This department is under the entire charge of Mr. Eexford, and everything not signed by 

 another name is from his pen. Headers are cordially invited to correspond freely vvith Mr. 

 Eexford, addressing him in care of this oflice. 



THE woman who grows flowers pri- 

 marily for her own pleasure ''builds 

 • l3etter than she knows." Her labor 

 bears fruit which is enjoyed by those out- 

 side her own household. Her flowers are 

 sermons which "he who runs may read," 

 and the gospel of the beautiful spreads 

 from her little garden, though she ma}" 

 hardly be conscious of it. Therefore every 

 woman who grows flowers — and what is 

 true of the woman is true of every man 

 and every child who does the same — helps 

 the community in which she lives to a 

 better appreciation of that beauty which 

 is part of the best life, by putting before 

 it these silent preachers of the gospel of 

 the beautiful. Let no one who grows 

 flowers think for a moment that what she 

 does will not afford as much pleasure to 

 others as it does to herself. , Such beauty 

 cannot be hidden under a bushel, or in 

 one's own little garden. Its light will 

 shine, and passers-by will see it, and be 

 glad because of it. Let us all be mission- 

 aries in this broad field of labor, and have 

 a flower garden. 



* * ❖ 



I would like to get the children inter- 

 -ested in flower growing, for I know what 

 safe friends flowers are. They are always 

 to be trusted. Boys and girls, have a little 

 garden of your own this year. Grow in it 

 flowers for your friends, for the sick, for 

 the church, and for those who can not 

 have a garden. The garden itself will 

 afford you a vast amount of pleasure, hut 



the pleasure you find in sharing it with 

 others will be beyond computation. A 

 blessing shared is a blessing doubled. 



^ 



The experience gained in the flower- 

 garden will be of great value to you in 

 later life, when you have homes of your 

 own. Those who can grow flowers can 

 grow vegetables, and in doing this the 

 practical benefit of the training received 

 in the flower garden is forcibly realized. 

 If there is room enough for it, I would 

 advise the boys to attempt growing veg- 

 etables in connection with flowers. This 

 will combine the esthetic and the prac- 

 tical, and each will help to heighten the 

 effect of the other. In many instances, I 

 am quite sure, the boy will find it not only 

 possible, but easy, to outdo the achieve- 

 ments of the father along this line. 



If a boy or a girl — or a man or woman, 

 for that matter — sets out to grow plants 

 of any kind, let him do so with the deter- 

 mination to be thorough in the under- 

 taking. Good results depend upon good 

 work. Learn what is needed, and see that 

 the plants get it. Xeglect, poorly done 

 work, and the waning of the enihusiasm 

 with which we set out in spring will make 

 failures of our attempts. Avoid these mis- 

 takes by undertaking only as much as you 

 Ji'now you can do well, and by holding 

 doggedly to the determination of having 

 what needs doing done as well as you can 

 possibly do it. The carrying out of this 



