24 RKCOED OF HORTICULTURE. 



Many of the catalogues issued during the past few years 

 would have been formerly considered books worthy of a 

 place in the most select library. 



These treatises, for such many of them really are, when 

 scattered broadcast over the land, often fall into the hands 

 of those who need just such aids and hints to develop a 

 latent taste for horticultural pursuits. The result may be 

 seen in the many beautiful flower-gardens, orchards, vine- 

 yards, and small fruit farms now so rapidly multiplying 

 throughout our farming districts. These catalogues, as a 

 natural consequence, form a nucleus for what eventually 

 becomes a horticultural library. Who can tell how many 

 fruit farms owe their existence to a single catalogue given 

 to some enterprising youth ? Many a fine garden and or- 

 chard have been produced solely from the instructions de- 

 rived from one of these nursery advertisements. They 

 may be considered by some as " light literature ;" but so 

 long as they contain the germ from which grow such 

 really good results, we ought not to censure their authors 

 too severely if now and then we find botanical errors and 

 egotistical self-laudations mingled with the valuable in- 

 formation which they convey to the general public. 



FRUIT-GROWING. 



The legitimate results of the nursery business is that of 

 fruit-growing. Passing from one to the other is so easy 

 and natural, that it is no wonder that many of our nur- 

 serymen, after devoting a few years to producing plants 

 for sale, retire as it were and give their energies to the 

 £?rowiniT of fruit for market. 



