Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-04-28
CRANE POND, Mo-, April %


Ed. Register-
As had two agents to call on me to-day,
thought would write C. few lines for your
paper tonight But duty seems to demand
the subject of the fruit-tree swindle.
There is scarcely a. landowner to be found
who has not at some time or other been i'm
posed upon by interruptions fruIt-tree ped
diers; and while nearly every one has q
pitiful story to tell about this or that swim.
der, verify believe that to-day this same
swindling operation is carried to ,greatel
hands of its manipulators than any other.
One year ago q set of fellows representing
q "iamous" nursery of Ohio began taking or
ders in this part uf the country for Russian
apple trees, French pear trees, California
persimmons, budded rose trees, one-seeded
grapes, etc. Their sales were simply i'm
mense. / denounced to my neighbor the
whole IS . humbhg. 'Oh, no,'' said he,
''they showed me the fruit from the trees
they were representing, picked in alcohol
and placed in glass jars IS samples" They
may have sold some good common fruits:
but nearly every person with whom 1 have
conversed with on the subject claims that he
was shamefully swindled. And one man
said. after having given his order, that che
knew that he was id fool for doing !"
yet he claims to be shrewd trader.
This spring party of agents representing a
st. Louis nursery are trying to repeat the
dose by taking orders to deliver trees on the
first of September or October next. They
claim that they are the only propagators OF
Russian apples in America, and come amply
prepared to tell the most wonderful stories
about the propag alton, culture and unparal
lelsd success OF said fruit. They are selling
apple trees at four dollars per dozen, and ev-
erything else in proportion. Their mouths
are filed with arguments something lik,
this: That our native varieties have been bred
in and in 30 long that disease has been bred in
too-the result Of budding the apple and
grating the peach, which are the only meth
DDS practised; that foreign varieties are har-
dier and therefore better suited to our soil
and climate than trees raised here, etc, etc.
These, of course, are new and knOck-down
with many, and consequently these
sharpers are doing thriving business.
Now let any sane man that knows anything
about the origin, propagation, culture and
pedigree of fruits, by actual experiment or
apply common sense for one mos
ment, and II he is not satisfied OF the fallacy
of their stories, let him invest 1t their rulnous
prices-and If he don't get his eyes opened
he must be blind indeed.
What wonder at most is the sillines of
men in suffering themselves to be duped time
and again by the same class of smooth
tongued tricksters and then turn around and
laugh at IL, as though they rather enjoy be-
Ing outwitted.
Iventure the assertion that not less than
four thousand dollars have been carried out
Of this county in the last five yeas for foreign
nursery stock, nearly all of which IL total
loss to the public. Aside from this is the in
jury done to themselves and their neighbors
In sending their money out of the neighbor-
hood or country, which might and ought to
have been spent nearer home. Every man
ought to patron re the nearest machine, store,
mill, nursery, &c, and thus keep as much
money in circulation near home as possible,
and at the same time encourage those who are
Trying to build up business for his benefit as
their own.
Twill leave the subject for my neighbors to
eonsider before buying trees from foreign nuI-
series~ 7. c.