pril 23. 1904. 
fHE Gardening World 
MOTTO FOR THE WEEK: 
“A thing of beauty is a joy for ever, its loveliness increases, it will never pass into nothingness.”— Keats. 
Veekly Prize 
FOR 
Views and Reviews. 
Short Articles. 
The Proprietors of The Gardening World 
ill give a cash prize of Ten Shillings for 
a BEST PARAGRAPH, or SHORT ARTICLE, sent 
t readers during the week. The Editor’s 
figment must be considered final, and he will 
s at liberty to use any of the contributions 
snt in. The paragraph, or article, must not 
XCEED ONE COLUMN IN LENGTH, but the value, 
ather than the length, of the article will be 
onsidered in making the award. Competitors 
aay send in items of news or comments on 
ews; hints of practical interest to gar¬ 
deners or growers of plants, fruits, or flowers; 
uccessful methods of propagating plants 
usually considered difficult; or contributions 
N ANT SUBJECT COMING WITHIN THE SPHERE 
7 gardening proper. Letters should be 
ddressed to The Editor, marked “ Competi- 
ion,” and posted not later than Friday night 
i ensure insertion in the issue of next week. 
The following Coloured 
Plates have appeared in 
recent numbers:— 
May 23 — SAXIFRAGA GRISEBACHII, 
May 30. — DENDROBIUM NOBILE 
IOTUNDIFLORUM and D.n. NOBILIUS. 
July 4.— APHELANDRA AURANTIACA 
tOEZLII. 
August 1— BORONIA HETEROPHYLLA. 
September 12.— SIX NEW DAFFODILS. 
(Jctober 3— LILIUM AURATUM PLA- 
YPHYLLUM SHIRLEY VAR. 
Novembei 14.— ROSE MME. N. LEVA- 
MASSEUR 
January 2— HYBRID TEA-SCENTED 
tOSE IRENE. 
January 30. — TUBEROUS BEGONIA 
10UNTESS OF WARWICK. 
February 27. -A FINE STRAIN OF 
3LOXINIAS. 
April 2. — WISTARIA MULTIJUGA 
RUSSELLIANA. 
Back numbers may be obtained from the 
mblishers, price 2|d. post free. 
This week we present a Half-tone 
Plate of 
ROSE BESSIE BROWN. 
Next week we shall give a Half-ton e 
Plate of 
NARCISSUS CYCLAMINEUS. 
*** The priie last week in the Readers’ 
Competition was awarded to “J. C.,” 
or his article on “Lawns from Grass 
Seeds,” page 326. 
Gardeners and Botany. 
For some years past we have been pleased 
to note that, a greater number of gardeners 
now think it essential to their welfare and 
advantage as gardeners to study the subject of 
botany. This is evident in the numbers that 
continue year after year to attend botany 
classes under the auspices of the Department 
of Science and Art; also to prepare them¬ 
selves for the annual examination held under 
the auspices of the R.H.S. in April, as well 
as various other 'classes throughout the 
country. 
Some few years ago, say a. decade or two, 
the gardeners who' thought botany unessen¬ 
tial to their calling were very numerous, and 
many of them did not hesitate to say so. Of 
course, these had been actuated by various 
lines of reasoning, by example, but more par¬ 
ticularly through the influence and sneers of 
members of the old school of gardening who 
were the more potent for influence in propor¬ 
tion as they had control over- the young men, 
or wished to dissuade them from utilising 
their time by a study of botany. Happily, 
that sort of thing is dying out, and those who 
neglect this branch of their education must 
be content in after years to find themselves 
following the lead of their betters a long way 
behind. 
Botany is as essential to gardening as 
geology and chemistry to the farmer or 
market gardener, notwithstanding those of 
the old school who think it sufficient for them 
to follow in the footsteps of their fathers and 
grandfathers. The times have changed, and 
young men at least must change to meet the 
present day needs. The subject is as essen¬ 
tial as mathematics to an engineer or level¬ 
ling, surveying, and drawing to a. landscape 
gardener. In a word, it is as essential as 
the science of any other subject to the pro¬ 
fessors of it, or to those who aspire to the 
management of the practical .application of 
such sciences to tibedr .special vocation. In 
olden times those who advanced too. far ahead 
of their fellows were liable to be burnt as a 
wizard or witch, or for being in direct cor¬ 
respondence with the evil one. Their great 
knowledge of a subject was sufficient to show 
or to convince the people of those ancient- 
times that the possessors of great knowledge 
could not have come by it legitimately. 
Now it is an honour to be called a wizard in 
one’s profession, and those who get such 
epithets applied to them well deserve the 
honour, which has been gained by their own 
industry and perseverance. 
Botany is essential to the interests of the 
man who desires to be something more than 
a mere cultivator of Cabbages. A gardener 
lives in a veiy narrow world who. knows no¬ 
thing of the science of the subject pertaining 
to. bis own vocation. A head gardener 
of the present day wlio knows nothing 
of the subject of botany, and takes 
care to. know nothing, is like a, very early 
edition of his kind to which no. value can 
be attached, as in the case of first or early 
editions of a book. He is far behind bis 
times, as far behind them as those who be¬ 
lieve that the earth is only 6,000 years old, 
and that species of plants were created such 
as we see them. 
Some of the older botanists, as they gradu¬ 
ally got an insight to the subject, and found 
the numerous variations amongst plants, 
struggled bard to retain the idea, that species 
were created, but were left with the freedom 
of developing variations. Even such a tenet 
as that has long ceased to be held by those 
who have given the subject serious considerur 
tion, with a fair amount of the evidence that 
must daily come before their eyes if work¬ 
ing amongst plants. 
Let us now consider some of the objections 
to the study of botany. Some few will hold 
forth the difficulty and trouble it would cause 
to study the subject. Others say they have 
no timei, and still another class would urge 
the difficulty of getting information on the 
subject. Even in this case we have evidence 
that greater difficulties in this respect existed 
in olden times, when classes devoted to 
botany were few and far between, and usually 
confined to large towns or populous centres. 
Even now some young gardeners may urge 
that they are situated too far from any of 
these seats of learning or opportunities for 
getting information. Even twenty years ago 1 
there were botanical books readily obtain¬ 
able, so that those willing to. study could help 
themselves by application in their leisure 
hours. Where one book on the subject 
existed in those days three or four others 
have now been added, many of them great 
improvements upon their predecessors, with 
fuller and more exhaustive details of the sub¬ 
ject, but more particularly in other branches 
which were less understood even in those 
days, except by the more advanced students 
of the subject. 
Previous to that, more attention was given 
merely to that branch of the subject known 
as systematic botany, which chiefly taught 
