TWENTY FIFTH ANNUAL MEETING. 87 



LEOTUEES. 



THE VALUE OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE TO THE PRO- 

 FESSIONAL MAN. 



BY DR. DBNISON C. THOMAS OF ADRIAN COLLEGE. 



Horticulture represents the most perfect method of tilling the soil so 

 as to produce the best results in the form of flowers, fruits, and vege- 

 tables. Gardening has been pursued from the earliest times of civiliza- 

 tion and refinement. Pliny tells us that the Romans delighted in beauti- 

 ful gardens. Some of the rarest and choicest plants and flowers which 

 we cherish today were cultivated in the gardens of the Greeks. 



Agriculture before the time of Virgil began to decline, and for this 

 reason he devoted the Georgics, the most finished of his productions, to 

 the cause of husbandry. The first book treats of the proper cultivation 

 of the soil; the second, of the management of fruit trees; the third, of 

 horses and cattle; and the fourth, of bees. The story is told that Virgil 

 wrote these four books at the request of Mtecenas, to revive the languish- 

 ing agriculture of Italy, and that in consequence the country soon 

 assumed a flourishing appearance. The various departments of agricul- 

 ture have always received considerable attention, and at no time has hoi?- 

 ticulture been entirely neglected. 



After the conquests of Alexander the Great, he desired to Hellenize the 

 whole world. Not only were the inhabitants of Asia and Europe to be 

 blended by means of colonies, but even the floras of the two continents 

 were to be intermingled by establishing parks and gardens and by trans- 

 planting fruits and trees from one continent to the other. Common law?*, 

 common customs, common gardens, and a common language were to 

 unite the world in one great family. Charlemagne established gardens 

 by royal edict, directing the kind of plants that were to be grown. 



Beautiful pleasure gardens may be found all over Europe. In Ger- 

 many, France, and England, gardens with fountains, hedges, and shady 

 walks are abundant. But no really permanent success was attained 

 until they began to protect the tender plants in houses. It was not until 

 1717 that buildings with glass roofs were used for garden purposes. 



Horticulture as an art stands far above agriculture, and when thor- 

 oughly practiced shows what wonders can be produced when the soil is 

 properly handled and fertilized. Horticulture is receiving due attention. 

 The best methods of growing flowers, fruits, and vegetables are being 

 adopted, and the various topics of the science are being thoroughly pre- 

 sented and discussed in these your annual meetings. The "bread and 

 butter" side of the question will most invariably receive first attention. 

 Will the garden pay? is the question. This is the information most of 

 us come to get. We want to know how to raise peas, potatoes, bean-?, 



