New-York tribune., 1882-02-19
ufPTELSIN HOR7ICULTUPF 2.

The case OF John Harrison, the industrious
seed pedlcr who was locked up i'll Newark
the other day, is one which calls for COM
miscration. 1t was a propitious season for
business in his line for the near approach of
spring had begun to warm up the desire to
worry the soil and plant something's desire
that slumbers in the bosom Of every man or
woman who is the proprietor Of a garden,
backward, or even of a flower pot Our vender
was therefore driving a brisk trade when he
was arrested for obtaining money under false
pretences The pretence and talschood charged
was Mr. Hanison's statement that his seeds
when dropped into water or earth would
speedily gcrminate and grow into bush which
would suddenly burst into beautiful and
fragrant bloom and then bear rich
fruitage of "wash-rags "a crop which at once
commended itself to the cleaniy and thrifty
housewives Of New-JerSey. Now there is u
weil-knOwn vine of the cucumber family
which nouIishcs in the West Indies, and bears
a goUrd-like fruit, the spOngy lining OF whose
tough shell is used by the simple islanders to
brush their huts with when they have any, and
for toilet and culinary cleansing as well. Mr.
HarrisOn's descriptions of his vegetable may
have been a tlife too eloquent, but surely a
mercful magistrate would consider this moth
ing more than justifiable professional eXagger-
atIon. Anyone who has been attacked by a
rowing tree agent armed with book full Of
colored photographic plates of trees clad with
rainbow-hued foliage and decorated still fur
ther with fruit of marvellous shape and bulk,
will understand that Mr.. Harrison is not a
unique sinner, but simply man who under
stands his business.
A few winters ago a vender stood on every
street corner of the city selling cuttings from
"the alligator plant" and thousands of people
who would never think of buying live tree
or shrub of a trustworthy nurseryman cheer
fully paid half dollar for knOtty branch of
the hquid-amber or sweet-gum tree, which
grows wild in every Jersey swamp. OF course
the alligator plant refused to flourish. 1t
would have been quite as sensible to plant an
umbrella staff or a length of gas-ppe. For
several years in succession large saleSroOm
was opened on Broadway where an enter
prisng firm of Frenchmen displayed hOrticul-
tural novelties of the most startling descrip-
ton. Visitors were supplied with catalogues
in which the qualities of these new fruits and
flowers were set forth in an unknown dialect
of the English language and the walls
were hung with illustrations of trees
laden with Strawberries as big as oranges
and golden apples bigger than pumpkins.
Blue roses were, however, the speciality of the
concern, and for 50 each buyers could be
served with bush which was to he covered
perpetually with the bloom of sky-biue moss
roses Roses Of such a novel tint were cheap
at this rate, and so Were asparagus seeds at a
cent apiece when each seed would produce a
shoot as big as a hOe-hande in three months
from planting and prosperous business was
carried on until hard hearted botanist turned
some light on the collection through the daily
papers, and the French florists decamped to
some more hospitabe city. 1t was later than
this when Comanche George, the handsome,
long-hairod scout, peddied the seeds Of the
cockatelle, marvellous Texas flower whose
celestial fragrance was waited for leagues over
the praircs, and whose radiant beauty he alone
OF mortas lad been permitted 10 behold III one
of his solitary expeditions. Comanchc George,
who as it turned ont was never a scont and
had never been TO Texas, bought lis stock
(Which was gumbo seed at 50 cents pound