May 4, 1901, 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
567 
"Gardening is the pvrest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man "—Bacon. 
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Edited by J. FRASER, F.L.S., F.R.H.S. 
SATURDAY , AMF ±th, igoi. 
The Editorial and Publishing Offices are 
now removed to 4, Dorset Buildings, 
Salisbury Square, Fleet St., London. 
Editorial matters are to be addressed to 
the Editor. 
All other communications and Remit¬ 
tances must be addressed direct to the 
Proprietors— 
HICKS, WILKINSON & SEARS. 
NEXT WEEK'S ENGAGEMENTS. 
Tuesday, May 7th.—Royal Horticultural Society’s Meeting; 
Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund, Annual Dinner at the 
Hotel Cecil. 
Mssex School of Horticulture.— Since 
^ the School of Horticulture was first 
established at Chelmsford by the Essex 
County Council, great additions have been 
made in the way of class rooms and labora¬ 
tories for the schooling of the students who 
come up to one or more of the four courses 
of instruction given at the Technical 
Laboratories, which practically constitute 
the headquarters or central school where 
the members of the staff reside, and from 
whence they make journeys to all parts of 
the county, or such of them as are deputed 
to give lectures and demonstrations, in the 
many outlying villages, during the evening 
hours when the industrial population, or 
others with a taste for horticulture, are free 
to attend the classes. At the commence¬ 
ment of the school at Chelmsford, the 
classes were accommodated in one large 
room over some offices devoted to other 
purposes ; while the students during the 
summer course were relegated to ashed, 
mostly open on one side, where the practical 
work, relating both to science and the 
operations of horticulture, were conducted 
during the heat of the day. For the out¬ 
door operations a small, square, walled-in 
garden had to serve the purpose of growing 
a botanical collection of plants, as well as 
a kitchen and fruit garden, in which the 
operations of digging and trenching had 
perforce to be limited. Later on a green¬ 
house was added, and then a fine new 
laboratory, fitted with school desks and all 
appliances necessary for written exercises, 
and, where practical, microscopical work 
could be conducted with facility. Here 
also lectures and demonstrations are given 
when the classes are serving their appointed 
time. For some days past a dairy class has 
taken possession of the shed above men¬ 
tioned ; but we understand that this course 
of instruction is given in various parts of 
the county, and the instructors move about 
wherever there may be a demand for their 
teaching. 
Courses of lectures on horticulture, as 
above stated, are also given in various 
parts of the county in order to come in con¬ 
tact with the general populace desirous of 
improving their knowledge of the techni¬ 
calities of gardening ; but the more scien¬ 
tific side of the art is conducted at the 
central school only. The scope of this in¬ 
struction has recently been greatly extended 
by the acquirement of some acres of ground 
for a garden about io or 15 minutes’ walk 
from the school and on one side of the 
county town. This has now been laid out 
in blocks suitable for the cultivation of trees 
and shrubs, fruit trees, vegetables, and 
flowers. The opportunities for practical 
operations and outdoor demonstrations have 
thus been increased in proportion to the 
area placed under spade culture. A large 
building has been erected near the entrance 
of the garden, and fitted up practically as 
a potting shed, where potting, sowing seeds, 
pricking out seedlings, making cuttings, 
grafting, and other gardening operations 
can be carried on when the weather is such 
as to prevent the students from getting on 
the ground, which is of a heavy, loamy 
nature, with sufficient sand in it to permit 
the operators getting on it soon after the 
cessation of rain, and permitting of a fine 
tilth, with a liberal expenditure of labour. 
In this building numerous benches have 
been constructed and arranged in double 
rows across the central area of the house. 
Each bench is numbered, as are the students 
themselves, the spades and other tools they 
may require, so that each is responsible for 
his or her tools, the proper keeping of them 
and the storing of them in their proper 
places after the day’s work is over. The 
lady students, of which there are generally 
a few at the various courses, take their 
appointed places, and their share of the work 
in hand for the time being, including digging, 
which they tackle with what courage they 
can muster, and what physical energy they 
can apply to that implement. 
Glasshouses were still a necessity till 
within the past twelve months, during 
which time a greenhouse, vinery, propa¬ 
gating pit and stove have been constructed 
and more or less furnished with the requisite 
plants. The greenhouse already contains a 
collection of succulents and other subjects, 
representing about 120 genera. The Vines 
are making progress on one side of the 
vinery, while the other is temporarily de¬ 
voted to Tomatos planted out, and already 
commencing to fruit. Celosias, Dahlias, 
Ferns, and other useful subjects at present 
occupy the propagating pit. The stove is 
not yet fully furnished, but Cannas, 
Marantas, about twenty-five species of 
Ferns, &c., are gradually taking possession. 
In one of the houses Fairy Roses have 
been bloomed in nine weeks from the sowing 
of the seed. Heated and unheated frames 
are arranged along the outside of the larger 
structures, and accommodate a great variety 
of plants and vegetables, chiefly intended 
for planting-out presently. Some summer 
bedding is accomplished, and in that the 
students have a hand. 
With all these appliances and means, to 
boot, the requirements of modern gardening 
still call for further furnishing, which will 
no doubt be added by the County Council 
with the efflux of time, and as the necessity 
for such things arises. For instance, 
although a belt of trees has been planted 
largely for the sake of shelter, the garden 
lies rather high and open to the force of the 
wind which sweeps over the land. More¬ 
over a wall is required for the training of 
fruit trees to give the students an oppor¬ 
tunity of studying the methods of pruning 
and training requisite for wall fruit cultiva¬ 
tion, and to demonstrate the advantages of 
growing fruit trees under those conditions. 
At the recent examination the students had 
little to say about wall fruit trees and their 
treatment, a fact due, no doubt, to the lack 
of ocular demonstration as an aid to 
memory. Among other questions set for 
answering was one on the culture of hardy 
Water Lilies, but curiously enough none of 
the candidates had the courage to tackle it. 
Those taken in hand were such as they had 
opportunities of actually seeing in practical 
operation, either here or in other gardens, 
for several of them are members of the pro¬ 
fession, while others intend to make it their 
vocation. The culture of hardy Water 
Lilies is popular at present, and the love 
for water gardens is likely to extend, so that 
no opportunity of affording the rising 
generation instruction in useful and service¬ 
able branches of the art should be over¬ 
looked or regarded as unimportant. The 
cultivation of hardy trees, shrubs, herba¬ 
ceous and alpine plants is in the ascending 
scale of popularity throughout the land ; 
and the wherewithal for studying them has 
been supplied at the Chelmsford school. 
The aim of the teaching staff is evidently 
to grow all their own specimens which may 
be required for the dissecting knife and the 
microscope, as well as for more directly 
utilitarian practice in the principles of 
horticulture. We hope also that the County 
Council will add other necessaries from time 
to time. A water garden of moderate 
dimensions would serve many useful pur¬ 
poses, including the cultivation of Water 
Lilies and other aquatics which, under the 
revelations of the microscope, show so 
vividly the vast differences in structure be¬ 
tween land and water plants, and impress 
upon the memory of the students the great 
necessity for different cultural treatment in 
each respective case. 
The Lawns at Buckingham Palace are suffi¬ 
ciently large to allow of the manoeuvring of 2,000 
men. 
Temple Show.—The Royal Horticultural Society 
will hold its fourteenth great annual flower show in 
the Inner Temple Gardens, Thames Embankment— 
by the kind permission of the treasurer and benchers 
—on May 22nd, 23rd and 24th, 1901. Schedules 
may be obtained on application to the secretary, 
R.H.S., 117, Victoria Street, S.W., enclosing a 
stamp, 
Bradford Horticultural Society.—We have before 
us the schedule of prizes to be offered at their eighth 
annual exhibition, to be held in the Drill Hall, Otley 
Road, on August 30th and 31st. The schedule 
covers a large field, and there are substantial prizes 
in all the classes. There are three main divisions, 
open class, amateurs’ class, and cottagers’class, and 
the show ought to be, as in other years, a grand 
success. 
Royal Horticultural Society.—At a general 
meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, held on 
Tuesday, April 23rd, fifty-two new Fellows were 
elected, making 340 new Fellows elected since the 
beginning of the present year, amongst them being 
the Duchess of Abercorn, Lady Henry Tate, Lady 
Helen Vincent, Lord Alverstone, the Bishop of 
Richmond and the Right Hon. A. H. Smith-Barry, 
The next fruit and flower show of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society will be held on Tuesday, May 7th, 
in the Drill Hall, Buckingham Gate, Westminster, 
1 to 5 p.m. A lecture on “ Alpines and other small 
plants for walls,” will be given at 3 p.m., by Mr. E. 
H. Jenkins, F.R.H.S. Preceding the lecture the 
president of the society, Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart, 
will confer the Victoria Medal of Honour on the new 
recipients, Sir George King, K.C.E.I., Miss Ormerod, 
LL D., Mr. George Norman and Mr. James Sweet. 
Presentation at Dundonald.—On Saturday 
evening, the 20th ult., at Auchans Gardens, Mr. 
Bogie was presented with a lobby clock, on the 
occasion of his leaving the parish for Montgreenan 
to take up the duties of land steward to Sir James 
Bell. Mr. Caldwell, Kilnford, made the presenta¬ 
tion in his usual happy manner, and congratulated 
Mr. Bogie on his promotion, to which, undoubtedly, 
his devotion to his present employer had in a great 
measure contributed. Mr. Bogie had been much 
more than gardener at Auchans, and his varied 
experience admirably fitted him for the position he 
was going to occupy, and Sir James Bell had, in 
choosing Mr. Bogie, chosen one who would consider 
his master’s interests as his first and highest duty. 
Mrs. Bogle received a gold brooch and chain pre¬ 
sented by Mr. Murchland, and a purse presented by 
Mr. Hamilton, both of whom spoke of Mr. and Mrs. 
Bogie's long connection with the parish, and ex¬ 
pressed the hope that their future would be bright 
and prosperous. 
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