282 HUMBUGS. 



done, very few mistakes will be made. To deter- 

 mine where to place an order it is necessary to use 

 the best judgment and not be overcome by the fine 

 talk and blandishments of any one. There are 

 "nurserymen" whose only claim to that name con- 

 sists in their having bought and planted out a few 

 root grafts, and whose knowledge of all other mat- 

 ters connected with the business is very limited. 



The trees to be planted should be of proper varie- 

 ties, well handled, and laid down in good condition. 

 This is of more importance than that they are 

 grown in any particular locality. 



Dealers. Palmerston said "Ireland is my dif- 

 ficulty. ' ' The nurserymen may well say the same 

 of these middle men, and they do say it, and regret 

 the apparent necessity of dealing with them, but 

 see no way at present of avoiding it. Dealers are 

 those who arrange as to terms, price, etc. , previ- 

 ously with some nursery, then hire a lot of men as 

 their agents, make the season's canvass, and then 

 u pack out " at the place named. It is in its best 

 sense a sale at wholesale. If these dealers were all 

 honest there would be little harm done, but they 

 are not always so, and the class of men that they 

 hire are put on a strictly u revenue basis." 



It will be seen that the nurseryman has no con- 

 nection with any deals with the planter, yet these 

 "agents" represent invariably that they are te 

 agents of the nursery. In some cases nurserymen 

 of otherwise good standing have given to the 

 agents of these dealers certificates of agency, of 



