THE NURSERY LAW. 399 



ticultural interests there is a necessity of some restraint upon the 

 sale of such stock. As the grounds for the above decision was the 

 fact that the law in question discriminated against property from 

 without the state and thus infringed upon the constitutional right 

 of congress to regulate interstate commerce, it seems to me 

 that our next legislature should be asked to pass some law that 

 would apply equally to all nurseries selling nursery stock through 

 agents. It would not be burdensome to our home nurseries to 

 furnish bonds similar to those required by the old law, and it would 

 limit somewhat the flood of irresponsible salesmen sent out by 

 firms so distant from us as to be also .practically irresponsible. The 

 bond requirement would also, as in the past, keep out the greater 

 share of swindling sharpers like the " budded tree" men who have 

 recently been working in southern Minnesota. 



It seems to me that another provision might beadded that would, 

 with proper agitation by our people all over the state, soon lead to 

 the planting of a better and hardier class of fruit trees; and that is, 

 a clause requiring that every apple, pear, plum and cherry tree, sold 

 through agents, shall have attached to it a zinc label stamped with 

 the name of the state where the same was raised. Small fruits, berry 

 bushes, roses, grapes and like half-hardy stock, would not need any 

 such limitation as they nearly all require winter protection of some 

 kind. But the mere fact that an apple tree has been successfully 

 grown in the this state, while not conclusive, is very excellent evi- 

 dence that it is of a variety likely to succeed here; and it would not 

 belong before the average buyer would be shy about accepting any 

 other. This is not a matter upon which I have spent much thought, 

 and there may be serious difficulties in the way of its practical 

 adoption, but for one, while I am not a believer in too much pater- 

 nalism in government, I "am earnestly of the opinion that our tree 

 planters are justly entitled to a reasonable legal protection from the 

 frauds and impositions that are so easily perpetrated in the nursery 

 business. ClAREXCE WEDGE. 



What are the views of others on this subject? It would be well to 

 present them in a subsequent issue and consider this well previous 

 to our annual meeting, since the legislature meets this winter. 



Sec'Y. 



To Fruit Growers.— The undersigned member of the State Hor- 

 ticultural Society, and one of the committee on apples, respectfully 

 asks any person living in the southern part of the state, who has 

 seedling apple trees in bearing, or other trees that bear fruit of more 

 than ordinary merit, to write his address and some facts concern- 

 ing the merits of his fruit to me, with a view to bringing it before 

 the society. Papers in the south half of the state favorable to the 

 cause of horticulture, please copy. 



J. S. Parks, 

 Pleasant Mound, Blue Earth County,- Minn. 

 (Published by request.) 



