For i\luy. l'>21 



587 



Examinations for Professional Gardeners 



ARTHUR SMITH 



THE question of instituting some test whereby it would be 

 possible to measure, sufficiently for all practical purposes, the 

 qualifications of any one following the craft of gardening as a 

 means of livelihood, so as to distinguish between those qualified 

 to be classed as professional gardeners and those calling them- 

 selves gardeners but who have little or no claim to be considered 

 as such, has been agitating the minds of many of us for some 

 years, and today there are a considerable number of our profes- 

 sion who consider that the time has now arrived to take some 

 action upon the matter, in fact many members of this association 

 have been for a long while complaining because some active steps 

 in this direction have not been taken before. 



Here and there, upon various grounds, some opposition to any 

 scheme of examinations has been voiced, many of which are so 

 absolutely frivolous and illogical as to be unworthy of notice. 

 There is one, however, worthy of consideration, because if the 

 reason given for it were true it would be perfectly logical, but 

 it is based upon an entire misconception of facts. 



.\n idea appears to exist that examinations would necessarily 

 be entirely confined to mere book knowledge, to theory, or to the 

 scientific side only. If such were the case it would be perfectly 

 true to say that examinations could find out nothing about the 

 professional qualifications of a man calling himself a gardener. 

 At the same time it would be equally true that an examination 

 upon a man's practical knowledge only would be unsatJsfactory. 

 All the practical work of gardening is based upon scientific prin- 

 ciples and no one has the right to call himself a professional 

 gardener who has not some knowledge of these principles. Prac- 

 tice teaches us how to do a thing, while science teaches us the 

 whys and the wherefores of doing a particular thing, or doing a 

 thing in a particular way, and the professional gardener's know- 

 ledge should combine Practice with Science. 



A good deal of prejudice against science is caused by ignor- 

 ance of what science really is, and by the confusion of mere 

 theory with scientific fact. Science and practice are sometimes 

 spoken of as though they were distinct, and even antagonistic. 

 Fortunately, among the more advanced gardeners, a better knowl- 

 edge is beginning to prevail and is dispersing this fundamentally 

 wrong conception of the matter. Science and practice are really 

 so closely akin as to be almost interdependent. Many gardeners 

 have more scientific knowledge than they are aware of. Science, as 

 the word itself means, is true knowledge, and whatever knowledge 

 of the underlying principles of his profession a man may possess — 

 whether he has gained that knowledge by intelligent observations 

 and experiments during his years of practical experience; or by 

 study at the Fireside University ; through a Home Correspon- 

 dence Course, or at college — so far as that knowledge is true, it 

 is scientific; if untrue, it is unscientific. A theory has necessarily 

 nothing whatever to do with science. Sometimes purely scientific 

 men give expression to theories which purely practical men 

 consider impractical, but these theories are not put forw-ard as 

 scientific facts, but as opinions as to possibilities to which scien- 

 tific facts appear to point. Many college men have proved fail- 

 ures when placed in charge of gardens and estates, not because 

 of the much or little scientific knowledge they may possess, but 

 in spite of if. by reason of the fact that they have had no practical 

 experience, therefore their knowledge is, so far as it goes, only 

 one-sided. College education can be very valuable in more ways 

 than one, Init it is valueless unless supplemented by some years 

 of practical work in a garden, by practical work I mean actual 

 working with their own hands, not merely looking on at laborers 

 working in a good, had, or indififerent manner. 



No one knovvs it all. Those of us who have studied and worked 

 at our profession the longest are those who sec most clearly the 

 greatness of the unexplored fields of knowledge which our pro- 

 fession possesses. 



The professional character of our work as combining Science 

 with^ Practice has become established in the world. When Uni- 

 versities like Oxford, Cambrid.ge and T^ondon confer Degrees in 

 Horticulture, the rank and file of the horticultural profession 

 should do all in their power to make themselves as worthy as 

 possible of_ tlie term professional gardener. Sooner or later, 

 those refusing to recognize the necessity of educating themselves 

 or of being educated in the scientific principles of their profes- 

 sion, will find themselves compelled to take a hack seat. 



The initiating of examinations can do us nothing but good, 

 cither as individuals, or collectively as an association of profes- 

 sional men. _ The work of our association, or as many of us 

 would_ be willing to say, the work of one man, has, in spite of 

 opposition, placed our profession upon a hi,gher plane -than it 

 has, in this country, ever held before. It is our duty to strengthen 



and increase the position to which we have attained. There is 

 nothing which will facilitate work lo these ends more than 

 professional examinations. 



Before outlining a scheme for the carrying out of such exam- 

 inations, it does not appear out of place to take time to consider 

 something of what has been done in this connection elsewhere. 



Some of you are doubtless aware that about ten years ago 

 the Royal Horticultural Society of England initiated a scheme 

 whereby a National Diploma in Horticulture can be gained by 

 those who pass the Preliminary and Final E.xaminations required. 

 It is worthy of note that this scheme was practically initiated 

 by employers and not by gardeners, as not more than five per 

 cent of the latters are fellows of that society, but it has been 

 generally welcomed by professional gardeners for whom only it is 

 applicable, and has received the unqualified support of the British 

 Association of Gardeners. The main reason publicly given by 

 the society for holding the examinations was because of the fact 

 that a number of men existed calling themselves professional 

 gardeners who were quite unqualified to be classed as such, and 

 the examinations would give the real gardener an opportunity 

 of being branded as such. If this reason for institutin.g examina- 

 tions exists in Britain, it certainly exists here in tenfold intensity. 



In discussing any scheme applicable to conditions in this 

 country it appears fitting to set forth briefly the main points con- 

 nected with the manner in which the examinations for that 

 diploma are conducted and one or two of the rules governing 

 them. These conditions and rules have been modified from time 

 to time during the ten years the examinations have been held and 

 we today can have the advantage of the experience they have 

 gained in this direction. 



The examinations are open to both men and women who have 

 taken up the profession of gardening as a means of livelihood. 



Candidates must be "accepted" by the Society who produce 

 evidence of grade school education and of personal character, 

 ancl with their application remit a fee of about fifteen dollars, 

 which covers both examinations. 



Before sitting for the Preliminary Examination candidates must 

 by the date of the examination, 



(a) Have reached the age of twenty-one years, and 



(b) Have served at least four years in a public or private gar- 

 den, or in an approved Horticultural Institution, or partly 

 in one or other ; and they must be able to produce a satis- 

 factory report as to their work and condirct during that 

 period. 



The passing of the Preliminary Examination does not entitle the 

 candidate to any form of diploma. 



The Final Examination is open only to those who have passed 

 the Preliminary, and who can produce a certificate or certificates 

 that they have been employed not less than six years regularly in 

 garden work. They can accordingly present themselves if they 

 wish, for the Final Examination next following the Preliminary 

 which they have passed, if they can produce such certificate. 



In both e.xaminations the principal part consists of tests of 

 the candidate's practical acquaintance with plants, general garden 

 work and practical knowledge of horticulture generally. These 

 tests are carried on in a suitable garden, the use of which lias 

 been granted for the purpose, and are at the same time supple- 

 mented by questions as to the whys and the wherefores of the 

 work which the examiner has called upon the candidate to per- 

 form, so as to test the latter's knowledge of underlying principles. 

 In the Preliminary Examination this test takes 'a day, and in 

 the Final two whole days are taken up with it. 



Candidates are required to pass in all three parts of the ex- 

 aminations—practical, vha voce and written but no amount of 

 excellence in the written part will qualify a candidate if he fail 

 in the practical. 



The written examinations are held simultaneously in as many 

 parts of the country as necessary, and arc under the charge of a 

 supervisor, who has been previously arranged for bv the candidate. 

 -Supervisors are unpaid and are generally public school principals, 

 justices of the peace, clergymen, or anv other responsible persons 

 approved by the Society. Supervisors have to see that no con- 

 versation takes place in the room between candidates, that they 

 bring into the examination room no paper, books, etc., nor, 

 unless by the permission of the supervisor, arc they allowed to 

 leave the room during the examination. These supervisors are 

 in no sense examiners and have nothing to do with adjudicating 

 upon the candidates' papers. 



.\pplicatioiis have to be sent in two months before the date 

 of the examinations, and blocks of paper are prepared, having 

 on the first page a numbered form on which the candidate has 



