42 MAKING THE ORCHARD. 



after a few months or a year's experience entirely 

 confident and capable of giving the most explicit 

 and positive information upon the most abstruse 

 problems in horticulture. A little (or much if 

 necessary) labor and investigation carefully applied 

 before buying is time well spent, and will never be 

 regretted. Deal only with those in whom you have 

 confidence, and that confidence should be well 

 rooted in your best and most impartial judgement. 



It is not safe as a rule to deal with "dealers". 

 These are what the retail merchant is to the whole- 

 saler. The nursery through which they obtain 

 their stock may be of the best, but in giving this 

 dealer, or one of his (the dealers) agents your order, 

 you are not dealing with the proprietor of the 

 nursery, he does not even have your name upon 

 his books. If you are wronged and write him he 

 will tell you (and justly too) that he merely sold 

 the stock to the* one you have named to him as his 

 ' 'agent' ' at wholesale, who in turn sold to you what 

 was his own, and you have him alone to look to for 

 your redress. 



In giving this advice concerning dealers, it is not 

 intended to condemn them all, I have met those 

 who were thoroughly honest and capable, fully as 

 much so as the nursery, but as a rule the opposite 

 is true, and the exceptions are rare. 



If a traveling salesman or agent really represents 

 the nursery as an agent he will carry a certificate 

 under seal from the nursery stating just what his 

 powers and duties are. 



