The Waning Year and its Suggestions 



and therefore amid these frolicsome rec- 

 ords of disaster and enjoyment, I would 

 wish to insert this one didactic chapter, 

 which may easily be skipped by those who 

 seek amusement only, in reading this little 

 book, in which I can emphasize in a few 

 words the effect of out-of-door interests 

 upon the mind and moral nature of those 

 who enjoy them. And I do this the more 

 willingly because I believe that a taste for 

 gardening is one of the elemental impulses 

 of humanity. There are individuals with- 

 out it, as there are people without sight or 

 hearing or a sense of smell ; but, on the 

 whole, to dig comes naturally to man, and 

 at some time or other in the course of his 

 existence the desire to own a portion of 

 the earth's surface is apt to seize upon 

 him, and demand satisfaction. 



This impulse is of maturity rather than A **&<>/ 



r , r -, . . , maturity. 



of youth, for gardening in its larger sense 

 is a thoughtful pursuit, appealing to the 

 broader qualities of the understanding. 

 It is not merely the desire for healthful 

 exercise which stirs a man, but also the 

 wish to learn the secrets of our common 

 mother, to force her hand, as it were, and 

 269 



