January 9, 1909 



HO RTICULTURE 



35 



FLORICULTURAL EDUCATION. 



In a paper by Charles N. Page of 

 Des Moines, read before the Society of 

 Iowa Florists, December 9, 1908, and 

 recently published, the following state- 

 ment occurs: 



"During the p:ist year I have lorres- 

 ponaed with most of the agi-icultni-al col- 

 leges In the United States, but I Hnd that 

 noMe of them is iirejiared to train a yonuK 

 man in commercial floriculture. Although 

 the Missouri Uotanical Garden nnrt the 

 Illinois Agricultural College ha\ e ooursis 

 which would be of considerable benefit. 

 they are far from complete." 



Two years ago the Horticultural De- 

 partment at Massachusetts Agricul- 

 tural College was reorganized and a 

 Horticultural Division was formed. 

 This Division is composed of Inde- 

 pendent departments of pomology, 

 floriculture, landscape gardening and 

 market gardening. The floriculture 

 course aims to give instruction in 

 strictly commercial floriculture. As 

 at present organized there is given In 

 the first three years of the course those 

 subjects upon which the foundations 

 of floriculture are based, namely, bot- 

 any, bacteriology, entomology, soils, 

 fertilizers, plant propagation, the prop- 

 agation, care and identification of trees 

 and shrubs, general horticulture and 

 market gardening, together with other 

 subjects such as mathematics, history, 

 English and some of the other lan- 

 guages. In the senior year the course 

 becomes more scientific, practical and 

 technical, and the first half year is 

 largely taken up in the consideration 

 of details of greenhouse design and 

 construction, greenhouse equipment, 

 such as types of benches, beds, venti- 

 lators, and the like, also greenhouse 

 heating. In the last half year the 

 time is wholly occupied in the study 

 of cultural methods of commercial flo- 

 rists' crops, methods of marketing, de- 

 sign work and decorating. A student 

 may receive instruction in any of the 

 subjects suggested by Mr. Page. The 

 course is so planned that the student 

 devotes much time to the details of 

 growing plants by practical green- 

 house work, in addition to the lectures 

 of the class-room. Observation trips 

 to commercial establishments are tak- 

 en from time to time, and on each of 

 these trips the student is provided 

 with a written syllabus in which is 

 noted the special features he is to ob- 

 serve. A written report of the trip 

 is required at a later date. This year 

 thirteen seniors are taking the course, 

 six of whom intend to take up commer- 

 cial floriculttire. the remaining seven 

 taking the course in preparation for 

 work in landscape gardening, or m the 

 management of private estates. It is 

 expected that with the new equipment 

 the number of men electing this course 

 will increase rapidly. 



The requirements for admission to 

 this course are based upon the studies 

 covered in the high school courses of 

 Massachusetts high schools. In other 

 words, the high schools are the train- 

 ing schools for the agricultural col- 

 leges. 



To provide for a class of young mfen 

 who have not had the advantages of 

 a high school education a sliort course 

 in floriculture has been started this 

 year. This course covers ten weeks 

 beginning .January 5, and closing 

 March 10. The only requirements for 



New Greeiilii 



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L-liuseits Agricultaral College. 



entrance to this course are that the 

 individual shall be at least eighteen 

 years of age ai^d of a good moral char- 

 acter. Tuition is free and board and 

 room rent reasonable. Already the 

 registration for this course has reached 

 the capacity of the teaching equip- 

 ment and a number who wished the 

 course could not be accommodated. 

 The aim of the course is to give as 

 thoroughly as the limited time will 

 permit the principles of greenhouse 

 construction and management essen- 

 tial for success in commercial floricul- 

 ture. No attempt is made to develop 

 experts in the growth of greenhouse 

 crops. Such expertness comes only 

 after years of practical experience in 

 growing some individual crop. It is 

 hoped, however, that those taking the 

 course may find their lives broadened 

 and their capacity for intelligent work 

 increased by these few weeks of study. 

 The men taking the short course in 

 floriculture are required also to take 

 the lectures given in soils, fertilizers, 

 insects and diseases of greenhouse 

 crops. Aside from the daily lecture:-^ 

 of the course, talks will be given each 

 week by experts on special subjects. 

 The men secured for the course this 

 year have been eminently successful in 

 the various subjects on which they are 

 to speak, and the college is to be con- 

 gratulated on the hearty co-operation 

 these men have given the work. 



The facilities for giving instruction 

 along this line will not be surpasseo 

 by any institution in the United States 

 when the new range of greenhouses 

 and the new instruction building for 

 the departments of floriculture and 

 market gardening are completed. This 

 will be about March 1, 1909. Tlie Leg- 

 islature of 1908 made an appropriation 

 of $34,000 for the erection of a com- 

 mercial greenhouse range and an at- 

 tached building. This instruction 

 building is a substantial, two-story, 

 brick structure of pleasing architec- 

 ture and contains above the basement 

 three class-rooms, a large laboratory, 

 two offices, a coat room, janitor's room 

 and ?. work-room. In the basement are 

 soil-rooms, a cool room for bulbs, 

 stOT-age rooms and lavatories. Adjoin- 

 ing this building on the east is a palm- 

 house, the dimensions of which are 2.5 

 by 42 feet. This house is strictly com- 

 mercial in type and is intended for tne 

 propagation and growth of commercial 

 varieties of palms. Adjoining the palm- 

 house is a small house for orchids and 

 another for ferns. A students' house, 

 I'O by .'^,0 feet, joins the orchid-house 

 on the east, and from the east 

 end of the students' house an alley 12 

 feet wide and 116 feet long runs di- 

 rectly south. Extending east and west 



from this alley there is a violet house, 

 cucumber house, tomato house, rose 

 house and a carnation house, the di- 

 mensions of each house being 24 by 

 50 feet. The alley house will be used 

 for propagation and for growing gen- 

 eral plants. The contractors tor this 

 range were Lord and Burnham Co., of 

 Ni'w York. The range consists of four 

 two-thirds span house and three even- 

 span houses, and with the connecting 

 houses all are built on concrete foun- 

 dations. Three of these houses are 

 iron frame and the remainder are of 

 the half-iron frame type of construc- 

 tion. The houses are heated by steam 

 from the central heating plant of the 

 college. 



In courses of instruction along all 

 lines there is more or less criticism, 

 and in floriculture the chief criticism 

 seems to come from the practical men. 

 It is to the effect that the courses are 

 not up to date. The agricultural col- 

 leges need the hearty co-operation and 

 assistance of the practical meu In 

 keeping their courses up to date and a 

 closer affiliation will be advantageous 

 to both. Suggestions of methods for 

 strengthening the courses are always 

 welcome and the views of the work 

 from men engaged in it are appre- 

 ciated. It is the aim of the floricuUure 

 department of Massachusetts Agricul- 

 tural College to keep closely in touch 

 with the practical interests and to of- 

 fer a course that will train men along 

 all lines of floriculture. 



Amherst, Mass. 



PRIMULA OBCONICA GRAND!- 

 FLORA. 



No florists' plant has shown greater 

 advancement within a few years than 

 has the plant illustrated on our cover 

 page in this issue. In the best strains 

 now offered are to be found full, round 

 flowers with size and substance ap- 

 proaching the finest grade of the 

 chinensis. with a good proportion of 

 bright pink colors and with the ad- 

 vantage that they are as useful for 

 cut flower purposes as for plant use. 

 Plants not sold for the holidays or 

 which have been used for cut flower 

 production may be again brought into 

 full bloom for spring sales either as 

 plants or cut flowers. P. obonica seed 

 is late in ripening and is not available 

 until late in January, and as old seed 

 has very poor germinating quality it 

 is always best to depend upon the 

 fresh seed. 



