MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 53 
cial floriculture, which has become so well patronized that 
it has been necessary to limit the number of students. Two 
short courses, one in amateur floriculture and one in garden 
flowers, are also given during the summer months for the 
benefit of those who cannot attend the regular courses. 
Another line of educational work which has become ex- 
tremely popular in New England is that of carrying infor- 
mation directly to the people, in the form of lectures and 
demonstrations. This is known technically as extension 
work, and the department of floriculture at the Massachu- 
setts Agricultural College has more requests from garden 
clubs, ete., for this type of work than it can conveniently 
handle. However, it is of utmost value in educating the 
people along all lines of floriculture. At this point I cannot 
refrain from mentioning some of the handicaps that the 
average state institution encounters in teaching courses in 
floriculture. The most serious is the lack of equipment, as 
it is impossible to give practical instruction to 40 or 50 stu- 
dents in a few arcall greenhouses. Another difficulty is the 
fact that the school year ends at the time when some of the 
most important details in the culture of plants must be 
attended to in order to carry on the work another season. 
There are many other handicaps, but these two, to my mind, 
are the most serious. 
In summing up the entire subject we find that floricul- 
tural work, as outlined in this discussion, is a comparatively 
new venture, and only approaches the apprentice system, 
under which our successful gardeners and florists received 
their training. The man in demand at the present time is 
the man proficient in theory and practice, and we Garden 
students have had the good fortune of being trained under 
a system which is a combination of both, namely, the college 
and the practical work. The college graduate must obtain 
this practice after graduation, while the Garden student, if 
he Saco advantage of the wonderful opportunities placed at 
his disposal, is ready to forge ahead from the outset. 
After eight years of agricultural college work, let me say 
that if I were to start over again and had my choice between 
the agricultural college and the course offered to a limited 
number of students at the Missouri Botanical Garden, I 
would choose the latter. 
ARNO H. NEHRLING, ’09. 
