THE ETHICS OF HORTICULTURE. 217 



and he took it out and examined the buds, cut some of them open, and 

 put them under most careful inspection. He went from tree to tree and 

 from row to row, and he was so intent the farmer says, " Now that 

 fellow understands his business." When he got throus^h he said. 



CD O 7 



" Have your trees ever blossomed ? " " Yes, but they fell oif." " Ex- 

 actly just as I expected. Every tree in your orchard I find is a fe- 

 male tree, so the pollen or blossom dust is not fertilized. Now you 

 must buy a lot of male trees and plant between these rows," and he 

 actually sold the man several hundred trees at an enormous price. 

 Too often all the recommendation the tiller of the soil wants is that 

 the man is a total stranpjer. Then his influence seems to be supreme. 



There is no science that makes such a speedy impression on a land 

 as this of horticulture, and it should be studied more than it is. The 

 magnificent Bussey institute of Boston, in connection with Harvard, 

 sometimes will not have a dozen students. I hope the time will come 

 when text-books will be used in all our academies and colleges. We 

 are glad we have a department connected with this University. 



A western college president once asked me to come and see his 

 catalpas which he thought were coming up. He planted a quantity 

 for a timber claim. I went to see them. There was not a catalpa 

 there, only a milkweed. " How deep did you plant them?" "Oh, 

 about six or eight inches, and stamped the ground solid." "Well," 

 said I, "take off your hat and bid them an affectionate farewell, for 

 you will never see them again." Then he pointed to a fine lot of 

 apple trees he had just planted. The rows resembled the zigzags of a 

 Virginia rail fence, only the "zigs" didn't match the "zags" at all. It 

 was the worst job I ever saw. I lost all my respect for his Greek and 

 Latin, and asked how he ever expected his students to lead straight 

 lives with such rows of trees to look at. Many a man having no 

 knowledge or care in the matter of tree-planting is induced to buy a 

 dozen trees. The drouth and cattle soon make way with them, and 

 then he is like the Irishman who wanted to try the luxury of a feather 

 bed. 



I think no material trust was ever given to a man of more impor- 

 tance than a good farm. It needs more than three mules to work it, 

 one to drive and the others to pull the plow. It is against Scripture, 

 "Be not as the horse or the mule which have no understanding." 

 The farm gives the owner one of the grandest foundations for a full 

 orbed and well developed character. 



