36 



THE ILLINOIS FARMEE. 



Feb. 



can drive the posts and put up the 

 boards when it is convenient to get 

 them. We very much dislike to see 

 farmers making fence when they should 

 be at their spring work. 



Dead fences are a great drain on the 

 farmer's profits, and should be replaced 

 with live ones as fast as possible, to 

 this end we have Osage lor high land 

 and willow for low land, and in addi- 

 tion to these two great sources of sup- 

 ply, we have the barberry and numer- 

 OTis other plants and trees of more or 

 less value. 



««^ 



"White Willow Impostors. 



A few days since we received a call 

 from a gentleman, who desired an 

 agency to sell nursery trees. He was 

 canvasing for the "White Willow, and 

 at the same time could take orders for 

 fruit trees. On inquiry, he stated that 

 the White Willow was grown at Car- 

 bondale, and sent out by one J. W 

 F , who had a large stock. 



The idea of getting the white wil- 

 low pure and uncontaminated, from 

 the deep forest of Southern Egypt, 

 struck us as novel, and we cross exam- 

 ined our visitor rather closely in re- 

 gard to the matter. The result was, 

 that he had met this willow man at 

 Carbondale and agreed to canvass for 

 him, and was to receive a dollar a thou- 

 sand for cuttings sold, for obtaining the 

 orders. The delivery and collection 

 to be done by others. The price fixed 

 to customers was to be $5,00 per thou- 

 sand. So far all right, if he could con- 

 nect the sale of fruit trees from some 

 reliable nursery, the thing would work 

 to a charm. Smelling a big mice, the 

 offer to sell fruit trees was declined. 

 At this our man was somewhat disap- 

 pointed, and said if he could not com- 



bine the two, there was no use to make 

 the effort and he should drop the bu- 

 ness. 



We at one wrote to an old and well- 

 known citizen of Carbondale in regard 

 to the matter, and here is the reply : 



" In answer to your inquiry I have 

 to say, that no such man as J. W. F — 

 resides either here or in this county,' 

 nor does any one grow the white wil- 

 low at this point, or to my knowledge 

 in Southern Illinois." 



Thus the riddle is unravelled. The 

 swindle was to be located here, with a 

 confederate to cut the willow along the 

 Drury or Cache rivers. One of whom 

 would take the orders and the other 

 deliver and collect. The endorsement 

 of some nursery establishment was 

 needed to make the thing work. 



We have no idea that the thing is 

 dead, but that it will turn up in some 

 other place. White willow from Car- 

 bondale may vere properly be declin- 

 ed by those making willow fences and 

 wood lots. 



We had supposed that almost every 

 phase of swindling in white willow had 

 been exhausted last winter. But here 

 is a pretty scheme that gave good prom- 

 ise of working well, but which like the 

 peach crop of Egypt has met a chilling 

 frost. 



For the benefit of all such petty swin- 

 dlers, tree dealers and their victims, 

 we copy from Purple's Statutes, page 

 393. 



" See ck. Ill — If any person or persons shall, 

 knowingly and designedly, by any false pretence 

 or pretences, obtain from any other person or per- 

 sons, any chose in action, money, goods, wares, 

 chattels, effects or other valuable thing whatever, 

 with intent to cheat or defraud any such person 

 or persons of the same, every such person so of- 

 fendiug shall be deemed a cJieat and upon convic- 

 tion, shall be fined in any sum not exceeding one 

 thousand dollars, and imprisoned not excecdiag 

 one year, and shall be sentenced to restore the 

 property so fraudulently obtained, if it can be 

 done." 



