NATURE-STUDY PROPERTY 151 



differences of opinion are valuable to set people to inves- 

 tigating and exercising their judicial powers. 



I will give for some of the standard fruits only those 

 that are scaled 10 for quality, i.e., the very best known 

 and of such preeminent excellence as to deserve the mark, 

 with a few others for comparison. (See next page.) 



While it may not seem worth while to a child to try to 

 rear a peach tree, grapevine, or other fruit, knowing as 

 little as he does about them, give him the idea that this is 

 the best thing of its kind in the world, and await the result. 



In case the children have no fruit trees of their own, 

 which, I regret to say, will generally be the case, it may 

 take two or three years to get this work well under way.^ 

 But the school may be a great means of inducing children 

 to get things of their own, of helping them to secure the 

 varieties they wish, and it may furnish the natural chan- 

 nels through which scions, cuttings, buds, seeds, and 

 plants may be distributed and exchanged throughout the 

 neighborhood. Horticultural exhibits and fairs may be 

 utilized for studying varieties to excellent advantage. 



Next to study of varieties of fruits comes naturally 

 the knowledge of best soil, treatment, care, food supply, 



1 Every home garden is, of course, a garden of " bests " in accordance 

 with its owner's knowledge and tastes. Too often, however, it is filled 

 with such comparatively worthless things as to awaken no interest on the 

 part of children and to give the impression that they are not worth taking 

 care of. But in every neighborhood some one may be found who knows 

 something about these things and has the best garden and orchard of the 

 vicinity in at least certain features. Get his permission to take the class, 

 giving all assurance that nothing shall be stepped on or injured, to his 

 garden when various fruits are in their prime, or when instructive work is 

 going on, — pruning, fertilizing, grafting, budding, etc. I can see you 

 smile at this, but try it. 



