32 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



for the home, and for the people of the west especially, in cren- 

 eral. The question first arises, when should it be taught, and 

 the answer would be, very early in life. If we take the nature 

 of the child and the things the child naturally desires, you will 

 find the child giving attention, first, to action and location. 

 For instance the tree that is grown does not appeal to the 

 child only momentarily. But the little child will plant a seed 

 and watch the development as it grows; and the corn stalk 

 would appeal more to the child than the tree that grows 

 slowly. After a while the child begins to give attention to 

 form; and then after that, to color, and so on. Tliese things 

 come to the child naturaUy early in hfe. It has been said that 

 the child is a born naturahst, and I beheve the saying is true, 

 for it is an unusual thing for a child to be inattentive to the 

 things that they see about them. The little child wishes to 

 plant twigs. Nothing interests the child more than the plant- 

 ing of seed and the watching of these seeds as they grow, and 

 as they develop. It is this time in hfe when the child ought to 

 be taught these things, but too frequently we discourage these 

 by giving no attention to it ourselves, and thus discouraging 

 the child because of our own lack of interest. For instance, if 

 the little child takes an interest in the growing twig in the 

 yard, and if that is in the way just a little, why we cut it off. 

 Tlie little fellow may cry and carry on a little while, but we 

 don't care much about that. It didn't suit us; we didn't want 

 it there, and therefore, we don't care what Johnnie or Susie 

 might think about it. The twig is cut off ruthlessly. It takes 

 just a httle of this kind of action to discourage the little boy or 

 girl either. If they have a httle box in which they plant some 

 seeds and watch them growing, as children oft do, and gladly 

 do it, we are thoughtless about helping to protect it, or giving 

 it no attention whatever, soon teaches the child that these 

 things are of httle consequence, and that as they grow older 

 they win naturally discard these things. But if we would take 

 an interest in these things the child would continue also to take 

 an interest, and that interest would develop until the results 

 would be horticulturists of no mean capabilities. 



Tlie question of where it should be taught, it seems to me, 

 would be easily answered from what has been said. I know 



