49 5 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 512. 



these will be ready for sowing a few days afterward. I use 

 pans of light soil, setting the seeds with the thin point down- 

 ward. Light watering and a moderate temperature are suffi- 

 cient, and the seedlings will be up in from four to five weeks. 

 They may be pricked off in the ordinary way, and will make 

 nice bulbs, though not large enough to flower the first season. 

 Some growers have planted them out for the summer, though 

 the most successful practice 1 have seen has been to keep 

 them in pots ; six-inch size will be large enough until they 

 bloom. Mr. Findlayson's Amaryllises were kept indoors all the 

 time, but this was principally to avoid the Narcissus-fly grub, 

 which has been destructive lately. Until they flower they should 

 be kept growing, but afterward they may be rested annually in 

 the ordinary way. 

 Wellesley, Mass. T. D. Hatfield. 



More Orchid-flowering Carinas. 



PANDORA is another of the Orchid-flowering Cannas 

 from the list of Dammann & Co. We have the variety 

 from the originators, and have been enjoying its blossoms in 

 the greenhouse since September. The plant is dwarf, grow- 

 ing about three feet high. But these are young plants closely 

 potted in the house, so that we may expect a larger growth of 

 strong plants out-of-doors. The foliage is very dark red, 

 splashed with lighter greenish red. The flowers most closely 

 resemble those of America, described in Garden and Forest, 

 vol. x., p. 178, with the attractive, full-rounded form of those of 

 Italia, with reflexed petals (not staminodia). The petal-like 

 staminodia are bright, fiery cherry-red, heavily splashed and 

 overlaid with a darker velvety red, giving a peculiarly rich 

 appearance. Pandora and America please us the best of all 

 the Italian or Orchid-flowering sorts. 



The varieties Bavaria and Burgundia (Dammann) have also 

 been in blossom with us since September 13th. These are 

 both of comparatively dwarf habit, the foliage beingsmallerand 

 narrower than in the better-known Italia, Austria and Bui bunk. 

 They both give blossoms of the Italia type, it being frequently 

 difficult or entirely impossible to separate the three, Bavaria, 

 Burgundia and Italia, by the blossoms alone. Bavaria tends to 

 have more solid red at the centre, so that it becomes rather a 

 yellow-bordered flower, of somewhat the same marking as 

 Queen Charlotte ; Burgundia is more spotted and looks a trifle 

 more like Florence Vaughan ; Bavaria usually has upright 

 petals, while Burgundia commonly shows its Canna flaccida 

 parentage in reflexed petals. 



We had Italia and Austria in large beds on the open lawn 

 throughout the summer, where they gave moderate satisfac- 

 tion. Their large growth and heavy luxuriant leaves give a 

 fresh, semitropical foliage effect worth consideration ; but 

 the blossoms are not, upon outdoor plants, an item of much 

 importance. 



University of Vermont. 



F. A. Waugh. 



Correspondence. 



Ideals of Horticultural Instruction. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — At a recent meeting of the Horticultural Seminar, to 

 which reference was recently made in Garden and Forest 

 (page 438), Professor F. A. Waugh, in the course of a paper on 

 Ideals of Horticultural Instruction, said that in the fourth 

 decade of this century Poiteau, an eminent French horticul- 

 turist, published what he considered an ideal course of study 

 for horticultural students. It comprehended instruction in the 

 elementary principles of those natural sciences having a tech- 

 nical application in horticulture, horticultural methods and an 

 introduction to the literature of the subject. The end in view 

 was the acquirement of technical skill. 



Present notions of horticultural instruction in many schools 

 are similar in ideals to those held by Poiteau. Obviously, 

 related natural sciences, especially systematic and physio- 

 logical botany, should precede a course in horticulture. With 

 a course thus arranged, the instructor can pursue his ideal, 

 that of technical instruction. But in some colleges horticul- 

 ture is prematurely introduced before the prerequisites have 

 been taken; hence more or less of the time that should be 

 devoted to horticulture proper is necessarily spent in giving 

 instruction that should have been previously given in other 

 courses. This is a serious hindrance to the cause of horticul- 

 tural instruction. In recent years, a few instructors, fol- 

 lowing Professor Bailey, of Cornell, have been influenced by 

 quite different ideals. These men teach horticulture not 

 merely for horticulture's sake, that is, for immediate prac- 

 tical results, but also, and this primarily, as a disciplinary 



study in a scheme of liberal education. The former aspect 

 of the subject belongs to technology, and can be taught 

 to children in the industrial schools. The functions and pur- 

 poses of a college course are different. Here the aim is to 

 teach the student " to observe, to reason accurately, to present 

 his thoughts cogently," and to cultivate the aesthetic tastes ; in a 

 word, the development of the mature man. In order to merit 

 a place in a college curriculum, horticulture must confine 

 itself within the scope of college instruction and must be sub- 

 ordinated to its aims. It must conform to the methods and 

 requirements of liberal education in so far as the subject will 

 permit. 



Professor Waugh said there are three broad divisions of 

 horticulture, each laid in a different field of knowledge: (1) a 

 science, a branch of botanical science ; (2) a philosophy, based 

 on the science, and typified in the evolution course ; (3) an 

 art, illustrated in landscape-gardening. But art, science and 

 philosophy are the basis of all university instruction. In such 

 a course as is here advocated, while the student is adding to 

 his general education, he is at the same time developing in 

 sympathy with horticultural pursuits, and gaining an acquaint- 

 ance with a valuable trade. 



Those who follow Poiteau's ideal cultivate the practical side 

 of the subject, in preference to the liberal aspect; their 

 ideal is an institute of horticultural technology. The fol- 

 lowers of Professor Bailey bring into the foreground the 

 requirements of a liberal education; and while they teach 

 technology, treat it as of secondary importance. Horticulture 

 is a required study in agricultural colleges generally. For 

 students who do not follow that occupation in after years, the 

 technology is of comparatively little value ; while the student 

 who pursues a course shaped according to the second ideal 

 develops in a manner to increase his satisfaction in life, what- 

 ever his surroundings may prove to be. 



We may apply to horticultural instruction an epigrammatic 

 statement made by President Fairchild, of Kansas, in his ad- 

 dress at the Minneapolis meeting of the American Association 

 of Agricultural Colleges, as to the development of agricultural 

 education: "The ideal of agricultural education was first, 

 education/c?/- agriculture ; second, education i?i agriculture ; 

 third, education by agriculture." This characterization points 

 out a real progress and the different stages of development 

 arc each marked. 



In a short discussion that followed the reading of the above 

 paper, Professor Waugh expressed his conviction that the 

 greatest need in agricultural education to-day is that of High 

 Schools that shall fit men simply for practical agriculture ; and 

 that the next step in agricultural education would be the estab- 

 lishment of such schools. 



University of Vermont. V. A. Clark. 



Chrysanthemums in Boston. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest: 



Sir, — At the recent exhibition of Chrysanthemums in Boston 

 it was more than ever apparent that large flowers with strong 

 stems were most popular. The florists' ideal was supreme ; 

 and the large vase of magnificent flowers of Mrs. Jerome Jones, 

 shown by E. M. Wood & Co., was the centre of attraction. 

 These were each of the same size, and arranged with such 

 precision that the whole presented an even and rounded mass. 

 That this was in keeping with the popular taste was evident 

 from the frequent comments on other vases which did not 

 show this regularity. There was one, however, in some 

 respects a departure, arranged by Mr. John Ash, gardener for 

 Mrs. Clark, of Pomfret, Connecticut, which the committee 

 recognized by an award, though there were larger flowers in 

 competing vases. While the arrangement of the blooms in 

 all the other vases was uniformly even, and generally con- 

 ceded to be effective, it was shown by the awards by the com- 

 mittee on plants that the matter of arrangement can be carried 

 to excess. The groups arranged for effect were circular pyra- 

 mids of single-flowered plants which followed, with one 

 exception, the even plan of arrangement adopted in the vases. 

 Kenneth Findlayson, gardener for Dr. Weld, of Brookline, 

 efl 1 lively broke this monotony in his group by the use of a 

 few sep irate plants, and was rewarded for his efforts. 



Complaint is frequently made that naturally grown plants 

 are not seen. The fact is that but few varieties are suitable 

 for growing in this way. Plants like Norma, Golden Ball and 

 many of the pompones stand up well, but the greater number 

 would be accounted untidy if grown naturally. It seems to 

 me there can be no halfway between a natural and a trained 

 specimen. The greatest perfection in training is neatness and 

 finish, just what we complain of when we want an artistic vase 



