318 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



hardly credible, but many young- and thrifty orchards have been 

 thus dug up. 



It is the duty of every nieniher of the State Horticultural Society 

 to see that these fellows are exposed atul kicked out of this state. A 

 law was passed by the legislature of 1887, re(]uiring all who sell 

 nursery stock grown outside of the state of Minjiesota to file a bond 

 of !f2,0(X) with the secretary of state, to i>rotect purchasers of said 

 stock from fraud and misre])resentatioii. Any agent offering foreign 

 grown nursery stock is cotnpelled to exhibit to each ])urchaser a 

 certificate from the secretary of state showing that he has filed said 

 bond. 



The evil effects of this " model orchard" work can fiardly be esti- 

 mated. It does not stop at the damage done to the planter in dollars 

 and cents, but it undermines the efforts of all true horticulturists 

 who have the fruit growing interest of the Northwest at heart. The 

 planter who has been duped sets all nurserymen down as frauds, 

 and will refuse to purchase trees or plants for years. These swindlers 

 and, indeed, in self-protection, all agents operating for nurseries 

 outside tfie state, where they cannot easily be reached, should be 

 compelled to show a certificate from the secretary of state (a copy 

 of which and the law is given below in the case), or in its absence be 

 treated to a good dose of Minnesota law. 



The farmer who believes that in the digging up of his root-grafted 

 trees and the planting instead of budded ones he has at last found 

 the key to successful fruit growing, should at least see that all notes 

 given in payinent of any "model orchard " are not negotiable, but 

 conditioned upon the fulfillment of the " model orchard " contract 

 by the nurseryman. 



(It is not easy to sympathise with the victims of this budded tree 

 fraud. With the efforts being made in our state by this society — to 

 say nothing of the many other sources of information — it would 

 seem as though all planters should l)e fairly well informed on ordi- 

 nary horticultural subjects. 



Moral: Save your money fiy pajing $1.(X) to become a member of 

 this societj'; and buy your trees only of responsible Minnesota 

 nurseries. — Sec'y.) 



THE LAW AGAINST NURSERY FRAUDS. 



AN ACT 

 To prevent the practice of fraud by tree peddlers and commission 



men, in tfie sale of nursery stock. 

 Be it enacted bj' the Legislature of the State of Miniu'sota: 



Skction 1. It shall be unlawful for any person, corporation or asso- 

 ciation to sell or offer for sale any tree, jjlant, shrub or vine not grown 

 in the State of Minnesota, without first filing with the Secretary of 

 State an affidavit setting forth his name, age, occupation and resi- 

 dence; and, if an agent, the name, occupation and residence of his 

 principal, and a statement as to where the nurserj' stock aforesaid 

 to be sold is grown, together with a bond to the State of Minnesota 

 in the penal sutn of two thousand dollars (if'J,(¥)0), conditioned to 

 save fiarmless ■,\uy citizen of this State who shall be defrauded by 

 any false or fraudulent representations as to the place where such 



