MEDICINE FOR TREE SHARKS. 357 



orchard and out of sight. A couple of men came along one da}^ rep- 

 resenting themselves as coming from Ohio. One was an old man, 

 about iny age, and the other was a young man. The old man did 

 not have much to say, but the young one was an extra good talker. 

 He came up to me and said, "Have you a model orchard?" I said, 

 "No, sir." "You try to raise fruit a little?" he asked. "Yes, sir." I 

 answered. "I want to set you out about five acres of trees. We only 

 want twenty per cent down," and told me the rest of his little story. 

 He was a good talker. He then got out his root grafts and showed 

 me that there was no way to graft except budding, and when he 

 got at that I played "greeny;" I did not know anything about raising 

 apples, or grafting or anything else until he had had his say and 

 thought he was going to sell me an orchard. When he had got all 

 through I said, "Let me show you some root grafts." "Do you un- 

 derstand grafting?" he asked. I said "Yes, sir." I had made full 

 arrangement with hiin to fill out an orchard for me on a five year 

 contract. A little pay talks. He only wanted twenty per cent down 

 and my note for the balance. I said, "Let me show you mj^ orchard.'' 

 He said, "Have you got an orchard?" I said, "Yes." "How 

 much?" he asked. I told him, "About 1,500 trees." He had no 

 more to say to me, but he went right to one of my neighbors 

 and said he had made a contract with tne, which was the 

 truth, and that neighbor made a contract with him for a model 

 orchard, I think it was two acres, and the same neighbor had told 

 me only two days before about an agent being around selling trees, 

 and I told him never to buy of an agent at all, but to send to a nur- 

 seryman in our own state who was responsible. And that is what 

 an agent will do to induce a man to sign a contract and pay twenty 

 per cent down, and that is the last of it. 



Mr. Wedge: Was this man representing a home nursery? 



Mr. Akin: No, an Ohio nursery. As they were driving away I said, 

 "Stop and see my orchard." But they would not stop. Then I said, 

 "Let ine show you some native wild crabs that have got the Peer- 

 less on," but they did not care to see them. I said, " Do you suppose 

 you men can come up here from Ohio and teach me anything? Can 

 you teach me anything about root grafting or budding?" " O," said 

 the young tnan, "we are far ahead of you in everything." They are 

 in talk, but they could not make the offer good. They made a con- 

 tract to set out orchards with three men in our town; men who are 

 intelligent men to talk with, as intelligent as any farmers in the 

 country, at least I supposed they were until they made this contract 

 with those sharks. I believe every single one of those agents de- 

 serves to be prosecuted. 



Pres. Underwood: The question is whether we ought not to disci- 

 pline Mr. Akin for making this contract. (Laughter). 



Lice on House Plants.— Florists burn tobacco stems or leaves 

 in greenhouses once a week, filling them until the smoke settles 

 under the benches. The same thing may be done in a small way by 

 placing the plants in a box or in a cupboard. Too dense a smudge 

 will injure tender plants. The danger of injury may be lessened by 

 sprinkling the foliage before smoking. 



