280 ANNUAL REPORT. 



and so were compelled to give him an order. Nine-tenths of the 

 farmers haven't energy enough to dispose of these agents summarily 

 who visit them for the purpose of lying the thing through. I regard 

 it no better than if they should come with a pistol and pointing it at 

 their breast tell them to stand and deliver; and there are nurserymen 

 that send out that class of agents. 



Mr. Underwood. This tree business reminds me of the horse-trading 

 business. We have got lots of men all over the country that are trad- 

 ing horses. They are good enough fellows in their way, but they will 

 get a horse for seventy-five dollars, fix him up a little, and get $125 to 

 $200 for him; while probably the horse isn't worth any more than 

 they paid at first. Why don't the horse dealers get up a vigilance 

 committee to see that every man that trades horses doesn't get cheated. 

 I don't think our Society is called upon to act as a vigilance com- 

 mittee. People, as a rule, will take care of themselves, and I think it 

 is wise to let them. Now, if you want to talk to the tree agent, you 

 had better talk to him to his face and give him a chance; he will 

 generally "stay" with you. I don't like to denounce a man when he 

 isn't around. We can't all get honest Smiths for tree peddlers. I 

 wouldn't guarantee to this Society that all our agents are strictly 

 honest; I can't control them, and don't believe there is a man living 

 that can. 



President Smith. I will state, gentlemen, that we have a very large 

 program to go through with this afternoon. 



Col. Stevens. Before this question of humbugs is disposed of I want 

 to say that I don't think myself, so far as I know, and so far as I have 

 heard, that there has been any objections urged to the ten or fifteen 

 leading nurserymen in the three states of Wisconsin, Minnesota and 

 Iowa, but my friend Underwood I think takes a difi'erent position from 

 the one he believed in last summer sometime. My reason for saying 

 so is that I have learned that in McLeod County alone during the past 

 year orders have been given for about $6,000 worth of "budded fruit 

 trees." The agricultural press is doing what it can; we send out 

 about thirty thousand copies of our paper at eveiy issue. That ought 

 to accomplish something, I believe the fault, so far as we are con- 

 cerned in Minnesota, is more with the farmers than in the nursery- 

 stock, because they don't take proper care of it. 



Mr. Cutler. As it has been insinuated that the farmers are an 

 ignorant class, especially upon this subject, I feel compelled to state a 

 circumstance that occurred in our county (McLeod). A gentleman 



