366 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
tory of all nations that have passed and gone we find the 
individual acquisitions of fortunes and the things that in¬ 
dividuals did for themselves never helped mankind in 
general. 
Scientists teach us that when men first began to think 
they made signs and could not talk and that it took more 
than 160,000 years for man to learn to use his vocal or¬ 
gans so that he would not have to make signs, and they 
say that when we look into the faces of our children we 
can see the accumulated experiences of thousands and 
thousands of years, all transmitted by inheritance to the 
children. If all this he true—that we are enjoying the 
experiences of all the ages that have preceded us—then 
how necessary it is for us to propeily preserve and trans¬ 
mit al of these things to our posterity. In other words, 
the history of civilization is only the history of past ex¬ 
periences. There are millions of things we enjoy to-day 
that our ancestors never heard of, and there are millions 
of things that we have never heard of that our posterity 
will enjoy. St. Paul said that it behooves us “to strive 
for this reason we are called together that we may tell 
each other of our experiences. Associations are mu¬ 
tually helpful, they enable us to benefit by each others 
experiences. The government bulletins enable the 
farmer to profit by the experiences of others. 
When a man becomes interested in his business he 
works at it all the time and his mind is on it. We all 
cannot see things alike and some will gain exi)eriences 
that others will not think of, and so it is with the nursery 
business. 
The great work of mankind is to learn how to cope 
with the forces of nature. Things that we know now 
and take as commonplace were regarded by our ancestors 
as miraculous, all because they did not know. And as 
mankind progresses they will learn many things not 
dreamed of today. 
Men in the nursery business, who are really interested, 
meet together each year and discuss the ways and means 
of propagating trees and tell their experiences with the 
different problems that have arisen and the whole coun- 
“An ideal spot to hold a convention” 
Signal Mountain Inn, Chattanooga, Tenn. 
on towards perfection,” although we will never reach it. 
Ages ago our ancestry knew nothing of the nursery 
business. They knew nothing of botany and- forestry, 
and cared less. The fruits that they enjoyed came to 
them in a wild state. But as man progressed and 
learned a little more he found that these different fruits 
could be domesticated, could be cultivated and would 
double their yields, and on through the ages they have 
kept on improving the different plants. 
Our nurseiymen know of diseases and of breeding and 
propagating and of different things that those who have 
gone before never dreamed of. They have learned that 
the cultivation of apple and peach orchards are not so 
much a matter of luck as it is knowing how to do it. 
They have learned that spraying trees will prevent the 
fruit from being wormy and faulty. All these things 
are the result of experience; and when one man finds out 
something that the others do not know he owes it to hu¬ 
manity in general to let his fellow workers know it, and 
try benefits. Making money is a mere incident to the 
nursery business. It is a science and should be studied 
by all in this manner. Lawyers, preachers, and doctors 
have associations, and when men are interested in their 
work they certainly derive a great benefit from discuss¬ 
ing it with others. 
Let a school-boy want an education and you will see 
him studying his books and burning the midnight oil. 
Ills mind is on the subject, and he will discuss it with 
everybody because he is imbued with that idea. Let a 
preacher have religion—real religion—in his bones, and 
no matter what denomination he may belong to he will 
help humanity in general. He will let it be made known 
ami it does not take a philosopher to see that that man 
has religion. So it is with nurserymen ; if they are real 
nurserymen the financial side will not dominate their 
business to the extent of making them forget what they 
owe to their brother nurserymen. Of course the finances 
are to be reckoned with, but their ideas should be co-op- 
