STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. ■ 25 



season, it was a remarkaV)ly tine one. As to the Hower garden tlie 

 past \"ear, fVoin my own experience, wiietlier as to roses, bnlbs, 

 perennials oi- annuals, I sliouhl siw that I never remtMiiber so 

 un[)ropitious a season, cold and wet in tlie spring and very diT in 

 tlie summer. 



In all farming operations, what is there that gives greater satis- 

 faction to the farmer, than to gather a l)ountiful crop of Iruit at the 

 different seasons, that years befoi-e he planted in faith, then grafted, 

 and for year after year has been watching to see if they continued 

 erect — had an open top to admit the sun, no branches crossing one 

 anotJier, that they were well balanced and that no borers, mice or 

 caterpillars were at work to destroy all his hopes. IIovv many de- 

 prive themselves of this [)lcasure and profit, because the results are 

 not immediate, but that patient waiting for some years is necessary, 

 forgetting the familiar stor}" of the man who had alwa3's made this 

 excuse for not planting an orchard, but lived to eat fruit raised by 

 his grandson. 



Besides planting an orchard, there is another subject now exciting 

 great attention all over the world — owing to the destruction of the 

 forests what sad results have happened. The land of Palestine, in 

 the days of Bil)le history, was a land described as flowing with 

 milk and honey, now, owing solely to the destruction of the trees, 

 is a barren waste ; and such, too. is the case with many parts 

 of Spain, once so ver}- fruitful. We, perhaps, can scarcely exi)ect 

 our farmers just yet to devote much time or expense to planting 

 forest trees, l)ut when driving through the country one sees the 

 school-house with not a tree near it, exposed to the scorching ra3's 

 of the sun, and the bleak blasts of winter, and no shade for the 

 childien to enjoy at I'ecess, — and the same, too, may be said of many 

 a farmer's house — when all this could be changed at such a trifling 

 expense, it does seem passing strange. And, besides a tree or two 

 in front of the farmer's house for shade, and a clump at the north- 

 west as a protection, at what slight cost can he add a cheap porch 

 made of branches of ti'ees or of laths, and upon this train a honey- 

 suckle, a Virginia Creeper, or Clematis, or better yet a grape vine, 

 and then b}- the expenditure of two or three hours labor, make one 

 or two beds for his wife and daughters to ornament with flowers and 

 shrubs ; nothing can be more refining and civilizing than this. The 

 clearing up of trees and bushes causes springs and brooks to dry up. 

 Nearly every farm in this region has swales or gullies, and these 



