WINTER MEETING AT LEBANON. 185 



sound our own praises, but we have invited you here that we may- 

 hear from you, and learn from you, and profit by the instruction. 



It has been but a few years since this county and this town had 

 no space upon the map of the State of Missouri. Our railroad was 

 completed twenty years ago, and it was my office to welcome the offi- 

 cers of the Southern Pacific railroad to the city. All that you see 

 now, or almost all, has been accomplished since that day. The county 

 now has a population of 15,000, with eighty school districts. In every 

 township there are houses iu which to worship Almighty God. This 

 city has extended its boundaries. It has eight churches dedicated to 

 the service of Almighty God, with seating capacity for the entire pop- 

 ulation, white and colored. We are proud of our women here, and I 

 feel more proud when speaking of them than I do when speaking of 

 our lazy, trifling men. 



Our farmers once had the idea that there was nothing worth rais- 

 ing but wheat and corn, cattle and hogs. When prices became low 

 they became discouraged. They had not dreamed of the possibilities 

 of horticulture. Fortunately, for us there came a man from the North 

 and located among us who believed that we could grow fruits. He 

 went to work first to organize an agricultural society ; then he started 

 a horticultural society, with women to help. Some months ago he 

 found that there was to be an exposition in his native city, and he went 

 to work and gathered together a car-load of Laclede, Webster and 

 Greene county productions, which he carried to the exposition at 

 Buffalo, N. Y. ; and the very poorest apple he had in his collection was 

 finer than the best apple they had from their own State. The person 

 to whom I refer was no other than the person of Mr. A. Nelson. 



The advertisement of our county went all over this country. It 

 was a difficult matter to sell our surplus fruit before, but this fall deal- 

 ers have come into this county and bought all the apples they could 

 procure. It has taken the hump out of the backs of our agriculturists,, 

 and they stand erect like men. You, Mr. Nelson, have come here in 

 the very nick of time, when the people all over this county are asking 

 for information in regard to horticulture. One young man (and the 

 only objection we have to him is that he cannot be persuaded to take 

 a wife) is going to plant 20,000 trees near this town. " Silver Dick " is 

 going to plant apple trees. We will profit by your teaching, for we are 

 in a position to need it for our future guidance. Looking at your pro- 

 gram, we find that you have selected the very topics upon which we 

 need information. 



I desire to impress upon your minds that we have not invited you 

 here for a corner-lot boom. Our only beverage is our pure, natural 

 magnetic water. 



