284 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



Departments of Foreign Exchange and Book Reviews 



Horticultural Education in Eu«l(iiid for IVoincu. — The appeal 

 which the Horticuhural College, Swanley, is issuing will, we 

 hope, meet with a generous response on the part of all who 

 desire to advance the cause of women's education. The college 

 has been in existence for some thirty years, and during that time, 

 and in spite of severe financial limitations, it has been the means 

 of training some 1,000 women in horticulture. Of this number 

 some have entered the ranks of professional gardeners, others 

 have taken up positions abroad and are now doi.ig horticultural 

 work in different parts of the Empire — Canada, the Transvaal, 

 Cape Colony, Natal, New Zealand and elsewhere. The re- 

 mainder have, perhaps, not applied the knowledge of horticulture 

 they gained at .Swanley to professional purposes, but we may be 

 sure, nevertheless, that they have been able as citizens to apply it 

 to good purpose. Apprehension is sometimes entertained by 

 professional gardeners lest the advent of women among them 

 should affect adversely the position of men gardeners. We 

 think this apprehension is unfounded. Capable gardeners, of 

 which this country can claim so large a number will always be 

 aide to hold their own against no matter what class of competitor. 

 It is to the interest of the profession of horticulture that the 

 numbers of highly skilled gardeners should be yet further in- 

 creased, and that the incompetent should be eliminated. In our 

 opinion horticulture has far more to suffer from the pretensions 

 of inadequately trained gardeners of either sex than from the 

 competition of women. In any case, there can be no question but 

 that the training in horticulture available for women should be 

 as efficient and complete as that which is open to men. The 

 educational facilities which are niw in existence for men are 

 gradually becoming adequate to the needs uf the profession. 

 The recent decision of the University of Cambridge to establish 

 a School of Horticulture will, we hope, mean that promising 

 young gardeners will be able to pursue advanced horticultural 

 studies and qualify for the not inconsiderable number of posts 

 which are being established in the counties. Training in horti- 

 culture is available at University College. Reading, for both men 

 and women and other schools of horticulture also exist. It is, 

 nevertheless, important that there should be in this country one 

 or more schools of horticulture for women: schools in which 

 women may develop their own methods and pursue them in all 

 the many branches of horticultural art and science. If this is to 

 be done endowment is essential, for no form of higher educa- 

 tion can be self-supporting. The Ministry of Agriculture is pre- 

 pared to give assistance to Swanley to the extent of ilCOOO 

 on a pound for pound basis — that is, for every pound subscribed 

 up to this sum the Ministry will provide a like amount. — The 

 Gardciicrx' Chronicle (English). 



Education of 'i'oiiii^ Gardeners. — I was very much interested 

 in the short article by William McCombie, Osgodby Hall Gar- 

 dens, Selby, in your issue of .\pril 24, about head gardeners 

 giving boys in their employ encouragement by explaining the 

 why and the wherefore of things, when they make mistakes. I 

 remember well the good advice given me when a boy in the 

 gai'dens at Mentmore. by that tine gardener and grower, Mr. 

 William Duncan, now of Eosworlh Hall. Ru.gby, I believe. He 

 never tired of explaining things and giving encouragement, and 

 although 40 years have passed, I have very grateful remem- 

 brances of the pleasure he gave me. I well remember how he 

 used to allow me to take charge of a range of greenhouses if the 

 regular journeyman left for a vacation of a day or a week, and I 

 used to work early and late to gain his approval. If more 

 foremen and head gardeners would do this we should have 

 many more and better gardeners today. Helpful criticisms and 

 explanations are never forgotten by a boy who is worth while 

 and is interested in his work, as I can testify. — Frederick C. 

 Green. Su/'l. of Parks. Prozidence. R. I., in the Gardeners' 

 Chronicle of London. 



"Miniature" }Iyacinlhs. — The judges had a difficult task before 

 them, for no fewer than 46.S suggestions w-erc sent in for a suit- 

 aide alternative to the old term "miniature" as applied to Hya- 

 cinths. It took a Icng time to go through them all and appraise 

 their suitability, but finally the five pounds offered by Messrs. 

 Sutton was awarded to Miss C. Helen Rottenburgh of Holm- 

 hurst. Dowanhill Gardens. Glasgow, for the word Cynthella. I 

 cannot do better than quote in full her interesting letter: 



"Might I suggest as a name for Aliniature Hyacinths the word 

 Cynthella? It is made frr)m the last syllabic of Hyacinth with 



a dimmuti\e endmg, and also after Cvnthia. for which vide 



•Pope' (Epistle II, 17-20) : 



'Come, then, the colors and the ground prepare ! 

 Dip in the rainbow, trick her off in air. 

 Choose a firm cloud, before it fall, and in it 

 Catch, ere she change, the Cynthia of the minute.' " 



— The Garden. 



Carnations. — These were in great force at Chelsea, and never 

 have we seen the flowers more worthily presented. Head and 

 shoulders above all the rest, however, were those from Messrs. 

 Allwood Brothers. Hayward's Heath, who, in conjunction with 

 the Carnations, demonstrated the excellence of their new race of 

 hardy Alhvoodi Pinks. Novelty at this great flower festival is 

 ever looked for, and is rarely disappointing, though it is safe to 

 predict that not the most sanguine of the habitues of these gather- 

 ings ever expected such a wealth of it as these new Pinks re- 

 vealed, such ravishing colors or engrossing fragrance. We can- 

 didly confess they were in the nature of a revelation. Not in all 

 our experience of Temple and Chelsea flower shows — and we 

 have seen them from the beginning — have we seen their like, 

 though, as the result of but a decade of careful and thoughtful 

 work, greater things than those we are now reviewing might be 

 achieved. This new race of hardy Pinks was the most epoch- 

 marking novelty of the show.- and while worthy of the highest 

 and best award from the spectacular standpoint, merited some- 

 thing more as a recognition of the marked advance in the flower 

 horticulture of the time. In fragrance alone these Pinks were as 

 a few thousand flowers of the old crimson Clove, their entire 

 proximity was pervaded with rich perfume. They were asso- 

 ciated with the Carnations the firm grows so well at the end of 

 one of the most spacious tents, great galleries flanking the im- 

 posing vases of the last-named flowers in wondrous array, en- 

 gaging the attention and admiration of thousands of spectators. 

 Four of them — Harold (wdiite self), Jean (white, maroon cen- 

 ter). Robert (rose, crimson base) and Rufus (old rose) — secured 

 Awards of Merit by unanimous votes. Hardy, fragrant, easily 

 grown and readily increased, with great flower freedom over a 

 prolonged season are a set of attributes rare indeed, difficult to 

 equal, much less excel. — Gardenin.^ llhistraled. 



Gold Flora Medal for }ilessrs. .4llzeood Bros. — We are in- 

 formed that a mistake was made in the official list of Awards at 

 the Chelsea Flower Show, and the president and council have 

 now amended the award given to Messrs. Allwood Bros, for 

 Carnations to the higher Gold Flora Medal, instead of the Gold 

 Medal mentioned in the list. We believe an award of the large 

 and handsome Gold Flora Medal is of rare occurrence. — The 

 Gardeners' Chronicle of London. 



Irises. — That these take front rank among hardy flowers of 

 the best none will gainsay, nor will any take exception to the 

 statement that none among hardy flowering subjects affords a 

 greater wealth of blossom or is hardier or miu-e accommodating. 

 It is for these reasons and for the large part they play in this 

 unique flower festival that we give these "Orchids of the garden" 

 a place apart and specially urge them upon the attention of our 

 readers. We do this not alone because they are worth seeing, or 

 because we desire every reader of The Garden to make real 

 acquaintance with them, but rather because we are not equal to 

 describe the indescribable or to paint a word picture calculated 

 to do justice ^o them. In a center group is placed the unique 

 Dominion, a wondrously rich piece of coloring. Isoline. the in- 

 imitable, too, is great — as much in stature as in freedom and 

 color. Prosper Laugier, Iris King. Sweet Lavender (quite a 

 suggestive and good name). Gagus, Clematis (an Iris wonder), 

 Mile. Schwartz," Lady Foster, Lord of June. Morw^ell. the giant 

 Alcazar. Dusky Maid, .A-sia and others must be sought out and 

 inspected. It is the only way of realizing their beauty, or even 

 the half of it. — The Garden. 



Acnleas. — The species that have been instrumental in producing 

 the various garden Azaleas arc A. calendulacea, A. nudiHora, and 

 .-i. occidenfalis from N. .America. A. pontica (Rhododendron 

 flavuni). a native of the Caucasus. Asia Minor, etc., and .4. mollis 

 and A. sinensis from China. .•Mthough mentioned here as Azalea, 

 they are. of course, from a botanical point of view Rhododendron, 

 the various soecific names receiving the necessary revised 

 termination. The influence of the various species can be noticed 



