CHAPTER X 



YOUNG HORTICULTURISTS 



The garden is Nature's best school. As might be 

 expected from such a teacher, the accompHshmcnts 

 conferred on the zealous pupils are not showy, novel or 

 pretentious, but solid, simple and nobly essential. The 

 worthy pupil learns to love his teacher ; an acquirement 

 of itself a lifelong comfort. He is taught patience, 

 mdustry, perseverance, steadiness ; learns^hat what is 

 sown and tended must be harvested. The gardener 

 from choice is a safe man ; kind, domestic, reliable, not 

 changeable, choleric or vicious. The boy who has a 

 garden attends also the business school of the farm, 

 and absorbs skill in planning, systemizing, self-disci- 

 pline, enterprise, buying and selling ; all of which will 

 be of the utmost value in any line of life. Greatest 

 gift of all, the spring-like, all-conquering health and 

 vigor which gardening promotes more surely than any 

 other useful occupation. 



Prominent and successful gardeners have usually 

 begun their work in that line early in life. Many of 

 them began with the foundation of their business 

 already started by a father to whose experience and 

 capital they have added youthful energ}^ 



A good number of the contestants for prizes were 

 young men and boys. Unfortunately many who had 

 first-rate gardens took no prize because of some over- 

 sight or flaw in the account ; defects due to lack of 

 experience. 



A Zealous Yoiincr Gardener, George Osborne of 

 Illinois, made his half acre pay him seventy-eight 



