Winter Meeting. 213 



of the people of this country devote their energies to growing things 

 from the soil." Wm. Jennings Bryan says, "He who plants a tree 

 plans for the future and gives evidence of his interest in posterity." 



What grander monument can man erect to his own memory and 

 what greater blessings can he leave to his community than that of a 

 home adorned and made useful with trees and plants? One of our 

 sister states defines horticulture as "the sweetheart, the bride, the 

 summer dream, the poem of agriculture," and says, "The asperities, 

 the common places, the prosaic details, of corn and wheat and hogs 

 and harrow become tinged with the moonbeams of sentiment and all 

 the alluring and mellifluous words come at our call when we enter 

 the gardens and orchards." 



There are times and conditions, however, that would require all 

 of the typical Missourian's philosophy to enjoy such supreme content. 

 But such conditions are usually the fault of the man, for in these en- 

 lightened and modern days the lives of two or three orchards to- 

 gether with that of your own, need not be sacrificed in learning what, 

 when and how to do. Refer the matter to your Experiment Station. It 

 is paid for doing this kind of work ; read the horticultural reports and 

 papers, they are published in your interest; consult your local fruit 

 grower: he has "no ax to grind" and will cheerfully give you much 

 valuable and reliable information. Meet with your local and State 

 societies; they are interested in your welfare and will do you much 

 good, and then most important of all, go to work; for as Ruskin 

 says, "The law of nature is that a certain quantity of work is neces- 

 sary to produce a certain quantity of good of any kind whatever. If 

 you want knowledge you must toil for it, if food you must toil for it, 

 and if pleasure you must toil for it." Hence with the liberal applica- 

 tion of brain and brawn, the "sta3ang" qualities and the endowment 

 of a hardy perpetual enthusiasm, success will be your crown, but with- 

 out these qualities better seek some other field, for 



' 'You can not expect to be reapers and gather the bright golden ears 

 Unless you have first been sowers and watered the furrows with tears." 



The development of the fruit farm is measured by the develop- 

 ment of the man and the development of the man is measured largely 

 by his instruction and training when a child; hence the character of 

 our future horticulturists depends largely on its course of instruc- 

 tion in our public schools. Various projects along this line have been 

 taken up and much good accomplished, yet they were unable to reach 

 the great masses. The schools of Missouri having realized this and 

 the necessitv of some clear connected instruction in this channel are 



