116 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1895. 



over, and uumerous new foreign species have been introduced. 

 Many of the fragments, however, still exist; and these might be 

 gathered, and so planted and arranged as to become, year after year, 

 of greater and greater practical value for the enjoyment and educa- 

 tion of the city. The trees should be planted so as to show their 

 characteristic forms of growth, both iu the close forest and in the 

 open glade ; and the garden could thus be given both the charm of the 

 forest and the beauty of grouping that we found in the garden of 

 Antwerp. Each tree, shrub and herb should be given as nearly as 

 possible just the sort of ground and location and surroundings that 

 it would choose for itself in its native haunts. Of course this would 

 conflict somewhat with the grouping together of related species and 

 genera. These should, as far as possible, be grouped naturally 

 together for easy comparison, and each should be plainly labelled. A 

 generous compromise between the demands of a rigid science and those 

 of art and nature Will conduce to the real good of the whole. 



Does it pay to teach botany and zoology in the schools? If it 

 does, why either stuff it in or dole it out in desiccated book cultures 

 and homoeopathic doses? thereby making all who are treated immune 

 from botany or zoology for the rest of their lives. The real thing 

 taken in full strength, "straight," and plenty of it, is what we need. 

 Let the children live in actual botany, go on a botanical drunk, if you 

 please, for a week at a time. They never could altogether forget or 

 utterly despise their botany after even one such bout. Take the 

 time, when as Milton says, "In those vernal seasons of the year, 

 when the air is calm and pleasant, it were an injury and sullenness 

 against nature not to go out, and see her riches, and partake in her 

 rejoicings with heaven and earth." How many days of " injury and 

 sullenness" can we not recall, cooped up in a dusty school-room 

 through the rare days of June or October. 



Who should plant and care for this garden, do you ask? Under 

 proper direction, let the school-children themselves take a liberal share 

 in it. The one thousand species of plants in "Worcester County would 

 step into place as though the "Brownies" were at work. And you could 

 rest assured that no child who has put forth real effort in its behalf, 

 who has scoured the hills for some rare plant and set it out in the 

 kin( <if place he found it growing in, will ever raise his hand to 

 injure my specimen in the garden. 



For he sake of science and general culture, I should wish to have 

 the native llora attended to first. After this the claims of horticul- 

 ture, strictly speaking, might be considered. Worcester has too 



