STATE rOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 39 



and some could be named from whom the public could procure sup- 

 plies with almost a certaint}' without a single mistake. Specimen 

 orchards, thorough acquaintance with the different varieties, and an 

 accurate s.ystem of propagating and filling orders, have enabled 

 them to reach this desirable condition in their business. Care in the 

 selection and employment of their travelling agents has enabled 

 them generally to give trees correct to their names through these 

 agents, although it must be admitted that a more completely satis- 

 factory- waj- is to order directly from headquarters. 



But there is another part of the business of vending trees, of a 

 very different character. Its success in imposing on the people at 

 large is owing to the ignorance of the people of fruits and fruit es- 

 tablishments. There are some nurseries of secondary character 

 which sell trees to travelling venders who have an entirelv irrespon- 

 sible character. They shield their frauds under the time required to 

 fruit the trees, together with the want of information on the part of 

 purchasers. Not only have the more common fruits been repre- 

 sented by spurious trees, but imaginary thinus, such as trees which 

 bear strawberries, been sold at triple prices to the ignorant. Mul- 

 titudes of examples might be given, of the impositions practiced all 

 over the country. The thousands of these impostures discourage 

 man\- from planting at all, moral inii)rovement is retarded, es- 

 tates are lessened in value, and an indirect damage is thus inflicted, 

 amounting all together to millions of dollars. 



The question at once occurs, "What is the remedy? The answer 

 is. The dt'lfasion of htformation o.mong the people. Planters should 

 know the difference between reliable sources on the one hand and 

 buying trees of an unknown agent representing an unknown nurser}' 

 on the other. Purchasers should understand the harm they are 

 doing b}' patronizing these frauds, for it is this patronage which 

 causes the imposters to continue in the business. Some mistakenlv 

 urge that all tree vending should be suppressed hx law. This would 

 be im|)racticable, for it is essentially an honorable and usefid business 

 when divested of its frauds. There are no counterfeits on a worth- 

 less bank, and these venders live on the reputation of a good busi- 

 ness. Probably nine-tenths of all the nursery trees sold are dis- 

 posed of b}' tree agents, and the great point is to distinguish the 

 genuine from the counterfeits. 



This discrimination is to be made, in the first place by puchasers 

 informing themselves of the best and most reliable nurseries; i»y 



