ANNUAL MEETING—J868. 
659 
EEPOBTS OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES. 
Swindling Tree-Peddlers .—The committee appointed on the subject of pro¬ 
tection against swindling tree-peddlers, made the tollowing report, which was 
adopted: 
Your committee, to wh^m was referred tn matter of itinerent tree-ped- 
lers, w'ould respectfully report, That in view of the fact that there is at the 
present time a number of persons governed solely by mercenery motives, 
travelling over the State soliciting orders for the sale of fruit trees, vines and 
shrubs, and imposing upon the people, by selling them poor and worthless 
stocks of various kinds, procured from places and at prices, where they can 
obtain them at the lowest possible rates and selling them at high and ficti¬ 
tious values ; and which are not only true to name, but any variety that a per¬ 
son may want, by simply placing upon the article the label with desired name; 
thereby producing confusion in the nomenclature and causing distrust in 
the minds of the community, and strengthening the impression that “ Fruit 
cannot be grown in Wisconsin,” we would recommend as a partial remedy 
for this great and growing evil, that the nurserymen of this State, publish a 
full and complete list of the articles they have for sale, with a price for each 
appended to the same ; and that they employ none as agents to travel or soli¬ 
cit for them, but persons of known integrity and uprightness of character ; 
first furnishing them with a certificate of authority as agents, which certifi¬ 
cate must be endorsed by the President or Secretary of this Society ; and to 
guard said officers from imposition each nurseryman is hereby required to 
furnish said officers with a list of such agents so employed by him. 
We recommend, also, that this Society request the several newspapers and 
jeriodicals of this State, that they publish this report, in order to guard the 
people from impositions as set forth. FRANK S. LAWRENCE, 
JOHN Y. SMITH, 
Dr, WM. bobbins, 
January ‘22, 186V. Committee. 
Statistics of Wisconsin Fruits .—Your committee to whom wasrefered the pro¬ 
curing of statistics as to the number of bushels of apples raised in the State 
of Wisconsin and the value thereof would report, that on examination of 
returns from the several counties as made by the several town asssessors in 
the month of June last, and as compiled by the Secretar y of State it appears 
that there was raisedjn the state in the year 1866, 272,452 bushels of apples> 
vahied at $386,363. These returns only include thirty-seven counties, leav¬ 
ing some sixteen counties which made no reports. 
It also appears that in the same counties there was 114,001 pounds of 
grapes raised, valued at $28,144, also 27,942 gallons of wine made valued at 
$48,625. 
January 22d, 1867. 
F. S. LAWRENCE. 
