HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 95 



justice to our home uurserymen, the spirit and intention of the 

 law is right, and there is abundant proof that its effects have 

 been beneficial. For instance two or three years ago thousands 

 of dollars were paid out in McLeod county for worthless Ohio 

 and York State apple trees, at ten dollars per dozen. This year 

 nearly every farmer has from one to four barrels of apples in his 

 cellar, not from those trees, but from money that without this 

 law might have gone to some rascally ti"ee agent or dealer. 



I have been informed by our Secretary that few complaints 

 come to him since the passage of the law, and we believe it has 

 proved quite satisfactory to the majority of the people of our 

 state and the members of this Society. Still according to our 

 last annual report I find that there are a few who think it all 

 wrong and want it repealed and the old condition of things re- 

 stored. 



This law although threatened by a committee of nurserymen 

 in Chicago has not been set aside and whoever violates its pro- 

 visions I understand is a lawbreaker and subject to prosecution 

 under it. 



To properly show the necessity for some such law it becomes 

 necessary for me to refer to the condition of things previous to 

 its passage. During the years of 1885 and 1886 a band of tree 

 agents (working for dififerent tree dealing firms) with more cheek 

 than an army mule and destitute of all principles of manhood and 

 honor, made a raid upon the people of the Northwestern states, 

 selling budded apple trees grown in Ohio, at one dollar each, 

 Gideon apple trees from New York, Arctic plams,gooseberries and 

 strawberry plants at the same style of prices. They also im- 

 posed upon our foreign-born citizens who had recently made their 

 homes with us and who were unused to the ways and peculiari- 

 ties of this country, by selling them peach, plum, prune and 

 pear trees at outrageous prices. Complaints of their depre- 

 dations not only came from our own state but from Iowa, Da- 

 kota, Illinois and Wisconsin. 



At our meeting in 1885 an elfort was made to get a simple reso- 

 lution passed by this Society, denouncing their operations, but 

 without success. 



During the season of 1886, the cheeky transactions of the 

 agents of L. L. May & Co., caused so many complaints to be 

 made to the President and Secretary of this Society, that these 

 officers, in their address and report, called attention to the 

 necessity of the passage of a law for the prevention of such 



