Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-06

T. & Z
Picking I'D an excellent garden book,
written by an eminent forticulturist he
looked 1t over careleSsly, then threw II
down again. In very few words ne
indicated that, in his opinion, no one
could learn to garden by reading book
His primary mistake, Of course, was
In supposing that garden books are writ
ten to teach people TO garden. Nothing
of the sort! Garden books are written
for much the same purpose that novels
are written-to entertain. first and fore
most.
II there are any pointers" which the
amateur may get from them, such are
! gratis, and are thrown in by way OF
good measure. But he who fondly
| thinks that hints and helps" are the
intent of the volume is going to be very
much disappointed.
Not that there are not many helpful
horticultural handbccks. There are
scores OF them, but no one OF them
gives any reader more than q Few good
points In the pieasurable work which Is
opening up now throughout the United
States.
The first purpose OF the good garden
book Is to entertain, to enheaften the
amateur, to permit him to read about
his hobby. Surely this Is the real
purpose of all such books. One VIII no
more learn how to make q garden from
a book than he will be able to play golf
after reading the latest work" OF some
brilliant amateur.
Golf Is learned on the course and gar
dening is learned In the back yard. The
golfer who does not read all he can
about his game, however, Is missing
something, and exactly the same thing
may be said of the amateur gardener
who fails TO keep up with the garden
books and articles.
The peculiar thing about home gar
dening Is that every one thinks ne
should know all about 1t to begin with,
much as parents seem to believe that
the knowledge requisite TO the proper
appearing of children Is God-given.
While every golf beginner win admit
that Bobby Jones might be able to
give them q few pointers In an article.
the amateur gardener often seems to
think that study Of this subject is be-
meath him.
Has he not seen honest but dumb
countrymen tilling the most beautiful
fields of produce, and has one OF
them ever read book on the subject?
What he forgets is that such men
are the product of q tradition, that they
have learned their business from their
parents, that they acquired tnelr Skin
In the hard school Of trial and error.
The mistakes they made do not show
in yonder waving field Nature kindly
wiped them out long ago.
\ X
The average city man or woman
who takes to gardening rs q pleas
urable pastime needs not only the in
struction which Is contained in garden
books. but, even more, he needs the
communion with the writer's Of them.
Enthusiasm lies at the heart of all
production, whether Of books, articles,
flowers, soap or whatnot. The man
who builds on enthusiasm, whether his
own or some one elSe's, Is the achiever.
In the garden 1t is not necessary that
this achievement be anything startling.
Sometimes one may well think that the
United States puts too much stress upon
large achievement, and not enough
upon the smaller and less spectacular
doings Of the individual
Many q man achieves without setting
the world on fire. Judged from the
f1amboyant standpoint, he has done
nothing, but judged by common sense
and decency he is conqueror of the
first rank. We are SO used to publicity
methods In this country that We are