184 THE GOLD MINE 



seen men who had built up a fine, choice herd of hogs ; 

 then came the cholera and wiped them out. Beautiful 

 flocks of fowls melt away with disease, become the prey 

 of sneaking beasts or the chicken thief. 



It is different with thoroughbred Paeonies. They 

 do not tear themselves in wire fences. You know where 

 they are nights. They do not eat their heads off in 

 winter. The food costs nothing. You can go off on 

 your summer vacation, and they will be there when 

 you come back. They multiply as fast as live stock. 

 There is more money in them, legitimate, honest gain. 

 Sixteen years ago a man laid out $50 for choice strains. 

 For some time he has been selling $1,000 worth a year. 



I bought a fine plant for $1. In five j-ears I sold 

 $18 worth, and had eighteen roots left. One choice 

 variety in the same length of time brought in $34, and 

 I had fifteen roots left. One fall I had an order for 

 500 common mixed sorts for $6 per 100. It took but 

 a small piece of ground to furnish them. My man, 

 who had worked on the farm, was astonished. ''Here," 

 said he, "we have dug $30 from a few rods of ground, 

 and if we got that from two acres of farm land we 

 would do w^ell.'^ 



Is Paeony raising a fad, that will soon pass away ? 

 It cannot pass; people will not allow it. In staid old 

 Europe the interest has fairly commenced. In our 

 Eastern states, where they can raise Azaleas, Kalmias 

 and Rhododendrons, the demand is on the increase. 

 Most of the stock of Western growers yet goes East. 

 In the West we cannot raise the flowers above men- 



