SAFE THOU A FARM 33 



The great strength of the western fruit grower is that he 

 is able to produce large quantities of fruit, which insures 

 uniformity of appearance in packing. A single individual 

 New England farmer cannot hope to succeed as well as he 

 could if all around him the farmers were turning out a first- 

 class brand of fruit. I once heard of a tree peddler who trav- 

 eled through Michigan selling apple trees. There was one 

 old farmer living in disappointment and sorrow, and the tree 

 peddler tried to sell him some trees. The old man refused 

 to buy. He said he had no use for apple trees ; all he 

 wanted was to sell his farm. And so, year after year, the 

 tree peddler came with his apple trees and tried to sell 

 them, and the old man, each year a little grayer, a little 

 more crusty and a little more unhappy, said: "I do not 

 w^ant your trees ; I only want to sell my farm." This went 

 on for ten years, and for the last time the tree peddler 

 came on his old errand ; again the man refused to buy, 

 with his old excuse. Then the tree peddler stopped long 

 enough to say : 



"For ten years I have been coming into this neigh- 

 borhood trying to sell apple trees ; ten times you have re- 

 fused to buy, because you wanted to sell your farm. Sup- 

 pose that the first year I came here you had bought a fair 

 outfit of trees, that you had put them out and spent the 

 time that you have spent in growling in taking care of 

 them. Do you know what would be the result today ? 

 Men from all over the country would be running after you 

 trying to buy your farm." 



"Why?" 



"Because you would have given it value and character 

 and put it into condition to produce something. Instead 

 of this, you have been sitting here, year after year, refusing 

 to give your farm a chance ; and you could not sell it 

 today, if you had a customer, for as much as it would 

 have brought ten years ago. If you had taken hold of the 

 apple trees before your hair was so gray, men would now 

 be chasing you through all your waking hours for a chance 

 to buy your farm." 



And so, I say, give strength and character and reputa- 

 tion to these broken-down farms of New England. Show 



