REPORTS OF COUNTY SOCIETIES. 379 



By the way, I was very much interested in the reports from Howell 

 and other southwest counties. Have not yet given up the idea of going 

 down there and perhaps doing some planting. Do you know of a good 

 piece of orchard land near the Gulf road that could be bought at a 

 reasonable price, and will you be at Olden much this summer : if so, 

 when ? May be able to run down there. 



We have made quite a large planting near Denver, which has been 

 the cause of our not planting more here. Also we have another 120 

 acres out Broadway from Denver where we shall likely plant next 

 spring, unless the real estate owners serve us as they did you with your 

 home orchards. 



The only drawback to orcharding in Colorado is the water question. 

 It is expensive and sometimes the supply is short. However, we have 

 bored two artesian wells, and are piping same, using the California sys- 

 tem, which makes us independent of the ditch companies, and by con- 

 stant deep cultivation, we are able to get along with but little water. This 

 is the secret of agriculture on the plains. The great trouble with those 

 people there is, they depend on the water too much. They expect it to 

 make their crop, and the little cultivating they do is simply scratching, 

 not one out of ten cultivates. 



Our brother, C. M. S., who lives near Denver, was here the past 

 two weeks, and he reports that so far they have had an abundance of 

 rain there, and have not as yet done any irrigating. Last year they had 

 no rain and but very little ditch water, and notwithstanding that the 

 season was trying, we only lost about 10 per cent of our trees. It is 

 wonderful how the soil there holds moisture when properly cultivated. 



Judging from our increase of sales, which has increased each year, 

 you may rest assured that the people are planting trees. Our plant 

 now is about four times the size when you were here last. 



Now we would be especially glad to have you come and look 

 through our stock, and knowing that you are interested in pears, our 

 blocks of same would greatly interest you. We have the soil for pears. 



We notice every now and then that some "wise" man has something 

 to say against the "tree missionary," and there are some that should be 

 drummed out of the country, but as a class they will compare favorably 

 with any other class of business men. The salesmen are not so much 

 to blame as the parties they work for. The way they are managed con- 

 tains the whole secret, except tree dealers who do as they please ; but 

 the nurserymen that sell to these dealers are as much to blame as the 

 dealers, though they consider themselves innocent, yet they have the 

 "gall" to advertise for the dealer's trade. 



