The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-11-11
what rightfully belongs to others, with
out rendering an equivalent.

THE epithet of "honest farmer" is
sometimes used ironically, and even
contemptuously, and we must all con-
fess that there are farmers who are no
credit to their art. But we do believe
that on the average the morality of the
country is sounder and better than that
of the towns. 1t is q characteristic
worth fostering and strengthening, and
so far as our young men are concerned
there is no greater danger than the
horse-race which is so generally attached
to the agricultural fair. 1t is introduced
gradually and slyly, and under plausible
pretexts, but it always means robbery
of the weak and ignorant, and gen.
eral deprivation of morals in every
community where it is permitted. Es-
sentially it is no better than theft, bur-
glary, or any other like criminality, and
it is astonishing that public sentiment
does not recognize the fact. We pass
and try to enforce stringent laws against
the Louisiana Lottery, and we do well
in that; but how ridiculous it is to do
that, and at the same time admit the
agricultural boss-trot " to full ac-
ceptance in hundreds of our northern
villages and cities These rural race
courses are nurseries of crime, and
among our hundreds of young men who
ago wrong" and disgrace themselves
and their families, the beginnings can
be easily traced back to this popular
amusement" If we set up or allow
these nurseries, which are if possible
worse than the rum-shops that we pro-
hibit, how much longer will comparative
purity of our rural population continue?
Already it is covertly sneered at by the
town and city press, and while church
members and respectable citizens fail
to realize what is being done under the
guise of popular amusement, we are
really undermining all that is being
done by our schools and churches in be-
half of good morals and sound religion.
WE have always advised our readers
who desire to plant fruit trees--and
they ought to be planted more extern
sively than they are to go directly to
some good nursery, as near home as
one can be found, and make their own
selections, with the help of the nursery
man, who generally has an orchard in
which the different varieties may be
seen in bearing at their proper season.
AS regards these tree-pedlars, while
some of them are honest, and very
few well-informed in regard to varie-
ties, most of them are like the one be-
low referred to by correspondent of
the Stockman and Farmer: He said
he procured handsomely illustrated
book which showed up fruit in grand
style. He went to Illinois and met with
great success in canvassing. Many
farmers made careful selections for
putting out entire orchards. After
months of canvassing he went to Penn
sylvania and bought the culls from a
large nursery firm at very low figure.
Then he began and filed each order
Tin packing trees) just as he came to
the trees in the row. The purchaser
would get his whole order filled with
one kind of apples and of second or
third-rate trees. OF course the agent
carefully labeled the trees of each
order 80 as to correspond with the
order. Doubtless he claimed to rep
resent some we'll known nursery in
Illinois,. What disappointment will
come to those farmers as their trees
come into bearingl 1t is fraud that
takes so long to correct!" But we fear
that all this is written in vain. Nine.
tenths of all fruit trees are sold in this
way, and very few buyers ever gel
their money back in their fruit.