Human Resources in Horticulture 
L. H. Bailey, Ithaca, N. Y. 
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : 
It is a great responsibility that one feels 
in speaking to an audience on horticul¬ 
tural matters when one has little personal 
knowledge of the region; and particularly 
after an introduction which leads the audi¬ 
ence to expect much. It is some support 
for a speaker, however, to have his pro¬ 
gram and his subject laid out for him, as 
I read in the papers that I am to speak on 
“The Twentieth Century Horticulturist.” 
If I were to take this for my theme before 
this society, remembering the men and 
women who have made the progress in 
Florida horticulture, I should say, “Be¬ 
hold ! here is the exhibit.” 
I prefer to speak on “The Human Re¬ 
sources in Horticulture,” rather than on 
the products of horticulture as ordinarily 
understood. These human resources are 
much the same in all parts of the country, 
whereas the crop products may differ re¬ 
markably as between Florida and New 
York and the Great West. In approach¬ 
ing this subject, I am not thinking par¬ 
ticularly of the training of children or of 
any preachment on character, although 
we all recognize the refining and restrain¬ 
ing influence of fruits and flowers on the 
ideals of good living. I shall assume the 
character-building, the results of home 
training and of horticultural work, on 
which I build my theme. 
While we all recognize the great in¬ 
fluence of association with growing plants, 
it is not necessary for us to assume that 
horticulture is the only occupation that 
has important'training value on the young. 
All occupations have their influence, par¬ 
ticularly when the young are brought up 
in the atmosphere of the daily work. The 
natural products of the earth ought to 
have much influence in training character 
and in directing the mental processes. I 
like to think of an oak tree or of a citrus 
tree as a moral object, because it lives 
its own life properly and regularly and 
fulfills its destiny. 
Now I am thinking of some of the 
larger human relations and also of some 
of the attitudes that our horticulturists 
should assume, to aid in the development 
of human affairs. The horticultural and 
agricultural occupations are organizing 
their affairs in a large way and in very 
close relation with many large public 
processes. These occupations are under¬ 
lying, and they have not only business 
and commercial significance but important 
relations to social, educational, political 
and other public affairs. 
I THE ENLARGED VISION 
My first suggestion is that the horticul¬ 
ture of Florida enlarges the national 
vision. Consider the continental extent 
of our country—the distance from east to 
■ 
