Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-05
HOW TREES ARE SOLD
A Little Insight Into Business
That Employs 10000 Men.
PITTSBURG is A FAVORITE FIELD.
Busy Scenes at the Nursery During Pack.
ing and Delivery Time.
AN AGENTS TRIP IN BUTLER COUNTY

AN AGENTS TRIP IN BUTLER COUNTY
There is one class of men whose personal
characteristics and vocation have for some
time nearly escaped the paragrapher's SHARP
pen, the caricacturist's singing delineations
or the topical writer's critical and often ex
haustIve treatment, 1t is only now and
then that allusion to them is made, usually
in class paper. This seems strange, mas.
much as they number from $4,000 to 80, ,00C
in the United States and may even be found
to constitute still larger army by the next
census takers.
Some people would call them fruit tree
agents, but they scorn such title, .savoring
of the often looked-down-on book agent and
the myriads of others who follow in his
wake. They are "Treemen" and endeavor
to make the title as distinctive of their bus
iness as the dr. ummer. Their business is to
sell trees, flowers. shrubs, vines and in fact
anything which grows "above or upon the
earth" They follow in the wake
of the stone mason and carpenter,
much as the drummer looks out for new
stores to see that they are well supplied with
anything in their line. Their services are
as necessary to the man building new
house as the decorator and furnisher. The
latter beautify the house, while the tree
mans Office is to furnish trees flowers and
shrubs for the lawn and garden and assist
the owner in planning for the best effects.
PITTsBURG A FAvoRITE FIELD.
Pittsburg is favorite field for the tree
men, on account of the large number of new
houses going up, the greater portion being
in the suburbs where the owners have space
for lawns and plenty Of ground on which to
plant trees and shrubs. The plan OF action
adopted by the treemen in selling, is as
varied as the characters of the men them
selves. One plan used by many is for the
freeman to stroll through the city and
wherever he sees house being built upon
ground sufficient for the planting of trees,
he notes the location. Sometimes it is a
year or even two before he sells bill of
trees to the owner.
1t possible, the freeman sells Immediately;
| if not. he waits until the occupants are
| nicely ensconced in their new homes A
call is then made, generally when the old
gentleman is not at home The mistress is
interested with glowing pictures and often
charmed by the agents perfect knowl-
edge of plants and flowers. The
agent is careful to find out her
little whims and agree with her Exactly"
Finally the one thing desired is gained-an
invitation to call when the husband is at
home, and promise that she will interest
him in the proposed purchases. Capital
Who can Withstand the pleadings of a beau
tlul woman, especially young wife?
The agent then calls at the appointed
time with plan of the plot previously
drawn), and endeavors to sell the husband.
The plan has tree marked for every possi-
BILE place, and after the proprietor once de-
cides to buy the bill is ''run up'' as much as
possible. The agent does not stop at orna-
mental trees, but urges the man to try and
raise few pear, peach. ounce or apple
trees, or some garden fruits. There are few
house owners who have not met the tree
man; and that he is success ul in selling is
evident to one who will notice the trees and
shrubs in almost every yard.
SELLING TO FARMERS.
While some of the agents attend to the
city trade others look after the farmers
wants and, if he does not happen to want,
they sell him just the same even if thev
have to take it out in board. As class
they are the most persistent statesmen on
record. If the farmer complains that the
trees formerly bought have died the former
tentiary." On inquiry you might find that
the agents were brothers. Unscrupulous
agents have been known to change the
names in the plate books to compare with
the farmers fancies and show them to him
on second visit; putting the names of the
farmers favorlte apple or peach under the
incest picture Of the fruit in the book.
A story is told of one Of these agents
(more INSCRIPTIONS than wise) who dug up
a lot of gum trees from swamp near his
home and took them to New Jersey town
where they were sold to farmer for pears.
Nearly two years after he again visited the
place and unconsciously called at the same
farmhouse. The farmer took him out to the
orchard and showed him the bogus pear
trees. The freeman laughed and gave a
general lecture on the depravity of the
former agent. Cutting the top off a tree the
farmer asked if he was Tom Beazell. The
agent, taken unawares, said "yes."
SOLD THE WRONG MAN.
"Well. Mr.. Beazell," said the farmer, I
am going to take the price of those trees out
of your hide" Suiting the action to the
word, he grabbed the young man by the col
lar and gave him sound thrashing. The
freeman had no use for that particular spot
in jersey atterward, but saws that he got
S'SA "AsA sA4S Aei L1SA ~ ShOotiuS AlS SuuIu
dog.
An old freeman was recently asked what
kind of men treemen are. His answer was:
They embrace old men and young men,
married men and single men, honest men
and dishonest men, churchmen and skeptcs,
successful men and failures Some love
home dearly, but canvass from necessity, to
support their families. Some canvass be-
cause they care nothing for home, hate other
kinds of work, love excitement and wish to
see the world. Some. with more brains and
enterprise. strike out for themselves rs deal
ers and jobbers on a large scale and hire the
two classes mentioned as sub or under
agents, on salary or commission, and make
their money from the sales OF these subs"
PACKING THE TREES.
A few facts in regard to packing and de-
livering may be of interest. The deliveries
are made each year, one in the fall and one
in the spring. Packing COR tall delivery COM
mences in the North about October and lasts
until freezing weather. The spring delivery
packing commences about April 1 and lasts
until the middle of May.
The nurseries are scattered all over the
States. The largest are at Rochester, n. Y,
which has eight or ten, one with over ], 200
acres. AT Geneva, N. Y, are several large
nurseries, one with 1000 and one with 12,-
600 acres under cultivation Others are Mt