A LESSON FROM PLANT LIFE 
The Home is the foundation of our civilization. The behavior of the father and the mother, 
observed by the children, is the influencing factor which molds the future of the family. 
Here in the West our grandparents opened a new national frontier. The territory was not easily 
won. The struggle to establish a foothold was a hard one requiring sacrifices almost beyond 
our modern comprehension. Yet through these strug¬ 
gles and because of them, that generation learned 
to take pleasure in its work, and to properly enjoy 
the fruits of its labor. Hard work, and "keeping con¬ 
stantly at it" produced satisfying results. 
You may well ask: "What has this to do with plant 
life?" It is our conviction that this lesson finds its 
counterpart today in the life cycle of growing plants 
and trees, and that regular contact with it is a 
strengthening influence for the entire family. 
If it were possible for plants to talk, you would be 
surprised to find that in many ways they are strik¬ 
ingly like ourselves. As an example consider the 
oldest livings things on earth, our great California 
Redwoods. They have survived not only because the 
parent trees have developed a remarkable ability 
to protect their offspring, but equally important, they 
have allowed the young trees to "fight their own bat¬ 
tles" in the struggle for existence. 
Parents frequently say that they do not want their 
children to experience the hardships which they 
themselves endured to create a comfortable home. 
Yet without these hardships, even with all the en¬ 
lightened guidance now available, it is difficult to 
teach life's lessons. We often see gardens surrounded 
by fences, so "the children will not ruin the flowers." 
I suppose it happens in almost every family that 
youngsters reach the stage where they feel that 
flowers were created for their own special benefit, to 
pick or trample as they see fit. A reasonable amount 
of patience on the parents' part will correct these 
destructive tendencies. If properly encouraged, chil¬ 
dren soon learn to love working in the garden with 
father and mother. When intelligently explained, the 
changes that come with the seasons and years be¬ 
come exciting adventures, constantly something new 
to see and learn. Children acquire an appreciation 
of beauty, too, and discover that rich rewards fol¬ 
low when proper care and attention have been given. 
Trees and plants react to care very much in the way 
that humans do. If "coddled" and given too much 
attention, they become weak and an easy prey to 
the elements. We have all seen a plant that has 
been over-fertilized appear to flourish, only to suffer 
and perhaps die the first night a sharp frost occurs; 
whereas other plants that have received only a nor¬ 
mal amount of watering, fertilizing and cultivation 
are better able to resist adverse weather conditions. 
Here truly, one of life's most important lessons is 
graphically portrayed—and another lesson which 
children are quick to understand when they observe 
nature's laws at work in the garden is that there is 
no such thing as "something for nothing." 
We have been talking about lessons to be learned in 
the garden. Now let us go a little farther afield, and 
get out on the farm. The same lessons are to be 
learned in the orchard. For the first two or three years 
the young orchard must be adequately protected, 
while trees establish themselves in their new sur¬ 
roundings. After that they require only a normal 
amount of attention: pruning, spraying, fertilizing, 
cultivating, and irrigation. Just as disaster follows 
neglect, so too if any of these things are overdone, 
the trees (like people) begin to seek "something for 
nothing." They lose their native hardiness, they 
cease to struggle, the roots do not develop and reach 
out for nourishment. One morning the orchardist is 
likely to wake up and find out that his over-nurtured 
trees have suffered damage from the elements while 
his neighbor's trees, with normal care, have been 
able to resist this adverse condition. 
Take your children into the garden with you. If you 
are a fruit grower, let them see at first hand the 
working of nature's laws. Let them learn through the 
care of trees and plants that results in life come in 
proportion to the effort expended. Give them some 
responsibility of their own. Interested children are 
good children. More important, children with an ap¬ 
preciation for beauty and a respect for work are best 
qualified to live a full, well rounded life later. 
Gardening is not alone of value as a source of guid¬ 
ance for the youngsters. The true companionship of 
a happy man and wife finds expression in gardening 
—meet them when they are working in their garden. 
Many a single man and woman has acquired a new 
outlook on life in the garden. Few hobbies offer as 
much in healthful outdoor exercise, the mental stimu¬ 
lus of planning, and the rich returns of beauty. 
We welcome every opportunity to help you make 
your garden more beautiful and more liveable. If you 
are a commercial fruit grower, it is our desire to fur¬ 
nish you with the best trees obtainable, so that your 
orchard will be more profitable and a source of last¬ 
ing satisfaction. The company is here to serve you to 
the best of its ability—to give you full value always. 
We are deeply grateful for the increasing business 
which we are receiving each year with your help. 
But whether you are ready at the moment to buy or 
not—we want you to visit us as often as you can. 
You are always welcome. 
