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he would go into a nursery to buy Baldwin trees and assume 

 that each individual tree was of equal vigor provided it was 

 of equal size at the time. We have no proof that the one 

 which is vigorous is necessarily'' a more productive or more 

 valuable tree than the one of slightly less caliper; in other 

 words, there is no proof that the tree which is 3-4 inch in 

 diameter will be a more productive tree and a better money- 

 maker than the one which is 5-8 inch, and yet, in the nursery 

 we are iuA^ariablj' able to secure more money from the tree 

 which is 3-4 inch in caliper than from the one which is 1-2 

 inch or 5-8 inch, in fact, the 1-2 inch tree is not worth more 

 than half as much as the 3-4 inch tree. 



Is this based upon rational judgment? Does the man 

 v/ho purchases know that he is securing greater value from 

 the 3-4 inch than the 1-2 inch, or is it merely the idea that wo 

 like to get something which fills the eye, and so long as the 

 man can get a large amount of v\^ood for his money he feels 

 satisfied ? There is a great deal in this, for if we go into the 

 apple market we shall find that about 90 per cent, of the 

 sales are made upon the pleasing effect upon the eye. Only 

 some 10 per cent of weight is given to quality, although 

 there is beginning to be in certain markets a tendency to dis- 

 criminate in favor of quality, but at the present moment 90 

 per cent, of the sales are made upon the effect upon the eye- 

 sight and the same is as true in nursery stock as in apple- 

 selling; it is just as true in the selling of many other pro- 

 ducts. Is it wise? Is it the right basis? This is the ques- 

 tion to decide. If not, we should have some better method 

 of value. "What is an adequate measure of value in the case 

 of apple tree? 



in the case of our horses or cattle we have used per- 

 formance. We measure the value of our Holstein cattle by 

 their value for the production of milk. We measure the 

 value of our trotting horses bj^ their ability to pull off i 

 speed test in a given amount of time. Are we going to 

 measure our apple trees by their ability to produce apples 

 or not? Or is the idea of any such difference occurring in 



