STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 95 



a few flowers. She does enjoy their company but needs to know 

 more about plant culture to rightly enjoy theai. 



Children too, love to care for sooae plant, often displacing more 

 real affection in doing it, than would be thought possible. Care for 

 flowers tiings out the finer senses, makes loving hearts more loving 

 and many a lonely moment of later years is made tolerable by 

 tender associations brought to mind b}' some flower cherished in 

 childhood. Ladies and children are not alone in the cultivation of 

 plants ; the men are often admirers as well, but far too seldom. 

 The subject doesn't seem grand enough for many of them. But a 

 nickel or dime is spent for a chew or smoke and it's all right. In 

 man}' cases if the wife or child had the pennies to buy seeds, plants 

 or flowers, where the lord of the house spends dollars for what dulls 

 his senses, the home would be far happier and more attractive. 



J^ow, in order to enjoy the floral world more we must know more 

 about it, and we are supplied with much good material for this 

 needed knowledge, if we would grasp it. The plant, seed and 

 implement catalogues that flood the country are a direct means of 

 very reliable information and are good reading, containing as they 

 do, cultural directions for nearly every variety offered for sale. 

 The vast amount of information given the public in this way can 

 never be estimated. Strictly first-class horticultural journals are 

 a great help and some that may be gleaned from on the subject, in 

 newspapers and magazines, bat in many cases with the latter, it 

 can be seen the writer knew very little about the subject under con- 

 sideration, but for pay or glory has tried to say something and has 

 only effected misleading statements. 



Then nearly all can procure Gray's small botany ''How Plants 

 Grow," from this can be learned the general laws that govern plant 

 growth and cannot help being beneficial. "Gardening for Pleasure," 

 * '•Gardening lor Profit," "Practical Floriculture," and "Hand book 

 of Plants," b}' the late Peter Henderson, are invaluable aids. 



Fairs and exhibitions, where greenhouse products form a part, are 

 all aids in this line. Frequent visits to well ordered greenhouse 

 establishments are educational. Florists are benefited this wa}' as 

 well as others. Then much more can be learned by putting in 

 practice the ideas gained by reading. Our Agricultural Colleges, 

 State Agricultural societies and J^speriment Stations are all aiding 

 to diffuse this knowledge, and right here our Pomological Society is 

 the potent factor. And let me suggest that each one here expend 



