148 



Annals of Horticulture. 



Buds and tubers : leaf-buds, flower-buds, tubers. Growth : 

 increase in size and changes of composition, formation and 

 storage of food materials. Flowers : their component parts ; 

 what they do. Fruit : changes and development during 

 ripening ; forms and varieties— apple, strawberry, plum, etc. 

 Second stage. Elementary operations. — Description and use of 

 implements under each head. Operations connected with 

 the land, with explanations and illustrations of good and bad 

 methods — digging and trenching, draining, hoeing, stirring 

 the soil and weeding, watering. Preparation of seed-bed : 

 rolling and raking ; sowing, transplanting and thinning. 

 Agricul- P°tting. Planting : positions and shelter ; staking ; earthing 

 turalex- and blanching. Propagation: elementary principles — cut- 

 Engfand! tm &> budding, grafting, layering ; insect and fungous pests. 



Third stage. Advanced practice. — Budding. Grafting and 

 stocks used. Layering. Division. Branch-pruning. Root- 

 pruning : old and young trees and bushes. Fruit-culture : 

 open air and under glass; small fruits; apples and pears; 

 stone-fruits ; gathering and storing ; packing and marketing. 

 Vegetable culture : tubers and roots ; green vegetables ; fruits 

 and seeds (peas, beans, etc.); rotation of crops. Flower cul- 

 ture : outside and under glass ; manures and application. 

 Treatment of insect pests ; treatment of fungous pests. Gen- 

 eral knowledge of fruits. 



A university extension movement in relation to agricultural 

 topics has been started in Kent. In upwards of 60 villages 

 courses of six lectures have been given upon agricultural 

 chemistry, botany, entomology and related subjects. The 

 funds were provided by a grant of ^3000 from the Technical 

 Education Committee of the Kent County Council. This is 

 said to be the first attempt in England " to bring before rural 

 audiences some of the elementary scientific principles which 

 underlie their daily work." 

 Horticui- Numerous societies are .prosecuting work of essentially the 

 "cfeties". same character as that pursued by the farmers' institutes, and 

 with the additional advantages of permanence of organization 

 which insures more consecutive endeavor. There are in 

 North America a dozen horticultural societies of a national or 

 general character, and over 50 state, provincial and district 

 societies. In addition to these there are some hundreds of 

 county and local societies, of which statistics have never been 



