32 



this open shed for two weeks ; they were dried out and 

 worthless. The}' took him out in the nursery and told hira 

 that they would dig his trees from another block that stood 

 iii the Held. He went home, received his trees a short time 

 fifterwards in the city of Rochester; found on opening them 

 that they were the trees that lie had seen in the shed, that 

 were worthless. They were returned to the grower by him 

 and I don't know, of course, whether they went to the 

 planter, but if they did and the planter knew the facts, it 

 would explain why the trees never grew. 



Now, gentlemen, I am going to suggest 'a proposition 

 to the members of this Association that will protect you in 

 the future. You have gone to your legislative halls asking 

 for the enactment of laws that would protect you against 

 dishonest nurserymen and agents. No law that has ever 

 l>een passed in any state in the Union has ever given you 

 tlie protection that you should have, but no greater injus- 

 tice and wrong could be done a man than have him go to 

 the expense of purchasing his Xyeen, planting, spraying and 

 pruning for a number. of years and look foward to the time 

 that he is going to have his first crop and expect his varie- 

 ties are going to have the greatest commercial value. 

 ,» 1 have been thinking over this question for some time 

 and this is what I am going to propose to your Association 

 — that you appoint a committee of two or three of the 

 officers or members of your Association to make a thorough 

 investigation of the nurserymen and agents wherever you 

 buy your trees; come back here and prepare a small book 

 i\nd put it in the hands of every member of this Association, 

 so that when any one of you gentlemen start out to purchase 

 trees for your o^vn planting you can refer to the book that 

 \ou have received from the officers of your society. Keep 

 that information under lock and key, and if your neighbor 

 at any time comes to you and wants any information, tell 

 him to send his fee to the Secretary and become a member 

 Ff your Association, and he will be furnished the same in- 

 formation. (Applause). Some of you gentlemen may think 



