STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 39 



hours' work, he will then count them a necessity as well as luxury. 

 The outlay for a beginner is so small that it is hardly worth naming, 

 as it is much better to get some of the standard varieties of small 

 fruit in his own neighborhood, than to send abroad for new and 

 untried varieties. Most fruit growers have a surplus of young 

 plants, and being as a class free-hearted and generous, are ready to 

 assist the beginner, and charge onh' the cost of digging. 



I know men thoroughly interested in an}- subject are liable to give 

 it undue importance. Any object too near the eye obstructs the 

 vision, shutting out and dwarfing all else. Nothing is more natural 

 than for an orchardist to feel and say that fruit growing is the surest 

 way to fortune, and to urge everyone to engage in it. But I think 

 if you take notice you will find that those who make a success in the 

 business are men who not onlj^ have faith in it but a love for it, 

 which leads them to devote their time and attention to the orchard, 

 to the exclusion of everything else. This love is by no means uni- 

 versal, as many a man has found to his cost, when, in a fit of enthu- 

 siasm caused by his neighbor's success, he sets a young orchard, and 

 then, for want of this love, lets it die out. I have vivid memories of 

 sitting on the limb of a sweet apple tree, devouring the half-grown 

 fruit, and in imagination building castles in the midst of immense 

 orchards. Though the castles are not built, I have so far carried 

 out my dream of the orchard that should surround it, that I have 

 ever}^ spring set more trees, and a big orchard is more likel}' to 

 become a fact than any other of my childish dreams. 



It is so easy for a child to become interested in watching the 

 growth of a seed he has planted, and from this beginning he may 

 be led by easy steps, through growth, to the flower and fruit of his 

 tiny plant, the requisites for its growth, and even the study of the 

 brown, unattractive soil that nourishes it. I believe the people of 

 Sweden are correct in the theory that if you wish to teach horti- 

 culture to the people, it is better to begin with the children. The 

 government employs twenty-five men to visit the schools, superin- 

 tend the planting of nurseries and school gardens, and assist the 

 teachers in giving instruction in these branches. 1 believe a system 

 like this would awaken an interest in horticulture in Maine as well 

 as in Sweden. Practical object lessons by experienced fruit growers 

 would accomplish more than would be possible by any other method. 

 The raising of nursery stock, planting of trees and vines, pruning, 

 grafting and budding are easily taugbt, together with the care of 



