HOW TO MAKE AN AMATEUR. 



quote Cicero on the subject, as our best refuge for a reply. "If," says he, " a man 

 would build, he should reflect a great while, and perhaps not build at all; but if to plant 

 is the question, he should not reflect, but plant immediately." Wise Cicero! no better 

 advice could be given by the best modern editor. 



What shall we plant, inquires the new owner of the clearing. We answer, take a little 

 pains to plant trees for shade, that will produce something either in the shape of timber 

 or fruit. What more ornamental trees than our true shellbark hickory, or the white oak; 

 we have one of the latter now in our eye, not fifty )'ears old, which is a model of strength 

 and beauty; very sure, we are, that the owner, who planted it himself, would decline five 

 hundred dollars for it; and certainly, in the estimation of every person of taste, it adds 

 more than that sum to the sale value of his estate. 



It is a curious circumstance which we have often remarked, that the generality of per- 

 sons, whose attention has not been particularly drawn to the cultivation of trees, &c., are 

 not aware wliat it is that produces their pleasure, when suddenly introduced into a pro- 

 perly planted and cultivated pleasure garden; they are surrounded by beauties, but they 

 do not define, because they do not know the plants before them; yet something teaches 

 them that they are in the presence of beauty and novelty; the whole effect is good, and 

 they involuntarily exclaim, " how delightful! how we should like to live here!" Here is 

 the intuitive love of nature. Let the same individual learn to know each particular plant, 

 its history, origin, home, what length of time it has been introduced into gardens, its rar- 

 it}'^, its uses, the height it attains, whether of rapid or slow growth, to say nothing of its 

 botanical distinctions, and the enjoyment is increased a thousand fold; every plant so stu- 

 died is an old friend, recognised and greeted wherever we go. There is no real knowledge 

 acquired, that is not valuable and agreeable; botany, geology, astronomy, are continual 

 sources of pleasure, whatever country we visit; let a person but thoroughly know the 

 varieties of the rose b}^ name and peculiarities of habit, and ever after a garden is visited with 

 vastly increased delight; suppose tliat amount of knowledge multiplied by reading, obser- 

 vation, practice, and study, till we know in addition most of the new trees and plants, as 

 well as those of older introduction; with what gusto and vivacity one searches for and 

 sees a novelty of which he has only read. But we are straying from our clearing, for 

 whose adornment this periodical has already given, and will continue to give, lists of the 

 most valuable and easily procured trees, for shade and product. 



After the planter has made up his mind what to plant for immediate effect, and what 

 for posterity — for we hold the axiom, so often in the mouths of the unreflecting, that be- 

 cause posterity has done nothing for us we will do nothing for posterity, in utter abhor- 

 ance — he will ask his life companion, — she is entitled to be consulted in all such 

 cases, — what fruits she most values; he will be glad to learn that by planting the Spanish 

 Chestnut he can have a companion tree to his white oak, which, like it, will throw out its 

 lateral branches, and spread over the lawn, producing in a very few years not only fine 

 shade, but bushels of its large and delicious nuts to astonish and gratify himself and his 

 visitors. So far he has cultivated himself, and bids fair to become an amateur; the clear- 

 ing in his minds eye has assumed a new shape and value, and he takes to studying during 

 the winter evenings, some further particulars; these acquire intense interest as he pro- 

 ceeds; books are consulted, but unfortunately books do not tell him all that he wants to 

 know, for he has yet to learn his a, b, c, in horticulture. One great object of periodicals, 

 like this, is to inform him. He does not know, perhaps, that yearling fruit trees can be 

 Rochester, Flushing, Philadelphia, and other places, for a very small sum; that 

 ing pears, cherries, apples, plums, apricots, and so forth, of the finest sorts, grafted 



