46 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIKTY. 



ful of beans under the tall leaves of a calla lily, and was interested 

 in a very young apple-orchard and orange grove. Whatever seeds 

 he had planted, had rewarded him with a most gratifying develop- 

 ment. 



He did not remember the flowers of the morning-glory, but he felt 

 sure that the tiny black seeds, after lying a few days in the ground, 

 would come up, fresh and green, and be more and more beautiful 

 every day. 



There is a lesson of faith as well as of patience in the planting 

 of a seed. 



One of the little gardener's vines was the first in the neighborhood 

 to bloom, and a shout greeted the crimson flower. Other flowers 

 soon gladdened the eager eyes, and there were exclamations every 

 morning, "O, see ! See these white ones ! See these purple ones ! 

 O, see the bees rolling in the pollen !" 



He plucked as many as he liked, to play with, or to give his friends. 

 They were sometimes bells and sometimes umbrellas 



Not far from the morning-glories, he had two hills of squashes. 

 Each pair of seed-leaves was welcomed with a burst of joy. Every 

 morning the growth of the previous da}' was noted ; and when, at 

 length, the soft yellow bloom appeared, the child's eyes were large 

 with wonder, and his "O, see!" brought the whole family out-of- 

 doors. What would the magic vine do next? 



In a few days one of the flowers left behind it a pretty green ball, 

 which was soon large enough to take the place of one of the lost 

 rubber balls, and it went flying about the yard till its destiny as a 

 giver of knowledge and pleasure was accomplished. 



At the end of the doorstep, the little gardener had his crowded 

 hill of beans, — "little trees," he called the separate plants. These, 

 too, were watched with his customary interest. Some of the blossoms 

 were plucked, and only three pods ripened in the autumn. But these 

 were a sufficient conclusion to the story of plant-life which he had 

 been reading all summer. 



He had regarded these pods as especial treasures, and when they 

 grew yellow, he presented them to his dearest young lady friend. 



Early in the following spring he began taking lessons in color, 

 form and numbers from the geranium blossoms. He also learned 

 some botanical terms. It is easy for a child, with his quick percep- 

 tions, bright imagination and unfailing memory, to learn even diffi- 

 cult technical terms. He likes the sound of a long word, and 



