Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1888-03-13
THE TREE PEDDLER.
How Some Nurserymen Work on Their
Worthless Stock.

The tree agent is the outgrowth of
the nursery business before public
means Of communication were as abund-
ant as now and when farmers knew
much less about trees and fruits and
the mode of procuring them direct from
the nursery. Then, if honest, and ac-
quainted with fruit culture, he did
good, being sort of house-to-house
missionary for propagating sort of
gospel which was slow to be dissem-
mated. Now we don't need him. En-
terprising fruit growers and tree plant
ers take the papers, read the articles
and the advertisements and are also
generally well supplied with catalogues.
They know (vaguely, at least.) who
stand well as nurserymen, and have
but to consult the catalogues to be able
to order inleligently. 1t is much better
than to order of an agent after keeping
him over night, or listening to his as
tonishing eloquence for several hours
when you are in II hurry and after one
has engaged in bcwildering admiration
of the preserved specimens which he
always carries in magnifyingjars The
nurseryman generally feels it not en-
tirely safe to swindle man intelligent
enough to send him a written order
with the cash in advance. He wants to
sell him q bill another year, while the
peddler rarely operates twice in the
same neighborhood. He prefers fresh
fields and pastures now. A--
But how is it that tree agents con-
tinue to ply trade which stands in
such bad odorP We fail to notice that
many nurseries take the pains to adver-
tise that "this house has no agents."
while, on the contrary, there are occa-
sional advertisements offering great in
ducements to agents to call aud buy.
The fact is that every nurseryman
has a lot of stock each year on his
hands which he has failed to work of,
for something, Thongs fRoaiafSsS SJs.!. himself is good
1t is his business to sell, not necessarily
to cheat somebody, but to sell to some
body who wants it,. He is not respon-
sible for the use made of it after he
sells, and so it goes to an agent, if one
presents himself, without any guarantee
except as to names. But even that
amounts to little to the agent.
Itis not important to him that every
bundle be truthfully labeled-in fact it
is more Important sometimes, particu-
larly when popular varieties run low,
that the label be untruthful. He wishes
to sell also in accordance with the
snowy pictures and the alcoholic speci-
mems which he carries, and so he labels
TO suit himself. His field is in the re-
cesses of the rural districts or with any
body whose gullibility makes him. an
easy prey. s,0 .-.,- .-r-fi
One feels pity for the victims at
times, and then again he doesn't They
are all generally very enterprising or
very well-read people. They dislike to
hear too much said on improved farm
ing, and especially to be criticised for
not taking agricultural papers. They
are apt to think that hens can catch
curculio; that no thunder showers oc-
cur on moonlight nights because the
moon scatters the clouds, and that the
"hollow horn" and "wolf on the tail"
are veritable cattle diseases. Some
times, then, a purchase of the oily
tongued tree agent does them good, as
it awakens thought and curbs deceit.
On the whole, we think, the use of the
tree agent is mainly in this direction
Homestead.