The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-05-29
A Garden.

Every man, however limited his means,
should contrive to have and cultivate q
garden. There are three strong reasons
for it:
1. Working in garden is highly con-
ducive to health. The exercise is gentle;
it is united with a.. '!:cment, and by it
both the body and the spirits are invig-
Grated. There is something in the odor
of the earth that strengthens the whole
system. Let the sedentary man take up
the pruning knife and spend an hour of
the dewy morning amongst his vines, or
the spade, hoe or rake and prepare or
work over his asparagus, lettuce or rad
ish beds, and he will thus give tone and
vigor to his body and his mind for the
severe studies of his desk. The teacher
will teach all the better; the minister
will preach all the better for the mind
exercise which the garden gives. For
this natural employment of the bones
and muscles of the system an hour or
two's practice in the gymnasium is but
miserable substitute, since the health
imparting exhalations from the ground,
as we'll as the interest and variety are
wanting.
2. The garden is teacher. There
Nature is ever at work, producing her
most beautiful forms and transforma-
tions. No man can witness attentively
the termination of the seed, the uprising
of tie blade, the unfolding of the flower.
the maturing of the fruit, without at the
same time becoming wiser, nobler, and
better. The vegetable, the mineral
kindoms here meet and work together.
To the curious every step in this work.
ing offers something fresh for meditation.
Why, for instance, does the plumula as
cend? Why does it incline toward the
sun? Why does it assume this or that
tint? Why does the sap arise in it ?
Why does this plant take to this kind of
nutriment, another to that? Why is
thorn given to this vegetable, an acrid
Juice to this and honey to that? Why
does the dandeion shoot forth in the
spring and the aster in the autumn ? Why
is this leaf orhicular, this heart-shaped,
this fnger.shaped, this needle-shaped?
Why is this plant medicinal, this poison
GUS? Why is this flower fragrant, this
scentless? And thousand other curl
GUS questions constantly arise to awaken
thought.
8. The garden is source of profit. I
have known man who realized as much
from what he sold from his garden OF
one-half acre, as his hard-working brother
did from what he sold from his farm OF
more than one hundred acres. 1t is said
that s. man consumes about sixteen hun
dred pounds of food per annum. How
much of this could and should come
from the garden? 81 can buy my vege-
tables" says one standing by, and who
calls in the doctor frequently, "cheaper
than I can raise them" Not so, indeed,
I answer, if you take into account the
health and instruction impaired by the
garden. Then it is 80 delightful to
see your own lettuce, radishes, toma-
toes, melons, peas, beans ar sweet corn
growing. It is 30 pleasant to go out and
pick with your own hands your own cur
rants, grapes, pears and peaches. And
what if you happen to raise few such
things to give away to your poor neigh.
Dor Does it not all come infor profit?
A garden then promotes your health,
imparts instruction and greatly helps to
sustain your table. It helps other peo-
pie also. Some things you can afford to
do without, but I see not how you can
live really happy life without a garden.
Do you2-Cor. Ger. Telegraph.