The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-12-01
Edited by r. Walden


find something valuable in each. Then
there are bulletins issued by the De-
partment that are we'll worth perus
ing. Some of these treat of spray
ing, some of pruning, thinning pick
ing, packing and selling. A great
fund of information is available to
the wideawake fruitgrower in these
bulletins, and 1t costs not cent. The
| Department is anxious to send out
what are called Farm Bulletins"
without cost to all who ask for them.
Just write to the Secretary of the
Department of Agriculture, Washing
ton, D. c., and ask for list of the
Farm Bulletins and it will be sent to
you. Look it over and call for any
thing in the list that you may want
and it will be sent to you gratis. By
asking for the favor the Department
will mail you every month list of
new publications, from which you can
make selections.
| have gone somewhat into detail
in this matter, because many new be-
ginners do not know how to secure
these valuable publications. Besides
the publications issued by the Depart
ment of Agriculture at Washington,
the State Experiment Stations are
constantly issuing valuable bulletins.
Those issued by the Station in your
own state will be sent to you for the
asking. Sometimes l have seen men
ton of some valuable bulletin issued
| by some other state than the one in
which I live, and I do not call to mind
that I ever failed to get a bulletin
from another state if | asked for it.
Besides these publications that are
free for the asking, there are many
valuable books on horticulture and
plant life that can be bought I have
bought some of these books and mon
ey could not buy them from me if
could not replace them. A reading
man will have his own ideas of things
and will think for himself.
Sometimes we hear persons scott at
book farming" Well it takes more
than book learning to make farmer.
The man who thinks he can read
success of fruitgrowing will meet with
many a bump. There is a difference
between knowing how a thing is done
and knowing how to do it. A success
full teacher does not pour knowledge
into his pupils by the gallon or the
yard. If he is successful teacher,
he will strive to wake up the dormant
minds of his pupils and get them to
solving problems-doing something
and in that way they learn. We gain
most of our practical knowledge by
trying to do things. The best way to
remember what we have read or heard
in lecture is to try to put it into
practice. 1t widens our field of OBJ
servation by working at what we are
studying.
Let me give an illustration: Once
forty oud years ago l had wagon
that needed painting, but no one could
| be found in the town where | lived
that had time to do this painting by
the time I needed the wagon for a
| journey. | was induced by some
friends to undertake the painting of
that wagon myself. These friends,
who were wagonmakers, offered to
mix the paints for me and show me
how il was to be done. I got the
first coat of paint on fairly well, but
wnen it came to stripping the bed and
wheels I was worried, but kept at it
and finally finished the job after a
fashion. While l was doing this strip
ing l had to make trip away from
home some thirty miles distant.
was one day going and one returning.
l want to tell you something ! saw
more striped wagons on that thirty
mile trip than ] had ever seen in all
my life before. The lesson is this:
When we are awakened by trying to
do something, then we see more and
learn more than in any other condi-
ton of mind. Read in the winter and
then practice in the summer, and in
time you will become a wise fruit
grower.
Besides the reading referred to,