46 



AN OUTLOOK ON VEGETABLE GARDENING 



interests do not appreciate the help that they may receive from the 

 market gardeners in the way of good instruction in intensive tillage 

 and high cropping. The vegetable grower and the florist are people 

 who derive the greatest produce from a given area of land. They 

 are persons who have developed a high degree of special skill. On 

 all accounts, therefore, it is important that the vegetable growers 

 identify themselves with the rising agricultural movement, and I 

 shall be very glad if the State College of Agriculture can help to bring 

 about this relationship. 



The colleges of agriculture have not yet organized the vegetable 

 garden work strongly either on the educational or experimental sides. 

 We are, therefore, glad to have this association meet with us in order 

 that we may secure its advice in the development of this phase of our 

 work. The vegetable gardeners will contribute their skill to the 

 development of college work in their field and also their point of view 

 on the general situation that is involved. 



The vegetable gardeners need to organize themselves education- 

 ally. They have not had close enough relation with the agricultural 

 educational institutions. One reason for this, as I have indicated, 

 is that the institutions themselves have not been prepared to meet 

 the needs of the vegetable gardeners. This situation, however, is 

 now beginning rather rapidly to change. The institutions will meet 

 the situation as rapidly as vegetable growers demand that it be met. 

 I am well aware that no educational institution can train one to be a 

 good vegetable gardener without actual practice in the business 

 itself; but the progress of any business or occupation must be ex- 

 pressed in the end in the institutions and organizations that represent 

 it. 



I desire that you understand some of the limitations of college 

 training in vegetable gardening. It is not to be expected that an 

 educational institution can employ the highest class practical experts 

 in the growing of all the different kinds of crops. If I wanted to 

 acquire the actual skill in the growing of cauliflowers I should go to 

 Long Island and learn from the successful cauliflower growers. If 

 I wanted to perfect myself in the growing of peaches I should want 

 to go into western New York and learn from an actual peach grower. 

 I should want this knowledge in addition to the training that I could 

 secure in a college. It would be better for me if I had much of this 

 practical skill before I entered college; but sooner or later I would 

 be obliged to get it from men who are actually in the business, the 



