INTERESTING YOUNG PEOPLE IN HORTICULTURE^ 



A. K. GOODMAN^ CAYUGA^ ONT. 



HOW can we best interest our young 

 people in the garden ^nd in the or- 

 chard ? There is one way, and that is the 

 best way. Become interested yourselves. 

 Become enthusiastically interested. It is 

 a case of come along boys and girls, not go 

 on boys and girls. To do any good, you 

 must be unselfish, and in the accomplish- 

 ment of any object there must be prepara- 

 tion. 



Children's characters are more likely to 

 be strengthened and developed along their 

 proper lines in the brightest and happiest 

 surroundings. Lovely flowers and green 

 trees should, where possible, mark the abode 

 of Canadians. 



Children are imitators, and will in time, 

 be largely what we have made them by our 

 example. Always welcome the children 

 into the garden and teach them as much is 

 they are willing to learn, but never detain 

 them when they want to play. It will not 

 be long before they will coax you into the 

 garden. 



A busy man cannot garden all day except 

 for profit, but the average Canadian in the 

 small towns and villages, has enough time 

 on his hands to make a creditable showing. 

 I have found that it is desirable to avoid the 

 midsummer flowers. 



My garden opens with tulips. These are 

 massed and arranged in various ways and 

 planted in the open to receive full sunlight. 

 Good drainage is provided, care being taken 

 to avoid the roots of trees. They are 

 planted four inches deep and top-dressed 

 with well rotted manure. It is more satis- 

 factory, though not necessary, to take up. 

 tulips every year. Then follow the general 

 bedding out, after danger of frost is over, 

 from the hot-bed, of caladiums, geraniums, 

 stocks, asters, ageratum, salvia, etc., v/hile 

 the flowering shrubs and early perennials 

 for a time hold the place of vantage. 



With June the grandest flower of all 

 reigns supreme, until the end of July. I 

 love to grow a rose, because it takes such i 

 determined effort to reach the best possible. 

 Roses love the open and need a clay soil, 

 enriched with cow manure, lime and wood 

 ashes, as well as freedom to expand, good 

 drainage and deep root feeding. Plant in 

 the fall, prune in the spring, and spray every 

 morning with tobacco water and lime, or 

 soapsuds. Simply conquer the insect 

 enemy completely. Do not tolerate any 

 half-way measures and your reward will ]ye 

 a great source of pleasure to yourself and 

 friends. 



From the June roses you can go to the 

 Ramblers (they will give you bloom for a 

 month if you shorten the canes, cutting the 

 old ones out every three years), to other 

 climbers, and to the tea roses, froni which 

 you will receive monthly crops of roses 

 until the frost. After the roses I satisfy 

 myself with the formal beds, and in Septem- 

 ber enjoy a gorgeous display of asters and 

 gladioH. 



THE EFl^ECT ON CHILDREN. 



The object of interesting our young peo- 

 ple in horticultural work is to strengthen 

 their morality, train their character and 

 make them useful citizens. State education 

 in the schools is fast changing from the old 

 law of " Rod, Rule and Remembrance," in 

 what was once a goal to the natural interest 

 idea. Interest is said to be the master key 

 of all possible education, and it conquers a^l. 

 The schools of the province are doing noble 

 work and horticulture and floriculture take 

 a large part of the credit for the advance. 



In Canada we are fast entering on our 

 growing time. The horticultural societies 

 must plead and work for play grounds, tree 

 planting, gardens and parks. Hundreds of 

 our village schools are practically without 

 play grounds. A provincial horticultural 



♦Extract from a paper read at the provincial horticultural convention held in Toronto, November 15 and 16, in connection with 

 The Provincial Fruit, Flower and Honey Show. 



526 



