12() MASSACHUSETTS HORTICUI.TUR.y:. SOCIETY. 



sion of iuquiry regarding instriictiou in phj'sical aud natural 

 sciences, he says: — .... "The garden of the Normal 

 School should alwa3'S have a nursery of fruit trees, and a square 

 reserved which we will call the school of Botany. The pupils will 

 themselves graft the trees in the nursery from their entry into the 

 school, under the direction of a capable gardener ; they will thus 

 learn during their three years' course, to train the trees of the 

 garden. They will familiarize themselves with the most usual 

 processes of pruning, and, without a great effort of memory, they 

 will come to know the species of fruit ti'ees which succeed best in 

 the region, — those which, for the general good, should be propa- 

 gated and made known. Later, when the Normal pupil has 

 become a teacher in a rural community, and shall have a garden, 

 he will take to the school some of the trees which he had formerly 

 grafted, aud will transplant them into his little orchard. We 

 wish, in short, to reach this result — that the teacher's garden may 

 be the best kept garden of the town, that it may serve as a type 

 and example. Our country" people are opposed to all ideas of 

 reform aud of progress when presented as theory aud pure science, 

 j^et they will become zealous imitators and obedient disciples when 

 example is added to precept — when they are presented with results 

 obtained, — with palpable facts. If the teacher obtains fine fruits 

 and good vegetables in his garden, we are sure that the farmers of 

 the neighborhood will not delay in adopting his processes ; that 

 they will take his advice ; that they will ask him for grafts, and 

 that soon, and without the need of any other propaganda, good 

 processes of arboriculture will become general. "We can cite 

 several departmeuts in which, thanks to the happy initiative of the 

 teachers, the wealth of the country has increased from year to 

 year, and from which the exportation of fine fruit has become the 

 source of considerable profit. 



" The little school of botau}', during all the pleasant season, will 

 furnish to the teachers and pupils the living plants necessary for 

 lessons aud for practical work. 



' ' TVhat we have just said regarding arboriculture applies as Avell 

 to market gardening. It is no more ditficult, in a soil properly 

 prepared, to produce good vegetables than good fruits. It is 

 always during his residence in the Normal school that the future 

 teacher will become acquainted with the traditions of intelligent 

 practice. We note, as excellent to adopt, the custom followed in 



