ANNUAL WINTER MEETING AT WARREN8BURG. 257 



wild amazed eyes if he should ask him to buy a few dozen bushels. 

 You may think that this is not strictly horticultural, but I am willing 

 to swear to the best of my knowledge and belief the other is not hor- 

 ticulture nor oxculture. No wonder some are beginning to declare 

 that fine breeds deteriorate in this American climate. The horticul- 

 turists who grow Hubbard squashes and Cuban Queens in their pump- 

 kin patches have made the same discovery as to fine vegetables. One 

 might suspect that many of us have become so full of the principles of 

 the circumlocution office that our whole efl'ort is "how not to do it." 

 We work hard enough. The severest critic must admit that we drive 

 and go ahead and expend elbow grease. Why is it, then, that for de- 

 cade after decade the same errors are practiced ? Simply because, as 

 it seems to me, the American people take no intellectual delight in 

 farm work and all connected with it. Other subjects are studied over 

 and carefully estimated. This fundamental, all sustaining and em- 

 bracing subject is left to be settled by mere physical force. Political 

 questions vital to it are tabooed. Read newspapers and you will see 

 much about our great industries. One might then conclude that agri- 

 culture or horticulture is no industry at all. 



" What do you think of this new industry ?" asked one of our most 

 venerable, profound States — h'm — politicians of Sam. Kirkwood. 

 *'What is it?'' ''What is it? Why, man alive! the papers are full 

 of it; it's H combination of metals by which beautiful articles of house 

 furniture may be manufactured. It is supposed it will produce ten 

 million dollars worth in a year." "Ah !" said Sam., " I know an indus- 

 try that will beat that all hollow." " What's that ?" " Industry of old 

 hens ! Their eggs are worth filty million dollars." The venerable 

 statesman looked at him as a lost man, and went off wagging his ears. 

 This same kind of statesman would admire a silk industry, fostered 

 by a tax, not to protect growers ot silk, but manufacturers, while we im- 

 port eggs from Germany, and no poultryman's wife here can afford a silk 

 dress. If we can only save one million by enormous exertions in some 

 novel method while wasting a hundred millions in taxes — indirect — 

 and ruin to common labor, we have done a grand thing. 



" Why," said Commissioner Le Due, " we actually pay out mil- 

 lions of dollars for tea. Think of saving all that by making tea here." 

 Accordingly, he expended several thousand dollars and made five 

 pounds of American tea almost as good as Chinese ! He iorgot that 

 all international commerce is but the trading of commodities, and we 

 pay for our tea in grain, meat and cotton to England who gives China 

 opium for tea. Put a few hundred thousand Americans to growing tea 



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