How TO Teach Horticulture. 159 



" WHEN, WHERE AND HOW TO TEACH HORTICUL- 

 TURE." 



By CHAS. W. GARFIELD. 



A long time ago, a year perhaps, your president wrote me 

 asking if I could be present at one of your meetings. I 

 planned to be present last summer, but was prevented. At 

 the time of the correspondence I said I would come, but 

 made a personal request that I should not appear upon the 

 programme; but it seems he has ignored my request and put 

 me down for a definite speech. 



My early education in horticulture was gained under 

 rather unfavorable conditions. I remember quite distinctly 

 one early lesson I received. Our school house was situated 

 on the banks of the Menominee, and quite a number of us 

 boys took it into our heads to go off and look for some wild 

 goose berries, and so left school without saying anything to 

 any body. We did not succeed in finding the berries, but 

 we found some plums, and it seems to me I have never 

 tasted any plums in Michigan that were as good as those. 

 We got back to school very late, and then I learned my 

 second lesson in horticulture. I learned the relative strength 

 and fiber of the blue beech. The lesson has stayed with me 

 ever since. I am still a lover of plums, and the remem- 

 brance of those has led me from that time to this to wish to 

 indulge more in the handling and enjoyment of that fruit. 



I can remember that in the county of Waukesha I took 

 another lesson in horticulture, and it was with mandrakes. 

 I and a cousin were left alone in the great house one day, 

 and we went back into the meadow and there we found 

 some mandrakes. I tasted of them and thought they were 

 not good. He said they were, and I told him to keep on 

 picking and eating them. The result was exceedingly dis- 

 astrous, as they acted as an emetic. He was put to bed and 

 was. quite sick after it, and I was put to bed too, but not be- 

 cause I was sick. 



