42 THE GROUNDSWELL. 



and reduced him to slavery. Thenceforth, he held nothing, 

 except by the will of his master. 



Such was agriculture until the era of the printing press, 

 which not only marvelously lightened the burdens of scho 

 lastic training, but rendered comparatively easy the dissem 

 ination of knowledge among the masses. Then, to use the 

 language of that old English farmer and writer, Evelyn, 

 &quot;Agriculture first began to speak English.&quot; 



The savage is but little above the brute. His agriculture, 

 if indeed he have any, consists simply in the planting, reap 

 ing, and storing away of the seeds of a few of the wild 

 grasses, and digging a few of the wild roots that he may find 

 growing beneath his tread. Emerging from barbarism, he 

 gathers flocks and herds, and builds a permanent shelter for 

 himself and family. Having a fixed habitation, he next 

 learns to till the soil systematically as a means of subsistence. 

 Art is now born, and manufactures begin to flourish. He 

 plants a vineyard, becomes civilized, and horticulture and 

 religion follow. Enlightenment ensues, and the cultivation of 

 flowers comes in as a natural sequence, and with it poetry. 



ADVANCED STATE OF HORTICULTURAL SCIENCE. 



To show that husbandry is less progressive than its child, 

 horticulture, we have only to observe the relative advance 

 that has been made by agricultural and horticultural socie 

 ties. The wide difference which this comparison will bring 

 to light is due, chiefly, to the fact, that, while the prominent 

 agricultural societies have, in most cases, confined their 

 efforts to holding fairs, horticultural societies have been 

 earnestly engaged in discussing the theory and practice of 

 their art, comparing results, and educating themselves up to 

 a high standard of excellence, 



