104 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



A KIND THAT IS ALWAYS PROFITABLE. 



First, we will consider ornamental horticulture, which includes all 

 planting of ornamental trees and shrubs, the culture of flowers or anything 

 that tends to adorn and make beautiful our homes, farms, and highways,^ 

 bringing happiness and contentment, making rural life more pleasant than 

 a life in our great cities can ever be. It is the only branch of horticulture 

 that never disappoints nor proves unprofitable. No man ever made a mis- 

 take who has set and properly cared for an ornamental tree or plant on his 

 own premises. In addition to the pleasure himself and family derive from 

 it, he has certainly enhanced the value of the property many times the 

 cost. In fact, the surest way to sell a farm for a good figure is to make it 

 neat and beautiful. It is easily accomplished at small expense; besides, 

 the owner secures a certain respect and admiration for himself and family 

 by the public that is not secured by any other means, because it is gener- 

 ally conceded that the man who loves the beautiful in nature and surrounds 

 himself with beautiful things can not be a very bad man. 



The skill of the trained landscape gardener reveals wonders to us in our 

 beautiful city parks and private grounds, but he claims no monopoly. 

 Any farmer can study them and take pattern after any portion, and 

 can get ideas which he can follow out at a very small expenditure of cash 

 and time. It will open up new pleasures in life for him. Don't say that 

 you can not afPord it, but study it and see if you can afford not to do it. 



THE EXPERIMENTAL SORT. 



The second branch of horticulture we will call the *' experimental." 

 This is attractive to very few men, as there is seldom any profit in it. 

 Still, some of our brightest men are continually engaged in producing and 

 testing new things — hybridizing, crossing, and using all the arts known 

 to the profession, in their efforts to produce something superior to those 

 already in existence. Full well they know that if they succeed it can not 

 be profitable, as the public stands ready to tear it from them and distribute 

 it among themselves like a pack of hungry wolves. He can not get a 

 patent nor copyright on his production, neither can he lock it up, so hia 

 labor must be a labor of love. Our country is fortunate in having well- 

 conducted experiment stations which are constantly testing new varieties 

 of fruit and sending the results broadcast over the country in bulletin 

 form, thereby saving the commercial fruitgrowers millions of dollars and 

 many years of time that would otherwise be lost. 



HORTICULTURE FOR CASH. 



The third branch of horticulture we will designate as " Horticulture for 

 revenue only." This branch commands the most attention of any in 

 Michigan. A very large proportion of the southern peninsula is remark- 

 ably well adapted to it, as is evidenced by the immense crops of fruit and 

 vegetables annually marketed here. It is doubtful if any industry in our 

 state today represents larger investments or contributes more largely to 

 the prosperity of our people. These crops, with wheat, are known as the 

 cash crops. 



The principal object of this paper is to call attention to the possibility 

 of extension and improvement in this line. The limits of such a paper 



