WINTER MEETING. 295 



ber how I used to stand on the porch during a thunder storm, when 

 the ripe prunes were likely to fall, that when a tlash of lightning or a 

 fallen prune would be located, when I would run out in the darkness 

 that followed and usaally succeed in securing the prune. The getting 

 wet was not taken into account. And here let me say that at this day 

 after all our efforts, we have no plum to surpass the yellow gage in 

 flavor. Some of the happiest of my days were spent there. In the 

 month ot May, when the fruit trees were in bloom, the garden redolent 

 with the fragrance of flowers; the birds singing all around, and I could 

 look out over the orchard, the meadow, and a green tangled wild weed, 

 it was my glory, even if there was no ( Old Oaken Bucket) hanging in 

 the well. A never failing well at the house, and 40 yards down the 

 slope was a noble spring which sent its water to the Peque creek 200 

 yards oflF, and up which little stream little fish would come, some of 

 which would take the underground passage up to the well, and would 

 frequently be pumped out. 



Near our place lived two old bachelors. Each had his house- 

 keeper and hired boy. The one a regular book worm, and called his 

 big brother a fool — one was quite small and the other a large man. 

 The big man was quite a horticulturist and had a garden of one-eighth 

 of an acre, I think, in which he had all kinds of flowers. He paid 

 particular attention to bulbs, and in June his garden was open to the 

 whole community on Sundays, while they lasted. 



In no garden, in all my career, have I seen such a display of tulips 

 and hyacinth beds, 100 feet long and 4 feet broad, as thick as they 

 could all stand, of all colors and sizes. He had select fruit also, among 

 which was what I now believe was the Herbemont grape, which ran 

 over the apple trees in the orchard and bore bushels of grapes. Years 

 after leaving Lancaster county I went back and got cuttings from 

 every vine around there, hoping to secure the variety, but in vain. 

 After coming to Missouri and finding the Herbemont, was satisfied that 

 it was the long lost grape. 



This same man had wild geese, Chinese and common ones ; different 

 kinds of ducks; both white and speckled Guina fowls and pea fowls. 



In April, 1837, we moved to Cumberland county, Pennsylvania* 

 where my father bought two large farms, upon both of which were 

 beautiful springs, one of which ran under our dwelling-house, and 

 alongside of the spring I trained a red egg-plum tree against the wall 

 of the house that bore crops of perfect fruit such as I have not grown 

 since. 



Farming did not suit me, and I longed to grow trees and plants. 

 A younger brother and I started a nursery, which we enlarged greatly. 



