THE FORWARD MOVEMENT IN HORTICULTURE. 4I9 



said, "Introduce me to the world ! Let them know how much I care 

 for them and what I would do for them." 



The fact is, the good Lord never has had half a chance for a full 

 revelation of himself to us. Develop his plans ! Let the world know 

 what reserves of beauty there are yet to be disclosed ! Reach out 

 and take your own, and you will find treasures fit for kings. 



The possibilities of an acre of ground are simply astounding. 

 Who has ever tried to see what he could do with an acre of rich 

 land? Work it and miracles will spring out of it. 



The farmer is partner with the Creator. The senior member of 

 the firm furnishes the capital, the junior member does the work, 

 and the result is garnered plenty. The devout man is amazed at the 

 result of this co-operation, but kindly Mother Nature says, "There 

 is more — still more." 



In recent years there has been a movement for home adornment 

 all over Christendom. The last fifty years have witnessed great 

 gains in conservative England, in fact, all Europe. The world has 

 been ransacked to adorn our eastern states. In the west there has 

 been, up to date, more thought of cattle and wheat, hogs and corn 

 than of the cultivation of the beautiful. 



Why should not the farmer be rich ? What does the rich man do, 

 and how does he spend his money? He gets a piece of land and 

 at great expense he fertilizes it and prepares it for planting. He 

 gets an experienced gardener and pays a high price for trees, shrubs 

 and flowers, and there is real wealth in those few suburban acres. 



I have spent much time in parks and private grounds of the 

 east studying this matter. Now the question comes up, "Why can't 

 the farmer fix up his grounds? Is not his family as dear to him as 

 the rich man's? Are not his sons and daughters as worthy?" 

 Heaven help him if his boys are not far ahead of many of the 

 young men who do not have either to think or work. Would not his 

 family and neighbors appreciate a beautiful home? He has as good 

 land as can be found. He has fertilizers at hand and does not have 

 to pay $10 a cordi for stable manute, as I have seen them do in the 

 east. He has learned how to plant and care for trees. He has 

 worked hard. Now let the boys bear the brunt awhile, and he give 

 a little time to fixing up. He will find the ground ready to respond 

 and hungry to show what can be done. 



He can get a few books on horticulture and take some of the 

 best papers. He need not be afraid to ask questions. Most horti- 

 cultural editors are all loaded. The science is not a sealed one. It 

 has no secrets. We do not take out patents on our inventions as 

 others do. If in a twenty-mile ride he could visit some well laid out 

 ground, as we find east, it would be a delight for him to do so. 

 Well, he can have a Mecca of his own. Put one farm in Minnesota 

 at its very best, and it would be the center of attraction for miles 

 around. Fix up a whole section at its very best, and the fame of it 

 would fill the state. 



I want to emphasize this : Work the gold mine in the front yard! 



What do you mean? On the Conney estate, at Methuen, Mass., 

 there are some of the finest trees on earth. See that picea pungens 



