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THE GENESEE FARMER. 



April 



I 



Ijnitimlttttal Hffiitfintnt. 



EDITED BY P. BARRT. 



I 



At the present time there is an unusual interest felt 

 amonw all clnsses of people, in every part of the 

 country, in relation to the culture of i'riiit and gar- 

 dening in general. But the want of information — 

 we moan real practical information — is a serious 

 stumbling block. Books and periodicals are to be 

 had, and good ones too, that ofTcr nearly all the assis- 

 tance that written instructions are capable of yield- 

 ing ; but this falls far short of supplying the want. 

 Half an hour a day in a good garden, where gardening 

 operations are carried on by practical and well trained 

 men, would be better than a month's reading of the 

 best books that can be written. But very few of our 

 people have access lo such gardens. Here and there 

 we have good gardens ; but they are private, and 

 conducted for private purposes. What is wanted 

 are public gardens — horticultural schools — where 

 all branches of gardening will be publicly taught to 

 all who desire to learn it, and where experiments 

 and systems will be carried out for the public benefit. 

 There are a multitude of gardeners employed in 

 various parts of the country. Some are well trained 

 and really skilful men ; but tlie greater part are mere 

 laborers from the old world, who know next to nothing 

 of our climate, productions, want*, tastes, and habits. 

 The consequence is a woful mismanagement, that 

 discourages people, retards t!ie aivancemetit of good 

 culture, and creates a nujltitude o' misapprehensions. 

 Shall not some steps be taken to remedy this great 

 evil ? We have one to propose, but it may appear 

 visionary. VVe are well satisfied, however, that it 

 is not so ; but a plain, ft-asilde plan, carried out suc- 

 cessfully in countries that can not boast our resources. 

 We are not about to propose an appeal to either our 

 national government or State legislature — we are 

 not sure that it would be proper to do so ; and even 

 if it were proper, it would undoubtedly be vain. 

 What we would propose is, that every large city 

 and town, such as, for instance, in our State, New 

 York, Albany, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buf- 

 falo, where horticultural societies exist, establish a 

 Horticultural School, to be managed by the execu- 

 tive officers of the Society in conjunction with the 

 Mayor and Common Council of the city — that all 

 branches of gardening shall be taught in it theoreti- 

 cally and practically, by competent instructors — that 

 a definite period or course of study be adopted, at the 

 end of which pupils, after passing a satisfactory ex- 

 amination, might receive a diploma — that terms or 

 conditions of admission might be so arranged as to 



meet the circumstances of all clasBes. The fees and 

 productive labor of the pupils might almost, if not 

 quite sustain the school. The sons of wealthy men, 

 who would be sent there to learn the art and science 

 of gardening for their improvement and recreation, 

 only might be required to pay a certain fee, while the 

 sons of poor men, who would go to learn it as a trade 

 or profession, might be admitted free and be supported 

 during the term of their study. 



Our attention has been particularly called to this 

 subject now, by hearing that the Garden of Plants at 

 Rouen, in France, has been, or is about to be, con- 

 verted into such a school as we have described. 

 The plan is set forth in the following programme : 



"Article 1. A Scliool of Horticulture will be establislicd 

 at the Jardiii des Plantes of Rouen. Tlie course of instruc- 

 tion will be three years, and will comprise both theory and 

 practice. 



"Art. 2. There will be taught— 1st, A course of elementa- 

 ry botany, with concise explanations of geology, chemistry, 

 aiid physics, applied to horticulture. 2d, A course of arboricul- 

 ture, including the laying out and management of parks gar- 

 dens, &c. 3cJ, A course of natural and forced culture of 

 culinary veiietables, bolli for market and private use, and in 

 different soils and situations. 4th. A course of floriculture, 

 comprehending hardy and hot-house plants of ornament, both 

 for sale and private gardens. 



" Art. 3. The Professor of the fourth course will be 

 charged with the superintendence or government of the gar- 

 dens of the work, the pupils, and care of all the materials. 



"Art. 4. Mach Professor will have the direction of his 

 own course, and the exclusive control of its labors. The 

 rules will be made by the concurrence of all the Professors, 

 and he Eubmittcd to the approbation of the .Mayor, in order 

 that the Institution may correspond in all its parts, 



"Art. 5. There will be admitted, gratuitously, to this 

 school, children from 14 to 18 years of age, whose parents 

 reside in the city of Rouen, and who are unable to pay any 

 fee. These children must have attended the primary schools, 

 and possess the know ledge to be acquired in them. There 

 will also be admitted, under the same conditions of instruc- 

 tion, in consideration of a fee to be fixed by the municipal 

 council, children whose parents are able to pay, without 

 regard to their place of residence. The number of pupils to 

 be fixed in such a manner that all can be usefully employed 

 in the manual labor of the school. 



" Art. 6. Provides for the em[)loyment of assistant teach- 

 ers, practical workmen, who will conduct the dilTerent 

 branches of labor. 



" \sv. 7 \'vo\ ides for tlie payment of salary to such pupils 

 as may deserve it, before the expiration of the three years' 

 coiir-ie. 



" Art. 8. Relates to the public examination of the pupils 

 and the award of diplomas at the end of their study. 



" Art. 9. A general report of the situation of the school, 

 and the progress of instnuiion, to be submitted annually to 

 the !\l:iyor and mnnicipnl council, by the Professors. 



" Af<T. 10. .All the lal-.or of gardening, plantations, and 

 care of trees in the public groimds in the city of Rouen, will 

 be executed by the pupils of the school of horticulture. 



" Art. 11. All the course will be public, the instructions 

 <o be applicable to the management of public and private 

 gardens of all sorts." 



Now, we ask the friends and promoters of im- 

 provement, those who desire to place within the reach 

 of the rising generation a knowledge of the most 

 important and interesting arts and sciences, what 

 they think of this programme, and whether it be not 

 possible and perfectly practicable to establish in such 

 cities as Rochester, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, 

 kc, a school of horticulture on a similar plan ? 

 Let us at least discuss the matter, and test the feel- 

 ing in relation to it. Is it not time for Americans to 

 move in the matter of training their own gardeners, 

 and of giving their youth an opportunity of learning 

 how to manage their gardens 1 The noble Society 

 of Massachusetts will soon, we hope, give attention 

 to the subject ; and why cannot our great Sute Ag- 



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