3 1 4 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



THE MAN WHO SELLS THE NURSERY STOCK-FROM 

 THE STANDPOINT OF HIS EMPLOYER. 



E. W. REID, ST. PAUL. 



This is quite a delicate subject to speak upon from the fact 

 that we have so many nurserymen in the house this afternoon. 

 1 always think when it comes to talking about selling nursery 

 stock about the little tale I heard regarding a salesman and a 

 farmer who happened to be riding along the road together, and 

 the salesman tried to get in his work for an order of trees. 



"No," said the farmer, " I have been fooled often enough ; 

 when I buy trees again I am going to drive to the nursery and see 

 them dug, and see that the south side of the tree is marked so I 

 can set the trees the same way they stood before." 



Well, they rode on, and when the salesman found he could 

 not get an order for trees he approached the farmer on the subject 

 of trading horses. It so happened that the farmer was a great 

 hunter, which fact the salesman had learned in some way, so he 

 said to him, 



"You have a mighty good horse there, and I will trade it for 

 this broncho I ride." 



"What would I want with your broncho," the farmer said, 

 "my horse is worth three times as much as your broncho." 



"Yes," said the tree agent, "but my broncho has some good 

 tricks; my broncho is a setter." 



They rode on a little farther, and while they were still talking 

 about the trade the broncho got down on his knees. The agent 

 said. 



"There is game around here ; I know it." 



They looked around a little and saw a rabbit sitting alongside 

 the fence, and as soon as the rabbit started up the broncho rose 

 to his feet. They went on a little farther, and the broncho did the 

 the same thing again. The farmer said, 



"I didn't know that there was any game around here," but 

 when they looked around a little they discovered a covey of 

 quail near the road. The farmer was pretty much impressed, 

 and as they rode on the broncho repeated his previous perform- 

 ance. The farmer said there was certainly no game around there, 

 the agent said, 



"It must have been those chickens scratching over there in the 

 grain." 



That was the third time, the farmer was convinced and traded 

 his horse for the broncho. There was no question asked in regard 

 to boot, it was an even swap. As they followed the road they came 



