CHAPTER II. 



FRUIT-TREES AND GRASS. 



ris a happy proof of our civilization that a 

 dwelling-place, a shelter from sun and storm, 

 does not constitute a home. Even the modest 

 rooms of our mechanics are not furnished with 

 useful articles merely; ornaments and pictures 

 appear quite as indispensable. Out-of-doors the 

 impulse to beautify is even stronger; and usually 

 the purchaser's first effort is to make his place 

 attractive by means of trees and shrubs that are 

 more than useful, they are essential ; because the 

 refined tastes of men and women to-day demand 

 them. 



In the first chapter I endeavored to satisfy this 

 demand in some degree, and now will ask the 

 reader's attention to a few practical suggestions 

 in regard to several of the fruits which best sup- 

 ply the family need. We shall find, however, that 

 while Nature is prodigal in supplying what appeals 

 to the palate and satisfies hunger, she is also like a 

 graceful hostess who decks her banquet with all the 

 beauty that she can possibly bestow upon it. We 



