The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-11-10
AFTERNOoN SESSION.

fullest degree.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Mr.. Berlien presented several letters
from Charles Downing, in reference to
an apple sent to him for name, in which
MIR. Downing says he did not recognize
the apple, but would be glad to learn its
origin and name. Mr.. Berlien sent the
same apple to Leo Weltz of Wilmington,
Ohio, who names it the Indiana Beau
ty," an apple worthy of cultivation,
though somewhat tender in shipping.
1t always commands good price, tree
| an upright grower when young, and
when in bearing, rather spreading, A
regular bearer. 1t has been neglected
in its propagation; you should not fail
| to give it start.
The apple referred to in Mr.. Down
ing's letter of Oct. 10Th, 49, was named
| at the Marlboro Fair in Stark county, as
the "Lykins Valley" origin not known
being compared with the Wagner, it
was very clear it was not the Wagner.
The pear which was in dispute at MIR.
| Kinks meeting has been pronounced
Flemish Beauty by Mr.. N. Dinner, Pres
ident of State horticultural Society.
ESSAY READ BY A. CLARK ToNNER.
Literally defined, horticulture is the
cultivation of the garden. 1t not only
antedates agriculture, but is much more
| comprehensive and far reaching. The
| first hOTticulturist of whom we have rec
ord was our federal head and TepTeseD-
tative, Adam. His garden was Eden,
and he was commanded ''tO dress and
keep it," This injunction justifies the
presumption that notwithstanding its
primeval perfection, it requires care to
preserve it.
Adam sinned, therefore the Lord God
sent him forth from the garden to till
the ground" 80 He drove out the
man." and Adam became an agricultuT-
ist. Whether that garden contained all
the various species in the vegetable
kingdom now known is purely specula-
tiOn. How far horticulture degenerated
before man began to restore it to its par
| adisical perfection, or how nearly he
has approached it at this late period, is
| also pTOblematical. OF this, however,
| we are certain, horticulture has not
come down to us through the ages i'll
an unbTOken chain of progress, but has
| advanced and decllL 3d in the ratio of
refinement and national culture.
Babylon had her hanging gardens,
| and the excavations among the buried
cities of the past give evidence Of mar
VelOus attainments in the aesthetic arts;
and farther on, during the sway of the
| Roman Empire and the reign of Greclan
| culture, flower gardens were extensive
| ly cultivated. But with the fall of the
| Roman Empire horticulture declined,
and although there descended to poster
| ity much of her arts, science and philOs-
| Ophy, yet scarcely anything of the hOr-
| ticultural methods or science were tran
| smitted. All we have is the cold, bar
rem fact that she had her gardens and
/ fruits beautiful, rich and abundant.
| Horticultural science Is without a his
| tory anterior to the sixteenth century.
1 efnfnW NH hanh Ihr faly a
| fines to be the investigation of the Di-
| vine peTfectiOns, has been developing
horticulture to truly wonderful de-
| gree. Science, however, though funda
mental, is practically ineffective unless
| supplemented by art, and we may add,
| philosophy. To illustrates: Science is
the knowledge of facts or things. Art
is the use or application Of facts or
| things; and philosophy is the reason for
facts or things. 1t is therefore appar-
ent that man may be a scientific hOT-
| ticulturist, and yet may be neither ar
| tistic or philosophical. Upon the other
| hand man cannot be an artistic or
practical hOrticulturist without being
in corresponding degree scientific.
| That a man cannot be a philosophical
hOrticultuTist without being scientific
one is clear; but whether he must also
be an artistic one in order to be philO-
sOphical, is at least debatable. The text
books upon our tables, which are sup
lpOsed to contain facts resulting from
practical experiments, are as useless as
q steamless engine, unless the facts and
methods therein set forth are again put
into practice. The mere mechanical
use or application of those facts, how
ever, is simply imitation, and though
mentally and materially profitable TO
the individual, is purely personal, and
contributes nothing to the general store
house of nOWledge. The range of hOr-
ticulture is so wide that no man need at
tempt eXpertness, much less pTOfieien-
cy, beyond a few specialties. The pur-
suit, however, is so delightful and retin-
ing, and the Developments so varied and
infinite, that any man with care, and by
accident even, may become the discOv-
erer of some new fact, if not the pTOgen-
itOT of some new species. Like causes
under like circumstances and surround
ings infallihly produce like results. In
reference just as certainly produces a
change for better or worse. All expert
mentS resulting in good or bad, accord
with some natural law. Thus it is that
by experimenting and holding to the
good and rejecting the bad, the hOrti-
culturist is not only developing science,
but is now furnishing fruits and flow
| erS lit for the gods. The rate determine
ing the degrees of good or bad, so far as
taste is concerned, is altogether arbi-
trary. For example: Here are two ap-
pies, and a committee to pronounce
upon their respective qualities. Any
dispute concerning their relative size
and form is readily determined by
measurement, and their culinary quail
ties can be decided by practical test
But which is the most palatableP No
rule can determine, for taste is arbitra-
ry and personal. This question of taste
is suggestive of another fact, that brew
ity is exceedingly good taste when dis
cussing a subject, which your essayist
has already demonstrated he knows but
little if anything about.
REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON VEGETABLES
Your committee find a large dis
play of vegetables on exhibition, con.
sisting of fine specimen of Yams, by
John Mock, and also two varieties of pO-
tatOes for name, one the Victor, the
other resembles the old California, moi
very desirable.
Two varieties for name by Peter Law
renee, one a large sample of Late
Rose, the other nice specimen called
| the SWeeting, committee not acquainted