56 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
nurserymen published it in their catalogues when they 
had no stock, and the usual consequences followed. The 
new variety was reported to be a cross between the Bart¬ 
lett and Flemish Beauty. Of course years elapsed 
before many purchasers found out they had not the 
‘ product of nature ’ they bought. 
“The Golden Queen strawberry was another swin¬ 
dle. It was advertised and sold extensively under that 
name as a new sort, but was soon identified as the an¬ 
cient variety, Trollope’s Victoria. 
“Several years ago, one of the introducers of the 
grape named Empire State told me ‘ thousands and 
thousand of vines had been sold by other parties for that 
variety which were not genuine.’ This ‘ product of 
nature ’ came from seed of Hartford Prolific pollenized 
by Clinton, by J. H. Ricketts of Newburgh, N. Y., who 
is reported to have received four thousand dollars cash 
for the entire stock of the variety. The late H. E. 
Hooker, nurseryman at Rochester, N. Y., who had am¬ 
ple opportunity to estimate the cost of the originator’s 
experiments in obtaining the variety, told me he thought 
he had not profited by its sale. 
“ A favorite trick of unscrupulous parties in the trade 
is to substitute the Oueen of Prairie rose for some new, 
rare variety under the name of the latter. The former 
makes strong plants which give satisfaction when deliv¬ 
ered. The variety being a ‘ product of nature, it is not 
desirable that anyone should have a monopoly in its 
sale.’ 
“ The Early Rose potato is reported to have been dis¬ 
seminated without the consent of the producer, and as a 
consequence he did not obtain compensation for it. 
Being a mere ‘product of nature,’ there was no law by 
which he could obtain redress. 
“The number of synonyms by which most of our 
popular fruits are known in different sections of the 
country, as recorded in Downing’s work on fruits, shows 
that the right of a free-born American horticulturist to 
rename an old, well-known variety and perchance swin¬ 
dle the people by such means, has not been neglected. 
Many seedsmen have made a practice of renaming vege¬ 
table seeds. ‘ Being a prod—,’ but methinks I hear some 
reader say, cease to iterate that phrase, I pray. I sus¬ 
pect it would be more correct to say, the improved new 
variety in most instances is the result of the skill and 
labor of man acting jointly with nature. 
“The idea entertained by many persons that the 
American people have always obtained such productions 
/ree, is like that of the tramp who walks many miles a 
day under the impression he is not Working. A large 
part of the population have paid amounts which aggre¬ 
gate millions for plants of celebrated new varieties 
without obtaining them. Again, they have paid millions 
for worthless novelties which perchance many did obtain. 
“How can these evils be remedied ? By a law mak¬ 
ing the trial of all new varieties at the experiment sta¬ 
tions compulsory before allowing them to be introduced, 
in order to determine if they are really new and have 
merit. Further, the law should guarantee to the origi¬ 
nator that in case plants or cuttings of the variety are 
stolen from him or the experiment station and dissemin¬ 
ated in that way, the stock shall be confiscated wher¬ 
ever found. The principal inducement for stealing new 
varieties, so frequently practiced, would then no longer 
exist. In addition, the originator should be given the 
exclusive right to disseminate his production under the 
name. This would give him the opportunity to remu¬ 
nerate himself, which is now lacking, and he in turn 
would protect the people in its purchase in order to pro¬ 
tect himself in its sale.” 
WHERE TREES ARE WANTED. 
Here is the first week in April, says Field and Farm, 
Colorado, yet apples of good quality, firm, crisp and 
juicy as when first gathered from the trees, and as 
nearly perfect as this fruit can be, are still in the 
Denver market from various parts of the state. They 
sell readily at from four to six cents a pound. Such 
prices are something unheard of in the East or in any 
other apple-growing region. The fruit that brings such 
high figures is raised by irrigation in the mountain val¬ 
leys and plateaus of this state, which appear to be par¬ 
ticularly adapted to the production of apples of the 
very highest quality. This week Jerry Coulehan, an 
all-around farmer neab Berkeley lake, on the outskirts 
of Denver, brought to this office a sample half-bushel 
of Ben Davis apples grown on his place last season. 
These apples were as firm and sound as could be ex¬ 
pected and are in condition to keep several months, pos¬ 
sibly a year. 
STATE LAW REGARDING SHADE TREES. 
Frederick W. Kelsey, of New York City, was chair¬ 
man of the committee which framed the bill which has 
now become a general public law of New Jersey, pro¬ 
viding for the planting and care of shade trees on the 
highways of the municipalities of that state. The bill 
provides, ‘ ‘That in all the municipalities of this state there 
may be appointed, in the manner hereinafter provided, 
a committee of three freeholders, who shall serve with¬ 
out compensation, and who shall have the exclusive and 
absolute control and power to plant, set out, maintain, 
protect-and care for shade trees in any of the public high¬ 
ways of their respective municipalities.” The cost 
of planting shall be borne by the real estate in front of 
which the trees are planted, and the cost of caring for 
the trees by a general tax. This is the only general 
state law regarding shade trees in this country. A few 
cities regulate the care and planting of street trees by 
municipal ordinance. 
