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  They 
  both 
  lead 
  him 
  to 
  failure. 
  They 
  are 
  unlike 
  only 
  in 
  this, 
  

   that 
  the 
  pathway 
  of 
  the 
  one 
  is 
  lined 
  with 
  deception, 
  crooked- 
  

   ness 
  and 
  chicanery; 
  of 
  the 
  other, 
  with 
  blasted 
  hopes 
  based 
  upon 
  

   good 
  intentions 
  but 
  bad 
  information. 
  Both 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  self-same 
  

   sepulcher 
  which 
  in 
  the 
  distance 
  looks 
  white 
  and 
  beautiful 
  but 
  

   when 
  reached 
  is 
  filled 
  with 
  the 
  bones 
  of 
  dead 
  men. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  not 
  much 
  difference 
  after 
  all, 
  when 
  one 
  comes 
  right 
  

   down 
  to 
  the 
  facts, 
  between 
  the 
  crook 
  who 
  starts 
  out 
  deliber- 
  

   ately 
  to 
  get 
  one's 
  money 
  and 
  the 
  fellow 
  who 
  starts 
  out 
  in 
  ignor- 
  

   ance 
  and 
  makes 
  great 
  promises 
  of 
  returns 
  that 
  he 
  knows 
  nothing 
  

   about. 
  Both 
  succeed 
  in 
  getting 
  one's 
  money 
  and 
  both 
  succeed 
  

   in 
  misleading 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  a 
  desire 
  to 
  lay 
  aside 
  something 
  

   for 
  their 
  old 
  days. 
  We 
  naturally 
  feel 
  more 
  charity 
  for 
  him 
  who 
  

   has 
  good 
  intentions, 
  but 
  who 
  fails, 
  than 
  for 
  him 
  who 
  starts 
  out 
  

   with 
  bad 
  intentions. 
  But, 
  after 
  all, 
  only 
  results 
  count. 
  

  

  Did 
  you 
  ever 
  receive 
  the 
  literature 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  various 
  

   concerns 
  that 
  has 
  pecan 
  or 
  apple 
  orchards 
  to 
  sell 
  ? 
  How 
  beauti- 
  

   ful 
  their 
  schemes 
  look 
  on 
  paper! 
  With 
  what 
  exquisite 
  care 
  

   they 
  have 
  worked 
  out 
  the 
  pictures 
  and 
  the 
  language 
  and 
  the 
  

   columns 
  of 
  figures 
  showing 
  the 
  profits 
  ! 
  While 
  writing 
  this 
  arti- 
  

   cle 
  I 
  have 
  before 
  me 
  a 
  prospectus 
  of 
  a 
  certain 
  pecan 
  company 
  

   that 
  prints 
  columns 
  of 
  attractive 
  figures. 
  Fearful, 
  however, 
  

   that 
  the 
  figures 
  would 
  not 
  convince, 
  it 
  has 
  resorted 
  to 
  all 
  the 
  

   various 
  schemes 
  of 
  the 
  printers' 
  art 
  in 
  its 
  portrayal 
  of 
  the 
  pros- 
  

   pective 
  profits 
  from 
  a 
  grove 
  set 
  to 
  pecans 
  and 
  satsuma 
  oranges, 
  

   and 
  it 
  tells 
  you 
  in 
  conclusion 
  that 
  it 
  guarantees 
  by 
  a 
  bond, 
  un- 
  

   derwritten 
  by 
  a 
  responsible 
  trust 
  company, 
  the 
  fulfillment 
  of 
  all 
  

   its 
  representations. 
  Yet 
  what 
  are 
  the 
  facts 
  ? 
  Their 
  lands 
  are 
  

   located 
  in 
  a 
  section 
  where 
  the 
  thermometer 
  falls 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  that 
  

   makes 
  highly 
  improbable 
  the 
  profitable 
  growing 
  of 
  satsuma 
  

   oranges. 
  And 
  all 
  their 
  figures 
  are 
  merely 
  estimates 
  of 
  the 
  wild- 
  

   est 
  character, 
  printed 
  in 
  attractive 
  columns, 
  based 
  upon 
  nothing. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  Nut 
  Growers 
  Association 
  I 
  

   was 
  this 
  year 
  chairman 
  of 
  the 
  committee 
  on 
  orchard 
  records. 
  I 
  

   sent 
  out 
  blanks, 
  with 
  lists 
  of 
  questions, 
  to 
  many 
  prominent 
  nut 
  

   growers 
  to 
  see 
  if 
  I 
  could 
  secure 
  data 
  upon 
  which 
  to 
  base 
  a 
  report 
  

   to 
  the 
  association. 
  The 
  replies 
  I 
  received 
  showed 
  the 
  existence 
  

   of 
  some 
  very 
  promising 
  young 
  orchards 
  of 
  small 
  size, 
  well 
  cared 
  

   for, 
  but 
  they 
  also 
  showed 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  such 
  thing 
  as 
  an 
  

   intelligent 
  report 
  upon 
  which 
  reliable 
  data 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  bearing 
  rec- 
  

   ords 
  of 
  orchards 
  could 
  be 
  based 
  for 
  any 
  future 
  calculations. 
  

   There 
  are 
  two 
  reasons 
  for 
  this. 
  First, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  figures 
  we 
  

  

  