November 3, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
155 
A USEFUL DICTIONARY OF 
BOTANICAL TERMS. 
We have been favoured by Mr. A. M. C. Jongkindt 
Coninck, of Bussum, near Amsterdam, Holland, with 
a copy of a small handbook or dictionary of botanical 
terms in six languages, which should prove of great 
helpfulness to all who have to deal with the nomen¬ 
clature and descriptions of plants. The different 
languages are all tabulated in one line across the 
pages, and the column on the left-hand side of each 
page contains the Latin and Greek names used in 
descriptive botany. Then follow the French, English, 
German, and Dutch equivalents respectively. It 
may be urged that for nurserymen in this country 
the English column should have been made the 
index, but the French, German, and Dutch, arguing 
on similar lines, would no doubt also claim that 
their language should form the index. The leading 
fact in the case, however, is that Latin and Greek 
terms are most widely known, and, in fact, are 
universally known to all having a knowledge of 
botany. Then it follows that Latin is the true and 
universal index, so that one of any nationality in 
reading the description of a plant would be furnished 
therefrom with the words of which he desires to 
know the meaning. In the case of nurserymen who 
are only acquainted with their own language, and 
wish to describe their plants in the other languages, 
a special edition would be necessary, taking their 
own language as the index. For such men a special 
edition might perhaps be made by arrangement with 
the author, and with someone to rearrange the 
columns and amplify them if necessary. It is 
chiefly a question of a sufficient number of persons 
being interested in the dictionary to make an English 
edition a financial success. 
-- 
FRUIT RANCHING IN 
CALIFORNIA. 
A few weeks ago we published a report of a lecture 
delivered on this subject by Mr. Frank Karslake. In 
course of his remarks the lecturer touched upon the 
" pupil system ” in vogue in many colonies, and 
dealt with its advantages and drawbacks, the latter 
of which are generally considered more certain than 
the former. To do away with the necessity of 
placing young men in the care of premium-seeking 
teachers, some of the more prominent British and 
American colonists in Placer County, California, 
have established an “ Agricultural College,” where 
intending fruit farmers may reckon on receiving full 
value for their money, which otherwise might go as 
“ premium ” to a private individual with less profit¬ 
able results. Mr. Karslake has a seat on the Board 
of Management, and has given us full particulars of 
the institution he has borne a part in establishing, 
together with an account of the aims and means for 
putting them in practice. Before we proceed to 
speak of the college, perhaps it is well to state that 
among the various letters from parents to himself, 
which Mr. Karslake offered for our inspection, we 
found some from gentlemen with whom personal 
acquaintance suggested direct reference. Accord¬ 
ingly, we have delayed noticing the college until we 
received such direct information concerning Mr. 
Karslake’s fitness for the work he has undertaken as 
parents of his pupils could give us. In reply to our 
inquiries we have received expressions of complete 
satisfaction with his capacity, knowledge of the 
business, and bona fides. Under these circumstances 
we feel confidence in bringing the " Placer County 
Agricultural Training College” to the notice of 
parents who contemplate giving sons a start in the 
fruit-growing regions of California. 
St. George’s Ranch, upon which the college is 
situated, is one mile from Penryn Station (on the 
main line of the Southern Pacific Rail), and is near 
the English Club, available for meetings and social 
intercourse. It is planted with the best varieties of 
fruits. Every part of the building is supplied with 
electric wires, and water-power for operating is now 
being brought to Penryn. When this is accomplished 
the college, the stabling, and approaches will be 
lighted with electricity. The site is a particularly 
healthy one, on the crown of a hill, commanding 
superb views of the picturesque mountain scenery of 
the district, and allowing of perfect drainage. Game, 
in the form of hares, rabbits, quail, etc., is abundant 
in the district. Students can keep their own ponies 
for the net cost of the feed. Each student has a 
separate bedroom, which can be used as a sitting- 
room when desired. The resident director is a 
married English gentleman. In addition the college 
has another no acre ranch devoted to hay and poultry 
raising ; it has also the management of a fruit ranch 
immediately opposite. These several ranches must 
afford young men who wish to learn, exceptional 
opportunities of becoming acquainted with the 
methods of managing fruit and grain crops. The 
subjects of instruction seem to embrace everything 
necessary, viz., clearing timbered land, staking and 
laying-out a ranch, how to plant a ranch, pruning, 
budding, grafting, ploughing and cultivating, spray¬ 
ing, picking and packing for market, and methods of 
irrigating ranches. 
A special recommendation of the locality is that 
there is a considerable resident English colony at 
Penryn, the nearest town. By natural results there 
are cricket, football, and tennis clubs, and many 
other opportunities for healthy enjoyment. 
Altogether, the college has made a start in the 
best place for its purpose and under the most 
favourable auspices. Mr. Karslake gives many 
young men who have failed to pass the Sandhurst 
and Woolwich examinations a good start in life, and 
we are of opinion that if a lad goes out to the college 
with the intention of working he will do well. At 
all events we are satisfied that he will be in 
absolutely trustworthy and reliable hands. The 
want the college is designed to meet is so genuine 
that its success should be assured .—Land and Water. 
-**»- 
GARDENERS’ MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT 
SOCIETIES 
The busy time of the year as far as the transactions 
of many of our Mutual Improvement Societies go is 
once more with us. Secretaries of societies of this 
kind will be hard at work preparing their programmes 
for the coming season of 1894-95. It is really won¬ 
derful how popular these institutions have become 
of late, and, we might add, well they deserve to be. 
Some few years ago similar societies were much 
fewer in number than they are at present, when 
almost every centre has its own Association. 
The good that a young man (or a middle-aged 
man either, for the matter of that) gets by constant 
and regular attendance at the meetings of a 
thoroughly good Mutual Improvement Society, is 
incalculable. Nor is this to be wondered at when 
we consider that the life experience of no two of the 
members can be exactly alike. The old proverb 
says that all roads leads to London, still some are 
very much better roads than others. Just so with 
horticulture, there are perhaps many ways of 
achieving success in the cultivation of any particular 
plant, but still some methods are superior to others, 
it is the work of the Mutual Improvement Society, 
therefore, to find out the best ways of going to work. 
The knowledge picked up in this manner has the 
great recommendation of being the result of practical 
experience in the profession. 
I suppose the methods of procedure do not show 
a great deal of variation—a settled plan of a paper 
read on the occasion of each meeting and thrown 
open afterwards to criticism and discussion, the 
chairman's speech being the signal that the dis¬ 
cussion is closed. The essayist himself having the 
last shot, it is only fair to him if his paper has been 
much criticised. This plan of action seems to have 
been tacitly adopted throughout the length and 
breadth of the country as the best possible one. 
Still, I think, it would be a most advantageous pro¬ 
ceeding if during tne season two or three evenings 
were set apart for " impromptu discussion.” 
Bearing in mind the fact that one of the advan¬ 
tages derived by young men from attendance at such 
meetings is the readiness in public speaking that is 
coveted by so many, but is in reality possessed by so 
comparatively few—an evening or two spent in this 
manner would prove of inestimable value. A good 
way of working would be for each member to bring 
on a piece of paper a subject which he considers 
likely to produce a lively and a profitable discussion— 
the member upon whom the lot falls to speak first 
having to draw one of the subjects and to offer a 
few remarks upon it. This would, at least, tune the 
members of the society up to concert pitch. Each 
and all would feel that their turn might come at any 
moment. Of course, after the introductory remarks 
of the person to whose lot it would fall to open the 
discussion the subject would be thrown open to 
debate, which would be closed when, in the opinion 
of the chairman, the interest attaching thereto had 
begun to flag, another subject being brought on the 
tapis by a different member and treated in a similar 
manner. 
With regard to the time allowed to those who 
take part in the debates, this should in all cases be 
governed by the number of members present. 
Where the meetings are regularly attended and a 
fair percentage of speaking members present, from 
five to eight minutes should be the limit of time 
allowed to each speaker. Where, however, less of 
the debating element attend, this limit may advan¬ 
tageously be extended to ten or even fifteen minutes. 
It takes some long-winded gentlemen almost ten 
minutes to get wound up sufficiently, and then they 
often have to sit down. 
A method of procedure adopted by some good 
societies, with very good results, is to make a list of 
the papers to be given during the session, two 
members being appointed to open the discussion 
following the reading of the paper. The advantages 
thus gained are twofold. First, members who are 
appointed to speak on a particular subject at a 
specified time have a chance to look up their subjects 
beforehand, and so the occasion usually finds them 
more or less prepared. Secondly, less valuable time 
is wasted. It often happens that immediately after 
the essayist has finished, unless someone is specially 
deputed to set the ball rolling, the members will sit 
and look at each other, none of them liking to be 
the first to start for fear of being considered to be 
desirous of exhibiting his oratorical powers. When, 
however, everyone knows that a certain individual 
is appointed to take precedence of the rest, this 
feeling of dissatisfaction is not experienced. 
With regard to the subjects upon which are to 
serve as tests for the essays, the more closely they 
are allied to horticulture the better, although papers 
upon matters directly connected with horticulture 
are, as a rule, interesting and instructive. More¬ 
over, the subjects chosen should be treated in as 
practical a manner as possible, and as far as it is 
advisable to do so undue technicalities should be 
avoided. I am speaking now solely of societies 
where the practical element is the chief mainstay. 
The old writer who sagely remarked that the 
unknown possesses great and peculiar attractions, 
never spoke a truer word. Certain it is that 
many practical men will, if asked to give a 
paper, spend an infinite amount of time and take a 
tremendous lot of trouble to produce a second-rate 
scientific one, whereas if they confined their remarks 
to things with which they have had to deal, that is 
to say with principles of practice, their efforts would 
lead to much more satisfactory results. 
Speaking of the writing of essays, I must not 
forget to remark that very often it is not always a 
question with the would-be essayist of " What good 
can I do my neighbours?” The writer of one or two 
papers is inclined to say, " How much good shall I 
do myself?” He has found out from experience that 
the benefit accruing to him from the writing of 
previous essays has been immense, and this often 
enters largely into his reasons for being so willing to 
start upon the composition of a fresh one, for he 
knows he will be likely to gain as much knowledge 
as he will impart, and therefore, from considerations 
which are very often purely selfish, he willingly 
acceeds to the expressed wish of his fellow members 
without a great deal of pressure being brought to 
bear upon him.— G. 
EPACRISES. 
Among hard wooded plants suitable for greenhouse 
culture, there are few which merit wider cultivation 
than they just now receive than do the Epacrises. 
They are free flowering, lasting when cut for a 
longer period than most things, and more easily 
grown, withstanding rough treatment, than their near 
neighbours, the Ericas, yet we suppose from some 
freak of fashion they are at present in the back¬ 
ground. Possibly it may be owing to the use of fire 
heat in excess of their requirements when in flower, 
which causes partial failure in getting them to 
expand their blooms properly, for anything approach¬ 
ing forcing them into flower prematurely, is certain 
to cause the flowers to come small and badly 
coloured, and militates strongly against the health 
of the plants. At the same time a little extra 
warmth after they have done flowering and been cut 
down is most desirable till they break into fresh 
growth and make plenty of fresh shoots, when they 
