WILD FKUITS WIUCII OUGHT TO BIO CILTIVATED. 00 



Then much later he wakes up to the fact that his imported things will 

 not grow as well as he would like them to, and he then begins to turn 

 about lor something to replace his failures. In some cases these failures 

 came so early that he began long ago to improve the wild fruits around 

 him, and in all cases the results have been satisfactory. And it is to 

 bring some of these wild tilings to your attention that I am before you 

 today. In doing so I am presuming that you are willing to do some work 

 without the prospect of immediate payment on your investment, for work 

 of this kind often does not pay as large dividends as are obtained by 

 following the old beaten paths. 



But my brothers, I want to set before you an ideal higher than that 

 involved in mere money return for our lives. We have a span ot life 

 allotted to us. It includes so many years. We sell our labor in these 

 years as we go through life. What do we get in return? Is it really 

 worth while for us to sell our labor, our strength, our youth, our lives for 

 mere money? Do not think I affect to despise money, for I do not, and 

 I wish I had more of it; but no man should be contented to look back on 

 a life which has brought" him only money, wealth, a fortune. And you, 

 fellow workers in the Lord's Vineyard should feel the necessity of a 

 greater return than this. All thru the ages there have been men of oui 

 profession who have felt a great desire to add to the riches of the vine- 

 yards and orchards and gardens it may bei one additional variety, and 

 these men we honor, and the world honors. And yet may I say here 

 that it should be the ambition of every grower of fruit to leave the world 

 richer, by at least one new fruit, than when he began his work. Just as 

 the right-minded farmer wishes to leave his farm to his children, richer 

 and better than when he began to work on it, so the fruit grower should 

 wish to add his contribution to the list of the fruits that the world may 

 enjoy. 



So I am preaching the gospel of a higher horticulture than that which 

 has to do with its commercial aspects alone. Let these receive full at- 

 tention at your hands. Push this work with all the vigor of good and 

 efficient business men; hut let me urge you to consider also that higher 

 attainment which is concerned with the betterment of the world. I 

 preach to you the gospel of making a better world of fruits for the fu- 

 ture. Let us be helpers. Let us add to the good fruit& of the world. 

 Let us leave better gardens, vineyards, and orchards of fruits than we 

 found. Let us hand down to our children more and better fruits than 

 were handed to us. 



With this introduction let me point out somewhat in detail what are 

 some of the wild fruits of Nebraska, that merit our careful attention. 



The Sand Cherry (Prunusi Besseyi). 



Many years ago I called attention to this wild shrub of the sand-hill 

 region of the state, and urged its introduction Into cultivation. The time 

 that has elapsed since then has seen the Justification of what was then & 



