FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
17 
ant, foot-rot, blight, drought, and in some 
instances too much moisture. They have 
seen the result of the labor of years level¬ 
ed to the ground and have surmounted all 
these and have never appealed, received 
aid, nor had any insurance, but have gone 
bravely to work replanting, and today it 
can be truthfully said that never in the 
history of the State have the horticul¬ 
tural interests been in as good condition. 
I am reminded of an old friend of mine 
who came to Florida in the early eighties, 
bought a piece of land on the banks of 
the St. Johns River, planted a grove and 
expected it to support him the balance of 
his days without any further effort on his 
part. He used to confide his troubles in 
me, and he was of an optimistic turn of 
mind. If his crop was a partial failure 
he would say “Well, that is not altogether 
bad because I will get better prices.” 
When he lost the entire crop he said, 
“Well, it is not altogether bad because 
I can bud better varieties in the stumps. 
I am learning every day.” Said he was 
going to protect his grove against frost in 
the future. There was never any disaster 
so great but in his mind it might have 
been worse. He was I'eally typical of the 
average horticulturists of Florida as I 
have observed them, and he reminds me 
somewhat of a story that I heard about 
a man who went out West and engaged 
in the growing of stock. After being 
away about ten years he came back and 
one day walked into the store of an old 
friend who said “Well, John, where have 
you been?” John replied “out West.” 
“How have you been getting along?” 
“Well,” he said, “not so very good and 
not so very bad.” 
“What have you been doing,” inquired 
the friend. 
“I went into the sheep business.” 
“Well,” said the friend, “that is’good.” 
“Well,” said John, “not so very good 
because the sheep all died.” 
His friend said, “Well that is bad.” 
“Not so very bad,” said John, “because 
a rich widow sympathized with me in my 
misfortune and I married her.” 
“Well,” his friend said, “that’s good.” 
John said, “Well, not so very good be¬ 
cause she was a regular virago and had a 
terrible temper.” 
“Well,” his friend said, “that’s bad.” 
“Well,” said John, “not very bad be¬ 
cause she built a great big fine house.” 
The friend remarked, “Well, that cer¬ 
tainly was^ good.” 
“No,” said John, “not so very good 
because the house burned down.” 
The friend said, “Well,” that certainly 
was bad.” 
“No,” said John, “that was not so very 
bad because the woman was consumed 
with the house.” 
So it is with my friend. He says now 
that he sees a great many good things 
that have grown out of the freeze. He 
had diversified his crops; is more prosper¬ 
ous possibly than if the freeze had not 
occurred, and he and the other horticul¬ 
turists of the State, who are a people that 
adversity cannot overcome, and that no 
amount of prosperity can spoil, are en¬ 
titled to all the success that should come 
to intelligence, industry, perseverance, and 
courage. 
