November 18, 1893. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
177 
HORTICULTURAL LECTURING. 
I am much obliged to your correspondent " A. D.,” 
p. 164. for his criticism of my observations on this 
subject, and as it appears from his remarks that he 
also is one of the craft it is perhaps as well that he 
should shelter himself behind the initials of " A. D." 
In looking into this subject from every standpoint, 
it is the duty of those who are in a position to 
criticise to do so in a fair manner, for by so doing 
some good may be derived from the various opinions 
of those who are interested in this important pro- 
fe5sion, for a profession it truly is. I would 
therefore ask you, Mr. Editor, to kindly bear with 
those who may wish to trespass on your valuable 
pages to express their views on what is termed 
horticultural lecturing.” It is not my intention 
to sneer at any one, much less at an able person who 
by painstaking and sheer plodding has prepared 
himself for that arduous task, as it is certain that 
none but those who have well armed themselves 
beforehand with practical knowledge are fitted for 
the work, or will ever be successful or popular in 
this capacity. 
If "A. D.” had carefully read my remarks, and 
not jumped at the conclusion that I was antagonistic 
to all ” horticultural lecturers,” he would have seen 
that I pointed this out. Far be it from me to cast 
reflections on any competent persons; on the con¬ 
trary, I think much credit is due to them, and every 
honour should be accorded them for their ability. 
But as your correspondent in his concluding para¬ 
graph points out that he too knows a young ” fellow,” 
whose time up to three years ago had been spent at 
school and in a publishing house, that has been put 
on as a ” horticultural lecturer,” it is the duty of 
those who are competent to judge to expose this sort 
of scandal and so prevent it as much as possible. I 
know several of these would-be teachers who never 
spent any time in a garden at all, and others whose 
practice was the most meagre, for the trees under 
their control had to be pruned with a bill-hook and 
saw instead of in the rational way. It is true as 
your correspondent says, a good lecturer will draw 
an audience where another will fail, though the 
latter may have learnt his task by heart so as to be 
able to go on for any length of time ; but when a few 
practical men ” button-hole” him, as the expression 
goes, he is at once floored. 
Your correspondent says he is amused at my 
reference to the " Cabbage moth.” So was the 
person I heard question one of these would-be 
lecturers at the reply he received. When asked 
what kind of an insect it was, the professional 
orator was as much puzzled as the bishop who was 
questioning some boys at school, when one of them 
asked him if he knew how many legs a caterpillar 
had. Our man of erudition informed his interrogator 
that the Cabbage moth was a large white insect with 
black spots on the wings, whose young eat holes into 
the leaves. What has “A. D.” to say to this for a 
knowledge of entomology ? I have a great apprecia¬ 
tion for youthful talent, and venerate old grey beards, 
so that I hope your correspondent does not think I 
despise any on that account, be they either old or 
young. But neither longevity nor sprightly youth 
can fit a man for an occupation he knows nothing 
about, and as gardening is one of those callings that 
takes a life of study it is evident that a youth cannot 
have acquired the same amount of knowledge as an 
older man, even if he should be endowed with an 
extraordinary intellect. 
I do not know any of the Sussex lecturers, in 
fact, did not know there were any, so it cannot be 
said that I cast any aspersions on them. I still, 
however, maintain that it would be well if before 
the County Councils appoint men to this important 
post, they would consult some half-dozen or so of 
practical gardeners and ask the person about to be 
appointed to deliver a lecture in their presence. 
Many men are good gardeners and practical writers 
who could not utter half-a-dozen sentences without 
stammering. On the other hand, a person may be a 
fluent speaker, a professional writer, even a gold 
medalist, yet never have taken a knife in hand to 
prune or a spade to dig a bit of land. If this be so, 
then how can it be expected such can explain to an 
audience chiefly composed of men in the rural 
districts who are no novices in the art of cultivating 
land, and who could soon put their instructors in the 
shade by their sound practical knowledge of the 
more rudimentary work. 
Some time ago a gentleman in this district wished 
to instruct the people in the village, so he chose 
for his subject ” Cocoa,” and having as he thought 
well prepared himself by natural specimens, ap¬ 
peared on the platform, “ Ah ! ” said he, ” this is 
the 'joker,'” holding up a huge cocoa-nut, "that 
gives you the refreshing cup.” One poor fellow at 
the back of the room said that was a different sort 
from what he made his cocoa of, for his was a kind 
of bean, and true enough. The labourer at the back 
of the room knew more about the kernels of the 
Theobroma Cacao than the lecturer, who said he had 
only just consulted one of the best encyclopaedias in 
existence. So it is with the professional lecturers ; 
they cull other people’s brains or books, then get up 
and spout as though none but themselves knew any¬ 
thing. I truly hope this will not effect the grey 
beard of " A. D.” or his youthful compatriot, as it is 
not my wish to umbrage either of them. Neither 
have I any desire to lampoon their profession.—• 
H. C. Prinsep. 
I HAVE read with pleasure the remarks on this sub¬ 
ject which have recently appeared in your columns, 
and I think that both Mr. Prinsep and " One of the 
Craft ” have stated their cases not at all too strongly. 
I have for a long time been observing the poor class 
of men which some of the County Councils have 
been employing to give lectures on horticulture and 
many other subjects. Without again going over the 
ground dealt with by the correspondents named, I 
may be allowed to say that I fail to see how any 
instruction in gardening or any other practical sub¬ 
ject can be of any value to the people lectured, 
unless it is given by men of ripe experience. It 
seems to me that if it is right to employ as 
instructors those who have no knowledge other than 
what they have gained from books and from matter 
sent to the press, which amounts to the same thing, 
then it would be equally right and very much better 
to read from the books or gardening papers direct, 
which the local schoolmasters could do just as well, 
or better than some of the so-called lecturers I wot 
of. 
I think it would be a very good thing to afford 
public opportunities for the reading of our best 
books, and I am not sure if it would not do still more 
good if some of the County Council grant in each 
district was spent in circulating gardening papers 
regularly among the class of people they want to 
benefit. The money now paid to ill-informed 
lecturers would go a long way in the direction indi¬ 
cated, and the people would have the advantage of 
getting their instruction first hand. Having had 
some little experience in giving instructions in gar¬ 
dening during the past summer in two parishes, I am 
prepared to say that cottagers do not care a rap to 
attend lectures unless you can freely illustrate the 
subject you are lecturing upon, and it is known that 
the statements you may make are backed up by your 
own practical experience. I have often asked my¬ 
self the question, "Which is the best way of 
teaching this class of people ? ” and I found that I 
got on best when I took with me to the meetings 
specimens of the things I was going to speak about. 
I have also attended meetings held in private 
gardens and in allotment fields, and lectured on the 
crops that came before me, and at these meetings I 
have been careful to invite questions which have 
often brought out most useful discussions. Although 
one of the parishes was not a large one I have often 
had audiences of over thirty in number, and I 
should like to know how any man possessing only 
book knowledge would come out of such an ordeal. 
As an illustration of how cottagers view this 
matter, I may mention that in a parish in Somerset¬ 
shire a schoolmaster was recently appointed to give 
instruction in agriculture, but the scheme fell 
through because he could not get an audience. The 
cottagers gave him credit for being able to teach 
their boys the three r’s, but failed to see how he 
could know anything about farming, and severely 
let him alone. 
There is another phase of the subject that also 
wants opening out a little, viz., that of remuneration. 
If the cottagers are to have the benefit of the hard- 
earned experience of practical men, the Technical 
Education Committees should be prepared to pay 
liberally for it. Fancy asking men of this stamp to 
work for 2s. per hour, as has been done to my 
knowledge, and by a Committee which at the very 
same time was paying a woman 20s. to give three 
hours' instruction in fancy cookery. Is this the 
way to spend public money to the best advantage ? 
— Con. 
-- 
NEW CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
The undermentioned varieties were exhibited at the 
Floral Committee Meeting of the National Chrysan¬ 
themum Society on the 8th inst., and were awarded 
First-class Certificates. 
G. W. Childs. —The value of this fine variety has 
at last been recognised as it deserved, for the blooms 
are really very striking when well grown. The 
variety belongs to the reflexed Japanese section, and 
measures 6 in. across independently of any long, 
loose outer florets the bloom may possess. The 
broad florets are of great substance, and brilliant 
crimson shaded with amaranth, and old gold on the 
reverse. The bloom is also of great depth, and 
larger flowers might have been seen in the exhibition, 
independently of those brought before the Floral 
Committee by Mr. H. J. Jones, Ryecroft Nursery, 
Hither Green. Lewisham. The variety has much 
broader florets, greater substance, and a more 
brilliant colour than the new Wm. Seward or John 
Shrimpton. 
Golden Wedding.— In this we have another 
American seedling of great merit. It may be com¬ 
pared with W. H. Lincoln, than which it has broader 
florets more incurved at the tips and several shades 
deeper in colour, in fact, the blooms may be described 
as golden-yellow, and measure 7 in. to 7J in. across. 
The tips of the florets are more or less toothed, a 
character brought somewhat into prominence by the 
incurving of their outer ends. The variety was 
exhibited by Mr. W. J. Godfrey, Exmouth, Devon. 
Rose Wynne.— In this we have an incurved 
Japanese variety measuring 7I in. to 8 in. across. 
The florets are very broad, and in the early stages 
are pure white, but later on become tinted with a 
uniform, delicate blush-pink. A few of the outer 
florets are tubular, but the rest are slightly fluted 
and incurved. On the whole the bloom is several 
shades paler than Viscountess Hambleden and the 
florets are much less twisted in a lateral direction. 
The large size and delicate colour of the flowers will 
be sure to find many admits and cultivators for 
exhibition purposes. Mr. Robert Owen, Castle Hill, 
Maidenhead, was the exhibitor as well as the raiser. 
W. W. Astor. —In this we have a large Anemone 
variety measuring about 6 in. in diameter. The 
numerous spreading rays are somewhat recurved at 
the tips and blush-white. The disc is large, semi- 
globular, and pink with pale yellow teeth, and it may 
be that under different conditions of cultivation, the 
yellow will come out more prominently. The 
variety was raised and exhibited by Mr. Robert 
Owen. 
John Bunyan.— Here again the variety belongs to 
the large Anemone section, and measures about 6 in. 
across. The rays in this case are even more numer¬ 
ous, and revolute at the sides, so that they appear 
narrow, and are of a soft primrose yellow. The 
large disc is hemispherical and bright, almost golden 
yellow, with long, jagged, somewhat interlacing teeth. 
Both this and the last-named should make excellent 
sorts for exhibition purposes. The raiser and ex¬ 
hibitor was Mr. Robert Owen. 
Colonel Chase. —Here we have a very handsome 
Japanese variety raised in Guernsey. The blooms 
measure 6 in. to 6^ in. in diameter, and 5 in. in 
depth, and are therefore highly eligible for exhibition 
purposes. The florets are reflexed in the lower 
portion, then spreading in the middle, recurved and 
twisted at the tips. The whole bloom is of a creamy- 
blush pink, with a yellow tint in the centre when 
opening. On the whole, it is choice and delicate in 
colour. The exhibitor was Mr. E. Beckett, Alden- 
ham House Gardens, Elstree. 
Elsie Neville.— The blooms of this variety are 
single, and measure about 3 in. or 3^ in. across. The 
florets are crimson and moderate in breadth, while 
the disc is yellow. The exhibitor was Wm. Seward, 
Esq. (gardener. Mr. John Shrimpton), Hanwell. 
Mrs. C. j. Salter. —In this we have an Anemone 
variety measuring 3 in. to 3J in. across. The rays 
are numerous, spreading, and pale buff-red, overlying 
yellow. The disc is buff-orange, a hue which is de¬ 
rived from the interior of the florets, as seen at the 
open apex. This would be the colour of the 
interior, which is mostly hidden, for the outer face of 
the tubular florets is old gold. The exhibitor was 
Mr. W. Wells, Earlswood, Surrey. 
