HORTICULTURE FOR WOMEN

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25248, 29 July 1947, Page 2

HORTICULTURE FOR WOMEN

WORK FOUND “ INTERESTING AND SATISFYING ”

An occupation, which should hold interest for women, but which attracts the minimum of women recruits in Christchurch each year, is horticulture. At present only three women are employed in this work at the Botanic Gardens, and during the last four or five years only one girl there has taken the complete practical course necessary to obtain the National Diploma of Horticulture, New Zealand.

A very few girls have taken a section of the course. Yet the work, according to one of the women employees, is very satisfying and varied. “It is tremendously interesting working with living plants, watching them grow, and even working with the soil.” she said. “However, it is not a job for the over-fastidious. If you don’t want to get your hands dirty you should not take it up, because you can’t wear gloves all the time.” She said that a number of girls were keen to take up the work, but when they had had a little experience they found some of the work boring and monotonous and did not wish to continue with it.

One woman who has worked at the Botanic Gardens for many years said that only those who had a real liking for the work should take it up. otherwise, while a person was doing such work as weeding, the time passed very slowly. She said that it would take her about a fortnight to weed all the beds in the rose garden alone. The work, once a person was accustomed to it, was not strenuous, she added. A good deal of time is spent out of doors in fine Weather, and the women do weeding, hoeing, raking of leaves, and on occasions, pruning of-the rose trees. They also have experience of seed sowing, cutting, glass-house work, pricking out of annuals, and work in the propagating sheds. The practical work for the diploma course takes six years to complete, and covers every branch uf horticulture. It is possible for a woman diploma holder to be appointed to a lectureship at Massey College, or to undertake research in plant breeding and similar work.