158 % MY SUMMER IN A GARDEN. 



was too late for him to climb into the 

 garden? I don t know. Human nature 

 is vicious. The boy might regard the 

 picture of the garden of the Hesperi- 

 des only as an advertisement of what 

 was over the fence. I begin to find that 

 the problem of raising fruit is nothing 

 to that of getting it after it has matured. 

 So long as the law, just in many re 

 spects, is in force against shooting birds 

 and small boys, the gardener may sow in 

 tears and reap in vain. 



The power of a boy is, to me, some 

 thing fearful. Consider what he can do. 

 You buy and set out a choice pear- 

 tree ; you enrich the earth for it ; you 

 train and trim it, and vanquish the 

 borer, and watch its slow growth. At 

 length it rewards your care by produ 

 cing two or three pears, which you cut 

 up and divide in the family, declaring 

 the flavor of the bit you eat to be some- 



