STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 83 



to set out fruit trees, let him go to the nurseries and get the trees at a 

 reasonable price; that is where I stand. I am opposed to the tree ped- 

 dlers in any shape or form in Minnesota, When it comes to plants, 

 it is a different thing. If fruit trees are going to be sold by agents, I 

 am in favor of asking the legislature to rei)eal that law. 



Mr. Harris. Mr. President, I did not oppose the enactment of that 

 law, and I do not oppose it now. Mr. Pearce has not made his point, 

 or I have not understood him. The law does not prohibit the selling 

 of trees. To compel us to send to the nurseries and get them would 

 be pretty rough. In regard to this law, we did not expect a perfect 

 law. We knew it was very imperfect, but we had to take what we 

 could get. I think there can and should be some amendments made 

 to it. I think the legitimate nurserymen, who have a few acres planted 

 to a nursery, who are doing an honest business in the State, ought to 

 have the right, if they want to obtain a dozen grape vines outside the 

 State, to do so. 



Mr. Pearce. In that respect it does not affect the nurserymen in 

 this State. 



Mr. Gould. That is the trouble, it does. I claim an honest man 

 •can't do business in Minnesota and sell nursery stock, if I understand 

 the bill. 



Mr, Harris. I think after the law has been in operation a short 

 time we can see where it comes short, and can have it amended. The 

 law has worked well in our part of the St ite. In one instance a party 

 took a few orders on Saturday. On Sunday a member of this Society 

 happened to be near there, and on Monday morning he went with the 

 man who had given the order to see the agent and called for his pa- 

 pers, wanted him to show that he had given the bonds up here at the 

 capitol. He was selling stock for a firm in St. Paul that don't own 

 any nursery. He could not produce the necessary papers, and they 

 gave him just so long a time to get out of town, and he got. There was 

 another similar instance in another portion of the county. The party 

 was operating who could not show any authority to sell, and he was 

 informed that if he took an order in the place he would be prosecuted, 

 and he left. So there has been very little of that kind of work done 

 in that part of the State. 



I think we should keep the law we have until we have tried it a lit- 

 tle na ore thoroughly. It doesn't prohibit any man sending where he 

 wants to for stock. I think anybody can order stock. The legisla- 

 ture has a constitutional right to levy a tax upon every citizen of the 

 State to help support the government. It seems to me that it is con- 



