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seed, the rooting of a cutting, or the taking of a; bud or 
graft, are thesame now as they were a thousand years 
ago, and any one claiming to have secret knowledge in 
the matter are either an ignoramus or an impostor. It 
is only experience in the gardeners’ or florists’ business 
that begets success. Watchfulness is the secret, and 
the adapting of different things to different conditions 
that his experience has taught him is best, is the key to 
the secret, and this may be obtained by all who wish to 
devote their attention to it. The jaws of nature are 
_ plainly written and he who runs may read. A jeweler 
or a shoemaker cannot come into a florist’s propagating 
house or any other department of his business and per- 
form any of the various work to be done with the same 
quickness or success as the florist himself, no more than 
the florist can go into the jeweler’s or shoemaker’s and 
repair a watch or make a pair of shoes. The experi- 
ence of the jeweler and the shoemaker makes them _per- 
form all their operations with comparative success, and 
it is his same experience that enables the florist to do 
likewise in his business, and not the aid of the rabbit’s 
foot or a magic wand as many would suppose. In 
nearly all matters of life, before accepting some one’s 
say so, it is wisdom first to use our own judgment and 
common sense ; and this is particularly true in many of 
the operations of horticulture, for in no profession is 
there greater need for the reasoning faculties, and in the 
neglect of the use of these, the most absurd errors and 
delusions are held even by many who are practically en- 
gaged in the business. The breeder of fancy fowls or 
pigeons could not be told that the plumage of either 
would ever assume the scarlet of the Flamingo, though 
he would likely be quite ready to believe that his next- 
door neighbor, who is a flower fancier, may yet have a 
