Miscellaneous. 365 



IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS — WHAT IS HORTICULTURE — WHY 



STUDY IT, AND WHERE? 



(J. C. Blair, Assistant Professor of Horticulture, University 'of Illinois.) 



ROOM FOR THE STUDY. 



A few days ago this question was asked me and it set me to think- 

 ing: **Now what is there in horticulture to interest the boys and girls of 

 our public schools? They surely have enough to study already." I 

 answered the latter statement with the wise words of an Iowa teacher 

 when he spoke of introducing Nature Study into the schools : "A glass 

 may be brimful of water, and yet we may gradually add a spoonful of 

 sugar and it will not run over. The teacher's daily cup is full ; but let her 

 ])ut in Nature Study gradually, gently, and it will sweeten the whole, and 

 lier cup will not run over." If this is true, it will not be hard to see h'ow 

 one step farther may be taken and the pupils interested in some of the 

 simple principles of horticulture, which in turn may interest them in the 

 home farm and again in country life in general. As Professor Bailey 

 well says : "The district school cannot teach agriculture any more than 

 it can teach law or engineering or any other profession or trade, but it 

 can interest the child in nature and in rural problems and thereby fasten 

 its sympathies to the country. And the child will teach the parent." 



DEFINITION OF HORTICULTURE. 



Professor Bailey gives us an excellent definition of this word. Pie 

 says : "Horticulture may be defined as the art and the science of the 

 cultivation of garden plants ; and the garden is understood to be that part 

 of an estate which is devoted to fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants." 

 Since growing 'of flowers and trees of all sorts comes under the head of 

 horticulture, which is the growing and care of those plants used in beau- 

 tifying the landscape, it is also made a part of horticulture. 



THREE DIVISIONS OF HORTICULTURE. 



Now let us see exactly what is implied by saying that horticulture 

 means the growing of fruits, vegetables and flowers. It means grape- 

 growing, which is called viticulture, or vine culture; it means orchard 

 culture, or the growing of apples, pears, quinces, plums, cherries, with 

 oranges and lemons and all the nut-fruits as well. It means the growing 

 of the small fruits as they are called — strawberries, raspberries, currants, 

 gooseberries, etc. Therefore, that branch of horticulture having to do 

 with fruits only is called pom'ology. The culture of vegetables of every 



