Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1910-06-07
"A Fruit Growers Greed.

"A Fruit Growers Greed.
The following remarks, delivered re
Gently by Prof. d. w. Working before
fruit growers school In West Virginia
are 30 far above the average run ol
farmers institute preaching that we
consider it worth while to report them
in full. 1t has been said that only good
men can be farmers, and only the best
farmers can be fruit growers; and the
reason given Is that so much faith, cour.
age and dogged persistence are required
for success. All of which means high
type Of moral character; so that it seems
quite appropriate for Prof. Working to
state it all in the form of religious
creditor fruit growing is kind oil
religion. Here is what he said:
| He who plants fruit tree processes
his faith. 1t is as il he should say, j
believe,
believed
| believe in God and in the orderliness
of His Universe;
l believe in the regular procession of
the seasons-spring and summer and
autumn and winter;
/ believe in the sure succession OF
youth and maturity;
| believe in the unfailing order of
blossom time and fruit-time;
believe in the permanence of human
needs;
believe in the perpetuity of human
Institutions;
| believe in the steadfastness of Moth
or Earth, whose promise Of food for her
faithful children is a pledge that will
not fail;
Ibelieve in work as divine gift;
| believe in myself;
believe!
And in this abiding faith l work;
In this faith plant this tree;
In this faith will dig about its roots
and nourish it;
In this faith 1 will protect it from
vermin and disease;
In this faith l will wait for the early
and the latter rain;
In this faith / will guard the blossom
and the green fruit;
In this faith will watch for the first
blush of the ripening peach and the
early tints of the maturing apple;
fruits with a thankful heart.
The fruit grower or the prospective
fruit grower has chosen his location; he
has cleared the wilderness spaces of
brush and briers; he has broken up the
stubborn earth and made it obedient to
the conquering plow; he has mellowed
the soil with the harrow; now he comes
to the testing of his faith-to the work
ing out of his problem. What must the
tree planter do? What is the tree plant
er's problem? Is it the problem Of a
single tree or OF ten thousand trees?
The problem is more than problem
of single tree or of ten thousand trees;
it is the problem of the Man Himself-a
problem of faithfulness and patience and
of intelligent pursuance OF plan. SO
many men plant with abounding faith,
and then fail to keep the faith with all
diligence! So many see visions OF re-
wards, and then refuse to pay the price
of the great rewards by faithful study
and unremitting toll! So many see only
the visions of the planting and the
gathering, losing sight of the long period
of waiting and working that lies be-
tween!
That is what would teach to the man
who plants an orchard-that he must
plant with all the knowledge he has and
can obtain; that he must cultivate and
care for it with all the knowledge and
diligence and intelligence he possesses,
and with a continuing effort to get more
knowledge and to work with increasing
intelligence and a surer vision OF the
fulfillment of his hopes with abundant
harvests.
There is no permanent "present" in
the fruit growers art; it is always
Comiug-to -to-be; always Ro,o stretching
forward into continuing life process;
always the making of one crop and the
preparing for the next at the same time:
The trees themselves have faith; and
they work to make their faith ripen into
fruit to feed US and into seeds to con-
tiuue their kind upon the earth.
And the fruit growers duty-wbat Is
that? Merely to study and to work.
He must study to make his work more
effective; must work to prove his study
worth while. And l do not know which
is the more important. ShoV me thy
faith without thy works, and will show
thee my faith by my works. In truth,
you cannot show your faith without
your work; aud you cannot prove your
study worth while unless you work.
On the other hand, you are sure to work
in vain unless you study to work 10 har-
mOny with the eternal laws of life and
growth.