86 



IRISH GARDENING 



JUNE 



ScMiic Ideals in 1 lorticiiltiirc. 



Hv J. II. Ll MMIM.. 



Ir is refVeshiiii,^ to luni away, it lor a k\\ 

 inoiiKMils only. tVoiii iho .oiK|UL-.st aiul 

 wor.sliip o\ iiionoy to tlic tonlomplalion 

 ot' nature and hor nian\ chiUii\'n. 1 loitit.ultui\' 

 is i;cnoially looked upon as an ideal Occupation, 

 and the same ideals that have inspired our 

 artists and idealist ^ also st.uid lor better and 

 happier homes and eontenled people. If you 

 seek wealth tor wealth's sake turn your lace 

 from horticulture. I'ry instead polities, bank- 

 intr. rubber, "buekel shops," or some eonti- 

 dence yfame. llortieullurL- will j^ixe you the 

 blessing-s ot" an outdooi' life, health and lonj;' 

 life; besides these, an honest lixiui;-, a decent 

 burial, and a sweet memory to your remainiui.; 

 friends. That horlicultiue is an ideal occupa- 

 tion tor m.m as well as woman is attested by 

 the fact that it was the tirst work yixen the 

 race by the Creator, and horticulturists tivday 

 are as eag^er as ever to eat of the tree o\' know - 

 ledy^e. May this fact not indicate that horti- 

 culture and thinking' are closely assc>ciated .-^ 

 There are such things as combining" business 

 with pleasure, and when this is legitimately 

 done we have the ideal as well as the profitable 

 side satisfied. The signs of the times seem to 

 indicate that horticulture in its broadest sense 

 is becoming more and more an occupation for 

 all classes of people. 



The artistic or ornamental side oi horticulture 

 in past years has suffered for that of commer- 

 cialism, and perhaps we are just beginning to 

 awaken to the value of decorative horticulture. 

 For the past tew years Ireland has been pre- 

 occupied in the establishment of peasant pro- 

 prietorship, which means new homes and tarms, 

 and have had little time to think or to act upon 

 any feeling or aspiration to make a home more 

 attractive and hospitable. 



In large populous centres the acquisition o( 

 land is becoming more difficult and expensive, 

 but in our smaller towns, where land is cheaper, 

 the authorities should not delay in acquiring 

 sufficient areas for parks and playgrounds to 

 serve for generations to come. Such recreation 

 grounds are good assets in the health and 

 prosperity of the people. 



There are thousands of children and grown 

 people in the crowded tenement houses in our 

 large cities who have never tasted the real 



pleasures o\ out-iit-doiM' lite. (."rimes o( all 

 kinds and degrees tlourish in the crowdet.1 cities ; 

 Awd ulial else could we expect? There is 

 nolhinj; lov the mind to do but to brood over 

 theii ou n coiulilions. (.live them a chance to 

 get ac(.|uainletl with nature, with trees 'and 

 lloweis, antl a new vista ot life will suddenly 

 be open to them. 



With regartl to planting in paiksand open 

 spaces, I would call attention to one thing 

 that is often o\ eilo-'ked. "The eye is not 

 salislled with seeing nor the ear with hearing," 

 Inil an exquisite pleasure may come to the soul 

 through the sense of smell Vo a person living 

 in some cities the loss o( this sense might be a 

 posilixe blessing, but to those who li\e sini|ile 

 and sane lixes the development ol all our 

 taculties seems desirable. When darkness 

 \ eils the beaulv o\ the flower from the eye, then 

 the llower asserts its loveliness by its sweet 

 fragrance. .Some beautiful trees and shrubs 

 have this desirable ciuality in a marked degree. 

 It is not to be interred that it is the city 

 dwellers aloi.e who neglect planting t"ruits and 

 llowers. As a rule the farmer is one of the last 

 to provide his family with a liberal supplv of 

 fruit ami (lowers. It is not an uncommon sig'ht 

 to see farmers' wives purchasing vegetables 

 and fruits in the city market. 



There is a great deal in the saying that we 

 live to eat. Eating, indeed, should constitute 

 one of the pleasures of life, and the farmer oi 

 all persons is the one who has the right to 

 enjov the I'luits oi his fields and g-ardens. It 

 is true that in a large proportion of our farms 

 have fruit trees been planted on them, but this 

 planting is often due to no special desire on 

 the part oi' the farmer himself, but rather to 

 the persistent effort of his county horticultural 

 instructor. 



The horticultural work on the farm is gene- 

 rally delegated to the women of the family, as 

 if it did not require any hard work. It is true 

 that gardening ordinarily requires less physical 

 labour than g-eneral farming, but it is also true 

 that it requires more brains. If the same 

 amount of work were expended on an acre of 

 orchard as is expended on an acre of corn the 

 profit from the orchard would far exceed that 

 of the corn. 



There is need of an awakening among our 

 farmers and peasantry to the proper apprecia- 

 tion of things beautiful. Fewer young people 



