THE HORTICULTURAL COLLEGE, SWANLEY
Principal: Miss F. R. Wilkinson
Vice-Principal and Secretary: Miss M. Kekewich
Lady Superintendent: Mrs. Watson, South Bank, Swanley
LECTURERS
Bee-keeping, W. Herrod, F. E. S. Book-keeping, H. W. Kersey (Lecturer on Book-keeping, Wye College). Botany, Vegetable Pathology, R. J. Tabor, F. L. S. Dairy, Miss Dawson, N. D. D. (Certificate Midland Dairy Institute). [3]Entomology, F. V. Theobald, M. A., F. L. S. (Lecturer on Entomology, Wye College). Gardening, Miss Villiers-Stuart. [3]Greenhouse Construction, F. A. Fawkes. Horticultural Science and Rural Economy, F. J. Baker, A.R.C.Sc. Lond. Manual Training, W. Herrod. Poultry, Miss Dawson.
[3] Courses in these subjects are given once in two years.
Head Gardener: Mr. J. Lawson
There is also a staff of under-gardeners and labourers.
The college is situated seventeen and a half miles from London, and one and a half miles from Swanley Junction Station on the South Eastern and Chatham Railway.
Women were admitted in 1892, the college being the first place to open its doors to women students who wished to obtain a thorough training in horticulture.
It stands in forty-three acres of freehold land, allotted to flower, kitchen, market gardens, fruit plantations, playing fields, also conservatories and glass-houses for market work.
Lecture rooms and laboratories form part of the college, while adjoining are a workshop, farm buildings, apiary, dairy, poultry runs, etc.
It aims at giving a thorough training to fit women to become market growers, gardeners in private places, teachers of nature-study and colonists, or to enable them to manage their own property.
COURSES OF INSTRUCTION
The full horticultural course lasts two years, and consists of practical work out of doors and under glass, with lectures on scientific principles. Diplomas or certificates are awarded to students who have qualified.
COLONIAL BRANCH
Courses are specially arranged for intending colonists, which, in addition to gardening, include a simple training in cooking, housework, laundry, needlework, and hygiene.
NATURE-STUDY COURSE
A course for training Garden and Nature-Study mistresses in botany, zoology, geology, meteorology, and simple gardening, extends over one year.
A holiday course for school teachers is held in August, and affords special opportunities for field work, gardening, dairying, etc.
SHORT COURSES
In the spring and summer terms, courses are arranged, lasting six weeks. These include the following subjects:—gardening, dairying, poultry-keeping, bee-keeping, and fruit preserving.
ADMISSION AND FEES
The fees, which, include all expenses except medical attendance, fire in bedroom, laundress, books, and small charge for loan of microscope and tools, and the extras stated below, are, for a cubicle, from £80 a year of three terms, study-bedroom from £96 a year of three terms, out-students from £40 a year of three terms, colonial students from £16 5s. per term.
At the examination held in April, 1907, by the Royal Horticultural Society, sixteen students from the college competed, and secured places among 142 competitors:—
First class, 8; second class, 6; third class, 2.
SCHOLARSHIPS
The County Councils of Kent, London, Norfolk, and Staffordshire offer scholarships at the college to residents in their own counties. As the regulations are not identical, intending competitors should apply to the secretaries of the respective Education Committees for particulars.
Kent.—F. W. Crook, Esq., Kent Education Office, Caxton House, Westminster, S.W.
London.—The Executive Officer, Education Office, Victoria Embankment.
Staffordshire.—Graham Balfour, Esq., County Council Offices, Stafford.
Norfolk.—The Secretary, County Council Education Offices, Norwich.
Since 1892, 410 students have attended the college courses.
Through the kindness of Miss F. R. Wilkinson, I am able to quote the following interesting statistics:—
AFTER-CAREERS OF STUDENTS
Landscape gardeners, 3; market gardeners, 25; head gardeners, 26; under gardeners, 13; working in home garden, 49; “jobbing” gardeners, 9; teaching, 23; working at science, 5; poultry-keeping, 2; manageress milk depôt, 1; principals in gardening schools, 2; apiarist, 1; at Royal Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, 2.
AVERAGE SALARIES
Landscape gardeners, two guineas a week to two guineas a day head gardeners, highest, £100 a year with rooms, light and vegetables lowest, £20 a year resident; under gardeners, highest, £80 non-resident; lowest, 18s. a week, cottage and coals; schools, highest, £65 resident; lowest, £30 resident; institution, highest, £75 resident; lowest, £20 resident; jobbing, 4s. to 7s. a day; companion gardener, highest, £100; resident lowest, £30 resident.
NATURE STUDY
The following syllabus may be of interest, although the course has already taken place (July, 1907). It will show what an important place Nature Study takes in the education of women.
A course for helping those who are desirous of extending their knowledge of Nature Study will be held at the Horticultural College, Swanley.
Most of the instruction will be given (weather permitting) out of doors, rambles in the country under the guidance of experienced teachers being the chief feature.
Miss Hibbert-Ware (Science Mistress, Queen Margaret’s School, Scarborough) and Mr. Tabor (Resident Science Lecturer) will lead combined excursions for studying birds, pond life, insects, wild flowers, trees, grasses, etc., in their different environments.
The college gardens, greenhouses, orchards, farm, and fruit-preserving appliances will be in working order, and students will be able to obtain an insight into the work carried on in each department. Miss M. Agar will give demonstrations and instructions in simple gardening, and on the care of school gardens. Demonstrations in dairying and poultry-keeping will be given by Miss M. Dawson (N.D.D. and Certificate Midland Dairy Institute), who will explain the chief points of farm operations during the year.
As far as possible the open-air studies will take place within easy distance of the college, but excursions will be arranged to districts with varying soils and climate, and the accompanying variety of natural objects. Students having bicycles are advised to bring them.
It is hoped to combine the natural history excursions with points of antiquarian, artistic, and other interest in outlying districts, and endeavour will be made to render the course useful, both for home life and school work.
FEES
(Payable in advance or on arrival)
For teachers and those training to be teachers, including tuition, board, and lodging, and expenses of excursions, £5 5s.; single room; extra, 10s. 6d.; to those not engaged in teaching an extra fee will be charged of £1 1s.
STUDIES IN PLANT LIFE AND PLANT GEOGRAPHY
By R. J. Tabor, F.L.S. (Resident Science Lecturer), and M. Wilson, B.Sc. Lond.
The work of this course will be arranged on the assumption that most of the students will have had some previous training in elementary botany.
Its objects will be to extend their knowledge of plants in the field, and especially of the various plant associations and their adaptation to their surroundings. For this purpose excursions will be arranged to study the flora of woods, ponds and streams, moors and heaths, fresh and salt water marshes.
An explanatory lecture, illustrated with lantern slides, will be given on the eve of each excursion, in which the special features to be noted in the next day’s work will be described.
The special subject for this year’s course will be “Common British Trees and Shrubs,” and on alternate days laboratory work will be provided, in order that students may become familiar with the distinguishing characters of their leaves, twigs, buds, etc., to enable them to identify these plants in summer and winter.
Facilities will be provided for making collections of common plants for subsequent reference. Students are recommended to bring a flora and a vasculum.
If time permits, a demonstration will be given towards the end of the course on the arrangement and carrying out of simple experiments in plant physiology.
STUDIES IN POND LIFE, INSECTS AND BIRDS, GEOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
By Miss Hibbert-Ware (Science Mistress at Queen Margaret’s School, Scarborough)
Pond Life.—The management of aquaria. The life-history, breathing, adaptations, etc., of the various aquatic creatures obtained on the excursions.
Insect Life.—Some garden friends and foes (e.g., ladybird, cockchafer).
Birds.—The habits and call notes of common British birds so far as they can be studied during August. Opportunity will be given to students of learning to identify the birds from museum specimens, and also of preparing the skins of birds and small mammals for class use.
Geology.—The origin, composition, and history of some common rocks and fossils, especially those observed and collected on the excursions.
Astronomy.—The subjects of four of the evening lectures will be: 1. The solar system; 2 and 3. The starry heavens; 4. The earth as a member of the solar system.
A part of these lectures will be held out-of-doors.
N.B.—Students are recommended to bring note-books containing both blank and lined pages and paint boxes.
GARDEN LECTURES AND DEMONSTRATIONS
By Miss M. Agar (College Diploma, Landscape Gardener to the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association)
Sowing Seeds.—Seed-bed, temperature, moisture, depth of sowing, vitality of seed, pricking out seedlings—potting on.
Propagation by Cuttings.—Nodes, internodes, growing points, callus, formation of roots—potting on.
(Supplementary: Propagation by leaves, roots, “ringing stems.”)
Budding.—Scion, stocks, time for budding.
Pruning.—Fruit trees, bush fruits, roses.
Demonstrations will be given in the grounds with the exception of pruning, for which the time of the year is unsuitable.
The last published report of the Swanley College will be found of interest.
REPORT: DECEMBER 31ST, 1906
During the past year gratifying progress can be reported in each department of the college work. The value to women of systematic training in the various branches of horticulture is becoming more and more widely recognised from both the utilitarian and educational standpoints. It opens the door to attractive and remunerative employment in many directions, while it serves as an admirable complement to the mental training of the High School or the University. No one doubts that healthy occupation in the open air for a couple of years or so goes far towards counteracting the morbid tendencies which occasionally result from exclusive attention to literary studies, and promotes moral no less than physical development. That the advantages offered by Swanley in this respect are appreciated is evidenced by the number of students who attend solely to cultivate those faculties for which the ordinary school or college makes no provision, and to acquire a knowledge of natural and physical phenomena that will prove of increasing interest throughout their lives.
For those destined for a professional career, whether as teachers or gardeners, the opportunities are daily increasing. The growth of gardens, as instruments of education, in connection with elementary and secondary schools within the past two or three years has been remarkable. The number of elementary school gardens has risen from 379 in 1903 to 570 in 1905 according to the last report of the Board of Education. In 1906 there was a very considerable advance, but the exact figures have not yet been issued, nor are any statistics available in regard to secondary schools. The great difficulty in every county is the scarcity of teachers qualified to undertake gardening and general nature-study. For these duties the training at Swanley affords an excellent preparation. Lord Onslow, when, as President of the Board of Agriculture, he distributed the prizes in July, 1904, particularly emphasised this point. A student who has followed the complete course may obtain a position as gardening or nature-study mistress at a secondary school, or as a peripatetic teacher of those subjects for a group of elementary day schools. With the object of assisting those already engaged in such tuition as well as those who contemplate a similar appointment, the college now provides a Special Third-year Course in natural history.
The demand for well-trained gardeners, capable of acting as the head and assuming the responsibility for a large private garden, exceeds the supply. Applications have again and again to be refused. These posts are desirable in themselves, and furnish infinite scope for the exercise of individual taste and skill. We are glad to note that the salaries offered are somewhat higher than formerly, but they are still often insufficient to attract the best and most promising students.