Practice With Science 



By W. H. Waite. 



The greatest agricultural society in the world has the 

 above for its motto, and it should also be the slogan of 

 horticulturists. 



I have soinetinies heard it .said by good gardeners that 

 a scientific knowledge was of no use to them. It is true 

 that I know many good growers, who have no knowledge 

 whatever of botany, or any of the other sciences which 

 underly the principles and practice of horticulture and 

 agriculture: likewise I know men who are good scientists, 

 yet are onh- fair growers, yet that does not follow, that 

 if the former had some scientific knowledge along with 

 his good practice, he would be all the more valuable, also 

 vice versa if the scientific man had the practical knowledge 

 that the unscientific has, he would also be a more valuable 

 man. 



Nowadays, when there are a greater number of men 

 available who have a college or horticultural school train- 

 ing, it behooves the gardener who wishes to reach the 

 top of his profession to give some consideration to the 

 scientific side as well as the practical. 



The greatest drawback to the college graduate, as we 

 know him today, is his want of good practical knowledge. 

 therefore, if those with a good practical training would 

 devote i)art of their spare time to the study of the sciences 

 which are most bearing on horticulture he would in my 

 estimation be much better qualified to fill important 

 positions. 



The three i)rinci|)al studies which the young jiractical 

 gardener should devote his tiiue to, are : botany, chemistry 

 and entomolog}-. 



Some of those who have never studied botany, imagine 

 that it is a dry and difficult subject, but to the gardener 

 who ought to be a plant lover, as well as a cultivator, it is 

 one of the most fascinating and interesting subjects. I 

 know of no subject that trains the observing powers so 

 much as botany. 



The science of Ixjtany is divided into several sections, 

 the sections of most interest to the gardener are physi- 

 ology, anatomy, morphology and geographical. 



Physiologv is concerned with the (|uestion of what a 

 plant does, and what a plant's various organs do : in the 

 study of physiology of plants we learn about the nutrition 

 of plants. .\ plant is presented to Us as a complex 

 organism built up of a numlaer of chambers or cells each 

 of which has its special and to some extent independent 

 function. 



The function of all cells of the body have two common 

 objects in view, namely, the preservation of the indi- 

 vidual, and the production of material which may be em- 

 ployed in the formation of new individuals ; these latter 

 are formed in the seeds, the function of which is the 

 perpetuation of the species. 



The leaves of the plants are concerned in the production 

 ■of the necessary food material, this being etfected in the 

 green cells of the leaves under the influence of light and 

 from the raw material, which they obtain 'from the car- 

 bonic acid of the atmosphere, anil partly from the soil in 

 the form of mineral salts dissolved in water. 



It is the function of the roots to fix the plant in the 

 soil, and by its root hairs to absorb from it the soluble 

 mineral salts. 



The sudy of anatomy or the structure of plants is a 

 necessary auxiliary to the study of physiology. In this 

 section we learn what is the structure of the absorptive 

 organ, the root, also the structure of the stem, with its 

 leaves and flowers. 



In the study of physiology we learn what each part of 

 a i^Iant does, and the study of the morphology inquires 

 what it is. 



By the accurate comparison of plants in all their mem- 

 bers morphology aims at finding out the relationship be- 

 tween them, that is, constructing a natural classification 

 of the vegetable kingdom. Classification is often treated 

 as a separate part of the science called systematic botany 

 and a most interesting one to the gardener, but systematic 

 botany can only be satisfactorily based on the comparative 

 study of plants — that is on morphology. 



While it is easy to draw a sharp distinction between 

 the physiology and morphology of plants, it is im])ortant 

 to remember that neither can be pursued to any advantage 

 without tlie other. Physiology without morpholngy would 

 teach us much about the individual life of the plant, but 

 would give us no idea of the vegetable world as a whole, 

 or of the relationship between the innumerable species 

 of which it is composed. 



Morphology, on the other hand,, would be just as bar- 

 ren, for the complex modifications of the organs of plants 

 would be wholly unintelligilile, without reference to the 

 functions to which they are adapted. 



In geographical botany we learn the various parts of 

 the world which the different plants are native of; this, 

 fur example, teaches us the uniform character of all 

 alpine vegetation, the peculiarities of the flora of oceanic 

 islands, deserts, etc. This also leads to important conclu- 

 sions, when we study the distribution of plants, in relation 

 to their structure and mode of life. 



In the study of chemistry we do not advise the young 

 gardener that he is to become a chemist or pharmacist. 

 The word chemistry here means the chemistry relating to 

 plants, soils, and manures, commonly called agricultural 

 chemistry. For instance, the value of a soil analysis to 

 the gardener is not to be underrated ; it is e.xtremelv dif- 

 ficult, nav, impossible, to estimate exactly what quantity 

 of plant food is present in a soil, in an available condition, 

 for a plant's needs. This is best attained by experiment- 

 ing with the plant itself nevertheless a soil analysis: is 

 calculated in many cases to be of service to the gardener 

 in guiding him as to the best treatment of his soil. 



Even a partial analysis may be of great service in 

 showing a soil's deficiency in some of the most important 

 ingreilients such as lime, etc. 



Were the discovery and introduction of artificial 

 manures the only service which has been rendered the 

 gardener by agricultural chemistry, it is sufficient to lay 

 us under a lasting obligation to the science. 



Of the manures we employ, too much cannot be knmvn : 

 an accurate knowledge of manures will guard the practical 

 man against the improvident waste of all the natural 

 manures that are obtainable, thus lessening the necessity 

 for foreign manures, by introducing greater economy in 

 the use of those he already possesses. It will also protect 

 him against any imposition on the part of the manure 

 salesman and manufacturer wdio might sell him an article 

 entirely unsuited to his needs. 



The study of entomology is almost a necessity for a 

 gardener these days ; it trains him to be observant of the 

 different kinds of insects that infest plants ; it enables 

 him to distinguish the injurious from the uninjurious. 

 P.y knowing the life history of the insects one can use 

 preventative measures much more intelligently. 



Had the practical use of a knowledge of entomology 

 been as much in evidence, say, twenty years ago, as it is 



