MEDICINE FOR TREE SHARKS. 355 



cord grape vines, and they were not a bit better than yours for five 

 cents." That man can talk, and a man that is g'oingf to pay atten- 

 tion to him is very apt to be humbug'g'ed, and humbugging is the 

 order of the day. I believe with Bro. Dartt, I believe we have just 

 as many humbugs among otirselves selling trees as there are in any 

 other state. I could pick out a dozen in our own state where there 

 is just that much deception. 



Sec'y Latham: The idea is to drive these rogues into Wisconsin. 

 (Laughter). 



Mr. Pearce: It is just like the man who claimed to be the home- 

 liest man in the world, and he made a wager with another man. It 

 was on a steamboat, and the other man said, "I believe I can beat 

 you," and he beg'an to draw his face into every conceivable shape. 

 The first man said, "Let it alone, let it alone, just as God Almighty 

 made it; it can't be beat." (Laughter). 



Pres. Underwood: I believe a man who pays seventy-five cents 

 for a Concord grape vine does not get cheated verji^much. Perhaps 

 he could do better. What Mr. Andrews is aiming at in the nursery 

 business is something like the clothing scheme and the grocery 

 scheme, where they hold out inducements to a large class of 

 farmers, most of them foreigners. Such people do not understand 

 what we are doing, they do not know anything about this horticul- 

 tural society; it would surprise you all to know the number of 

 people who do not know anything at all about it. The agents go to 

 those men and sell them an orchard, a model orchard. They sell 

 the farmer fifty trees, and they draw up a little contract. The 

 farmer is to receive the trees, plant them out and take care of them , 

 according to the provisions of this contract; they have got that 

 down very fine; and under this contract this very intelligent agent 

 is going to come around every year and tell him what to do, and 

 the farmer is going to do it. The trees are warranted from three to 

 to five years. He only pays ten per cent down, and the rest is given 

 in the form of a note, and he does not have to pay that note until 

 the trees are made to perform what the agent warrants them to do, 

 bear fruit or make a model orchard in from three to five years 

 The farmer does not catch on to the idea. This agent goes down to 

 Illinois and buys the stock at wholesale, and comes back and 

 delivers all the varieties called for in the contract. He takes ten per 

 cent in cash frona the farmer, which more than pays for the trees, 

 takes the farmer's note for the balance, and that is the last the far- 

 mer ever sees of it. Thousands of these orders have been taken in 

 this state. Ever since our law has been declared unconstitutional 

 they have been working that scheme, as Mr. Wedge and others know 

 very well. One of our agents wrote me and wanted to know what 

 the "Baxter" apple was. It was represented as a new ironclad apple, 

 said to be recommended by this society. It is those kind of frauds 

 that we are airing. I think Mr. Andrew's suggestion is a good one. 



Mr. Pearce: I think when one man is deceived in that way it 

 would be a warning to all others. 



Pres. Underwood: They do not know it. They set out this model 

 orchard and do not know they are defrauded. 



