The Portland daily press., 1879-10-01
AGRICULTURAL.
Tree SwindlerS.

There is no question that the frauds which
are practiced all through the country by the
dishonest vendors of fruit and ornamental
trees, are largely owing to the ignorance OF
purchasers. The question at once presents
itself-Is ii right on the part of purchasers
to hold out the constant temptation which
this ant of knowledge furnishes to peram
bulating tree vendors? Attempts will be con
tinually made so long as the opportunity eX
lists; and the opportunity will exist so Ions
as owners of land remain in voluntary iS
norance.
A case recently occurred under our Obser-
walton in large village in this State, where
we spent several days. The wealthy owner
of handsome residence which we visited
had set out last spring several tree roses or
standards on his ornamental grounds,
having procured them of a travelling
''agent' He had claimed to represent q
we'll known and respectable nursery in
Rochester, but on looking at the printed
bill-heads which the owner showed us, we
found the stolen name of a nursery, but
without any clue to the locality, and with
out the name of the nurseryman. ThC
plants were three feet high, budded on the
dog rose with one seasons growth from the
single inserted bud. "What did the mar
charge you for these rose trees?' was oul
inquiry ''We paid bin five dollars fol
each, and he sold at least one hundred il
the village at that price" This was Of
course five times the regular nurseryman's
price for such plants, even if they proved
true to name.
This is a single item of what is occurring
all through the Union. The thousands OF
snch impostures discourage many from
planting at all, rural improvement is retard-
ed, estates are lessened in value, and an in
direct damage is thus inflicted on the coun-
try amounting altogether to millions of dol
lars.
There are several reasons why such swind-
lers escape detection more easily tian in
other business transactions. Trees and
shrubs are sold when bare of leaves, aud few
have the skill to recognize all the different
sorts with so little to judge from. The
flowers on ornamentals may not show them
selves under year or two, and fruit OF
trees not till several years. Before that
time the vender is far beyond reach. Even
when the trees bear fruit, the purchaser may
be entirely unacquainted with the charac-
ter of each sort, and not know whether he is
cheated or not. A man who had bought
gooseberry bushes of rare and costly vari-
ETY., or at least claimed to be such, COM
planned that they bore currants. Nothing
wrong about that" said the. ready-tongued
vender, ''that sort always bears currants the
first year." and the purchaser, ashamed at
his ignorance, had nothing more to say.
There is but one remedy for all this wrong,
and that is more knowledge. Purchasers
must inform themselves who are trustwor-
thy nurserymen, and they must know how
to find who are their accredited agents.
They can then buy of men who will not de-
fraud them, either in sort or in prices.
They must also inform themselves of the
character of the leading standard varieties
of fruits. This knowledge is to be acquired
by reading books and periodicals on the sub
ject, and by continued observation. But if
they read only political papers instead of
those on horticulture and farming, and at
tend only political conventions instead OF
those on rural improvement, they will con-
tinue to make themselves subjects for tree
imposters. Instead of planting their
grounds with well-known and proved stand
ard varieties of fruits, they viii be attracted
by high-priced wonders, such as strawber-
ries growing on trees, and raspberries grow
ing on grapevines.
A more minute knowledge will enable
them TO go still farther. The practiced eye
of the skillful fruit grower at once distin-
guishes the different sorts of the young
trees before leaf appears, and knows with
out label Seckel from a Bartlett pear
tree, Flemish Beauty from an Anjou, as
readily as the farmer knows a Short-HOrn
from an Attorney COW, or a Merino from a
Leicester sheep. This knowledge is not at
all difficult of requirement, and the possessor
cannot be readily imposed on by swindler.
Our advice to any of our readers who may
fear imposition, is to send to the different
nurserymer who advertise in our columns,
for their descriptive catalogues. From these
they may learn prices, and the most APP
proved sorts. AS matter of safety, order
directly of these nurseries, or else after hav-
ing obtained from the owners the names of
their agents for that district, obtain the
trees through those agents. Never trust
the mere verbal statement of vender who
is a stranger to you. 1t will do no harm at
all to exercise what may seem needless eau
ton and suspicion. By doing so you per-
form an act of kindness to the honest nur-
seryman and to his agents. Their business
has been more injured by counterfelts than
by any other disaster which has befallen
them. A man of integrity courts inquiry;
it is only the swindler who breads it.
Let any man who owns any land or plants
a tree inform himself on all these points. He
ought not to present the constant tempta-
ton to fraud from imposterS by his own vol
untary ignorance. The time spent nidle con-
versaton in stores and blacksmith shops, or
in reading in newspapers what will never be
of use to him a week hence, properly direct
formation needed for selecting, securing and
planting trees and shrubs for his own
grounds, and for benefittiDg the country at
large by his successful example. -C0uRtry
Gentleman.