122 THE CANADIAN HOKTICULTUKIST. 



The history of the tree agency business seems to be on this wise, 

 Nurserymen found that in order to sell their productions they must 

 bring them to the personal notice of those who would naturally become 

 purchasers. It was not sufticient to advertise in the newspapers that 

 they had fruit and ornamental trees for sale. Many men had but very 

 imperfect knowledge of the value of good fruit ; it was necessary that 

 they should be persuaded that it was to their interest to purchase these 

 trees, and in no way could that be done so well as by a personal inter- 

 view. Hence nurserymen adopted the expedient of hiring men to go 

 out and canvass the country, to tell expected customers about the fruit 

 trees they had for sale, and pursuade them to purchase and plant themu 

 In this way they succeeded in disposing of their stock of tree&, 

 enlarging their business, and gradually creating an increased taste for 

 good fruit, and for ornamental trees and plants, but with this result, 

 we believe, that the great bulk of their sales were effected through the 

 travellinfT ae;ents. 



As the nurseryman's business increased and more extensive plant- 

 ations were made, he found that his time and attention were necessarily 

 absorbed by his cultivations, and he was prepared for the next step in 

 the history of this business. As the agents acquired skill and experience 

 ill selling, they naturally began to consider whether they could not 

 turn that skill to some good account for their own benefit. The idea 

 of taking the selling into their awn hands, and paying the nurserymen 

 for whom they sold a wholesale price, was a very obvious one, and 

 while the skilful salesman increased his gains, the nurseryman was 

 relieved of the detail of the agency business ; and arrangements were 

 made whereby the agent continued to represent the nursery from 

 which the trees came, but paid himself Ijy the profit he might make 

 above the stipulated wholesale price. 



The further history of the tree agency business is but the natural 

 outcome of the change we have just indicated. Agents acquired a 

 eertain reputation for furnishing satisfactory trees; the purchasers had 

 dealt only with the agents, and though the credit for the quality of 

 the trees was strict!}'' due to the nurserymen, yet the relation between 

 the grower and buyer w^as of that distant nature that it failed to bind 

 them together, and the agents very readily began to inquire if they 

 could not find some place where they could buy cheaper. Kelying 

 upon the reputation gained for them by the trees they had delivered, 



