5 
Floriculture in the Southern States, and form the 
coming events that cast their shadows before the 
_ future may be seen still more bright and flowery, so 
that we may be thankful that we have the good 
fortune to live in this age, independently of the 
consideration that it is better to be still alive than 
only to have lived. 
To properly appreciate the vegetable ssbiinels of 
the earth, we must picture to ourselves: what would 
be the appearance of the face of nature without 
them. It is true we would have the earth’s surface 
portioned off into hill and valley, and intersected by 
rivers and streams, but everything would be bare, 
rugged and unseemly, and a picture of dessolate 
barrenness would appear. Since then a bountiful 
Providence has spared us from such a picture, and 
so lavishly bestrewed the earth with flowers and 
plants from which we may gather delight in behold- 
ing their ever varying, significant and suggestive 
moods, it is but fitting that we should apply our 
knowledge to assist nature in the development of all 
that is beautiful. It may be said that art cannot 
mend nature, but then ‘‘The art itself is nature.” 
_ Every portion of the earth has its peculiar flora, each 
particular plant being adapted to the peculiar cir- 
cumstances and conditions in which they are found. 
Thus we have the everglades or marsh, the moun- 
tain and valley, each with its particular vegetation. 
