j 20 Character of Nurserymen. [March, 



Thus it -will be seen, that from inattention and disregard of the 

 commands of jnirchasers, mutilation of the roots, bad packing, bad 

 shipping, and slovenly bearing throughout, that confidence is almost 

 entirely broken down, and unless a radical change takes place, can 

 not be very easily restored. 



Although the cases above illustrated have been stated hypothcti- 

 cally, yet, I have known parallel instances to them all. The bitter^ 

 est letter I ever saw, was to a nurseryman, from a purchaser, where a 

 most unwarrantable liberty had been taken, by substitutions in !«.<» 

 order, and then, sending him the most miserable apologies for trees 

 in the bargain. This last piece of chicanery admits of no excuse. 

 It is arrant knavery an^nothing else. The nurserymen retort by say- 

 ina: ' that other trades and kinds of commerce are subject to similar 

 impositions.' This may be partially true ; their disposition to in- 

 trigue in many instances, may be the same, but their opportunity 

 much less available. The grocer who sells his barrel of sugar or 

 bag of coffee, has it opened and examined by the purchaser in a very 

 brief time. This serves as a constant admonition against imposition. 

 Not so with the man who buys fruit trees, as the varieties and quali- 

 ty of fruit can not be known until they come into bearing, which 

 may be from four to six years from the time of planting out. In 

 speaking of discreditable transactions with either the grocer or nur- 

 seryman, of course all are not included. There are honorable ex- 

 ceptions in both cases, and in all communities of commerce of every 

 grade. I propose now, to notice a still lower ramification in this 

 nursery business, to wit : 



There is a class of boasting, mountebank, itinerant vagabonds, 

 occasionally prowling through the country, ' seeking whom they may 

 devour ;' and by whom many of the more ignorant, credulous part 

 of community, are cheated to their heart's content; and sometimes, 

 deservedly so, I think. • For, to ask any of these knowing, bigoted 

 individuals to subscribe for a journal advocating the interest of 

 farm or giyden, would be an insult to their understanding. They 

 are unwilling to open their eyes sufiiciently to create a focus on any 

 intellectual object that stands out more than one inch beyond their 

 protruding noses. And yet, these very persons are constantly being 

 the dupes of some travelinr;,- agent, dispensing the most choice fruit 

 trees with samples of fruit to match, i. e., to match until their trees 

 come into bearing, and then they have the glorious consolation of 

 matching a crab apple on the trees, with a Yellow Bellfleur, as 



