66 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



sible, is to give a thorough bath in strong soap suds, and after a 

 few minutes rinse in clear water. After all of our care in plant- 

 ing our flowerbed or potting our plants it will be almost useless 

 if left to grow uncared for. They must have care and with it 

 every lover of flowers will receive reward for her labor. Now 

 that we have our flowers, let us not be selfish with them. I 

 often think for every flower plucked two are sent to replace it. 

 So let us give generously, and the recording angel, only, knows 

 how many hearts are made light and how much pleasure we 

 bring to others by a handful of our flowers. 



TEACH THE YOUNG TO ENJOY FRUITS AND 

 FLOWERS. 



Professor Elijah Cook of \'assalboro followed Mrs. Toby in 

 an earnest and interesting talk, his subject being the importance 

 of teaching the 3'oung the care and to love fruits and flowers. 

 He spoke of the power of influence in changing the haliits and 

 thoughts of children to high and noble purposes. He spoke of 

 the influence for the bad by the perusal by children of some 

 forms of literature of the day. He spoke of the evils of intem- 

 perance and the use of tobacco, but the influence of pernicious 

 literature was worse than either. Gave an example of a boy in 

 New York who was now in prison for the committal of a crime 

 induced by reading yellow-covered novels. 



Instances were given to show the power of influence to higher 

 and better living in the young. The influence of the ethical side 

 of flowers and plants in the home was great. The demands of 

 the soul which lives forever should be met in the young in the 

 home. 



A flower is a thought. A landscape is a picture. Every 

 forest is a fairy land. Every child should have its thoughts 

 turned to these pictures of ennobling influences. 



We should teach our boys and girls to love the flowers and 

 fruit and their cultivation. There is something to be learned all 

 the time. There is beauty in fruit. Then we want the best. 

 It doesn't pay to do things by halves, but it does pay to produce 

 the best. 



