136 ANNUAL REPORT. 
never come around but once. They said they took $8,000 out of 
this county alone. 
Mr. Dart. There is a class in our own State that deserves to 
be hit. I call them scalpers; they are canvassers. They will 
perhaps write to Rochester to see how they can get trees there. 
Then they go canvassing, take all the orders they can at reduced 
prices, and after they have a great many orders they come down 
to business. They ask the Rochester nursery ‘*‘ What will you 
give us this quantity of fruit trees for?’’ If the figures are not 
entirely satisfactory, they write about to see where they can get 
the best bargain. The final result is they buy where the trees 
are cheapest and where they can make the most money, and many 
times they sell the wrong variety. 
Mr. Ford. Don’t know as we can get anywhere near the evil; 
and it has been so a great many years. The Ohio concern is 
about the worst I ever heard of. They will sell and get big orders 
on the Lady grape, strawberries, &. The fact is the people 
couldn’t get rid of them without buying. Have heard them make 
the boast that they carried $18,000 out of Hennepin county ? 
These Ohio chaps have been all around the country. This. 
whole thing is robbery. Know of roses that have been sold at 
enormous prices, while our nurseries could furnish them fresh 
and good at low prices. They have sold immense quantities. 
where [ couldn’t sell a dollar’s worth. If this society could stay 
that evil only a little it would do a great deal of good. But I can’t. 
see how to do it, though I have thought a great deal over it. 
Thought perhaps a committee might be appointed to make some: 
laws. It is the worst evil to work against that I know of. 
Mr. Dart. Arrest them for obtaining money under false pre- 
tenses. 
Mr. Ford. Who'll do it? 
Mr. Eldridge. Let the one without sin cast the first stone. 
There are nurserymen in this State that send out their order books 
by agents, purporting to come from certain nurseries and saying 
their trees are all Minnesota grown. When the trees are sent for 
they come from Rochester, N. Y., or some other Eastern State. 
And there is a point on the exhibition of fruits I would lke to 
mention. We have men here that exhibit fruit as grown here 
when it was grown in States far from here. This ought not to, 
be so. , 
Mr. Brimhall. Think nurserymen ought to be held responsible: 
for the contracts of their agents. Think we have nurseries here for 
