58 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Again, if we ask the florist, or the lady who cultivates 

 flowers, how they obtain such beautiful flowers, exciting such 

 exquisite sensations of pleasure Avlien presented to our view, 

 and capable of calling forth that beautiful tribute of praise 

 from our Lord, that "Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed 

 like one of these," — the reply will be, "we sow, plant and 

 grow them in good conditions, such as their physical natures 

 require." 



Now then, must we, and shall we believe and act as though 

 pomology were an exception to this never failing truth — that 

 ■we reap what we sow — or are we so superstitious and stupid 

 as to believe that Pomona (the goddess of fruit) is a respecter 

 of- persons, that she will give some, (her elect), beautiful or- 

 chards adorned with green foliage, and crimson and golden 

 fruit, on which the eye rests with pleasure and delight, while 

 to others having trees and orchards she gives nothing but pale 

 leaves, intersj^ersed with dead, unsightly branches? It is not 

 so ! There is no such god or goddess in the whole realm of 

 nature. To all Pomona speaks in gentle accents, "make the 

 conditions good, in harmony with my laws, care for and feed 

 your trees and orchards with good food elements every year, 

 in proportion to their size, age and ability to bear fruit ; co- 

 operate with your desires for fruit, and put your shoulders to 

 the wheel, then come and ofl'er at my shrine and I will help 

 thee." 



Now then, let no man attempt to plant and raise an orchard 

 till he is ready to give his trees that care he knows to be 

 requisite to produce an abundant crop of corn or potatoes. 

 The apple and pear tree now must have care in all their 

 stages of growth, from the planted seed to the mature tree, 

 yielding its ten barrels of fruit. 



Chemical science has developed the fact, that if you put 

 enough plant food into good ordinary soil, tx> produce a cer- 

 tain crop, you can obtain that crop. If 3'ou put upon an acre 

 enough plant food to produce one hundred bushels of corn, 

 you can raise that amount. Then, of course, this truth holds 

 good in raising fruit, as well — "we gather what we sow." 



