STATE HORTICULTDRAL SOCIETY. 87 



plant apple trees. 1 don't believe a canvasser could go through the 

 country and sell a very great many apple trees at best, I hope there 

 won't be any action taken on this matter only to lay it on the table 



Mr. Gould. Mr. President, and gentlemen of the Horticultural So 

 ciety : There are two objections, to ray mind, that are serious ones, 

 that are worth considering at any rate; and the very thing that my 

 friend Mr. Dartt referred to last was of the number I had in mind. 

 It is not supposed that a dealer in this State raises everythinglhe sells; 

 as a general thing that is an impossibility. The truth is it is better 

 for the nurseryman to buy some of his stock; he knows where to buy 

 it and have it pure and sufficient in every respect for his customer. I 

 have been in that position fifteen years or more and have always^ 

 bought more or less stock outside of the Slate. While I have made 

 some mistakes and delivered some things that were not true to name, 

 and perhaps things that people had better not bought, still I think I 

 have done about as well as most men engaged in the business 

 in Minnesota. I know it has been very convenient tor me to have an 

 opportunity to buy outside, and it is the same with others. It is just 

 as well for the customer also. The most serious objection, perhaps, 

 is that if this thing was carried out fully it would make a monopoly 

 of the business; the customer and the farmer would suffer, because 

 there would be no competition in the field worthy of the name. Of 

 course I care nothing about that personally as I am not now inter- 

 ested in the business; but these are points I wish to make as I see the 

 matter in that light. These facts will be conceded by my friend Dartt 

 that we can get good stock in Wisconsin, Illinois, and even Ohio and 

 New York. I would just as soon have a grape vine grown in Texas 

 as in Minnesota, and it will ripen just as early. I think the same 

 would hold good with raspberries and strawberries. I believe this law 

 is unconstitutional. I think there was a decision in Texas, on a similar 

 law, within a few months past, but this has nothing to do with that. 

 We are not supposed as a society to pronounce upon the legality of 

 the act, but I would like to see an expression taken upon it. We 

 ought not to be so modest that we cannot acknowledge a mistake we 

 have made. I don't hold myself responsible one way or the other for 

 its passage, and I would like to see some action taken upon it. 



Mr. Sias. This is what some claim to be class legislation. It seems 

 that there should be some way to protect ourselves against these gross 

 frauds without casting odium or contempt upon other honest nursery- 

 men here in the Northwest. It seems as if this thing was gotten up 

 entirely to protect such men as these consummate fools that don't 



