



i 



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THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[February 3, 1912. 



APPOINTMENTS FOR FEBRUARY. 



SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3- 



Soc. Fran(jaise d'Hort. de Londres meet. 



MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5- 



Nat. Chrys. Soc. Ann. Meet, at Carr s Restaurant, 



Strand, at 7 p.m. 



TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6 - 



Roy. Hort. Soc. Corns. Meet. (Lecture at 3 p.m. by 

 Sir Everard im Tlnirn on ■' Plants of Fiji and Other 

 South Sea Islands.") Scottish Hort. Soc. meet. 



THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8- 



Manchester & N. of England Orchid Soc. meet. British 

 Gard. Assoc. (London Branch) meet. (Lecture by Mr. 

 Edward Chitty on M Stove Plants.") 



FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9- . . , 



Roy. Gard. Orphan Fund Ann. Meet, and election of 

 candidates at Simpson's Restaurant, Strand, at 3 p.m. 

 Roy. Scottish Arboricultural Soc. Ann. Meet. 



MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12- 



United Hort. Benefit and Prov. Soc. Com. meet. 



TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13- 



Roy. Hort. Soc. Ann. Meet, (no exhibition.) 



THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15- 



Linnean Soc. meet. Croydon and District Hort. Mutual 



Improvement Soc. Ann. Dinner. 



MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19- 



Nat. Chrys. Soc. Executive Com. meet. 



TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20 - 



Roy. Hort. Soc. Com-, meet. (Lecture at 3 p.m. by 

 Mr. W. Cuthbertson on "New Sweet Peis.") Horti- 

 cultural Club Ann. Meet. 5.15 p.m., and Dinner 6 p.m. 

 N. of England Hort. Soc. meet, at Leeds. (Lecture by 

 Mr. Pulham, Junr., on M The R.H.S. Rock Garden. ") 



WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21 - 

 Roy. Meteorological Soc. meet. 



THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22- 



Manchester & N. of England Orchid Soc. and N. of 

 England Hort. Society's joint show at Manchester. 



WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 - 

 Roy. Botanic Soc. meet. 



now engaged in considering the question 

 of a National Diploma. The authorities 

 of the International Horticultural Ex- 

 hibition have provided for the publica- 

 tion of a report on horticultural 

 education. There is a general desire for 

 the methodisation and extension of 



of gardeners in all parts of the country. 

 In the train of such a system would come 

 the provision of scholarships enabling 

 capable young men to pursue their studies 

 in the most suitable places at home or 

 abroad. The schemes of training would 

 have reference to gardeners primarily, 



horticultural research, and a strong feel- but also secondarily to instructors and 



ing exists that horticulture must secure experts in special branches of horticul- 



a liberal measure of financial help from tural art and science ; whence it follows 



the funds at the disposal of the develop- immediately that the National Institute 



ment commissioners. 



would find itself concerned not only with 

 The omens, therefore, are propitious, education but also with research. It 



and we cannot be charged wi 



pre 



would thus appeal to every horticulturist, 



matureness if we proceed to enquire how for there is none who does not recognise 

 these desires and aspirations may be best 



that the time has come when research 

 should cease its infantile dilettantism 

 and settle down to steady business. By 



achieved. Are we to acquiesce in the 



habit of our race of letting things 



take their course, or arc we to profit by no means should the researcher be wor- 

 ried by boards or institutes. He must 

 retain his individual freedom ; neverthe- 

 less such individual freedom is not incon- 

 sistent with a clear-headed and per- 

 sistent effort in a definite direction. 

 The extension of research would result 

 in benefits not only to the science of 

 horticulture, but also to the horticultural 



the example of other branches of art, 

 science, and industry, and to endeavour 

 to shape the course of our evolution ? Are 

 we, in short, to u go on as we are/ 7 or 

 should w T e seek to establish some great 

 National Institution of Horticulture by 

 which the needs of horticulture and of 

 horticulturists can be formulated and 

 secured? 



The simplest way in which we may 

 present this problem to our minds is to 



Average Mean Temperature for the ensuing week 

 deduced from observations during the last Fifty Year? 

 at Greenwich-36-5°. 



Actual Temperatures: — 



London.— Wednesday, January 31 (6 p.m.): Max. 40°; 



Mil). 33^. 



Gardeners' Chronicle Office, 41, Wellington Street, 

 Covent Garden, London —Thursday, February 1 

 (10 a.m.) : Bar. 301T ; Temp. 89° ; Weather— 

 Dull. 



Provinces.— Wednesday January 31 : Max 42° Dorset- 

 shire; Mill. 31* Scotland, N.E. 



SALES FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. 



ftc, at 12.r0, 



Street, Covent 



MONDAY and WEDNESDAY - 



Rose Trees, Fruit Trees, Perennials, 

 at Stevens's Auction Rooms, 88, King 

 Garden. 



MONDAY and FRIDAY— 



Herbaceous and Border Plants, Hardy Bulbs, &c , at 

 12; Roses, Fruit Trees, &c, at 1.30; at 67 & 68, Cheap- 

 side, E.C,, by Protheroe & Morris. 



WEDNESDAY— 



Perennials, Rock and other Plants, Hardy Bulbs, &c, 

 at 12 ; Roses and Fruit Trees, at 1.30 ; Palms and Plants, 

 at 5. Tra.le Sale of Miscellaneous Plants and Bulbs, 

 at 12 ; 1,066 cases Japanese Liliums, at 2.30 ; at 67 & 68, 

 Cheapside, E.C, by Protheroe & Morris. 



FRIDAY- , _^ t 



Orchids, at 12.45, at 67 & 68, Cheapside, E.C, by 



Protheroe cSc Morris. 



A widespread feeling exists 



National among 



institute horticulture that the present 

 of Horti- time is auspicious for the 

 culture, putting forth of an effort to 

 consolidate and advance horticultural in- 

 terests. Correspondents, representative 



consider what vital, useful purposes may 

 be fulfilled by a National Institute of 

 Horticulture. Let us assume that the 

 institute is in existence, that it is ade- 

 quately endowed, that its foundation was 

 approved by the Departments of State 

 concerned with horticulture, that the 

 Royal Horticultural Society is lending the 

 institute its powerful and whole-hearted 

 assistance, and lastly — and most impor- 

 tant of all — that the institute has the 

 strenuous support of all sections of the 

 horticultural community. Nor, let it be 

 noted, are these assumptions extravagant, 

 for the sole aim of the institute is the 

 advancement of the art, science, and in- 

 dustry of British horticulture. 



The National Institute in being, how 

 does it proceed to justify its existence? 



In the first place, it would concern itself 

 with the great and increasingly important 

 problem of horticultural education. To it 

 w r ould fall the duty of granting national 

 diplomas of different degrees to the 

 different groups of horticulturists. But 

 the moment it began to consider the ques- 

 tion of national diplomas it would be 

 men interested in brought face to face with the more funda- 

 mental problem of horticultural educa- 

 tion — that is, of horticultural training 



The institute would have the sad ex- is, of all places in 

 ample of the old University of London 

 before it. That University was guilty of 



industry, and those engaged in that in- 

 dustry would have a two-fold reason for 

 supporting the institute: first, because 

 of their disinterested regard for horticul- 

 ture, and second because they could lay 

 their occasional difficulties before the 

 institute and obtain help from its re- 

 search department. The material for 

 research thus provided would further be 

 of the utmost value to the staff, for 

 the problems which beset the grower 

 are very practical problems, and would 

 keep the investigators in constant touch 

 with reality. The great firms might be 

 found willing to do w T hat their col- 

 leagues in America have done, namely, 

 endow special fellowships for a term of 

 years in order to secure the investigation 

 of definite and important problems. It 

 may appear to some that this programme 

 is so vast as to be chimerical ; but a 

 knowledge of existing facilities will show 

 that the function of the institute with 

 respect to research would be at all events 

 in large measure that of a coherer. It 

 would link up existing institutions and 

 persuade them to sketch in outline plans 

 of campaign with respect to education 

 and research, and provide for the carry- 

 ing out of the operations decided upon. 

 The country possesses in its existing 

 institutions no inconsiderable materials 

 for such a scheme. For example, Kew 



the world, best 

 fitted for the indispensable work of 

 systematic mycology. It is not the func- 

 tion of an institution such as Kew to un- 



of very varied branches of horticulture, the unforgivable sin of initiating degrees 



are urging us constantly that the time is in arts and science and of letting educa- dertake the work of devising remedies io^ 



ripe for an attempt to provide for the 



organised advancement of horticultural constrained examinationed Israelites who 



tional training take care of itself. The diseases, but it would be the function o 



such an institution to do for fungi what 



science. It has been proposed again and 

 again that a horticultural branch of the 

 Board of Agriculture should be estab- 

 lished. A vast sum of money is to be 

 spent by this Board in the establishment 

 of Farm Institutes. The Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society is, as it has alw 7 ays been, in 

 full and active sympathy with the desire 

 to advance the interests of horticulture, 

 and has appointed a committee, which is 



served that Pharaoh were compelled to 

 make bricks without straw. In the light 

 of that sad example the institute would 



recognise that something more than 

 diplomas is wanted, and would proceed to 

 obtain the co-operation of provincial 

 Universities, County Council Education 

 Committees and the like, whereby its 

 schemes of training could be put into 

 operation and brought within the reach 



its herbarium does for the higher plants 

 In addition to the systematical side ot 

 mycology, Kew might also undertake W 

 recording of the space — and t^ ine "7 . 

 haviour of parasitic fungi: tracing thei 

 marches and countermarches up and do 

 the country. 



It is not for us to do more than out- 

 line provisional suggestions enough 

 develop our thesis that the Nation* 



