322 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



necessary for the production of abundant crops. The prudent fruit- 

 grower can assist very materially the increase of his crops by the 

 proper selection of trees and plants, those which contain the essential 

 parts for perfect fertilization. The mysteries of nature are truly won- 

 derful and sublime, and how little man knows about them. 



Rural Home Attractions. 



By Walter Barker, Jefferson City. 



1 wish to say before opening my mouth, that up to the present 

 moment I have never tried to read a manuscript in public; and, there- 

 fore, I hope you will "not view me with a critic's eye, but pass my im- 

 perfections by." For you know "it is human to err" and has been ever 

 since old Adam and Eve, the first fruit-growers, made the fatal mistake 

 of plucking and eating the forbidden fruit, for the sin of which they 

 were driven from the beautiful garden of Eden, and the tree of life 

 was guarded by a flaming sword, lest man should return, eat of its 

 fruit and live forever. And the history of our race in all ages of the 

 world records the many sins and mistakes of the very best and wisest 

 men in all professions of life. Then let us accept this old world as we 

 find it, with all its imperfections, and go to work in earnest for the ad- 

 vancement of mankind. 



"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread," was the dictum 

 of the Almighty early in man's career; it still prevails, and will so long 

 as man inhabits the earth. This means that the bread we eat will only 

 be obtained by effort. True, there are some who seem only to have 

 to open their mouths and they are filled ; but still the fact remains that 

 the vast majority of mankind have to put forth their best efforts 

 throughout their careers to get enough to eat, and sometimes that 

 almost fails. All efforts then to advance the race must take these 

 facts into consideration. Hence it is, believing as I do that mankind 

 is to be elevated and advanced very materially through the intellectual 

 development of our agricultural classes, and that a result of educa- 

 tion should be to strengthen us for the battle for bread, that I take the 

 position that the principles of agriculture and horticulture should be 

 made a part of our public school instruction, particularly in those at- 

 tended largely by farmers' children, who are to become the future 

 farmers and farmers' wives. There are over 400,000 children attending 

 the country schools of Missouri, very few of whom but will be obliged 

 to literally eat bread in the sweat of their faces, and that too in con- 



