HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 171 



The botanist studies the structure and habits of plants with a 

 view to their classification and scientific arrangement. For this 

 purpose he prefers the natural plant — the one which best rep- 

 resents its species and not the cultivated plant. In this particu- 

 lar he differs from the horticulturist, whose greatest delight is 

 in causing nature to succumb to the influence of his arts. 



The botanist pursues his highest scientific investigations 

 through a study of Nature's production; perhaps the wild rose 

 with its simple flower of five petals, and, as a scientist, fails to 

 admire the gaudy queen of the garden, while the horticulturist 

 finds his greatest delight in producing the widest deviations 

 from nature's ways. 



Our handsome flowers and luscious fruits are the products of 

 the "art which does mend Nature." In the language of an in- 

 telligent horticulturist of a neighboring state, "Man plants and 

 prunes, cultivates and grafts, and (may I say without irrever- 

 ence) creates new fruits and flowers. A pippin is at least a man- 

 ufactured article." 



Varieties are the result of domestication. The apple of the 

 forests of Europe, from which our numerous varieties have 

 sprung, was scarcely an edible fruit; and had it remained unin- 

 terrupted in its natural forests unto this day it would have con- 

 tinued to reproduce its species Cpyrus mains) with the same and 

 almost definite character of its offspring as characterizes our 

 maples and beeches of the wild woods. 



But the liberal hand which has so bounteously blessed us with 

 the luscious fruits and beautiful flowers of our gardens, wisely 

 designed that we should learn, to some extent, through acquired 

 skill and knowledge gained by experience and observation, an 

 influence over these wild species, which should enable us to so 

 modify and change their natures as to better please and satisfy 

 us. So man sought a better fruit than he found wild about him 

 when he transplanted the crab into his garden; and from re- 

 peated propagation and careful cultul^, husbanding with jealous 

 care every advance, he has slowly but surely led the captive far 

 away from its original type, until we, in the happy possession of 

 of our pippins and pearmaius, have almost forgotten their lowly 

 origin and the patient labors of those who have, through their 

 intelligence, wrought these changes. 



This we term an art — the art of horticulture. First we have 

 a simple species; from this we develop the distinct variety. 



If we plant a seed of an apple we expect, as a result, an apple 



