c Department of Horticulture 



work consists of actual practice in the garden. The starting of early 

 plants in hotbeds and frames, and intercropping and succession cropping 

 for securing the largest yields from small areas, will be studied. Each 

 student will assume charge of his own plants and will carry them through 

 to the end of the term. 



As soon as a suitable greenhouse can be built for maintaining a col- 

 lection of conservatory plants, the following additional course will be 

 given : Conservatory Plants. A two-hours course consisting of a study 

 of the culture and uses of tropical and subtropical plants grown in con- 

 servatories, including palms, ferns, begonias, orchids, and the like. 



Winter-courses. — Last year the Winter-Course in Horticulture was 

 modified so as to give the student the option of one of the following lines 

 of work : fruit-growing, vegetable-gardening, or floriculture. This 

 allowed him to specialize in the branch in which he was particularly in- 

 terested, and the remainder of his course was made up of closely related 

 subjects. The results of this division of the course were very satisfactory. 

 There were 12 students taking vegetable-gardening and 10 taking flori- 

 culture, out of a total registration of 67 students. 



Summer School. — A three-weeks course in vegetable-gardening and a 

 similar course in floriculture were ofifered in the Summer School. The 

 registration was 40 in vegetable-gardening and 38 in floriculture. The 

 response, therefore, was such as to warrant a full course in each subject 

 in the next Summer School. We realize the great opportunity in teaching 

 these subjects in the summer, when there is such a wealth of plant ma- 

 terial. It has been found that there are two classes of students — those 

 wishing instruction in commercial work, and those who desire to teach or 

 who are interested only in amateur flov^^er- or vegetable-growing. We 

 hope that we shall soon be able to provide courses for each of these 

 classes of students. 



investigation 

 Peony studies. — The investigation of the peony, along the lines agreed 

 on by the Department of Horticulture and the American Peony Society, 

 has been concluded. The identical plants used in preparing the descrip- 

 tions printed in the three bulletins issued have been removed and planted 

 in the permanent peony garden, where they will remain as a living her- 

 barium available for study and observation by all persons interested in 

 peony culture. It is hoped that additional varieties may be added as they 

 are introduced, so that the collection will always be complete. Although 

 the study of varieties has been completed, there is need that the results be 

 brought together in a final publication, which should give complete 

 information on the culture and varieties cf peonies. 



