140 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



From Lee's Summit I received three varieties in a lot of live, all for 

 Huntsman, and a non-descript for Hewe's crab. Thus, about 75 varie- 

 ties are scattered through orders for about 25, 



"Where shall we go, or whither fly for refuge" from the relie-able 

 nuresryman ? Deal gently with the tree peddler until the fountain is 

 purified. Lesson — Know what you want; select a few known varieties; 

 contract by name, with written agreement to forfeit the price and quad- 

 ruple damages if not true to name, with responsible parties, and see 

 before you buy. 



LESSON V. 



High rs. Low Heads. — Twenty-five years ago the cry, all over the 

 land, was "low heads," and not callous to the seductive influence of 

 "wise men from the East," solons of the North, and practicals of the 

 West, I " headed low," in the delusive hope of preventing the destruc- 

 tion "that washeth at noonday" by sunscald from the southwest, storms 

 from northeast, hurricanes from northwest, tornadoes and cyclones 

 from the west. 



By diligence and care the orchards sprang up "a thing of beauty 

 and a joy" — though not forever. Spreading low and far, precluded 

 proper tillage, and one by one they yielded. Storms broke down the 

 lowest; hurricanes split the next; tornadoes laid low the next; and the 

 taller the trunk the better the tree withstood the blast. The steadiest 

 trees I've ever seen were ten to fifteen feet to the first branch, and 

 fifty feet to the top, three feet in diameter, and had stood the storms of 

 a hundred years. Lesson — A costly experience is worth a library of 

 undemonstrated theory. Heads that will admit cultivation close to the 

 tree. Seek a just medium between the valley of humiliation and the 

 mount of transfiguration. Study nature. 



LESSON VI. 



Plant in Old Ground. — Before our Kansas City market was supplied 

 with fruits from the "land of the mocking bird," early apples com- 

 manded remunerative prices and an Early Harvest orchard was a mine 

 of wealth. Having no old ground on which to plant, I cleared up^ 

 thoroughly broke and pulverized a small tract, and set 260 Early Har- 

 vest. Cultivated scientifically, and rejoiced to see 2G0 start to grow. 

 July's sun produced chills; August malaria, and September death ta 

 100. A second summer's scorching rays laid another 100 in the dust. 

 A third season left but 25, which were transplanted into old land. Two 



