MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. 407 



to be scarcely less than cannon balls — well, please imagine how they 

 tasted. ^ 



Years went by, and Smiley Shepherd's vines increased and his grapes 

 became the talk of the country. Sneers changed to inquiries, contempt 

 gave place to a rude appreciation, and a few men began to plant a vine 

 or two for themselves. 



Shepherd added other varieties to his list, and more and more the 

 wonder grew. He ate of the grapes he raised, and drank of the wine he 

 made, and became stronger and gained courage. He sold of the products 

 of his vineyard, and became less poor. Men came from afar to see, and 

 returned home to do as he was doing. 



In the year 1855 and 1856, at the Illinois State Fair, he took the first 

 premium for "Greatest Variety of Good Native Grapes," and also for the 

 " Best Show of Grapes." The visionary invalid had become famous and 

 far better and more important than that he had done a valuable thing for 

 his fellow-men. He and other workers on the same line had given suc- 

 cess in grape-raising a rare present to a nation. 



Without our Smiley Shepherd we would not have to-day our Hus- 

 man, our Munson, nor Bush and Meissner, nor those better varieties 

 of grapes that have already taken the place of the ones that were such 

 successes half a hundred years ago. 



THERE ARE TWO SIDES 



to the question of the honesty or not of nurserymen. I am not on the 

 fence as to that issue, but on both sides of it. On the side of the honest, 

 capable nurseryman to uphold him, to vindicate him, and so far as I have 

 the ability, and may find the opportunity, to champion his cause. Also 

 on the side of the rascally nurseryman, hoping to assist in his destruction 

 as such ; ready to expose him and his frauds, tricks and impositions ; 

 ready to denounce him when I have found him ; to say to him, " thou 

 art the man," or to the people. " there is the man." If my belt is not 

 ornamented with his scalp, it shall be my fault, failure or neglect. 



With the well-meaning, incompetent, let us deal not roughly, but 

 firmly. His excision is necessary; his retirement is demanded for the 

 public good ; a perverted sentiment of mercy for him might leave him 

 to carry on his career of mistakes and of misjudgments, which would be 

 none the less dangerous to his customers because they were not malici- 

 ous. Pity for him and proper regard for his own welfare should move us 

 to make sure that he leaves the business and finds his mission in some 

 other callintr. 



