190 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
definition of a continent, peninsula, is¬ 
land, or isthmus is, he knows however, 
that oranges and alligators are found in 
Florida, that “Uncle Sam” is cutting a 
big ditch at Panama; that monkeys, cof¬ 
fee, jaguars and India rubber come from 
South America. 
We do not appreciate the capacity of 
our children for facts,—they care little 
for the reasons, but want facts,—these 
should be given as fully as possible. 
Rules mean but little to children, facts 
much. 
How many of you remember the old 
“Murray’s Grammar?” with its pages of 
rules,—which we “learned by heart” and 
did not understand, (and don’t yet). The 
old “Davies” or “Todd’s” arithmetic, 
with its rules and terms,—all Greek to 
us then, and to most of us now. 
We did know (when the teacher, or 
our parents told us) that certain con¬ 
struction of sentences, or certain words 
were not correct. We learned good lan¬ 
guage from hearing it spoken. 
We now teach grammar and arithme¬ 
tic almost unconsciously, by absorption 
we might say. 
The same may be said of science, or 
“applied common sense,”—the facts 
which experience, and experiment have 
proved to be facts, governed by natural 
laws. 
How many of us members of the Hor¬ 
ticultural Society, would have avoided 
serious mistakes, expensive in time and 
money, had we as children been taught 
a few facts, as to the composition and 
use of fertilizers,—why they were neces¬ 
sary, and for what purpose applied; the 
functions of nitrogen, phosphates, and 
potash, in the plant economy? 
How many of us have had to learn by 
experience, more or less expensive, the 
facts well known to the scientist of the 
day? though forty years ago he knew 
little more than the average pupil of the 
common school does now. 
There is little chance to teach agricul¬ 
tural science, (and art), to the adult 
farmer; barring the Farmers’ Institute, 
there is no efficient method of reaching 
him. However, teach these facts to the 
children, furnish them with authentic 
and trustworthy text-books, and very 
soon the parent will himself absorb a 
very considerable part of the sciences. 
It has been said, “The education of the 
child should begin in the cradle,” no 
greater truth was ever spoken. 
“The child is father to the man,” and 
on his early training depends the future 
citizenship of the country,—while teach¬ 
ing the child,—the common school pupil, 
—the rudimentary truths, facts and laws, 
of science,—“nature study,”—by simple 
statements of facts, with little discussi©n, 
rules, or reasons,—put before him in an 
interesting manner in the shape of nar¬ 
ratives or storks, illustrating the subject; 
together with simple experiments and il¬ 
lustrations, we unconsciously, but none 
the less certainly, teach the parent many 
truths, and broaden his conception of his 
calling. For rest assured, that whatever 
deeply interests the child at school, is 
discussed at home,—commented on and 
digested to a degree, not generally under¬ 
stood nor allowed for. 
Why have our children’s imaginations 
excited, their faith in the wisdom or 
truthfulness of their teacher,—and text¬ 
books lessened, by such tales as the “Ad¬ 
ventures of Sinbad the Sailor,” “Gul¬ 
liver’s Travels,” “Don Quixote,”—inter¬ 
esting and exciting to the imaginative, 
and credulous mind of the child,—and 
other equally useless, in fact, injurious 
matter; used in the schoolroom? When 
equally choice and interesting reading 
