MICiriGAjSr STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 377 



If any one sa}' it is of no use to contend with these hordes 

 of A'ile creatures, or the disappointments npon which all cul- 

 ture is incident, let him remember that it is the mission of 

 iife to struggle against and overcome them. Instead of fret- 

 ting and groaning over these evils, let us battle with them and 

 conquer them. Thus shall we gather the rich fruits of onr 

 industry, and. 



"Where some would find thonis but to torture the fiesh. 

 We'll pluck the ripe clusters our souls to refresh.' ' 



But some one replies. Let Kature do all this, let Nature per- 

 form her perfect work. True, but Nature brings us weeds, 

 thistles, and thorns, insects injurious to vegetation as well as 

 those that are useful ; and we were placed in this world, 

 not merely to assist Nature, but to meet with and overcome 

 the obstacles Avhich she sometimes places in our path, — to ele- 

 vate her to the highest and noblest purposes of her creation. 



Many of the difficulties and privations we endure, if met 

 and conquered, will prove blessings in disguise. It is labor of 

 mind as well as body, it is work, Avork, work, that makes men 

 strong. Work is the great engine that moulds and moves the 

 intellect, enterprise, and destiny of the world; work is the 

 greatest temporal boon bestowed on man ; work is the heaven- 

 appointed means of advancement to a higher state qf perfec- 

 tion ; and in no profession is this more apparent than in the 

 calling of the pomologist. This idea is well expressed in the 

 following lines, illustrative of the blessings of labor: 



"The first man and the first of men 

 Were tillers of the soil ; 

 And that was Mercy's mandate then 

 Which destined man to toil." 



If a man can seize the lightning in his hand and make ir, 

 work for him in earth, air, or water; if he can descend into 

 the secret laboratory of Natnre, and learn the constituents oi' 

 ooiJs and manures, and their adaptation to each other; it he 

 can learn how she prepares th? appropriate food for all vegeta- 

 ns 



