It was easy enough to grow trees,—anybody could do that; but to raise lemons, and lemons that would keep,—that was a different proposition."
The place was southern California; the speaker, a man who had spent many years in the development of a large fruit ranch, and whose achievements in this line had given a wide reputation to the fruit bearing his label. The accomplishment of this had involved effort and sacrifice of a most strenuous nature: there had been nights of weary watching as the mercury slowly dropped, spelling possible disaster from frost; the hoping against hope that the rising wind might bring relief; then a hurried midnight call of the helpers with their flaming torches to light the waiting baskets of fuel throughout the orchard, since that alone would insure deliverance from the threatened danger. Besides this there was the expenditure of large sums of money for irrigation and other necessities; a bitter fight with the subtle enemy of rust that spreads its destruction so rapidly; the constant care of the lemons while they were being "cured" (ripened) by a process that produced a juicy fruit, prepared to endure shipping and to keep in various climates,—all this and much more had been the price paid for worthy fruitage. caught now and again by an interested listener, but with strange persistency they repeated themselves over in memory as the days went by, and compelled strong conclusions as to the one great requirement of life, as understood in Christian Science, and the price to be paid for its realization. Here we may with profit recall our beloved Leader's words on page 144 of "Miscellaneous Writings," written after the corner stone of the original Mother Church had been laid. She says; "As in the history of a seed, so may our earthly sowing bear fruit that exudes the inspiration of the wine poured into the cup of Christ."
It was easy to see the picture of shapely trees in their cool dress of living green, growing fair and strong amid the delightful surroundings, a sight good to look upon in that land of little shade. Was it not enough that these should be vigorously growing in that beautiful place and enjoying protection from frost and blight? Was not gratitude demanded for all these things, if one counted their blessings and realized how favored they were as compared with the poor pinched cactus and sage-brush in the dreary desert just beyond? But was there not a demand for something more than this?
