Siumner Meeting. 53 



of invention, he should have a kingdom for a stage and monarchs to be- 

 hold the swelling scene." 



But, Mr. President, while this is all very nice and sounds well, it 

 has also occurred to me that the average Missouri apple grower would 

 feel that he was a still bigger man if the angels of heaven would only 

 hover around his orchard occasionally and inspire his trees, not with 

 beautiful sentiments and thoughts of poetry and song, but with an am- 

 bition to bear larger and more regular crops of apples. In olden times 

 when a man achieved distinction in any calling, great pains were taken 

 to find out all about his ancestors, the idea being that genius is inherited. 

 The Americans being a young and practical nation, care nothing for an- 

 cestry, every man stands for himself, every tub on its own bottom, no 

 one cares whether his grandfather dined with President Jefferson or 

 sawed w^ood for a living. But if in the near future it should become 

 the custom in this country to inquire into the ancestry of gifted men and 

 women, you will find they are the sons and daughters of Missouri apple 

 growers, and don't you forget it. (I take for granted, Mr. President, 

 that no inquiries will be made into the ancestry of those sons and daugh- 

 ters of Missouri apple growers, who may happen to be usefully employed 

 in work houses and the penitentiary.) Missouri, by some people once 

 considered the moss-back in the galaxy of states, has today the best and 

 most complete system of schools and other educational institutions of 

 any in the union, according to her population, and is holding her own 

 in the march of progress in all other respects. 



Missouri is the only state in the Union that has an experiment sta- 

 tion or college exclusively devoted to fruits. It is located at Mountain 

 Grove in the southwestern part of the State. No other state except 

 Missouri has a railroad that takes as much interest in fruit growing as 

 the great Frisco system. Go to the World's Fair grounds and you will 

 s.'e at the Missouri horticultural exhibit, its train of cars of big red apples 

 swinging 'round the circle. In other states you have to pay on rail- 

 loads whenever you ride but in Missouri all you have to do when you 

 enter the cars is to hold up a Ben Davis apple in your right hand and 

 an Elberta peach in your left and the Frisco system take you all over the 

 State without charging you a cent. Therefore, I say, if any of you apple 

 shippers are tired of your wicked vocation, come to Missouri and start 

 an apple orchard, and if it does not make you rich it will surely make 

 you happy. The Frisco system, through its emigration department, 

 will help you in finding the land, and the people bid you welcome and 

 wish you god-speed. I admit that Missouri, on account of unusual 

 weather conditions, has had short crops for several years, and that New 



