September 20^ 1913. 
THE GARDENERS’ MAGAZINE. 
THE DEVELOPMENT OF 
PLANT EMBRYOLOGY* 
Miss Eth?l Sargant, who presided over the 
botanical section of the British Association, 
devoted her presidential address to the de- 
v.dopments of the study of the embryology of 
plants during the past forty-three years. 
.\fter referring to the great loss that had 
been sustained by all who were interested in 
the study of natural history by the death of 
Lord Avebury, Miss Sargant said there was 
me more event of the past year that should 
be mentioned. A great innovation had been 
made by the Council of the British Associa¬ 
tion in choosing a woman as president of the 
botanical section, and she would not refrain 
from thanking them in the name of her sex 
because she happened to be the woman 
chosen. And, though she felt very keenly 
the honour they had done her as a botanist, 
yet that feeling was less prominent than 
gratitude for the generosity shown to all 
women in that choice. Speaking in their 
name, she might venture to say that the 
highest form of generosity was that which 
dared to do an act of justice in the face of 
custom and prejudice, as had been done by 
the Council in this case. 
In proceeding to deal with the subject 
matter of her address, Aliss Sargant urged 
that embryology should include every stage 
in the development of the plant from the 
first division of the fertilised egg-cell to 
maturity. They were forced to studv the 
embryo l^cause its characters were often of 
systematic importance. The structure of the 
embryo could not be completely grasped bv 
reference to its past only. Tlie observer 
must expect adaptive characters of three 
kinds; first, tho^ imposed upon the embryo 
in the past by its development within the 
embryo-sac while it was still parasitic on the 
parent plant; secondly, certain adaptations 
to the process of germination itself; and, 
finally, characters which would be useful 
after germination. Before the utility of the 
characters included in this third class could 
be juby understood, the development of the 
seedling must be followed for some time. In 
snort, the structure of the embryo was depon¬ 
ent on its future, as well as on its past; 
division of the subject which excluded 
that future was purely artificial. 
In reviewing recent research in plant em- 
Sargant dealt at some length 
nil V^^/'ldence afforded by the embryos of 
P nts of the remote ancestors from which 
derived, and compared the re- 
research with the evidence 
found in fossil remains. 
francoshe said, the structure of or- 
rerno-^^ other is, of course, the 
of £ method of comparative anatoniv, 
braS*™®.*'® “ fact, of all 
in ^11 f “Orphology. The great difficulty 
adanfi’TT^^^ work is to distinguish between 
ori^n comparatively recent 
moL characters inherited from re- 
Wanv . "Th^ history of systematic 
instructive in this respect, 
uiean^ discovered by degrees, and by 
<^uuld nnf ilffailures, that characters 
poses 1 out as important for pur- 
cbnra^ ossification on a priori grounds. 
uniform importance 
^ke plants, for example. On 
<^lossificatl^’ great value in the 
anotLr group and worthless in 
botani’cf^'*?^ closely allied. Generations 
Natural laboured to build up the 
<^ustructld its present form, and it is 
^vstems. Xv ruins of abandoned 
P*“iuciDllx uow that the guiding 
®<^^tion qL ^\^^^pbology is that our classi- 
founded on represent relationships 
system WflQ natural 
^fore that main features 
'Pf^sented understood. It re- 
r^Wed in real affinity de- 
indervAni^”!?^® ®^^idy of plant 
^tanicai^Lig?^^^’ is the commonplace of 
^^3li<^ we do not always 
^'’•der similar ^ ®?rphological work is done 
^dar conditions. The only valid ap¬ 
peal from criticism is to the future: a new 
method is approved by its results. There¬ 
fore. to embark on a new branch of niorpho 
logv is a real adventure. The morphologist 
risks.much time and much labour. He knows 
that the evidence w’hich he proposes to gather 
painfully, to test criticallv, to pres-eiit logic¬ 
ally, may, after all, proVe of little conse- 
quence. and he has to depeud on his own 
instinct to lead him in the right course. In 
his degree he resembles Columbus, to whom 
a few .s?a-l)orne seeds and nuts meant a new’ 
continent. Hence the difficulty of criticising 
recent work. XX hen once a conclusion of 
some importance has been formulated it may 
be tested by evidence drawn from other 
branches of research. Until that time critic¬ 
ism from outside is of little value. Those 
who are w’orkiiig at the subject must, of 
cqur^. form their own opinion on its possi- 
bilities, for each has to decide for himself 
whether he shall continue on tlui.^e lines, or 
endeavour to find others tliat he can follow 
with the probability of success. 
The subject of sealing anatomv is no longer 
very new. It is too late now to debate on 
the a priori probability of ancestral charac¬ 
ters surviving in the .voung .seedling. No 
one doubts that a vascular stump sometimes 
persists after the organ it originallv sup¬ 
plied has disappeared. Therefore tbere is 
no glaring improbability in the suggestion 
that the vascular skeleton of the young .seed¬ 
ling may afford a clue to the structure of a 
remote ancestor. Hut this is only saying in 
other words that botanists are justified in 
giving the subject a fair trial. ‘That trial 
IS now proceeding. Some general conclusions 
have b^n formulated already, but they have 
not yet stood the test of time. In all pro¬ 
bability the final judgment on this subject 
will be given by a future generation of botan¬ 
ists on evidence not as v^t before us. In the 
meantime we shall all ^orm our own opinion 
as to the prospects of the method. Speaking 
for herself. Miss Sargant thought that it 
has already throwm much light on embryo- 
logical problems, and it is likely to thrW 
more 
INFLUENCE OF GARDENING 
ON CHILDREN. 
On page 613, issue August 16. you have a 
very interesting note on the above subject. 
For more than tw’cnty yeans I have taken a 
great interest in school gardening, and, in¬ 
deed, was one of the first to take an active 
part in the teaching of children on gardening 
subjects. It was my privilege to give a 
few brief lectures to children in a country 
school, and also to teach them how to grow" 
crops in the garden of the schoolma.ster who 
had a large one, and gave up a portion to 
the children. He also taught them during 
a given time once or twdoe each week, and, at 
the annual inspection, H.M. Inspector exa¬ 
mined the children, and pass^ the school 
a first ” in gardening for the Government 
grant. I do not remember other schools at 
that time having received such a grant. 
Since then it has been a great pleasure to 
me to teach school children, in various 
centres, a little about gardening, and I can 
testify to the keen interest they take in the 
subject, and the refining influence it has on 
them in after years. I may add that the 
parents of these children were among the 
most successful exhibitors at the different 
local shows. The school referred to is that 
at Fawley, near Southampton, the school¬ 
master being Mr. F. Cove. 
Geo. Garner. 
Hydrangeas.— These may now be 
propagated by means of strong, w’ell-matured 
cuttings. Place them singly in small pots 
fn a sandv compost, and plunge the pots in 
a mild hotbed. XVhen rooted gradually 
harden them off. eventually exposing them to 
full sunshine and plenty of air, so that they 
may become thoroughly ripened. By the 
end of autumn they must be induced to rest 
by gradually withholding water. — E. 
Hareiss. 
SCHOOL GARDENING IN 
SCOTLAND. 
There hns just been bruight to a close at 
.ViK'rdeeu very successful school gardening 
vacation cla.Nses for school teachers, under 
Hie auspio^.s of the Al>erdeen (Viitre for tlie 
Training of Teachers, Thov w’cre taught at 
the ex|x*rimeiital garden of AWrdien Uni¬ 
versity l)v .Mr. H<»lx‘rt .M. (Tark. B.Sc., bota. 
meal deuartrnent of the University, and Mr. 
IxMvis Gavin, Druiinvhindlc Pubiie School, 
Al^rdeenshirt‘. The splendid work aeeom- 
plisluxl by the last-named gentleman in con¬ 
nection with sc1hk)1 gardening has made Iws 
name known throughout the length and 
breadth of Scotland. The clas.ses were verv 
largely attended by teachers from all parts 
of the northern half of Scotland, and were 
v?ry fittingly brought to a close by a visit 
paid to Mr. Gavin’s school garden at Drum- 
whindle, .some twenty miles from Alx*rdeen, 
where a practical denioiistration was given 
of how' the work of laying out and conduct¬ 
ing a .scluMil garden should be gone aliout. 
Accompanying the party wen* Mr. I'rank 
\oung, LL.I)., (ilasgow; H.M. (Tiief Insper- 
tor of Schools for Scotland, Mr. J.T. F.wen ; 
H.M. InsjMH’tor of Schools for tli^ Northern 
Division of Scotland, and Dr. Smith, direc¬ 
tor of studies at the -\l>erdeen Provincial 
Centre for the Training of Teachers. A de¬ 
scription of a visit paid to Drumwhiiidle 
School Garden was given in The Gardeners’ 
Magazine of July H, 1911. 
After extending a hearty welcome to his 
visitors, Mr. Gavin at once proceeded to 
show^ the principal features of his now famous 
school garden. Commencing with the potato 
area, Mr. Gavin explained that of the four¬ 
teen varieties grown, it had been found that 
the order of merit so far had been as follows: 
First, Devanha. Three of equal merit which 
follo\yed were Grampian, Forty fold, and 
Heading Husset. Then came British Queen. 
Harbinger, Faithlie, and Balgowuiie. This 
.season Snowdrop and Ashleaf made a ijoor 
show’. 
The experiiiients with regard to vegetables 
also evoked considerable interest, while the 
company derived much pleasure from an in- 
spectioii of the flower beds and borders, Mr. 
Gavin emphasising that the aesthetic as well 
as the utilitarian aspect of school gardening 
ought to be considered, while in rural dis¬ 
tricts the farmers mu.st be induced to co¬ 
operate with the scho'il authorities on the 
subject. That could liest be done by going 
in for a cour.se of experiments in regard to 
farm plants. 
The in.spection proved a delightful experi¬ 
ence, and the company then adjourned to the 
main schoolroom, where tea was served. 
After tea, Dr, Smith, Al>erdeen. projwsed a 
vote of thanks to Mr. Gavin for his kindne.ss 
in arranging the inspection of his school gar¬ 
den. Dr. Smith then called upon Dr. Young, 
Chief Inspector, to addres.s the gathering. 
Dr. Young, after expressing his pleasure 
at being present, congratulated the members 
of the cla.sses on school gardening upon the 
able direction given them by Air. Clark and 
Mr. Gavin. Tliey could not have had better 
guides. He had the utmost confidence when 
they were appointed that the w’ork before 
them would be effectively performed, and 
especially had he been greatly impressed with 
the ability and skill Air. Gavin had shown in 
carrying through the operations. It was 
good for them to be there, but instead of 
building tabernacles he hoped they would 
start to make gardens. Dr. A'oung also 
congratulated Mr. Clark and Mr. Gavin on 
having had such an industrious and in¬ 
terested class, as had been evident from the 
notebooks of the students he had examined, 
and these afforded good ground for them car¬ 
ry ip^ their operations into the districts from 
which they came. The Education Depart¬ 
ment, continued Dr. A'oung, desired to en¬ 
courage that practical work in their supple¬ 
mentary classes, and he thought they would 
aim at giving as liberal a grant as‘ for ex¬ 
perimental science work. They must, how¬ 
ever, realise that tho Department had the 
Treasury to consider. 
