NATIONAL COUNCIL OF HORTICULTURE 91 



than amid long blocks of plain brick houses. But there is much in 

 nature that is beautiful that cannot be used in the florist's work. 

 Lichens and toadstools, for instance, include varieties having beautiful 

 colors, yet they are not used in carpet bedding owing to practical 

 difficulties. Therefore the visual memory is stored by visiting gardens 

 and exhibitions, and by studying illustrations, horticultural books and 

 trade catalogues. 



The selective faculty is trained by determining what is worth 

 remembering. We must put some things in the front row of the 

 memory, so to speak, where they can be availed of instantaneously. 

 Other things are set behind and labeled by some bit of detail, a leaf 

 or a bit of color or a word or a taste or smell or by name. For very 

 many things that may be useful the memory must refer back to the 

 cyclopedia, an indexed periodical, a scrap book, so and so's catalogue, 

 and so on. 



The visual memory is trained by repetition, by close application 

 forced by the will power. It is aided by association with other sen- 

 sations, by the sentiments, by novelty, by superlative characteristics 

 and so on. 



The imagination is based on memory. We can imagine nothing 

 that has not come into our minds through the senses or that is not due 

 to some combination of ideas previously so gained. Hence the im- 

 portance of storing the memory with things worth remembering. The 

 imagination must be guided by reason and will power to be useful, 

 but it must be exercised and developed mainly in youth, even by the 

 aid of beautiful things that are not useful. The imagination is stimu- 

 lated by beautiful things to imagine other beautiful combinations and 

 modifications. An ancient necklace or a decorated book cover, seen 

 in a museum of art, may excite the imagination many years after in 

 the designing of flower decoration. That may be both a pleasant and 

 a useful training of the young florist's imagination, but the study of 

 veined marble, or cloud effects or a specimen of marine alga might 

 be pleasant but probably useless to the florist. 



The reasoning faculty may be trained in various ways, but may 

 best be trained by the study of cause and effect in the natural sciences 

 dealing with the materials to be handled or controlled by the florist. 

 If he learns scientifically why certain color combinations are pleasing 

 and certain others displeasing he can act as the result of reasoning 

 when the time comes instead of trusting to his own sensations or to 

 what people say or to tradition. If he has studied agricultural chem- 

 istry and plant physiology and meteorology he may sometimes avoid 

 mistakes which others fall into through the misapplication of tradi- 

 tional wise saws, which often for the sake of brevity or of a catching 

 rhyme convey a half truth or even a falsehood. 



The training of other faculties need not be enlarged upon. The 

 inference to be drawn is that if the florist is to have such an educa- 

 tion as will fit him to produce beautiful floral decoration and to make 

 his vocation compare in esthetic standing with that of the architect 

 and the artist, mural decorator and (let no offense be taken) the 



