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THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



ability to gaze at those glittering jew- 

 els of the sky? It is not a pastime. It 

 is genuine joy. But what other things 

 of the country make life worth living 

 there? The trees, that one must love; 

 the birds, with their entrancing mel- 

 odies and marvelous actions ; the joy 

 of discovering new plants in a tangled 

 thicket ; the myriad insects with their 

 graceful form, their beauty and their 

 indescribable adaptation to the en- 

 vironment. There are the varying 

 ■characters of soil ; even the little stones 

 scattered here and there merit careful 

 examination. In the country our most 

 valuable and enjoyable sense is the 

 sense of sight. It sweeps from the 

 stars to the microscopic denizens of the 

 ditch. But to the eye should be added 

 the telescope, the field-glass and the 

 microscope. If you do not possess 

 these things and have no desire to 

 possess them, return to the city suburbs 

 and get your enjoyment, if you can, 

 with the tennis racket, or a pack of 

 cards, or the latest "best seller" from 

 the circulating library. If you would 

 really live in the country, you must in 

 some way get the key to the country 

 door, open it and walk through it into 

 the charms of the country. You cannot 

 open the country door with a city key. 

 Can you open the city door with a 

 countrv kev? Can vou? 



My Astonishing Potato Seed Year. 



Distinct from everything else, potato 

 seed stands out prominently in my lit- 

 erary experience for 1916. Astonishing 

 letters, republications, cordial aid, kind 

 words and vilification followed the pub- 

 lishing of a short illustrated article on 

 "The Seeds of Potatoes" in The Guide 

 TO Nature for January, 1916. That 

 article, copied by "The Literary Di- 

 gest" and by several other publications, 

 has brought forth the most astonishing 

 correspondence that has ever come to 

 my desk. 



As clearly stated in the original ar- 

 ticle, I was trying to show that potato 

 seed balls no more grow in Connecticut, 

 or at least have almost disappeared. I 

 also suggested that we try to learn 

 from what other parts of the country 

 potato seed balls have disappeared or 

 are disappearing. No ofifer was made 

 of any high price for potato seeds. And 

 I did not say that they no longer grow. 



My interest was scientific, not commer- 

 cial. In the presence of many audi- 

 ences, I ofifered a year's subscription to 

 this magazine for a small quantity of 

 the potato seed balls, and I tried to 

 make clear that the ofTer was intended 

 not so much to obtain potato seed as 

 to obtain information as to the thor- 

 oughness of the disappearance. I have 

 been called upon to supply only six sub- 

 scriptions. The cash value of six sub- 

 scriptions is six dollars. But my inno- 

 cent little statement has been twisted 

 and distorted beyond recognition. It 

 was said that I was offering six dollars 

 for a thimbleful of seed. I have been 

 called "nature faker" and "lunkhead" 

 and what has been said in personal let- 

 ters would stagger the wildest imagi- 

 nation and yet be no exaggeration of 

 the facts. 



Many letters have been helpful. 

 Scientists have perceived that I wish 

 to ascertain where potato seed balls 

 are, where they are not, and whether 

 or not they are disappearing. At least a 

 hundred letters have been received to 

 name seedsmen who will send a small 

 package for fifteen cents. Others tell 

 me that I am "nature faking" the coun- 

 try. None of this vituperation, none 

 of the vilification, has anything to do 

 with the original thesis, which was only 

 to ascertain where the seed balls are 

 and where they are not. I have never 

 asserted that they cannot be obtained 

 in this country, nor have I ever put a 

 price upon the seed, and yet that thim- 

 bleful, costing me six dollars in sub- 

 scriptions, has been distorted into all 

 sorts of fantastic shapes. 



Again it has been seriously said that 

 formerly potatoes were grown from the 

 seed, but that that is no longer possible. 

 Both statements are partly true and 

 partly false. Potatoes always have 

 been propagated from seed to secure 

 new varieties, but the new variety is 

 cultivated from the tuber. Apple seeds 

 will produce all sorts of apples, but 

 when it is desired to perpetuate a par- 

 ticular variety it is done by grafting. 



I cordially thank all who have ser- 

 iouslv aided my scientific investigation, 

 all those too who have supplied the 

 amusement by their distorted notions, 

 and those also who have been so lavish 

 in sprinkling me with their favorite pet 

 names. Many thanks for adding to the 

 gaiety of my life. The explanation 



