344 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Students themselves under the chairmanship of the Director or Super- 

 intendent or other capable person. 



For purposes of the instruction of Students the Gardens are divided 

 into two sections : — A, the fruit and vegetable, and B, the floral and 

 arboricultural. For the sake of convenience, A includes the orchid 

 house and the rose border, B the wild garden, the propagating pits 

 and nursery, the collections of herbaceous plants, and the arboretum. 

 Students spend one year in each of these departments, their work being 

 arranged so that they gain experience in all the branches of the subject. 



The work of the Botanical Garden is done by the Students collectively. 

 Each Student has also a small plot allotted to him, which he may crop as 

 he desires, and the work of which is done in his spare time. 



Students are required to keep a diary of the work done, with full notes 

 on the manner in which it is carried out. The outdoor garden work is 

 supplemented by revision in the class-room, the diaries forming the basis 

 of this revision. 



Students also in turn take part in the making of meteorological 

 records, Section C. 



The following is a brief Syllabus of the work done in departments 

 A and B throughout the year. 



A. — Fruit and Vegetable Department. 



1. The cultivation of fruit and vegetables under glass, including the 

 preparation of the borders, their drainage, aeration, and manuring. 



The mixing of soils and the values of artificial fertilisers. 



The planting or potting and subsequent treatment of vines, peaches, 

 nectarines, plums, apricots, cherries, figs, and other orchard-house fruits 

 in borders and pots. 



The cultivation in pits and frames of melons, cucumbers, and tomatos. 



Stoking and general attention to boilers ; heating by hot water and by 

 hot-beds. 



Ventilation ; watering ; artificial pollination ; the thinning of fruit ; 

 tying-in, training, and pruning. 



2. Fruit in the open air, including planting, training, summer and 

 winter pruning, mulching, drainage, and routine work in the orchard. 



The gathering, packing, and storing of fruit. 



Selection of varieties : — The Gardens contain very extensive collec- 

 tions of apples, pears, plums, damsons, gooseberries, currants, &c, and an 

 experimental outdoor vineyard. 



Strawberry cultivation. 



3. Vegetables, including the preparation of the ground, trenching, 

 digging, manuring, &c, and the routine work in the cultivation of 

 broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, kale, onions, potatos, rhubarb, root 

 crops, &C, 



Tomatos in the open. 



4. Nursery work, including the raising of seedlings, and propagation 

 of fruit trees by buds, eyes, cuttings, grafts. 



