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THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
THE ANGEL PEAR. 
I’hc frontispiece of this issue presents an illustration of 
the Angel pear which originated in Columbia county, N. 
Y. The original tree, about sixty years old, stands in a 
meadow, and has never been known to blight. Each 
year it is loaded down with large handsome fruit. The 
pear is named for William Angel, who first broupht it to 
notice. The tree is a very strong, quick grower. During 
last year when there was so much blight in some 
orchards, during the very long season of rainy weather, 
there was not so much as a twig blighted on the Angel. 
The crop is borne all through the tree, so that it is able 
to stand the heavy load, and bears more with less “show” 
than some varieties do where the fruit is on the ends of 
the branches and apparently loaded, even with a small 
amount of fruit. 
The season is with the earliest pears and as it is from 
two to four times as large as any other pear ripening at 
the same time, it has no competition in market. The 
fruit is very large, handsome golden yellow, with a red 
cheek and the best quality for a large very early pear. 
It is very solid and an excellent shipper. The tree bears 
young. Its chief points are strong, thrifty growth of 
tree, freedom from blight, regular, heavy bearer, large 
size and handsome fruit, firmness, good shipper, and the 
longest keeper among early pears. 
The Angel pear is endorsed by Ellwanger & Barry, 
Emmor Roberts, Wilmer Atkinson and E. S. Carman, 
editor of Rural New Yorker. Regarding its freedom from 
blight George T. Powell says: “ One of the trees known 
as the Angel pear has stood near the highway on the 
place adjoining my own where I have been able to 
observe it as long as I can remember, and I do not recall 
ever seeing any blight of any kind upon it. The iree 
seems so bear its fruit with great regularity. I have fre¬ 
quently taken the fruit and shipped it for the family and 
it is uniformly fair and good in size.” 
The Angel pear is offered by The Rogers Nursery Co., 
Moorestown, N. J. 
TREE DEALERS AND THEIR METHODS. 
The following, said to have originated in Illinois, has 
been going the rounds of the press : 
When on a recent visit to one of the nursery centers of 
the West, where tree dealers congregate every fall and 
spring to buy stock for filling their orders, I was very 
much impressed by their conversation as indicative of 
their methods. A few characteristic statements may 
serve as an illustration: “If you can only get one of the 
leading men booked for a good-sized order you will have 
clear sailing after that.” “ Yes, I use that scheme lots of 
times. Sometimes I find it pays to get a man to take a 
bill of trees as a gift if he has some influence. I can then 
go to some of his neighbors and show them the list, and 
tell them what he is taking, and they nearly always bite.” 
I never want to work the same territory twice. When 
I have delivered a bill of goods and got the money for it 
I don’t want to ever see or hear from the buyer again. I 
don’t care whether his trees live or not. In fact, I think 
it would be better for the next man who comes along if 
they don’t.” “ The first winter I sold trees I cleaned up 
$800 for my winter’s work.” “After paying all expenses?” 
“ Yes, sir ; paid everything and had that much left.” 
In talking the matter over with one of the leading nur¬ 
serymen, I spoke of some of these conversations, and 
remarked that it looked as though some of the dealers 
would do almost anything short of actual robbery. He 
replied, “ I get so disgusted with the whole business of 
selling trees through these dealers that I don’t know what 
to do. I sometimes think I won’t let another dealer have 
another tree. But don’t you know the farmers them¬ 
selves are the ones who are to blame for the way these 
things are run ? If a man tries to do an honest business 
with them, he fails to do anything. It is only when you 
make him believe you have some great thing with which 
he can make his fortune, and you are doing him a special 
favor by letting him have it, that you can do anything 
with him. I know two young men, brothers, who began 
selling trees, determined to do an honest business. They 
stuck to it for two years, and during that time they didn’t 
make expenses. Then they went to town, got a fine suit 
and a plug hat apiece, fixed up some big stories, and since 
then they have just coined money. What is needed is 
better business sense on this whole subject of fruit and 
fruit-growing among the farmers themselves. Why, I 
could sell them stuff worth a great deal more than they 
get through these dealers, and at one-fourth the price, but 
they won’t come to me.” 
In many of these cases the tree agent or dealer is as 
guilty of obtaining money under false pretenses as any 
other sharper, and the only trouble about a successful 
prosecution is to find the man after you become convinced 
you are swindled. Why could we not have a law com¬ 
pelling all traveling salesmen to give bond for honest 
dealing in the counties in which they propose to work ? 
Yet what’s the use of laws concerning a matter where 
every one can readily protect himself? If farmers are 
determined to be caught law can’t stop it. 
The American Agrictilturist gives this advice to its 
readers : 
“ At fruit exhibits the same apple is often shown under 
a variety of names. The trees were bought, perhaps, 
from the same tree peddler, and each exhibitor supposes 
his to be the true one. When shown that he has been 
humbugged, there is no recourse left but for him to grin 
and bear it and—buy more trees of the same agent, as is 
frequently the case. During a recent session of the state 
pomological society, the question was brought up and 
the substance of the discussion is comprised in this simple 
statement: Buy your trees direct from an honest and 
responsible nurseryman, at large discounts from the prices 
charged by agents, and obtain a warrant that any tree not 
proving true to name, will be replaced free, or its cost 
refunded.” 
