The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-04-22
FRED'S FRUIT-TREES AND GAR
DEN,

DEN.
Sc | think there never was a boy who
did not love to eat every kind of fruit!'
! This sage remark was made by Fred
Garfield to his elder brother as they
looked wistfully over the fence between
their own fruitless garden and Mr..
Black very tempting orchard, which in
the proper season produced abundantly
apples, pears, grapes, peaches, plums,
aprcots and all the small fruits known
to the intelligent gardener. Just at that
moment Mr. Black himself appeared
among the trees, and Fred forgetting
his usual modesty, called out: "NIr.
Black, may take some of these apples
that hang over the fence?"
For some unaccountable reason the
gentleman spoken to was not in his
usual mood of generosity, and, answer
ing the boy quite roughly, replied:
"Why don you grow apples for your
self?n Poor Fred who was already
moving towards the attractive tree,
turned quickly away, and the tears
started in his eyes.
81 told you not to ask him. said his
brothers, reproachfully, ''but you paid
no attention to me; you will mind me,
next time, think.
- will have fruit of my own, next
time!" said Fred, suppressing a sob and
drying his tears lest any one might see
his notifications for spirit of indie
pendence had been awakened by the
late affront.
"There is not tree in our garden,'
said his b other, ''and you know the
place is not our own; if you were to
plant trees you might never eat the
fruit. " cit will be good for other BOYS
then" said Fred, with determination in
his tone. Il will plant them, and |
may eat of the fruit, toor'
His brother laughed at this newly
formed resolution; but it only fixed
more firmly Fred's. manly and indepen-
dent decision, and he began at once to
learn the season for planting the differ
ent kinds of fruit-trees. Without losing
day, he was soon at work laying out a
1 bed for strawberries. The plants were
procured from neighbour, who was
digging up some of his and who said
that any one who wanted them might
have them.
Fred next found two nice apple trees
! growing wild in the wood. As they
were just the size for transplanting,
when November came he removed
them to his little garden. A young
plum tree was dug up from the fence,
with his neighbours permission, and sew
eral peach trees, which came up of
themselves the spring before, and stood
in a cluster in the back yard-all were
transplanted to the new garden. Some
grapevine cuttings were carefully
planted in damp corner near a high
wall, and cherry tree from the road
side found its place in Fred's orchard in
the early spring.
Our little gardener was more and
more interested day by day, as he
watched the growth of his trees. His
delight was boundless, however, when
he saw the strawberries put forth bios
SONS. Now" said he, q shall say
nothing about them till they are ripe,
and then surprise mother with dish of
strawberries and cream"
Fred was not sparing with the water
ing-pot, and when other boys were
romping along the street, he was found
in his garden, pulling up weeds, train
ing his grape-vines, or, after sunset,
sprinkling the young plants with water.
In the meantime he learned how to
graft and bud his trees and, when an
opportunity offered, he added another
tree or picked up some new information
about the cultivation of fruit.
The fourth of July had come, bright
and lovely, after a heavy rain of the
night before. Fred was out in his gar
den at sunrise, for he expected some
thing of interest there. Imagine his
delight when he saw his Strawberries
red with ripe clusters. He gathered
some of the finest, and by the time
breakfast was ready he had dish of
beautiful berries placed by his mothers
plate. She, too, was delighted, and
praised the fruit. All the family tasted
them, of course, and his little sister
clapped her hands and said "How
nice, to have fruit growing in our own
garden "
Fred's vines bore some punches of
grapes the second year, and the gratis
which he set in the young trees all did
well. His garden was source of great
pleasure to him, and he never tired of
showing to his friends his thriving and
promising orchard In a few years he
had apples and pears, cherries and
plums, aprcots and peaches, and differ
ent kinds of small fruit No wonder the
boy was proud to hear his mother tell q
friend from distance: awe seldom
buy fruit now; Fred grows it all in our
! own garden"