156 MISSOURI STATE HORTXCTTLTPRAL SOCIETY. 



It is not my purpose in bringing this paragraph to the notice of this 

 society to disparage Fink vt Son. or to praise the Ft. Scott nursery, or 

 to make any invidious comparison, for so far as I know both ure good 

 nurseries, both are deserving of public patronage, and endeavor to far- 

 nish first-class stock to their customers, but whilst nurserymen are 

 sometimes deserving of blame, and the ubiquitous tree agents very 

 often, in their anxiety to be considered sharp failed to bear in mind 

 the story of George Washington and his little hatchet, and ye little 

 cherry tree, and that it was forbidding in the decaloge to misrepresent 

 matters. And sometimes the fault lies with the purchaser, as there is 

 a most lamentable ignorance with many how to set out trees properly, 

 and if not properly set out, might as well not be done, lor it is a sheer 

 loss of time, money and labor. I am liberally inclined and disposed 

 to give praise where it is due and to lay the blame at the riaht door. 



I am satisfied in this case that Mr. Carr, in attributing his ill suc- 

 cess to the stock from the nursery, has jumped to the wrong conclusions 

 in the matter, as my experience has been similar to his in the past sea- 

 son, and I know that it was not the inferiority or bad condition of the 

 stock furnished by other nurseries than that of Ft. Scott, but due to the 

 intense severity of the past winter, and possibly, too. Mr. Carr in set- 

 out his fruit trees, may not have taken particular pains to press the 

 dirt carefully around the stem and roots of his trees from bottom to 

 top. for tree planting is a nice job if done properly, and care and pains 

 to do it well mast be taken, if one desirous to realize success for trees 

 cannot be hogged in or banged in, and sutFered to earn their own liv- 

 ing as one might say and turn out a success, but as I have said before, 

 particular pains must be taken to set them properly, and they will con- 

 tinue to need care and attention as long as thev exist, and their exist- 

 ence will depend much on the manner and measure of cire and atten- 

 tion they will receive. It is my opinion that trees are oftener set in a 

 slip-shod way instead of being set out properly, and if the result is not 

 encouraging, then our friends, the nurserymen, and those abused tree 

 a£:ent=, catch thunder, and become the recipient of the ill-natured 

 blessing of the unfortunate novice. 



In the course of this communication as I endeavor to illustrate my 

 reasons for believing that Mr. Carr has taken hold of the wrong sow by 

 the ears. I may throw out suggestions that may be of benefit to the 

 young tree planter as well as others, and if I can set one or two on the 

 ^ight track I shall be amply repaid in writing up this long communi- 

 cation. 



3 stated that my experience was similar to Mr. Carr's. and will 

 now proceed to state the facts. Last fall I obtained nursery stock 



