The Wanganui Chronicle. "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 1905. TO ENCOURAGE GARDENING.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12549, 12 July 1905, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 1905. TO ENCOURAGE GARDENING.

That Wanganui is doing her share towards the promotion of technical education may now, we think, be reasonably affirmed. The local school is today a credit to the municipality-—a live, progressive, and we believe, prosperous institution. It was not always thus. Indeed, it is but a brief while sii;ce the Technical School, so called, lay waterlogged in the dead water of public apathy. Lack of initiative from within bred carelessness and indifference without, with the invariable and inevitable result. The school merely existed by virtue of official toleration. Now it lives, and claims a foremost place among kindred institutions, by virtue of its own inherent worthiness. 'The new and progressive spirit which has characterised the administration and conduct of the Technical School during the past twelve months has worked little short of wonders. The number of classes has been increased, the number of pupils attending the various classes has nearly trebled, and the roll is still growing. The cause of this new and better state of things is not far to se<?k. In the first place, greater publicity has been given to the educational facilities 'afforded by the school, and in the second place those facilities have been increased and extended along popular and practical lines. Without degrading the arts, the crafts have been uplifted, 'and the school avithorities have striven, and striven successfully, to bring the school into more direct touc-i with the work-a-day requirements of the people. And out of the effort has grown the .already popular plumbing, painting, carpentry, and engineering classes on the one hand, and the cookery, sewing, arid laundry classes on the other* But*the; school has not by any means attained to the full measure of practical; utility. It is possible, we believe, that a-class: for horticulture will be instituted for next term—the concluding quarter ofthe year, and, possibly the very best season for the initiation of such a class. This class, we presume, .will appeal mainly to male students, but there is certainly no reason why it should be exclusive in this respect. -In -the Old Country recently there have 'been one or two sufficiently striking testimonials to the growth of gardening as a'-profes-sion for women. Perhaps one;of the most remarkable records is' also the latest, that of Swanley Agricultural College. It cat^ boast of having produced at least one hundred;-wbmen students who are eanMhg their living successfully by horticulture, and of several whose operations in this direction are on a decidedly extensive scale. That women are well, fitted for the work is shown by the fact that the popularity of the girl gardener at Home is growing, ars. that there are more applications from employers than there are applicants among would-be employees. After all, gardening for women is, if ;we would but remember it, an occupation of some antiquity. Our grandmothers -were many of them finished experts in their knowledge of all that appertained to the art. The real novelty lies in its application, in the conversion or what was largely an ornamental accomplishment to a serious profession. So much the better, both for the art and those who practice it. But the local class, if established, will perhtaps cater more for the amateur than the professional. The chief object of the instruction afforded in the horticultural class should be, we take it, to encourage those who wish to make profitable use of their home plots There is not scope here for a corps of professional gardeners, but there is room in plenty for a battalion of enthusiastic amateurs. How many people are there who really know how to make the most of the piece of ground, large or small, which they have at their disposal? Most of us are able to "garden" after a fashion, but our fashion is not always in accordance with the first principles of horticulture. Surely, then, a class for horticulture ought not to go begging for lack of patronage. We understand that the services of a thoroughly competent instructor are available, and that the proprietor of a local nursery has volunteered to place his grounds at the disposal of the class for practical work. Under such conditons, and especially in view of the exceptional facilities which would be afforded for the acquisition of practical knowledge, the success of a class for horticulture ought to be assured from its inception. The Wanganui Horticultural Society would, we feel sure, extend both sympathy and material support to the enterprise.