SUMMER MEETING AT LOUISIANA. 83 



blooming, and the sides overhanging with fohage shinning in splendor. 

 Look and see and wonder how well trimmed were the rows of pear 

 trees, plum trees and cherry trees in the fruit gardens, and the 

 orchard trees bending their branches from the burdens of leaves and 

 young fruit. And now, again, as nearer we approach, look at the house 

 in its new coat of paint, windows and doors in a most tasteful contrast 

 to it, how well it is kept in repair. Look at the verandas, how neatly 

 surrounded and well arranged with climbers, brilliant in a profusion of 

 flowers; everywhere refinement, thrift and contentment, and who lives 

 in such luxury ? Look close and do not wonder, it is the house of a 

 horticulturist. Let us enter the house. How kindly we were treated, 

 how friendly, how complaisantly we were entertained by the landlord, 

 and with a winning smile on the face of the landlady, the wife and 

 mother of the house, we were shown their comfortably arranged apart- 

 ments, suited to comfort the members of her household and calling- 

 friends. All shows neatness and taste in the house as well as outside 

 the house. 



The library contained a well selected assortment of literary and 

 entertaining books and papers. The table in the dining room was 

 loaded with an abundance of the choicest fruit and vegetables from the 

 well attended vegetable garden, and the family sitting around it enjoys 

 by good conversation the gift of their labor. 



Here you find happiness, refinement and culture, here you dwell 

 with well-bred and good mannered people, who will not feel themselves 

 awkward in any society, who are liked wherever they go and whomso- 

 ever they meet. Xow, what is their place in society and what caused 

 them to stand so high ? And just as high stands their occupation, stands 

 your occupation, stands horticulture in the rank of civilization. 



I shall not attempt to paint a picture of the reverse, you may im- 

 agine that for yourselves. 



I am free to say that horticulture has done as much good in civil- 

 izing the human race as the world. oSTow, for instance, look upon the 

 civilizing record of the Indians living and roaming in the western Ter- 

 ritories of our own land. Since more than a hundred years they were 

 visited by missionaries and teachers and taught religion and culture, 

 and you may find some well educated "heads amongst these savages, 

 but what about their mode of living, their manner of behavior, their 

 industries, their homes ? Some of these sort of civilized Indian tribes 

 are still as savage as they were when first found by the white men. 

 They are taught religion and culture on one hand and use fire arms on 

 the other. They were clothed and fed and even paid by our national 



