152 THE EVOLUTION OF OUR NATIVE FRUITS 



the same offer made, and the same answer returned. 

 'I came back,' said Mr. - , 'without any trees; 

 but you could not have bought multicaulis trees, in any 

 of the towns I had visited, for a dollar apiece, although 

 a week before they would have been fully satisfied to 

 have obtained twenty -five cents apiece for them.' Yet 

 this very man, shrewd as he was, was carried off his 

 feet by the greatness of the demand which followed. 

 He imported large quantities from France, multiplied 

 his cuttings by all the devices known to his profession ; 

 and at last, so enormous were his sales, that, in the 

 winter of 1838-9, he sent an agent to France with 

 $80,000 in hand, with orders to purchase one million or 

 more trees, to be delivered in the summer and fall. 

 Before the whole of his purchase had arrived, the crisis 

 had come. The nurseryman had failed for so large a 

 sum that he could never reckon up his indebtedness ; 

 and the next spring his multicaulis trees were offered 

 in vain to the neighboring farmers at a dollar a hun- 

 dred, for pea -brush. 



"Another incident related of the speculation was, 

 that after the crash came at the East, some of the 

 largest holders of the trees, in their desire to get them 

 off their hands, chartered a vessel notorious^ un- 

 seaworthy, loaded her with the multicaulis shrubs, and 

 sent the cargo by way of "New Orleans to Indiana, 

 insuring it in one of the marine companies at a high 

 price. Greatly to their disappointment the vessel 

 reached New Orleans safely, and the cargo was trans- 

 shipped at an enormous expense to river boats, and 

 when the trees reached Indiana they found no one who 

 was willing to take them as a gift. This discreditable 

 adventure cost the shippers a large sum of money. 



