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  dazzle 
  the 
  sun. 
  Their 
  contract 
  is 
  as 
  dull 
  as 
  a 
  mud 
  pie. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  all 
  of 
  this 
  comes 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  orcharding 
  by 
  

   proxy, 
  and 
  the 
  success 
  of 
  the 
  unit 
  or 
  acreage 
  system, 
  and 
  many 
  

   other 
  similar 
  questions; 
  and 
  let 
  me 
  say 
  that 
  I 
  doubt 
  if 
  there 
  is 
  

   today 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  one 
  large 
  development 
  scheme, 
  either 
  

   in 
  pecan 
  or 
  apple 
  orchards, 
  that 
  will 
  prove 
  of 
  ultimate 
  financial 
  

   profit 
  and 
  success 
  to 
  the 
  purchaser. 
  The 
  promoter 
  may 
  get 
  

   rich 
  — 
  he 
  has 
  nothing 
  at 
  stake. 
  In 
  most 
  instances 
  he 
  has 
  the 
  

   price 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  in 
  his 
  pocket 
  before 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  lick 
  of 
  work 
  

   done 
  on 
  it, 
  and 
  the 
  payments 
  come 
  in 
  regularly 
  and 
  promptly 
  

   to 
  take 
  care 
  of 
  his 
  salary 
  and 
  the 
  meager 
  and 
  unscientific 
  de- 
  

   velopment. 
  

  

  Of 
  course 
  I 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  understood 
  as 
  saying 
  that 
  pecan 
  

   or 
  apple 
  orchards 
  cannot 
  be 
  made 
  profitable. 
  I 
  am 
  of 
  the 
  opin- 
  

   ion 
  that 
  reasonable 
  sized 
  orchards 
  in 
  proper 
  locations 
  and 
  proper 
  

   soil, 
  of 
  proper 
  varieties, 
  with 
  proper 
  care 
  in 
  handling, 
  are 
  good 
  

   investments, 
  and, 
  as 
  proof 
  of 
  my 
  confidence, 
  I 
  am 
  planting 
  or- 
  

   chards 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  south. 
  The 
  adjective 
  "proper" 
  

   which 
  I 
  have 
  used 
  here 
  may 
  seem 
  insignificant 
  at 
  the 
  start 
  but, 
  

   believe 
  me, 
  before 
  you 
  have 
  begun 
  to 
  clip 
  the 
  coupons 
  off 
  your 
  

   orchard 
  bonds 
  this 
  adjective 
  will 
  loom 
  up 
  as 
  important 
  as 
  Web- 
  

   ster's 
  Unabridged 
  Dictionary. 
  In 
  fact 
  you 
  will 
  wonder 
  how 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  possible 
  for 
  anyone 
  to 
  forecast 
  in 
  one 
  word 
  such 
  com- 
  

   prehensive 
  knowledge. 
  Think 
  of 
  a 
  man 
  a 
  thousand 
  miles 
  away 
  

   putting 
  money 
  into 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  some 
  unknown 
  concern, 
  for 
  

   five 
  acres 
  of 
  unknown 
  land, 
  to 
  be 
  set 
  in 
  unknown 
  varieties 
  of 
  

   trees, 
  to 
  be 
  cared 
  for 
  by 
  unknown 
  individuals. 
  Can 
  he 
  not 
  

   see 
  that, 
  in 
  keeping 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  unknown 
  factors, 
  his 
  

   profits 
  must 
  also 
  be 
  unknown 
  ? 
  

  

  We 
  look 
  at 
  a 
  great 
  industrial 
  enterprise, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  steel 
  

   trust, 
  and 
  marvel 
  at 
  its 
  success. 
  But 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  remembered 
  

   that 
  this 
  industry 
  started 
  many 
  years 
  ago, 
  and 
  step 
  by 
  step 
  

   built 
  furnace 
  after 
  furnace 
  and 
  mill 
  after 
  mill, 
  after 
  the 
  owners 
  

   had 
  tried 
  out 
  and 
  become 
  familiar 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  factors 
  of 
  that 
  

   industry, 
  and 
  after 
  great 
  corps 
  of 
  trained 
  experts 
  had 
  been 
  de- 
  

   veloped, 
  and 
  after 
  science 
  had 
  given 
  to 
  this 
  industry 
  many 
  of 
  

   the 
  most 
  marvelous 
  mechanical 
  inventions 
  of 
  the 
  age. 
  These 
  

   facts 
  are 
  overlooked, 
  however, 
  when 
  some 
  fellow 
  steps 
  up 
  and 
  

   proposes 
  to 
  put 
  a 
  steel-trust-orchard 
  on 
  the 
  market 
  in 
  twelve 
  

   months. 
  In 
  most 
  industrial 
  enterprises 
  there 
  are 
  well-known 
  

   and 
  established 
  factors 
  to 
  be 
  considered. 
  In 
  horticultural 
  en- 
  

   terprises, 
  however, 
  no 
  man 
  knows 
  what 
  twelve 
  months 
  hence 
  

  

  