The Encyclopedia of Gardening - A Dictionary of Cultivated Plants, Etc;, Giving in Alphabetical Sequence the Culture and Propagation of Hardy and Half-Hardy Plants, Trees and Shrubs, Orchids, Ferns, Fruit, Vegetables, Hothouse and Gree... #250535

The art and craft of gardening is unquestionably the oldest of all human occupations. Holy Writ tells us that when the Great Architect of the universe created Adam, the progenitor of our race, He placed him in that delightful earthly paradise, the Garden of Eden, to dress and to keep it. We, therefore, who have adopted the noble profession as a means of existence have every reason to feel justly proud of belonging to so ancient and honourable a craft, while those who have adopted other professions, and who practise the art and craft as a recreative pursuit, cannot but share a similarly grateful appreciation of its virtues.