August 27, 1908. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



Horticulture, held at the Jamestown ex- 

 position in September of the same year, 

 this question was again discussed at 

 length, and a committee was also ap- 

 pointed hj that body, consisting of Dr. 

 A. C. True, of Washington, D. C, di- 

 rector of Experiment Stations, United 

 States Department of Agriculture; Mr. 

 E. V. Hallock and myself. 



The suggestion was made at Phila- 

 delphia that effort should be made 

 through the legislature of the various 

 states to establish a system of school 

 gardens; but it seemed wiser to the com- 

 mittee to endeavor first to interest the 

 Department of Education in this sub- 

 ject before appealing to the legislature. 

 The committee appointed by the Con- 

 gress of Horticulture met at Cornell 

 University, Ithaca, June 19, 1908, and 

 after considerable discussion, adopted a 

 tentative course of study to be presented 

 to the Educational Department of the 

 state of New York; and a conference 

 was arranged wil^h Dr. A. S. Downing, 

 assistant commissioner of the Depart- 

 ment, August 3. 



At that time the matter was discussed 

 at length, and the committee was pleased 

 to find that the Department received fa- 

 vorably the suggestions made. Dr. 

 Downing stated that said suggestions 

 were in line with the policy alrea<iy 

 adopted by the state, and finally re- 

 quested the committee to draw up a 

 course of study for the consideration of 

 the Department, stating that they would 

 take up the matter and go into the nec- 

 essary details as soon as a new syllabus 

 was issued, which would be in the fol- 

 lowing year. 



The idea of the committee was to em- 

 phasize especially the necessity for ele- 

 mentary education in horticulture in our 

 graded and common schools, in connec- 

 tion with the school garden idea, making 

 it an interesting and instructive course 

 of study, combining botany, nature 

 study, etc., teaching the children to ob- 

 serve and love nature. This horticul- 

 tural course should be made exceedingly 

 simple and practical, and should com- 

 bine the school garden idea with the 

 adornment of grounds surrounding the 

 school buildings, interesting the children 

 in their environments. They should be 

 taught what can be done with the most 

 unattractive surroundings, and at the 

 same time be given a general knowledge 

 of horticulture, especially making the 

 acquaintance of their native grasses, 

 trees, shrubs, vines and flowers. Where 

 the grounds permit, planting should be 

 done under the direction of competent 

 teachers, so that they will become gen- 

 erally well acquainted with our common 

 plants — something which is practically 

 lacking today, even among the best edu- 

 cated people. And another aspect of the 

 . case that appeals to the committee is 

 that by interesting the children in their 

 surroundings, a higher standard will be 

 raised in their minds regarding the 

 ownership of property, which would re- 

 sult in inculcating the right idea in re- 

 gard to property rights, thus making 

 better citizens of the boys and girls who 

 attend our schools, who are really the 

 warp and woof of our commonwealth. 



While the work of the committee was 

 especially to secure such a course of 

 study in the common schools, it felt it 

 wise to advocate a complete course; and 

 it was suggested that at least two spe- 

 cial horticultural and agricultural 

 schools should be established for* special 

 cour^iea in these branches — one situated 

 in the eastern part of the state and one 



Edward Dale. 



(President-elect Canadian Horticultural Assoi^iation.) 



in the western part — the one in the east 

 to specialize more particularly in horti- 

 cultural subjects, and the one in the west 

 in agricultural and pomological subjects. 

 These special secondary high schools 

 would then become feeders for Cornell 

 University. 



It seems to the committee very neces- 

 sary that such a comprehensive plan 

 should be adopted, as at the present 

 time Cornell University is obliged to 

 take practically unprepared students, 

 which compels it to do the work that 

 secondary schools should do. The special 

 horticultural and agricultural schools 

 could then do much of the preliminary 

 work that Cornell is now obliged to do, 

 leaving it free to teach the higher and 

 more scientific work, which is its legiti- 

 mate field. 



The establishment of these schools, 

 however, would be a matter that would 

 come before the legislature, and steps 

 looking toward that end will be taken in 

 due time. The special effort of the com- 

 mittee at present, however, will be to 

 secure the incorporation of a definite 

 course of study in the elementary and 

 graded schools. 



While much has already been done in 

 New York state in this direction, the 

 present syllabus leaves too much to the 

 discretion of the individual teachers, 

 who, perhaps, have little knowledge of 

 the subject. -What the committee desires 

 is to secure a definite, systematic course 

 of instruction, incorporated in the sylla- 

 bus, so that» it will not be optional, but 

 as much a required study as mathe- 

 matics, English and the other common 

 branches. The committee has considered 

 it wiser to concentrate its efforts, and 

 has selected New York state as the field 

 of operation, and if this effort is suc- 

 cessful, after a definite course has been 

 adopted by the state of New York, the 



committee will then appeal to the other 

 states. F. E. Pierson. 



- National Flower Show. 



The executive committee for the na- 

 tional flower show held a meeting at 

 Niagara Falls August 20, at which a 

 considerable number of members of the 

 general committee and other prominent 

 members of the trade were in attend- 

 ance. Chairman Kasting presided. It 

 was decided to call in another thirty per 

 cent of the guarantee fund. Details per- 

 taining to management were discussed. 



There is to be a special meeting of the 

 S. A. F. at Chicago during the flower 

 show. 



THE CONVENTION. 



From the Standpoint of an Exhibitor. 



Of all pests the chronic faultfinder is 

 the worst. However, sincere criticism is 

 the basis of all radical improvement, so 

 I modestly trust my observations may 

 suggest some way by which the florists' 

 trade in general may be benefited. 



The admission of the general public 

 to the convention this year, I venture to 

 say, caused more annoyance to the mem- 

 bers of the S. A. F., and particularly 

 to the exhibitors, than all other causes 

 combined. Many of the smaller articles 

 on display were stolen, and considerable 

 injury was caused to delicate plants, 

 orchids and ribbons, by promiscuous 

 handling by the multitude. The annoy- 

 ance became so unbearable that a peti- 

 tion was presented to the superintendent, 

 signed by most of the exhibitors, request- 

 ing that the general public be excluded. 

 This was carried into effect, and a few 

 moments later one of the exhibitors of 

 pottery rushed to the superintendent 

 stating: "You are excluding the depart- 

 ment store merchants, with whom I do 



