THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDENS, ST. LOUIS, MO.
The Trustees of the garden offer theoretical and practical instruction in gardening, with a certain number of competitive scholarships. These scholarships are not open to women. The course of instruction can, however, be taken by women who are ready to bear their own expenses and pay the nominal fee of $25 per annum.
Only one young woman has so far completed the course. This lady, Miss Eda A. Sutermeister, 1637, Broadway, Kansas City, Missouri, has become an accomplished landscape architect. One other girl went through the greater part of the work. She subsequently took charge of the floriculture at an industrial school for women, after extensive experience in practical floriculture. In addition to these two, a number of ladies have taken various courses of study included in the outline, or have received practical training in gardening at the Botanical Garden, covering short periods of time, and limited parts of the subject.
The following is taken from the last report:—
INSTRUCTION IN GARDENING
The requirement that instruction in gardening and horticulture should receive attention at the Garden, in addition to the provision of a lodging house for pupils, led to the entire renovation of the fruit orchard some years ago, at a cost of $444.44, and two small vegetable houses have been built for further experimental and educational use. The annual expenditure on the gardening course averages $930.34.
The Director reports that of the 39 pupils thus far enrolled, of whom 15 completed the course, ten are now successful florists or gardeners, two have become landscape architects, three hold responsible park positions, two are college horticulturists with teaching as well as practical duties, one is a surveyor, one is a government plant experimenter, and one is a forester in the Philippine service.
INSTRUCTION IN BOTANY
Mr. Shaw’s provision for a close connection between the School of Botany, which he had endowed in Washington University, and the Garden has been of great assistance to the undergraduate department of the University, and through the Garden opportunities for work have been offered to graduate students, of whom five have received the Master’s degree and six the degree of Doctor of Philosophy with botany as a major study. The Board expect to see a large increase in this utilisation of the Garden facilities commensurate with the very gratifying growth of Washington University. Indirectly the Garden has been of much use to the young men who have served as assistants in its office, library, or herbarium, or as teachers in the school of botany, for with very few exceptions they have gone to college, government or other positions of high responsibility in botany or horticulture, for which their service here gave excellent training.