WINTER MEETING. 121 



Mr8. G. B. Dugan, of Sedalia, furnished a paper on the cultiva- 

 tion of flowers, which was read by Miss Goodman. 



After another selection of music, Mr. A. Nelson, of Lebanon, read 

 his paper on "New Missouri." He thought the subject was larger than 

 he could cover; if it was Laclede county he migtit be equal to the task, 

 but the subject was 114 times larger. He referred to the time when the 

 people, some of them, did not want settlers to come or railroads built, 

 as they would destroy their cattle ranges. That was old Missouri. 

 When he went to Lebanon and planted an orchard some thought he 

 was foolish, but no one thinks so now. The men who once disliked to 

 see Northern men come into the State were now eager to welcome all 

 new comers. 



He said the question had been asked : "How cheap can apples 

 be grown?" At lo cents per bushel he had seen one acre bring in a 

 }'evenue of $180. They were sold this season. He condemned the 

 practice of some men who buy nursery stock of men they have never 

 known, paying extravagant prices. Buy of home nursery men. Some 

 allow cattle to run over the young orchards in which corn is planted. 

 The twigs are eaten off and the trees are badly injured. He also re- 

 ferred, in the course of his remarks, to the importance of being par- 

 ticular in packing fruit ; a hat full of rotten apples would injure the 

 whole barrel. Mr. Nelson declares the market cannot be glutted with 

 fancy fruit. Missouri's apple crop this season amounts from $12,000,- 

 000 to $ 15,000,000. In old Missouri the business in summer was sell- 

 ing railroad ties — in the winter, hunting rabbits. 



Mr. Nelson referred to the opinion that many once had of the peo- 

 ple of this State. At the World's Fair, where he gave considerable 

 time to the Missouri exhibit of fruit, one day several ladies cautiously 

 approached. Finally one of the elderly ladies dared to ask him : "Are 

 you really from Missouri !" She supposed every Missourian wore a 

 slouch hat and carried a gun and a knife. He reasoned with the lady, 

 who was a resident of his old state, and convinced her that there was 

 a New Missouri. That good woman's son is now an enthusiastic citi- 

 zen of South Missouri. Mr. Nelson closed with a word picture of S. 

 W. Gilbert's model Flint Hill Fruit farm, at Thayer, on one side of the 

 road, and of a farm on the other side where cattle were brousing on 

 the young apple tree branches, representing the new and the old. 



J. M. Pnrdy, of Neosho, read a practical paper on "How to Take 

 Care of Our Apples," giving directions how to build storage houses 

 with little cost. He favored digging into a side hill or making a cel- 

 lar, walling it with stone. The only cash outlay would be to the roof, 

 ceiling and doors. 



