138 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[April, 



Marmalade was first made at Marmelon, in Spain, 

 and has given its name to preserves of other fruits 

 for preserve ; hence it originally meant, as applied 

 to the quince, quince preserve. The cherry is an 

 evidence of civilization, and wherever it is seen 

 you will find civilization. Among the ancients the 

 fruits and flowers formed a conspicuous part of the 

 people's history. Flowers were used among the 

 Greeks and Romans to crown the conquerors. 

 The carnation, originally grown in England, was 

 used for the purpose just mentioned — making gar- 

 lands for heroes, and hence its name Dianthus. 

 Many flowers would never have been traced to 

 their origin iiad it not been for literature. We find, 

 by tracing the literature of various nations, the 

 origin of many plants and flowers, by discovering 

 the uses to which they were put. In the matter of 

 corn, it is well known that grains of it were found 

 in Indian mounds. 



The grape seems to have been a native of Asia, 

 and native grapes are found in Japan and China 

 that are very similar to our wild grapes. In the 

 study of the grape, therefore, we might have a clue 

 to the history of the Indian. There are forms of 

 vegetable growth which follow man without any 

 apparent reason, and the lecturer had read of a 

 botanist who claimed that he could tell the nation- 

 ality of a man by the weeds which surrounded 

 him. To go more closely into this study — to show 

 more clearly how closely civilization is connected j 

 with the development of fruits and flowers, he 

 would call attention to the efforts that are made , 

 by those in barren or semi-barbarous regions to 

 induce people to settle there. Gold or silver 

 mines, indeed any of the minerals of the earth, 

 may attract settlers in the regions where the min- 

 erals are found ; but the attraction of fruit and 

 flower culture will take the miner from his mine, 

 and this will eventually bring about the civihzation 

 of that region. Look at Florida: how many thous- 

 ands have been lured there to cultivate oranges, 

 and with that cultivation came civilization. How 

 much horticulturists have suffered in introducini; 

 one plant from one region to another, and yet all 

 these sacrifices were made for the good of human- 

 ity. How much will often depend on the chance 

 introduction of a single plant! Take the history 

 of the cotton plant in this country ; human slavery, 

 the chief industry of the South, a fratricidal war, 

 and the final emancipation of the slaves, all result- 

 ed from the introduction of a cotton plant at 

 Jamestown about 200 years ago. 



The elevating and beneficial influence of flowers 

 finds an exemplification in the kind offices of those 



who belong to the Flower Missions of the large 

 cities^taking flowers to the hospitals and to the 

 sick and suffering poor generally of the city. 

 Pass -an humble home, with its windows decked 

 with flowers, and you at once feel that, though 

 poor, the inmates of that dwelling are not without 

 virtue. Gifts of flowers to the very poor would 

 prove a better investment than giving them 

 money, for the refining, elevating influence of the 

 flowers would make better citizens of them by 

 teaching them lessons of industry and thrift. The 

 lecturer related his experience among the Indians, 

 even in far-away Alaska. He remembered how 

 he and his company had been warned not to go 

 too far among a certain tribe, and there he found 

 Captain Crittenden, of Kentucky, who had been 

 in the rebel service, and had vowed that he would 

 rather live among the Indians than among civilized 

 people after the defeat of the cause for which he 

 had fought. There, among those dangerous 

 Indians, on whose grounds the travelers had been 

 warned not to encroach too closely, lived Captain 

 Crittenden. He had a garden which he cultivat- 

 ed, and he told the lecturer that he gave the 

 Indians vegetables and flowers and flower seeds, 

 and the poor untutored fellows had learned to love 

 him, and some of them at least had learned to 

 grow flowers and vegetables. Prom savages they 

 were transformed to peaceable, kindly neighbors. 

 The lesson was one that ought not to be lost on us. 



The lecture occupied little over half an hour in 

 its delivery and was loudly applauded. At its 

 conclusion Dr. VVickersham, on behalf of the 

 citizens of Lancaster, and particularly on behalf 

 of the pupils of the High Schools who were 

 present, moved a resolution of thanks to Prof. 

 Meehan for his entertaining and instructive ad- 

 dress, and the thanks were given with a will. 



[A correspondent says: "I feel sure, if you 

 would give in the Gardeners' Monthly the ad- 

 dress you gave us at Lancaster, it would give as 

 much pleasure to large numbers of your readers 

 as it did to us. If not to be published there, 

 where may we see it ? " 



To this we can only say, that the Editor does not 

 prepare written lectures, has no time to do so, but 

 is always ready to have a pleasant talk with his 

 friends when he happens to be present with them. 



We give above a short abstract made by the 

 reporter of the Daily Era from the Pennsylvania 

 State Horticultural Association, which is all we 

 are able to give now of the talk on that occa- 

 sion. The excellent Secretary, Engle, may have 

 his report in the annual proceedings. — Ed. G. M.] 



