1 888. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



139 



there i.s no surer nicthod of cooling one's 

 enthusiasm in this direction than in con- 

 templatinK the source from which so much 

 must he expected. 



] have visited a great many schools, and 

 examined a large number of applicants for 

 positions as teachers in rnral schools, and 

 have been disheartened, as a lover of nature, 

 at the manifested ignorance of the life, 

 vegetal)le and animal, with which we have 

 to do every day of our lives. A large propor- 

 tion of these people who an- 

 nounce themselves as educa- 

 tors have not a single 

 requirement for this broad 

 field of instruction contem- 

 plated in bringing upon 

 school premi.ses trees, shrubs 

 and plants with suitable en- 

 vironments for purposes of 

 education. How can we ex- 

 pect assistance in this work 

 from one who does not recog- 

 nize the difference between a 

 Linden and an Elm; a Red 

 Osier and a Rose bush; a 

 Golden Rod and a Fire Weed; 

 June Grass and Meadow 

 Fox Tail. 



Young ladies are sent out 

 to teach our country children 

 who have graduated from 

 high schools, have analyzed 

 the required numberof flowers 

 to "pass" in botany, who 

 have no knowledge whatever 

 of the environments of these 

 plants, and still if we bring 

 about our school grounds the embellish- 

 ments that will count for the most, this 

 lacking information is that most needed. 

 The kind of instruction that the country boy 

 and girl should have to assist them in getting 

 on in the world and give them the largest 

 measure of happiness, while they are getting 

 on, is that which recognizes the great wealth 

 of information within easy reach of the 

 school room that can be gathered in by 

 quickening the observation and pointing out 

 the most available i)laces to get the facts. 



Recognizing this most serious difficulty to 

 overcome, I feel as if Gabriel's last trump 

 would be sounded before accomplishing any 

 thing with our plans and suggestions of de- 

 tails in decorating school grounds unless we 

 can secure a different style of education for 

 those who are to carry our suggestions into 

 effect. 



In the accomplishment of the second ob- 

 ject the most serious difficulty is the short 

 time that our country teachers remain in 

 one field of labor. There is little encourage- 

 ment to embellish grounds the perfection of 

 which depends almost entirely on years of 

 growth. One may employ his constructive 

 imagination in arranging plantations, hav- 

 ing an eye continuously on the future 

 re.sultaut and enter into the spirit of the 

 work if he is to enjoy the gradual develop- 

 ment of the plan. But he will be very loath 

 to attempt any thing of the kind when 

 morally certain that he Is soon to be succeed- 

 ed by one who will not ajjpreciate his work 

 but will allow it to decline and come to 

 naught from want of care. 



I have been identified to some extent with 

 an attempt in our State to make some of our 

 barren school grounds attractive by dissem- 

 inating information concerning the most 

 simple methods, and arranging by the use 

 of annual flower seeds to secure quick re- 

 sults from which a teacher could reap even 

 in a .single term some benefits. Some good 

 has been accomplished but nothing com- 

 mensurate with the effort and I am satisfied 

 that to do a work that shall be cumulative 

 and permanent we must lay hold of some 

 plan which shall be closely linked with the 

 normal instruction given in preparing teach- 



ers fill- their work. Our efforts must be 

 expended elsewhere than upon the grounds 

 that are to be improved, and the movement 

 to improve must be in the hands of the men 

 and women who are charged with the school 

 education of our children. I say men and 

 women advisedly, for it is time we called 

 a halt upon the common practice of trust- 

 ing primary education to girls and boys. 



1 will try briefly to show In my next the 

 most primary line of work to accomplish 



FIG. 3. FIG. 1 IMPROVED BY PLANTING AFTER FIG. 2, 



the objects we seek as viewed from the level 

 of my experience. 



Fruit Growing and the Tariff. 



At a recent meeting of the Farmer's Tar- 

 iff Convention in New York, J. H. Hale, of 

 Connecticut, read a paper on Fruits and 

 the Tariff, from which we extract this: 



While the manufacturers, who are our 

 competitors in the labor market, are pro- 

 tected by a duty of about 4.5 per cent on the 

 average, thus enabling them to force up 

 wages on us and also charge us more for 

 nearly all our supplies, under the present 

 tariff the government allows free foreign 

 competition with our fruit products. Fruits 

 that grow almost wild in the tropics with 

 little or no labor, are now brought to our 

 markets by ship loads (in foreign ships at 

 that) and .sold at prices so low as to tempt 

 buyers, who would otherwise buy our best 

 native fruits in their season. 



I am referring now especially to Pineap- 

 ples and Bananas, on which there was a 

 light duty previous to 18a3, but under the 

 revision of our tariff laws that year they 

 were admitted free. This greatly stimulate 

 ed their importation, the value of which 

 was less than fflOO.OOO in 1882, but reached 

 the enormous amount of *9,9'20,T02 in 1886, 

 an increase of over 400 per cent in five years. 



The result of this on the sales and prices 

 of our American small fruits, has been an 

 enormous falling off in the former and a re- 

 duction in price of from 40 to tiO per cent in 

 the markets most supplied by them. 



From 1878 to 188;^ the price of small fruits 

 in Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati and other 

 western markets was from 7 to 18 cents per 

 quart; in Baltimore, Philadelphia and New 

 York from 8 to 30 cents, and in Boston and 

 other markets from 10 to 2H cents. From 

 188.3 to 1887 there was a falling off in price to 

 the extent I have stated, so that at Chicago 

 and the other western markets I have men- 

 tioned the prices have been from 2 to 10 

 cents per quart; in New York and Philadel- 

 phia 3 to 12 cents, and in the New England 

 markets from 4 to 1.5 cents, the lower prices 

 not even paying for picking and freights to 



markets, to say nothing of the cost of pro- 

 ducing the crop. 



That there has been a decline in the 

 prices tor almost all goods during these 

 years I will admit, but nothing asconqjared 

 with our snuill fruits, and the only ai)par- 

 ent cause of this decline is the one named. 

 Fruit growers cannot understand why it 

 re<|uires a duty of from 40 to .50 per cent to 

 " I)rot*ct " our manufacturing industries, 

 while on the average 2(1 |)er cent is all the 

 farmers get, where they get 

 any "protection" whatever. 

 The more thoughtful ones are 

 asking themselves, does "pro- 

 tection " as practised under 

 our present taritt' law really 

 protect the farnu'r y In my 

 little State, It is said that the 

 farms do not pay 3 per cent 

 on the investment, while the 

 factories pay from 5 to 20 per 

 cent, and unless there is a re- 

 vision of the tariff' very soon 

 whereby all industries will l)e 

 ^ more equally protected they 

 will answer No, anrl by their 

 votes demand that all 

 products and manufactured 

 goods be placed on the " free 

 ll.st " — a step which this 

 country is not yet ready to 

 take. but one which they ciaim 

 would give all an equal chance 

 in the pursuit of life, wealth 

 and happiness. 



The revision and proper 

 adjustment of the tariff is 

 not a party question, and should never be 

 considered as such; both of the great politi- 

 cal parties by action of their last national 

 conventions are pledged to it. 



Let us urge upon our Congressmen, re- 

 gardless of party or ])arty ties, to consider 

 this great business question as becomes 

 business men and patriots, and so readjust 

 the tariff that our labor Interests be pro- 

 tected, and the benefits and burdens be so 

 distributed as to fall justly upon all. There 

 is a fair and honest middle ground on which 

 all true statesmen can meet and settle this 

 great question. 



Arbor Day in Scfiools. 



The Arbor Day movement in A mei'ica was 

 iiuuigurated in Nebraska sixteen years ago. 

 Since that time twenty-six .States and Terri- 

 tories have each established one or more 

 Arbor Days by legislative enactment, or 

 special recommendation of the governor or 

 school superintendent. 



When Arbor Day was first established its 

 prime object was to promote economic tree 

 planting. The co-operation of youth was 

 not then specially invited, and the change in 

 the movement towards increased school 

 work and school yard improvement is a 

 comparatively new step. According to Dr. 

 Northrop, in the New York Independent re- 

 cently, this feature of Arbor Day is now 

 everywhere made a prominent aim. 



This enlistment of the schools, Mr. North- 

 rop also well remarks in the same journal, 

 has proved an effective way of calling |)ublic 

 attention to the importance of forestry. 

 The value and beauty of trees are impres- 

 sively set forth in Arbor Day proclamations 

 and circular letters of school superinten- 

 dents, in the local press and in school cele- 

 Ijrations with appropriate essays by pupils, 

 .songs, addresses, etc., by prominent citizens. 

 A school district is easily led to patronize 

 such a work in which youth are the actors. 

 With proper pre-arrangemeut in awakening 

 popular interest and in the selection and 

 procuring of trees, vines and shrubs. Arbor 

 Day may accomi)lish wonders, many hands 

 making merry work. 



