STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 201 



Mr. Meehan read an Essay on the 



PRINCIPLES OF FRUIT CULTURE. 



You of the West are famous for yoiu" fruits. When we of the East come amongst 

 you, it is as students and earnest enquirers after truth— that is, some of us, for there 

 is in every section of tlie globe a class which thinks that the sum of all knowledge 

 has been attained, and that that sura has been reckoned up within their fortunate 

 selves. I was pleased to receive the invitation to adckess you for this reason, and 

 accepted it the .more gladly on that account, for, said I, though these people are more 

 successful than we are in raising Iruits in general, the eflbrt to learn something from 

 those who prol^ably in many things know less tliau themselves, is worthy of all honor. 

 This is after all the proper road to excellence. It was Sir Walter Scott, I believe, 

 who once said that he could learn something even from a Tarpaulin bat, or the wearer 

 of the worst pair of corduroy breeches. Coming thus amongst friends like you^ 

 without any pretensions to superior knowledge, I am yet not without hope that I 

 may in some measure interest you. 



I purpose to speak on the ■principles of fruit culture; and first I woultl suggest that 

 the usual division of art into two divisions, the theory and the practice is imperfect. 

 These two classes are perpetually quarreling. The man of science only is contemp- 

 tuously styled a mere looh learner, while the man of principles looks down in disgust 

 on him who goes through the world clod hopping, or plodding along. I sympathize 

 with both of these, and yet dilfer from Ijoth. Theory is some good, and so is practice; 

 but neither is much good without a third branch of knowledge — the application of 

 principles . It has been said by those of old time that there are three great virtues — 

 faith, hope, and charity, and that the greatest of these is charity. In like manner I 

 would say. there are three great virtues in a successftil fruit grower — theory, practice, 

 and common sense, but the greatest of these is the last. 



It is very common to hear inteUigent men say that principles are the same all over 

 the world, and that if we will only trouble ourselves to master these principles we can 

 become successful fruit-growers anywhere, and wherever we go. I know, and you 

 know, that this is not so. If I had to choose between the mere practical man, and the 

 man of principles— the pure lu'eed of each, and no mongrel — I would exclaim, "Give 

 me the block-headed, hard-fisted turner of the sod, and let the learned Inan go." 

 And I know that you will agree with me. So, though to-night I am to speak to you 

 on "Principles," I would warn you that no amount of principles will make a good 

 fruit-grower; but that your success will depend on your application of these pria- 

 ciples — in your judgment — your common sense. 



Whatever great object the great Creator of all things may have had in the plant'* 

 creation, there can be no doubt the great object — the leading principle of its life — is to 

 reproduce itself— to bear fruit. Secondary and subservient to this great end is the 

 effort to procure food. 



With regard to reproduction, there are two grand principles in nature, both working 

 in contrary directions, yet to a considerable extent acting in harmony; the one deter- 

 mined to reproduce nature exactly as it was — resolved that like shall produce like, 

 and which we may call the conservative force, the other the radical, as determined 



