112 



form a local branch was through Mr. 

 Smith's article in the Chronicle on garden- 

 er's certificates. A few interested got together 

 to discuss it. and tinally endorsed it. While 

 we were together we thought it would be a 

 good idea to meet once a month and talk 

 over the problems of our association, and 

 try and arouse more interest in it. We still 

 think this is the best waj' of gelling the 

 members to take more interest in the work 

 of the association. We have added several 

 new' members and no doubt will gain more. 

 The local branch method is the only remedy 

 for our National Secretary's complaint of 

 lack of interest of the members. We find in 

 our membership roster that there are enough 

 members in different localities to form 36 

 branches of six members or more, and that 

 is where the members ought to get busy. 

 At these meetings of 36 branches you will 

 get the ideas of some of the best men in 

 the profession, where otherwise they would 

 in all probability never be heard from either 

 through the Chronicle or at the conventions, 

 as a large percentage of members cannot at- 

 tend the conventions. The annual conven- 

 tion is the only meeting of the year open to 

 all members and the next one convenes in 

 St. Louis. How many members from the 

 East where the membership predominates 

 will be able to attend? So to keep up in- 

 terest it seems the only solution to get all 

 the branches possible, and when any im- 

 portant subject comes up on which the di- 

 rectors would like to learn sentiments of 

 the members, all they would need to do 

 would be to write to each branch and get 

 their opinion which would give the directors 

 a better idea how to act. 



On the question of certificates the theory 

 versus practice arises. Judging from the 

 discussion at the convention, theory is of 

 no use to the gardener and certificates one 

 may hold testifying to one's knowledge of 

 the profession are worth nothing as far as 

 ability is concerned. We are of the opinion 

 that in college, theory is large. y taught and 

 although theory may not be as applicable to 

 gardeners as to some other professions, it 

 would be absurd to say that we can get 

 along without it when as a matter of fact we 

 are working by theory most of the time 

 whether we realize it or not. We may call it 

 practical knowledge if we will but it was 

 somebody's theory to begin with and only 

 became practical knowledge by inheritance. 

 Perhaps the ability to dissect a flower, to 

 know each part and the functions thereof, is 

 of minor importance to the estate owner but 

 he surely must desire his grounds intel- 

 ligently planted, and to do that requires not 

 a little of that despised theory. Planted in- 

 telligently does not mean making the hole 

 big enough and so on, but rather a study 

 of the position the plants are to occupy, and 

 their colors, habits and textures, etc. It 

 means common sense will usually keep hitn 

 out of discords but common sense requires 

 to be supplemented by knowledge. This is 

 simply the theory of why certain things are 

 done in certain ways. A good gardener 

 should be a little more than simply a grower 

 and a graduate from the university of hard 

 knocks. Reminiscences of bye gone days 

 are all right, but should not be used to 

 impede progress. Certificates therefore, for 

 practical and theoretical knowledge of gar- 

 dening would be a great asset to the am- 

 bitious man, and would also simplify the 

 work of the Service Bureau and the asso- 

 ciation's secretary. 



We have still one more suggestion to 

 make which is connected with the Service 

 Bureau. Supposing a gardener applied to 

 the Service Bureau for a position. Would 

 it not be well for the secretary lo refer to 

 thn nearest local branch where the man re- 

 sides, or the man obtaining endorsement and 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



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