Proceedings at Semi-Anmial Meeting. 31 



Also that leading nursery men and fruit growers in some parts of 

 the country have by their acts approved such course and your com- 

 mittee would recommend that this society endorse the action of 



both societies. 



■ J. C. EVANS, 



F. F. FINE. 



'Report adopted. 



HOME SURROUNDINGS AND THEIR INFLUENCE UPON 



THE FAMILY. 



PAPER READ BY D. F. EMRY OF CARTHAGE. 



Mr. President and Meinhers of the Missouri State Horticultural 



Society : — 



We read in the old book, that when man was created, 

 that they were placed in a garden abounding in fruit, with orders 

 to dress and keep it, but lost the title to their estate through 

 disobedience to the divine law, which has never been repealed or 

 modified, and is as imperative in its demands upon us to-day as 

 then ; and if we do not " dress and keep " our gardens and make 

 our homes attractive to ourselves and family, we will have to suffer 

 the penalty of our neglect. 



For over fifty years we have been an active participant in this 

 world's doings, nearly half of that time we have been employed as 

 land surveyor ; which brought us in close communion with, and 

 gave us an opportunity to study the inner workings of the family 

 circle to an extent ejoyed by but few others, for weeks and months 

 at a time seldom ever sleeping twice under the same roof ; always 

 selecting the home of the old pioneer as our stopping place when 

 convenient-one whom we knew had grown up with the country, 

 and experienced all the various vicissitudes of frontier life from the 

 primitive cabin to the stately farm mansion ; one whose acquain- 

 tance and friendsriip we had enjoyed for years, and watched their 

 onward progress, and noted the various changes produced thereby ; 

 and scarcely ever let an opportunity pass, but at some time during 

 our stay we would ask the question : 



At what time in your life's history have you seen and enjoyed 

 the greatest amount of comfort and happiness ; and the question 

 would nearly always be answered by pointing to the old cabin, 



