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THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



December 28, 1912 



EDUCATION OF GARDENERS. 



While so many able articles have app-eared 

 in the Gardeners' Magazine of late on the 

 education of gardeuer>^, it may perhaps <oem 

 superfluous to add one more^ were it not 

 that few have appeared from the young men 

 under consideration. While not making* a 



having had 20 years' gar- 

 —I feel that I may 



claim to be young 



experience 



■IS 



dening 



be able to add something of interest to what 

 has already been w^ritten. 



It seems to me the chief advice that ha 

 been given to young gardeners has been — - 

 Educate yourselves. With all due deference 

 to your able correspondents, I :-hould like to 

 ask how many lads entering gardening at, 

 ,sav 14, feel the need for such education, and 

 in how m.any cases do they b-egin with any- 

 thing better than a Board School education? 

 Admitting that thev feel the need for such 

 education^ or have someone to point out to 

 them that they need it, they probably take up 

 ]x)tany as the science having the most direct 

 bearing on their calling, and find, as one 

 corre.spondent point out, their .spelling is at 

 fault, the terms meaningless symbols, and a 

 great deal of it, to them, unintelligible. I 



hold that what is required before young gar- 

 deners begin their scientific education is a 

 knowledge of geometry, elementary mathe- 

 matics, physics, and chemistry. A know- 

 ledge of these things will stand a young man 

 in better stead at the beginning of his 

 career than the study of abstruse subjects. 

 I would advise young men to sev^ fir.-t of all 

 that the foundations of general education are 

 well and truly laid before attempting to 

 rear the superstructure. 



It would be interesting to know how many 

 young men are hindered in taking up the 

 theoretical side of their craft, by their fellow 

 workers. How much good are you going to 

 derive from an improved education is the 

 question often asked ; but such a question 



prevents a good many making tlie at- 

 tempt to improve their education. A Avord in 

 season, a kindly enquiry as to pi'ogre.-s, and 

 a little encouragement from their superiors, 

 not nece-sarily always the head gardener, 

 would do much to induce many to enter on 

 useful studies. 



As to the question — Does it pay? My 

 answer to that would be — A"es. If. as many 

 think, knowledge carries with it its owji- 

 reward, the answer is obvious; but if en- 

 hanced positions or increased wages are ex- 

 pected as the reward, then the question be- 

 comes more difficult to ansAver; but I should 

 say it does pay in most cases. Take my own 

 case in point. In applying for my present 

 position, I had the practical side of mv 

 work called into question as the re-sult of 

 statinsr that I held .-everal certificates 



111 



botany and mathematics, and one each for 

 chemistry and land surveying, and only the 

 influence of a friend s-ecured me an inter- 



whicli led to mv auDointment. A 



view 



my appqintment, 

 generous increase in the matter of wages 

 before twelve months were up proved the 

 satisfaction of both parties, and the remark. 

 He's not afraid of work, anyhow," made 

 two years after to the aforesaid friend, 

 showed that it wa-s felt by some of those in 

 authority that a liberal education was not 

 favourable to a close application to the 

 practical side of garden management. It 

 was my experience to serve an appren- 

 ticeship of three years in a nursery, and 

 though the slip-ehod methods of some of 

 the work took some time to eradicate, the 

 knowledge of how to use tools, the names 

 and characteristics of the various trees and 

 shrubs, and their methods of propagation, 

 has ever since st<x)d me in good stead. 

 I quite agree with "H. E/' (p. 652) that 

 the gardener should by all means be prac- 

 tical first, for after a few years the theo- 

 retical wide becomes increasingly interesting 

 and the knowledge thereof is absorbed in one 

 quarter the time. Like one or two 

 of your previous correspondents, I question 

 ' J. C. W.'s" remarks on (p. 574) in regard 

 to drawing the middle-classes into garden- 

 ing. I contend that, until the working-man 

 gardener obtains the recognition due to his 



services, he need not fear the competition 

 of the middle-class:. 



One other point that acts as a deterrent to a 

 good many young men in taking up science, 



is tho amount of material thev have to work 

 up (other than what they require) before a 

 certificate can be obtained showing they 

 have passed such subject. Until some s-ociety 

 such as the Royal Horticultural Society, for 

 instance, adopts a syllabus more adapted to 

 the needs of practical men; but little pro- 

 gress will be made in improving the educa- 

 tion of gardeners. Above all things, let 

 it be realised that the gardener's duties 

 render it necessary for those engaged in 

 garden management to study the theoretical 

 side as well as to become proficient in the 

 practical side, as not until this is done will 

 gardeners take the most important step to- 

 wards raising the status of tlie oldest pro- 

 fession. J. M. 



IMPORTATION OF NURSERY 

 STOCK INTO THE UNITED 



STATES. 



The following regulations have been made 

 by the Secretary of Agriculture of the United 

 States with regard to the importation of 

 nursery stock : 



Definition. 



The term 



nursery 



florist's stock. 



stock includes all 



shrubs, 



fruit 



trees, 

 buds, 



field-grown 



vines, cuttings, grafts, scions, . , 

 pits^ and other seeds of fruit and ornamental 

 trees or shrubs, and other plants and plant 

 products for propagation, but does not in- 

 clude field, vegetable, and flower seeds, bed- 

 ding plants, and other herbaceous plants, 

 bulbs, and roots. AH woody plants and 

 parts thereof for propagation or planting 



•111 1 1 



are 



included within the term 



stock." 



nursery 



rmits for Im 



Persons wishing to import nur^sery stock 

 must apply to the Secretary of Agriculture 

 for a permit, stating the general nature and 

 fiuantity of the nursery stock, the district 

 or locality where grown, the name and ad- 

 dress of the exporter, together with the 

 name and addres^s of the importer in the 

 United States and the proposed port of 

 entry. Applications for permits should be 

 made in advance of the shipment of the nur- 

 •sery stock, but if, through no fault of the 

 importer, stock shall arrive before the is^ue 



of a permit, the stock will be held in cus- 

 toms custody at the risk and expense of the 

 importer for a period not exceeding ten days, 

 pending the issue of a permit. 



On approval by the Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture of an application for the importation of 

 nursery stock from countries which maintain 

 nursery stock inspection, a permit will be 

 issued. Permits will expire on the 30th day 



of June of the year followiiig the date of 

 issue. 



Entry of Nursery Stock. 



Entry of nursery stock will not be allowed 

 unless accompanied by a certificate issued by 

 a duly authorised official of tlie country 

 from which it is shipped, stating that it has 

 been thoroughly inspeeted by him or under 

 his direction, and was found, or believed to 

 be, free from injurious plant diseases and in- 

 sect pests. In the case of stock to be shipped 

 bet ween October 1 and May 31 this inspec- 

 tion must be made on or after Octol>er 1, and 

 for stock shipped during the growing season 

 inspection must be made not more than 30 

 days prior to date of shipment. Until July 

 31, 1913, however, the usual inspection cer- 

 tificate covering the previous growing season 

 will be accepted. When the country from 

 which any nursery stock is shipped maintains 

 no official inspection, articles for which a 

 permit has Ijeen issued will be admitted 

 only through the ports of New York San 

 Francisco, Seattle, Jacksonville, and ' New 

 Orleans^ after examination by inspectors of 

 the Department of Agriculture at the port 

 of arrival, if found to be free from plant 

 diseases and in&ect pest^. 



Entry will not be allowed unless the ca^e 

 box, etc., m plainly and correctly marked to 

 show the number of permit, the general 

 nature and quantity of the contents^ tlie 

 district or locality and country where 

 grown the name and addresvS of the 

 exported, and the name and address of the 

 importer. 



Nursery stock offered for importation 

 without compliance with these regulations 

 will be refused admission. Nursery stock, 

 inspected as provided, which is found to be 

 carrying dangerous insects or plant diseases^ 

 may be treated or destroyed, as circum- 

 stances require. 



Foreig^n Certifica.te of 



Inspection. 



Certificates of inspection will be accepted 

 if countersigned by duly authorised officials 

 of foreign countries or their agents. On 

 and after July 1, 1913, certificates must give 

 the date of inspection, name of the grower, 

 the district or locality and country where 

 grown, a statement that the ^tock has been 

 inspected by a duly authorised official, and 

 found, or believed to be, free from danger- 

 ous insects and plant diseases, and must bear 

 the name of the responsible inspection 

 official for the country of origin. 



Declaration. 



All shipmen"^e of nursery stock to the 

 United States from countries which maintain 

 an official system of nursery stock inspection 

 must be accompanied by a declaration of the 

 shipper, produced before an American con- 

 sular officer. The declaration must contain 

 a statement by the shipper that he believes 

 the nursery stock to contain no injurious 



plant diseases or insect pests, the district or 

 locality and country where ffrown. the name 

 of the grower, the port of origin, and des- 

 tination of the consignment, the date of in- 

 ispection of the stock, and the name of the 

 i n sp e c t or , and the n um b e r oft he ]:e r m it 

 issued by the Secretary of Agriculture. Con- 

 sular invoices covering shipments of nursery 

 stock to the United Stales must bear the 

 number of the permit is'sued by the Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture, and have attached to 

 them the shippers' declaration. 



GARDENING ENGAGEMENT, 



Mr. E. Knowles^ for five and a-half years 

 gardener to the late Mr. Alderman E. 

 Clough, at Buekcliffe House, Keighley, has 

 been appointed gardener to Sir Prince Smithy 

 Bart. Southburn. Driffield. 



One of England's leading: Fruit Growers 



says: consider the ' Four Oaks ' Spraying 

 Machine, * Battle' Pattern, to be the onfy 



practical machine un the irarkct.' 



i3 Gallons 

 £13 15 



25 Gallons 

 £13 15 0 



Four Oaks 



PATTERN 



BATTLE 



Very 

 Powerful 



Pump. 



1 ■ 



1 



Solid Oak 



CDntainer. 

 " Very 



narrow 

 over ali^ 



1 



^ 1 r 



Complete Catalogues of Spraying and L'"^ewas^»ng 

 Machines and Syringes of every description free o 

 application to the Sole Manufacturcrs:-THE FOU" "^1)." 

 8PRAYINQ MACHINE CO., No. g..«ton ColdfWO, 



