THE SCIENCE OF GARDENING. 25 



session of such animals as they could catch, and for the 

 spontaneous fruits of the earth. Without agriculture 

 there would be no bond of security or love of country ; 

 it is, in all countries, the purest source of public 

 prosperity. 



One of the greatest of all the sources of enjoyment 

 resulting from the possession of a garden, is the endless 

 variety which it affords, both in the processes of vegeta- 

 tion as it goes forward to maturity, dormancy, or decay, 

 and in the almost innumerable kinds of plants which 

 may be raised, even in the smallest garden. Add to it a 

 small greenhouse, what a source of-pleasure and instruc- 

 tion does it not hold out to the amateur ? Exactly in 

 proportion as the outdoor work becomes less urgent the 

 indoor operations become more numerous. The amuse- 

 ments and the products which a small glass house affords 

 in the hands of an expert or an ingenious amateur are 

 almost without end. Labor in dealing with inanimate 

 objects has not that enticement and recreation about it 

 which is ever present to him who, aiding nature, wit- 

 nesses the results of daily toil in living plants changing 

 their forms and colors day by day. Thus, there is a 

 deal of enjoyment to be derived from the different oper- 

 ations of gardening, independently altogether of the 

 health resulting from the exercise. 



Investigation into any one of the principles of vege- 

 table growth will develop another, and they, in time, 

 will be found so intimately connected with all the allied 

 branches of natural science as to create a desire.f or fur- 

 ther knowledge of what before were mysteries, but which 

 the intelligence of the present age has developed into 

 science. A well-cultivated garden will awaken inquiry, 

 and start trains of thought and study which otherwise 

 would not be pursued. The close observer will desire to 

 make microscopic observations of the germination of 

 plants, of the growth of fungi, of insect life ; and here 



