 

 and labor that they have to suffer in unproductive investments, we 

 should stop and think about substituting soniething better than the 

 irresponsible tree agent of to-day to perform that good work of in- 

 ducing the planting of trees. Can that not be regulated by legislation? 

 Can the tree planter not be protected against frauds wherever they 

 come from ? For instance, a man. buys to-day a lot of fruit trees, such 

 as Salome, Yellow Transparent, or Marianna plum, and when in bear- 

 ing he finds to have been cheated. 



No tree agent should be permitted to sell trees except under the 

 responsibility of a good Nursery firm and no bill of sale of trees should 

 be binding to the farmer except such a firm pledges itself for the true 

 name of the variety sold and delivered. 



It is to a great extent the inadequate condition of our laws regard- 

 ing the horticultural interests of nurserymen and tree planter that 

 educates these criminals, that furnish a man a Concord vine for a Nor- 

 ton Virginia, or by a lot of unsalable varieties of trees of some over- 

 stocked, large nursery and label them according to their sales. 



What could we (Husman & Co.,) do against that tree agent, that in 

 1876 bought, after spring business, our unsold peach trees, and when 

 he had paid for them, labeled them Amsden June that he had sold at $1 

 •each near HarrJsonville, Mo. 



Gentlemen of this society, this matter of strict honesty between 

 the nurserymen and fruit tree planter is of the greatest importance to 

 our horticulture, and you can perform a lasting good work to bring 

 about a change to the better in this miserable practice of beating the 

 tree planter as done now. 



I say it again, to lessen tbe frauds the farmer, when making his bill 

 •of trees with the, unfortunately, indispensable tree agent, has to stand, 

 but one way is practically successful in my experience, and that is 



