Gardening: for Women.

Otago Witness, Issue 2817, 4 March 1908, Page 73

Gardening: for Women.

(By tire Hon. Frances Wolseley.) Several interesting articles have appeared recently in the Times upon "Horticulture for Women." It is a subject which appeals not only to gardeners, but to all who are anxious that women should find remunerative employment. Gardening is certainly not a profession that can be recommended indiscriminately to all ladies. To make a successful career of it only those should consider it who are bodily active, of good, eound constitution, and "able to expose themselves to all weathers. It is true that early rising, simple diet, out-of-door life, and plenty of exercise — all of which attractions are found in gardening — improve the general health. A young woman, pale and anaemic, will probably, after six months of garden work, become rosy and comparatively strong. I am, however, here only considering gardening as a profitable career, and, therefore, to be held out only to those sturdy active women who prefer country life with all its many interests to the confinement and diudgery j of a type-writing office. Then again, the class of young woman who will prosper most in this comparatively new profession is one who has received good and careful education. It is brains more than hands that we need. A woman cannot compete with the strength of a working man, but her intelligence and higher education will enable her to direct him. Her scientific reasoning will enable her to do better head gardener's work than the ordinary man gardener. There are many co'leges* and schools where ladies are taught horticulture, and it is with much diffidence that I venture to mention my own small school. Ido so through the kindness of the editor of Scotland's national weekly. I feel justified m writing about it to a Scotch paper, as my superintendent is a Scotch woman. She came to me some years ago as a student, and has learnt sufficient to take the place of head and give thoroughly practical instruction. This may be an incentive to other Scotchwomen to do the same and eventually fill good posts. Our school, which was founded in 1901, is situated at Glynde, near Lewes, Sussex. It is but sma^l. and students are carefully selected. They do all the work themselves, and thus learn in the same way that a man gardener learns, by slowly working their way up through all routine work. I supplement the ordinary work of the garden by lectures; Mr H. Edmunds, B.Sc, lectures upon the chemistry of the 6oil and. botany j Mr Paris, of Ringmer, Sussex, 6hows them all connected with bee-keeping ; Mr Back, head-gardener to Admiral %he Hon. T. S. Brand, gives demonstrations on fruit culture ; and: Mr Edmund Fostor, head of the engineering department &f tia Brighton

Technical SCiool, gives lessons in lanv surveying. The surrounding country is hfjaltliy and pretty, and they are a veryhappy community. It is true that the garden is only 6ix acres in. extent, and we hay« not much glass, laboratories, or lecture halls. On the other hand, they are given some responsibility and scope for imagination. They can readily learn the routine of a gentleman's garden. Ib has been a great satisfaction to me to feel we are able, owing to the work being in a lady's private garden, to give the students a thorough idea of what they will have to do later on when they leave and! undertake the direction of a private garden. These are details, but important ones, that are sometimes omitted in large community. Some five or six have passed satisfactorily through oiir course, and are holding remunerative posts and giving satisfaction. Others are applying what they learnt with us to other pur. poses.