The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-07-22
houses think it is not worth while to decor.

travaSant price VINO postpones year after year
the planting of them. The true policy is to
begin at once such improvements as required,
years before they can yield use and enjoy
ment. When the contemplated new house is
built, or tile old one rejuvenated, the owner
may enter upon the occupancy of it without
delay and it at once becomes to him all, in
physical sense, it can ever be. Not so with the
garden and orchard. After trees are planted
much time must elapse before they fulfil their
promise o. fruit and shade, to compensate the
toll of the planter; a tree cannot become full
grown in single season, as house does, and
adding to the time which must transpre be-
tween planting and fruiting, an intention to
set out trees when every thing else is done in
wolves kind of double waiting; the latter
and necessary term of which can be passed
into comparative contentment and satisfac
ton because spent in substantial and constant
ly increasing expectation, while the former, so
far as the realization of fruit is concerned, is
mere idle, useless, ,spiritless delay. ..
g Amongst our farming population there is
very general lack of knowledge concerning
the nicer parts of gard eniny and besides, the
press of some work is so great in summer that
the garden usually receives but little atten-
ton. These facts suggest the propriety of
establishing amongst us schools of horticul-
ture in which the pupils should be taught
practically all branches of common and orna-
mental gardening, the object being to qualify
them to earn a livelihood by their skill, and
to disseminate amongst The rural population,
generally such instructions concerning their
art as cannot be easily gained by mere theo-
retical teachings. The country might afford
abundant encouragement to as many accom-
plished gardeners as several such schools
could qualify. Indeed, skillful gardener
would doubtless find pretty constant employ
ment in nearly every thickly settled neigh
hood, to the advantage of himself and the
community. The impulse which the infu-
ence ofsuch class would give to amateur
gardening, beside cultivating the taste of the
| people, would do much toward increasing the
attachment of the young to their homes. If
farmers who wish to keep their sons with
them would encourage them to plant thus
and make other Improvements about the
homestead, instead of teaching them in ef-
feet, to regard it as of one only to make mon
ley out Of, they would not so often as they
are be left alone in their old age. If he had
done but little towards beautifying his home
and making it a pleasant spot, the little would
embitter the necessity of leaving it. Who
would not sadly give 0 stranger the own
ership of the trees and vines which his own
hands have planted and reared? Ia.sl..
\. It may that some have come to attach a
very narrow meaning to the terms useful, and
beautiful The idea seems to be that the
word useful is to be applied properly only to
such things as contribute directly to the sup
port OF animal life-things that are necessary
to be eaten, drank or worn, and this quality OF
usefulness excludes all character of ornament.
On the other hand, we distinguish an orna-
mental object calculated to give pleasure
rather than to afford the means of living, ana
to such we deny the merit otusefulness. The
impression prevails that in so far as thing is
useful, it is really not ornamental, but con-
venint. But Nature is beautiful; be it a
face, a picture, flower, a jewel, or q song, 1T
is, by its very power of giving pleasure, decid-
edfy useful. Man was not made to live by
bread alone; his sense Of seeing, and his ca
paeity of receiving pleasure through sight, are
as worthy Of his qualification as his craving
for agreeable food so too the delight afforded
by harmonious sounds, and the satisfaction
experienced by smelling sweet odors are
amongst the present pleasures we enjoy; and
as their tendency is to elevate and refine, they
are eminently deserving the praise of useful
ness. Again, the useful is often in respect to
the very thing in which its usefulness consists,
highly ornamental. Is not tree loaded
with fine golden or crimson fruit in autumn,
as truly beautiful as one whose only merit is
in good looks? And is not vine, filled with
purple clusters of grapes, as pleasing to the
eye as another covered with blossoms? II
apple, pear and plum trees produced fruit good
only to be looked at, they wonld be universally
cultivated for ornament. In keeping with
this idea of beauty and utility is the noticn
that the rare is worthy of admiration
A taste governed by this circumstance of
scarcity and difficulty of attainment, would
wonder how poets, usually supposed to be the
most fastidious ofmortals, could find beauty
in anything so common as hollyhocks yet we
are told that Wordsworth was very partial to
them and had long rows of them planted near
his dwelling. '. 'D''-' -
Nothing looks more dismal and hopeless
fhop fn 10 ociIa oil y,la -
provement because they are growing DID,
Even middle aged man, especially if not en-
ioying sound health may think there is but
little inducernent of q merely selfish nature
for him to- make important changes in his
farm, orchard or garden; and if he imposes
such a task on himself he is apt to think well
'of his benevolence and disinterestedness in
taking so much trouble for others. But If he
will look about, he will find, now and then, a
heroic grey haired person of twice bis years
expecting to realize the fruits Of recent kim
dred labors. And who knows but this very
expectations of living tends to prolong life
Is it merely for romantic effect that poets and
novelists when they have occasion to intro
duce character Of the "horticulturar, pro-
fession, invariably style him the old gardener.
Poets are understood to be persons of the
deepest insight; and do they not see that the
many and constantly increasing interests con-
nected with youthful vegetable life that claim
the attention Of the cultivator of fruits and
flowers, serve to keep both the mind and body
active and vigorous?l that a daily view Of the
prosperity of the objects Of his care, keeps
alive the expectation of seeing them reach
perfection; and that death reluctantly disap-
points such hopes? If then we are not gem
erous enough to undertake improvements for
others benefit, let us do it as a reason for
prolonsing our own lives; let us, if we would
live long, do something each day, the issue of
which we may have in anticipation; let us as
long as we live, plant trees and vines and
study books as if we were just beginning life,
and had the prospect OF many years before
us. TRAxI.
The PRINCE T,IPERIAL.-John w. Forney,
in a letter from Paris, describes the appear
ance of the Prince Imperial on the occasion of
the distribution of prizes at the Exposition:
-