THH GREENING LANDSCAPE COMPANY, MONROE, MICHIGAN 



55 



THE SPIRIT OF THE HIVE 



MAURICE MAETERLINCK says that a single bee 

 cannot make honey, for the reason that a bee 

 separated from its fellow bees is without industrial intelli- 

 gence. A bee can be productive only when working in 

 connection with other bees. This he calls the Spirit of 

 the Hive. 



This law of nature is applicable to men. Co-opera- 

 tion is the secret of accomplishment. One man by his 

 unaided effort cannot do much. There must be the feel- 

 ing of human service, the desire to help our fellow beings, 

 and abox'e all, the brooding, creative instinct. It is for 

 this reason that I have organized The Greening Landscape 

 Company and gathered about me a force of practical 

 gardeners. Each one of us by our individual efforts 

 cannot do much. We are more or less like the bereaved 

 bee that Maeterlinck tells us of ; but associated with a num- 

 ber of other gardeners we become imbued with the Spirit 

 of the Hiye, or what the German people call the " Zeit- 

 geist," and co-operation being the dominant idea the best 

 possible gardens are the result. 



A number of my friends wonder why, at my age, 

 I have undertaken the enormous labor of preparing this book for 

 publication, and by way of explanation I wish to say that my 

 nursery business and other enterprises have been very successful. 

 I have reaped the reward of honest endeavor and accumulated a 

 competence sufficient to enable me to retire from further activity 

 if I were so inclined. But a summer spent in touring Europe has 

 convinced me that America is very backward in its landscape 

 attractions, and I have set my heart on doing what little I can 

 to make my country foremost in beauty as she is now foremost 

 in industrial activity. To further this good work I have secured 

 the services of a staff of able specialists — artists, engineers, super- 

 intendents and construction foremen — who work under my direc- 

 tions ; and this operating force of experts devotes its entire time 

 and talents to making and executing designs for landscape improve- 

 ments. Like my fellow workmen, the Spirit of the Hive has 

 taken possession of my soul, and I expect to devote the rest of 

 my clays to developing a more beautiful America. I cannot con- 

 ceive of a nobler ambition for a man than to leave the world a 

 little more beautiful than he found it. 



THE HIVE 



For a front view of this building where the Spirit of the Hive prevails, see plate 



Many of these, 



31. A number of bees in the process of incubation are also shown, 

 in time, join our hive and become most enthusiastic workers. 



Hotel Tuller 



I>. AV. TTTIjIjEK, proprietor 



Detroit, Mich., Sept. 17, 1910. 



Mr. Chas. E- Greening, Monroe, Mich. 



Dear Sir: — We wish to advise yon that our Roof Garden Cafe, which 

 is at the top of our building is now open and running along very nicely 

 indeed. 



The suggestions you gave as to the floral decoration have called forth 

 nothing but praise from our guests and the beauty of the plants which 

 you furnished us, and the originality with which they have been selected 

 and distributed about the garden have certainly added to the beauty of 

 our Roof Garden, and for the assistance rendered to us, please accept our 

 thanks. The idea of a cafe filled with beautiful plants such as you fur- 

 nished us with, appeals to the people and has most certainly added to our 

 patronage. We feel sure from our own experience that a floral cafe will 

 call forth the patronage of the people. 



Again thanking you for your many kind suggestions to us as to the 

 floral decorations and choice of plants, and hoping that we can see the 

 idea become universal, we are 



Yours very truly, 



HOTEL TULLER, 



Per L. W. TuUer, Proprietor. 



