PLANTING A PLANT. 



L. H. BAILEY 



OST persons are interested in plants, even 

 thongli they do not know it. They enjoy 

 the green verdure, the brilliant flower, the 

 graceful form. They are interested in plants 

 in general. I wish that every person were 

 interested in some plant in particular. 

 There is a pleasure in the companionship 

 merely because the plant is a living and 

 growing thing. It expresses power, vitality. It is a complete, self- 

 sufficient organism. It makes its way in the world. It is alive. 



The companionship with a plant, as with a bird or an insect, 

 means more than the feeling for the plant itself. It means that the 

 person has interest in something real and genuine. It takes him 

 out of doors. It invites him to tlie field. It -is suo^c^estive. It 

 inculcates a spirit of meditation and reflection. It enables one to 

 discover himself. 



I wish that every child in New York State had a plant of its 

 own and were attached to it. Why cannot the teacher suggest this 

 idea to tlie pupils'^ It may he enough to have only one plant the 

 first year, particularly if the pupil is young. It matters little what 

 the plant is. The important thing is tliat it shall be alive. Every 

 plant is interesting in its way. A good pigweed is mucli more satis- 

 factory than a poor rosebush. Tlie pupil should grow the plant 

 from the beginning. He sliould not buy it ready grown, for then it 

 is not his, even though he own it. 



It is well to begin with some plant that grows quickly and matures 

 early. One is ambitious in spring, but his enthusiasm may wither 

 and die in the burning days of summer. If possible, grow the plant 



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