192 



March 9, 1912 



HORTICULTURAL 



EDUCATION. 



Self-education of Young 



Gardeners. 



Notwithstanding all that has heen said 

 ami written within recent years on the 

 advantage to the gardeniM* of a knowledge 

 of the prin< i}>les underlying sn<-ee.S(sful prae- 

 tice, there are not wanting those who stili 

 hoki the opinion that an acquaintance with 

 the practical details of gairden work is .suffi- 

 cient to enj>ure a full measure of success. 

 If you discuss the question of horticultural 

 etlucation with those who hold such views, 

 you are told before the <livseussion has pro- 

 ceeded very far that sonuMuie with whom 

 they are acquainted has oalained a tore- 

 mccst position among pi iu ti< al horticul- 

 turists, although his giMiei al education was 

 not of the hest, and he knows practically 

 nothing of the -cientitic aspects of garden- 

 ing. Thev will also tell vou in support of 

 their contention of men who commenced life 

 with great educational advantages and 

 have failed to make their mark, and, in 

 (^)n>equence, occupy a relatively low^ posi- 

 tioJK Facts such as these, however convinc- 

 ing they may appear at first sight, hardly 

 touch the question at issue. They simply 

 show that in gardening, as in other pur- 

 suits, men with great natural abilities are 

 able 'to succeed whatever may be the ob- 

 stacles in their w^ay, and that others who 

 do not possess the energy essential to the 

 proper application of the knowledge with 

 winch they haA^e heen furnished will, on 

 tln^ contrary, assuredly fail. There cannot 

 well be any difference^ipon this point, and 

 certainly iiot among those who have oppor- 

 tunities* for <ih>eivation over a wide area, 



>ome thought to the sub- 



and have given 



ject. 



hatever knowledge a man may pos- 

 must be applied, and wnth a due 

 amount of skill, before he can derive any 

 material advantage from its pos>.ession. In 

 other words, the gardener must have a inW 

 knowledge of the practical details of gar- 

 den work and garden management, which 

 can only be obtained by several years of 

 strenuous endeavour, before he can hope to 

 achieve even a moderate degree of success 

 So essential is a practical training regarded 

 by the writer that he has no hesitation m 

 stating that, in his opinion, a man who 

 cannot even read or w^rite.will, after a few 

 years' work in the garden^ prove superior 

 as a cultivator to a man who has from the 

 study of books heconu' acquainted with 

 scientific methods, but will not take the 

 trouble to become well versed in the essen- 

 tials of good practic<\ This much has been 

 state<l to show that, while the young gar- 

 dener will be strongly a<lvise<l to devote 

 some portion of his spare time to the study 

 of such sciences as. have a direct bearing 

 on the work of the garden, no one holds a 

 stronger opinion as to the paramount im- 

 portance of practice than the writer. 

 " As the general aspect of liorticultural 

 edxication is far too 



mit of it being properly dealt with in one 

 article, the education of young men who 

 have entered on their gardening career w^ll 

 on this occasion alone be discussed. lo 

 fully appreciate the importance of the ques- 

 tion to the vounger memhers of the pro- 

 fession who will have to depend upon their 

 own efforts, it is necessary to remember 

 that within recent years there have been 

 <-onsiderahle advances in 4iorticultural edu- 

 cation, and that much more rapid advances 

 may be anticipated within the next ten 

 years or so. If the«e anticipations 

 realised, it follows that those who are now 

 entering on their career and fail to take 

 advantage of tlu^ opportunities they have for 



the acquisition of scientific knowledge will 



at an im|X)rtant period m their life have to 

 compete with men who have been more fully 

 equipped for the battle of life than they. 

 Therefore, whether the young gardener has 

 only recently entered on his training or has 

 been engaged therein several years, he 

 should take full advantage of his oppor- 

 tunities for strengthening the weak points 

 in his general education and the acquisi- 

 tion of an elementary knowledge of those 

 sciences which have a direct bearing upon 

 his work. If he is really desirous of risiug 

 to a good position in his profession he must 

 turn a deaf ear to those who are ever ready 

 to contend that, because some gardeners 

 have achieved success with a modicum 

 only of science, the study of science is 

 wholly unnecessary. Further, he should not 

 at this period of life concern himself over 

 much aibout the niateruil results that w^ill 

 be obtained from well-directed study. He 

 may he well assured that they will be such 

 as to remler him suhstantial assistance in 

 his endeavours to make his mark, and w^hat 

 is hardly less important, some knowledge 

 of the natural sciences will greatly increase 

 the interest of the garden and add much 



to the pleasures of Ufe. 



Having thus hriefly stated the case in 

 favour of a combination of science with 

 practice in the education of the young gar- 

 dener, it will now he convenient to consider 

 what subjects he should study for the pur- 

 pose of fully equipping himself for his work 

 and on what lines should be the study con- 

 ducted. To avoid any misapprehensiou, it 

 may be well to state that it is not neces- 

 sary for the gardener to beoome an expert 

 botanist, entomologist, geologist, or 

 chemist. It is a question whether it would 

 even be desirable that the studies should be 

 canned far enough in either direction to 

 admit of the student proceeding beyond the 

 eiementarv f-tage. But it must be admitted 

 that one whose life wnll he devoted to the 

 cultivation of useful and ornamental plants 

 should have a sufficient acquaintance with 

 their various ])arts to he able to describe 

 them <'learly and acc urately, and to under- 

 stand the structure of root and hranch, and 

 the processes of reproduction, nutrition, 

 cross-fertilisation, and hybridisation, so 

 that he may he in a position to determine 

 wdth some Viegree of accuracy beforehand 

 what the results will he from a certain 

 course of procedure. Again, he should be 

 well acquainted with the constituents and 

 inhabitants of the various classes of soil 

 that have to he dealt wdth in garden man- 

 agement. Neither elementary chemistry or 

 geology, nor, indeed, the two combined, will 

 tell the cultivator all he should know ahout 

 soiN, but some knowledge of these sciences 

 will enable him to more readily understand 

 the information that is to be ohtained from 

 advanceil works on soils and fertilisers. 

 Then, with regard to economic entomology^ 

 whicli, foi- our present purpose, may he 

 des<-rihcd as the study of insects injurious to 

 plant life, it may he stated that those who 

 are well acquainted with the life history 

 of the various pests will be in a much better 

 position for <-(mteiHling with them succes.s- 

 fully than those whose knowledge does not 

 extend heyond the remedies hy wh ich 

 plants can he cleared of their enemies wdien 

 an attack has been made. 



Conti 



^ _ s. — ITie severe frosts rec ently 



experiencedliave worked havoc among this 

 crop; perhaps at no sieaeon previously had 

 cabbages looked so promising m this district. 

 Whenever possible the crop should be hoed, 

 the hlanks filled vip with plants from the 

 seed bed, and the whole crop made firm hy 

 treading if n^^'ded. A e-mail sowing of nitrate 

 of soda mixed with an ei^ual bulk of dry soot 

 strewn hetween the lines will^ be very >)ene- 

 ficial at hoeing time— G. E. 



Examiner^. 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY^S EXAMINATION. 



The Royal Horticultural Society's seventh 

 examination of employees in public parks wag 

 held on January 8, 1912. 



As previout^ly, the examination was partly 

 viva voce and p/artly written, occupying 

 three hours and twenty minutes. It wa^ 

 held at the Society's Hail in Vincent Square. 

 Westminster. 



Forty-nine candidates entered, and of these 

 17 secured places in the first class, 7 in the 

 second, and 16 in the third, leaving 8 who 

 failed to satisfy the minimum requirements 

 of the examiners and one who was absent. 



The examiners report that the average 

 quality of tlie written answers equals that 

 of former years, no marked advancement 

 being- noticeable in the examination taken 

 collectively. Many cases of individual im- 

 provement, however J were noticed— candi- 

 dates of past years being found to have 

 considerably extended their knowledge. The 

 identification of .specimens in the viva voce 

 section wa^ l>etter, the names being generallv 

 given unliCfsitatingly and correctly. 



Some good answers were given to question 

 7 on leaf physiology ; otherwise there was 

 evident lack of careful reading on the sub- 

 ject of the structure and operations of the 



leaf. 



The selection and action of artificial 

 manures were well known. 



Scope was given in question 9 to select and 

 arrange plants suitable for ornamental 

 water, hut few candidates were familiar with 

 the many beautiful forms of reeds, leaves, 

 and water plants that give character to the 

 water margin; lists of subjects were given, 

 hut they were too formal, and all kinds of 

 iinsuitable stuff were included. 



C. R. FlELDE-R, 



Owen Thomas, 

 John W. Odell, 

 W. Crump, 

 Edward White, 

 AV. WiiKS, 



('LASS I. 



1. Fred J. XasU, Leicester. 



2. llios. Scott, Stoke Newington; andum. 



Chas. White, Hatfield. 



4. Walter Davies, Richmond.' 



5. John Tyrrell, Cardiff. 



6. William Good, St. Albans. 



7. George Nile, Highbury. 



8. James Hurley, Deptford. 



9. William H. Jeffery, Lee Green. 



10. James Jarrett, Birmingham. 



11. Fr-edevick Stevens, Forest Hill. 



12. William L. Kemsley, Sittingbourne. 



13. Henry Herne, Heme Hill. 



14. Edward Martin, Highgate. 



15. H. Johnson, Ijewisham. 



16. G. Bowles, Mottingham, Eltham. 



17. Herbert G. Foster, Child's HUl, tien- 

 don. 



CLASS XL 



1. Albert G. King, Kew Gardens. 



2. W. H. Mouser, Highgate. 



3. George Brooks, Wood Green. 



4. Harry Adams, Upper Sydenham. 



5. J. H. Copeland, East Dulwich- 



6. W. Wickenden, West Norwood. 



7. AV. A. Cooper, E. Dulwich. 



CLASS III. 



1. W. Power, Victoria Park, N.E. 



2. Geo. Miller, E. Dulwich. 



3. T. S. Newman, Lewit^ham. 



4. G. J. Rule, Wandsworth Common. 



5. John F. Lee, Sydenham. 



6. Richard Streatfield, Upper Sydeui^ 

 John W. Cordock, Charlton, Kent; ai^- 

 E. H. Ward, Caml>erwelL 



9. P. Perry, Highgate. 



10. E. J. Stewart, Highgate, N. ^ 



11. Percy Church, Highbury; ana • 

 Chapman, Brockley. 



13. H. Crane, S. Lambeth. rporit* 



14. C. T. Free, Limehouse; and » 



W. Allchin, Batter^ea. 



1ft TTiivTr T?rwvrlon. Essex. 



