HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 99 



Mr. Pearse. I went to a lawyer I consider the best in the 

 state. I showed him the law; he said it didn't touch a nursery- 

 man in Minnesota. There is the law in the title and that is the 

 whole of it. That is the way it stands. 



Mr, Underwood. I don't think the nurserymen are finding 

 any fault with the law at all, either in Minnesota or anywhere 

 else, except as it may be a little more difficult for foreign nur- 

 serymen to come in here to sell their stock; that is to say, they 

 must give bonds for good behavior. They may come just the 

 same, if they want to. I really think it may be an advantage, 

 as it may help people to know what they are buying. I think 

 it would be a good thing to have a law passed to protect men in 

 horse trades. Every time I trade horses I get swindled (laugh- 

 ter) ; and I have got to get my eye teeth cut to know how to take 

 care of my side of the bargain; but when I know as much about 

 trading horses as I do about trees, why I won't get swindled so 

 much. But unless they do pass some law to protect me on this 

 horse-trading business, why I must go to work and learn how to 

 do it myself. 



President Elliot. We have had this tree law up in all phases. 

 Last year we devoted seventeen pages in our reports to its dis- 

 cussion and I don't think it amounted to very much. The law 

 seems to be working first rate. We all know there are some de- 

 fects in it; but it is the best thing we could get at the time, If 

 we attempt to tinker with it this year, or if an attempt is made to 

 repeal it, our legislative committee must be on the alert and look 

 after it to see that they don't deprive us of all we have accom- 

 plished in this direction. The question arises whether we will 

 continue the present law or try to make some improvement 

 in it. 



Mr. Cutler. In order to bring this subject to a termination I 

 will move that a committee be appointed to look after this mat- 

 ter. 



Mr. Harris moved, as an amendment to the motion, that it 

 was the sense of the State Horticultural Society that the present 

 tree law should be retained on the statute book and that the leg- 

 islative committee be instructed to see that no action is taken 

 for its repeal. 



Secretary Hillman stated that he had recently conferred with 

 Mr. Mattson, secretary of state, with reference to the workings 

 of this law and had been informed that it appeared to give very 

 good satisfaction. Mr. Mattson stated that he had taken it upon 



