STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 151 
‘The man or the woman that loves those adornments that the God of Nature 
has given us for our good, is never altogether bad. The money king that 
with his wealth would corrupt society, would not bestow a dollar to aid in 
‘the perfecting of that most to be desired of all fruits, the apple. I hope to 
prove before closing this essay, that while cultivating fruit of all kinds is 
elevating in its tendency, the effort to develop the apple to its greatest per- 
fection is most elevating, most ennobling of them all. And further, that 
apple-eating nations ever have been, and always will be, the only truly 
enlightened nations on the globe. And that civilization goes hand in hand, 
not with the pear, or the peach, or the plum, or the cherry, nor with the fig, 
nor the bananna, nor bread fruit, nor the thousand other fruits of barbarous 
and half civilized lands, that delight the eye and captivate the taste, but 
with the apple; and the degree of civilization exactly corresponds with the 
Cegree of perfection to which that fruit has been brought in that country; 
or by the relations of commerce because a regular commodity. Before 
accepting this theory, proof may be demanded. I will endeavor to produce 
itsoon. But for a moment I wish to return to Eden. 
We read, that ‘‘ Man’s disobedience and the fruit brought death into the 
world and all our woe.’’ 
Whatever may be the opinion of any one of us, or even all of us, in 
regard to whether that matter, as it relates to history is well founded or 
not, I wish to state that that fruit of which our many times great-great- 
grandmother partook, and of which she gave to old father Adam, after 
having eaten all, or nearly all but the core, was an apple. Nothwithstand- 
ing some sacred historians disclaim the idea of that having been the fruit of 
which they ate. But I can prove as satisfactorily, to myself at least, that it 
was an apple, as they can prove that they ever were in the garden at all; 
‘or even that there ever was a garden of that kind :—namely, tradition. 
And it must have been a good apple too, for it was planted by the hand of 
‘Him by whom they had but just been created. 
We believe, as the record informs us, that Eve gave to Adam, and he did 
eat. Tradition says, that in attempting to swallow what our great mother 
had given him, it (as I said, being little but the core,) stuck in his throat and 
remained there, causing a lump, which lump has been perpetuated even down 
‘to the present time. Now, science, in commemoration of that event, 
acknowledging the truth, has anatomically given it the euphonic name of 
Pomeen Adami, or in plain English, Adam’s apple. If not because of the 
event, why the name? Assuredly, not because of the appearance, for, in some 
of my good frends it looks more like a knot on an apple tree, than like an 
apple or the core of anappleeven. But, enough of this, or I shall be called 
irreverent ; and, inasmuch as I am a believer in revelation, Ido not wish 
to be so understood. 
I have refered to this for the sake of proving that, if by the partaking of 
the apple when it was forbidden fruit, man was debase; so also, by partak- 
ing of the perfected apple, not forbidden, and also, by endeavoring still 
farther to bring it to perfection he always has been, and always will be, 
elevated. It is the constant comparison of civilization. 
To introduce}every argument pertinent to this subject would require a 
volume. But inasmuch as time is wanting, and patience not always a car- 
<dinal virtue, I shall refer only to a few as they come to my mind. The first 
