Some Phases of Floricultural Education 



By Arno H. Nehrling,-- Massachusetts 



In order to a])preciatc full_\- llic subject of rioncultural 

 education and the metliods that are bein.y followed in 

 this progressive age by our American agricultural col- 

 leges, it is necessary at the outset to have a conception 

 of the nature and scope of these great public institutions. 

 These institutions are the outgrowth of the so-called agri- 

 cultural societies which came into life late in the eight- 

 eenth centur\- and immediately following the American 

 Revolution. The immediate results of these societies was 

 an agitation for agricultural schools and a number of 

 such schools were actually established, one in Maine in 

 1821 and one in Connecticut in 1824. The natural con- 

 ditions, however, did not seem to justify this movement 

 on an extensive scale and it was not until the great West 

 began to develop that the agitation for agricultural schools 

 became apparent. This was in the late forties and fifties. 

 At this time college education was primarily the business 

 of the church and colleges existed on private subscription. 

 The agricultural colleges were supported by private sub- 

 scription and the struggle for existence was ])alhctic. At 

 that time Pennsylvania and Xew York had agricultural 

 colleges, but the movement came to an abrupt end about 

 the time of the beginning of the Civil War. ( )nly one 

 state, namely Alichigan, fared a little better. Here in 

 1850 about the time the agitation was at its height, some 

 far-sighted man introduced a clause in the constitutional 

 convention making it obligatorv upon the state to estab- 

 lish and maintain a college or school of agriculture and 

 in 1857 the college was opened for students. Many of our 

 pioneer agriculturists and horticulturists, among them L. 

 H. Bailey, Eugene Davenport, and our President Butter- 

 field, received their education at this institution. Further 

 development occurred in 1837 when Justin P. Morrill, then 

 a member for \ ermont serving in the lower House, in- 

 troduced a bill into Congress providing a grant of land 

 to each state for the jnirpose of establishing agricultural 

 and industrial institutions. The bill had the usual ex- 

 perience of new projects. Once it passed both Houses, 

 but it was promptly vetoed by President Buchanan. It 

 passed again, however, and was approved by President 

 Lincoln, July 22, 1862. Thus did the United States in 

 the early days of the Civil War lay the foundation for a 

 national system of agricultural and industrial education 

 and thus originated the so-called Land Grant College. 

 Each state accepted the lands and proceeded to establish 

 its college according to its local conditions and its peculiar 

 interpretation of the Morrill Act. In the East wherever 

 there were struggling colleges, the land grant was turned 

 over to existing institutions, whose faculties knew little 

 and cared less about what the law intended to accom- 

 plish. In the West the funds were quite generally used 

 to start state universities that too often operated in the 

 interest of general education without devoting much 

 energy to the propagation of the peculiar educational 

 ideals which the Alorrill Act was supposed to establish. 

 In the Middle West an intermediate course was pursued. 

 Alichigan and Pennsylvania already possessed each an 

 agricultural college. In both cases the proceeds of the 

 land grant were at once turned over to these institutions, 

 and all energies were devoted to agriculture, ignoring for 

 man\' years the mechanical interests provided for in the 

 act. ' 



These new institutions simply did the best the\ knew 

 how as they were without teachers, without matter, meth- 

 ods or ideals and above all without an enthusiastic 



*Profe5Sor of Floriculture, Massachusetts Agricultural tOIUge, Amherst, 

 Mass. 



clientele, for farmers at that time generally ridiculed i>ook 

 farming. This, however, is not the case today, which is 

 clearly illustrated by the large attendance at the various 

 colleges of agriculture. Illinois in 1900 had nine students 

 and two teachers. .\t the present time they have between 

 700 and 800 students and over 100 men in the faculty. 

 The development at Cornell has been still greater and here 

 ill Massachusetts gains in enrolment are significant. 



( )f all the separate agricultural colleges that of Massa- 

 chusetts founded in 1863 is the only one strictly agri- 

 cultural. The work of the other overlaps more or less 

 and in addition to the agricultural work the\ consider 

 other subjects such as engineering. 



riic agricultural colleges of today contain many de- 

 p;irtments and horticulture is usually one of these depart- 

 ments coordinate with others. The first institutions to 

 develop horticulture as a separate subject were Michigan 

 in 1867 under W. W. Tracy, and Xew York in 1874 and 

 ( )hio and Iowa in the order named. At our institution 

 courses in Botany and Horticulture were oiTered bv I'rof. 

 Clark, then President of the College, as early as 1878. 

 In 1896 further development occurred and at that time 

 all the so-called liorticultiiral work was turned over to 

 Prof. Maynard. This work included pomology, floricul- 

 ture, market gardening, forestry, plant breeding, etc. In 

 1902, Prof. Waugh came to the college to take charge 

 of this work and the actual development of the work 

 dates back to that time. The time soon came when he 

 could not handle all this work and in 1904 the floricultural 

 work was turned over to Mr. Francis Canning. There 

 was a popular demand for this work and in the fall of 

 1906, the College realizing the value of trained men in 

 this branch of horticulture, began ofi^ering a specialized 

 course in floriculture under the direction of Prof. E. A. 

 \Miite. In 1908 the courses became still more special- 

 ized and from the meagre beginning has develoiied the 

 present Dei)artinent of b'loriculture. About this time 

 a number of other state institutions Ijegan to divide up 

 the horticultural work. Illinois in 1908 established a Di- 

 vision of Floriculture and Cornell, although more or less 

 coni|)lete courses in floriculture were offered under Prof. 

 Bailey's direction, has since then developed a strong de- 

 partment. ( Hher institutions are offering work along 

 floricultural lines, but the work is not as highl\- special- 

 ized. 



Before discussing the individual lines of work con- 

 sidered under the heading of floriculture 1 would like 

 to mention the fact that the Missouri Botanical Garden 

 (Shaw's Garden) has since 1885 given special attention 

 to the training of men for floricultural pursuits. Henrv 

 Shaw, the founder of the Garden, having in mind the 

 development of efficient gardeners, in his will of January 

 2(), 1885. inserted this paragraph : 



"T declare my intentions that instruction to garden 

 pu])ils shall be attended to, both in practical and scien- 

 tific horticulture, agriculture and arboriculture. I leave 

 the details of instruction to those who may have to ad- 

 minister the establishment, and to shape the particular 

 course of things to the condition of the times." 



The Board of Trustees, on assuming control of the 

 Garden, gave this feature of Mr. Shaw's will their very 

 early consideration. In December 1889. the fir.st .-in- 

 nouncement concerning ( larden pupils was issued. In 

 this we find the following: "In accordance with the in- 

 tentions of its Founder, the Trustees of the Garden 

 propose to provide adequate theoretical and practical in- 

 struction for young men desirous of becoming gardeners." 



