SUMMER MEETING AT LOUISIANA. 117 



and she, in her fair realm of home, prepares a place for them — a home 

 in every sense of the word — where, after the day's battle is o'er, buy- 

 ing and selling has ceased, coming and going has ended, they may rest 

 from their labors, and the pleasure of home come to their tired souls 

 like the benediction that follows the evening prayer, and with that im- 

 mortal son of song — that great reader of human heart — we say: 



•' Home, home ; sweet, sweet home ; 



Be it ever so humble, 

 There's no place like home." 



MRS. KEY. E. D. PEARS0:N^. 



SOME OF MY EXPERIENCES IN THE NURSERY BUSINESS SINCE 1875 IN 



SFDALIA. MO. 



Gentlemen of the Missouri Horticultural Society^ at Louisiana, Mo : 



There is perhaps no industry where honesty is as much neglected 

 as in this, and certainly there is no industry where this evil practice 

 is more injurious to the public welfare than here again. If it were not 

 deplorable it would be ridiculous to see the many humbugs that are 

 constantly practiced by tree dealers to beat the hard working farmer 

 out of his money. I am not opposed to the honest tree peddler, em- 

 ploying some myself, but if you have to read letters and hear com- 

 plaints, season after season, about the dishonest transactions perpe- 

 trated on the public by unscrupulous men you cannot but come to the 

 conclusion that the distribution of the many thousands of such bills of 

 trees amongst the tree planters i» one of the great evils under which 

 the American farmer is suffering. 



A few of the many cases of frauds I know may be mentioned here. 



" There comes a tree agent in a fine carriage from Ohio to our 

 farmer, sells him two dozen Russian apple trees, which are borer proof 

 at fifty cents each (including the Salome; think a. moment, he never 

 had it to offer) that can be bought for twelve tp fifteen cents retail ; or 

 he sells a Wisteria vine to Mrs. Williams at $1, a plant unknown here 

 he says, that I sell for twenty-five cents retail ; or he sold a German 



