26 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
November, 1918 
Lectures on Horticulture, Pre- 
pared by E. S. Goff. 
Our older members revere the 
memory of E. S. Goff, one time 
professor of Horticulture in the 
University of Wisconsin, who died 
in 1902. 
It was the rare privilege of the 
editor to be associated with Prof. 
Goff* for almost eleven years and 
at his death to come into pos- 
session of the larger part of his 
library. 
Some time ago in looking over 
some neglected pamphlets there 
was found pencil written copies 
of a series of lectures on horticul- 
ture prepared in 1889 or 1890, but 
not completed as indicated by 
certain supplementary notes. 
While these are not of the high 
order of his later works, being 
prepared for his first classes, they 
are so distinctive of the Goff* of 
later years that the editor feels no 
hesitation in publishing them : the 
first of the series follows : 
Definition of Horticulture. 
Horticulture may be broadly 
defined as the knowledge of rear- 
ing fruits, vegetables and orna- 
mental plants. The word is de- 
rived from two Latin wn-ds, hor- 
tus, a garden and cultura, culture. 
It means, therefore, garden cul- 
ture, or the knowledge of culti- 
vating gardens. In this country 
we apply the term garden espe- 
cially to a piece of ground devot- 
ed to the culture of vegetables, 
but so far as I know, this is the 
only country that so restricts it. 
The oriental idea of the garden 
included what we distinguished as 
the orchard and lawn. The word 
horticulture may therefore in its 
broadest signification, very prop- 
erly include the culture of fruits, 
fruit and shade trees and orna- 
mental plants. 
Its Advantages as an Occupation 
Considered as an occupation, 
horticulture possesses advantages 
which need only to be rated at 
their real worth, to render it a 
most attractive field of Labor. 
Among these advantages may 
be mentioned, first, considered 
from the business standpoint, the 
pursuit of almost any branch of 
Horticulture offers a tolerably 
certain means of gaining a liveli- 
hood. It is true that the success 
of all crops grown from the soil 
is, to a certain extent, dependent 
upon conditions beyond human 
control; it is also true that pro- 
ducts of Horticulture must stand 
upon their own merits in the mar- 
kets of the world the same as 
those of other occupations. But 
the unquestionable testimony of 
statistics clearly shows that a far 
greater percentage of those who 
embark in practical horticulture 
prove successful in providing for 
themselves a comfortable liveli- 
hood than of those who engage in 
mercantile or manufacturing oc- 
cupations. I will mention a few 
examples of what energetic young 
men have accomplished in a busi- 
ness point of view, in the field of 
horticulture, and that without 
specially favorable conditions. 
What these men have done, there 
are no good reasons why others 
may not do, by pursuing their 
methods. And I may add that 
without their methods, success in 
almost any other department of 
business would have been impos- 
sible. 
Messrs. G. H. and J. II. Hale, of 
So. Glastonbury, Conn., two 
brothers, with their widowed 
mother, commenced growing 
small fruits about 1868 on a small 
worn-out New England farm 
worth not more than $4,000. They 
were obliged to run in debt for 
tools, horses and manure. They 
have supported themselves in the 
meantime, and have so far im- 
proved their farm that its mar- 
ket value is now at least $20,000, 
besides providing themselves with 
many home luxuries such as 
horses, carriages, etc. They now 
not only cultivate their original 
farm but have leased fifty-two ad- 
ditional acres, all of which is now 
devoted to fruit culture. Their 
gross income the past season, 
from peaches alone was $21,000. 
This is not a phenomenal growth 
in wealth you may say, truly, but 
it is the story of a healthy, mod- 
erately rapid development as the 
result of industry, frugality and 
business tact. Quoting Mr. Hale’s 
own words from a recent private 
letter, “My own idea is that 
brains and muscle in horticulture 
will give any young man always 
fair cash returns, but better still, 
a more pleasant, happy homelife 
and work than can be found in 
any other occupation.” 
I might multiply examples but 
this is unnecessary. Scattered all 
through the length and breadth 
of our land are beautiful homes, 
supplied with all the necessaries 
and all the wholesome luxuries of 
life that have grown up through 
the slow but comparatively sure 
profits accruing from horticultur- 
al pursuits. And 1 might also add 
instances where great wealth has 
been accumulated from the same 
sources. One of the wealthiest 
capitalists of the city of Roches- 
ter, the Hon. Patrick Barry, for 
many years vice president of the 
American Pomological Society, 
and author of Barry’s Fruit Gar- 
