178 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



around in it, and one day I found him digging with a piece of wire 

 among the roots and he said he was killing borers. It takes work and 

 it takes care to successfully do anything. 



As a result of Mr. Russell's vigilance, he is able to tell you that he 

 has a successful peach orchard. Since coming to Missouri it has 

 occurred to me that if Mr. Eussell can raise peaches in Nebraska 

 successfully, there is no reason why I cannot raise peaches in South- 

 west Missouri. I do want to indorse every word he has said in 

 this paper, and I hope that his visit down here will result in a few 

 years in doing as he has recommended, because these varieties will 

 grow well down here. 



Uncertainty of Peach Growing;. 



The old adage that "there is nothing certain or sure in this life 

 except death and taxation," applies as well as or better to peach-grow- 

 ing than any other branch of horticulture. Why so many disappoint- 

 ments and failures I In the first place a man to be a successful peach- 

 grower, must be studious, wideawake, thoughtful, patient, a close 

 observer and an all-round good business man, with practical experience 

 and money to back the enterprise. How few of the growers in our 

 State would stand 100 in a thorough examination of the above eight 

 very essential points before a competent board of examiners. 



I say essential points, because if he lacks any he cannot hope to 

 attain what most growers are working for — a good, fat bank account. 



If he is not studious, thoughtful and wide-awake, his competitors 

 will leave him so far behind in the race that he can never overtake 

 them. He must be patient, for orchards are not made in a day ; a 

 close observer, or he will not detect the decline of his trees or the 

 many new lessons to be learned almost daily. If he has not the practi- 

 cal experience, he will make many errors that will take years to correct 

 in which losses will occur, the amount depending upon the extent of his 

 planting. 



Money is indispensable, for we can carry on no business without 

 it. The all-round business man is equally important, or the grower 

 will not be able to realize satisfactory returns after he has produced a 

 crop. Being possessed with all these talents, he will be better able to 

 fight the borer, and all other drawbacks to the peach-grower. 



Suppose, however, that we should have very few, or even be free 

 from all these pests, and that every one planting a peach orchard 

 should have bountiful crops, what would you do with the thousands 

 upon thousands of bushels that would be produced? Do you not 



