FRUIT-TREES AND GRASS


It is a happy proof of our civilization that a dwelling-place, a
shelter from sun and storm, does not constitute a home. Even the
modest rooms of our mechanics are not furnished with useful
articles merely; ornaments and pictures appear quite as
indispensable. Out-of-doors the impulse to beautify is even
stronger; and usually the purchaser's first effort is to make his
place attractive by means of trees and shrubs that are more than
useful--they are essential; because the refined tastes of men and
women to-day demand them.

In the first chapter I endeavored to satisfy this demand in some
degree, and now will ask the reader's attention to a few practical
suggestions in regard to several of the fruits which best supply
the family need. We shall find, however, that while Nature is
prodigal in supplying what appeals to the palate and satisfies
hunger, she is also like a graceful hostess who decks her banquet
with all the beauty that she can possibly bestow upon it. We can
imagine that the luscious fruits of the year might have been
produced in a much more prosaic way. Indeed, we are at a loss to
decide which we value the more, the apple-blossoms or the apples
which follow. Nature is not content with bulk, flavor, and
nutriment, but in the fruit itself so deftly pleases the eye with
every trick of color and form that the hues and beauty of the
flower are often surpassed. We look at a red-cheeked apple or
purple cluster of grapes hesitatingly, and are loth to mar the
exquisite shadings and perfect outlines of the vessel in which the
rich juices are served. Therefore, in stocking the acre with